Comparative Analysis of Nepali Students Living in the United States

Emily Brandt
Kathleen Thorson
Winona State University

Abstract
This study explored Nepalese culture, using a comparative analysis to understand
the Nepalese culture compared to the culture of the United States. The goal was to gather
information in a raw, narrative form, and use the data to analyze the differences in the
communicative aspects of Nepali students lives, comparing their experiences in Nepal
and the United States. Our study showed significant and interesting differences between
Nepalese culture and United States culture pertaining to the subjects of family, friends,
and elders, food, nonverbal communication, social rights, religion, the Nepalese view of
success and failure, conflict management, patriotism, and our interviewees lives in the
United States.

Why Did We Study This Culture?

More Foreign students are now enrolled in U.S. colleges and Universities than in
any other country (Sandhu, Asrabadi, 1991, p. 3). Winona State University advocates for
diversity by providing several resources to their body of International students. This has
added a new dimension to every students educational experience by providing a space
for interaction and collaboration with persons of various perspectives and ethnic
backgrounds. In specific, the Nepali culture at Winona State University offers a unique
addition to our body of students. We have noticed that in response to some of their native
cultures current issues, they have continued to stay involved with their country of origin
and have been active in sharing their cultural diversity with us here in the United States.
However, the reality of being a foreigner makes living hard when a person has to make
a variety of environmental changes upon arrival. Although, these cultural ambassadors
will enhance international understanding to tackle issues such as hunger, AIDs, and drug
abuse, which no country can solve alone (Altbach, Lulat).
Why Did We Use This Method?
We decided to use personal interviews to conduct our study so we could gather
data in raw, narrative form. The qualitative nature of our data allowed us to get to know
the people we interviewed on a personal level, truly learning what its like for them here
in the United States. Qualitative interviews have many benefits when learning about a
culture. The interview process allows for open ended responses, making it easy to gather

quotations and therefore raw data for our analysis. According to Kvale of the University
of Aarhus, Denmark, qualitative interviewing attempts to understand the world from the
subjects' point of view, to unfold the meaning of people's' experiences, to uncover their
lived world prior to scientific explanations (Kvale, 2006, p. 480). By using this method,
were confident that weve collected accurate and raw data about Nepal and how it
compares to the United States.
Who Did We Study?
According to their office of inclusion and diversity, the ultimate aim of Winona
State University's commitment to cultural diversity is to empower students for successful
living in a global society. Therefore, we chose to study the population of Nepali students
currently attending Winona State University. We chose this body of students because their
point of view is unique, and we were both interested in hearing a perspective not often
shared with us until now.
In addition to an array of scholarly articles, we used the interview method to
exclusively base our information upon the voices of three current Nepali international
students here at Winona State. Sourab Bhatta has been a student here since 2012, his
sister Supriya has been a student here since 2014, and Sheewa Shrestha will be finishing
up her first semester this fall. All three of these individuals were born and raised in Nepal.
Our comparative analysis explored the communicative experiences of these students
comparing their native culture to that of our mid-sized U.S. Midwestern city.
How Did We Conduct This Study?
We conducted this study using students from Nepal who agreed to participate in a
survey weve created. We had three participants in total, one male and two female, who

were all born in Nepal and have moved to the United States within the past five years. We
used a qualitative interview layout with opportunity for many open ended responses. One
person asked the interview questions while the other took in-depth notes and recorded the
responses of the interviewees. The interviews were very conversational and lasted
between thirty minutes and three hours. Two of the interviews were conducted face-toface and one interview was conducted in a written question and answer format. While
conducting the interviews, it was apparent which students have lived in the United States
for the greatest amount of time by their verbal fluidity and understanding of the English
language. For the most part we could understand responses in full, but if there was
confusion we were sure to ask clarifying questions in order to understand the interviewee
to the best of our ability. After all the interviews were completed, we read through the
responses of each question and found the prevailing theme in each section. We were then
able to better interpret their responses and find the ambient theme in each section of the
interview.
What Did We Find Out?
The qualitative interviews we conducted, produced many cultural elements that
we found especially interesting. Our interview questions covered subjects such as family,
friends, and elders, food, nonverbal communication, social rights, religion, the Nepalese
views on success and failure, conflict management, patriotism, and finally our
interviewees lives in America and how they compare to their lives in Nepal. We will be
expanding on each of these topics more in depth using interview responses as well as
scholarly outside sources.

