BY SHISHIR TIMSINA
with ZOE VONGTAU
Staff Writer

Baldwin-Whitehall School District is home to the largest number of international refugees in the region. In the first of a new series, refugee Shishir Timsina, a junior, tells his story. Timsina’s parents are from the South Asian country of Bhutan, where, beginning in the 1990s, citizens of Nepali descent were expelled from their country and forced into camps in Nepal.

Born in a refugee camp in Jhapa in 1998, I am of Bhutanese descent.
My parents were both born and lived in Bhutan, but were both deported by the government in a slow exodus. We were generally pushed out of our own country.

When my mother was younger, she joined unsuccessful rallies and protests against the government’s irrational use of power.

In Nepal, I lived with my mother and father. Life in the actual camp could be considered hard, but when it’s all you know, it’s all you know.

I was born in a hospital, one of many clinics that surrounded the camps.

Houses in the camp were originally made out of bamboo. As I grew up, the houses were replaced by cement and wood. We often had little to no electricity, and worked with some solar-powered appliances.

Sewage and sanitation were sub-standard, and plumbing was and still is non-existent in houses.

I did not live in the camp for all of my life in Nepal. When I was young, my parents moved my family into the crowded city of Kathmandu, as they believed it held a better education for me.

Not many other families left the camp the way we did, due to financial status and lack of any good reason.

In school, I learned Nepali and English, which I believe has definitely made my assimilation into American culture much easier.

The city school did have some computers, but was not as advanced as American school due to a lack of funding.

Throughout my time in Nepal, I would go back and forth between the city and the camps, coming to visit family.

Finally, in the year 2009, the International Organization for Migration gave my family the opportunity to come to America.

We were sent to New York on a loan that we eventually had to pay back. For eight months, we lived in the Bronx.

My experience in the Bronx was uncanny. I somewhat liked the city, while my family didn’t. Their hatred prompted our move to Pittsburgh.

Life in Baldwin was not much different from Nepal, especially the food, as I was exposed to many kinds of food in Nepal.

The major contrast between hospitality in the people was extremely evident. Nepalese people were often much more welcoming and inviting, while Americans seem to keep to themselves more.

I’d say this added to the fact that, in America, I don’t think I have experienced any racism. It wasn’t anything that affected me and I thought it was because I was new, not different.

One thing in Baldwin that personally helped me feel welcome was joining sports teams. Soccer is big everywhere, especially Nepal, so the common interest was great.

I believe the minor segregation between the refugees and American students isn’t necessarily dependent on one group’s disinterest, but the fact that birds of the same feather flock together.

I don’t believe any one specific program or plan would spark a mixture of groups, but only time.

Despite certain misconceptions associated with the refugee community, I would like Baldwin to recognize the advancements we’ve made. A complete turn of lifestyles isn’t easy and I believe our economic and educational successes are notable.

Refugees in America from all around the world have made leaps by getting jobs, owning homes and cars and educating themselves.

I believe that if I was still living in Nepal, I would still be going to school, but not getting such a great opportunity for education.

In the future, I plan to go to college and major in the medical field.