A strong smell of garlic and fried onions hit our nostrils as Kumud and I walked into the apartment. Ruby was cooking something spicy in the kitchen. She wore a canary yellow pajama and a blue de'collete' top which displayed her fine tan lines, thanks to California sun. The cut was so low one could almost see her cleavage reaching her navel. With utmost discomfort, I tried to keep my eyes off the sight that would have gandhiji second thoughts. My first days in America always brought a new episode of culture shock.

She brought coffee for us and started speaking to Kumud ignoring my presence. I sat quietly trying not to look at the grand canyon between her silicon valleys and jerked my head from time to time chasing away prurient thoughts. I had a feeling that she was enjoying my almost-no-visible attention.

'Ruby, meet John',said Kumud, 'he just arrived in California few days ago'.

'He met your mom'. he added.

She glanced at me for a second and as if my guy next door looks offended her, she looked back to Kumud and asked , 'How are things in Nepal?'

I cleared my throat and began to speak what most Nepalese do when they are abroad. Bungled system...maoists...declining capital investment and all other things I barely remember now.

'Know what John? I do not like the attitude of Nepalese people' she addressed me for the first time. Very true!!....I honestly did not like her attitude.

'They are so prude, so conservative, so chauvinistic, do not respect emotional and cultural freedom....'she went on ranting. There were other adjectives too which I would not want to pen down. She also told me that returning to Nepal was the last thing in her mind and she had a hispanic beau who had looks that gave Benicio Del Toro run for money.

She worked in a Nepalese artifact store in bay area owned by my aunt and was completely unaware of it. 'Sheetal is a b@#$%' she cursed my dear aunt, ' I am only there cos she is helping me get my green card', she said as if it were a great secret.

My aunt was the humblest woman on earth who in no time would fly to nepal just to put a bhaitika on my dad's forehead. Appalled by her disrespect, I tried to leave and hurriedly handed over a package containing chura, tika and a pair of salwar her mom had sent. I was almost certain she would throw it back at me had she known what was inside.

I walked outside with heavy feet. 'Adios senorita', I said under my breath, I would never see Ruby again. Driving back to santa clara with kumud, I recalled some malcontented nepalese-hating american wannabes in Nepal who were brought up in plethora of affluence. I seriously would not mind them displaying the attitude alike Ruby. But Ruby was raised with humilty in Nepal. All her folks back hom respected moral values as all other middle class people do. She had found a wrong person to pile up her grudges...a proud Nepali. I was wondering why she would want to be at her international best the moment she boarded an aircraft.

I admit things are not right back home, but it does not change ourselves from being what we are does it?

'given' gandhiji....

almost - 'not' - visible

Good one John.

You are right John. I also hate those American wannabes

Peace

Well, John, I have a close relative who is redder than the red necks of the red lobsters! If lobsters have necks that is!

Enjoyed your anecdotes.

nop it deosn't change:)
nice one !

battim hai yasari nai..ghachyaakghuchhuk haina hai.....

enjoyed.

grrrrrrrrrrrrrr @ that ruby.
*if its a real story then.....* ----->
john broda, do u hav the # of ruby, yeti due char sabda, ma pani nepali ma bhannu*cruse* paryo.....aaati bhyio.....
u know...malai pani testo keta/kt dhekhi jha-nak ka rees aauthcha .... esp. when they act as: nepali bolyo ke...mukh nai jharney jasto ....:@ , aani, nepali bolnu paryo bhaney....mukh bata-re bata-re bolney kya...like hami lai chai angrezi nai naaauney jasto.

nepal ma jan-myio.....+2 or below pass gare ra US aayo .......aaye pachi ta, nepali haudey/khattam. and they are the reason why nepal is khattam now(politically)...cuz sabai new generation r departing @ foriegn aani...pharkey ra ta aauney kurai chyina *i dont mean they hav to come back to nepal, and stay, but they could realize why nepal is NEPAL


anywayz....*no offence @ anyone, but its ture though*

thanks guys,

And no_way....it is a true story. every word of it is true except names of Miss Ruby and mine....thought it would be a breach of privacy if I wrote her real name, but if she reads this...she knows it is her. As far as my aunt and kumud are considered...they care least about it.

Interesting read...i am not too much bothered about the change in get ups of the people after they come to US, but yes when they try to act as if they were born here and were a part of the US ever since; I feel pissed off. We shud respect the culture and the place where we belong to coz thats our recognition and not sth we should feel ashamed of. If u dont have a sense of pride for ur country and ur culture, no one will respect u.

Anyways, good job John dude. keep on coming...

John,

Great writing style, Keep it up!

thanks hunk and ignitor...I too am not against how people dress themselves...just added a little condiment to the story....well...not exactly....seeing so much of skin during the first few days after my arrival certainly had me thinking.

Nice one john..great writing skill...and filled with patriotism...:O)....

Exactly, like few people here mentioned their anger (the only known emotion to nepalese) towards american wanna be nepalese, I too hate those who think their culture is the best and no matter how stupid, irrelevant, or unpractical, some practices might be, we should still continue to follow and respect them.

John_Galt:
Your contribution to sajha is praiseworthy. No doubt.

Agree with u Hurray bro. As a sensible member of the society where u r brought up, u shud be able to distinguish what is right and what is stupid, irrelevant, or unpractical as u pointed out. The bottom line is u r a part of it and u shud accept it in a sense that u shud nurture it; follow those which make sense, which are good for people and leave or improve those which are weird or meaningless. But dont just curse it and blindly follow others; that u r not a part of.

Hunk in grave,
You and I have the same opinion on leaving or making better those cultural practices that are impractical. But that does not mean that one should not show his/her disagreement ( or in your words, 'curse') towards it. And yes we should not blindly follow practices from other culture like you said, nor should we from our own. But accepting those that are meaningful to life, in my opinion should be followed no matter in which culture they belong. After all, we first are human beings, and then only people differentiated by groups or in this duscussion, by culture.

hurray dude
my view is no different from yours. i m just trying to make a point to those handful of wannabes who would follow anything from others just to give an impression that they are different from who they are in reality. Of course, no culture is perfect in itself because they are made and practiced by human, as u said.

well....guys....the morale of this story is "stick to your convictions"

Very well written!!