Family, Friends, and Elders

In Nepal, there is a difference of how much you disclose to family and friends,
and also which greetings are used for each group. This section will explore the family
structure in Nepal as well as explain the differences in greetings and self disclosure
between family and between friends. In Nepal, family is extremely important and valued.
Its expected for the children to take care of their parents in their old age, just as the
parents had done for the children when they were young (Bhatta, Supriya, 2015,
Interview). As with many other countries, the man is the head of most Nepali households
(Dutta, 2006, p. 449). Sheewa Shrestha explained that sometimes friends can become as
close as family (Shrestha, 2015, Interview). She explained this by telling us that she calls
her friends Sourab and Supriya (whom we also interviewed) Sourab Dai or brother
Sourab and Supriya Diddi or sister Supriya (Shrestha, 2015, Interview). According
to all three interviewees, the amount of disclosure for family is lower compared to that of
friends, yet they agreed that they disclose more to their family members than American
students do (Supriya Bhatta, Sourab Bhatta, S. Shrestha, 2015, Interview). Sourab Bhatta
stated that he feels people in the United States arent as close with their families than
people in Nepal. He blamed this on Americas culture itself, saying people in this culture
are closed and even intimidated when it comes to approaching families (Sourab Bhatta,
2015, Interview). Sourab expressed that the intimidation of family members is something
that scares him about the United States culture (Sourab Bhatta, 2015, Interview).
When it comes to elders, Nepali culture is very supporting. As previously stated,
children in Nepal are expected to take care of their parents in old age, making nursing
homes and retirement centers far and few. Sourab stated I did not even know what old

age homes were before coming to the United States, and I was 21 years old (Sourab
Bhatta, 2015, Interview). Often, Nepali children end up taking care of more than just their
parents. Sheewa expressed that back in Nepal, she lives with all of her extended family
from aunts and uncles to grandparents (Shrestha, Interview, 2015). Supriya Bhatta
explained that in Nepal, respect comes with age (Supriya Bhatta, 2015, Interview).
Basically the older an individual is, the more respect you show them. According to
Sourab, when speaking to elders in Nepal, you do not address them by just their first
names. Instead you call them uncle and then their first name (Sourab Bhatta, 2015,
Interview).
Food
It is often said that food brings people together. In comparing Nepali culture to
that of the United States, The tradition of sharing a meal with a guest is a very different
experience. The United States is a melting pot, so it is common to find foods of many
different cultures being shared at mealtime. According to The International Student
Acculturative Stress Scale, The greatest physical stress these students conceive is the idea
of being uncomfortable adjusting to new foods in their new culture (Sandhu et al., p. 441,
1994). Sheewa and Supriya noticed that the average American has a lot more cheese in
their diet than they are used to (Shrestha, Supriya Bhatta, Interview, 2015). Supriya has
also recognized the difference in unhealthy intake between her two host cultures. She
remarked on Nepali people eating unhealthy food on special occasions, whereas seeing it
as more common to eat unhealthy on a daily basis in the U.S. (Supriya Bhatta, Interview,
2015). There are also different approaches to the communication aspect of connecting
with others over food within the home. Supriya remembers dinner in Nepal as being a

