A Road Less Traveled

In June of 2009 Monika D. and her immediate family, with assistance from The International Organization for Migration (IOM), left Nepal–along with all of those things that you can’t leave behind–for a new beginning in the Wakefield section of the Bronx, NY. While the transition would prove to be a bumpy one, today Monika is a thriving sophomore at Manhattan’s International High School with lofty ambitions for her future.

Those that know Monika well credit her with scripting her own immigrant success story. Still, as she is quick to point out, “helping hands” along life’s road occasionally deserve mention, too. One such pair of hands, according to Monika, belong to The More Than Tomorrow Project, who, in her words is: “Always there to help us with our computer.”

We recently caught up with Monika to ask her about lentils, life and Linux. What follows is a condensed version of our conversation.

MTT: Tell us about yourself.

M.D.: I came to the United States on June 25th (2009) from Nepal after living in refugee camp run by UNHCR (The United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees). My family is from Bhutan, but because of some problems they had to leave there and come to Nepal.

Now I live with my mom, dad, grandmother, and two sisters in a one bedroom apartment in Bronx. In the beginning it was very difficult because of my English and room rent is too much high and we didn’t know anything.

MTT: How did you find out about More Than Tomorrow?

M.D.: They were running a training in Bronx and my neighbor told me. I went to the training and learned a lot about things to help me for school. I was too much shy then, but they made me talk. Then we didn’t have computer in my house and they came and set up a computer for me and my family and also printer and after some time router.

MTT: In what ways, and how often do you use your computer?

M.D. I use everyday. Mostly I use for homework everyday, and also movies and songs, and Facebook. My sisters also use everyday for same things like Word or PowerPoint. And sometimes we use for chatting and also Skype to call family in Nepal and USA.

MTT: So talk a little about how you met your computing needs prior to receiving a computer from More Than Tomorrow.

M.D.: When we were new in this country we used computer at my aunt’s house for first two or three months.

MTT: And that was Windows?

M.D.: Yes, Windows XP. And in Nepal too, someone teach us when we pay to them. But we never use Internet before.

MTT: Was the transition to Linux difficult?

M.D.: Not difficult. It’s almost like same thing. A few programs are different, and some programs I can’t use, like Yahoo Messenger, but most is same. After few months I understand very good.

MTT: So where do you want to be in five years?

M.D. I want to finish high school and college and find part-time job. Maybe I’m gonna go visit Nepal, but I’m not sure.

MTT: One last thing, can we have the not-too-spicy recipe to your mom’s Dahl?

I’m gonna ask her…