This is the 64th episode of Diaspora Diaries, a Nepali Times series in collaboration with Migration Lab. <h2>Tirtha Raj Katuwal&nbsp;</h2> (19 years in UAE/Qatar) We spent our <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-hard-working-students-overseas">youth overseas</a>, and the trend to migrate for work continues. But Nepali youth are not thinking carefully about where they are going, why they are going. They are just going.&nbsp; They often get cheated. They do not invest in <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19233">developing the skills</a> that could help them overseas. When you do not have credible skills, you are forced to adjust to conditions that are not ideal.&nbsp; I had to first work in a supplier company too. Only after spending time in<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nepali-workers-in-UAE,2914"> the UAE </a>did I understand the labour market, and learn that I could apply for jobs overseas online. That is how I landed my second stint in a luxury property.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250426050436_6c9841d8d6a4bbd7855ee376769f3e9c78b3163b50bd2ba7beaa212734849c7c.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20250426050436_6c9841d8d6a4bbd7855ee376769f3e9c78b3163b50bd2ba7beaa212734849c7c" data-rendition-name="original" width="720" height="540" loading="lazy" alt="Returnees prosper together"> </figure>  Now in Nepal, our vision for starting Chef’s Burger and Chef’s Hospitality and Party Venue is to contribute to the country, by developing a <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/GUEST-COLUMN/young-educated-unemployed,664">skilled youth workforce</a> in the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-on-my-mind?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2IAf90rgfF7kBhJaHoH_N0eHadKV8UDt6gpZoLCtwoTCOqBigvopAhzgM_aem_RgmcfwotY89YwGuwc2aRuQ%2F">hospitality sector</a>, whether for the domestic or the international labour market. We also want to change the perception that Nepalis are competitive only in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/gadfly-opinion/removing-poverty-with-jobs">low paid jobs</a>, as there are Nepalis excelling in the hospitality sector overseas when given the platform.&nbsp; <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/workers-return-to-jobless-nepal">To return or not</a> indeed is a difficult decision for those of us <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/speaking-the-language-of-overseas-work">working overseas</a>. It takes years to start earning a decent salary. I started at AED850 and got it up to AED15,000 ($4,000). To give that up is not easy, of course.&nbsp; But the<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-geopolitics-of-nepal-s-politics"> situation in Nepal politically is so bleak</a> that you keep postponing homecoming. You wait for things to improve, but they never do. We were lucky as we were well-positioned financially to start our business but not everyone is in that position. They may have the skills and experience but not the money to start something on their own. Their skills and experience are going to waste, which is a big loss for the country. The government needs to do something about that.&nbsp; <h2>Mahendra Tamang&nbsp;</h2> (15 years in UAE) If you get hired at luxury properties like Jumeirah, you are considered set for life. I got to work closely with two Michelin star <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/you-inspire-others-by-learning-not-teaching-santosh-shah-0hqsqth1">chefs</a> and learnt so much from them in a short time. When I changed jobs, I was quickly promoted to a senior position. &nbsp; I got to cook for celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and David Beckham. Once you train for a few years as a chef in that position, the world opens up to you. My peers moved to Australia and Europe. My heart, however, &nbsp;was always in Nepal.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250426050440_96982adc23e9dab236759821d11bb66862e091b326164cd3044c9f925c6db165.jpg" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="20250426050440_96982adc23e9dab236759821d11bb66862e091b326164cd3044c9f925c6db165" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="1600" loading="lazy" alt="Returnees prosper together"> </figure>  My current partners and I worked in Jumeirah and all we talked about as we ate Nepali food on our days off was: नेपला गएर के गर्ने? During visits home, we would try out different<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/finnish-paper-expose-on-nepali-restaurants"> restaurants</a> to understand where we could add value. And we found so many gaps in the market: in<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=6136"> food, quality of service, hygiene, employee management</a>, that we had the confidence to believe that we could be the best in Nepal if we joined forces. All of us are from different backgrounds: hotel management, accounting, administration and chefing.&nbsp; Leaving behind a monthly salary of AED11,500, plus bonuses and incentives, was not easy. I had started out with a salary of AED1,200. But how long can a person stay away? &nbsp; The <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/sky-is-the-limit-for-nepali-chef-in-bahrain?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2rg1waCbiYsBGQCiATj877RoZkbuSw0aqsDaiEGZBTXkc0P-UhRHC9LJw_aem_2VOJEVRweeSmLFoB_vv64A">chef life</a> is busy and if I put in the same level of effort in Nepal, I would be an employer and not just an employee. Being in Nepal would also allow us to think about more than just ourselves.&nbsp; I had reached a phase in life when I was looking for more than just financial security. My life’s missions and what gave me satisfaction was changing, and Nepal was my calling. I came home with one of my partners, Suraj Tamang, to open up our first branch of Chefs Burger while most of our other partners were still in the UAE.&nbsp; While I went back to the UAE, I cannot describe the joy we felt when Suraj sent us videos from Nepal as customers came into the outlet. I forwarded the video to my friends in Korea, like Basanta, to convince him to invest and work with us. After a year or so, we were ready to start our second outlet, and Tirtha and I returned from the UAE for good.&nbsp; There is a misconception in Nepal that partnerships don’t work. That discourages many <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/preparing-for-nepal-s-returnees">returnees</a> from joining forces, which limits how much you can achieve. We busted that myth. By working collectively, we were able to draw on each other's strengths and pool our finances. It has worked well for us.&nbsp; Even Jumeirah, the property we worked in, has at least 38 main shareholders. <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17155">Big companies and growth</a> require working together. Now we continue to dream of bigger expansion plans, and of eventually establishing a &nbsp;world-class resort. <h2>Basanta Simkhada&nbsp;</h2> (14 years in South Korea) My partners are mostly from the UAE but I was working in manufacturing <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/bringing-korea-s-prosperity-to-nepal">in Korea</a>. One of my partners and I have experience running two restaurants in Thamel. We figured it was not going to be profitable to continue working in Nepal given <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/all-is-fair-in-war-and-peace">the Maoist insurgency</a> and the general uncertainty, so we decided to migrate. He went to the UAE and I went to Korea. At some point, we reconnected online and decided we should try another joint venture. Even though my background was in the hospitality sector, I was working in manufacturing in Korea in a plastic factory. I still learnt quite a lot about the value of hard work and time management.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250426050440_463eccd09f6196b19d43f53367e79a77d0e3f179609cdff362113055d6fed201.jpg" data-media-id="editor_19" data-image-id="20250426050440_463eccd09f6196b19d43f53367e79a77d0e3f179609cdff362113055d6fed201" data-rendition-name="original" width="1280" height="960" loading="lazy" alt="Returnees prosper together"> </figure>  Incidentally, my Korean employer had spent nine years in Saudi Arabia before returning to Korea to start his business. He was always very clear about his message to us: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-meat-of-the-story">working in Korea is temporary</a> and we should go back to our home countries and contribute, just like he did. And that is exactly what we are doing. We are reaping the benefits of our <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/work-hard-play-hard">hard work overseas</a>, and providing employment to more than 120 Nepali youths.

