We brought our daughter to Nepal when she was 17 months old, and she has turned 3! So… she has lived the most of her life in Nepal.
There are some draw backs to having a mostly Nepali daughter (as opposed to our ‘all’ Nepali daughter who was born here). She has no memories of America, when we ask her about people from home she tells us they are on the computer. We’ve had to teach her customs that she has never seen or experienced. Such as;
– In American people like privacy. In Nepal, it is totally appropriate to walk into someone else’s house or look through someone’s windows, and unfortunately our daughter seems to have a special talent for disregarding privacy.
-In America spitting is not considered polite behavior. Nepali people are champion spitters and this little girl can hock a loogie with the best of them.
But the fun stuff about raising a third-culture kid, and the things that make her experience unlike most 3 year olds around far outweigh the draw backs.
When we left America she had only begun walking a few weeks before and was more used to riding in a car seat than standing. Nowadays, she walks the 1/2 mile back and forth to school and treks the narrow trails and rocky roads.
She only had 4 teeth when we came moved. Needless to say she has a full set, which she puts to use on massive plates of dal bhatt (rice and lentil).
She learned to use the toilet in Nepal, both Asian and Western style, and has perfected the Nepal style squat.
She speaks both English and Nepali, but discriminately. She will answer us in English when we speak to her in Nepali yet she babbles away to our Didis in Nepali.
She plays with kids from Nepal, and has friends from India, Norway and Northern Ireland.
She can break it down bhangara style, and loves wearing the jangly Nepali bangles.
She has trekked in the Himalayas, swam in glacier fed rivers, visited temples and ridden elephants.
She has a unique culture and experience that is not pure Nepali, but unlike her parents or even her big brother. She is a third-culture kid.
Trips Take People 