How I Got to Madison
From the foothills of the Himalayas to the Shores of Lake Monona
by Shreya Dahal, age 13
My family and I moved to Madison from Nepal over five years ago. It took time to feel
settled here, but we have finally become more accustomed to the life and culture of the United
States.
I lived in Nepal's capital city, Kathmandu. I really enjoyed living there because of the spicy
food such as vegetable curry and chutney, holidays that decorate the streets with people and
most importantly, nature. I could see the snowy peaks of the Himalayan Mountains from my
rooftop. It was like looking at a totally different world! We never got snow in Kathmandu, even
though we were really close to the mountains. However, we often would see sparkling white
snow flakes falling above Mount Everest. Seeing the snowflakes fall on top of each other just
blinded the world I lived in. It was beautiful, and I’ll always remember that sight.
After making the decision to come to America, our family had to complete and submit all
the proper paperwork. It was about 6 months of hard effort. Some of the paper works included
| Shreya Dahal |
police reports, health reports, birth certificates and etc. Once processed, our name was entered into a lottery. Only those
chosen from the lottery are permitted to move to America.
As simple as the process may seem, it is complicated and requires a lot of time, effort, and money. Sadly, many people do not
get this opportunity, even after going through the process and spending thousands of dollars.
Before being successful in the lottery, my parents worried that I wouldn’t receive a good enough education in Nepal. Nepal
has some economic problems and not a lot of opportunities are provided for the students. It is very hard to get a job that is
related or satisfying to the education the students receive.
We moved to Madison on March 5, 2005. My dad made the final decision on the location because he had previously been
here for a research study. He thought there would be more opportunities for him in Wisconsin. Moving here was a new start to
everything we already had in Nepal. It took time to learn things and get used to them but after a while it was easy to manage.
The most memorable thing about stepping foot in Madison was that, it wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be.
My parents feel that they made the right decision by moving to Madison, and I agree. I feel that this decision will provide me a
better future because there are many opportunities I can try for.
When I got to Madison I experienced some similarities to Nepal. Two big lakes in Madison -- Monona and Mendota -- were
the first things that reminded me of Nepal. The splashing of the lake water on the rocks over took all the other surrounding
sounds. The water went on for miles and miles disappearing through the sky. The sun's reflection on the lake took over my
eyes, filling it with memories of my hometown. It was amazing!
I do miss Nepal very much, but thinking of my future over all, I can see a better life here. Education being the most important
would help me be a more successful person then I'd be in Nepal.
chosen from the lottery are permitted to move to America.
As simple as the process may seem, it is complicated and requires a lot of time, effort, and money. Sadly, many people do not
get this opportunity, even after going through the process and spending thousands of dollars.
Before being successful in the lottery, my parents worried that I wouldn’t receive a good enough education in Nepal. Nepal
has some economic problems and not a lot of opportunities are provided for the students. It is very hard to get a job that is
related or satisfying to the education the students receive.
We moved to Madison on March 5, 2005. My dad made the final decision on the location because he had previously been
here for a research study. He thought there would be more opportunities for him in Wisconsin. Moving here was a new start to
everything we already had in Nepal. It took time to learn things and get used to them but after a while it was easy to manage.
The most memorable thing about stepping foot in Madison was that, it wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be.
My parents feel that they made the right decision by moving to Madison, and I agree. I feel that this decision will provide me a
better future because there are many opportunities I can try for.
When I got to Madison I experienced some similarities to Nepal. Two big lakes in Madison -- Monona and Mendota -- were
the first things that reminded me of Nepal. The splashing of the lake water on the rocks over took all the other surrounding
sounds. The water went on for miles and miles disappearing through the sky. The sun's reflection on the lake took over my
eyes, filling it with memories of my hometown. It was amazing!
I do miss Nepal very much, but thinking of my future over all, I can see a better life here. Education being the most important
would help me be a more successful person then I'd be in Nepal.
