Tag Archives: nepali australian

Our Story : We meet again – Part 18

This is a continuation of my previous posts. Please read the previous posts here.

I am sure you know by now that holiday makes me super happy and imagine a holiday that involves AS; I definitely was over the moon. To top it all this was our first holiday together. It has been 2 months since I last saw him at Kathmandu airport.

I have mentioned before, airport has become a huge part of our life and this time it was going to be Suvarnabhumi Airport Bangkok. We booked our flights around the same time and had connection flight taking us to Phuket.

Leading to the holiday, we planned our days so we can do and see as much things as possible. One of the highlights of this trip was to spend 24/7 with each other.

So I left Sydney with the teddy AS sent me for Valentine’s day before AS left Bangalore but he arrived there before me as it was a shorter trip from India. When I landed, I was a bit worried about how to find him in that big airport. AS told me he will find me and not to worry at all. So when my flight landed and I walked out of the plane I was eagerly looking around to get glimpse of him.

There were so many people there that it seemed impossible to spot him. I was mentally making a plan on how to find him when luckily I saw him in the foyer. I felt so good to see him and it was a huge relief. I ran like a crazy gal to hug him and didn’t let him go for a few minutes. I was so glad to be in his arms after the long gap and it was one of the best moments of our life.

After the initial talk, we went to queue up to check in to go to Phuket. There was a long queue and it looked like everyone was going there but I didn’t care much. I was just happy to be in AS’s arms again I held his hands all the way , not letting go of him. It is the best feeling when we are reunited with our love ones.

Phuket

The flight from Bangkok to Phuket was short so we finally landed in Phuket. We had organised airport pickup from the hotel so it was a quick exit from immigration to the outside. We saw our name on the name card and followed the guy so he could drop us at the hotel. The cab driver told us it had been raining for the last few weeks but had stopped that morning. I prayed there would be no rain during our stay there.

The hotel we booked in Phuket was near the beach so we could spend lots of time doing touristic things. When we reached the hotel, we were welcomed with complementary drinks and fruit platter. After check-in we decided to rest for a few hours before going out as it was so hot and humid during the day.

It was perfect time to catch up and as always, I had so much to tell him. I was over the moon that AS bought few saris and Bollywood gossip magazines for me.

Phuket (1)I had bought a special bracelet for him with our initials engraved on it.

Phuket (2)

It was just awesome to be next to each other and feel the love. We rest and had lunch at the hotel.

Phuket (3)

As the evening breeze started, we got ready and went out to discover the city.

Phuket was amazing. I had heard so much about the place that I felt I kind of knew it well even when it was my first visit there. And the environment, the weather and people around us was making our stay even more special. My good friend SL is from Thailand so she had given us lots of tips on what to do and where to go while we were there.

The first stop was Patong. We just walked along the beach and enjoyed the sunset by the water.

Sunset in Phuket

Phuket (4)

Phuket (5)

As the night fell, we decided to have our dinner. The good thing about Thailand is that they have a variety of food to try and they are super cheap compared to Australia.  That evening we had Lobster and crab for dinner and were amazed to find them as cheap as $5. To top it all they tasted great and we decided that we would come back again next time to enjoy more.

We came back to the hotel and were so tried that we fall asleep. I slept really well and was woken up my AS’s sweet voice the next morning. We had breakfast at the hotel and decided to explore the place some more. I wanted to finish the shopping first so we don’t have to worry about it later.

Phuket (6)

We went shopping in the markets and the mall. I was surprised to find a Nepali speaking person in almost every shop. They were Burmese whose ancestors had gone to Burma from Nepal and had recently been displaced from Burma. They wanted to be known as Gorkhalis. That was one fact about Thailand that no one had told me about before. Me and AS were talking in Nepali while shopping and the guy in the shop started to talk in Nepali to us. We both were very surprised but then after we were communicating in Nepali in many other shops.

We met lots of these Burmese Gorkhali and got discount as they said “Because you are Nepali I will give you at this price”. It was funny to hear that in Patong.

This was the first time AS actually saw me shopping. I bought heaps of stuffs as gifts and for myself. He was surprised that I wanted everything in the shops. I told him that they are some nice stuff and they are super cheap so I need to get them. I knew I will be shopping a lot so I had an empty suitcase when I left Sydney 🙂 . Poor AS had no clue how much a girl could shop until he met me.

