“I want to go back to my home country right now and help my family. With the holidays coming up, I want to see them more.”
On the 23rd, two days before the Chuseok holiday, Tamang Dibasi (23), a Nepalese student whom I met at Chungbuk University of Health Sciences, looked blankly at a photo of flood damage in Nepal on his cell phone and said this.
Tamang, who has entered her 7th month of living in Korea, thinks about her hometown countless times, but recently, her thoughts have become even more sorrowful.
This is because a major flood that occurred in Nepal a month ago swept away his hometown, Rasuwa region, Bagmati Province.
Fortunately, Tamang's parents, younger brother, and younger sister escaped from their home just before the flood swept through the village and were not injured, but their two-story house and the corn field they had cultivated for a long time were completely submerged in water, leaving them with nowhere to go overnight.
His family is living in a tent prepared by the Nepalese government, and is said to be having difficulty adapting to the situation because it is smaller and more uncomfortable than their home and the environment is poor.
Tamang said, “I spoke to my mother on the phone yesterday, and she said she is still living in the tent and doesn’t know when she will return home.”
Although he is relieved to hear that his family is safe, a part of him remains sorry and frustrated at the reality of having no choice but to watch them suffer.
Every time I talk to my family on the phone, I feel like running back to my hometown right away, but I can't go back and stop studying after a difficult start.
All Tamang can do is check on his family from afar. After class or during breaks, I use my cell phone to look up local news and Facebook in Nepal, and contact my family and friends to check on the situation in my hometown.
“I keep checking my phone even before I go to bed,” he said. “When I see new news posted on Facebook, I immediately look it up to see if it might be about my town.”
Whenever I see Korean friends spending the holiday with their families ahead of Chuseok, my longing for my hometown deepens.
Tamang said, “Every time I hear from my Korean friends that they are going to their hometown for Chuseok, I think of my family. I also want to spend the holiday with my family.”
He is waiting for winter break to come. When the vacation begins, I plan to return to my home country, meet my family in person, and check out my house and village.
For other Nepali students living in North Chungcheong Province, Chuseok is also a holiday that reminds them of their families back home.
Banayakushubu (27), a graduate student at Cheongju University who entered Korea last year, said that Chuseok has many similarities with Dashain, the biggest holiday in Nepal, so it brings back memories of spending the holiday with family.
To alleviate my longing for my hometown a little, I plan to spend time with my Nepalese friends this Chuseok holiday.
I plan to make and eat traditional Nepalese food with my friends, feel the holiday atmosphere of my hometown, and experience Korea's Chuseok traditional culture, which I have always been very interested in.
Banayakushubu's family did not suffer any damage from the flood. Still, I feel uneasy every time I hear news of damage continuing throughout my home country.
He said, “Many people are having a hard time due to the flood damage,” and “I hope they will find strength and get back on their feet.”
Mano (36), who runs 'Nepal Shelter', a Nepalese community, also cannot relax about the news of floods in his home country.
This Chuseok holiday, I plan to spend the holiday at a festival in Nepal where a famous local singer has been invited.
Mr. Mano added, "I am heartbroken because something difficult has happened in my hometown, but I plan to eat delicious food and have fun during Chuseok. Even if I can't go home, I hope to spend the holiday talking about my hometown and laughing."
