Jayadev Bhattrai 64 years, he has proved that it is never too late to indulge in creative pursuits. At an age deemed fit for reciting verses from the holy books, Bhattrai is now busy honing his English skills. He has not undertaken this task for fun, thought__he will soon be living in the US. “That I won’t be able to use Nepali in the US means I must learn English. My age should not be a barrier to creative pursuits like learning foreign language”, he said with enthusiasm. ” I have been regularly attending classes since I must be able to speak, read and write English over the next three months.” Januka sharma 51 years is also another one person of that ilk. she was Unable to read and write even in her mother tongue__Nepali, and jot down something in English just after three-and-a-half months of learning.
“I’ve been told that I need English to talk to an American. Without English skills, my life is going to be difficult over there”, she reveals her compulsion. Not only these two persons, as many as 9,000 other Bhutanese refugees, living in the Beldangi Camp in Jhapa, who are likely to be settled in the US in the near future, are busy learning the language. English classes have been run by UNHCR for the refugees who are interested in the third country resettlement programme.