Teela Thapa - tilə
In the Upcycle Life office, Teela Thapa is the lady that will catch your eye. Unlike the other three current employees, she is not from Vietnam. Her dress and facial structure set her apart as a unique woman in that context.
Teela was born in the mid 1970s in British-controled Bhutan to a Hindu family. This was a time that for her home country was quite unsettled. The British leadership attempted to reform the government to produce a monarchy, much like that of their colony in India. The British took a more hands-off approach to Bhutan's government than they did with India and that produced a hybrid government. Due to that process of government reform, Teela was sent as political refugees to a camp in Nepal.
Teela spent a total of 18 years as a refuge in Nepal. The life of a political refugee in communist Nepal was miserable. Any time you are sent away somewhere for an undetermined amount of time, life is difficult because of the constant transition, but to do it under a communist government produced an excess of suffering. In the communist system, your class was everything to your worth. As foreign refugees, Teela and the community around her meant nearly nothing to the Nepali government.
While in the refugee camp, Teela found a few bright spots to hold onto in her memory. It was during that span of 18 years that she met her husband, married him, and together they had two sons.
In due time, Teela and her growing family were allowed the chance to leave Nepal and move to America. In 2009 that desire for freedom came to fruition. They worked their hardest to adapt to this new way of life but were given little aid or time to fully transition as refugees into American society.
Teela began working at Upcycle Life during its inception as a company. She came in with the first class of women that were trained to sew. The work and training she has received through Upcycle has given her confidence in English, trained her in the skill of sewing, and continues to provide avenues for further growth in her career.
Teela was born in the mid 1970s in British-controled Bhutan to a Hindu family. This was a time that for her home country was quite unsettled. The British leadership attempted to reform the government to produce a monarchy, much like that of their colony in India. The British took a more hands-off approach to Bhutan's government than they did with India and that produced a hybrid government. Due to that process of government reform, Teela was sent as political refugees to a camp in Nepal.
Teela spent a total of 18 years as a refuge in Nepal. The life of a political refugee in communist Nepal was miserable. Any time you are sent away somewhere for an undetermined amount of time, life is difficult because of the constant transition, but to do it under a communist government produced an excess of suffering. In the communist system, your class was everything to your worth. As foreign refugees, Teela and the community around her meant nearly nothing to the Nepali government.
While in the refugee camp, Teela found a few bright spots to hold onto in her memory. It was during that span of 18 years that she met her husband, married him, and together they had two sons.
In due time, Teela and her growing family were allowed the chance to leave Nepal and move to America. In 2009 that desire for freedom came to fruition. They worked their hardest to adapt to this new way of life but were given little aid or time to fully transition as refugees into American society.
Teela began working at Upcycle Life during its inception as a company. She came in with the first class of women that were trained to sew. The work and training she has received through Upcycle has given her confidence in English, trained her in the skill of sewing, and continues to provide avenues for further growth in her career.
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