Dorje's Presentation11/7/2019 I really like Dorje Dolma’s presentation. I was especially intrigued by her childhood life (the part where she chased the snow leopard) and her success in writing and art. I find it’s really cool how the interaction with nature and her memory of home & culture reflect in her artwork as she kept learning art in the United States. Also, I feel that she is such a brave girl that even though she lived in such a tough condition with her disease and the outside environment, she still actively sought for help. Specifically, I was quite shocked when she used all her courage to ask a white woman if she could go to school, knowing that it was her only hope. Dorje was also very lucky, as well. Thanks to the doctor who found her back problem, she was able to come to the U.S. and become the person she is today. Dorje’s culture is very interesting. Although in the same country, the village she lived in still had a very different dynamic than that of the capital, Kathmandu. Being in the city was a challenge for her, and I believe coming to the United States was a big transition as well. Though living in a remote place, Dorje’s parents were quite open-minded in a way that they let two of their children out of the country. Maybe they loved them so much that they only wished the best of them.
There are many similarities and differences between Dorje and Lia Lee. They were both from extremely remote areas in Asia where the technology and medicine were in shortage. However, they were both fortunate enough to come to the U.S., where they could receive sanctuary for different reasons. Both of their cultures practice traditional medicine, which combined religion, herbs and spirits together. They also had severe diseases that made their lives, and their parents’ lives difficult. Fortunately, both of their parents loved them so much. For the difference, the most obvious one was that Dorje finally survived the battle with the disease. But Lia Lee, on the other hand, did not. Maybe it had something to do with the parents’ attitudes towards Western medicine and the medical system. Although they are both from remote areas, I personally feel that Dorje is more fortunate than Lia Lee because she did not experience the cruelty of the war and its impact. She also received help from so many people whom Lia Lee did not get the chance to. However, Lia Lee was able to stay with her family while in the U.S, but Dorje did not. Culture breakers helped Dorje a lot through her journey. At first, the people in the soup kitchen gave her the hope that she never experienced before. The doctors also helped her brother with his disease, which lessen the burden of her family and made her trust the Western world even more. Being a brave girl, Dorje also created herself opportunities to be seen by people, which makes her her own culture breaker too. She was able to bear the pain of separation from her family in order to find a cure for her disease. She actively learned English and adapted to the Western way of living. Dorje’s parents acted as culture breakers, too, especially Dorje’s father. Being a traditional healer, he was able to see the flaws of traditional medicine and tell the patients to use Western medicine. Perhaps open-minded actions like this allowed Dorje’s parents to fully understand the need for their daughter to go to the U.S.
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