Disha Kohli Summer 2023

This summer, Disha Kohli (Computer Science and Engineering '25) is interning at Gurzu Inc in Patan, Nepal!

Read the interview below with Disha to learn more!

---

How do you get to work? How do you get around in general?

I'm someone who is always late to everything regardless of how early I start planning, so I usually get to work by using Pathao, an on-demand ride-sharing service similar to Uber, and I walk home from work while listening to music, one of the highlights of my day for sure. Generally, I like to walk when I can because the streets are always bustling with activity, so there is always something to look at (not to mention the absolutely stunning scenery), but when I am tired or just not feeling the walk, I usually use Pathao or InDrive (another popular Uber-variant here).
 

What is your work/internship like day-to-day?

My internship is quite regimented compared to some of the other MISTI interns here as far as I know. My work involves building a mobile application to connect consumers in the Kathmandu Valley more directly to the farmers who provide their produce to the area. My mentors wanted me to experience all the different parts of working at a software company, so my work has varied greatly from week to week. I've gotten to talk to farmers in the region, design the app in a way that best suits the farmers' needs, and most recently, code the frontend and backend of the app.

What is an aspect of your work that you're excited about?

I absolutely love my coworkers and mentors. Most of the people working at my company are just a few years older than me, so we frequently bond over our shared interests and many rounds of Uno. During my first few weeks at work, many of the employees went out of their way to make me feel welcome by talking to me during their breaks and inviting me to have lunch with them. Speaking of which, many of us leave work to eat lunch at restaurants near the office, so I have been able to explore the cuisines of several communities in Nepal (which all have distinct, delicious food).

Have you visited any new/exciting places?

On my first weekend in Nepal, my hostel took me on a walking tour of Patan (also known as Lalitpur), the city where I live, and talked me through some of the rich history of the place. I got to see temples that were centuries old and experience one of the cultural epicenters of Kathmandu Valley for the first time. More recently, this week, my coworkers took me to the Golden Temple, a Buddhist monastery that was built in the twelfth century, and it was definitely one of the most peaceful places I have ever been to.

Have you tried any new foods you enjoyed or seen anything new?

In Nepal, people follow the Nepali calendar in addition to the Gregorian calendar, which uses different names for months that are offset differently from the latter. So, a few weeks ago, on Asar 15, people all over Nepal (including my company), celebrated the planting of rice, by eating mangoes and this delicious sweetened yogurt and bitten rice mixture, which I (with my limited culinary abilities) hope to recreate back home :).

I am incredibly grateful for having had the opportunity to come to Nepal through MISTI-South Asia. This was my first experience in the country and in solo traveling, and while it was scary and overwhelming at first, through the support of the other MISTI interns and the company that MISTI connected me to, I have been able to become the most confident, independent, and culturally-aware version of myself. Traveling with MISTI has been one of the most valuable parts of my MIT experience so far, and I hope to continue meeting more people and exploring other cultures through the program in the future.