Thank You, 2024: A Year of Incredible Milestones!

As the year comes to an end, I can’t help but reflect on all the exciting moments and accomplishments 2024 brought to my family and me. It was truly a year to cherish, filled with firsts, milestones, and celebrations. Here are the highlights:

1. 25th Wedding Anniversary
We celebrated this special milestone with a memorable first-time experience at Baltimore House, including a one-night stay. It was a perfect way to honor 25 wonderful years together.

2. Our Son’s Academic Achievements

• Our son received offers from several colleges, marking a significant milestone in his academic journey.
• He decided to attend Georgia Tech, an exciting new chapter in his life.
• He graduated from high school as the Salutatorian, delivering an exceptional graduation speech that touched everyone’s hearts. We celebrated this achievement with family, relatives, and friends at the graduation ceremony.
• To honor his accomplishments, we hosted a graduation celebration party with relatives, friends, neighbors, and well-wishers.

3. Professional Milestones

• I received a significant pay raise—nearly 50%—for the first time in my career. It was a moment of pride and gratitude.
• One of my greatest professional achievements came when I was nominated, peer-reviewed, and elected as a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE): College of Fellows, Class of 2024. The induction ceremony took place in Washington, D.C., and I had the honor of sharing this moment with my son, who attended the event with me.

4. Family Travels
This year was full of travel adventures!

• We traveled to Europe for the first time, visiting Spain (Madrid, Barcelona), France (Paris), England (London, Manchester, Cambridge), and Ireland (Dublin, Giant’s Causeway, Galway). It was an unforgettable experience shared with family.

5. Family Visits and Celebrations

• My in-laws visited us for the first time in the United States, including my father-in-law. We celebrated Dashain, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s together as a family, making it a holiday season to remember.
• Sirjana’s uncle and aunt (Phupaju and Phupu) also visited us, and we explored New York City, Washington, D.C., and other areas with them and my in-laws.
• My uncle and aunt (Kailo Buba and Kaili Aama) visited us as well. For the first time, we celebrated Thanksgiving with a big extended family, which made the occasion even more special.

6. Gratitude for 2024
Looking back, 2024 was a year of joy, growth, and gratitude. From personal milestones to professional achievements, I am deeply thankful for everything this year has brought. Here’s to cherishing these memories and looking forward to an even brighter 2025!

15 years later Thanksgiving memories

A Memorable Thanksgiving in 2003

My first Thanksgiving in the United States was an unforgettable experience, though not without its challenges. It was 2003, just a couple of months after I had joined the University of Washington (UW) as a postdoctoral researcher in October. Being new to the U.S., many cultural events like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas were entirely unfamiliar to me.

The first cultural event I encountered was Halloween, celebrated at the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) department in one of the classrooms. A few faculty members and students participated, some dressed in fascinating costumes. One of the highlights was pumpkin carving—a tradition I was experiencing for the first time. However, I didn't learn about the popular "trick-or-treat" aspect of Halloween until the following year.

Then came Thanksgiving—or what I assumed to be a Thanksgiving dinner (it might have been a holiday dinner party). Our principal investigator (PI), Dr. Zhang, graciously invited all lab members to his home. It was a gathering of most of the graduate students and myself, the only postdoc. Dr. Zhang's family had prepared a feast, mainly consisting of meat dishes, accompanied by red wine.

Having spent a few years in Korea before coming to the U.S., I was accustomed to East Asian cuisines, so I wasn’t particularly picky about the food. However, wine was a new experience for me. My time in Korea had exposed me to stronger liquors, so I underestimated the effects of wine due to its lower alcohol concentration. Unfortunately, I ended up drinking far more than I should have.

The consequences were disastrous. After the party, I rode back to my apartment with one of the graduate students, Mr. Sun. During the ride, I became ill and threw up in his car. It was an embarrassing and regrettable incident. Once home, I cleaned myself up, went to bed, and felt normal the next day.

The next morning, I went to the lab and apologized for the previous night's mishap. However, in hindsight, I realize I could have taken full responsibility for the situation by cleaning Mr. Sun’s car and covering any expenses myself. Mr. Sun was incredibly kind and humble, but I regret that I didn’t do more to make amends at the time.

A couple of days later, some lab members who hadn’t attended the party joked indirectly about the incident. Someone quipped, “Imagine getting drunk at the advisor’s house and then throwing up in a friend’s car...” Though said in jest, it hit me hard. I felt deeply embarrassed, but it was also a valuable lesson.

Looking back, this experience taught me a great deal about cultural nuances, responsibility, and handling situations with grace. It remains one of those moments that shaped my understanding of life in a new country, and for that, I am grateful—even if it came with a side of embarrassment.

I got two messages today. One from current boss which made me very disappointing and other was from a well wisher whom I never met personally. I want to forget the previous one which was related to the authorship issue in an article and want to concentrate with the later one which is related to the advancing my career into the academia.

Laptop

I am going to purchase a computer from DELL Inc. Its a XPS laptop. Excited!!!

Pahilo Din
Lekhna man lagena. Rugha lage ko le