Isolate Together

(Part 3/3) “Things were good for us in Nepal. Both of us had jobs and we were happy living together. Her parents had come around and we have visited them during Dashain and they have blessed us. But things changed for us after the earthquake. The hydropower project I was working for in Nuwakot shut down and I was left without a job. I searched everywhere and landed one in Butwal. The expenses that I had to bear living away from home was not practical. I was not saving anything. Now that we were married, we both were worried about our future. My brother in law suggested that I come to Dubai. He helped me with the visa. And my brother in law has been of great support to us since we have arrived. They became humanity we needed in a foreign country. Once I arrived here in 2016, I started working in sales. The job was not easy and the weather was not as pleasant as the weather we have in Nepal. I was missing her. And she was missing me. After I completed the probation of 6 months, I called her here. And we were happy to be together again. After looking for jobs for over 7 months she found one working in a supermarket. You see we came here to earn money and save enough so that we have a promising future. For these reasons, we have to make compromises. We have to do things that we don’t want to. We have to work. Missing my brother’s wedding was hard. I know some of us Nepalis have missed births, celebrations, festivals, and funerals because there are very fewer opportunities that allow us to stay back. And leaving the country has not resolved all my problems. We are humans and we come with problems. Today my work is in Dubai and she works here in Ras Al Khaimah. And I only get to visit her once or twice a month. Now I have joined her so that we can isolate together. The virus had added another problem. What is going to happen to our jobs? As the world seems to fall apart, we are trying to stay positive. We are hoping that we will be able to battle this together as we have in the past."