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Returnees prosper together

This is the 59th edition of Diaspora Diaries, a regular series in Nepali Times with stories of Nepalis living and working abroad. Growing up in Okhaldhunga, my sisters never went to school. I got a chance to take functional literacy classes and learned to read and write. This made me realise the importance of education, so I asked my father to send me to school. He agreed.&nbsp; I had to create this situation for myself. I was fortunate to get my father’s approval despite his initial reluctance because the trend back then was to<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/can-nepal-end-child-marriage-by-2030-gmx92qf3"> marry off daughters</a> after they reached 14 or 15. That was all he had known.&nbsp; Fortunately, my father did not insist on me marrying young. It helped that my brothers in Kathmandu were supportive.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250308030316_5d69794595d47468c9c3a3577cb39c3045aedf47dc758d9abd6cd512b231b2cd.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20250308030316_5d69794595d47468c9c3a3577cb39c3045aedf47dc758d9abd6cd512b231b2cd" data-rendition-name="original" width="966" height="1138" loading="lazy" alt="With family DD"> <figcaption>STEERING MY OWN LIFE: With my parents before leaving Nepal for the UAE in 2015. My father died soon after I left.</figcaption> </figure>  What was it about marrying young that did not appeal to me? I am not sure. But the thought of it used to make me anxious because conversations with my aunts back then made it seem like they had to give up on everything once they got married. There is no <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/from-slave-to-freedom-fighter">freedom</a> to do what one wants in life.&nbsp; For example, even when there were free all-women adult literacy classes in our village that many of my aunts were keen to join, their families did not approve. Some accepted life the way it was (“यस्तै त हो नि”). Others were sad about having to kill their ambitions.&nbsp; Marrying young felt too restrictive for me, I just was not ready for it. Instead, I came to Kathmandu after Grade 8 to join two of my brothers.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/how-the-climate-crisis-adds-to-child-marriage-in-nepal">How the climate crisis adds to child marriage in Nepal</a>, Sonam Lama Between working as a cook at an office and attending school, where I often had to miss my last class to make it to work on time, I somehow managed to pass my SLC. I then did odd jobs like work as a receptionist and later as a cashier at a Chinese restaurant. I also invested with my brother on Momo Palace, a restaurant that unfortunately did not succeed because there was not enough money to buy a refrigerator, and there were <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-they-kept-nepal-in-the-dark-ages">long power cuts in those days</a>. After finally getting married and having a child in 2010, I was a stay-at-home mom for a bit. After <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/lessons-not-learned-from-2015-o2etq6zu">the 2015 earthquake</a>, I left for the UAE leaving my son behind with my family.&nbsp; I first worked at a beauty parlour, waxing, straightening hair, threading. Many of my clients were Filipinas with whom I used to have engaging conversations. I asked for advice about career prospects, and they were generous with suggestions.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025030803034_9b84a14526f5ef61c634439d500f1b4c0dbc8126231e8d41f8463771ee9f697e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="2025030803034_9b84a14526f5ef61c634439d500f1b4c0dbc8126231e8d41f8463771ee9f697e" data-rendition-name="original" width="720" height="1280" loading="lazy" alt="Beauty parlour DD"> </figure>  &nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250308030312_c85e454d376bdec42d2f9b1de794a111fbe756542f853c6efd44e031cb623d3d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20250308030312_c85e454d376bdec42d2f9b1de794a111fbe756542f853c6efd44e031cb623d3d" data-rendition-name="original" width="528" height="960" loading="lazy" alt="With mother DD"> <figcaption>With my mother in Dubai in 2017, when I worked in a beauty parlour, but passion was always to learn to drive.</figcaption> </figure>  I was always fascinated with driving. Back in Nepal, I used to be in awe of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/women-in-the-driving-seat">women who drove </a>six-wheelers. I used to wait for auto rickshaws driven by women, and had a deep sense of appreciation for what they did because they were <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/nepali-mountaineer-breaking-barriers,2708">breaking barriers</a>.&nbsp; My customers from the Philippines said they drove company cars or were chauffeurs for Emirati families. I was really interested, and used to call them up in the evenings to seek more advice.&nbsp; The work at the parlour was a necessity, I knew my interests were elsewhere. But the idea of driving on the busy streets was scary at first. But my customers assured me that it was difficult at first, but once you understood the rules, how the system worked, it was safe and driving was very doable.&nbsp; Initially, I faced challenges obtaining my driving license because back then the work visa category determined eligibility.&nbsp; For example, only those in the transport sector, in managerial positions and in security qualified for a license.&nbsp; It was disappointing, but I sought a job at a transportation company and worked as a school bus driver’s companion to manage children on their way to school and back, what we call a खलासी in Nepal.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-flying-doctor">Nepal’s flying doctor</a>, Kunda Dixit I enjoyed the job as <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/mixed-picture-for-nepal-s-children">the children </a>were friendly, and reminded me of my son of similar age back home.&nbsp; I worked there for a couple of years, even though the pay was 300 Dirhams less than my wages in the salon. But I was so committed to a driving job that I just wanted to get a toehold to obtain a UAE-license. I was the only woman in driving class, the others would be curious about where I was from and why I wanted to drive. I took the lessons seriously, and worked hard to study traffic rules. Such was my determination to obtain a license.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250308030316_f72b15112e7971eefdce49abc88c863d946bd3d6d55ec205631ac945de59b236.jpg" data-media-id="editor_12" data-image-id="20250308030316_f72b15112e7971eefdce49abc88c863d946bd3d6d55ec205631ac945de59b236" data-rendition-name="original" width="960" height="720" loading="lazy" alt="In UAE DD"> <figcaption>It was a proud moment when I took my son and mother around the UAE in my car in 2017. Wished my father was also there to see me.</figcaption> </figure>  I passed both theoretical and practical tests at one go, and bought a cheap car. My dream had been to drive my mother around, and in 2017, my mother and son came to Dubai, their first trip abroad.&nbsp; I was emotional back then because my father had died unexpectedly just a month after I left for the Emirates. He had asked me to buy him a touch phone, but he died before I even made my first pay check with which I planned to buy it for him.&nbsp; He would have loved to see me driving around Dubai. I took my mother around and also bought her a phone. What I could not do for my father, I did for her. My son was a bit distant at first, as we had been separated for two years. But by the time they were headed back to Nepal, he could not stop crying and clung on to me.&nbsp; Read also:<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/from-retail-to-selling-chiya"> From retail to selling chiya</a>, Gautam Guvaju I first started by driving a taxi. There were a few women driving taxis, including two Nepalis. Initially, it was difficult to find my way around Abu Dhabi. If I missed one turn, it could delay customers, and some who were regular on that route would create a fuss.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250308030316_be44085e095b54fca1089bd46303909b8ec1fa971c8ac463907c537a4cfa3911.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="20250308030316_be44085e095b54fca1089bd46303909b8ec1fa971c8ac463907c537a4cfa3911" data-rendition-name="original" width="1080" height="1080" loading="lazy" alt="Abu Dhabi DD"> <figcaption>I drove a taxi around Abu Dhabi for five years, but always wanted to do more.</figcaption> </figure>  I wanted to avoid them complaining to my employer, so I would apologise and ask them to just pay their regular fare. Some agreed, others understood that I was a beginner and paid the full fare.&nbsp; I steadily got to know my way around, and drove taxis for five years. I used to read the local news quite a bit to stay informed about traffic law updates.&nbsp; One day, I read that there were women from the Philippines and African countries who were driving buses. I decided to get a bus license.&nbsp; When I first went to apply for it, they questioned me about why I wanted to drive a bus. I told them confidently that I could drive a bus, which was met with much surprise and amusement.&nbsp; I took the classes, the solo female student yet again. As the only woman in a group of 35 during the road test, I used to avoid the ‘ladies first’ offers because I wanted to see how others before me did so I could observe them.&nbsp; I was already a nervous driver, and I got even more nervous when they offered to let me go first. Eventually, I was one of the only seven who passed in the group of 35 drivers. Finding a job as a woman bus driver was somewhat tougher than getting the license. Abu Dhabi did not allow it due to the absence of policies for female bus drivers, so I had to look for a job in Dubai.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/three-toots-for-tootle">Three toots for Tootle</a>, Sonia Awale&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250308030324_d984dee93e0d168a9d049d92594c8882b7e876622972599bcacd3dbb0be978ad.jpg" data-media-id="editor_16" data-image-id="20250308030324_d984dee93e0d168a9d049d92594c8882b7e876622972599bcacd3dbb0be978ad" data-rendition-name="original" width="960" height="1280" loading="lazy" alt="Women;s day DD"> </figure>  I was thrilled when I was finally hired by a company that invested in my training as I taught myself the route. With my trainer's help, I used to draw a map of my route with the relevant stops. After the workday, I drove through the route in my car to make sure I was familiar with it. &nbsp; Since then, I have been driving a double-decker bus and taking tourists to old and modern Dubai.&nbsp; It is important to stay curious and keep pushing ourselves. I have invested a lot of money in getting a bus license, classes and other skills training, and I see it as an investment for my future.&nbsp; I don’t know what awaits me. I am 41 now, but want to keep trying new things, and refuse to let my age determine my drive. If I did, I would have stuck to my parlour job instead of taking risks and a pay cut.&nbsp; Many people choose to play it safe in life, but I have always believed in stepping outside my comfort zone and challenging what is considered appropriate work for women.&nbsp; That is what I tell <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/youth-led-feeding-campaign-spreads-across-nepalhttps://nepalitimes.com/here-now/youth-led-feeding-campaign-spreads-across-nepal">Nepali youth</a> who are considering <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/speaking-the-language-of-overseas-work">going abroad for work</a>: do not migrate empty-handed without any skills. Paper certificates do not hold much value if they do not translate into practical abilities. I enjoy my job driving the Big Bus. Earnings aside, it is rewarding to be appreciated by tourists who hop on. They want to take pictures, and ask me about myself. At traffic stops, people crossing the road sometimes wave at me.&nbsp; Such appreciation is like an extra bonus pay, and it motivates me even more. I feel proud to know that I am the first woman double decker bus driver in the tourism sector here.&nbsp; Nepalis in Dubai also shower me with a lot of affection. They tell me they have seen me on the news or on social media, and want to take selfies with me, smiling widely.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250308030332_b2d59d63c0ffff6d6e86e8bc6a7aa583881ab0dbb64ce0e8e253421aa3627436.jpg" data-media-id="editor_19" data-image-id="20250308030332_b2d59d63c0ffff6d6e86e8bc6a7aa583881ab0dbb64ce0e8e253421aa3627436" data-rendition-name="original" width="590" height="1020" loading="lazy" alt="Son DD"> <figcaption>My son on the top deck of my Big Bus when he visited Dubai recently.</figcaption> </figure>  My son tells me how his teachers and friends back home asked about me after seeing video interviews about my journey. It was a proud moment for me recently to drive my son around Dubai on the double decker.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/kalpanas-auto-autonomy">Kalpana's auto autonomy</a>, Maheshwor Acharya Diaspora Diaries is a Nepali Times collaboration with Migration Lab providing a platform to share experiences of living, working, studying abroad.