I had to force him to buy a few stuff for himself as well. Everywhere we went when I suggested to him to buy something; he would say that he already had it. I guess men are like that but AS is too laid back in shopping.

After a while we got tired and went to find a place to sit down in the mall. We had lunch and the food was really yummy as usual. After resting for a while, we explored some more and discovered lots of new things about Thailand like their food market where you can find all kind of food.

It seemed like people were awake when the sun sets in Pukhet and the most happening place for nightlife is Bangla road in Patong. It is a long strip of road with nightclubs on both sides of the road. I am sure everyone who goes to Phuket goes there. We saw lots of tourists in the bars and nightclubs.

It is famous for its raunchy nightlife. I had heard lots of horror stories of people who picked girls in these clubs to realise they were transvestite or as the Thai called them, Lady Boys. I think everyone will be confused because they are so beautiful and dressed in sexy outfits (Ooops).

By the time we saw Bangla road night life I was too tired so we decided to call it a day.

Before going to the hotel, we decided to go for a massage and it was the best decision as we discovered that it was really cheap like AUD$15 and you can choose from different types of massage like Thai massage or aromatherapy massage. After this discovery, we had a massage every night while we were there. It was great to lie down for a massage after a long day out.

We had dinner at the hotel and went to bed as we had a few trips booked for the next few days to discover the beautiful islands around Phuket.

This is it for now. I will share our Phi Phi, Krabi and more adventures in Thailand in my next post.

Till then, take care.

M from nepaliaustralia

XOXO

Will write more about the Bangkok holiday soon. Please come back for more.

Go to Part 19

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*Our Story – Apart again : Part 16 *Our Story – First date – Part 12 *Our Story – Meeting the Parents – Part 13

Student from Nepal Named Microsoft Excel 2010 World Champion

I have another great news to share today.

Certiport , a Pearson VUE business, the leading test delivery solution provider for the global workforce and academic markets, announced the 2013 Microsoft Office Specialist World Champions in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint, culminating the most popular technology skills competition on Microsoft Office since its inception in 2002.

The 2013 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship attracted more than 344,000 unique candidates from 90 countries who competed to demonstrate their mastery of Microsoft Office products. 100 student finalists participated in the final round of competition.

And the winner is Himal Shrestha from Nepal won the gold medal.

Top 3 Microsoft Word 2010 finalists

Left to right: Chan Joyce Yee Jing, Himal Shrestha, Nina Joseph

The other top 10 Microsoft Excel 2010 finalists are:

  • Chan Joyce Yee Jing, Hong Kong, silver medal
  • Nina Joseph, USA, bronze medal
  • Samuel Shie Song Fa, Brunei
  • Savanna Robertson, USA
  • Chih-Ting Hsieh, Taiwan
  • Mukrawee Weraphong, Thailand
  • Mahiro Tatsumi, Japan
  • Nan Wu, China
  • Soojong Kang, South Korea

Certiport recognized gold medalist Himal Shrestha at the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship Student Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. and presented him with a $5,000 scholarship. Chan Joyce Yee Jing received a 2,500 scholarship and Nina Joseph received a $1,000 scholarship.

“More than 650,000 exams were uploaded as part of this competition, so these student winners are truly the best of the best at effectively using Microsoft Office tools,” said Alison Cunard, general manager for Microsoft Learning Experiences Group. “Students worldwide are realizing the benefits of mastering these key productivity skills as they prepare to enter the workforce. Learning industry-leading Microsoft programs helps them to be more productive on the job from day one and that is what employers are looking for today.”

In the concluding round, competitors participated in unique project-based tests to demonstrate their ability to create documents, spreadsheets and presentations for the information presented in Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

“In its 12th year, the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship continues to grow in popularity as more students around the world realize the value of earning an industry-recognized technology certification,” said Jim Holm, executive vice president, Certiport. “This year we had a 24 percent increase in the number of participants, and more than 4 million individuals have now taken a Microsoft Specialist exam to validate their skills. Holding the World Champion title will stand out on their resumes as they continue their academic and professional careers.”

source: http://www.certiport.com

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Sambhav Nepal Project

My regular reader, Ijya Paudel, will be going to Gorkha, Nepal in order to volunteer for a program called Sambhav Nepal with a mission to provide Nepali kids with proper schooling and she likes to share her project with all of you here.

