Behoove_me,

It’s been a while since I last read such a good piece. It is so rare these days in sajha to find such a well written and thoughtful narrative that most of us living abroad can relate to in some way or other. 

“But this time it was different, leaving behind two aging parents who had recently been diagnosed with high blood pressure. Not that I would not see them soon, but I doubt if I’d see them soon enough in my own house in Nepal. I feared  this was the last time I was seeing them, in our courtyard in Jawalakhel.” 

There will be a time when we will all have to face this fear. I can notice the extra grey hair on their head, the extra wrinkles on their face, each time I visit my parents. What is no so apparent is their deteriorating health. Sometimes I wonder if I will be spending the rest of my life away from my parents, during the last stages of their lives when they need me the most.

I am glad to know that you still have some good friends to hang out with in Nepal. Unfortunately I do not have this privilege. Most of my friends have moved abroad. The ones that are in Nepal have changed a lot. Each time I meet them, I get a feeling that there is a barrier between us. May be a barrier of jealousy or shame of being the one who could not get out of Nepal. The conversations seem very superficial and I end up doing most of the talking, telling them about my life abroad while they look at me wishing for some downfall from deep down in their heart.