They are between 22 and 28 years old. Hang around at Bauju’s place, (=married sister) their headquarter run by an lovely Sister who sells them cigarettes one by one and fried potato. The lighter is hanging on the wall with a string, a few tables at the back of the room, some flies, a kitchen not often cleaned. This place is so friendly and it is where all the brothers set together the world to right, count money they do not have, dream of a job allowing them to earn a lot of rupees for their family and their future business. Who knows. They have motorcycles or scooters, go for a swim at the river, smoke a little too much, go fishing or boating on the Fewa Lake, and go back to Bauju, one last cigarette or some words, then to Mom for the Dal ... A settled routine, to wait. Waiting for what exactly?
This is precisely what a German woman who had been living in Nepal for the last 6 years and who was almost bilingual in Nepali (incredible) told me about. She was kind to walk at my own pace at the bottom of Thorung La mountain on the way to Muktinath. She worked for an NGO and recently started a project recruiting local workers.
The Nepalese youth is full of energy and wants to earn income for the family. Mom must make food for everyone. In addition, Sister is pregnant ... So they desperately seek work abroad, even in deplorable conditions to earn more money. Naren told me that for the same amount of energy deployed in Nepal, he earns twice as much abroad. For example, he must have two jobs to earn $ 150 a month while he could earn $ 300 with just one job in Qatar. Around a veg Momos dish, Manis, one of his best friends said he was about to accept an offer to Abu Dhabi. Vigil. 12 hours a day, without a day of rest for 6 months or a year. $ 350 more or less. I repeat again: no single day off allowed. These conditions not even legal disgust me. But Manis does not really have the choice, and the bosses in the Middle East do not care to treat their employees well, the demand is too high. One resigns, he is immediately replaced. This reality is violent and sad as they are all in love with their country, they would like to start a small business at a time to support their family. They want to stay at Home.
When I left them, I told them that if I returned in 3 years after a potential master, I hoped not to see them at Bauju’s. Unemployment in Nepal is desperately usual... Naren is eager to learn, to have time to go back to university, to travel, to explore. He fought with his mother to be able to study, and at the age of 28 he still could not finish his Bachelor. But one day, like everyone else, he committed to participate in the happiness of his family, and everything goes through money in this world ...
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