Binny from Kathmandu, Nepal
I had the pleasure to ask Binny a few questions about her journey to the US. She moved half around the globe to be with her husband and is enjoying the hi-tech life. Let’s dive into the interview…
Where are you from originally?
Binny: I am from Biratnagar. But I used to live in Kathmandu (capital city of Nepal)
How long have you been living in the U.S. and what do you do?
Binny: More than 5 years and I work as an IT professional.
Why did you decide to move to America and how did you make it happen?
Binny: The main reason I moved to America was my marriage. My husband lives in the USA.
Please tell us a little bit about the process of obtaining your visa and/or greencard?
Binny: I am married to an officially legal US citizen , so he did all my paper work and submitted to USCIS. I just waited for 6 months and got a visa after an formal interview.
What was the most difficult part of your immigration?
Binny: Paper works seems to be a challenge for any immigration process. Sometime we don’t understand what Immigration is asking for and the phone inquiry is not that easy.
What do you enjoy most about living in America?
Binny: America is the land of opportunity and a country of dreams. All people have freedom to work based on their skills levels. We can live a hi-tech life here.
Is there anything that you miss from home other than family?
Binny: Nepal is a small country. Nepal has so many things and among them are the beautiful landscapes, watching varieties of birds, the walking trail with beautiful wild flowers and of course beautiful Mountains . In the early morning we can see from our house patio with cup of a tea a million dollar view of the ranges of mountains in bright golden color with the sunrise. There are so many old palaces of the Kings, which are open to the public and they are worth visiting.
Also there are so many historical forts where we can go for the weekends and remember how Gorkhas protected the Nepal. I miss all those things…..
Have you found a good source to buy Nepalese food in America?
Binny: Humm!!! Nepalese food has many spices which Indian store sells. So, we can make them at home. But there are some typical Nepal foods which we don’t find here:
Gundruk [It is the special product made from the Spinach or Green Mustard leaves or anything edible green vegetables .]
Sinki [It is made from radish product]
LAPSI ko ACHAR [You can never get this pickle in the US]
What techniques worked best for you to learn English?
Binny: Since I studied in English medium schools, I don’t have any problem in understanding it. We follow British English and it’s different than American. So to understand the accent, I watch TV shows and news that gives me the sense of what people are talking about. But I have difficulty in understanding the local idioms and phrases. For this my best buddy is GOOGLE.
What are the biggest differences between everyday life in Nepal and America?
Binny: Life is Nepal is stress free (Condition applied). We have cool working hours. I still cannot figure out what the difference is. Life here is like beat to beat. Like in dance, if you miss one beat then you are behind and will be default to catch again. So, Life is running here so as we do to be same pace.
Please share your best advice for Living, Working and Traveling in the US. Anything in particular for other Nepalese?
Binny: Nepalese – Before you come to United States please have some skills that can be used here and makes life better.
Can you recommend any book or website to other expats before they move to the U.S.?
Binny: Not really. It’s just GOOGLE. Its more than a book to me.
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