Post by @sara.gau

I was 11 when I came to Australia, so when I think about Dashain, all I really have are the memories from my childhood in Nepal. I remember the rice fields. I remember those little yellow flowers around Tihar. I remember people coming home to celebrate festivals. I remember the smell. I remember how getting one new outfit for Dashain felt like the biggest thing in the world because we didn’t have much. I remember going from one relative’s house to another, putting tika on our foreheads, receiving blessings and a little bit of money. And that money felt like a fortune. We’d spend it on little things we wanted, run around with our friends laugh play just being kids. Those are the Dashain memories I carry with me. And if I’m being completely honest, Dashain makes me sad sometimes. Because I know I will never experience that Dashain again. Even if I went back to Nepal, I wouldn’t be going back to the place I grew up. The place is almost unrecognisable now. The people I grew up with have moved to different countries. And that little girl who celebrated Dashain with her friends doesn’t exist anymore. I think that’s what hurts the most. I’m not just missing a festival. I’m missing a time in my life that I can never get back 🥺😭.