A woman’s drive to push boundaries

This is the 41st instalment of Diaspora Diaries, a regular series in Nepali Times with stories of Nepalis living and working abroad. Even as a kid, I could feel my family's standard of living improve when my father left for Iraq after a failed trucking business in Nepal. It crept up in small ways. Instead of five rupees for lunch money, I now got ten. Or the clothes my mother bought me were of a better quality. Birthday celebrations got bigger. Immediately after Iraq, he hopped on a plane to the UAE to work at an Abu Dhabi-based hospital as a supervisor of security guards. It was a relatively easy job, and he earned well. I am not sure why, but the UAE has fascinated me ever since. I suppose part of it has to do with familiarity, as I watched YouTube videos from a young age to learn more about the country where my father was working. When family members encouraged me to go to Australia or the UK for further studies, I figured the UAE was a better option as I did not want to spend my father's hard earned money to go elsewhere. I was well aware of his struggle and sacrifice, and the UAE felt like a better fit for financial reasons. After my 12th, I headed to the UAE on a family visa that my father arranged. On my second day in Dubai, I passed a walk-in interview for a salesman job at a retail store. I also did my bachelors in business administration over weekends at Jaipur University.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230926120936_cd472b68ad1a2f120dd8bc634c049946f5939d80ff2a2993dd34d67109ce72ce.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20230926120936_cd472b68ad1a2f120dd8bc634c049946f5939d80ff2a2993dd34d67109ce72ce" data-rendition-name="original" width="450" height="592" loading="lazy" alt="DD 41"> </figure>  I was hired as a salesman at a clothing company, but most of my responsibilities were that of a stock boy. One day I got the chance to showcase my salesmanship to the higher ups at a sales event at the World Trade Centre in Dubai. Impressed, they pushed me to take on more front-desk sales related tasks. I outperformed my peers, but I was not satisfied. My next goal was to become a store manager. I took it upon myself to learn various skills including bookkeeping, merchandising, setting schedules of staff and preparing sales reports. To learn these skills, I arrived at the store before opening and left after closing. Those extra hours did not translate to overtime pay, and I left the store only to sleep. I soon saw the fruits of my labour when my sales numbers landed me opportunities to train new hirees at the company headquarters. The networking allowed me to get a store manager job at our branch at the Ibn Battuta Mall. We Nepalis are indeed a hard-working, honest bunch, and there is a reason why we have built a strong reputation abroad amongst employers. I did not get to meet my father much because he was based in Abu Dhabi and I was in Dubai. His schedule was more flexible, so he would sometimes come to see me and we would go eat at Nepali restaurants. I did not share my struggles in the UAE with my father, I just wanted him to know the happy bits.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230926120928_e7e65b492d29434a1e997b85c7e8a896ed8402a5215f3ce99040ce1da7c8977a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20230926120928_e7e65b492d29434a1e997b85c7e8a896ed8402a5215f3ce99040ce1da7c8977a" data-rendition-name="original" width="960" height="1280" loading="lazy" alt="DD 41"> </figure>  Life in Dubai was not easy. There were 8 of us from five nationalities crammed into a small room. I decided with a Nepali that I got along with to get our own place. It was a tiny 7 by 4.5 feet room that had just enough space for a bunk bed and a tiny fridge. We lived frugally, a large chunk of my earnings went on rent and school fees. Living paycheck by paycheck for me meant starting off the month strong and running dry as it ended. Towards the end of the month, I would have to resort to loans from friends, or I had to stop eating out and innovate to make food last longer by adding water to fried lentils bought in the market for one dirham, or living off white rice and fried sausages, which cost peanuts. After the store manager job, I started dreaming bigger. I was transferred to the head office and had my eyes on the area manager role. But I also had other aspirations that would interrupt my career progression -- I started toying with the idea of returning to Nepal. I was in my mid-20s, and there was pressure to get married and have children. With those added responsibilities, I would not be able to choose a risky career path like entrepreneurship, my calling. I had witnessed what was possible with hard work in Dubai during my 3.5 years there. I figured if I failed in Nepal, I could always return again for a job. It was not easy to convince my family, they wanted me to head to greener pastures like the US or Australia and not return to Nepal. Many returning Nepalis who muster the courage to call it quits and come home usually backed by savings accumulated abroad. Not me. I had no savings, only courage.&nbsp; I had learnt to work hard in Dubai, and had built the confidence to deal with people from diverse backgrounds. Even as I took my Nepal-bound flight, I knew that I would be coming back to Dubai one day, either as a tourist or for a job. I knew this wasn’t the final goodbye to the place that had been home. In Nepal I tried my hand at two different clothing lines, given my retail background. On a trip to India to buy fabric for our clothing business, Jama Store, I remember waiting in line for tea every morning at a tea stall. Chhotu, the young tea seller, drew quite a crowd every morning. Intrigued, my friend Ruchi Karmacharya and I spoke with Chhotu who excitedly demonstrated to us how he prepares his tea, and what makes it so special. This struck a chord, and we considered the possibility of starting a tea place in Nepal. We also noticed many classy tea cafes in India as we walked around. Once we returned, we visited places in Nepal and realised that there was scope for this venture in Nepal as well.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230926120936_e18cd45a48ad0b2fb99250c591d9321f8c6300aadb4ad80cd9933d76d76ba587.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20230926120936_e18cd45a48ad0b2fb99250c591d9321f8c6300aadb4ad80cd9933d76d76ba587" data-rendition-name="original" width="936" height="753" loading="lazy" alt="DD 41"> </figure>  Ruchi's sister, a USA returnee, also suggested that there were such elegant tea places in New York with vibrant Moroccan decor and floor seating arrangements, and she encouraged us to pursue something similar. We had no money, so I reached out to my family members in Kuwait and the UAE who agreed to become part investors. We found a vacant place in Kumaripati and renovated it. Chiya Spot was born and we started selling tea. Our special? Chhotu's tea in honor of the boy from Delhi who inspired us. At first, we made do with three or four packets of milk every day to serve our customers. But unbeknownst to us, the famous food vlogger Mr Foodie Nepal featured our café. It blew up on social media and we started getting loads of customers. We could not keep up and had to expand our space to accommodate more customers.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230926120936_0fa4ec82e0ebed65de088a4519b9d9190169017534abb92cd0d2e5e28fdecf42.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20230926120936_0fa4ec82e0ebed65de088a4519b9d9190169017534abb92cd0d2e5e28fdecf42" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="1200" loading="lazy" alt="DD 41"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230926120936_1f0c371596ab95192026266dcbae582bd01e3c6b313632cdaf927b2410d61c52.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20230926120936_1f0c371596ab95192026266dcbae582bd01e3c6b313632cdaf927b2410d61c52" data-rendition-name="original" width="719" height="898" loading="lazy" alt="DD 41"> </figure>  Most recently, we have also opened a new branch in Boudha. While the Kumaripati branch is inspired by Moroccan/Jaipuri decor, the cafe in Boudha is inspired by Middle Eastern design, in particular from Dubai. I remember going to Dubai Gold Souk whenever I had a few hours off to relax in the market and grab a bite with a friend at a Nepali restaurant. Now, I have brought a little piece of Old Dubai back home to Nepal at the new café, to be enjoyed with karak chai that is famous there. While the vlogger Foodie Nepal's post helped draw customers to Kumaripati, my sisters’ social media posts on the Boudha branch went accidentally viral on TikTok. We got so many customers that it got unmanageable, and this even translated to angry posts and reviews as people were not happy with the wait. We were expecting our customer base to increase organically over time, not overnight. Such is the power of social media. For both good and bad. We quickly added staff and are learning every day to improve our service. &nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230926120936_1e044c0b6bcaea569c6651e5bf53530abc227f99d55490e5a94940ae032c4d64.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20230926120936_1e044c0b6bcaea569c6651e5bf53530abc227f99d55490e5a94940ae032c4d64" data-rendition-name="original" width="1280" height="960" loading="lazy" alt="DD 41"> </figure>  I had never, in my wildest imagination, thought I would be leaving retail to sell tea one day. But both branches are doing well, Insallah. We try to create a space for people to relax over tea, conversations, or board games without putting pressure on them to leave or order more items. As long as people are happy, the customer volume or finances will automatically work themselves out, as they have over the past three years. &nbsp;We want to fill the niche left by restaurants that either offer great ambience or reasonable prices, which we don’t believe have to be mutually exclusive. Many migrants spend a large chunk of their remittances to buy land or build houses in Nepal. I returned to Nepal empty-handed. But with my earnings here, I have managed to contribute significantly to my parent's new house, and I could not be prouder. Diaspora Diaries is a regular column in Nepali Times providing a platform to share experiences of living, working, studying abroad. Authentic and original entries can be sent to <a href="mailto:editors@nepalitimes.com">editors@nepalitimes.com</a> with Diaspora Diaries in the subject line.

