Instilling Nepali Culture in the Younger Generation

Staying in America was a conscious decision made by Reema and Kushal Gurung in the mid 1990's. Graduating from the University of Central Oklahoma, the two knew there were very few opportunities waiting for recent graduates of Computer Science and Information Systems in their home country of Nepal. Reema and Kushal were unmarried at the time, and decided to see what a future in the states would hold.

"We both came to America on a student visa, to go to school," says Reema. "After school, the visa is still good for one year of practical training and to start a career." This gave the couple some time to test the waters of American life. Both Reema and Kushal applied at the Cerner Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri, and they were both hired by the growing company.

"When we got hired, Cerner sponsored us for a green card," Reema says as she continues discussing her and her husband's history in the US. "We gained permanent residence after two years, and five years later we took the citizenship test and became Americans."

Now legalized American citizens, Reema and Kushal were gearing up to start a family. Their children Elaina and Kayden were both born in Kansas City, the town which they now call home. Reema and Kushal knew that they wanted to instill a deep understanding of Nepali culture in the children; the fact that they both grew up in Nepal made this an easy decision.

Religion is a very important aspect of Nepali culture. The Gurungs practice an intricate, graceful combination of both Hindu and Buddhist teachings - taking characteristics from both religions. "There is a Hindu temple in Kansas, Shawnee, that was built by Indians. But since we are all Hindu, we all use it," says Reema. The family does not go too often, but do visit several times a year.

Images and statues of the Buddha and Hindu gods and goddesses adorn the Gurung household. Each Hindu deity represents something different. "Certain days are to celebrate certain gods. On this day, you pray to this god for this reason," Kushal explains as he is looking at some totem items. The Gurungs keep these items handy as a reminder of their faith.

Reema continues to talk about the family's philosophy on teaching Elaina and Kayden religion, "Our religion is so open - we welcome in anyone and are not restricting. We let the kids go to church with their friends if they want. Every religion is good in the end and they help make you a better person. We want them to have experience with it all." Kushal adds to this, "The older generations do not feel this way, but it is becoming more popular in our community."

There are two separate calendars that the Gurungs utilize. The calendar that America uses, and the vastly differing Nepali calendar. The Nepali calendar is released each year by a head priest - you never know what day a holiday may fall on until that calendar comes out. Currently, it is January in Nepal, and the year 2070 (they celebrated the New Year on April 13th).

Because there are two calendars the Gurungs use, they celebrate most holidays twice. Each family member celebrates their American birthday, and their Nepali birthday. They celebrate Christmas, and the Hindu equivalent. There is a major holiday, paying respect for one of many gods, about once a month Kushal explains. In Nepal, businesses and schools close down for a given amount of time (between a week and a month) for holiday celebrations.

There is a relatively large Nepali community in the Kansas City area, according to the family. Somewhere around 250 people, with the largest concentration in Johnson County, Kansas. The reason for this is, appropriately enough, is the availability of Nepali spices and ingredients for traditional meals. "You cannot find the spices up here, but the grocery stores down south have a lot of them," remarks Reema. Nepali food is very similar to the cuisine of India - so certain spices are required for some of the dishes.

Main meals in Nepal consist of rice, curry, and lentils. Due to the high price of meat in Nepal, very little is consumed. It is not uncommon to only eat meat one or two days a week - that is the same even in schools. "I really like trying the new foods. Not the spicy stuff, but the candy and chips are all different," says Elaina, talking about her experience with Nepali foods. Kayden's experiences are much the same.

"I like meeting the people and learning the language. I'm pretty good at it, but sometimes I have to add english words if I don't know how to say it in Nepali," Elaina says. On most weekends the Gurungs travel out to Johnson County to spend time with other Nepali families. "It helps the kids learn about Nepal. Any chance we can expose the kids to food and customs, we do that," says Reema.

The Kansas City Nepali community hosts presentations from time to time. The presentations consist of traditional Nepali song and dance, food, and spending time with good people. Both Elaina and Kayden have taken part in the presentations. The kids wear customary clothing; Elaina wears a Sari, while Kayden wears the male equivalent. All the Nepali men don small hats, a signifier of their national heritage.

The Gurungs try to visit Nepal as often as possible, about once every three years. Due to the cost of the trip and the extensive travel, this is no easy task. But because the family's relatives have been visiting America more often, the need for travel has slowed.