Information on studying in Sweden for Nepali students.

There is a Facebook page called 'We Are Nepali Living in Sweden' which gives factual information about studying in Sweden for Nepali students so that students would not be misled by agents in Nepal, whose sole propose is earning money rather than helping students make informed decisions. Just because you got a university admission in Sweden, or got the residence permit , does not mean that your struggle is over. You will need to consider plenty of aspects while moving to a foreign country for study.

Firstly, international students have to pay tuition fee to study in Sweden, and it ranges from € 8,000 to € 13,000, which is a lot of money. Alongside, housing cost and living cost in Sweden is very high. Below I have provided the list of useful bullet points from the Facebook Page compiled by the admin of the page to help the prospective students to Sweden. Make sure you do enough research to figure out whether or not Sweden is good country for you based on the points. You can also do further research on your own from the internet. This blog Study In Sweden is also pretty good. Written by international students themselves, it addresses pretty much all common concerns of students.

• For those who are financially sound, and can afford the living cost in Sweden and tuition fees for Swedish Universities, Sweden is an excellent destination for studies, with the presence of world-class universities and state-of-the-art education system.
  Such students are highly recommended to come and study in Sweden.

Now for those who need to do part-time jobs to help finance their studies.

US Embassy Nepal, biweekly Visa Chat.

This is a compilation of questions by those who want to visit the USA for various purposes and their queries are addressed by Consular Officer of US embassy, Nepal. I have compiled it here from the Facebook page of US embassy,  Nepal, in the hope that it will help prospective visa applicants. However this is to give the general idea, some rules might change in future so contact the US embassy for the latest, authentic and reliable information.

Q. Isn't the visa fee too expensive for poor Nepali people?
Answer:-Regarding fees, we do not make any money on application fees. Our process--which includes processing your application, the interview, etc.--is all fee-funded. The fee you pay goes towards covering the cost of the process. For this reason, fees cannot be refunded if you are not successful in your application.

Q.Why genuine certificate holders don't get visa and people with fake documents are getting F2 visa?
Answer by Consular Officer:- I  cannot address your specific situation, but when we consider F2 visas, we are concerned with whether the marriage is genuine and not just for immigration purposes, whether you can financially support yourself in the US, and whether you have an intent to depart the US at the end of the course of study for your spouse. If you were refused your visa, it is because you were unable to convince the Consular Officer you have met these criteria


Q.Can we ( Nepali) join US Army or police ?
Answer:- You have to be a U.S. legal permanent resident to join one of the branches of the U.S. military or to become a police officer.

Q.How to go to the USA legally on the work visa?
Answer:- Visit the U.S. Embassy website for more information on visas, the information you need to provide, and how to apply. https://np.usembassy.gov/visas/nonimmigrant-visas/

My experience with Ride Sharing Service 'Pathao' in Kathmandu.

Recently I have started using Pathao for transportation when travelling inside Kathmandu (This service is currently available only in Kathmandu), and in this blog post, I am jotting down some of my impressions with it.

As most of us already know, Pathao is a ride sharing service, which started from and is headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh. And 'Pathao' is a Bengali word which very aptly means ''send it.'' Pathao made an announcement that they were launching bike-sharing operation in Kathmandu on September 12, 2018.

In the case of Kathmandu, Pathao provides on-demand ride sharing services through motorcycles only. Pathao app is freely available on both Android and IOS platforms, and both the Pathao driver and the Pathao passenger are supposed to have this app installed on their smartphones to avail this service. 

Actually,  the features that I found particularly good and handy were it has very convenient ordering system and and GPS- enabled tracking system allows us to track the Pathao motorcycle to our door- all on one Pathao app. In my personal experience of having taken Pathao rides more than 5 times, the drivers have not taken more than 10 minutes (it must have been less in most cases) to reach my doorstep. Also, it has very scientific and fraud-proof pricing system, as the fare for the entire journey can be seen even before placing an order for a Pathao ride. Drivers, that are normally called 'riders' in Pathao's context do not overcharge their customers, unless we willingly want to give them some tips, the fare shown on the app will be final.

More importantly, Pathao services are cheaper than taxis and faster and more convenient than public transportation, as public vehicles in Kathmandu are, more often than not, overcrowded, and cases traffic congestions are very commonplace.

HOW TO REQUEST A PATHAO RIDE

1. Open your Pathao app and select the bike option from the main screen. Turn on the GPS / Location.
2.  Select the BIKE OPTION from the main screen. (Your pickup point will set automatically or you can type it down).
3. On TAP to select your destination or type your destination down.
4. Or, you can also set the destination by moving the map around.
5. Once the destination is selected press DONE (Pathao will show fare for the entire journey at this stage).
6. Finally, select SEND PICKUP REQUEST.
   Then Pathao will connect you to a nearby rider. You can see the information about the bike or scooter of which model the rider you have been connected to is using.  You can swipe up to view the rider information more importantly his ratings.
7. After you send pickup request, the rider will call you, and you can provide them with further information about the location, also you can track where the rider is sitting at your home from the Pathao app.
8. After the rider has come, hop on and enjoy the ride. Remember to get ready before you place an order because riders usually arrive at the pickup point within few minutes, so that you don't waste their time.
   
   
   It is advisable to take with you a mask and sunglasses to save your eyes and lungs because roads in Kathmandu are very dusty and polluted.

Pathao bike rides, though they are faster, convenient and cheaper, can be difficult when it is raining, unlike cabs though. And, cab owners do not like Pathao because it simply threatens their revenue. Most cabs in Kathmandu do not follow the pricing system set by the government and try to swindle their customers as much as they can.

