Dhan Ranamagar

Utica, NY

Dhan came to the US about 6 years ago with her family after living in UNHCR camps in Nepal for 19 years. At 56 y/o, she cares for her family as a housewife.

“भुटानमा जन्म्यो, हुर्क्यो। सानो को त याद छैन। ५ जना नानी थियौं, आफ्नो जमिन थियो। खेतीपाती लाउँथ्यो। कमाई खान आफ्नो घर थियो। धान, कोदो, मकै सबै थियो।”

(“I was born and grew up in Bhutan. I do not remember much from when I was little. We were 5 children, we had our own land. We farmed on it. We had our own house. Rice, millet, maize, we had it all.”)

“पछि मान्छेहरु भाग्यो अनि हामी पनि भागेम। नेपालमा १९ बर्ष बस्दा ५ वटा camp फेर्यौ। यस्तै संस्थाले जे दिन्थ्यो त्यै थाप्यो खायो बस्यो।”

(“Later, people started fleeing, so we fled too. In Nepal, while living there for 19 years, we changed camps 5 times. We just lived off of what the organization [UNHCR] gave us.”)

“पहिला त अमेरिका नआउने भनेको थियौं नि — भाषा त आउँदैन! अनि नानीहरु हिड्न थाल्यो, अरुहरु पनि हिड्न थाल्यो। अनि सोचेको यहाँ बसेर पनि न जमिन छ, दिने संस्था यहि त हो भनेर निस्क्यौं।”

(“At first we had said we would not go to the US — we don’t even know the language! Then the children started leaving, and others around us started leaving. Then we thought, we do not even have any land here, we are dependent on the organization, so why not, and thus we left.”)

“नेपाली बोल्ने कोही छैन रे भन्थे, अरु त खासै थाहा थिएन। नेपाल को जस्तो रुखपात हरियाली हुदैन भन्थे, यहाँ त छ सबै!”

(“They used to tell us there would be none that speaks Nepali here. I did not know much about the US aside from that. They used to tell us that it would not have trees and greenery like Nepal, but they have it all here.”)

“भाषा जानीदैंन, बोल्न नजाने पछि काम नै छैन। फर्केर जाने भनेको भनाइ मात्र हो! गएर पनि कता बस्नु र? आफ्नो केही छैन। यहाँ भाडा तिरेर यस्तोमा बस्न पाउँछ। उहाँ आफुले पैसा तिर्छु भने पनि जग्गा जमिन दिंदैनन।”

(“We do not know the language — and without being able to speak, there is nothing for you to do. Going back to Nepal is also just a thing people say. Where would we even live if we went back? We have nothing there. Here, you can pay rent and live in a place like this. There, even when you want to pay, you cannot get land and property.”)