Tika Acharya

Utica, NY

Tika came to the US 4 years ago with her family. 52 y/o, she left Bhutan when she was 38 y/o and lived in UNHCR refugee camps in Nepal for 20 years before being resettled in Utica, NY.

“भुटानको धेरै कुरा याद छ नि! खेलेको, मेलोपात गरेको, ठिकीजोत गरेको, दाउरापात गरेको, गीत गाएर माथि तल गरेको, सबै याद आउँछ। म त आफुलाई अझै पनि भुटानी नै हो भन्छु। स्कूलमा सोध्धा चाहिं Bhutanese-Nepalese भन्नुपर्छ, कहाँ बाट आएको भन्दा चाहिं भुटान भन्छु, नेपाल भन्दिन।”

(“I remember a lot of things from Bhutan. Games, being out in the field, getting firewood, singing and getting up and down hills, I remember it all. I still call myself Bhutanese. If they ask in school, I should say Bhutanese-Nepalese, but when they ask where I am from, I say Bhutan, not Nepal.”)

“नेपालमा आफु त दौरा काट्यो, पढ्न जान्दिन्थियें, छोराछोरी पढ्न पठाउथिएँ। Campमा राति नै मार्छ कि भन्ने डर थियो, यता आएपछि कम से कम अलि शान्त भएर बाचिन्छ कि भनेर भने। जान्न भन्दै थिएँ, पछि आउनै पर्यो। अमेरिका राम्रो छैन होला भन्ने लागेथ्यो, ठिकै रहेछ। गाह्रो भए नि नभए नि आइसकिएको छ, अब येही ठिक त हो भन्नुपर्यो नि।”

(“In Nepal, I used to cut firewood, did not know how to read, but I sent my children to school. There was a fear that we might just get killed in the middle of the night in those [refugee] camps — they said at least in America you can live in peace. I kept saying I did not want to go, but I had to come in the end. I thought America was not that good, but it is okay. Difficult or not, we are here now, so I guess I have to say this is good.”)

“फरक त मा जान्दिन, फरकै त होला! उस्तै होला! यहाँ यस्तो रोडहरु देख्यो, बेलाबेलामा बिर्तामोडमा नि यस्तै रोड त देखिन्थ्यो नि!”

(“I don’t know about differences. I guess they are the different. I guess they are the same! You see such roads here, you could see similar ones sometimes in Birtamod as well!”)

“अंग्रेजी बोल्न आउंदैन, यहि नेपाली बोल्ने हो, यो बुढो गिदीमा अंग्रेजी नछिर्ने भयो। आफ्नो नाम चाहीं लेखन सक्ने भएँ, त्यति सम्म चाहिं भएँ! यसै परिवारसँग घुलमिल गर्यो, मान्छे आउँछन, उनिहरुसंगै बोल्छु बस्छु।”

(“I don’t know how to speak English, I just speak Nepali. English is not going to get inside my old brain. At least I can write my own name — at least I can do that now! I just spend time with my family, and talk to people who come to visit.”)