Sambhav Nepal is a registered non-profit, non-political, social organization aiming to establish and implement sustainable education, health, and community development programs in isolated areas of Nepal. Presently, the organization is working in 29 VDC’s of the Gorkha district.They are a community organization that deals with advocacy, skill building and most importantly education. When we grow up in a Western and developed society we often take things for granted.

Sambhav Nepal works with governmental schools, which are very low funded and ran inefficiently. The students in these schools are struggling with getting regular school supplies and proper education. They do not have adequate furniture, stationary, books, art supplies, sports equipment or a proper library.

Where you are born shouldn’t determine whether you get an education or not. By donating, you give these kids what they are missing the most: A CHANCE. An opportunity to show that they can be somebody.

My goal is to raise $2000 dollars by the end of November, 2013. I want to donate this sum of money so these students could get a chance at a better education. These $2000 dollars would not only buy their school supplies and furniture but, also help provide the students with proper school uniforms. These students just need a little help to reach their potential. We can do so by donating a small amount of money.

If you donate any amount starting from $5 dollars and above, your name will be entered in a raffle. At the end of this project, I will be drawing a random name and you will win an iPad.

Please consider this as a chance to help those who really need it. Giving back is a beautiful thing. I hope you consider.

You can donate at www.youcaring.com/nepal2013 If you have any further question please do not hesitate to contact me on ijyapaudel@gmail.com

Please help Ijya by donating and sharing this page. Thank you everyone.

Our Story: Telling the parents – Part 10

This is a continuation of my previous post. Please read the previous posts here, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 , Part 6 , Part 7 ,Part 8 and Part 9

The rest of the time in India was great and what made it even better was the fact that I had an awesome boyfriend by then who loved me so much.  We both were so in love at that stage that he used to sleep only 4 hours to talk to me and I on the other hand was sleeping talking to him on the phone every night. His was the first voice I heard every morning.  The time difference really was killing us.

I really don’t know what happens between two people when they fall in love. I know an old saying , ” When you in love, you don’t feel like eating or sleeping” but it was just the opposite for me. I was sleeping well and I was definitely eating well. But I had this wonderful fuzzy feeling that left me feeling giddily happy and I enjoyed talking and sharing with AS as our conversation flowed so easily and at the same time I was also very comfortable being silent with him. There was a warm flow of energy between us even though we were miles apart and I felt connected with him even from such a distance but at the same time I wanted to be close to him. Some days I used to get frustrated that it would be 10 more days until I saw him again. I so wanted to see him in front of me, I wanted to hold him and hug him but he was in LA some 13000 km away on opposite side of the globe.

Well, from India, we went to Nepal and started our trip to across Illam, Mirik, Jhapa, Itahari, Kakarvita and surrounding places. I have to say that they were just awesome. Illam is in the far east of Nepal and really beautiful. It is famous for the scenery and landscapes, tea production, and diverse agricultural economy.

Illam (2)It took us a while to get there going around the winding hills but was it worth the effort. From the top of the hill, I could see endless hills covered with tea plantations and it was much better than any tea garden I had seen before.

Iilam is situated on the foothills of Mount Kanchanjunga, the third highest peak in the world. Illam is adorned with an almost limitless range of lush-green tea gardens. The rolling hills covered with tea leaves are simply majestic. The thick white fogs alternatively descend to veil the gardens and then suddenly vanish. Greenery prevails all over the hills of Illam all around the year.

Illam (4)In 1861 Col Gajraj Singh Thapa, the governor of Illam district and a close relative of Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana, initiated the planting of tea in Illam with seeds that had been given as a gift by the Chinese Emperor.

Illam also offers an excellent getaway from city life for romantic sunrise and sunset, a brisk walk in the tea garden, tranquil picnic and sightseeing spots, short treks along gentle slopes or a trudge into the nearby woods. If spiritual instinct calls there are several holy sites one can visit in and around the area.

Illam (3) Illam (5)

I also got to ride a horse and a rickshaw (a 2-wheeled passenger cart) and enjoyed more time with my parents.

Illam (1)One evening we were back at the hotel after our tour when my dad’s phone rang. Everything seemed so perfect and suddenly I was brought back to reality. One of my aunts called my dad to talk about a possible husband for me. I heard them talking on the phone but I didn’t want to say anything. I messaged AS “Please call me as I need to talk to you about something important.”