From retail to selling chiya

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181152/636be9aa9c7e80680e0878d2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1350" height="1565"/><figcaption>Nischal Shrestha, a caregiver in Israel, getting vaccinated last week.</figcaption></figure>Long before Nepalis in Nepal will be vaccinated against the coronavirus, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/overseas-nepalis-on-the-covid-19-frontlines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepali frontline workers around the world</a> are already receiving their first jabs.The most optimistic prediction for a vaccine to arrive in Nepal is mid-2021, but with countries around the world prioritising medical workers, many Nepalis who work in the healthcare sector overseas are starting to get vaccinated.The globalisation of the Nepali workforce became even more apparent during the pandemic: a Nepali doctor in the UK could be using medical gloves <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/global-glove-makers-compensate-nepali-workers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">made by Nepali workers in a Malaysian glove factory</a> while vaccinating a Nepali nurse.“We always knew healthcare workers would be in the priority group, but the general understanding was it would still be a few months into 2021 that the vaccines would reach us,” said Binaya Raman Dahal, a Nepali hospitalist in North Carolina who got his first injection last week, and said it was like taking any other flu shot.Dahal recalls how his colleagues would fall ill, and hospital staff had to step in even during off days. The first couple of months into the pandemic, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/protecting-those-who-protect-us-from-the-epidemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">personal protective equipment</a> ran out, and there was a rush of patients following the July 4 and Labour Day weekends.“There is a big sense of relief that the vaccines are here,” Dahal said over the phone, adding that he will still have to careful because of the risk to family.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181152/636be9ae9c7e80680e0878d3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="686" height="915"><figcaption>Binaya Raman Dahal, a hospitalist in North Carolina, getting his vaccination. He says it is a “big relief” for health workers like him as the pandemic rages across the US.</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181156/636be9b09c7e80680e0878d4jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="686" height="915"><figcaption>Srijana Panta Rokka has been a nurse in the UK for 15 years, and says she is fortunate as a frontline worker to be one of the first in the UK to be vaccinated against Covid-19.</figcaption></figure>Srijana Panta Rokka, has been a nurse in the UK since 2004, and considers herself fortunate for being one of the first recipients of the vaccine. “It was like taking a flu-shot. Others report sore arms, temperature and headache as side effects, but for me I just felt tired and my eyes ached that day,” she recalls.Her General Practice has largely avoided in-contact patients since March, and has moved to tele-medicine, while only taking emergency in-person patients. But from 1 January, she will be serving as a vaccinator, after being trained in administering the Pfizer vaccine.“I was one of the nine nurses in my practice who got vaccinated so we could vaccinate others,” Rokka said in a phone interview. Most patients eligible for vaccination will be above 80 years.There are fears about side-effects and long-term implications of the vaccine, and Rokka has had to counsel fellow Nepalis working in elderly homes in the UK who are eligible for the vaccine, but are reluctant to take it. She thinks information campaigns to assuage people’s fears will have to be a part of vaccination drives.Another Nepali clinician in the United States, Yagya Raj Bhattarai, says the past year has shown that Covid-19 spared no one. “I had a 20-year-old patient who suffered the worst outcomes, including heart failure and anoxic brain injury. Then, I had a 100-year-old who was positive but completely asymptomatic,” said Bhattarai, who self-isolated in a room throughout the period to keep his family safe.Bhattarai’s hospital in North Carolina participated in vaccine trials, and says the efficacy of the first dose is 52%, and it is 95% after the second shot. He experienced mild local pain in his left arm and no other side effects.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181156/636be9b39c7e80680e0878d5jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="859" height="915"><figcaption>Khagendra Dahal, a clinician in Nebraska, was overwhelmed when he got an email regarding his first vaccination dose.</figcaption></figure>Across the United States in Nebraska, cardiologist Khagendra Dahal recalls long periods of self-isolation and the difficulty explaining to his young children why he was staying separately.“Even after being vaccinated, we will still need to continue to wear our protective gear because it is not known whether we are transmitters of the virus even if we ourselves are safe,” Dahal says.Another country with a sizeable <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/nepali-caregivers-in-israel,3809" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepali caregiver population is Israel</a>, and it has started a massive vaccine campaign for health workers, those over 60 and at high risk. Nepali caregivers are considered frontline workers.Nischal Shrestha (pictured above) has been living in Israel for the last 11 years, and takes care of a 91-year-old woman who she took to the hospital to vaccinate last week.“I was not expecting to be given the shot because we were told that the priority would be health workers and the elderly. But my employer got the hospital to also get me immunised,” says Shrestha, who says her arm and body ached for a day or two, but she is fine now.Deepika Bhusal also works as <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/demand-grows-for-nepali-caregivers-in-israel/">a live-in caregiver</a> for an elderly couple in Israel. Her employers got their first doses of the vaccine on 25 December, and there was much celebration in the house.“I trust the health system here. Even the Prime Minister went on live television to take his first shot publicly,” says Bhusal, who is getting her own shot on new year’s day.“We live in the same house so compared to elderly care institutes or live-out care workers, we were in a much safer position,” Bhusal explains. “But we had to go outdoors often for therapy or exercise, or to shop, so there was always a risk,” she adds.The UAE is another popular destination for Nepali workers, and the first country to approve the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine which is said to be 86% effective after trials around the world. The UAE is providing the vaccines free to residents and citizens.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181156/636be9b69c7e80680e0878d6jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="960"><figcaption>Notice in a UAE newspaper announcing free Covid-19 vaccinations for citizens and residents.</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181156/636be9b89c7e80680e0878d7jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="960"><figcaption>And a UAE Covid-19 vaccination card.</figcaption></figure>Kisan Magar works in a car showroom whose employer got him and his European and Filipino colleagues vaccinated recently. He says he has been getting lots of congratulatory messages from family in Nepal, while compatriots in the UAE have been querying him about how to enrol for the vaccine.Navaraj Ghimire, another UAE-based Nepali who got his first jab says: “We work in security and are exposed to risk, and 33 people in my company have been infected so far." Some of his colleagues, however, refused to be vaccinated because they did not trust it.Back in Nepal, the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/when-will-nepals-covid-vaccine-turn-come/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">best-case scenario is for the first vaccinations</a> to start in mid-2021. Health experts say Nepal was late in the game to start ‘vaccine diplomacy’, and there is a fear that even when the vaccines do arrive the poor in remote areas will be the last in the queue.The vaccines that Nepal will acquire will have to be the ones that require less sophisticated cold storage systems which are currently in Phase 3 trials in India and China. Till then and even after being vaccinated, Nepalis have to keep wearing masks, avoid crowds and wash hands.According to Ministry of Health and Population, the Government plans to vaccinate 72% of the country's population, as 28% are below 15 and therefore excluded. An estimated 20% are expected to be vaccinated through the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/glimmers-of-hope-for-nepal-on-vaccine/">WHO-initiated COVAX facility</a>, while the remaining 52% will be through government-to-government mechanisms.

