Loving life in Tassie

It’s home from home for Registered Nurse Asmita Khanal.

Asmita, who moved from Nepal to Australia in 2019, has been at Uniting AgeWell Sorell Community Ningana for nearly two years, and is delighted that about half the staff speak Nepali. In fact with half the staff from international backgrounds – mostly Nepalese and Indian - the Residential Services Manager Melitta Baker is learning to speak Nepali.

Asmita studied to be a registered nurse in India and worked in hospitals back home in Nepal before moving to Australia to study a Masters Degree in Public Health at Torrens University in Sydney. While studying she worked as a carer at an aged care facility and also completed the bridging of her Nursing Degree to align with Australian standards.

The devout Hindu says that Uniting AgeWell has supported her every step of her journey. “I applied for and got the post at Ningana, and Uniting AgeWell even organised accommodation for my husband and I when we relocated to Hobart!” she says. “They’re amazingly supportive!”

The value of her work has also quickly been recognised, and Asmita has even temporarily stood in as Care Manager. “I love working with older people,” the 31-year-old says. “You can provide holistic care, and you really get to know the residents well.”

She’s also made friends easily – not only with the staff but with those in the community. Nepali is the second most widely spoken language in Tasmania, and Asmita is constantly connecting with people from her homeland. She also thrives in the cooler climate and is enjoying exploring the wild, rugged scenery that makes the Hobart area arguably one of the most beautiful spots on earth. Her parents recently visited Asmita and her husband, and also fell in love with the Tasmanian scenery.

She and her husband are permanent residents now – and they’re looking forward to the day they become Australian citizens. “We want to have children one day,” says Asmita, “and we want them to be Australians.”