very formal experience when guests were over. Meat was not a regular part of their diet,
but when there were guests over, it was a treat they got to enjoy together, and a way to
show their guest respect. In fact, she told us about Hindu followers who treat guests like
Gods to be taken care of very specifically and honorably. These guests would usually set
some of the food on their plate apart from the rest as an offering to other Hindu Gods
(Supriya Bhatta, Interview, 2015). In both cultures, a common cultural habit is to serve
the guest first. It is seen as respectful to allow the guest to eat first. In Nepal, they take
this concept to another level by not eating any of their food until the guests have had their
fill including multiple servings. In comparison to an American dinner gathering, a Nepali
supper may seem like two separate meals, one consisting of guests, and the next
consisting of hosts and cooks. Both Supriya and Sheewa compared the dinner host to a
waiter or waitress when describing the atmosphere they knew of a dinner gathering
(Supriya Bhatta, Shrestha, Interview, 2015). Although there are similarities between a
dinner experience across these two cultures, Nepal goes further to ensure the honor of the
guest is fully expressed.
Nonverbal Communication
In Nepal, display of touch is more scarce than in the United States. Touch
between same-sex and opposite-sex pairs are viewed differently in Nepal. According to
Sourab, touch between same-sex individuals is appreciated and valued, not seen in a
sexual way but as a sign of closeness to another person. Touch between opposite-sex
individuals, according to Sourab, is less common, but fine (Sourab Bhatta, 2015,
Interview). The females we interviewed had a different view on opposite-sex touch than
Sourab did. Sheewa expressed that in Nepal, girls and boys do not hug, but instead

simply say hi to each other (Shrestha, 2015, Interview). Touch between opposite-sex pairs
is not as commonly seen as same-sex touch and, according to Supriya, even just talking
to the opposite sex can be an issue (Supriya Bhatta, 2015, Interview). According to
Supriya, the personal space or proxemics of Nepalese people is small. Supriya grew up
sharing one bedroom with her mother and siblings so personal space was nonexistent
(Supriya Bhatta, 2015, Interview). Sheewa also shared a room in Nepal so when she
came to the United States she was terrified of being alone in her room in the dark
(Shrestha, 2015, Interview).
As for eye contact, the interviewees did not see a huge difference between the
norms in the United States compared to the norms in Nepal. Eye contact is commonly
expected and held with people you feel comfortable with (Shrestha, 2015, Interview).
Both Sourab and Supriya stated that they felt no significant difference in eye contact in
the United States compared to Nepal (Sourab Bhatta, Supriya Bhatta, 2015, Interview).
Social Rights
There is a vast difference between the overall accommodation to members of
minority groups within the United States and Nepal, specifically addressing gay rights,
and disability rights.
The United States is continuing to grow in acceptance toward the expression of
same-sex relationships, especially with the recent marriage law being passed for the
country as a whole. In Nepal, that is not the case. The word Gay itself is looked down
upon (Supriya Bhatta, 2015, Interview). Sheewa remembers seeing crossdressers expose
that side of themselves at night in very specific parts of their city (Shrestha, 2015,
Interview). In comparing the difference with evolving social rights in the field of gender

and sexuality, Nepal is also just beginning to toss around the idea of birth control. This
recent radio broadcast promoted change by saying, We should remember that a wellplanned family is the basis of the clean and safe environment (Dutta et al., p. 449, 2006).
Nepal allows same-sex marriage by law as well (Supriya Bhatta, 2015, Interview). The
difference is the evolution of public opinion within these two nations. This is what creates
an atmosphere of acceptance, or lack thereof.
Looking at the treatment these two countries accommodate to, for those with
physical disabilities, there is a difference. Supriya specifically noticed the difference
between levels of concern these two countries express. In Nepal, she recalls bus fare
discounts, handicap bus seats, and a $50.00 monthly gift to the disabled. In comparison to
what she has seen in the United States, she believes Nepal could pay more attention to
this issue. She was particularly interested in the ramps and building entrances that are
available to disabled individuals in the United States (Supriya Bhatta, 2015, Interview).
According to a communication project in Nepal, Inaccessibility to many parts of Nepal
has hindered proper health care to be provided or accessed by all Nepalese, (Dutta et al.,
2006, p. 444). Upon living in the United States, Supriya has specifically noticed a need
for greater disability health care advancements back in Nepal.
Religion
In comparing the religious differences between Nepal and the United States,
Supriya, Sourab, and Sheewa offer interesting perspectives. Sheewa grew up Hindu and
still identifies as such today (Shrestha, Interview, 2015). On the other hand, Sourab and
Supriya grew up in a Christian home in Nepal, which is rare because according to
Supriya, Nepal is eighty-six percent Hindu. Until just over fifteen years ago, Nepal was