He called me straight away. I went outside to answer making sure my parents couldn’t hear my conversation.

AS: Hello my love, how are you?

Me: I think I am not OK.

AS: What’s wrong?

Me: I am OK. It’s just that I think I need to tell my parents about us. They are still looking for a husband for me. I know it is still too early but I can’t meet anyone when I get back to Kathmandu.

AS: I know

Me: What to do?

AS: Why don’t you tell your parents and I will tell mine too.

Me: You sure about this?

AS: Of course. Why are you worried? I know this is what I want. I hope you think the same.

Me: I do too but I don’t want to rush into any decision.

AS: I know.

Me: Also promise me one thing. I know my parents will be OK with us but I am not sure about yours so if they say anything at all, you tell me right away.

AS: I know they will be fine, don’t worry.

Me: I am saying this just in case. I definitely don’t want to continue if anyone objects to our being together. (I couldn’t believe I was saying these words but I wanted to make sure both our families are happy if we are going ahead with our relationship.)

AS: Why are you talking like that, don’t worry everything will be fine.

Me: I really hope so. I am so scared and worried. You know that I love you so much but still I don’t want to make either family unhappy. I hope you understand what I mean.

AS: I am sure we will be fine. We are from the same cast so my grandparents will be OK too. You are an educated, good-looking, nice girl so I don’t see a reason for any objections.

I really wanted to believe in AS’s words but at the same time, I was worried. It seemed like everything was happening so quickly. I hadn’t even met him yet and here we were talking about telling our parents about our relationship which was just a week old.

We talked some more and he did his best to assure me that things will be fine and not to worry. He said he would talk to his parents and tell them about us so they would stop looking for a girl for him.

By the time I hung up, I felt a bit better and more hopeful.

Some of you might be thinking why it is so important to me that both of our family agree to our relationship. I have always believed in marriage and I always knew that marriage especially in Nepal, is not just between two individuals but it is between two families. Even though I spent so much time overseas, I knew that it is important for me to make sure my parents are happy with my decision. Don’t get me wrong, my parents are open-minded modern people who were OK to send their teenage daughter by herself to Australia. However, at the same time when it comes to marriage, I was a bit worried. I knew it would be OK but still I had 0.01% doubt.

On the other hand, I didn’t know anything about AS’s family. I had met one of his brothers and his mum but didn’t really know them. I was more worried about the reaction from his family more than from mine when they learnt about us.

To be honest, I didn’t have any plan about what I would do if any of our family had a problem with our decision but I didn’t want to think about it at that moment. All I wanted to believe was that everything would be fine. I had a zillion things in my mind when I went to bed that night.

The next morning I woke up earlier than usual. The first thing I did was talk to AS to see how things were going. He told me that he was going to talk to her parents that day. So I decided to talk to my parents the same day too.

We were having breakfast at the hotel that morning. My dad and mum seemed to be in a good mood so I decided that is the moment.

Me: I need to talk to you about something.

Dad: Sure. What’s wrong?

Me: Nothing really wrong. It is about the marriage.

Mum: Don’t tell us now you have changed your mind about it again. We have had this conversation before. (I have told you in my previous posts, there was a time when I was planning not to marry at all, so I could understand why mum was worried.)

Me: No, no. I am going to get married whenever you guys want but it is just there is someone.

Mum: Who?

Me; There is this friend from school, AS who likes me. I like him too. So I want you to stop looking for a guy for me.

Mum: Does that mean you will marry him?

Me; I don’t know yet. I haven’t met him for more than 6 months. He will be coming to Kathmandu in a few days.

Dad: What does he do?

Me: He studied with me in school. He is an Engineer and currently living in LA.

Dad: Where is from? What is his parents’ name?

Me; I think he is from Kathmandu and I think his family is from there too but I am not too sure. I don’t know his family and their name. All I know is he has 2 brothers.

Mum: Do I know him?

Me: May be. He has come to our place many times when we were in school.

I didn’t have his picture with me but when I described him, she seemed to recall something.

Mum: Is he the one you are talking to on the phone every day?

Me: Yes.

