Binita Gajmer

I believe older people should learn what kind of background we came from and how much struggle we did to overcome with the obstacle. I grew up in a refugee camp in Nepal after my family was driven from Bhutan by an unkind King. In the barren existence of a Nepali camp, there were few resources for a good education. I felt that my fate was to forever be a refugee, the poorest state of human life where I didn't have even the basic needs for survival. This early imprint had a huge impact on my life, which I couldn’t erase even though I attempted to dream of a better life. Life was so hard and difficult; we had no solutions. I attended a paltry school and spent my whole day without any breakfast or lunch. All students had to stand in the open spaces listening to the lecture of the Principal on hot summer and cold winter days.
Because of the harsh life without medical attention, I always dreamed of becoming a nurse, but there was little hope that would ever be accomplished. My parents went out of the country to find work to help the situation but between discrimination and their identity as refugees; nobody offered them jobs. I had no experience outside the camp and no exposure to any other western amenities. As a refugee, I was entirely dependent on aid organizations to meet my basic needs for seventeen years.
Then one day my family heard that the organization called IOM, the International Organization for Migration, was offering us resettlement in America, the dream country for all people. My family agreed mainly because they didn’t want us to be uneducated like they were. They always wanted our future to be bright as a candle.
We left Nepal on December 3, 2011. Our three-day journey to America was exciting as well as scary because we had never flown in an airplane or been far from Nepal.The first day in America for me wasn’t what I expected. I felt so isolated...no friends, no one to share my problems, nowhere to go for fear of getting lost, and no one who understood the language I spoke. People stared at me because of the way I looked, the way I spoke, and the way I dressed. School wasn’t easy either. The teachers and students all spoke so fast and in a different English than I was used to hearing. I didn’t understand anything. My intention, however, was to take advance of the free and amazing education offered in America. I challenged myself to make my dreams come true, to prepare myself physically and mentally. At first, I took ESL classes to improve my reading, writing and speaking. I stayed after school for help from teachers. I attended different after-school programs such as BRING IT NURSING , ELOs, summer camp, and so on to improve my English. I started making friends.
Now I consider myself so lucky to be here in America. I understand English better and have taken all required classes to prepare me for my college major. I hope with all my heart to do what I wanted to since I was child, be a medical professional. My parents are proud to see what I have achieved so far and what I can do for our future.I imagine the four years of college ahead majoring in nursing. It is hard to recall the impossibilities of my young life in Nepal, but so much better to imagine my life now and in four years. I am so blessed.