Life From Bhutan to the USA

Life from Bhutan to the United States of America

भुटान देखि अमेरिका सम्म को यात्रा

Salim Khatiwada

Hello everyone, my name is Salim Khatiwada and I am in third grade. Today I want to share my story about my family and myself. My Parents both are from Bhutan. They were poor and lived their life as a farmer. My father had some kind of hearing problem since he was child so that is why he could not go to school. He helped his parents in field and the farm. My mother was also from a poor family but she managed to go to school for a while and discontinue after that.

नमस्कार मेरो नाम सलिम खतिवडा हो र म कक्षा ३ मा अध्यनरत छु I आज म मेरो परिवार र मेरो कथा उल्लेख गर्न गैरहेको छु I मेरो बाबा आमा दुवै भुटान भन्ने देस मा जन्मनु भएको हो I उवाहरु दुवै गरिब किसानका घरमा जन्मनु भएको थियो र सारा जीवन भुटान मा बस्दा किसान गरेरै जिबिका गर्नु हुन्थ्यो I मेरो बाबा साना छदा कान नसुन्ने रोग र प्रस्ट बोल्न नसक्ने बिरामीले छोएको थियो I यसै कारण ले गर्दा उहा कहिले पनि विद्यालय जान पाएनन I सो क्रम मा उहाले खेतिपातिलाई नै आफ़ो जीविकोपार्जन अपनाएर आफ़ो परिवारको हेरचाह गर्नु बाहेक केहि थिएन I मेरो आमाले अलिकति पद्नु भएको छ तर पुरै चै पढ्नु भएन I

Life was pretty normal until December of 1990. A fight broke out with the Nepali origin people and the government of Bhutan and was told to leave the country as soon as possible. All the people were forced to run away. My parents were not married until then. They met while they were at the refugee camp and got married to eachother.

सन् १९९० मा नेपाली भासी भुटानी र भुटान सरकारको मेल नहुँदा ठुलो झगडा पर्यो र सबै नेपाली भासीलाइ देस निकाला गरियो I केहि सरह न आए पछि बाध्य भइ सारा घर जग्गा जमिन लत्ता कपडा सम्पति छोडी भुटान बाट भाग्नु पर्ने बाध्य भए I नेपालमा आएर सरणार्थी जीवन बिताउनु बाहेक कुनै विकल्प थिएन र समय गए अनुसार मेरो बाबा आमाको मिलन भयो र बिहे पनि I

They had 3 kids and I am the youngest of all. My parents had a very harsh life in the refugee camp because of the lifestyle and less education they could not get a good job. Both worked hours as a labor in the construction areas and managed to feed us.

उवाहरुको ३ सन्तान मध्ये मा कान्छो छोरो हु I सिक्षा नभएको कारणले गर्दा मेरो बाबा आमाले सर्नाथी सिबिर मा कुनै राम्रो काम पाएन र मझ्दुर काम गर्नु पर्ने अवस्था आयो र यसै गरि परिवारलाई हेरचाहा गर्दै बस्नु भयो I

We went to school at the refugee camp. I liked it so much because I could play with all my friends and read books. My siblings went to school as well.

हामि सबै क्याम्पकै स्कूलमा अध्यन गर्न थालेउ I मलाई मेरो स्कूल धेरै मन पर्छ र अजै माया लागेर आउछ I मलाइ मेरो साथीहरुको धेरै याद आउछ I

We moved to USA with the resettlement process conducted by UNHCR and IOM. We were brought here in North Carolina at first. I was very small at that time. I liked the new place new well built place to live and the stores were just amazing. It was that time when I was diagnosed with asthma and for that my parents decided to move to warmer place and moved too Arizona. It was too hot there and couldn’t breathe well. We stayed there for a year and moved to Colorado and have been living here since then.

अमेरिका पुनर्बासको क्रम्म मा हामि स परिवार अमेरिका तिर लागेउ I सुरुमा हामीलाई अमेरिकाको नोर्थ कारोलिनामा ल्याइयो I मा सानै थिए तर मलाई धेरै कुरा याद मा आउछ I नया देस नेस भेस र यहाका ठुला ठुला भवन,नौलो यातायात, बजार र जीवन सैली ले मलाई र मेरो सबै परिवारलाई अमेरिकाले मोहोनी लगाए I मलाई डाक्टर को मा जादा आस्थामा भन्ने बिमारीले भेटेको थाहा भयो र त्यस लगतै मेरो परिवारले मलाई अलि गरम भएको ठाउमा बस्नु पर्ने हुँदा बसाइ सर्ने सोचमा आउनु भयो I हामि अर्कै सहर अरिजोना भन्ने ठाउमा सरेउ र लग भाग १ बर्ष बस्येउ I सार्है गर्मि को कारणले गर्दा अरिजोना बस्न नसक्ने भएपछी हामि अन्तिम मा कोलोराडो बसाइ सरेऊ I हाल सम्म कोलोराडो मै बसी रहेका छौ I