"It was a difficult decision for me to make. After SLC exams were over all of us boys from the class would meet at the nearby jungle. Many were going to the city to continue with their school. They would share the stories of the city that their brothers and relatives brought back with them. They would talk about how they were going to buy a new phone when they reached the city. They would talk about their plans of working in the city's big offices. To go to the city and study was also my dream. But leaving behind my father who herds animals to raise us was a difficult decision for me to make. And as an eldest son of my father, I also had the responsibility to look after my six siblings. I knew that if I went to the city, my father would have not be able to send them to school. So I abandoned the idea of going to the city. I had to take on the responsibility of being the eldest son and lighten father’s burden of single-handedly raising the family. Today, I work in the fields with him. We grow potatoes and beans. We work from morning to night but the yield is hardly enough for a year. Sometimes I am only eating one time a day. The milk we get from the animals allows us to meet the needs of the little ones. Life is not easy. But, I am happy. I am happy for my father. He has his son with him. A son with whom he can share his happiness and sorrows." (Nima Shyangba Tamang, Gatlang, Rasuwa)
"My mother has raised me with great difficulties. I look at her and I know she has ignored her desires in life. She lives for us, to see us happy. Because of her sacrifices I am able to continue with my college. And that too, in Kathmandu, which as you may know is a very demanding place for the earnings of village simpleton. Even though, I spend most of my time in Kathmandu, twice a year I visit my village and when I am here I wander close to mother. Being with her gives me peace and warmth of home. I cannot find that anywhere else. I put on my village dress and like a switch is turned on, I become a village girl which is my true identity. I have big dreams for mother, there is so many things that I want to do for her. I took her once to Kathmandu but she started missing home after a few days. For her she cannot leave the village like us. This is home for her. Even though, I will return to the city soon, I always leave my heart with my mother. She is my home too." (Pasang Jemo Tamang with her mother Dhawa Deji Tamang, Gatlang, Rasuwa)
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