Journeys: from Nepal to Australia

I had to wake up at 4am in the morning and walk 2 hours everyday to attend my 6am classes and walk back to school to teach by 10am. I barely had time to eat or rest despite my exhaustion.

It continued for another 5 years and then finally after all the hardship, I graduated with a Bachelor of English and Communication in education. 

I moved to Australia 5 years ago with my husband after marrying an Australian guy.  We met in Nepal 2013 when he was working at the election commission as a volunteer.  After his placement in Nepal ended we had to go through a long distance relationship as it was not easy to get Australian visas.

I came to Australia in 2014 and 2015 twice on a visitor visa to visit my husband and his family.  Then I permanently moved to Australia after we got married in 2017.

Working in Australia

I wanted to work in school as a teacher as I had previous experience but my degree wasn't recognised in Australia.  I joined TAFE and graduated in Early Childhood education, working as an educator for 3 years.

One day I got a phone call  from Ben asking if I was interested in doing some work in INF Australia.  I didn’t have any experience other than teaching so I was happy to do some volunteer work. I have been volunteering for the past 7 months with INF and I’m very grateful for this opportunity.  INF Australia is a small team and everyone is very friendly and they make you feel very welcome.

Working with INF helps me to still feel connected to Nepal.  I get to hear the stories from these remote places and it reminds me of my own childhood.  When I see the pictures of old people I feel like I know what they have been through and what their hardships are, I can read their stories through their wrinkles.

Nothing surprises me when I get to read or watch documentaries from Nepal. It makes me feel proud that my country's people are poor but strong enough to tackle the hardship and still know how to put smiles on their faces.

Living in Australia has been an amazing experience because Australia is a multicultural country and has welcomed lots of migrants.  I personally enjoy discovering different cuisines from different parts of the world.  I like the equality here and everyone respects each other no matter what their background or who you are.  I like Australia because there are more opportunities.

I hope that I can continue working with INF Australia to directly support my country's people.  Nepal is a poor country compared to Australia and even a small amount can positively affect an individual as well as the whole community.

I hope people would support our country’s people with their generosity if they can.  My biggest hope is if I ever became a mother I would like to teach and raise my child to respect people, be kind and be generous to others.

- KRITIKA