There are other ride sharing services in Kathmandu, and Tootle is a competitor of Pathao. And, I have not personally used Tootle so I cannot review it, and the purpose of this post is also not to compare them. But if you want to watch a comparison video of Tootle and Pathao by M&S Vmag, just CLICK HERE.

Overall, Pathao is easy to use, convenient and by and large risk-free. It is cheaper than taxi services and offer faster transportation services in Kathmandu. Pathao ride from Dhapasi to Juwal Chowk Lalitpur, where the total distance is 7.47 kilometres, had cost me 142 rupees, and that from Dhapasi to Lazimpat, where the total distance is 2.06 kilometres,  had cost me 61 rupees. In another case, when I had travelled from Dhapasi to BG Mall, Ring Road, Gangabu Chowk, where the total distance is 1.82 kilometres, had cost me  57 rupees. All this information and detailed invoice is saved on Pathao app and can be accessed anytime.

How to make an Income Certificate if you are an Indian military brat from one of pension paying offices of India, in Nepal, for student visa purpose?

When going abroad it is common for the visa purpose of many western countries that you need  to show an Income Certificate. If you are a son or daughter of an ex-serviceman of Indian Armed Forces and wondering how you can show the Income Certificate of the same, this blog post will help you.

The process is quite simple. Ex-serviceman, who could be your natural father, can have it issued from one of the Indian Pension Camps in Nepal.  For instance, there is one pension camp or pension paying office in Rambazar, Pokhara. For this, the ex-serviceman should write an application stating that he needs an income certificate for visa purposes, of a certain country, where his son or daughter wants to go for study. Furthermore, he should have all the documents that he shows to draw his pension. You can write a simple application in Nepali language as well. 

You need to show how you are related to the ex-serviceman, in paper, in the relationship certificate verified and stamped by your VDC, Gaunpalika, or Municipality.

Once the application is submitted, they check it, do necessary paperwork and issue you an income certificate, stating monthly and yearly salaries. Sometimes, you might need to wait for few after submitting the application until they make the document ready.

Sample of the Income Certificate issued by Pension Paying Office, Pokhara, is shown below.

                                                 

                                                               Stamp of the Pension Paying Office


                                                                Embassy of India
                                                                Pension Paying Office
                                                                 Pokhara (Nepal)






                                   INCOME CERTIFICATE

1. This is to certify that   Number and Name of the ex-serviceman,  Govt of India pensioner, is drawing his pension @ NRs  pension amount in numbers  (pension amount in words in bracket) per month. His annual income is NRs pension amount in numbers  (pension amount in words in bracket).

2. This certificate has been issued for visa purpose only.



Station: EOI, PPO Pokhara                                                           _________________________
Dated:                                                                                           (Signature of the Sub Treasury Officer
(stamp of PPO)                                                                               EOI, PPO, Pokhara)

My experience of obtaining 'No Objection Letter' (NOC) from MOE, Nepal.

By Santosh Subedi, Shuklagandaki.

Update:-NOC can be now applied online, please refer to the letter below.

                                               

For the User Manual on how to apply NOC Online. Click Here

I went to get my  No Objection Letter on 4th July 2019, so some information might change in future. But, this post should give you a general idea. Also write your experiences, more specifically, the problems you faced and how you resolved them, in the comment box below which will definitely help other students.

If you are planning on going abroad for study, and you need to transfer money to your foreign college or university, or you're taking traveller's cheque from Nepal to a foreign country to deposit money in a foreign bank upon you reach there, you will need a No Objection Letter issued by Ministry of Education, Nepal. It is a time-consuming and sometimes painstaking process to get an NOC issued. When you have all the documents in order, and duly filled-out application form, you need not worry much. But, even if there is a slight mistake in the application form, or you lack one or more of the necessary documents, you can get in trouble and may not have NOC issued on the same day, despite having waited in the queue for hours. Here is my personal experience of and guidelines for getting a No Objection Letter. I hope it helps you. Also, if you have any doubts or questions, please write them in the comment box below, I will try to answer them when I can.

LOCATION

This is the main entrance of Kaiser Mahal or Kaiser Library, also this is the entrance to the office where NOCs are issued. Photo Credit:-Wikimedia commons

Saraswati Puja

Saraswati, Hindu deity of knowledge, wisdom and creativity, is worshipped on Basant Panchami. Basant Panchami-  which translates to English as 5th day of spring- marks the onset of spring season. Swaraswati Puja, also known in Nepal as 'Shree Panchami' is observed across all Hindu communities in the world. We all have our childhood memories of performing Saraswati Puja at schools. Which typically involved,  waking up early, taking a shower in chilly wintry morning and then collecting puja materials such as flowers and abir, wearing clean clothes if not new ones, and going to school together with friends to observe Swaraswati Puja. It is one of the most important festivals for Hindus of all age groups. For school children educational institutions arrange special pujas while adults visit temples to worship goddess Saraswati with great respect and seek her blessing.

Young children are introduced to write their first word and read on this auspicious day and reading, writing or starting anything new on this day is deemed to be a good omen, as goddess Saraswati epitomises creative energy and knowledge.  Saraswati Puja reminds us of the 'yellow' colour because, the colour of Basnant (spring) season is yellow and sometimes yellow colour is referred to as 'Basanti' colour. Moreover, we can see agriculture fields ripening with yellow mustard flowers in this season, which is the favourite colour of goddess Saraswati, who rides a white swan and holds a musical instrument Veena, a book and a garland in her hands. This auspicious day is especially revered by Hindu  academicians, intellectuals, students, teachers, writers and everyone associated with creative fields.