I have always been a dreamer. Ever since I was little, I always dreamed of faraway lands and wondered: how do people live there? What are kids my age doing there? What are family picnics like? The scenery? And so on. As a result, I engulfed myself in encyclopedias and children’s magazines. I remember an … More Wanderlust
Ever since I booked my flight to Nepal for September, I haven’t been able to sleep properly at nights due to excitement. It is still more than 6 months away, but I am excited than ever because I am going with my boyfriend. What will he think of the overwhelmingly different culture? Will he be able … More Anxiety, excitement and enthusiasm
I recently came across an article on a Nepali news daily about the rampant growth of beauty pageants. Since the last few years, beauty shows are growing like wild mushrooms in Nepal, with titles ranging from Miss [insert some cultural group] to Miss [insert some teen princess or angel likes] to Miss [insert some region] … More Women and burning candles?
The majority of Nepali society still practices arranged marriage. Arranged marriage is when the bride and groom are pre-arranged by parents and relatives. A huge importance is placed on the “status” of the prospective bride/groom and compatibility is rarely taken into account. Criteria such as job, salary, caste, horoscopes are carefully checked before consideration into … More Arranged marriages in Nepal
Originally posted on Adventures of an erstwhile Koop Mandook*:
This encounter followed shortly after the previous one. It was arranged once again through the time honoured route of Times of India Matrimonial Column! He was from a small town which was a 4-hour train ride from the one I lived in. Given the unpleasantness of…
In Nepal, people cry buckets when someone dies. The dead is cremated in a funeral pyre which is lighted by immediate male relative. In a good news, these days a lot of women are performing the last rites for their deceased relatives as well. After the body is turned into ashes, it is placed into … More Cultural differences: Mourning
Nepal just celebrated the two biggest festivals of the country, Dashain and Tihar. Since I am practically the only Nepalese person living in this city, I didn’t celebrate at all but the flood of photos that appeared on my facebook feed made me nostalgic. Dashain, the biggest festival of the majority Nepali Hindus, is celebrated for … More Festive season in Nepal
“Where are you from?” is the most frequent question that I get when meeting new people. Since I am now on the second semester of Erasmus exchange program here in Poland, everyone sort of gets that question. It’s always intriguing to see people’s reactions when I answer them that I come from Nepal. The reactions of … More “So, where are you from?”
[I don’t own any of the pictures.] As much as I’m critical about many aspects of Nepal, I miss many pleasures that comes from being home. A few days ago, I was gazing outside the window to see that it was raining rather heavily, and this triggered some homesickness. I have fond memories of rainy days in … More Things I miss about Nepal
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