Sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck – Dalai Lama XIV
My recent photoshoot was with one such person who is a true example of the above quote.
Born and raised in a small town in Nepal, called Khalanga, this young kid had only one dream… to become a national level soccer player.
While education was always a priority amongst the three brothers and a sister, he was spending most of his time playing soccer. Despite the pressure of performing well in sports and studies, he always found time to sneak into the kitchen and cook something special for the family.
Finally, after spending his entire childhood practicing soccer to fulfill his only dream, came the ‘selection day’ for the national team. He played with his heart and soul to get selected, but destiny had other plans. He didn’t get picked to play for his country.
Though devastated, he didn’t feel hopeless. He decided to try his luck in modeling and just happened to fill the Diversity Immigration Visa form for US visa, which is also known as the green card lottery, only because his friends were applying.
While going through several ups and downs in his modeling career, one day, out of the blue, he gets a call… a call to let him know that he won the green card lottery! Nepal gets only 2-3000 diversity visas every year, and several thousand people apply to change their fate. But just by a stroke of luck, this man was about to live the American dream.
After arriving to the US, with no knowledge of where life will take him, he faced several challenges and stayed hopeful. With the help of a friend who lived in NC, he started to build his career from scratch. He managed to get himself a job at a restaurant as a server, but that’s not where he was meant to be. And just by CHANCE, he decided to start cooking as a sous chef and moved up to becoming a head chef.
From then, there was no stopping him. Today, he is considered one of the top chefs in the Research Triangle Park region. He is married to his childhood sweetheart and has an adorable 6 months old baby boy.
What a fascinating journey of dreaming of playing soccer for Nepal to becoming the head chef of a popular restaurant in Morrisville, NC.
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