Refugee Life Part 2

THE BIG STORY SUNDAY, MAY 12, 2019

|

magicvalley.com |

SECTION E

Bal Tamang breaks a board with his fist April 18 at Twin Falls Martial Arts in Twin Falls.

Refugee life: Bhutan Gross national happiness is not for everyone STORY AND PHOTOS BY PAT SUTPHIN

L

ocated along the Eastern edge of the Himalayas, Bhutan’s beauty is so widely renowned that outsiders are willing to pay $250 a day to visit.

The culture is founded in Buddhist beliefs and the country takes a holistic approach to its well-being, measuring economy and exports alongside the joy of its citizens.

As the pioneer of gross national happiness (GNH), a concept former King Jigme Singye Wangchuk declared as “more important than gross domestic product” in 1972, one would think Bhutan is a paradise for all.

But not all were welcome in paradise.

While Wangchuk is hailed for his cultivation of GNH, as well as the transition of Bhutan from a monarchy ruled by a king to a democratic system with a governing council, a black stain still marks the history of his reign.

After years of working to unify the country under one religion and language, Wangchuk’s “One Nation, One People” policy caused civil unrest among the Bhutanese citizens of Nepalese origin, who made up one-third of the country’s residents.

This resulted in the exiling of 100,000 people, nearly one-fifth of the entire population of Bhutan.

Bal Tamang is one of those refugees.

An unexpected exodus

At 15, Tamang fled his homeland with his parents. Leaving their home was devastating, yet the decision was not a difficult one. They either ran or they died.

Tamang’s family is Buddhist, the religion Wangchuk favored, but their Nepalese heritage connected them to those who opposed the king. Within a few weeks of when the fighting began, Tamang’s family faced impending exile — a consequence that would alter their lives forever.

“Leaving Bhutan was a very sad feeling,” Tamang said. “It was very difficult for all of us because we always felt like we belonged there.”

The government disagreed.

Nonconformists were encouraged to flee, either through physical or verbal persuasion. Those who

M 1

REFUGEE SERIES

an Bhut fore sunrise and returned after dark to avoid being caught. If he was discovered, his punishment would have been temporary imprisonment.

“When staying in the camp, we did not have any hope,” he said.

Many of the refugees believed that camp was the end of the road. The daily effort to survive was all they knew.

Iran

Joshika Tamang, 6, practices her Nepali handwriting April 13 during the weekly meeting of the BhutaneseAmerican Society of Twin Falls Idaho at the Episcopal Church of Ascension in Twin Falls. continued to practice their own beliefs were brutally tortured, imprisoned or killed.

Watch Bal Fleeing required the family Tamang to hike for three days through talk about the jungle. Most of the families adjusting to left at night to avoid detection.

American Grappling with illness, wild anilife in the mals and enemy soldiers, the trek video was treacherous. Those with small “Refugee Life, Bhutan” by Pat children struggled to carry them Sutphin of the Times-News. through the rough terrain.

It’s available online at “Some died along the way,” TaMagicvalley.com. mang said. “It was horrible at that time.”

With the violence of Bhutan behind them, a glimmer of hope had ture and language,” Tamang said. appeared. Many people found soThe euphoria of freedom lace in the safety of the camps, but quickly wore off, however, leavtheir struggles had barely begun. ing only the harsh reality of their situation in its wake. The refugees Unsettling resettlement were trapped in an overcrowded The camp initially appeared camp, one largely unknown to the to be a welcome relief from the outside world. Eighteen thousand obstacles the exiles had already people lived in a 2-square-mile endured. Refugees were finally section of land. free of bloodshed and tyranny.

“Life was miserable,” Tamang The Bhutanese people were able said. to openly practice their religion, Without work visas, the emand allowed to be who they were, igrants could not leave, and oprather than who a king wanted portunities within the camp to them to be. earn wages were limited. For the “We were able to save our cul- most part, they had no money. Ev-

Press play

erything they received was reliant on international relief organizations, but shipments were never guaranteed.