Dad: Look, all we want is you to be happy. I know you have made you own decisions for a while now so if you are OK with him, we are fine. Get him to meet us when he comes to Kathmandu.

I was relieved when I heard his words. I just wished the same thing was happening on AS’s side.

I promised my parents that they would like him and he is a great person. In addition, I would ask his parents’ name and his family history when I talked to AS next.

We talked some more about AS and I tried my best to portray him as a most desirable son-in-law they could ever get. I messaged AS to call me when he could. I got a message saying he was talking to his parents and will call back soon.

My heart was pounding. It seemed 50% was OK now but still there is the most important 50% that I needed to know about. That day we were going back to Kathmandu and we had a flight in the afternoon.

After packing and having lunch, I started becoming impatient and sent another message to AS. He sent me a message saying he was still on phone. It made me really scared wondering why it was taking him so long. My conversation had not been that long. My mind started to think of everything that could go wrong. I tried to control myself but it was very difficult.

Then the car came to pick us up to go to the airport and still there was no call from AS.

Finally AS called after we checked it.

AS: Hello dear!

Me: Hello. What happen? (You can see I don’t waste any time getting to the point?)

AS: Nothing happened. Did you talk to your parents?

Me: Yes. What about you? How did it go?

AS: I don’t k now.

Me: What do you mean you don’t know? Don’t leave me hanging. Seriously, what happened?

AS: They told me they have to think about it.

Me: About what?

AS: About us.

Me: What does it mean? I am going to cry now.

AS: Ohoo, don’t. Why are you so worried? They said OK. They want to see your photo and you as soon as possible. I told them, once I come to Kathmandu, you can come and visit them.

Me: And?

AS: And everything is good. You worry too much. You know that I love you and you don’t have to worry at all. Now tell me what your parents said. I have a feeling it went all well too.

Me; No, it didn’t.

AS: Why?

Me: They said they have to see you and check you out properly before they decide.

AS: Hahahaha that means it went alright. Look, it was not bad at all. Everything is fine now. You just worry for nothing.

Me: I hope it will be all fine. BTW, I need your parents name and your family background.

AS: Almost forgot. My parents asked the same question.

We continued the conversation for another 20 minutes until it was time for me to board the plane to come back to Kathmandu.

It was one amazing holiday.

More in next post. Take care everyone!

XOXO

M form nepaliaustralian

Go to Part 11

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*10 Questions from Yatin on my “Our Story “post *Our Story: Back to Sydney – Part 3 *Our Story: Good friends again – Part 4

Learn Nepal Bhasa / Newari – Chapter 14

 

English Nepal Basa
Boiled Ma-naa-tah-gu
Fried Pu- kaa-tah-gu
Jellied Khway-kaa-tah-gu
Roasted Chhu-yaa-tah-gu
Seasoned Waa-laa-tah-gu
Steamed Haa-yaa-tah-gu
Is there a restaurant around here? Tha-na ha-nann restaurant du la?
I will have a plate of momo. Ma-ma cha chha-guu plate ha-yaa di-saa.
Please bring it quickly. Yaa-ka naa ha-yaa di-saa.
Is it spicy? Paa-lu laa?
This is not what I ordered. Jinn dha-yaa-gu thaw ma-khu.
Please being the bill. Bill bi-yaa-di-saa.
Dinner is served. Be-li yaa-ye ji-la.
Only a small portion, please. Bha-ti-chaa ja-ka ta-yaa di-saa.
No more, thank you. Ji-tah gaa-ta.
I would like some water. Lah bi-yaa di-saa.
I would like more rice. Jaa bha-chaa ta-yaa di-saa.
Please give me a spoon. Cham-chaa chha-guu bi-yaa di-saa.
What is the name of this food? Thwa na-saa-yaa naa chhi khah?
Does it contain meat? Thu-ki-I laa du laa?
May I step inside? Du-ne wa-ne jii laa?
Do I have to take off my shoes? Laa- kaa twah-te maah laa?
Yes/no Maah/mwah
What god is kept in there? A-na chhu dyah ta-yaa tah-gu du?
Can I take a picture? Tas-bir kaa-ye jii laa?
What’s that temple? Wa chuu de-gah?
We come to see the procession. Ji-pii jaa-traa swah-was-yaa-gu.
Will the procession pass this way? Jaa-traa tha-naa hai la?

Please click here for previous chapters.