Will you come back to the village?

A friend and co-worker of mine is Khaling; I read this and thought of him, and his work on a translation for the Khaling/rai people.

You…

Saying you’ll come by this evening

You’ll come by tomorrow

You’ll definitely come by this winter

Or by any means you’ll arrive by the end of the year

You keep me waiting and waiting

I’m left to stare at the path

Where have you gotten entangled?

Here…if there were a sun it’s on the verge of setting

If there were a fire it’s close to dying out

If there were a river it’s drying up,

If there were a flower it’s begun to wilt

Here….there is great difficulty

In keeping our culture alive

There are no Shilee dancers for the Tosi puja

There are no Risiwa singers

There is no one to recite veda and mundhum texts

And so…will you come back to the village

Before the Khaling language of Khaling is lost

Before the mundhum vedas of Khaling are forgotten

Before our culture becomes extinct

Before our identity is erased?

-Shiva Kumar Khaling

(Originally written in Khaling/rai)

Football!

Last week a group of friends and I went to watch the World Cup qualifying football match between Jordan and Nepal. The last time Jordan and Nepal played each other (in Jordan), Nepal lost 9-0, therefore I certainly wasn't expecting much. I was excited to go to the stadium, for not only do I pedal by the stadium on my bike often, I also love “soccer” and knew that Nepalis are intense soccer fans.

Everyone else arrived early, but one friend and I had work stuff to do, so we arrived a little bit late. We arrived at the stadium, and found a chaotic tangle of Nepali men, boys, and a few foreigners.  There seemed to be two LOOOOONG lines forming to get into the stadium, where intimidating military men with shields protected the entrance gates.  These guys certainly were not rent-a-cops! Traffic near the stadium was an absolute disaster since the crowded lines swung out into the roundabout and roads on either side of the stadium. However it was the first time I have seen Nepalis form a ‘line’…it kind of surprised me! One of our friends was able to pass two tickets to us through the fence and then we mashed ourselves into one of the lines, hoping we would get to see the start of the game.

We certainly weren't the only people who were late. The line was HUGE!! My friend and I were not only the only females in line, but the only foreigner females in line – pressed on either side by young Nepali men who were eager to know whether we were cheering for Jordan or Nepal.  The smell of body odor and cologne was a bit overpowering, but we did overhear some of the boys behind us “singing” about how nice we smelled.  I guess anyone can appreciate when someone else chooses to shower. When we got near the entrance gate, I could see that the guards were opening the gates for 10 seconds, then closing them and waiting about 30 seconds to open the gate again. As we got closer the line turned into more of a mob and (I didn’t think this was possible) more tightly pressed together.  I didn’t fancy smelling like body odor and cologne, so I stepped to the side of the mob to get a big more breathing room.  BAD IDEA: once the gates opened for our group, I was literally picked up off my feet by the mob and squished through the gates-kind of like getting squished like frosting through a cake decorating tube.  My arm was dragged against the concrete gate, and I left a fair amount of my skin behind.  I have added this scar to the collection I have from mosquitoes, leeches, and fleas.  

Once inside, the game was amazing! It had just started, and all the Nepalis were jumping around with flags and shouting their support for Nepal. Alcohol had been banned from the stadium, but you wouldn’t know it from the antics and excitement of the Nepali spectators as they cheered for their team. It ended up pouring rain during half time turning the field into a giant mud puddle. When the players returned to the field, the ball hardly rolled on the field; it just landed in puddles and splashed around. The Jordan team really struggled with this – they were unable to predict how the ball would react to the field conditions.  The Nepalis were much more accustomed to the weather and how to handle a soccer ball on a mud field; therefore we saw quite a few amazing feats of athleticism as the players slid, dove, and sprinted through the water and mud.  It was amazing to watch!

Security guards in full riot gear kept fans away from the edge of the viewing area. I was told this is to prevent the throwing of things onto the field. However, once both teams had scored one goal, the fans all rushed into the 'do not enter' zone in the pouring rain, overwhelming the security.

True fans!

The game ended at a tie, 1-1.  Nepal did not qualify for the World Cup games, but you wouldn’t know it by the enthusiasm of the crowd!!!  The players and their fans were absolutely thrilled that they had tied Jordan, a team that had previously humiliated them on the field.  Some of the Nepali players were wiping tears from their eyes, throwing their jerseys to crowd, and the fans were absolutely thrilled.  Despite the scar I will have from losing some of my skin to the stadium gate, it was an incredible experience!

Garbage Man

Saw the craziest thing the other day -

As many of you know we are in monsoon season.  As I was heading to my language teacher's house with my friends and fellow classmates, Klaas and Dineke, we ran into a huge traffic jam on the main road.  To start, there was a literal waterfall gushing across an intersecting road, creating a bit of lake in the middle of the main road, which severely constricted traffic.  Second, a poor garbage man had been rear-ended by a car.  Garbage men in Nepal have a three-wheel bike+cart system that they use to pick up garbage, and his whole cart and been knocked over against the side of another car, driven by a very irritated, wealthy woman.  The whole driver's side of the car was plastered with rotting garbage, and the garbage man's cart was minus one wheel (you can imagine his horror as his entire livelihood depends on his garbage cart, and repairs are not cheap).  But the sense of community in this country is wonderful: when we stumbled on this scene, there were five Nepali men helping him get his cart disentangled from the car, and clean up the garbage that had spilled out.  Not only that, but one Nepali man used the water from the "lake" to clean off the garbage slime from the woman's car before she drove off.

Of course, there are layers and layers of propriety and expectation in the culture that could reveal all this "goodwill" to not be so generous after all, but for now I am still the ignorant Westerner, and I choose to be encouraged by this display kindness.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY

Well people, it has been awhile.  And I apologize.  Life has been humming along here in Kathmandu, busier than ever, and blogging pretty much slipped my mind.  However, the American Club and Embassy paired together to make a fabulous 4th of July celebration (well as fabulous as one can be when it is not shared with family and friends IN America) and I thought this would be a great opportunity to hop back on the bandwagon of blogging :)

At 11am, when my friends Jessi, Megan, and I arrived at the American Club, we waved our passports at the guards outside, had our bags checked, and then passed through the doors into a world of red, white, and blue.  Awnings splashed with our national colors peppered the massive lawn/baseball field, under which tables stacked with American products sat waiting for their American victims :) There was "pop" - as in, something other than coke, sprite, or fanta (MUG ROOTBEER! Amazing stuff when you don't have easy access to it hah) American candy, chips, cookies, and or course, beer.  Now none of the afore-mentioned items may sound very exciting to those of you who are in the States, but for the American ex-pats -  it was glorious!  They had a giant grill set up and were grilling chicken and hamburgers. There was a dunk tank, a slip n' slide, pony rides, and blow-up games (all for the kids, of course!)  If you were an American, or a club member/guest of a club member, you were welcome to event; therefore, people from many different countries were present to celebrate the fourth of July.  Instead of seeing a sea of white faces and hearing strong, American accents, the lawn was covered with multi-colored shades of brown, copper, yellow, white, tan, and black - along with many different, colorful accents.  The main commonality was that everyone wore something either red, white, or blue :)  It was beautiful.

We spent a sunny afternoon (a miracle for monsoon season) eating, chatting, watching the craziness of the dunk tank and watermelon-eating contest, and tossing frisbees.  I was also introduced to the Pizza Hut here in Kathmandu - and let me tell you, it is the REAL thing! Not that I ate pizza from Pizza Hut on a regular basis while in the States, but it was amazing to sit down at an "American" restaurant on the 4th of July, and eat pizza that tastes exactly like it does at home.  Double cheese-pepperoni pan crust pizza, you were heavenly.  

The Fourth of July festivities were wonderful, without a doubt.  It was an excellent excuse to spend a day doing nothing but being with friends, outside, with the added bonus of enjoying American food products typically unavailable to us in our everyday lives here.  I hope you all also enjoyed the parades, fireworks, and time spent with family and friends.

Blessings!

Four thousand stone steps, a sunrise, and the Himalaya Mountains...

Nepal is stunning.  I think that seeing the Himalyas first-hand should be on everyone’s bucket list. Seriously.

This last week, three friends and I embarked on a short trek in the Annapurna Circuit of the Himalaya Mountains.  Our goal was to see the spectacular views from Poon Hill, which is a mere 10,500 feet high.  The first day we set out past small farming villages and rice fields, following a dirt/stone path that slowly began to wind at a steep ascent up into the Annapurna range.  We had faithful dog, whom we named “Old Faithful” follow us for the first five hours of our trek, stopping and waiting when we rested at a tea house for a hearty meal of dhal bhat (rice, lentil soup, fried vegetables, and saag – SO GOOD) and waiting patiently when we stopped to rest our sore feet.  The last two hours were spent climbing a steep (and I mean, STEEP) staircase of a mere 3500 stone steps to reach our first tea house where we would spend the night.  I have never slept so well, or appreciated a hot shower, in my life!  The following day was much of the same: a steep stone staircase up (and at rare moments, down) the sides of the mountains and we climbed closer to our goal: Poon Hill and the extraordinary view of the Himal Annapurna range.  As we slowly but steadily crawled from one mountain to the other we encountered stunning waterfalls of the clearest, coldest mountain water, emerald forests, friendly faces of fellow trekkers, and small, painted villages of blue tea-houses and welcoming Nepali villagers.  Upon finally reaching Ghorepani (the village at the foot of Poon Hill) we finally rested our weary bodies, enjoyed hot chocolate and a fire, and headed straight to bed.  At 4:00am we crawled from our warm beds and prepared for the final 400 meter ascent of Poon Hill, racing the sun in order to watch it rise over the Annapurna Himalayas.  It was hard, hard work, but the views were INCREDIBLE (see photos below).  Pictures cannot do justice; the immensity of the beauty and strength of those mountains, as the clouds slowly recede like the ocean tide to reveal snow capped mountains tipped in blazing orange and pink as the sun slowly climbs into the sky – it is breath-taking.  

The next two days found us slowly descending (who would have thought going down took so much energy and concentration?  There were many times I thought I would just pitch headfirst down the mountain…especially with all those pesky loose stone steps I found!)  But the sights were just as beautiful: mountain jungles, rhododendron forests, some wild ponies, and more tea-houses with gracious Nepali hosts/hostesses.  At the end of our trek my legs hurt as they have never hurt in my life, but I can understand the thrill of the climb and why there are people who have done both ABC (Annapurna Base Camp), EBC (Everest Base Camp) and Everest itself multiple times.  The mountains are a wild and dangerous place, but that only enhances the beauty and wonder of what you find there.  Thank you Lord for creating something that can give us a glimpse of what it is behold something so beautiful and majestic, yet terrifying.

Ok, back to the everyday life and chaos of Kathmandu….!  Enjoy the pictures :)

During the sunrise....

Just before the sunrise....have no idea who this man is, but he adds some perspective and depth to the picture...

Just to prove that the above photos are not stolen from google, and that I really, actually was there.  (Mom, this one is especially for you!)

A soul that was charmed...

"Beggars Heart"

You changed my mind

You said something I had never heard

Something that is too high

It's left me limping and in wonder

Because all the things I know

Suddenly seem so small

When You build, it feels like You tear me apart

When you heal, it always leaves a scar

And even when You fill, You leave me with a beggar's heart

Hands reaching through barred windows

Falling asleep on the sidewalk

You say You draw near to the low

Now I'm here, I know I'm not low enough

Because all the things I know

Suddenly seem so small

When You build, it feels like You tear me apart

When you heal, it always leaves a scar

And even when You fill, You leave me with a beggar's heart

-Bethany Dillon

A few big changes....

Jaymasi!

I feel a little like a drifter or a hobo...I am in the process of house-sitting for a few different people here in KTM and that means I have been living out of a backpack for the last couple of weeks.  Now I am "permanently" at a friend's apartment for the next month while she is gone for work - her flat is at the very top of a six-story building, which means lots of stairs :)  I'll be there by myself, which means I get lots of practice in learning to live alone in Nepal! I get to deal with water shortages, installing new gas cans, killing giant roaches and spiders all by myself (well, I don't know about that one-I might be calling someone for assistance, especially if the bug is a spider), and working with a Didi (house-help) who speaks NO English.  It will be great language practice I suppose!

...speaking of language: classes are going very well.  Klaas, Dineke, and I are learning lots of vocab and key phrases for functioning on a day-to-day basis in Nepal.  We are enjoying getting to know our language teacher's family more, and even went to a Nepali wedding with them yesterday.  The wedding was beautiful - the couple were a Christian, so they mimicked a western wedding ceremony.  The bride chose to wear white instead of red, the traditional wedding/marriage color for a bride's clothing.  The food was incredible, including a dessert of fried syrup with yogurt (SO GOOD, trust me).  However, a storm hit before the festivities had finished, and since everything in Nepal is done out of doors, we all go soaked :)  But it was still a great time!

Earlier this week I experienced my first "bundh", or strike.  If any of you like to follow world news, you may have heard that Nepal is in the process of re-writing its constitution, and there a few different people groups who would like to have certain legal rights included.  However, their wishes have been largely ignored, and thus there was a strike.  I went out at 6am with a friend for our morning bike ride and there were NO VEHICLES OF ANY KIND on the roads! It was crazy, there were just a few people out walking, where as normally the city streets are already full of people and vehicles, dust, honking, etc.  As we headed back to our neighborhood we noticed military guys stretching barbed wire across the main roads; therefore I decided to take a vacation from language class and my other commitments and spend time at home.  It was really nice - is it weird to hope for another bundh?  Maybe....but a forced vacation day is SO nice and guilt-free :)

When I have a better internet connection I will upload a video from language class, as well as more pictures....pheri beTaula!