Refugees resided in houses constructed of bamboo and thatch.

Sometimes 10 to 15 people would share one hut. A thatched roof was a poor match for wind and rain.

Camp life left a lasting imprint on Tamang.

“Some of the hardest memories that I’m able to share is when it was cold, it was extremely cold and we did not have any resources to make ourselves warm,” Tamang said. The camp did not have electricity or a consistent source of clean water.

Even their school supplies were donated — children could expect a new notebook every three to six months. This required them to take notes in ink, and later to manually wash the pages and hang them up to dry so they could reuse the notebook multiple times.

When Tamang got older, he started sneaking out of the camp to work the surrounding farms.

It was one of the few ways he could earn money. He left be-

MORE INSIDE: A life of hard work — Chandra Upreti’s story, E3

Finding their footing in the United States After enduring the harsh realities of life in a refugee camp for 15 years, the exiles were spent.

Many wanted to return to Bhutan.

Others just wanted to get out. Increasing unrest among the refugees prompted the United Nations to get involved.

Tamang said the U.N. spoke to Bhutan on their behalf, hopeful the country would take them back. The king refused, stating that the refugees were no longer citizens of Bhutan. The only other option besides the camp was to start fresh in a new country.

“Most of the people chose third country resettlement,” Tamang said.

Refugees were given some options of where they could go, but they weren’t given much information beyond the name of the country.

“Most of my family wanted to come to the U.S., so I chose to come here,” Tamang said.

Thus began a five-year process of multiple interviews, background checks and cross-examinations. At that time, the United States was accepting the vast majority of Bhutanese refugees.

Please see BHUTAN, Page E2

E2

THE BIG STORY

| SUNDAY, MAY 12, 2019

TIMES-NEWS

From left to right: Renuka Tamang, Man Rana and Kala Tamang help the children prepare their plates of food April 19 at the Tamang home in Twin Falls. Renuka is Bal Tamang’s sister and Man Rana is his sister-in-law.

 Fun Fact: Bhutan is slightly larger

6,397 POP: 76

MI ,857 SQ SIZE: 23

N BHUTA

LTRUM CY: NGU N E R R U C

than Maryland, but only about half the size of Indiana.

 Capital: Thimphu  Type of Government:

Constitutional Monarchy

 Languages: Sharchhopka 28%,

Dzongkha (official language) 24%, Lhotshamkha 22%, Other languages 26%

 Climate: Tropical in southern plains;

Jesica Tamang, 8, takes notes as she reads a book April 19 at Oregon Trail Elementary school in Twin Falls. In the refugee camp her father lived in, students had to physically wash the pages of their notebooks so they could reuse them.

Timezone: 12-hour time difference from MST

cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas

 Highest Point: Gangkar

Puensum 24,836 feet

Exchange rate: $1 US = 69.42 Bhutanese Ngultrum

 Religion: Lamaistic Buddhist 75.3%,

Indian and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 22.1%, Other 2.6%

Source: The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency

Bal Tamang fixes his daughter’s hair before bed April 19 at their home in Twin Falls. Joshika Tamang is 6 years old.

Bhutan From E1

With friends already heading to America, the choice was obvious for Tamang.

“It was our great opportunity to come to the U.S.,” he said.

Starting over in a new country presented a wealth of challenges.

Tamang had to learn a new language and adapt to a new culture.

He arrived with nothing but a duffel bag filled with clothing and a minimal understanding of English.

“We didn’t know where to go or what to do,” Tamang said.

Tamang’s immigration mirrored the path set by Chandra Upreti, a member of the first Bhutanese refugee family to settle in Twin Falls. Upreti — who barely spoke English when he arrived here in his early 20s — now helps interpret the language for his friends.

Upreti and his family shared many of the same experiences Tamang’s family endured.

Everything was new, but it was still a welcome change of pace from the life he had known.

