Closing Blog

After a long, 2 day journey to Minneapolis, I am home.

My last few days in Kathmandu were very long and drawn out.  I also wasn't feeling one hundred percent.  I was so tired, and a bit sickly- small appetite and what not.  Each day, I woke up  and thought about how to kill the day.  I mostly shopped for gifts, would take a nap, walk around, and then find some dinner.  My heart was torn.  I love this place- I absolutely do.  I could spend  atleast another six months here just exploring and soaking it up.  For such a small country, there is so much to see and experience.  I just love it.  But yet, I am so ready, and so excited to go home.  I want to sleep in a real bed, with fitted sheets and lay my head on a real pillow, that isn't just a piece of foam with a pillow case on it.  I want to drink coffee, and see my friends and family, and see the kids at school.  I want to NOT worry about water, and if there is enough of it to shower, and NOT have to buy bottled water (the valve in my water filter tore, so I can't just filter my water anymore) and buy a tasty beer that isn't an Everest or Nepal Ice.  But then, WAIT!  I don't care!  I want to stay!  Ughhh.... Each day, I couldn't decide how I felt about my departure date coming up so soon.  Kathmandu had also become very boring for me.  I had seen a lot, had memorized Thamel like the back of my hand- there was just nothing to do, especially for not feeling well enough to go explore anyway.  Had I rested, and had some plan to go do something else,  I probably would not be thinking so much.  But, it was how it was, and April 21st snuck up on me.  I had my last Dal Bhat for lunch, and went to dinner at Fire and Ice Pizza (as recommended  by Tish and Rick) with some friends from my guest house, then to Sams Bar ( our favorite hang out ) for a last drink.  My flight left in the afternoon, so I had time to sleep, and go to brunch.  I went to Northfields, a little cafe I had sort of become a regular at , and the owner insisted on taking me to the airport.  I agreed, and at 1pm, we caught a cab to the airport.  On the way, we were stuck in a jam for political demonstrations on the street.  Regardless, I made it to the airport.  I had to pay an airport tax (anyone ever heard of that?  I sure hadn't... but I guess in a poor country it makes sense.) of 1, 340 rupees.   The airport is very small.  I flew to Delhi where I had a long 9 hour layover.  Luckily, I met some really friendly people  and spent a  lot of time just talking (you all know how good I am at that :) )

From there to Brussels, and Brussels to New York, and New York, to finally home.  Rhett picked me up at the airport.  I felt like I smelled like a rotten skunk and desperately wanted to take a clean shower.  It was the strangest feeling of being home.  

I spent my first day home visiting friends, and through them did a lot of reflecting on my trip.  I know that I have learned more than I even know at this point, but I already feel the effects of Nepal.  I feel some changes- changes for the better- and am excited to continue to learn from that experience.

I would like to thank everyone for taking time to read this blog.  It was such a fun outlet for me, and fun to be able to communicate with you all.  I loved getting on the computer and reading all the comments you guys would leave.  

I would also like to thank everyone for your support, in whatever way you chose to support me. I am very grateful to have so many amazing friends, family, co-workers, and parents from my school that supported my decision to do this and help me in whatever way.  From the bottom of my heart, Thank you.  Looking forward to seeing you all so soon. :)

one last time,

Nameste.

Athena 

Cluttered and crazy Kathmandu

Well, I made it back from Pokhara, barely well enough to board the crazy bumpy bus I would ride for 6 hours to Kathmandu. I had plenty of anti-nausea pills, anti acids, and anti biotics to keep me strong for the travel. I missed a lot in Kathmandu apparently- I guess there was some rioting, and bombs and what not during the election that I conviently missed out on while out in th middle of no where.
I spent the day yesterday, which was the official Nepali New Year, in Bhaktapur. They are the only village in Nepal that celebrates, and it was very busy. It is now the year 2066 and the Newari's in Bhaktapur celebrate with lots of chickens and goats being slaughtered, and pulling a giant chariot down a cobble stone street to the Durbar Square. This process takes 3 days- the chariot holds special dieties, and it is such a slow process, it is not as exciting to watch as I thought it would be. But either way, I got to see Bhaktapur- a beautiful village known for a few things- the Newaris here are famous for their intriquite wood carvings on buildings, pottery, and tasty curd (yoghurt). The town is away from all traffic, so no honking horns or almost getting hit by cars. Because of the new year, it was packed- mostly with local tourists actually. TONS. I went there with Tina, the leader of the Responsible Travellers, and a friend of hers who works in a local restaurant. We spent the entire day there, which one should do, since there is a hefty fee of 750 rupees to enter the village. (actually, that is only like, $8- but you get caught up in the currency here- suddenly, paying 100 rupee is expensive for a cab ride, 'cause you know it could only be 50, but really, 100 rupee is only $1!). The cab ride home was interesting- a bit scary with all the drunk drivers. At one point, we were stuck in a traffic jam and our driver tried to vere off to drive around the traffic, but was stopped by a bunch of motorcycles. One of the men got off, and through the window, starting beating our drivers face- all for traffic reasons.. and i thought new yorkers were aggressive and had road rage! They immediatly got on their cycles and left, leaving our poor driver with a very wounded right eye ( people drive on the left hand side of the road and the drivers seat is also on the right- just like England. Lots of english influence here.) With one good eye, we were safely taken home. It made me realize how THAT would never happen in America- or atleast, it is not as common. Not to mention, there is NO stop signs, no stop lights, no traffic lanes- people drive where they want to. There ARE traffic police, but they are pretty much useless. It is amazing. You'd think there'd be more accidents on the road, but people just go with the flow here usually- that act of violence was the first I'd seen here. You also don't see people yelling profanity, and giving people the finger- people just know that things just the way they are, so no use yelling. But people do tend to be more blunt here in some ways. For example- if you are in someones way, they might just grab you and move you out of their way- nothing rude- just a cultural difference.
I could go on and on about these little things (time- there is another one- time pretty much doesn't exist here either) But I have a meeting with Tina soon, and should look over the report I have prepared for the Biogas headquarters.
The count down begins now- I have 6 days left.
So, happy 2066 everyone!

