My home country story by Renuka Humagai

My motherland is Bhutan.  Bhutan is a kingdom country, which lies between India and China.  It is a small and naturally beautiful country.  Bhutan is a mountainous country with a national make up of several ethic groups.  We are of Lhotsampa  groups. I was born in Bhutan, but I don’t remember it.  I grew up in Nepal.  In 1992 my parents moved to Nepal.

My parents told me, why they went to Nepal.  The Bhutan king did not follow the law.  Actually they don’t have law.  If they had law, they would have to give us Nepali book to read.  They said read our Dzongkha books.  That’s the Bhutan language.  If they saw us reading a Nepali book, they would come and burn it or they would tear the book.  They came to Nepalese houses and took husbands to jail bit and bit.  They cut off their hands or legs or they killed without reason.  After they took the husbands, they took wives and they raped them.  Nepalese farmers had many properties, but Bhutanese took their property.  The Bhutanese said you have to speak our language, Dzongkha.  You have to wear our cultural dress.

In the early 1980’s the government of Bhutan introduced a “One nation - One people” policy.  They deprived our culture and there was no human rights in Bhutan.  As time passed there was discrimination against the Lhotshampas groups.  

Then in the 1990s Lhotshampas organized a series of public demonstrations asking for human rights.  Instead of giving rights to the people, several thousands were imprisoned and more than two thousand tortured and many of them were killed.  So 120,000 people needed to flee their country Bhutan and go to Nepal as refugees.  At that time I was one year old.  

We spent a hard life in the southeast part of Nepal for 17 years under the support of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) inside the refugee camp.  I grew up in Nepal.

           In 2008 the United Nation High commission for refugees (UNHCR) introduced third country resettlement for the Bhutanese Refugees.  After that my family and I filled out the forms.  My father is my inspiration because he decided to take my family to the United States of America for the better life.  We came to the United States of America on June 11, 2008.  In my family we are six people: my father, mother, two brothers, one sister and me.  When I came to Minnesota I felt everything was new and different than in Nepal.  Even to go shopping was new, but gradually I was admitted to school and I got a chance to learn about the many cultures around me.  Though still I need to learn and know many things.

             My education goals are to go school every day, be in time, work heard in each, and every class.  I didn’t applying for any college because I am new in America, I don’t any things about college this means I don’t which college is better to study, and college money I have to know every thing about it.  I want to know more from my teachers because they went college and also they know more about college. I don’t have lot of to go college, so I need to choose well, and what college don’t cast lot money.  I didn’t choose my majors yet, but I am interested in Nursing assistant.  My career in future is to do many things, for example: I want to Nurse, school staph like helping students, and actor etc.  The areas of work I Interest in Minnesota because I hart from many people Minnesota is the great place to live and do job. I have participated in many things, for example: student council, village park, peer mediation and St. Kate’s week-long college program. I participated in these programs because they help me to learn English.  I met with different new people, and we learned more things from each other.  This is why I am also interested in the 2011 high school page program.

Now I am in high school so I do not working. I don’t have money to support my family right now, so when I finish college then I will help my family. I have six people in my family.  My parents don’t have job, they go to E.S.L class to learn English, but my brother and my sister works part time. So it little hard to pay house rent.  My sister and brother are so frustrated because they don’t get full time job.  It’s hard to find job. They have to look all of my family, support to buy cloths, shoes, food, etc. America is good, and better place that my country to live, but it very hard to find job and support my family. Also, things that we use at home are limited. To being a human to have an own house, job then only have money, because to have food you need money and to make money you have to have job.  My family does not help me for my college because they don’t have enough money to pay house rent, food etc.  Also, my family does not have resources to help for my college.  I am working very hard in school and my dream is to go four year college, and became a great, and popular person, and get a better job earn more money to help my family, buy a house, and make my family happy, and bright, and they will proud of me.

              So, I would like to give heartiest thanks to UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) that helped me, and my family to come to United States of America.  I appreciate my father for bringing us to the U.S. for a better life.  He is my Inspiration.