My  Journey to  Medical  School

by Babin Basnet

My name is Babin Basnet. I am from a small village located in southernmost part of Nepal. My family of five includes my father (a farmer) and my mother (a housewife), and an elder brother and sister. I began my education in Bal Niketan Secondary English Boarding School. During my childhood, we didn't play any video games. We used to play football, cricket, hide and seek and other games at play grounds. I was crazy about football. Rain, hot or cold weather made no difference in my enjoyment. Sometimes I would go to the river for swimming with my friends and my father would get angry because the river was raging and five of six children of my village had drowned there.

I was a very good student from the beginning. I used to get good grades in my exams in school and dreamt of becoming doctor. Since studying medicine is expensive it seemed like I would never realize my dream because my parents were poor and they couldn't afford that much money. This made them worried. We didn't know that there were scholarships programs for meritorious students. When I was in grade 8 ANSWER Nepal discovered me. My sponsor became Cliff Missen in North Carolina. Even my teachers and parents were pleased to hear this news. After I completed secondary school I went to Kathmandu and got admitted in St. Xavier's college. I stayed in a rented house with my sister, who is working on a Bachelor of Environment Science degree, and my brother who is working as an accountant in a distillery company. He is helping us financially.

Between Secondary School and College I had a three month break where I enrolled in a tutoring center for MBBS (medical degree) entrance preparation. I consulted with my seniors and my teachers about how to plan. Most of my friends in college were from rich families. Their parents could afford the tuition fees of medical school but my case was different. I was from a poor family. I had to work very hard. But I had confidence that I would crack the entrance examination.

For the 45 scholarships seats provided by Institute of Medicine there were more than 10,000 applicants. I was quite nervous the day before exam. It was a difficult exam but I did well. When the result was out, I found my name in top # 8 of the list of 45 spots. I couldn't believe my eyes. I felt very happy and I shouted with joy. I received calls from my family, friends, relatives and teachers. They congratulated me. I felt that I had achieved something great. My hard work finally brought fruitful result. I love to play football, table tennis and visit new places. But my last two years, I sacrificed my joys and pleasures and devoted myself to studying. I used to study 6-7 hours daily outside of school and tutorials. All the hard work and sacrifices paid off. Now I have got chance to study in medical school!

ANSWER Nepal and my sponsor have played important roles in making my dream come true. They provided me scholarship and encouraged me to work harder. They motivated me towards my studies. I want to give them million thanks. They have been like God for me. ANSWER Nepal is doing great job in Nepal. It is helping many poor Nepalese students to study. I think in the coming days it will help more students to turn their dream into reality and bring happiness to their lives. I am currently involved in AAA, the Answer Alumni Association. Its objective is to educate more poor children in the days to come. I always attend the programs and I love to hear the stories of the guest speakers. Yes, I do believe that I am personally affecting changes in Nepal. Most doctors in our country are located in the cities. Very few doctors are working in rural areas. Some health posts in remote areas do not have doctors, sufficient medicines and necessary equipment. People even die due to preventable conditions. By teaching them to wash their hand before eating and to drink boiled water alone, I could prevent many deaths. I want to help poor people. I do not want to see such problems in my country. I think I can help my country by becoming an honest, hard working country doctor.