Nepal's Monarchy

Nisha

“I teach English to kindergarteners in Zhuhai.” Nisha, my Nepalese traveling companion to Kunming, tells me. “I have taught English there for six years. I love China and would like to live there permanently. Right now I have to renew my visa every year. Ever since our King and his family were assassinated during a banquet in 2002, Nepal has been a mess. No one can say what really happened or even how many people were killed. Our Maoist government won’t conduct an investigation or let anyone else conduct an investigation. My aunt was working at the palace at the time, but she was so traumatized that she can’t even talk. What’s strange is that everyone at the banquet, and we don’t know how many there were there, was killed — except for one of the two princes and his family. He’s now in Singapore and most think that he, along with the Maoist, was responsible. There are many rich people in Nepal, especially in the government, but the economy does not work, because people don’t want to invest or spend their money. My mother, for example, refuses to put her money in the bank out of fear she’ll lose it because there’s so much corruption. I don’t know what will become of my beloved Nepal. It’s so sad.”