“यहाँको कुराहरु देखेर पहिला आउँदा confuse हुन्थ्यो, अहिले त it makes sense । सुनेको पनि थियो, तर यहाँ आएर experience गर्दा अर्कै हुनेरैछ। नेपालमा २० बर्ष बिताईसकेपछि emotional attachment त त्यतै हुने भयो नि। यहाँको mindset बुझ्न त बुझिन्छ तर you understand it doesn’t mean you accept it.”

(“In the beginning, I was very confused by things here, but now it makes sense. I had heard of it too, but once you come and experience it, it feels different. Once you have lived 20 years of your life in Nepal, your emotional attachment is of course with Nepal. You understand the mindset here but just because you understand it, doesn’t mean you accept it.”)

“cultural difference त धेरै छ। class मा गयो, I was very quiet, shy but यहाँको मान्छेहरु चाहिँ answer दिन पनि कसैले judge गर्ला भनेर नडराउने। हामि त त्यस्तो थिएन नि। नेपालकै mindset लिएर आयो भने चाहिँ गाह्रो हुन्छ। struggle गर्नुपर्छ भन्ने सोचेर आउनुपर्छ, open mind लिएर।”

(“There are a lot of cultural differences obviously. When I went to class, I was very quiet and shy, but the people here they raise hands, and answer questions boldly without worrying that anyone will judge them. We were not like that. If you come here with the same mindset as of Nepal, it can get very difficult. You have to be open-minded, and open to struggle.”)

“चित्त दुख्छ नि, यहाँ कत्ति मान्छेलाई नेपाल कता हो पनि थाहा हुदैँन। अनि Asian भने पनि Chinese र Indian मात्र भनेर सोच्छन्। हामि पनि त exist गर्छौँ! अनि केहि गरि नेपाल थाहा रैछ भने पनि, नेपाल, poverty भन्ने मात्र थाहा हुन्छ, नेपालीहरु सबै नै गरिब त हुदैँनन् नि!”

(“It hurts sometimes. So many people here don’t even know where Nepal is. Even when thinking of Asians, they think only of Chinese or Indians. We exist too! And if they somehow have heard of Nepal, they have only heard of Nepal and poverty. Not everyone in Nepal is poor!”)

“नेपालको के miss हुन्छ?”
“नेपालै मिस हुन्छ! नेपालको importance यहाँ आएर बल्ल थाहा हुने रैछ। खाना पनि मिस हुन्छ। एक दुई महिना सुरुमा त बिरयानी मात्रै खाएम नि, यहाँको तरकारीको taste मन नपरेर!”

(“What do you miss about Nepal?”
“I miss Nepal itself! You learn the importance of Nepal only after you get here. I miss the food too. For the first one or two months, we only ate biryaani, because we didn’t like the taste of vegetables here!”)