Strength TogetHER - Session 2 (My Small Happiness)

 

February 10, 2023

On 10th February, 2023 we conducted the first topic based session of  "Strength TogetHER" at Chaitanya Secondary School, Banepa. This is being done in collaboration with ZONTA Club of Kathmandu. ZONTA Club of Kathmandu is a group of female professionals advocating for equality, education and an end to child marriage and gender-based violence.

The topic for the second session was, "My Small Happiness". The story shared by the participants are:

"My small happiness is when I went out with my friends on my birthday this year. We went to a nearby jungle with all the things that we had prepared beforehand, like home cooked meals, cake, and chips. We danced and sang and it was my happy moment."

"My happiness is related to the previous birthday story. I had gone along with them to celebrate her birthday. There were 7 people in total. We wanted to make a cake ourselves, and we did too. We all sang and danced in the songs that we had prepared."

“One year ago, I went to Pokhara on a long tour. I had gone with my friends, and in the evening, we went to take a walk on the lake side. This was my happy moment.”

“A year ago, I was reading in school, and before the finals I went to a picnic with all my friends and teachers. We went to a park in Dhading. We played music and had fun dancing. It was a memorable trip so I was happy.”

“I went to roam around with my friends on my birthday. And, my friends had prepared home made food and brought it. We ate it. It was the first time she had made gram curry. I remember it every time we go to eat food outside. It was a happy memory.”

“I went to Bhaktapur with my friends. We took pictures and made tik tok videos. It was a simple but very happy moment for me.”

"I have a memory that I will cherish for life. When I was in grade 2 or 3, I had my gunyo cholo, a ceremony for young girls with my brother’s bartabanda. I received a lot of gifts like clothes and sparkling bangles, shoes with heels among others. I had always wanted heels and I was happy to get one. I used it on many occasions, later I outgrew it and stored it in a bag. Parts of the shoes were torn as mice nibbled on it. I was sad to see that, but later my father got me a new pair of the same shoes in my size. I was extremely happy because of that."

“My father is very strict. He is not friendly with us, and strict in different ways. He rarely talked with us and didn’t smile often, and scolded me for no particular reasons. On my birthday last year, we had organized a big celebration. Many people were invited, and on that day, my father came to me and talked with a big smile. He laughed and asked me how I was doing in school and with friends as well. It is a precious memory for me.”

“On Dashain last year, I went to my village. It is always a fun experience to go to my village. After I returned to Banepa, my sisters called me and told me that it was more fun for them with me there and that they missed me. We are 3 sisters, and our school was 3 hours away from our home, so when we, 3 sisters returned home after school, we used to complete our homework and then sing and dance. We used to do poem competitions and play until it was time for dinner. We always got along and did everything together. I miss the bonding and my small happiness is spending time with them.”

"I feel happy when looking at my mother and father. My mother gave birth to me, and I am grateful to her for that. Parents don't care about anything and take care of us, they send us to school. And, they teach us with no expectations. I am happy about that. And, In social studies, I scored 90 out of 100. I had not expected that, so when I scored that much, I was very happy. My father also got me clothes one day which made me very happy.”

"I get happy when I see flowers blooming in the garden. I especially like red roses. But, I like all the flowers in general."

"During Dashain, my friends went to Kathmandu. They got tickets, and went before me. I was sad since I could not get the tickets. But, later I got the tickets and went home 7 days after them. I was happy to go home.”

"My hobby is dancing. In my previous school, I read till grade 8 and then all my classmates went to different schools. This year, all my classmates got together and performed a dance in Saraswati puja. We also gave gifts to the school. It was a fun experience for me.”

We ended the session by promising ourselves to make a habit of remembering all the small happiness that we get every day before going to bed. We also decided to appreciate the little moments in our life.