The Slums...

It has been a very emotionally exhausting past 5 days for me. I began my family homestay program by taking a land cruiser with 4 people up front, (including the driver) 5 in the cab, 8 in the very back, and 6 people on top holding a cage with a dozen live chickens, and several bags of rice for an hour down a very bumpy road to a small village with my leader, and the head of CWIN,( an organization that fights for childrens civil rights and sponsors poor families, providing them with school supplies.). We arrived during a town meeting- all the children and parents were gathered together to announce the childrens year end exams, and recieve goodies (books, pens, pencils, etc.) We were greeted with flower lays and big red tikas on our foreheads. The principal (or as they say, head master) introduced us to the curious crowd. After the ceremony, the head master took us to different childrens homes where I gathered information about the child- things like how they are doing in school, have they been sick, do they sleep in the kitchen (this is important because about everyone uses wood to fire the stove to cook, producing so much smoke and causing many illnesses in children) These families are incredibly poor. It was a lot of repeat cases that are being sponsored. The most common problems are 1) the father as abadoned the family, and the mother has no education and either works as a labourer for 100 rupees a day, (that is $1) OR, the mother can't work, and just farms to provide food for the family. Scenario 2)The father left for Saudi Arabia or to work with the Maoists and got either ill or hurt and had to come home and is unable to work. This is hard because the father would have to have sold all his land to afford the visa and plane ticket, leaving the family with nothing if he does not succeed. These people live in small clay huts, and sleep on grass mats, and generally do not have any other seperate room to sleep in. It was an eye opener being there- like jumping back in time- which is ironic to say because in the Nepali calendar, it is currently year2066! We slept at the head masters home that night after eating a big plate of Dal Bhat and dindo- a millet paste- with our hands. Yes- I ate with my hands. There isn't another choice anyway. The next day, I visited more children in the slums of Pokhara- this is a bit different from what I just described. It is government land, and these children (same heart wrenching scenarios) live in dirty shacks with many people in the city- there is very minimal farming area so it is very difficult for them. The children are all very bright, and very good students I found out. All have motivation to do well in school, because they know what a gift it is to actually BE IN school, and are thankful for the support they are getting from CWIN and Chance for Children. I did get to do some sight seeing as well- I saw the World Peace Pogada, went boating on the Phewa Tal lake here in Pokhara, saw old Pokhara and old HIndu temples adn Devi's Falls- all are along the way to see the kids. I stayed with one headmaster whose children were very interested in the "american" staying with them. SO much that when I was journaling, everyone stood around me watching, and when I went to bed, the grandmother tucked me in and brused my hair in the morning. People are so very hospitable and happy to have you in their home. I ate Dal Bhat once again, every night, with my hands each time. It is hard, it feels very barbaric and unnatural, and you have to sorta suck and slurp the rice/dal concoction into your mouth and thaat is odd since we were brought up to not eat with you hands, don't slurp, wait to eat till everyone has been served... all those basic manners that are engraved into your mind suddenly don't apply. The view in Pokhara is quite beautiful- you have an amazing view of all the mountains, and it's funny to think that a few weeks ago, I was on the other side of them. What a week. I ended it not very well- last night I got food poisoning and have had to postpone my trip to Kathmandu due to this illness. But all in all, it has been such a surreal week, seeing how these people live- it is not at all the same as teh villages I stayed in on the trek. Poverty has taken on a whole new meaning to me. I mean, some of these people don't even have a toilet or running water! and the water they use to wash their cloths is usually a disgusting river of swill that runs through the gutter of the street- That is what they wash their cloths in. There are water buffalo and cattle all over the place, and because there is a heavy HIndu population, they dont do anything about them- cows are holy, and usually the Brahimins own the water buffalo, and since the Brahmins are the highest caste, well, the water buffalo stay. I am looking forward to going home to crosswalks, and streets NOT full of cows water buffalo and chickens all over the place. But what an experience this has been.

