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During your life time, you might be away from Nepal and without a doubt, you will be asked many times “Where you from?” and you would reply your country’s name. For this post, “Nepal” You expect the other person would know and you pause. Then…

Their responses can be shocking. Nepal. Okay. Mount Everest, or “The small country between China and India? Okay. So that’s where you are from ha?” But it would be nothing but stupid to expect everyone to know every country on this planet. I don’t know either.

We are all uneducated, literally. We are all learning day by day till the last moment. We are on a journey of our life.

Forget about charts showing country-wise literacy where Nepal has 40% and Georgia has 100% and all the developed countries like USA, UK, AUSTRALIA, JAPAN, CANADA come close to being 99% or so. Literacy charts mean nothing to me.  Who knows, even the folks of the country Burkina Faso know more about Nepal than the rest, the country has the lowest literacy rate.

Over the years, I have got these replies when I told them, “I’m from Nepal” and I visited a few foreign countries so the Background of the people are different but their reply are pretty much the same:

• Where is that ?
• Isn’t that part of India ?
• Oh yes, you come from such a beautiful country ? Have you climbed Everest ? (are you kidding me or do they know my weakness already. I laugh inside. I wish I could have even been at the base of Everest. Who knows, perhaps I am among many Nepalese who don’t travel to destinations within our own country. For many, I know, it’s the cost. Everest ? It will be around $50K for sure and in American Dollar that i.e.)
• I said, NEPAL sir. not NEPOL or Nepolian. Nepal Sir ! or Madam to Madam. And their reply, alright, you are Nepolian than ha. No sir, I am Nepali not Nepaliz. He/She Says, “I know that place” but deep inside I am giggling. They keep on saying, “That’s the place where Nepolians  right. (They have no clue no clue where Nepal is it kind makes me sick on my stomach!)
• No reply–They just keep a silence, for they don’t know and they think are smarter than you. So you push forward, Mt. Everest Sir ? (hoping that might ring a bell, but no! But to some people it does. Oh, you are from Nepal. I love when someone gives me that kind of reply. Wow. Now they know my country. But again, they ask so many questions I can’t answer; it’s like a Nepali who hasn’t visited his own land more than the guy. You just keep on saying, yes, yes, Annapurna Circuit, I trekked there. A complete white lie to keep the conversation going, then later you throw what you know, Pashupati, Sadhus and what not and everything.
• I’m sorry I don’t know where that is. I will look up on the Google Earth Tonight. That’s a great answer to me than saying, where is that ?

Two of the world’s highly populated countries are right there and Nepal is in between. They know China, alright, for they have something in their home that says, “Made in China”, or “Assembled in China”. Still not believe what this crazy writer is writing. Even the latest techs are assembled in China (read the backside of your iphone and it does say so!)  And they know about India, for it has been talked about for a lot on their Cable TVs and travel shows for India’s crowd and its Hindu culture amazes foreigners. (But, little do they know, there isn’t much difference in Hindu culture of Nepal vs Hindu Culture of India) For Nepal ? Unless if there is a death on Everest or Nepalese are killed or some crises goes up on the streets, a few clips are often seen only on CNN or on their main brand news stations abroad. Except for the Internet, NEPAL is pretty much neglected by TV media. Could that be the reason why so many people don’t know about Nepal ?

Let’s boil this question once it for all.

What do you call a person who doesn’t know about Nepal ?

until next time,

namaskar

Spread the word of NEPAL – a beautiful country you ought to visit this year instead of saying what? ha? where ?

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