Nepalis overseas get first vaccinations

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191124/636bf0914b0ad905ca02f01bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1350" height="1565"/><figcaption>Nischal Shrestha, a caregiver in Israel, getting vaccinated last week.</figcaption></figure>Long before Nepalis in Nepal will be vaccinated against the coronavirus, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/overseas-nepalis-on-the-covid-19-frontlines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepali frontline workers around the world</a> are already receiving their first jabs.The most optimistic prediction for a vaccine to arrive in Nepal is mid-2021, but with countries around the world prioritising medical workers, many Nepalis who work in the healthcare sector overseas are starting to get vaccinated.The globalisation of the Nepali workforce became even more apparent during the pandemic: a Nepali doctor in the UK could be using medical gloves <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/global-glove-makers-compensate-nepali-workers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">made by Nepali workers in a Malaysian glove factory</a> while vaccinating a Nepali nurse.“We always knew healthcare workers would be in the priority group, but the general understanding was it would still be a few months into 2021 that the vaccines would reach us,” said Binaya Raman Dahal, a Nepali hospitalist in North Carolina who got his first injection last week, and said it was like taking any other flu shot.Dahal recalls how his colleagues would fall ill, and hospital staff had to step in even during off days. The first couple of months into the pandemic, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/protecting-those-who-protect-us-from-the-epidemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">personal protective equipment</a> ran out, and there was a rush of patients following the July 4 and Labour Day weekends.“There is a big sense of relief that the vaccines are here,” Dahal said over the phone, adding that he will still have to careful because of the risk to family.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191124/636bf0944b0ad905ca02f01cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="686" height="915"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191124/636bf0964b0ad905ca02f01djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="686" height="915"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Srijana Panta Rokka, has been a nurse in the UK since 2004, and considers herself fortunate for being one of the first recipients of the vaccine. “It was like taking a flu-shot. Others report sore arms, temperature and headache as side effects, but for me I just felt tired and my eyes ached that day,” she recalls.Her General Practice has largely avoided in-contact patients since March, and has moved to tele-medicine, while only taking emergency in-person patients. But from 1 January, she will be serving as a vaccinator, after being trained in administering the Pfizer vaccine.“I was one of the nine nurses in my practice who got vaccinated so we could vaccinate others,” Rokka said in a phone interview. Most patients eligible for vaccination will be above 80 years.There are fears about side-effects and long-term implications of the vaccine, and Rokka has had to counsel fellow Nepalis working in elderly homes in the UK who are eligible for the vaccine, but are reluctant to take it. She thinks information campaigns to assuage people’s fears will have to be a part of vaccination drives.Another Nepali clinician in the United States, Yagya Raj Bhattarai, says the past year has shown that Covid-19 spared no one. “I had a 20-year-old patient who suffered the worst outcomes, including heart failure and anoxic brain injury. Then, I had a 100-year-old who was positive but completely asymptomatic,” said Bhattarai, who self-isolated in a room throughout the period to keep his family safe.Bhattarai’s hospital in North Carolina participated in vaccine trials, and says the efficacy of the first dose is 52%, and it is 95% after the second shot. He experienced mild local pain in his left arm and no other side effects.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191124/636bf0984b0ad905ca02f01ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="859" height="915"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Across the United States in Nebraska, cardiologist Khagendra Dahal recalls long periods of self-isolation and the difficulty explaining to his young children why he was staying separately.“Even after being vaccinated, we will still need to continue to wear our protective gear because it is not known whether we are transmitters of the virus even if we ourselves are safe,” Dahal says.Another country with a sizeable <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/nepali-caregivers-in-israel,3809" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepali caregiver population is Israel</a>, and it has started a massive vaccine campaign for health workers, those over 60 and at high risk. Nepali caregivers are considered frontline workers.Nischal Shrestha (pictured above) has been living in Israel for the last 11 years, and takes care of a 91-year-old woman who she took to the hospital to vaccinate last week.“I was not expecting to be given the shot because we were told that the priority would be health workers and the elderly. But my employer got the hospital to also get me immunised,” says Shrestha, who says her arm and body ached for a day or two, but she is fine now.Deepika Bhusal also works as <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/demand-grows-for-nepali-caregivers-in-israel/">a live-in caregiver</a> for an elderly couple in Israel. Her employers got their first doses of the vaccine on 25 December, and there was much celebration in the house.“I trust the health system here. Even the Prime Minister went on live television to take his first shot publicly,” says Bhusal, who is getting her own shot on new year’s day.“We live in the same house so compared to elderly care institutes or live-out care workers, we were in a much safer position,” Bhusal explains. “But we had to go outdoors often for therapy or exercise, or to shop, so there was always a risk,” she adds.The UAE is another popular destination for Nepali workers, and the first country to approve the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine which is said to be 86% effective after trials around the world. The UAE is providing the vaccines free to residents and citizens.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191124/636bf09b4b0ad905ca02f01fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="960"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191124/636bf09e4b0ad905ca02f020jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="960"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Kisan Magar works in a car showroom whose employer got him and his European and Filipino colleagues vaccinated recently. He says he has been getting lots of congratulatory messages from family in Nepal, while compatriots in the UAE have been querying him about how to enrol for the vaccine.Navaraj Ghimire, another UAE-based Nepali who got his first jab says: “We work in security and are exposed to risk, and 33 people in my company have been infected so far." Some of his colleagues, however, refused to be vaccinated because they did not trust it.Back in Nepal, the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/when-will-nepals-covid-vaccine-turn-come/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">best-case scenario is for the first vaccinations</a> to start in mid-2021. Health experts say Nepal was late in the game to start ‘vaccine diplomacy’, and there is a fear that even when the vaccines do arrive the poor in remote areas will be the last in the queue.The vaccines that Nepal will acquire will have to be the ones that require less sophisticated cold storage systems which are currently in Phase 3 trials in India and China. Till then and even after being vaccinated, Nepalis have to keep wearing masks, avoid crowds and wash hands.According to Ministry of Health and Population, the Government plans to vaccinate 72% of the country's population, as 28% are below 15 and therefore excluded. An estimated 20% are expected to be vaccinated through the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/glimmers-of-hope-for-nepal-on-vaccine/">WHO-initiated COVAX facility</a>, while the remaining 52% will be through government-to-government mechanisms.