the only nation who declared itself Hindu. (Supriya Bhatta, Sourab Bhatta, Interview,
2015). A notable difference in comparing the culture of Nepal to that of the United States
is the effects the primary religions have upon those within the culture. In the United
States, Sheewa receives no holidays off for Hindu celebrations. There is also no Hindu
temple of worship in Winona. She is realizing the impact of this being that her greatest
religious involvement is the phone blessings her family sends her on days of Hindu
importance (Shrestha, Interview, 2015). On the other hand, Supriya expressed the same
feelings when she lived in Nepal. Stating that she took exams on Christmas day in school
because her religion was a minority within her country (Supriya Bhatta, Interview, 2015).
In addressing the differences in religious association between the United States and
Nepal, another great difference is the central locus of control. According to Dutta and
Basynat, Nepal primarily relies upon an external locus of control. This means that they
attribute success to external factors such as fate, or religion (Dutta et al., p. 451, 2006). In
the United States, religion and success are not connected as often in the eye of the public
as they were in the past. Sheewa noted that in Nepal, there are certain bodies of people
who openly express their feelings of distaste towards Christians (Shrestha, Interview,
2015). Whereas her struggle for Hindu community is not based upon discrimination
rather, lack of Hindu community at all. The time since freedom of speech was
established, and the size of the United States vary with that of Nepal. These are two of the
main reasons causing the differences in societal acceptance within religious spheres
noticed by the Nepali students interviewed in this study.
Views of Success and Failure

In Nepal, being successful has a different meaning than it does in the United
States. According to Sourab, being able to support your family, finding a job, having a
house, and being able to provide for your immediate family is considered successful
(Sourab Bhatta, 2015, Interview). Supriya had a similar view of success, but also
specifically stated that men should make enough money to support their parents, wife,
their wifes parents, and their children in order to be considered successful (Supriya
Bhatta, 2015, Interview). Sheewa described success in Nepal as when people admire
you for what youve done, and your status in your job, but also agreed with Sourab and
Supriya in the way that being able to take care of family is the main form of success in
Nepal (Shrestha, 2015, Interview). Failure in Nepal would therefore be the inability to
care for one's family and support your parents in their old age. Failure in terms of
schoolwork is also looked down upon, but not considered the end of the world. The
family of a child who failed school would still be supportive and find other means to
support their child (Sourab Bhatta, 2015, Interview). This support may be explained by
the Nepali external locus of control, meaning that Nepal attributes success to external
or environmental factors such as fate (Dutta, 2006, p. 451). Sheewa agreed that it
wouldn't be the end of the world if she had failed out of school, but shared the fact that
her aunt would have beat her if she failed (Shrestha, 2015, Interview). Supriya explained
how she felt the definition of failure is shifting in her culture with todays young people.
In traditional Nepalese culture, failure is not being able to take care of your family, but
she believes that todays Nepalese youth view their own failure as not following their
passions (Supriya Bhatta, 2015, Interview). Supriya personally would rather not care for
her family in the traditional ways like living with them in old age, but would rather

pursue her passions and make enough to support only herself and her mother (Supriya
Bhatta, 2015, Interview). Sandhu and Asrabadi explain this feeling further when stating
that international students especially are caught between the old values of their native
cultures, and the new values of their host culture which they adopt in order to succeed
(Sandhu, Asrabadi, 1994, p. 445).
Conflict Management
Each Nepali student we interviewed stated that conflict is most likely to be
handled in a head-on, maybe even physical manner (Sourab Bhatta, Supriya Bhatta, S.
Shrestha, 2015, Interview). Sourab explained that in Nepal, everyone likes to be in
charge. He stated that in most cases, conflict would be resolved forcefully, with riots and
violence (Sourab Bhutta, 2015, Interview). As for conflict in school, Its not uncommon
for teachers and principals to hit children when they misbehave in class (Supriya Bhatta,
2015, Interview). She also stated that teachers are very likely to call a student out in class
if they did something wrong, compared to the United States where teachers let you figure
out what you did wrong only when its too late (Supriya Bhatta, 2015, Interview). In a
situation of conflict between friends, both Supriya and Sheewa stated that they would
confront the friend head-on rather than beat around the bush (Supriya Bhatta, Shrestha,
2015, Interview). Being direct during conflict is a recurring theme in our research of the
Nepalese culture.
Patriotism
The process of leaving the values of ones native culture for those of another
culture is a difficult process. According to the acculturative stress scale that has gathered
the responses of International students, the greatest form of guilt they are said to

