[interview] Sujan Ratna Shakya is originally from Nepal and lives in South Korea now. He was cast in a popular talk show entitled Non-Summit, the spin-off show Where’s my friend’s house? and many more. I met him at a café in Seoul to talk about his life in Korea.
Q1 Thank you for accepting an interview for our newspaper. I know you are from Nepal, and that you were in the JTBC talk show Non-Summit. Please tell us about yourself and what you do in Korea.
A1 Namaste!! I am Sujan originally from Nepal but I live in South Korea. I love South Korea as much as I love Nepal. Korea is like a second home for me. I learned Korean from Dankook University and later completed my Bachelor’s in Urban Planning as well. These days I work as a marketing manager and sometimes appear on TV and radio programs.
Q2. Can you briefly introduce your country Nepal?
A2 Here in Korea Nepal is famously known for its mountains. It’s obvious since 8 out of the 14 peaks sit higher than 8000m, including the highest peak Mt. Everest (8848m) which is located in Nepal. The peace ambassador Gautama Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal. Nepal is a landlocked country sharing borders with China and India with a population of almost 30 million total. Nepal is well known for its tourist attractions such as great trekking and hiking courses, adventure sports and diverse culture and tradition. Nepal is a common garden for more than 125 ethnic groups, 123 dialects are spoken and there are several religious communities. That is why Nepal is also known as the home of gods and country of festivals.
Q3. When I first met you, I was impressed at your proficiency with speaking Korean. I heard that you also take part in a radio program for teaching conversational English. You are not from an English-speaking country, yet you have a good command of Korean and English. What is the secret to mastering foreign languages like that?
A3 Nepali is spoken as the official language in Nepal, but we have more than 123 different languages as mother tongues. So, we are exposed to at least two completely different languages from birth. We are also exposed to Hindi and English from early age. I think this gives us chances for indirect and natural training of foreign languages from an early age.
This might make some people think Nepalese have special genes and techniques for mastering languages, but I think this is not the key to our “language mastering” doors.
All we have to do is to find a solution of our own for learning any languages, creating our own study plan and learning pattern. So, we should stop viewing languages as a burden. We should try to relate language with our hobbies and never feel bad even if we make mistakes.
Q4 I’d like to know what brought you to Korea and how long have you been here? What is your impression of Korea, Korean people and your life here, both the good and bad, or tell us your most unforgettable memories here.
A4 I have been here for almost 8 years now. I still remember the political situation of our country being unstable. Every parent in those days suggested that their children go abroad for further studies or work. My parents were amongst them. I tried to go to the USA, Australia or some other countries. At that time, one of my father’s friends introduced a Korean teacher who had often visited Nepal for volunteer work and trekking. He helped me with documents so that I could come to Korea to study. After getting rejected 3 times, I finally made it to Korea.
On the day I landed in Korea, the heavy snow, language barrier and other stuff made me think I would be broken within days and go back to Nepal. But now I have been in Korea for 8 years. The charms that Korea has, friendliness shown by the people, the Korean language, and the culture. These are things that have kept me here for a long time. I have had many good memories here in Korea, but if I had to choose one among them, I would say the day when I graduated from the University.
Q5 Is there anything you’d like to tell Korean people, or is there anything you want Korean people to do for you?
A5 Korea and Korean people have shown so much love and affection to me and to my country as well. I still respect and thank Korea and Korean people for their help, support, and the big heart they showed when Nepal was hit by the massive earthquake in 2015.
Korea is now taking big steps as a global nation. Korea has been trying hard to support multi-cultural families and multi-national laborers. I hope Korea does well in this process of becoming a global nation by preserving, and sharing its culture and tradition with the world, and also considering the cultures of other nationalities.
Q6 What are your future plans?
A6 I think I still have a long way to go. As everyone says, the future is uncertain. I would like to keep learning and keep sharing the things that I have learned through various means. My plans for the future would be to live a meaningful life.
Q7 To conclude, do you have any comments or advice to our readers? What message could you give to our younger readers?
A7 There are chances and challenges everywhere and everyone is trying their very best to become successful. I think each and every single human being is unique and special in their own way. I hope that the young generation of today, with their specialties and uniqueness, challenge to create their successful and significant lives.
http://cafe.daum.net/weeklymonday/iSZz
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