Upasana Khadka

Fenerbahçe Beko won the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague finals in Abu Dhabi, held 23-25 May, defeating Monaco 81-70 in the final. Olympiacos, who defeated Panathinaikos 97-93, finished the series in third place. The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the final match, Nigel Hayes-Davis from Fenerbahçe Beko, received a prize of 1,000,000 Miles&amp;Smiles from Turkish Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer Ahmet Olmuştur. The carrier has been the title sponsor of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, a top tier tournament, since 2010.

Turkish Basketball

Thousands of Nepali students dreaming of an American education have been forced to look elsewhere as the Trump administration’s visa restrictions make their future uncertain.
The US was long considered a top destination for higher studies, making Nepal the 10th biggest country of origin for international students in America.&nbsp;
However, that number has seen a significant decline with the total for Nepali students now at 16,482. Some 8,000 Nepali students obtained no-objection certificates to study in the US from the Ministry of Education in the past year.&nbsp;
India, Australia, Canada, South Korea, United Kingdom and Japan are the other popular destinations for Nepali students. There are no clear numbers for Nepalis going to India, but a slight decline was noted this year after the deaths of two female students.
The US State Department has issued a circular to its embassies not to issue new visas to applicants until further notice. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the directive stated that the department planned to expand the screening of applicants' social media.&nbsp;
While new applicants are barred including those applying for visitor visas, students with scheduled interviews are allowed to proceed.
“Many of our students are affected by the new restrictions, but those who had applied for student visas earlier have got interview dates,” one Kathmandu-based college counsellor told us.
Meanwhile, even foreign students with spotless records already in the US have not been spared, as visa scrutiny intensifies under the new policy. In a move that underscores the growing sense of insecurity, many US colleges advised international students to carry their passports and documents at all times, even when traveling locally.
“Me and my friends did not go home this summer because we were not sure we would be allowed back, so we just went to Niagara Falls,” said a Nepali undergrad in Ohio, who like many interviewed for this report did not want her name used for fear of repercussion.
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Nepali students have adopted a cautious stance, with many choosing not to return home during summer vacation due to fear of visa revocations as well as travel bans. Meanwhile, over 7,000 Nepalis with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will have to come back to Nepal by 5 August or face deportation. Thirty-seven were flown back to Kathmandu on Omni Air last week.
“The US is one of the most sought-after destinations for higher education, and the ban will definitely impact bright students,” says Narottam Aryal of the King’s College in Kathmandu.
Indeed, Nepali undergraduates admitted into Ivy League colleges for the 2025 academic year have been asked to look for alternatives. The entire Fulbright Foreign Scholarships Board resigned on Wednesday citing interference from the Trump administration on the selection of this year’s cohort. Some Nepali students already on Fulbright scholarships have noted disruptions, delays and even cancellation of stipends.&nbsp;
The student visa restrictions were initially just for foreign students admitted to Harvard University, but it was later extended to all Chinese students and now to all students. Universities like Columbia which actively recruit foreign students, face sharp enrolment declines, threatening their financial stability and diversity.
An Indian female PhD candidate at Columbia University had her visa revoked by the US State Department, and said she was targeted on the basis of her social media posts on Israeli military attacks in Gaza. Social media vetting of political activism has raised concerns about privacy and freedom of expression in a country where such rights were a given.
Many students have been informed via email that their visas have been revoked for getting speeding or parking tickets, but even others with no criminal record have been affected. The fear of deportation looms large amongst international students, including those from Nepal.&nbsp;
For most Nepalis who migrate to the US for education, the journey is a high-stakes investment. They come largely from middle-class families, often rely on a patchwork of scholarships, work-study programs, loans, or even the sale of family assets to afford fees.
Most Nepali students pursue STEM subjects which offer extended Optional Practical Training (OPT) periods that help fund their education. But with the US backsliding on education and humanitarian matters, countries like the UK and Canada are becoming more attractive despite their own recent stricter controls on student visas.&nbsp;
The UK universities saw a 63% rise in Nepali students’ admissions in 2024. Japan is another popular destination with 64,816 Nepali students enrolled as of 2024.
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Already, China, Hong Kong and Malaysia are poised to benefit from the increased scrutiny of US student visas. Several Hong Kong universities are offering unconditional admission to affected students, while Malaysian institutions are targeting previously US-bound Asian students. China and India have 330,000 and 280,000 students respectively in America, but the numbers for China have seen a sharp drop in the past year.
Elsewhere, branch campuses of American institutions such as NYU in Abu Dhabi, Georgetown in Dubai and Northwestern in Doha are getting more admission applications, and universities in the Gulf region are expanding infrastructure to accommodate those who would otherwise have gone to the US.&nbsp;
Even educational institutions in Nepal are hopeful that the US visa restrictions can be an opportunity to at least keep Nepali undergrads in Nepal, and also attract foreign students from the region.&nbsp;
“Many students might choose to complete their undergraduate degree here in Nepal and then move abroad for their Master’s degree later,” says Aryal of King’s College. “There was a need for quality higher education in Nepal anyway in terms of innovation and opportunities, so this could be the time to reduce our dependence on other countries.”
Nepal’s strategic position between India and China makes it sensitive to US policy shifts. India, a key ally, is also under US scrutiny for potential student travel restrictions. Chinese universities are already offering more scholarships to Nepali talent to capitalise on the US retreat.
American universities have challenged student visa restrictions in the courts. A federal court in Boston revoked the blanket ban on Harvard, and the State Department has ordered the resumption of processing student and exchange visitor visas.&nbsp;
Some are still hoping that President Trump will backtrack on the student visa restrictions, just like he has done with many of his more drastic executive orders.
Even so, the visa see-saw and longer-term uncertainties about living in the United States and its education system means students across the world are making alternative plans.
Says Aryal: “Policies of foreign countries change according to their needs, so excessive dependence was never a good idea. We should work to create different opportunities and choices of higher education within Nepal, so students are retained.” &nbsp;

