Moving Out | Teen Ink

Moving Out MAG

March 1, 2015
By Ray--yo PLATINUM, Kathmandu, Other
Ray--yo PLATINUM, Kathmandu, Other
43 articles 2 photos 581 comments

Favorite Quote:
God Makes No Mistakes. (Gaga?)
"I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right." -Liesel Meminger via Markus Zusac, "The Book Thief"


Every time I mention the fact that I live in Nepal, my online friends seem to get into a state of mild hysteria, often followed by a bombardment of questions ranging from “Whoa, do you guys actually drink tea?” to an occasional “Have you seen a yeti yet?” I don’t mind these questions. In fact, I love answering them as much as I love asking my own questions. After all, although everybody has heard of the United States, there are details about the American lifestyle that we Nepalis simply have no idea about. Of the many, many surprising things about America that I’ve learned from discussions on the Teen Ink forums, the most shocking is the concept of “moving out.”

“Of course we move out of our parents’ house once we grow up,” my friend told me. “I mean, we can’t stay with them all our lives, right? Everybody moves out here in America once they come of age.”

Another user added, “Well, not everybody. I know a couple of people who still stay with their mothers. They pay rent, though.”

“Pay rent at your own home?” I asked, more confused than ever.

“Well, it’s technically your parents’ home,” she replied, “and we all want to be independent.”

As we discussed this further, this exotic practice began to make more sense to me. I must admit, I still find it very hard to digest that parents can accept rent from their own children, but all in all, my friends were right; this system does make a person emotionally and economically independent. Children raised in such environments can clearly cope with life’s hurdles better, and it is not hard to understand why most of the Western Hemisphere follows this practice.

On the other side of the Earth, however, we do the complete opposite. Where I’m from, unless it’s absolutely necessary, children never leave their parents’ home. In fact, we don’t even call it our “parents’ home.” If children do leave home, not only are they looked down upon, but the whole family is considered broken. Most families on the Indian subcontinent, therefore, are joint; more than one married couple live under one roof and share the same table. While middle-aged people are at work, the oldest generation looks after the children. That way, all our traditional values and morals are passed down along the generational ladder. The children also benefit from being brought up by their aunts and uncles as well, exposing them to a wide range of knowledge that they might not have received from their parents alone.

What my friends and I found interesting was how one system’s con is the other’s pro. While people in the West have a harder time socializing than their Eastern counterparts do, they are independent, a trait that we don’t seem to excel in. If we could somehow integrate these seemingly conflicting practices, perhaps we might have a perfect social system.

Until then, however, we should keep exploring and cherishing these differences – after all, who knows what we’ll end up learning?



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This article has 8 comments.


on Apr. 16 2015 at 7:50 am
Ray--yo PLATINUM, Kathmandu, Other
43 articles 2 photos 581 comments

Favorite Quote:
God Makes No Mistakes. (Gaga?)
"I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right." -Liesel Meminger via Markus Zusac, "The Book Thief"

It is very nice, yes. Thank you very much.

JRaye PLATINUM said...
on Apr. 8 2015 at 11:36 pm
JRaye PLATINUM, Dorr, Michigan
43 articles 10 photos 523 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If you build your house far enough away from Trouble, then Trouble will never find you."

"Have you ever looked fear in the face and said, 'I just don't care.'?"

You know what I love about Teenink? You can learn about diverse people your age from across the world :) I'm from America, and it's crazy to me that other families live together for as long as they do - It must be really nice, having such a strong since of community and family. This was a very interesting read, thank you for writing this! :)

on Apr. 6 2015 at 12:39 pm
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND, Islamabad, Other
75 articles 16 photos 1136 comments

