From Kathmandu to Kolding: For Sharmila, Denmark is a very large country

22. februar 202201. juli 2024

If you grow up in Nepal and it’s financially viable, a very common option among young people is to travel abroad for your education. That’s how it was for Sharmila Tamang, who has lived in Denmark since 2015, studying first in Copenhagen and later in Kolding.

Sharmila Tamnag — In Denmark, Sharmila Tamang has studied in both Copenhagen and Kolding. Now she wants to take another master’s degree, back in Nepal. “Until then, I won’t be complete as a student. But I will leave Denmark as a much more complete student than when I arrived,” she smiles.

– I really wanted to get an international education. My wish was to experience a different culture, and to see how people live, in different places across the world. And I really wanted to create an international network during my studies, says 27-year-old Sharmila – who has also finessed her English during her time in Kolding.

All ‘SU’-eligible courses – programmes funded by a Danish state grant – which are carried out in English have been discontinued, due to a political decision. But it is still possible to pay for an attractive educational programme yourself, where the teaching takes place in English, as Sharmila Tamang has done.

In Kolding she studied at IBA, where she has achieved a Master of Science in International Business with honours – a programme offered by the Academy in Kolding, in collaboration with Coventry University in England.

She will carry this education home with her to Kathmandu, but also her encounter with Denmark and the Danes.

– For many people, Denmark is a small country – but for me it has become one of the largest of them all, says Sharmila. – I feel very grateful to Denmark, where I have gained both an education and a great many experiences. If you come from Nepal, it’s also apparent that Denmark is a very safe country to stay in. I’ve felt very safe here, wherever I’ve travelled.

Other members of her family have been abroad to study, so it was quite natural too for Sharmila Tamang. “I’ve managed over here with help from my family; not just financially, but also in terms of love and care,” she explains.

My life’s mission

It is now her plan to take another master’s degree back home in Nepal – this time in philosophy; after which she hopes to embark upon a PhD. It’s a lot to take on, and Sharmila expects she’ll be in her mid-30s by the time she’s finished with her studies.

– After that, my goal is to help with developing the educational system in Nepal. Becoming a teacher myself isn’t my plan – but I really want to change the system, so that it’s far more possible to get an education, even if you’re a girl, and even if you live in the countryside, outside of the big cities. It is my life’s mission, to ensure they have the opportunity to create a better future, she says.