America no longer prime destination for Nepali students

That winter day in January 1664 marked an exceptional event in the reign of King Pratap Malla of Kathmandu. It was 15 Paush 784 of the Nepal Sambat and for the first time, a historical event was being immortalised on canvas for generations to come.&nbsp; The occasion was the grand Tuladaan ceremony of the King’s youngest son Chakrabartendra Malla from his wife Anantapriya, an Indian princess from Cooch Behar in present-day Assam.&nbsp; During the ritual, the prince was weighed against gold, silver, pearls, and other precious stones, which were then offered to Goddess Taleju Bhavani, the guardian deity of the Malla dynasty.&nbsp; The 170 x120cm painting captures the time of King Pratap Malla in all its splendour and is more than a personal tribute to his son: it is a significant visual historical document. It was evidently completed five years later in 1669, and could be considered a photographic record, with retrospective recreation of the event by the unknown artist. A Tuladaan ceremony is performed to purify one’s karma, quell impending bad luck, or as an act of charity and devotion. Chakrabartendra Malla was not well, and the ritual was performed in hopes of restoring his health. King Pratap Malla had arranged for each of his sons to take turns ruling Kathmandu so they got administrative experience. But Chakrabartendra died just two days after assuming power in 1670 (790 NS). This painting is considered the earliest known example in which the composition is dominated by an architectural landscape: the Taleju Temple. Given the stylistic features such as side-profile facial depictions and the rendering of human forms, it is believed that the Nepali artist was trained by a Rajput master.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250615040624_ddad3bc27a327e3f9926c8473287e4f14b53081296c295049009f327a4d97051.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20250615040624_ddad3bc27a327e3f9926c8473287e4f14b53081296c295049009f327a4d97051" data-rendition-name="original" width="3248" height="4395" loading="lazy" alt="Tuladaan NT"> </figure>  During that era, there were regular exchanges of artists between Northern India and Kathmandu Valley. The painting is also a melding of Nepali, Tibetan, Mughal, and Rajput art styles of the time. Pratap Malla could have been inspired by a painting of Mughal Emperor Jahangir’s Tuladaan ceremony for his son Khurram in 1607. The Mallas and Mughals shared cordial relations, which is reflected in the cultural influences seen in the art and attire of the period.&nbsp; The clothing of the Malla ruling class, in particular, features colourful tunics, turbans, and jewelry that display strong Rajput and Mughal stylistic elements. The musicians in the upper tier are also dressed in Indian-style clothing, while the ensemble on the lower steps wear local attire, notably without turbans. Their hairstyles also differ, with the lower group wearing their hair tied in a bun at the front. This national treasure is currently in storage at the Collège de France in Paris, and has never been publicly displayed. Nepal’s art scholars like Gautam Vajracharya, Pratap Aditya Pal and Anne Vergati have written about this iconic paubha in the past, but the only detailed study is from the perspective of music history by researcher Richard Widdess who had access to high resolution copies of the original.&nbsp; Widdess from the Department of Music at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London describes the paubha as the most significant and richly detailed documentation of music in Nepali art. He identifies distinct musical ensembles on the terraces of the temple, and remarkably most of them are actively used today. One of them reflects the Mughal naqqārakhāna model — a loud outdoor ensemble typically composed of kettledrums, trumpets, and cymbals, traditionally performed from the gateway of the emperor’s palace to announce his entrances and exits. The depiction of such an ensemble in the tulādāna painting is likely the earliest known representation of a complete naqqārakhāna in Nepal — considered the forerunner of the panche baja, the traditional Nepali ensemble. On the stepped pyramid base of the temple are two groups of musicians playing local instruments: dhimey, bhushya, and dha. They are unmistakably Newar musicians, wearing short skirts and short-sleeved tops, with bare heads and legs—clearly distinguished as local performers.&nbsp; Higher still on the temple pyramid are musicians of apparently higher status, positioned close to the king, and his courtiers, possibly professional court musicians from India, well-versed in rāga and tāla. A dāphā group is also clearly depicted, identifiable by their characteristic instruments.&nbsp; Dāphā bhajan is likely the oldest surviving tradition of Newar devotional singing, and this paubha is the oldest visual record of it. Pratap Malla himself is believed to have composed songs that continue to be performed by dāphā groups throughout Kathmandu till today.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025061211064_d67636730cdc0ec778c02494817aca0b99654f2950d0fae4b95499a61faf7ef3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2025061211064_d67636730cdc0ec778c02494817aca0b99654f2950d0fae4b95499a61faf7ef3" data-rendition-name="original" width="596" height="768" loading="lazy" alt="Priceless paubha in Paris NT"> </figure>  The artist’s thorough attention to musical detail may be attributed to King Pratap Malla’s own deep interest in music. His inscriptions on this painting and elsewhere proclaim his mastery of all branches of knowledge, including music. He is also known as the author of dance dramas and poems, penning his name as Kavindra (king of poets). Some noteworthy elements of new art techniques stand out: for example, the roof of the temple is filled with realistically rendered white doves, pigeons, and crows. This is a rare feature in paubha, where animals and birds are stylised, mythological forms. This remarkably talented unknown artist has managed to also render an orthographic projection: the front and side view of Nepal’s first architectural paubha. The Taleju Temple, with its staggering multi-tiered structure and numerous steps and platforms, is masterfully translated into layers within the painting. This represents a significant artistic achievement of the time, especially considering that dimensional perspectives had not started in deity-based paubha.&nbsp; The artist has also made a meticulous effort to capture architectural details such as the toran (ornamental arch) and temple struts with impressive precision. There are flickering lamps along the steps and some people carrying what appear to be oil pots.&nbsp; It is a full moon night and the dark sky is adorned with all the gods and goddesses, who are depicted as blessing the ceremony while seated on stylised thangka clouds. There is a lot happening in this painting, with people engaged in various activities. The artist has also rendered a forest backdrop behind the temple, complete with deer, trees, and flowers. Could there have once been a royal garden behind the Taleju Temple?&nbsp; More details and clarity can only be achieved if we are able to view the original or a high-resolution scanned version of the artwork. Many countries proudly display art depicting historical events in their national museums with great reverence. France, for example, has The Coronation of Emperor Napoleon and Empress Joséphine by Jacques-Louis David (1808–1822), along with numerous paintings of the Napoleonic Wars. Many were commissioned by Napoleon himself for future generations to remember.&nbsp; For Nepal, the equivalent is the Tuladaan paubha which is a visual record capturing a historic moment involving one of Kathmandu’s greatest kings, on the very day the event took place. Sadly, we await the day when this masterpiece is displayed, shared in high resolution for detailed study, or more rightfully — repatriated to its homeland, where it truly belongs. &nbsp; Shaguni Singh Sakya is the Director of the Museum of Nepali Arts (MoNA) at Kathmandu Guest House in Thamel. <h2>Gods homeward bound</h2> The Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign and Nepal’s Department of Archaeology are convening the first international conference on the Recovery of Cultural Heritage from 16-18 June in Patan. The conference will address urgent issues of theft, illicit trafficking, the campaign to repatriate looted cultural artifacts, and explore how the return of sacred antiquities contributes to justice, healing, and reconciliation for communities and nations affected by cultural loss. American art crime professor Erin L Thompson and Saubhagya Pradhananga of the Department of Archaeology will deliver the keynote. Meanwhile, author and Nepali Times publisher Kunda Dixit will lead a conversation on Illicit Trafficking: Public Opinion and Role of Media with Erin Thompson, Amr Al Azm, associate professor of Middle East History and Anthropology at Shawnee State University in Ohio, as well as Bradley J Gordon, a lawyer based in Phnom Penh. There will be sessions looking at repatriation perspectives from Cambodia, India, Vietnam, China and Poland, international frameworks for repatriation, emerging digital technologies in the repatriation of cultural heritage, cultural property agreements, museums as well as trends in the art market, and heritage diplomacy and the role of media.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025061211068_59cfccfa8f5d73bfe8b4c5811a7f53abc09ea04e8cb7c638933d62e5283efdf6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="2025061211068_59cfccfa8f5d73bfe8b4c5811a7f53abc09ea04e8cb7c638933d62e5283efdf6" data-rendition-name="original" width="1080" height="1350" loading="lazy" alt="Heritage recovery NT"> </figure>  <h2> </h2> Some of the other highlights include James K. Reap, a professor in the Master of Historic Preservation Program at the University of Georgia who has a session on the US response to illicit trafficking. Art historian Lea Saint-Raymond is taking on “Gods at Auction: The Market for Himalayan Artefacts”, while lecturer of criminology at the University of Glasgow Emiline Smith is delving into transformative approaches to heritage ownership and repatriation. Helena Arose of Antiquities Coalition and Melina Antoniadis of NOSTOS Strategies that specialise on the return home of cultural heritage as well as Hao Liu of International Cultural Heritage Law at the School of Law at Shandong University are some of the others attending. The Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign was set up in 2020 to develop a coordinated movement to reclaim Nepal’s stolen gods and goddesses, with an aim to ensure that recovered items are returned to their original shrines, niches or sanctums. Ahead of the conference opening organisers have arranged for a film screening of Loot &amp; Return: 4 Documentaries at YalaMaya Kendra in Patan Dhoka between 14-15 June. Following the conference is a multimedia exhibition titled Absent Gods: Nepal’s Lost Heritage from 31 July to 4 August at Patan Museum.

