August 17th, 2002.
It gives me goosebumps writing this because of how momentous that day was. The whole extended family was at the airport. My uncle, 18 at the time, was flying to the US to start college in Ohio. He was flying in the early afternoon by himself. My mum, 29 at the time, was taking me and my sister (7 and 11 respectively) to London later in the day. My grandmother (50) was saying goodbye to two of her children on the same day. Both were migrating to opposite sides of the world, at a time when you’d struggle to phone each other, let alone FaceTime.
I look back at that day now and ask my family members how it felt. How it felt to leave behind your home at such an age, to take your family to a new land, to have to say goodbye to both your children on the same day.
The sacrifices made on that day have let me live the life I can today.
Writing this is incredibly emotional. Knowing that as a cheeky 7-year-old, my life was changed forever thanks to the actions of a few brave humans, in particular two brave women.
It taught me a lesson that embodies my mindset. Life can change very quickly. I’m sure many Nepalis that are now living outside the motherland can relate to this.
The whole family went from being in Pokhara one day to being spread across the world the next. Overnight, everything changed.
I learned that lesson many more times as I grew up. I learned it in hard way. I saw…