From sorrow to satisfaction For 20 years Tamang resided in the camp, stuck in limbo with no country to call home. Every day was a struggle, but not every memory was unfortunate. Camp was where he met and married his wife, Kal. Nepali culture allows for both love and arranged marriages; Tamang, however, married for love.

Between teaching at the camp’s school and his secret side jobs on nearby farms, Tamang was able to pull together enough money to buy wedding clothes.

To this day, Kal Tamang still owns her wedding dress. The traditional red sari flaunts intricately embroidered stones of white, green and gold. A sari is a selection of cloth several yards long that is wrapped around a woman to form an outer garment similar to a dress.

The Tamangs held a cultural ceremony to celebrate the occasion. Although it was intended for family and friends, there was no way to keep strangers from wandering in to join the festivities.

Kala Tamang, Bal’s mother, waits for dinner to be served April 19 at their home in Twin Falls. In Bhutanese culture, it is a child’s responsibility to care for their parents once they are older. It is common to see three generations living in the same house.

With few causes for celebration in camp, people were desperate for the distraction.

“The marriage is complete only after putting a red tika on the bride’s forehead,” Tamang said.

The tika — commonly displayed as a red dot on the forehead — signifies the purity of faith and devotion in Nepali culture.

Traditional weddings can last up to three days, but the couple was only able to celebrate theirs for one day. They eventually welcomed their son, Exile, into the world.

“He was born in our exile life, so I gave him the Exile name,” Tamang said.

After resettling in the United States, the Tamangs had two more

children — Jesica and Joshika.

Tamang wanted to pursue his education after arriving in America, but familial duties intervened. After only two semesters of studying at the College of Southern Idaho for his General Education Development diploma, Tamang dropped out of school so he could work to support his family.

M 1

THE BIG STORY

Times-News

Sunday, May 12, 2019 | E3

A life of hard work

Chandra Upreti’s story PAT SUTPHIN

psutphin@magicvalley.com‌

‌TWIN FALLS — Chandra Upreti translates for his friend Bal Tamang in his living room as he stumbles over a selection of words. When he’s not relaying Tamang’s message, Upreti answers questions about his own experience as a refugee.

Upreti was only 6 months old when his family fled Bhutan, but the stories passed down from his parents paint a dismal picture of that time.

Those who advocated for their freedom were met with violence.

Refusing to adapt to the required culture resulted in human rights violations.

“There was continuous pressure from the government, either physically or verbally, for people to flee the country,” Upreti said.

For three days, Upreti’s family traveled through the jungle to escape the tyranny. Along the way, Upreti fell ill and his parents worried he wouldn’t survive the journey to Nepal.

But he clung to life and made it to the refugee camps, where conditions were hardly better.

“You never had access to electricity. You didn’t always have access to food and water,” Upreti said. “We’ve seen people die from disease that is easily curable.”

Upreti never imagined he would get out of camp or receive a proper education.

It was a hopeless place.

PAT SUTPHIN TIMES-NEWS‌

Chandra Upreti, left, and Bal Tamang, right, talk about their lives as refugees April 12 at Tamang’s home in Twin Falls. Both men fled their native home of Bhutan and lived in Nepali refugee camps for nearly 20 years before resettling in the United States.

“You don’t expect to have a dream,” he said. “I just felt like this is it; this is all I know and all I’ll ever be.”

For a long time, it was. To many of the refugees, life ended at the border of the camp. There was no leaving. Everything they had existed within those 2 square miles that housed 18,000 exiles.

“That’s how we spent 20 years at camp, surviving one day at a time,” he said.

After resettling to the United States, Upreti faced a new set of challenges. His family was the first Bhutanese family in Twin Falls, meaning they had no mentors to help them understand the culture of their new country.

Upreti barely spoke English. He tried to enroll in high school, but he was turned away — he was too old. The customs here were different, and getting used to them would take some time.

But Upreti was undaunted.

“Because we suffered so much in our lives, we were adaptable to change,” he said.

Many cultural norms didn’t translate to his new country. For example, in Bhutan it is considered disrespectful to make eye contact with an older person. In America, it is rude not to make eye contact, which made job interviews very confusing for Upreti.

