Life is a journey, and in this challenging journey of life, we all go through both good and bad moments. But in both cases, if we don’t give up easily and instead stay relentless until the very end, we end up in a better place, becoming a better person. That is how we grow and evolve.

My journey started on Poush 7, 2070 B.S. It was my first day at the Agriculture and Forestry University, Faculty of Forestry, Hetauda. I was far away from my parents. Being the youngest sibling, I had never been sent anywhere by myself until then. As a result, I found the new surroundings and people quite overwhelming.

In the beginning, settling down was quite challenging. It took me quite a while to get accustomed to my new life style. As the classes rolled on, I started to feel something strange. Back then, I didn’t know what to call it, but now I call it loneliness. Yes, despite being surrounded by friends, I felt very lonely.

They say every dark cloud has a silver lining. After going through difficult times for a semester and a half, something beautiful happened. I don’t know what exactly changed me, but I was feeling like a new person. Maybe I was too tired of being sad and miserable. Maybe I hit rock bottom.

Slowly but surely, I started to feel motivated. I started to gain more and more interest in my friends, travel, sports, politics and nature. As my passion grew, I delved deeper into forestry. The subject not only taught me about forest-related matter but also to be kind to myself, stronger, determined and optimistic. But, most importantly, forestry has taught me to enjoy solitude the same way I enjoy being social.

With time, the bonds with my batch mates, juniors and seniors grew stronger. The word ‘I’ transformed into ‘we’, and everyone was motivated to help people, not just in our college, but within the whole forestry field. We motivated each other to be a good human being.

Now, I have a special feeling towards the word “forestry”. I feel connected not only with my colleagues within our university but also with all the strangers who belong to the field. Though we went through many challenges in our university, one small reason was enough for us to celebrate. So we cherished and celebrated every moment we shared together. This is why I like referring to my four years in the forestry course as fantastic forestry rather than simply four years of BSc Forestry.