Finding roots

This 17 year old, born in a refugee camp in Nepal, is now living with his family in Tucson. He tells their story, their struggles and their dreams. - - Donna Poisl

By Laxmi Narayan Dahal, VOICES, Tucson, Arizona

On March 1, 2008, a devastating fire struck the refugee camp where my family was living in Nepal.

The fire erupted in another sector of the camp, and my friends and I were scared; we ran fast toward our own homes. The flames spread like lava and destroyed huts one after another.

When I reached home, I found my mother sitting in the ashes of our home. We gathered clothes and ran frantically toward the pari (forest). While I ran, I heard many children crying from their hearts and begging for their clothes and books. Their sorrowful noise echoed throughout the camp. Nearly 1,300 houses turned into ashes.

That night, my family — my mother, father, brother, sister and I — went to live in the forest with much of the rest of my camp, about 5,000 other Bhutanese.
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