My Parents’ Life Through My Eyes.

Written by Grishma Bista

Hello, I am Grishma and my parents are Bhutanese refugees. Both of my parents lived in the camps in Nepal. From what they told me, the living conditions were not the best, but my mom says the views are beautiful. I understand that American, is amazing but sometimes I want to see for myself the beauty of Nepal.

 Many people, like my parents, left Bhutan. This is because, during the 1990’s there were many political disagreements. These disagreements were mostly about the Lhotshampa, who seemed like a threat to the political order which did not settle right with the Bhutanese officials. So, many of the Lhotshampa people decided to leave.

Camps were made for people coming from Bhutan. These camps were in the southeastern lowlands of Nepal, in the districts of Jhapa and Morang. The camp population skyrocketed from 80,000 in 1992 to 108,000 in 2007. That is around 28,000 more people than before!

Most of the people who lived in these camps were Lhotshampa, people of Nepali origin, who began to settle in the south of Bhutan during the late 17th century. In the 1980s the Lhotshamps were seen as a threat to the political order. Several Southern Bhutanese were imprisoned, and about 2,000 tortured.

 Since 2008 a resident program has helped over 100,000 people from these camps start a new life in a different country. Most of these people have been resettled in America, which is where my parents settled.

My parents grew up in these camps. As I mentioned before, the living conditions were not the best, but my mom sometimes misses Bhutan and I have to say, from all the pictures I have seen, I can see why.

My parents got married in Nepal and have been married for about 13 years ever since. Before my parents were lovers, they were childhood best friends. My dad used to joke that all the girls were after him, but he chose my mom. Honestly, I do not believe him.

 My dad and mom moved to American around 2008 and I was born about a year after they made their move to America. Both of my parents knew they wanted a better life for them and their families. So, they made the choice to move to America.

 When my parents moved to America, it was a rough start. But they knew moving here was for the best. My dad went to college, and I believe my mom did not because she never talks about her life as a student in the US. Both of my parents worked hard. My mom was around twenty-four years old when she found out she was pregnant with me. My father had an exam when he got the call saying that my mother was in labor. From what my parents told me; my mom was in labor for three days! Apparently, I have been stubborn since day one.

I do not really remember anything in my early years of life, except the fact that I was a very weird and crazy child. My mother told me about my obsession with throwing clothes on the floor. As a five-year-old, I loved to sing for some reason. I was not good at singing, but it was just something that helped me, be me.

I lived in an apartment building in a bad neighborhood that was not safe for an adult to let a child play outside alone. When I was around five years old, we decided to move. Around that time my mother found out she was pregnant with my younger brother. Honestly, I wanted a sister, but my mom ended up having a boy which I guess was not the worst thing.

I started preschool at the age of four. When I was around five years old, I started taking swimming classes and because I was so terrified of water, my aunt and cousin made fun of me. Once I learned to swim properly, I felt free from all the judgmental world.

I have always been close to my cousin. Me and my cousin are partners in crime, and we have each other’s back. There is honestly nothing like having someone that is family as your best friend and is as crazy and weird as you. My cousin and I were raised as sisters and I really felt like she was, and she always will be my bestie.

Even though my life may look like it is awesome and normal, it is far from that. I mean I am so grateful that I have loving friends and family but, in today’s society it is hard to be different. Sometimes people get to me, and it is hard when they judge you for just being you, but I understand now that people are scared because the world around us is changing and so is everyone else for the better.

There are many people like my parents. Thousands of immigrants and refugees come to America every day for a hope of a fresh start. Some of these people come to America for better opportunities because of war, political issues, or disagreements. I believe that all these people should get a chance at a better life. As Americans we should welcome these people and help them. The world is falling apart because of all the hate we witness every day. We need to find ways to help not only our communities but people all over the world. We need to spread positivity and not hate. As protests continue and we continue to fight for our rights, we need a little bit of light in our lives and the best way to do it is to make at least one person’s day a little brighter. We are the future. And we need to make the world a better place for everyone, no matter their race or their path in life. WE ALL DESERVE A BETTER FUTURE!