SPRINGFIELD –Bhumika Giri, 21, a junior pre-med student at the University of Massachusetts, was born in Nepal where her parents were living in a refugee camp following their escape from violence in Bhutan.
Giri’s family was one of lucky ones to get to America after 20 years in the Nepalese camp.
Last week, Giri was one of a dozen of Bhutanese and Nepalese immigrants – many dressed in colorful garb -- who shared similar stories with an audience of 43 people during an afternoon a celebration of Nepalese, Hindi and Indian culture at the Forest Park Library,
Giri, who was 12 when she came to the United States, remembered arriving in Springfield and being dropped off by her parents at the Forest Park Middle School feeling alone and scared, “It was February and it was cold,” she said.
Quiet and shy, Giri sat alone the cafeteria lunch table. Then she met a girl named Yvette who welcomed her saying, “I think we’re in the same homeroom.”Forest Park Middle School was a far cry from the bamboo and cement classrooms in Nepal, Giri said.
Education was poor and resources were limited, she said, but she was taught English by teaching volunteers, primarily from India and Ireland.
After moving to Springfield, Giri said her growing command of the English language gave her confidence and a sense of belonging in her adopted home.
At Central High School, Giri met other Bhutanese students as well as students from Thailand, Nigeria and Ethiopia.
Giri’s father Bhagi, who also attended the “Meet Your Neighbor” event at the library, is the founder if the Community Upliftment Program, a community based non-profit organization serving the needs of the refugee community of Greater Springfield.
Speaker Dil Tamang gave an overview of the Bhutanese journey and the Community Upliftment Program, which co-sponsored the event. The organization’s mission is “to provide members of the refugee community with a range if services to support their integration and assimilation in the United States, (www.communityupliftment,org)
The April 27 program also featured dancing, a fashion show and a performance of Sarangi music by Shyam Nepali of Worcester, who is a member of a family of musicians who carve their wooden instruments they play. Nepali noted that the music he plays is surprisingly akin to American bluegrass.
The program ended with a sampling of Indian and Nepalese food, provided by the Delhi to Kathmandu restaurant located at 427 White Street, site of the former “Touch of Garlic.”
Library staffer Ann Harper said the Forest Park branch, which is celebrating its 110th year, makes an effort to sponsor programs like the Bhutanese-Nepali event to recognize and celebrate the diversity of the neighborhood.
Ginger Elliott, a Forest Park neighbor, who attended the program. said she learned a lot about the hardships and dangers the refugees experienced.
“I learned that most Nepali refugees were in Bhutan for a long time then sent back to Nepal where ethnic cleansing is happening, including tribal infighting,” Elliott said.
The refugees who attended the program said Nepali’s music reminded them of how much they missed their homeland, Elliott said.
Giri said she hopes to visit her native country some day. “I’d like to go back to know where I started and where I am now.”