At school, Upreti was taught to fold his arms across his chest, an action associated with positive connotations in his culture. In the U.S., this kind of body language could be interpreted as abrasive or off-putting.

Despite the language barrier and culture shock, Upreti was happy to be stateside. Every new challenge was a welcome change of pace from the past two decades of hardship.

“Compared to surviving in the camp, this was nowhere near as difficult,” he said.

So Upreti got to work. He started by obtaining his GED diploma.

Subsequently, he completed two separate associate degrees in liberal arts and sociology at the College of Southern Idaho.

While holding down multiple jobs and caring for his family, Upreti graduated summa cum laude with his Bachelor of Science degree from Idaho State University.

Currently, he is working on his Master of Business Administration at Idaho State University in Pocatello.

“I think my life in camp prepared me for the worst,” Upreti said. “It’s not that I’m particularly talented or gifted, I just worked very hard.”

Exile Tamang, 12, demonstrates a high kick with Twin Falls Martial Arts Owner Scott Tallerico on April 18. As a first-degree black belt, Tamang is responsible for helping out with the beginner’s class as a secondary instructor.

M 1

The CSI Refugee Center helped him acquire his first job.

Tamang initially worked at Cactus Petes Resort Casino in Jackpot, Nev., but the commute was difficult. Later, he found a job in town at SL Start, a disability services and support organization, before moving on to St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center, where he still works today.

Although he was unable to continue onward academically, Tamang enjoys witnessing his children’s educational achievements, opportunities he never had. All three of his kids — now 12, 8 and 6 years old — attend Oregon Trail Elementary School in Twin Falls.

Outside of school, the children participate in extracurricular activities with their peers. Exile is a first-degree black belt in general martial arts. He attends classes at Twin Falls Martial Arts and often helps teach the beginner’s class that his father takes.

Jesica, the middle child, enjoys dance. While Exile and Tamang train in martial arts, Jesica spends her time next door at Grace Dance Academy, practicing her leaps and spins. Joshika, the youngest, is content to play on a tablet while she waits for her siblings to finish.

From left to right: Exile, Jesica and Joshika Tamang play on their tablets as they wait for dinner April 19 at their home in Twin Falls.

Jesica Tamang, 8, plays on the playground April 13 at the Episcopal Church of Ascension in Twin Falls.

Keeping a rich culture alive‌

dent of BASTI, said the group represents all of the Bhutanese people who came from Nepal.

“We formed this to establish a stronger community and preserve our culture and traditions,” Kalikotay said.

Kalikotay also fled Bhutan in 1990 and spent 20 years living in refugee camps in Nepal. When his children are older, he intends to tell them about his time as a refugee, like Tamang.

“It’s a history that they should know,” he said. He wants his children to understand how he lived to

For Tamang, passing his heritage down to his children is extremely important. With family scattered across the globe, including siblings in Bhutan, Cincinnati, Boston and India, Tamang worries his children will lose sight of who they are.

That is why he shares stories of his time in camp, and what life was like before it.

“We tell these stories to keep our family close,” he said.

Tamang hopes to carry the traditions of his culture forward, but since most of his children were born in America, it is difficult to keep their customs alive. To bridge this divide, he launched the Bhutanese-American Society of Twin Falls Idaho in 2018. He also acts as the organization’s president.

BASTI is a nonprofit organization that meets every week to teach children about Nepali language and culture. The goal is to educate future generations about their home country.

Manorath Kalikotay, vice presi-

help them appreciate everything they have, and what he experienced to gain the freedoms they enjoy.

BASTI focuses on passing down the traditions and language of the Bhutanese people. Since the younger generation speaks English better than most of their parents, losing the Nepali language is a very real concern.

“Culture is the backbone of people,” Kalikotay said. “We want to focus on building our children’s future in a very constructive way.”