Back in civilazation!

Hello everyone! It has been a long time since I have been near a computer; where to begin...
First off, I got very ill the day before my trek was to start. I nursed myself back to health with doses of Cipro for 5 days, although that didn't stop me from going on my trek. Raju also came to visit me before my trek to see me off. (I had taken his family to the doctor the day before- his wife is very sick, and his beautiful daughter, Simmrind, was diagnosed with Tuberculosis. Healthcare is such a wonderful thing in our country that we offen take for granted.) He will be sending his family back to India to family so they can take care of them, while he stays a bit longer to work.
I was thouroughly informed about bio gas, and on Tues. March 17th, I left. I started out in Besisar, and made my way up teh Annapurna circuit. It is the most beautiful place I've ever seen. You walk through these villages with beautiful people spinning prayer wheels, washing laundry, cooking Dal Bhat, which became my staple food, and it is just stunning. Words can not describe. For those who don't know what dal bhat is, it is rice with a lentil stew you pour over the rice, which usually comes with a heap of curried potatos and spinich.
I made it up to Braka, which is where my guide from the Responsible Travellers is from, and began collecting data about people with Bio gas, while educating those who had never heard of it. I learned a lot- more than i have time to write. Bio gas seems like such a wonderful alternative fuel- produced from cow dung, and any other waste. I spent days in Braka, just outside of Manang, when it began to blizzard. we were supposed to leave the next mornign to head down the trail, but the next day there was snow up to my knee. We trudged on though- for hours we walked through the snow to Pisang, where we stayed teh night. It kept snowing, and I sat by the fire in a little lodge, listening to about different languages in that one room. Nights were always very fun- you sit with the family that own the lodge while watching the children play, eat Dal bhat, and play cards with amazing people you just met that are trekking as well. I played poker one night with a bunch of guys from the bristish army, some were Austrailian. Always interesting people. Then you go to bed, sleeping on a wooden frame with maybe a thin layer of foam, snuggled up in your sleeping bag, wake up, pee over a hole , and do it all over again- often the same people will end up at the next lodge- especailly if you tell them where you are going. Some Koreans followed us all the way up to Manang from the beginning of the trek. They always packed their own food, and if you have ever eaten Korean food, you know that it has a certain odor.... :) They were fun to play cards with. It is also interesting all the different types of people you see on the trail- you see old people, young people, LOTS of germans, couples trekkiing with thier 6 month old baby, all kinds of people on the trail. And it isn't exactly all that easy- you walk between 5-8 hours a day, sometimes all up hill, and it is exhausting. Then there is cup of rice beer waiting for you at your next tea house, and plate of dal bhat, and a fire to sit by. Good times. Eitther way, we made it out fo the snow, which made for horrible trekking, and I began my family homestay. I trekked to small villages in the tropical hills somewhere outisde Pokhara ad Besishar. The people here NEVER see tourists, so I felt either like a celebrity, or an alien. Sometimes, people would stare and yell "white person! white person! " (in nepali of course) or they would smile, and with hands clasped, say "nameste". I got lots of interesting looks. It was so fun staying with the families- you sit on a mud floor, and the most warm people cook and make tea for you, happy to have a foreign guest in their home. I would educate them about bio gas- although many were not interested. But, information is never a bad thing. then, in the morning we would leave and walk down stone seps that feel like your knees are getting pounded by a hammer, and go to the next village. On the way, there is no villages in between, so we would stop and eat our packed lunch of usually some chipati (which is like a tortilla, only not....) and a hard boiled egg. You will hear children singing at the top of their lungs somewheere off in th distance... and there were teh most amazing trees- so big and covered in these spider- plant looking things, with beautiful white blossums. Lots of moss covering everyting- this was truly off the beaten path, and an experience I will always be grateful for. We'd arrive in teh next village, and a family would take us in, and i would sleep on a frame with grass mats for a mattress- chickens everywhere, and wake up at the crack of dawn to every rooster in the village announcing the new day's arrival. You walk out side, and a HUGE ox would be staring at you while munching hay, and goats running around (although they are usually tied up on a short rope) and the mother yelling at her kids, "NANI!! OH, NANI!!" (nani means, like, big sister- older daughter. younger sister is kashi) it was fun. I did that for days.... days of no shower, no computers, no telephones, no cars, all you hear are the animals. I ended my family homestay in a gorgeous place on a lake, in Rupa Tal, however it iwas very isolated, and I was stuck there a few extra days with nothing to do, so I went a bit nuts. I am now currently in Pokhara, and will begin something new- I will be staying with family again, and be talking to them about their child/children who are sponsored by Chance for Children (also run by the Responsible Travellers) and see what they need, how it's going, etc.
I am having such a wonderful time, but I miss home. I am looking forward to coming home in a few weeks. I hope all this makes sense to read- I have been stuck inside my head for a long time now, and it's hard to summarize so much frm weeks into this one blog.
My love to you all- I miss everyone so much. I can't wait to give you all hugs.

-athena