LONDON: The first Nepali woman to join the Royal Navy has spoken of how serving in the armed forces has changed her life.
Usha Thakuri said coming from an Asian Nepali community meant starting her training “was definitely a different and daunting experience”.
“When I was young I wanted to be a hostess – travelling the world, working in hospitality – my dad used to be a Gurkha and then joined the Navy as a laundryman, and my brother is in the Army. So one day my dad explained everything to me, what it’s like, and I said I might just join as a Steward,” Thakuri told to Inews .
“You do have to mentally prepare when joining the Royal Navy, because you can be away for 7-9 months straight and won’t be with your family, but there is that piece of mind that Navy Welfare will look after your family while you’re away,” she added.
Thakuri said that her life now is completely different to when she first joined the Navy: “My partner, a Leading Chef, is at sea at the moment, so I’m juggling an 11-month-old baby, a dog and the house. I’ve had additional training recently in catering services, and my colleagues have been really supportive in getting me back up to speed after coming back from maternity leave.
“In my time I’ve served at functions for Theresa May, Richard Branson and even the Queen – I got butterflies seeing her. Overall, I’ve seen lots of countries and met so many people, I am happy that I joined – if I was a civvie I’d still be working in Tesco!”
Nepali Gurkhas have been serving the British Crown for over 200 years and in 2009 all retired Gurkhas won the right to live in the UK following a political campaign.
(with inputs from Inews)
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