Please see BHUTAN, Page E4

E4 | Sunday, May 12, 2019

THE BIG STORY

Times-News

Bhutan From E3

Customs of another country‌ Tamang resides with his wife, their three children and his mother, Kala. Nepali culture dictates that parents take care of their children when they’re young, and in turn, the children care for their parents when they’re old. It is very common to see three generations living in the same home.

Another Nepali tradition involves the distribution of food.

Whoever prepares a meal must be the one to plate it. Usually, Nepalese start with the oldest or head of the family and serve down the line by age, ending with the chef.

Nepali culture also dictates that if the head of the house isn’t at home, the meal cannot be served until he or she arrives. This could mean the wife would have to wait to eat until the husband returned for example, but Tamang explained this custom isn’t practiced as much as it used to be, especially for Bhutanese-Americans.

The Tamangs still celebrate a couple of holidays from their homeland. Diwali and Dashara both take place in October, although the dates are adjusted to coincide with weekends to accommodate work schedules.

Diwali, also known as the “Festival of Lights,” is a time for siblings to honor each other. Tamang celebrates by lighting candles and singing cultural songs with friends and family. Siblings take turns blessing each other with tikas.

“It is very important to celebrate the relationships and love shared between brothers and sisters,” Tamang said.

Dashara, also known as Dasara or Dussehra, celebrates the relationship between parents and children, according to Tamang.

The day is filled with dancing and food, acknowledging families that are separated but wish to be together.

A completely different landscape‌ Of the 100,000 Bhutanese refugees in Nepal, 85% have been resettled in the U.S., according to a post on the Obama White House website from March 2016. In the past decade, 581 Bhutanese refugees have come to call Twin Falls home.

Since 1990, Bhutan has undergone significant and pivotal changes. Wangchuk successfully transitioned the country into a constitutional monarchy, relinquishing some of his power as king to a governing council.

In 2006, he abdicated his throne to his eldest son, Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk, who still rules to this day.

Because he holds no documents that specify his citizenship as Bhutanese, Tamang may never be able return to his home country. He does plan to visit Nepal this upcoming year to see family members still living in the refugee camps. Many of them await a chance to come to the U.S. Bhutan was once viewed as the trendsetter of happiness. Wang-

Kal Tamang cooks dinner April 19 at her home in Twin Falls. Tamang began cooking at 1 p.m. for the meal to be ready by 7 p.m.

Production Operator Bal Tamang pulls out a new cart to restock April 18 at St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center in Twin Falls. When he resettled in the United States, Tamang went back to school to obtain his GED diploma, but had to drop out to support his family.

Kal Tamang shows off her wedding dress April 19 at her home in Twin Falls. Tamang was married in the Nepali refugee camp she lived in for 20 years. The dress was purchased within the camp and the ceremony lasted a full day.

“The U.S. is the land of opportunity. We wanted something better, and here we are able to get that.”

Bal Tamang port — which includes data from 156 countries from 2016-18 — ranks the U.S. as the 19th happiest country in the world. Bhutan ranked 95th.

“The U.S. is the land of opportunity,” Tamang said. “We wanted something better, and here we are able to get that.”

From being a second-rate citizen to getting a second chance at life, Tamang is thankful for everything America has given him.

He has a house to call his own.

His children are happy and healthy.

Bal Tamang places a traditional Nepali dish on the table as one of his children reaches for a bite April 19 at his He is steadily employed and able to home in Twin Falls. provide for his loved ones. chuk’s gross national happiness was released. Data was gathered gross domestic product per cap“Fifteen years ago, we did not set a standard that other countries through citizen surveys that ita, generosity and perceptions of have anything,” he said. “We had sought to emulate. In April 2012, ranked countries on a multitude corruption. to struggle to survive. Now we The 2019 World Happiness Re- have everything we need.” the first World Happiness Report of factors such as social support,

BASTI President Bal Tamang helps children with their Nepali handwriting exercise April 13 during the weekly meeting of the Bhutanese-American Society of Twin Falls Idaho at the Episcopal Church of Ascension in Twin Falls.

M 1