Neupane, his brother and their wives and children are Lhosampa, or ethnic Nepalis, whose existence in Bhutan stretches back centuries. Twenty years ago, the monarchy in Bhutan instituted a One Nation, One People policy. Nepali language was banned in favor of a national language, Dzonkha. The monarchy actively suppressed the culture and customs of the Lhosampa, banning their language and burning Nepali books and papers. Anyone who protested against the policy was labeled a terrorist and banished. [break]
"They want everyone to dress the same, to speak the same, to be the same," Neupane said, as he prepared to lead a group of young people in a ceremonial dance at a World Refugee Day celebration at the College of the Holy Cross, Aaron Nicodemus, a staffer of Telegram & Gazette, reports for www.telegram.com. "People were categorized based on their ethnicity, and "Some families were divided into seven separate groups."
Over time, the Lhosampa became viewed by the government as illegal immigrants. Some 100,000 people were forced to move into huge refugee camps in Nepal. Neupane and his family lived in such a camp for 18 years.
Last October, he and his family arrived in the United States as refugees. With the help of the federal government, Neupane has an apartment in Worcester, Massachusetts, job training and food stamps.
The nonprofit Lutheran Social Services, using a combination of federal dollars and private donations, has helped relocate more than 450 new refugees in Worcester over the past year, hailing from Bhutan, Iraq, Burma, Somalia and Burundi. More than 1,000 refugees have settled in Worcester over the past four years.
Neupane has settled into a leadership role within the city’s tiny Bhutanese community. Since he speaks English, he has acted as a liaison between other refugees and the city’s school system. Every week, groups of Bhutanese gather in an apartment and conduct a Hindu service. The location rotates among the city’s 27 Bhutanese families, he said.
Armed with a bachelor’s degree, Neupane hopes to someday find a full-time job as a social worker.
What’s the best part about living in America?
“This is a country where there is more than one flower,” he said, referring to the United States’ ethnic diversity. “Many different varieties of flower bloom in the same bed. In my country, there’s only one flower. Here, there are many.”
Meena Ghimirey, also a Bhutanese refugee, said life in the United States has been good since she arrived five months ago. It would be better, she said, if she could find a job.
“I have a bachelor’s degree in English and sociology. If I could get some kind of training, I could get a job.” After 18 years in a refugee camp, she said there is not much she misses about home. She has no desire to return.
“The law is good here. We have security,” she said of her new home. “We are able to live as people.”
Refugees gathered to celebrate World Refugee Day cooked food from their native lands, performed dances and songs, and met others who have similarly been cast from their native countries.
“This lets them just throw off all the stresses of being a refugee, of looking for a job and learning English, and just celebrate their culture,” said Jozefina Lantz, Lutheran Social Services’ director of services to new Americans. “There’s so much for them to worry about. This day, they can just be themselves.”
Richard Chacón, director of the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants, said most refugees come to the United States having survived a terrible ordeal.
“The idea that most of them, if not all of them, can never return home again, is traumatic. They often come from refugee camps, where they have little or no access to education, health care, or job training.”
Massachusetts accepts more than 2,000 refugees from around the world every year, he said. Two years ago, most refugees were coming from African nations. Now, they’re coming from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and other global hotspots.
Worcester has always been welcoming to immigrants, he said. “The community is so willing to help these families get back on their feet.”
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