experience is that of living a different lifestyle than what they grew up knowing (Sandu,
2006, p. 441). In moving to the United States, Sourab has broadened his perspective
while maintaining a love for his homeland. He says, I am proud of my country Nepal,
We are an independent country. I am proud of our culture and our values and the
mountains and the natural beauty that our country is blessed with (Sourab Bhatta, 2015,
Interview). In the popular school textbook The Unity of Nepalese Society, They are proud
of their heritage from Mt. Everest to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha (Pigg, 1992, p.
500). Sourab also told us that in most cases problems are resolved forcefully because
everyone likes to be in charge. He says that because of this attitude, the country is
currently going through lots of riots and violence (Sourab Bhatta, 2015, Interview). In
relation to this, Supriya is proud of her country but also shared some of the scars it has
left her. She shared with us vivid images the revolutions left with her, as well as the
warning she was given not to leave the house after 8:00pm curfew for much of her life. If
she left, there was great risk of her being shot. She estimates that eighty percent of her
generation does not care for their country because of these pains that they remember in
their lifetime. They ask themselves, What is there in our country for us to stay? This is
why she believes eighty percent of her generation plans to go abroad for further education
as she did. On the other hand, she recalls that the earthquake earlier this year engaged the
countrys youth more than ever before to directly involve themselves in relief efforts
(Supriya, 2015, Interview). Since there is such a wealth of International students along
with other diverse groups within the youth of the United States, the next generation is
comprised of some of the strongest voices for change within minority groups in our
country. If Patriotism is love for your country, and associated with serving that nation, we

can say that it is more common in todays world to see young adults choosing which
country they display their sense of patriotism towards. In this case, the Nepali students
we spoke with are choosing to display patriotic efforts towards both their native culture,
and their current host culture.
Living in the United States
The United States is internationally regarded as a country known for its generosity
and for being a beacon for human rights (Sandhu et al., 1994, 445). Supriya, Sourab, and
Sheewa all commented on the fact that it was an honor, a big deal, and a grand
opportunity to study in the United States. Each story they told highlighted the efforts they
put into Visa applications, exam scores, and other planning methods in order to take
advantage of the opportunity to study here (Shrestha, Supriya Bhatta, Sourab Bhatta,
2015, Interview).
Upon their arrival, it is important to remember the fact that, International
students are likely to experience more problems than students in general and have access
to fewer resources to help them. Some of these problems are due to language barriers,
breaks from systems of family support, or problems related to culture shock itself
(Sandhu 436, 1994). Sheewa told us of a time in her first month here when she wanted
some food, so she walked downtown looking for a store. She ended up getting very lost
and calling Supriya for directions. Even with these directions, she was unable to interpret
our system of street addresses while her hunger was growing. In the end, Sourab found
her and bought her groceries, returning her home safely and comfortably (Shrestha, 2015,
Interview). This experience Sheewa had, directly expresses levels of fear as well as

insecurity. The International Student Acculturative Stress Scale claims fear as a major
recurring theme of acculturative stress (Sandhu, 1994, 437).
Apart from the difficulties of the acculturation process, living in the United States
has also been an exciting season for the Nepali students interviewed in this study. It is
Sheewas first year in Winona, and she is bringing a new excitement to old experiences
such as snowfall, coffee shops, and eating donuts (Shrestha, 2015, Interview). This year
Supriya is living in a house off campus for the first time. She is being shown deep
appreciation for the culture she brings to the home she shares with her roommates.
(Supriya Bhatta, 2015, Interview). Sourab has been here since 2012; one of the greatest
impacts he has made was advocating for his home country this past April during the
terrible earthquake while living across the globe (Sourab Bhatta, 2015, Interview). The
major concerns regarding a successful acculturation experience are retention, academic
success, and satisfaction with time spent in the U.S. (Sandhu, 446, 1994). Sheewa,
Supriya, and Sourab all display such success in the joy they expressed concerning their
experiences living in the United States so far.
Why Does This Matter?
We decided to study the Nepalese culture for a number of reasons. One reason is
that Nepal has very little written about its culture academically. It was difficult for us to
find scholarly articles on Nepalese culture and as students interested in cultural
awareness, we agreed that researching and writing about an unexplored culture would
have many benefits for us academically. Another reason that we decided to study
Nepalese culture is that, since we live in a world thats becoming more globalized, it's
important for us as members of society to be able to competently communicate with