Priceless paubha in Paris

While Nepal was hosting the Sagarmatha Sambaad international climate conference in Kathmandu this month, on Mt Everest it was pretty much business as usual.&nbsp; The signs of climate breakdown are all there: a river now runs through Base Camp in summer, the Khumbu Icefall is more unstable, and there are more &nbsp;frequent avalanches. When expeditions arrived in March, the mountains were bare: it had not snowed since September, but then blizzards dumped unseasonal snow in May. And despite climate worries, such is the pull of Himalayan mountaineering that the Everest Industry showed no signs of slowdown. More than 600 international climbers and their Nepali guides had made it to the summit of the world’s highest mountain. At one point there were an estimated 2,000 people in the tent city on the Khumbu Glacier. All the ropes and ladders on the Icefall came down on Thursday, marking the official end of the spring climbing season, and just in time to avoid a monsoon cyclone approaching from the Bay of Bengal. It has been an action-packed season. One factor could be that Everest fees will go up from September: each foreign climber needs to pay a $15,000 royalty, up from the present $11,000. The cost for a Nepali climber on the South Col route will also go up: from Rs75,000 to Rs150,000.&nbsp; The fee to climb Everest in autumn is $7,500 (up from $5,500), but most climbers still prefer spring. Winter permit fee (December-February) is only $3,750 per person and the mountain is now also open for monsoon (June-August) climbs, when the fee is ever lower at $2,750. The revised rule also makes it mandatory for every two climbers on an 8,000m peak to hire one Nepali mountain guide.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025053004050_67f856fe52714e4bdcf21ae7d45c6f18c82117b9d0a5f73ed1efa04c96de1046.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2025053004050_67f856fe52714e4bdcf21ae7d45c6f18c82117b9d0a5f73ed1efa04c96de1046" data-rendition-name="original" width="931" height="732" loading="lazy" alt="The Everest Industry graph 1"> </figure>  In addition, climbers also have to pay for porters and guides, equipment, Base Camp costs, Ice Fall and fixed rope team fees, so climbing Everest does not come cheap. But such is the draw of climbing the world’s highest peak that some say the increased fees will not diminish the crowds next year. The government has tried to spread expeditions out to other seasons and other 8,000ers, but with not much success. Earlier this year, Nepal unilaterally increased the number of 8,000m peaks to 14 by adding six more sub-summits to broaden the choice for climbers. Added were: Yalung Kang (8,505m), Yalung Kang West (8,077m) &nbsp;Kangchenjunga Central (8,473m), Kangchenjunga South (8,476m), Lhotse Middle (8,410m) and Lhotse Shar (8,400m).&nbsp; The announcement could go against the accepted topographic criteria that a stand alone peak has to be at least 300m higher than an adjoining prominence, and at more than 3km isolation from it. The UIAA (Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme) still recognises only 14 mountains as eight-thousanders, and only eight of those are in Nepal, or on the border with China. Nepal’s revised mountaineering regulations also increased the insurance coverage of high-altitude workers to protect porters and high altitude guides who usually take more risks on the mountains. Rescue teams and clean-up campaigners to collect trash and remove bodies of dead climbers up to Camp IV of Mt Everest do not need permits.&nbsp; The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee is now using drones to fly down trash in 20kg sacks. Each climber is also required to bring down at least 6kg of waste and not just their own, but this rule is erratically enforced. With five fatalities on Everest and Lhotse, Spring 2025 had a historically low death toll. Another five climbers died on Annapurna, Kangchenjunga and Makalu.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025053004050_38681de22f0fefb6faa12b01755566d09c5064d0ff84e12ccc7b5d68ea9ba38a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2025053004050_38681de22f0fefb6faa12b01755566d09c5064d0ff84e12ccc7b5d68ea9ba38a" data-rendition-name="original" width="665" height="740" loading="lazy" alt="The Everest industry graph 2"> </figure>  Journalist Ben Ayers who ran the Everest Live social media channel from Everest Base Camp with daily updates credited the low death rate to dramatic rescues of climbers from the ‘Death Zone’ by their Nepali guides and longline helievacs — the visuals all uploaded on YouTube.&nbsp; “Ironically, this perception of safety is bringing more and more inexperienced climbers to the mountain, and they need more rescues,” Ayers said in one of his dispatches.&nbsp; American expedition chronicler and summiteer Alan Arnette suspects there is a lot of under-reporting given that the jet stream and storms were lashing Everest even till late in the season. He told us: “I heard a lot about frostbite and rescues that were not made public. It’s become practically impossible to cover the details on Everest. All the teams report nice news, and they don’t talk about bad stuff to avoid hurting businesses.” Although trash on Nepal’s mountains makes headlines, what does not receive as much attention is the climate impact of so many expeditions. The Sagarmatha Sambaad conference sidestepped this issue, which is ironic given that the impact of climate breakdown is most evident on Himalayan peaks and their glaciers.&nbsp; <h2>Need for Speed</h2> The big stories this year have been about speed-running from their home cities to the top of Everest. Ukrainian entrepreneur Andrew Ushakov flew out of JFK on 15 May at 10:15AM Nepal time, and was on the summit 3 days, 23 hours, and 7 minutes later on 19 May at 9:22AM.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250601080640_1c5cc6fc991307861768f07037ed9d30930fb20f35dbb57dc31c9a92a9e1a885.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20250601080640_1c5cc6fc991307861768f07037ed9d30930fb20f35dbb57dc31c9a92a9e1a885" data-rendition-name="original" width="1440" height="1800" loading="lazy" alt="The Everest Industry"> <figcaption>Andrew Ushakov at the summt. Photo: ELITE EXPED</figcaption> </figure>  “I could never find the time for the traditional 40-50 days of acclimatisation,” Ushakov explained matter-of-factly. His ‘Everest Sea-to-Summit’ climb was possible because he spent 400 hours in hypoxic sleep tents over the past four years in New York. However, Ushakov did use ropes already fixed, hired four Nepali guides, helicoptered to Base Camp, and used much more oxygen than an average climber. And after the climb, Ushakov was arrested at Kathmandu airport for being in possession of $20,000 of undeclared cash and spent a night in jail and fined $60,000.&nbsp; The other speedsters were Garth Miller, Alastair Cairns, Anthony Stazicker, and Kev Godlington, all former British Army commandos. They left London and summited five days later on 21 May, and flew right back. They also used hypoxic tents to simulate the thin air high on Everest.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250601080644_90c8dd5cc07b4b43f2989b1dc0c0650ab80f10ebb06680c25a6909c519957bd8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20250601080644_90c8dd5cc07b4b43f2989b1dc0c0650ab80f10ebb06680c25a6909c519957bd8" data-rendition-name="original" width="810" height="668" loading="lazy" alt="The Everest Industry "> <figcaption>All four members of the Furtenbach team at the summit. Photo: Sandro Gromen-Hayes</figcaption> </figure>  But more controversial was their use of xenon gas therapy in a German hospital to ramp up the production of oxygen-carrying haemoglobins in their blood. Xenon is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency for being performance enhancing in sports. Expedition leader Lukas Furtenbach said this rule does not apply to mountaineering, as it is not a regulated sport like swimming. Nepal has no rules about xenon, but the Department of Tourism said it was launching an ‘investigation’ to decide on future policy since it is difficult to ban xenon, but allow oxygen. The controversy has also divided the mountaineering community, with some climbers saying they just want to maximise their chances of survival. Spending less time on the mountain could make climbing safer by reducing avalanche risk. It would also mean less trash on the mountains, but it would reduce the income of Nepal’s expedition industry. It is also unclear how much of the success was due to xenon therapy and whether the ex-special forces were already in good physical shape.&nbsp; The need for speed hides the fact that climbing in the Himalaya is dangerous business, and climbers cannot sprint to the top just by huffing xenon. But ultra-fast climbs could be charged more, and the revenue generated can be used to establish state-of-the-art rescue operations, and increase pay and insurance for guides. Two other speed chasers this season were Swiss-Ecuadorian Karl Egloff and American Tyler Andrews, both on Everest without oxygen. Andrews choppered to Base Camp to catch a weather window, but turned back from 8,500m due to high winds. Heavy snow and wind also forced Egloff to descend from 7,000m. Slow and steady climbers like Anja Blacha from Germany did make it to the summit without oxygen, while Kami Rita Sherpa broke his own record with his 31st Everest summit as he led a 26-strong Indian Army group. There were 468 permits issued for foreign climbers from 48 expeditions to Everest this spring. Nepal’s other eight-thousanders together had only 17 expeditions. Nepal has more than 1,000 peaks above 6,000m, and has opened only 476 of them for climbing.&nbsp;

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