Posted by: Vivant September 9, 2010
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Homeyji
Why? Could it be (and I am guessing) because you have not been to Nepal in a long time and your heart longs for a part of your past that you associate with happiness? Does walking past Bhagwati Bahal bring back memories of those succulent lemon and orange flavored candies your favorite uncle bought you at the corner shop? Does Sano Gaucharan remind you of that fall from your tricycle? When your parents and grandparents heard your cries, dropped everything they were doing, rushed to your aid, consoled you, told you everything would be okay and treated you to a popsicle at the nearby cold store? Could you possibly be transferring happy emotions from the past to fill an emotional void in the present? Do you still fall from your tricycle at times and look for someone to empathize with you?
Is that why we feel so content in those settings in Nepal because they bring back a warmth and happiness that eludes us in the present?
I don't want to play internet shrink or pretend to be Sajha.com's Ajmeri Baba (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F0zE8DhvJA) so I'll drop the Freudian line there. However, if I asked myself the same questions my answer would be yes to all of the above (at some level). My inner child sometimes yearns for the innocence and happiness of the past. I think that is healthy as long as we don't get stuck, or as you alluded to, get imprisoned in our past. Perhaps a visit to Nepal might give you another chance to make a choice about where to live. I often use my Nepal trips to decide on the next chapter of my life. I look at my friends who have gone back to Nepal after living in the US for a couple of years and opinion is divided on life in Nepal. Some have come back to the US. Others have stayed on. Both have their own sets of woes. Good luck with finding your answers. On a matter like this, only you can answer your questions to your satisfaction.
Pire and Mucho Fiesta,
Mine is just one way of looking at things and I am sure, like you guys said, there are so many other things to bear in mind.
A couple of other thoughts on some of the points raised on this thread:
As far as specific solutions go, most people will probably agree that there isn't a magic pill to ease the pain in Nepal. There is no one great unyielding truth on how to develop a country and reverse brain drain. It will probably have to be a combination of the things suggested on this thread plus whatever comes out of the creative genius of our people in and out of Nepal. My personal take is political stability and good law and order will slow down the mass exodus of talent from the country and lay the groundwork for a public-private partnership to improve things in Nepal.
I also feel going back to Nepal is not the solution for everyone. It may be for me but as I stated earlier, it depends on your personal circumstances and preferences. For all we know, Nepal may not be able to handle the mass return of so many people at one time. What is that nuclear physicist working at Los Alomos going to do in Nepal? Become miserable writing reports about hydro power at NAST? What about the businessman in Los Angeles running a profitable handicraft store who sends thousands of dollars each year to his aging parents in Bhaktapur? Nepal needs investors as much as it needs professionals and technicians. If you can't go to Nepal and work there, you can still help the country by earning enough and going back to invest. All who want to help should be welcomed with open arms regardless of whether they go back to work or to invest. We have much to learn from the experience of the Chinese and Indian diaspora where expatriates have helped the motherland both by returning and investing from abroad.
Why? Could it be (and I am guessing) because you have not been to Nepal in a long time and your heart longs for a part of your past that you associate with happiness? Does walking past Bhagwati Bahal bring back memories of those succulent lemon and orange flavored candies your favorite uncle bought you at the corner shop? Does Sano Gaucharan remind you of that fall from your tricycle? When your parents and grandparents heard your cries, dropped everything they were doing, rushed to your aid, consoled you, told you everything would be okay and treated you to a popsicle at the nearby cold store? Could you possibly be transferring happy emotions from the past to fill an emotional void in the present? Do you still fall from your tricycle at times and look for someone to empathize with you?
Is that why we feel so content in those settings in Nepal because they bring back a warmth and happiness that eludes us in the present?
I don't want to play internet shrink or pretend to be Sajha.com's Ajmeri Baba (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F0zE8DhvJA) so I'll drop the Freudian line there. However, if I asked myself the same questions my answer would be yes to all of the above (at some level). My inner child sometimes yearns for the innocence and happiness of the past. I think that is healthy as long as we don't get stuck, or as you alluded to, get imprisoned in our past. Perhaps a visit to Nepal might give you another chance to make a choice about where to live. I often use my Nepal trips to decide on the next chapter of my life. I look at my friends who have gone back to Nepal after living in the US for a couple of years and opinion is divided on life in Nepal. Some have come back to the US. Others have stayed on. Both have their own sets of woes. Good luck with finding your answers. On a matter like this, only you can answer your questions to your satisfaction.
Pire and Mucho Fiesta,
Mine is just one way of looking at things and I am sure, like you guys said, there are so many other things to bear in mind.
A couple of other thoughts on some of the points raised on this thread:
As far as specific solutions go, most people will probably agree that there isn't a magic pill to ease the pain in Nepal. There is no one great unyielding truth on how to develop a country and reverse brain drain. It will probably have to be a combination of the things suggested on this thread plus whatever comes out of the creative genius of our people in and out of Nepal. My personal take is political stability and good law and order will slow down the mass exodus of talent from the country and lay the groundwork for a public-private partnership to improve things in Nepal.
I also feel going back to Nepal is not the solution for everyone. It may be for me but as I stated earlier, it depends on your personal circumstances and preferences. For all we know, Nepal may not be able to handle the mass return of so many people at one time. What is that nuclear physicist working at Los Alomos going to do in Nepal? Become miserable writing reports about hydro power at NAST? What about the businessman in Los Angeles running a profitable handicraft store who sends thousands of dollars each year to his aging parents in Bhaktapur? Nepal needs investors as much as it needs professionals and technicians. If you can't go to Nepal and work there, you can still help the country by earning enough and going back to invest. All who want to help should be welcomed with open arms regardless of whether they go back to work or to invest. We have much to learn from the experience of the Chinese and Indian diaspora where expatriates have helped the motherland both by returning and investing from abroad.