The 75,000th refugee from Bhutan departed from Nepal for the United States of America today, April 8, 2014. Forty-four-year-old Tilak Chand Ghimire left Nepal with his wife, 12-year-old daughter and 75-year-old parents to start a new life in Akron, Ohio where his brother resettled in 2010, stated Kathmandu-based U.S. Embassy.
About his departure, Tilak said, “I am 80% excited and 20% scared.”
He knows he will need to work hard and learn English to succeed in the U.S. “I am most excited about the opportunities in the U.S. available to people like us, refugees, like studying, education for my child, and citizenship. We are not citizens of anywhere now, but in America we have the possibility of belonging.”
The Ghimirey family before departing for the U.S
(Picture courtesy: IOM Nepal)
Tilak is also aware of what he will be leaving behind in departing the country he has lived in for 20 years: “Nepal has allowed us to stay here for so long, and Bhutan is where we were born. We can never forget these places.”
Tilak says his elderly parents are even more excited to go to the U.S. than he is. “They will see their son and all their grandchildren.” The U.S. has accepted many elderly individuals who often travel with their families, including six individuals over the age of 100.
http://www.bhutannewsservice.com/main-news/75000th-exiled-bhutanese-departs-for-u-s/