Sonam of Bhutan — The Girl Who Wants to See What's Over There
Sonam of Bhutan — The Girl Who Wants to See What's Over There
Sonam of Bhutan — The Girl Who Wants to See What's Over There
Age: 13
Country: Bhutan
Sonam has a question she asks more than any other.
“What's over there?”
Over the hill.
Around the bend.
Beyond the village.
On the other side of the mountain.
Her family has learned that pointing toward something in the distance is dangerous, because Sonam will immediately want to know what it is, who lives there, whether there's a road to it, and—most importantly—whether they can go.
Usually the answer to the last question is:
“Not today.”
Sonam considers not today encouraging.
It isn't no.
She loves maps.
Not because she wants to memorize capitals or borders, but because every line on a map represents somewhere she hasn't seen yet.
She traces roads with her finger and wonders what they look like from the ground.
She studies mountains and imagines standing at the top.
She sees the blue thread of a river and wants to know where it begins.
Once, while traveling with her family, Sonam spent so much time looking out the window that she completely missed the snack being passed around.
She has never forgiven herself.
Curiosity has limits.
Someday, Sonam wants to become a geographer and explorer.
She wants to study landscapes and communities, make maps, travel to places she's only read about, and help people understand how the places where we live shape the lives we build there.
She wants to see deserts.
Oceans.
Cities so enormous she can't imagine where they end.
Forests where the trees block out the sky.
And mountains, of course.
Always mountains.
But Sonam doesn't dream of traveling because she wants to leave Bhutan behind.
She wants to travel because she loves the idea that the world can feel enormous and home can still remain the place you carry with you.
For now, she has a notebook.
A map.
A very long list of places she intends to see.
And parents who have become extremely careful about pointing at things.
Because inevitably...
Sonam turns toward them with that smile.
“What's over there?”
Her dream: To become a geographer and explorer, discovering the places and people that make the world extraordinary.
Her wonder: “How far can I go and still carry home with me?”
*****
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