The celebration commemorated the first anniversary of the arrival of Bhutanese refugees in Richmond. After spending nearly 20 years in a refugee camp in the mountains of Nepal, the first Bhutanese family resettled in Richmond in May 2008. They had limited English, but were excited to finally get a new start.

Back in the early 1980s, Bhutanese of Hindi or Nepali descent were driven away from their homes by the government of Bhutan. A landlocked nation in South Asia, Bhutan is located at the eastern end of the Himalaya Mountains. The regime in Bhutan wanted the country to have uniformity in politics, religion and culture. The Bhutanese ethnic groups that had been uprooted found refuge in Nepal. They stayed there for a number of years until the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) decided that the refugee camps in Nepal were too overpopulated. The UNHCR offered resettlement abroad to those refugees who were interested in starting a new life. The United States offered to resettle some of them and began accepting its first cases in early 2008. Richmond was among the first U.S. sites to receive Bhutanese families. The city is very fortunate to have gotten them.

So far, RIS in Richmond has taken over 30 Bhutanese families. The early arrivals showed themselves to be highly social and supportive in nature. They have welcomed each new incoming family as one of their own. The Bhutanese community has now grown to over 100 members. They are beginning to flourish in their surroundings.

Several months ago, as the first anniversary of their arrival approached, some of the more socially active Bhutanese refugees began to plan an event. It would honor the people who had helped them grow and succeed in their new home. Very quickly the Bhutanese network came together with ideas. Performances were organized. Recipes were shared. Finally, an invitation to a Saturday afternoon luncheon was sent to staff at RIS, to volunteers from ESL classes and to everyone else who had made a positive impact on the Bhutanese's Richmond resettlement.

Each guest who attended was personally thanked by the mistress and masters of ceremony for their efforts on behalf of the Bhutanese. They feasted on a delicious array of Nepali dishes while catching up with clients, volunteers and friends. Guests were highly impressed by the initiative and talents shown by the Richmond Bhutanese community -- and are looking forward to another event next year!

Abby Sine is the Richmond RIS
AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer