On the southern slopes of the Annapurnas, hill tribes have been practicing subsistence farming for centuries. The rugged, mountainous terrain ensured that places like this were reliable zones of refuge for those who wanted to live autonomously.

Priya Gurung knows at least ten people who left her village to work overseas. Today, the young are no longer happy living traditional lifestyles, instead they dream of the success the modern world promises.

Traditional family life for the hill tribes has recently been dislocated. Since more than 3.5 million young Nepali men and women have left their villages to work abroad, there are few people remaining.

The grand matriarch of this Gurung village (Priya’s grandmother) and her daughter tell stories of young people who have left the village to seek their fortunes in the modern world. They tell us how the remittance payments these workers send home have become one of the family’s main sources of income.

Pratima Gurung, like her sister and other young teenagers of rural Nepal, imagines a life far better than the one she lives in the village. Although there are many stories of success, there are also many tragic ones, making the elders reconsider their former recommendations.

Almost every home in the village has a son or daughter working overseas. If they are married, then their spouse remains in the village, taking care of the children and maintaining their farm.

Priya and Pratima’s grandmother looks after several children whose single parents are working in the fields or forests.

In the shadow of the Annapurna range, the allure of modern amenities is supplanting centuries of self-sufficient autonomy.

Across from the main entrance to Kathmandu’s international airport, employment brokers assist Nepali men with completing the necessary paperwork they need in order to work overseas. Desperation and hope are the bedfellows that motivate these workers: desperation because there’s little work for them in modern Nepal; and hope that their sacrifice will help their family.

Nanda Prasad Devkota, 88 years old, has been sitting with family and friends for 10 days, in an ancestral ceremony that pays respect to his recently deceased older brother. As each person from his generation dies, a large storehouse of cultural experience and knowledge disappears.

Nanda’s wife knows the value of these ancient customs, but many of the young people from the village think these traditions are a total waste of time & question their relevance in the modern world.

About 90% of the terraced fields are uncultivated and abandoned. Instead of producing bountiful harvests, the fallow land has become a playground for the few youth who remain in the villages.

“The village has changed dramatically,” recounts Laxmi Gurung, “it used to be bustling with activity and so many people. Now there are few people, and fewer who own buffalos or chickens. The younger generations expect comfort and convenience without working for it. That’s why so many of them are leaving.”

A light rain falls as Durga Beekae maneuvers his oxen through the fallow land, preparing it for the seasonal sowing of wheat. Durga is one of the few youth who have remained in his village, choosing to follow the traditions of his ancestors instead of working abroad.

Some migrant workers report that life was easier in the village. But without tangible evidence, this message is overlooked by the few young people who remain. Will Priya, Pratima and their friends follow the allure of modern society or return to their cultural roots? These are the choices they soon need to make.