people from all walks of the Earth. As stated earlier, more students than ever are leaving
Nepal and entering the United States for study, making it a prime culture to examine at
this time. Finally, researching Nepalese culture helped us to grow professionally by
teaching us how to become more accommodating, accepting of others differences, while
helping us escape one particular mindset.
In short, our study examined the viewpoints of Nepali international students
pertaining to their native culture, in comparison to their host culture here in the United
States. In particular, our study examined the cultural elements of family, friends, and
elders, food, nonverbal communication, social rights, religion, views on success and
failure, conflict management, patriotism, and our interviewees lives in the United States,
comparing their lives in Nepal to the cultural differences theyve experienced here in the
United States. Our studies examined the communicative experiences of Nepali students in
an effort to explore a culture that isn't well known to us.

References
Dutta, M., & Basnyat, I. (2006). The Radio Communication Project in Nepal: A CultureCentered Approach to Participation. Health Education & Behavior, 442-454
Kvale, S. (2006). Dominance Through Interviews and Dialogues. Qualitative Inquiry,
480-500.
Pigg, S. (n.d.). Investing Social Categories Through Place: Social Representations and
Development in Nepal. Comp. Stud. Soc. Hist. Comparative Studies in Society
and History, 491-491.
Sandhu, D., & Asrabadi, B. (1994). Development Of An Acculturative Stress Scale For
International Students: Preliminary Findings1. Psychological Reports, 435-448.
Sandhu, D. (1991). An examination of the psychological needs of the international
students: Implications for counselling and psychotherapy. International Journal for the
Advancement of Counselling Int J Adv Counselling, 229-239.
Thapa, D., Sein, M. K., & Sb, . (2012). Building collective capabilities through ICT
in a

mountain region of Nepal: where social capital leads to collective action.

Information Technology For Development, 18(1), 5-22.
doi:10.1080/02681102.201

1.643205
Wagle, U.R. (2015). Limited but Evolving: The Political Economy of Social Protections
in Nepal. Journal Of Contemporary Asia, 45(1), 92-112.
Doi:10.1080/00472336.2014.900570

Appendix A
Research Questions- Nepali Culture
1.

How does food in America compare to food in Nepal?

2.

Tell us about having people over for dinner. How are guests treated?

3.

What things in the process of meal sharing are considered rude?

4.

Could Americans potentially offend Nepalis in their style of eating? How?

5.

What is a typical greeting or goodbye for a Nepali?

6.

How is touch viewed between same sex, and opposite sex?

7.

Are there any gestures that are present in Nepali culture that are not present here,

or are different?
8.

Have you noticed a difference in disclosure (how much you share with

friends/family) between people here?

9.

Any other notable differences youd like to share?

10. What is the religion most practiced in your culture? Please explain religion in Nepal.
11. How do you view your relationship with family?
12. How much do you disclose to family? Friends?
13. What is the Nepali view of success? What is considered being successful?
14. Explain the patriotism (being proud of your country) of Nepal

15. Why did you come to the United States for school?
16. How does your culture view failure? (What would happen if you failed out of school?
How would your family and country react?)
17. When did you move to the United States?
18. How do you speak to elders? Are there special ways to talk to elders?
19. How do you view eye contact?
20. Explain personal space in Nepal (how close you stand or sit next to someone).
21. Are there special rights that Gay people have in Nepal? Are there special rights that
Disabled people have in Nepal?
22. How is conflict managed in Nepal? If you got in a fight or disagreement, how would
it be resolved?