International Students Balance Culture and Faith to Achieve Wellness

by Nathalie Peña and Alexander Simone

In the United States, most people work out and focus on their physical activity as a way to achieve wellness. However, for many international students at SUNY Oswego, they focus on their mental health through prayer and worship.

“Mental health is not really a priority in Nepal because people just don’t believe in it,” said Nirdishtha Raj Sapkota, a SUNY Oswego international student from Nepal. “You’re either crazy or you’re normal.”

Sapkota still took it upon herself to get educated in what depression, schizophrenia, and/or bipolar disorder is. Back in Nepal, when Sapkota worked with people with disabilities, who usually had depression and anxiety, she did her research on the subject. She found that cases such as depression are normal and happen to many people.

Sapkota’s family is more open than other Nepali families about mental wellness, but there is room for an even greater level of dialogue.

Sapkota prefers to solve her issues herself before expressing it to others, she said. As a result, she makes her mental wellness accessible through her small and liberating religious practice. For Sapkota’s own mental health, it’s important for her to get away from others and destress through her prayer, mantras, and aromatherapy.

“Mental health is not really a priority in Nepal because people just don’t believe in it,” said Nirdishtha Raj Sapkota, a SUNY Oswego international student from Nepal . “You’re either crazy or you’re normal.”

The lack of temples in Oswego doesn’t deter Nepali students like Sapkota from connecting to a higher being. Having a statue, such as Sapkota’s, or even a poster of a god is enough for prayer and worship.

“We mostly believe in the fact that just having something to pray to is more important than going to a certain place and praying in that certain area only,” Sapkota said.

It’s liberating not having to travel to a specific place, Sapkota said. Instead, she is able to pray to a poster of a god that is on her desk any day she chooses.

Like Sapkota, this had added significance for Soham Chakraboty of India because of the lack of Hindu temples in the area.

“In India there are many temples where we go to worship, but over here of course there are no temples where we can go to worship,” Chakraboty said. “I found one or two temples in New York City, but none over here. So that’s not a problem, [god] is within ourselves.”

Part of the prayer for Sapkota is also chanting old mantras which, “feel nice and it’s really soothing when you hear someone else say it,” she said.

Receiving the blessing from the gods is all Sapkota needs to feel better mentally.

Students from other countries have found similar solace through Christianity. Eri Kanno, a student from Japan, said she only recently discovered the positive mentality the Christian religion gives her, even though it is not heavily practiced in her native country.

During the beginning of the semester, a friend of Kanno’s invited her to the Oswego Alliance Church, less than a mile away from the SUNY Oswego campus, Kanno said. Ever since, she has been attending services every Sunday.

“I feel lightened in heart after attending services,” Kanno said.

After Kanno prays to God to protect her, her family, and her friends, she said she feels that she will have a great start to the week.

Kanno did not have experiences like this in Japan, due to a lack of churches and interest. The Oswego Alliance Church serves as one of the closest churches to campus that Kanno, along with many other international students, attend.

According to Pastor Matt Guentner, on average six to eight international students attend between two services.

To South Korean student Soyoung Moon, finding a church near Oswego was the main factor in deciding whether to attend SUNY Oswego. Like in Japan, Christianity is not the traditional religion in South Korea. However, Moon’s mother and grandmother practice the religion and Moon has been going to church every Sunday ever since she was little.

Even if Oswego didn’t offer churches, “I would go to Syracuse even if it is one hour away,” Moon said.

Moon asks God for guidance when she is facing difficult and stressful decisions, such as her most recent situation with applying for jobs. Moon said, instead of putting all the pressure on herself, she trusts God to help her make the right decision. With any other issues Moon faces that she can’t express to her family and/or friends, she turns to God to help her sort out those problems.

Moon also decided to attend the Oswego Alliance Church. In addition to a significant international student population, the church hosts guest speakers, such as Pete Brokop, who takes part in grassroots ministry in Africa.

To Nikolai Aleksandrov, the importance is not religion, but his spirituality.

“I [identify as] agnostic, some would call it athiest, but I’m spiritual,” said Aleksandrov, originally from St. Petersburg, Russia.

Aleksandrov has been living in the Rochester, New York, area for almost 25 years. In the Rochester suburb of Penfield, Aleksandrov and his family were one of the few who weren’t Christian, but SUNY Oswego has many religions and cultures to experience, he said.

“I like that I’m exposed to a lot of different cultures,” Aleksandrov said. “You can find parallels in spirituality throughout.”

Despite his lack of faith in a specific religion, Aleksandrov does not denounce his Jewish heritage, since it is impossible to completely leave behind, he said.

“I acknowledge that I’m from Jewish heritage, if you don’t it seems to creep up on you anyway,” Aleksandrov said.

Being so far away from their homes, international students find a light through their cultural and religious practices that brings them more mental stability during the stressful school year. Often times, the SUNY Oswego campus even brings these practices to the students.

Over 7,000 miles away from home, Indian students brought a piece of their country to Hart Hall, with lights and art enveloping the residence hall’s lounge.

Despite the lack of resources, Diwali, also known as the five-day festival of lights, was still celebrated among students. The festival is meant to be a joyous occasion that is celebrated mostly by different Indian religious groups, such as Hindus, Sikhs and Jains. A festival like Diwali brings positive energy, which in turn gives the people cause for celebration, mental wellness and peace.

Chakraborty, as well as fellow Indian students Koushank Ahuja and Ritik Ahlawat, took the opportunity to wear cultural garments and present on their country’s famous festival.

“I only get to wear traditional clothes on occasions, not all the time,” Chakraboty said. “It’s not a problem, I would say. For me that’s not a problem because I can adopt every culture very fast.”

Chakraboty is not the only one using his time at SUNY Oswego to integrate with other cultures though.

Even though Diwali is known primarily an Indian celebration, Nepali students also celebrate and appreciate the school’s acknowledgement of it.

Religious and cultural practices can be an individual practice, but there are also cultural festivals that bring a community together in a positive way.

“I would say Diwali is one of those festivals, but we don’t call it Diwali, we call it Deehar,” Sapkota said. “Diwali is something Indian people celebrate. But, for the most part, the essence is the same. That’s the day that we celebrate brotherhood and sisterhood.”

Sapkota views Holi, the festival of colors, as the happiest festival because everyone comes together to have fun and be happy, she said.

“Here I know we have very limited resources so we’re doing the best we can,” Sapkota said.