Telco Triad's Intern From Nepal!		Meet ... Bikash Pandey
Namaste! I am Bikash Pandey, an international student from Kathmandu, Nepal. I started my college career at Buena Vista University from spring 2007 as a Business economics major. In this period of two years, I got good support and encouragement from faculty, staff, and friends. This support gave me strength and courage to be a triple major in Accounting, Business Economics, and Finance & Banking. Coming to United States leaving my family, culture, home, food and everything I was used to was not an easy decision for me or my family. Many things differ from the culture I grew up within. Adjusting to new food, language, education system, time difference, and American life was tougher than I expected, but people here made it easier. Nepal is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India. Nepal has an area of 147,181 square kilometers and a population of approximately 30 million. Nepal is a country of highly diverse and rich geography, culture, and religions. The mountainous north contains eight of the world's ten highest mountains, including the highest, Mount Everest. In addition Nepal is the second richest in water resource after Brazil. In Nepal Hinduism and Buddhism are the two main religions. The two have co-existed down the ages and many Hindu temples share the same complex as, Buddhist shrines. Hindu and Buddhist worshippers may regard the same god with different names while performing religious rites. Hinduism is practiced by a greater majority of people in Nepal than in any other nation. Nepali is the official language of the state, spoken and understood by almost all the people of Nepal. English is spoken by many in government and business offices. It is the mode of education in most private schools of Kathmandu and some other cities. Some of the main ethnic groups are: Gurungs and Magars who live mainly in the western region; Rais, Limbus and Sunwars who live in the eastern middle hills; Sherpas, Manangbas and Lopas who live near the mountains of Everest, Annapurna and Mustang respectively;		Newars who live in and around the Kathmandu valley; Tharus, Yadavas, Satar, Rajvanshis and Dhimals who live in the Tarai region; and Brahmins, Chhetris and Thakuris generally spread over all parts of the country. There are different types of Nepali food depending on the region the kind of food belongs to but most Nepali s have Dal (lentil soup), Bhat (steamed rice) and Tarkari (curried vegetables). It is often accompanied by aachar (pickles). Curried meat is popular, but since meat is expensive people save it for special occasions. Tibetan influences increase as you go north and perenial favorites like momo s (steamed or fried dumplings stuffed with meat), are widely available. As we move towars the south Indian influences are seen in the food. Most Nepalese do not use cutlery to eat but use their right hand.