Babal Khate

Thank you for pointing me to this thread. For me returning to Nepal is a deeply personal decision that should not be evangelized otherwise it can turn into one of those meaningless 'my-god-is-better-than-your-god' debates. To me it is less important whether a Nepali returns to Nepal or not. What is more important is what they do for Nepal regardless of where in the world they chose to live. Each individual's needs and circumstances are different and I am wary of  lumping people into groups of this type and that type based on family or income in Nepal or success or failure in America.

I agree with your assertion that Nepal needs all kinds of people -- just as the world needs all kinds of minds -- creative, analytical, academic, scientific, entrepreneurial etc. It also needs people who can think beyond the blame game. Speaking for myself, I've stopped blaming the King, Congress, UML, Maoists, history, geography, culture etc  for Nepal's problems because I've realized blaming politicians for everything is just a way of venting my own frustrations about doing diddly squat for the country myself. I've also realized that once you are on the ground in Nepal and start doing things and see the rewards of your work you can be quite content. It boils down to how you manage your expectations about Nepal.  I would rather focus on trying to change several small things over a longer period of time rather than trying to change everything all at the same time. The latter can be a recipe for disaster -- both for the country and the individual because unrealistic expectations of what can be changed  will only set you up for misery and failure. 

To answer the original question, " Returning to Nepal with a US degree, good or a bad idea?" -  I say, it depends on the degree and what exactly you want to achieve when you go to Nepal. My reasons are mine and mine alone. To each his own. Good luck to those staying in the US and best wishes to those returning.