Favorite Quote:
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
- Maya Angelou
When i was little/I used to point a chubby finger toward the dark sky/And ask my father/why some stars moved and others didn’t/He would laugh and explain that some were airplanes/I still wish on them today ~ Laugh-It-Out
The feathers of a crow are black/The ink of my pen is blacker/The pain of my heart is blackest~ Mckay
If love produced a blossom/I’d take it in my palm/What a blessing, the bright color!/How soothing, such a balm!/I’d keep a petal for my own/The rest, drop from my hands/For such a flower would multiply/And populate the lands~ thesilentraven
And I began to rival legends/Long entombed before my birth./But for all my much envied fame/The lust for more would not abate./The plaques and prizes with my name/Will, like all things, disintegrate. ~ TheEpic95 now known as Helena_Noel

You are most welcome. ^.^ AND THANK YOU FOR EXPLAINING.

on Apr. 6 2015 at 12:07 am
Ray--yo PLATINUM, Kathmandu, Other
43 articles 2 photos 581 comments

Favorite Quote:
God Makes No Mistakes. (Gaga?)
"I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right." -Liesel Meminger via Markus Zusac, "The Book Thief"

Thanks! Personally I don't really like where we are heading, but time will tell, I guess. Yetis are supposed to be indigenous to the Himalayas, much like Big-foot to North America. Since much of the Himalayas, including some of the highest peaks, lie in Nepal, they are believed to be living here by cryptozoologists, as well as the Himalayan natives. The fact that they are more popular than Nepal itself is something that amuses me, equally.

on Apr. 6 2015 at 12:01 am
Ray--yo PLATINUM, Kathmandu, Other
43 articles 2 photos 581 comments

Favorite Quote:
God Makes No Mistakes. (Gaga?)
"I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right." -Liesel Meminger via Markus Zusac, "The Book Thief"

Thanks a lot, Amai.

on Apr. 5 2015 at 5:09 am
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND, Islamabad, Other
75 articles 16 photos 1136 comments

Favorite Quote:
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
- Maya Angelou
When i was little/I used to point a chubby finger toward the dark sky/And ask my father/why some stars moved and others didn’t/He would laugh and explain that some were airplanes/I still wish on them today ~ Laugh-It-Out
The feathers of a crow are black/The ink of my pen is blacker/The pain of my heart is blackest~ Mckay
If love produced a blossom/I’d take it in my palm/What a blessing, the bright color!/How soothing, such a balm!/I’d keep a petal for my own/The rest, drop from my hands/For such a flower would multiply/And populate the lands~ thesilentraven
And I began to rival legends/Long entombed before my birth./But for all my much envied fame/The lust for more would not abate./The plaques and prizes with my name/Will, like all things, disintegrate. ~ TheEpic95 now known as Helena_Noel

Being another fellow subcontinental inhabitant I must say that this article amused me endlessly. Amused in a REALLY GOOD way. I mean, I love it. It has said what I have thought to myself a hundred million times and in the most perfect way. We all stay here unless of course to go away to study. Although I'd say it's all gradually changing. For better or for worse is yet to be decided. Also my question to you as a Nepali would be to explain the connection between Nepal and Yetis (as with Amai-kun I am quite ignorant in this regard) Okay so this was fun reading! Be back here soon later

on Mar. 5 2015 at 11:21 am
Allen. PLATINUM, Palo Alto, California
32 articles 9 photos 525 comments

Favorite Quote:
[i]No matter how much people try to put you down or make you think other things about yourself, the only person you can trust about who you really are is you[/i] -Crusher-P

This is rather fantastic. I hadn't thought of the idea of staying with the parents as one that is still practiced, but this demonstrates it can be done very well. I need to go research Nepal (and yetis- I hadn't drawn the connection before.)

on Mar. 4 2015 at 7:36 pm
Ray--yo PLATINUM, Kathmandu, Other
43 articles 2 photos 581 comments

Favorite Quote:
God Makes No Mistakes. (Gaga?)
"I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right." -Liesel Meminger via Markus Zusac, "The Book Thief"

I made a typo, *oriental counterparts do.. sorry