My Brother, Durga dai

For those reading, you may wonder when I acquired a brother. While I have many brothers now, I have only one big brother. No, we were not separated at birth (to my knowledge, my mom never birthed a son!). In fact, we only met a little over a year ago. I can't recall our meeting place. I only remember thinking that the individual standing before me was someone special. Over the last year, I have come to know just how remarkable Durga is. Like many of my new found friends, Durga is from Nepal. Different from others, he is older than me. "Dai" in Nepali refers to an elder brother. Just as many Nepali's refer to Durga as "dai", so do I. With age comes maturity. Maturity and wisdom. Durga has always been quick to help & ready to listen whenever I've needed a friend or someone to talk to. In addition to his "being there", he is someone from which I love to learn things from. At one time, Durga was a translator in his country. As I desire to learn Nepali, he's been patient in trying to teach me as well as giving me resources that can be of assistance to me. Durga dai to many, appears to be a quiet, timid, reserved individual. He can be all of those things. However, with me, he's extremely funny, talkative and loads of fun. If you were to ask many of the Nepali students to name people that they had utmost respect for in their circle, you would surely hear Durga's name. I have great trust & admiration for Durga dai. When my journey with Nepali persons began I started hearing about Everest Cafe (the only Nepali Restaurant in St. Louis). I'd hoped to go for a long time but never was able to make it. Finally, after a year, I made it there. My first trip there was with my brother. I am so glad that I was able to go with someone so dear to my heart. One day, Durga will leave St. Louis. On that day (& many days after), I'll be sad. When that time comes, I'll know that I've not only made a friend for a lifetime but I, for a short time, enjoyed life with the big brother I'd always longed for. For now, I'll continue to grab hold of every second I can spend with Durga, cherishing every moment.