Mixed feelings about missing the election

This is the 87th episode of Diaspora Diaries, a Nepali Times series in collaboration with Migration Lab providing a platform to share experiences of living, working and studying abroad.

Priti Tamang, Qatar

I am migrating overseas as a cleaner for the first time. I have said my goodbyes, but am stuck at the airport because of the Qatar crisis.

Luckily, I have people travelling with me. I cannot go home because there is a belief that it is bad luck to go home after saying goodbyes. If this wait stretches for more days, I will return to my family.

I have come to the airport before to drop off my family and friends, but this time I myself am leaving for Qatar. My brother and brother-in-law are both in Croatia. I only completed Grade 10 and cannot afford to go to Europe. My parents are back in the village.

There are no jobs here. Those who do get good jobs know big people. I hope to change my life and make my family happy. I don’t have such high expectations.

I have mixed feelings about missing the election. They say we have to choose a good leader, but they all make lofty, empty promises. How to decide who to vote for? The crooks win, and people like us have to leave the country anyway. But a part of me also wishes I could vote for someone good.

I hope the new government will make lives more comfortable. I am a single mother and have to provide for my son. My sister is taking care of him while I am away. I am unable to give my son anything beyond a good education, I hope he realises his mother went out of her way to educate him.

If I could just find a Rs25,000 job in Nepal, I would not have to leave. My English is weak, and my Nepali is better now.

Sabitri Paudel, Malaysia

I am married with a son. I am migrating to learn and earn to help my family. I have done many kinds of jobs in Nepal. I worked in a factory and also as a marketing manager.

I am migrating to Malaysia without paying any fees through Aakarshan International. I would still have borrowed money to migrate if the amount was reasonable. But this way there is no financial burden on my family. I can now focus on supporting my son. Most of my relatives are overseas in Japan and Korea.

I am going away right ahead of the election, and have a twinge of regret that my vote will be wasted. But I hope the new candidates will perform well.

The new government should create conditions so those who want to be in Nepal can stay. It’s not like I don’t have skills, but they are not utilised here. Even if I am unable to vote, I hope the government will not let the votes of my family go to waste.

Law enforcement in Nepal is weak. My brother was cheated while emigrating to Serbia, and he is still fighting the case. Nepalis should not be defrauded like my brother was, and the culprits must face justice.

Sangita Darlani Magar, Romania

I have been living in Romania since 2022. I work in a nail salon. I came here when I was 20, since I could not complete my undergraduate because of Covid.

I chose Romania because the cost of recruitment was the lowest among European countries. But I had not even heard of the country. I also chose it because it allowed travel to other European countries.

I worked as a babysitter, switched to a warehouse and now I am in a salon. My English is good enough for Romania. My language skill and calm personality impressed my boss, and it is after securing my job that I learnt about nail care and hairdressing during a vacation in Nepal.

I honestly do not care much about the election. Still, I am a Balen fan. I have always been self-reliant and expect nothing from the government beyond proper education, health and roads and better tax policies.

I will perhaps return in two years or so after I have saved enough. I have realised that living abroad may not be for me. When you cry, you cry alone and resume life as normal the next day. You don’t want to spend even 10 Euros on food because you could be sending that money home or saving for your future.

I want to save enough so I can be self-reliant when I return home, I have no desire for a big house or a car. You can earn enough in Nepal to live and eat, but not beyond. I am a single child and have to take care of my family financially. Everyone says I am like their son.

My father was also a migrant worker in Malaysia. I missed building a deep connection with him since he was away when I grew up. He is now a security guard in Lalitpur. Sometimes I feel like giving up, but then I think of him and all the sacrifices he made for us. Even at his age, he is struggling, and I am just getting started.

I worked in two schools in various capacities back in Nepal. The environment was very positive and respectful. Children were attached to me, and I want to start my own pre-school after I return. If I were to take a job instead in Nepal I would need to earn at least Rs50,000 to live comfortably.

When I need a break in Nepal, I have my Gods, and can go to the temple to clear my mind. Here I don’t even have my God.

Anonymous, Oman

I came to Oman over a decade ago. As I did not have papers, it took me four years to first return home and I had to go through India as Nepal did not give labour approvals for domestic work.

When my mother was ill, I risked coming home. On the way back, I paid Rs250,000 underhand to agents so I could fly out. Nepal should just allow it because people will go anyway just like Filipinos and Indonesians.

Newcomers need some language training, and domestic work skills like how to iron or use washing machines. Not everyone is going through India because they don’t know any better: they are doing so because that is the only way out. I had to reluctantly pay the bribe to get out of Nepal.

I have worked in this house in Oman for a decade, and things are going well. Not all households are good, so we need to have the option to change employers through placement offices here. I make 120 dinar ($320) a month, higher than what general workers earn.

There are challenges especially around Ramadan. It gets easier when you stay longer with an employer because wages improve, you are more comfortable and work gets easier. Muscat is full of Nepali Didis and Bahinis like me, and we meet frequently.

I have never voted in my life. I am not into politics. I am missing this election too but hope someone good will come to power. I don’t know when I will come home next. I have to think about how to survive before deciding to return. Let’s see what the new government will do.