Nepal-itics

Faithful readers may recall our family's having attended a Mongolian new year celebration a year ago. Dickinson State University is quite the international university; about half our on-campus population (i.e., those living in campus housing) is made up of students from countries other than the United States. Some are from our next-door neighbor Canada, of course, but most are from China, Mongolia, Russia, Nepal, the Bahamas, Jamaica, and European and African nations. (Next fall we will welcome cohorts from Japan and Korea, as well.) One of the benefits of working at DSU has been learning about these varied cultures from the students themselves, and tonight we were able to learn about Nepal by helping those students celebrate Navavarsha, the Nepali new year. (The Nepalese students are well into 2008 here in North Dakota, but back home, depending on what local calendar they use, they could be celebrating the start of 1128, 2065, or 2139!)

I had been invited to participate in a game of Jeopardy! this evening sponsored by Residential Life. There were three teams: staff, faculty, and students. Guess which team won! My team! But we gave our prizes to the student team. Afterward, I met Susan and the girls at the Student Center, where the ballrooms were set up for the new year celebration. The Nepalese students were dressed in traditional and ethnic garb, greeting us at the door, explaining the numerous posters and items on display on tables surrounding the room, serving us Nepalese food and beverages (unlabeled, all, so I have no idea what we ate or drank), and entertaining us by singing Nepalese songs and performing traditional dances. Susan had the opportunity to learn that Nepal is not synonymous with Tibet. (Are you yourself wondering where Nepal is? Here's the CIA's take on Nepal, and here's Nepal's own tourism site.)

Besides the chance to taste unusual food, hear and see unfamiliar music and dancing, and learn details about a faraway country from people who call it home, this evening offered us also the opportunity to honor a group of students who rightfully take pride in their contributions to the global environment of our university. Susan and I are delighted that our daughters (well, and us, too) have had incredible opportunities in Dickinson in terms of learning about the world beyond from its very citizens. (Of course, we all had a preliminary education in Nepalese culture during our time in Disney World and its Expedition Everest attraction . . .)

Why don't you experience a little Nepalese music yourself? Go here or here or here for songs to listen to and music videos to watch for free, and sample the varied sounds of Nepal through its musical contributions to the world.