22.6.07
2.6.07
Dhanybaad! (Thank you!)
Sadly, my time in Nepal has come to an end. However, the resources that I was able to distribute through loving friends and family from home was phenomenal! Thanks to Debbie, Scott, Kai and my Grandma for their monetary donations, totalling $275 or approximately 18,000 rupees. Here is what that money purchased:
*Numerous new yak-leather school shoes
*New school socks for all of the children
*Lots of botttles of Pepsi, Crush, 7up and bottles of water for our long walks (pushing wheelchairs on unpaved roads and down stairs makes you thirsty)
*School supplies for the children's tutoring and fun: white board and supplies, phonics books, reading books and learning books, like children's encyclopedias, alphabet books, etc.
*New, fancy soccer ball
*Shopping spree for 6 tween age kids at the local market (which was a huge highlight for me, getting to pick out their own hand-picked items, while Surendra bargained his heart out). The kids bought clothes, pocket radios, belts, sandals, hats, scarves, etc.
*New sandals for 7 children
*New backpacks for 6 children
*Donation to one of the DRC employees who was a sherpa leading treks in the mountains and lost part of his leg to frostbite. When he became disabled his wife left him with two small children. I gave him 2000 ruppees for his new prosthetic he is saving for, which is about $30 and is more than half of his monthly income.
*Numerous new yak-leather school shoes
*New school socks for all of the children
*Lots of botttles of Pepsi, Crush, 7up and bottles of water for our long walks (pushing wheelchairs on unpaved roads and down stairs makes you thirsty)
*School supplies for the children's tutoring and fun: white board and supplies, phonics books, reading books and learning books, like children's encyclopedias, alphabet books, etc.
*New, fancy soccer ball
*Shopping spree for 6 tween age kids at the local market (which was a huge highlight for me, getting to pick out their own hand-picked items, while Surendra bargained his heart out). The kids bought clothes, pocket radios, belts, sandals, hats, scarves, etc.
*New sandals for 7 children
*New backpacks for 6 children
*Donation to one of the DRC employees who was a sherpa leading treks in the mountains and lost part of his leg to frostbite. When he became disabled his wife left him with two small children. I gave him 2000 ruppees for his new prosthetic he is saving for, which is about $30 and is more than half of his monthly income.
*Paying for transportation to purchase some of the needed goods.
Additionally, some friends and family from home put together a big care package. Thanks so much Mom, Sarah, Briana and Christine! The kids received:
*Many sets of cool, colorful and educational flashcards.
*Loads of stickers
*Beautiful yarn and knitting needles that the girls and a few boys gobbled up to make cute creations
*Tons if new children's toothbrushes. There were so many, I was able to give some to another orphanage nearby, too.
All in all, this short period of volunteer work was just the beginning for me. I realized that I had the the potential to give so much more, if I had more training. Working with children with disabilities is really amazing and there is much I could learn. Hmmm.... a possible career focus? We'll see!
Saying goodbye took all afternoon and I hadn't expected such a supportive and loving farewell. The children made me cards with poems and pictures. Some of the girls dug into their personal items and gave me earrings, hair barettes, and jewelry. It really made my heart swell up, the thought of these poor children giving me their personal items and sharing so much of themselves with me. I received many hugs and was overwhelmed with their love and appreciation.
I also had prepared over 20 scarves (with the help of my friends in Taiwan-thanks Angela, Reagan and Coby!) On my last day, I gave some children that recently arrived to the DRC and didn't have scarves for the warm weather. Even though it was quite hot, they were really sweet and wore the scarves long enough to be in pictures.
The chairman of the DRC arrived and the goodbye process began. A mixture of tikka-grains of raw rice mixed with a red powder and some water was made into a paste, then many people of the DRC staff, put the tikka on my forhead, then blessed me with a white, Tibetan prayer scarf. I said goodbye and the tears just flowed and flowed down my face until I reached home.
My venture in getting to the airport on the day of my departure was also interesting. It was a Friday and the Maoist party called a "banda" or strike, which basically means the whole city shuts down. The Maoists take to the streets and prevent traffic from going anywhere. It's possible to cross a banda line, but could be dangerous, as violence can erupt. A volunteer, who had visited Nepal many times, suggested that I be prepared to walk part of the way to the airport and also carry my passport in my hand. Generally, foreigners are not bothered by bandas, but since some Nepali people think I look like them, she thought I shouldn't take any chances. My flight was scheduled to leave at 1pm, but I decided to leave VERY early in the morning by taxi, so I wouldn't have to try crossing a banda line. I arose at 4am, had a separate tikka ceremony with my wonderful Nepali family (yes, they all got up to see me off) and by 5am was on my way to the airport. Alls well that ends well! I spent the morning writing in my new journal, reading a fantastic book Shantaram, which I highly, highly recommend and chatting with other people that were also at the airport super early to avoid any banda trouble.
All in all, this experience has changed my life and my volunteerism is just the beginning of some plans I have to continue working with children and possibly children with disabilities. Again, a big thanks to everyone who supported my cause with monetary and material donations, as well as the emotional support and love. I feel so blessed to have experienced this!
Namaste!
My venture in getting to the airport on the day of my departure was also interesting. It was a Friday and the Maoist party called a "banda" or strike, which basically means the whole city shuts down. The Maoists take to the streets and prevent traffic from going anywhere. It's possible to cross a banda line, but could be dangerous, as violence can erupt. A volunteer, who had visited Nepal many times, suggested that I be prepared to walk part of the way to the airport and also carry my passport in my hand. Generally, foreigners are not bothered by bandas, but since some Nepali people think I look like them, she thought I shouldn't take any chances. My flight was scheduled to leave at 1pm, but I decided to leave VERY early in the morning by taxi, so I wouldn't have to try crossing a banda line. I arose at 4am, had a separate tikka ceremony with my wonderful Nepali family (yes, they all got up to see me off) and by 5am was on my way to the airport. Alls well that ends well! I spent the morning writing in my new journal, reading a fantastic book Shantaram, which I highly, highly recommend and chatting with other people that were also at the airport super early to avoid any banda trouble.
All in all, this experience has changed my life and my volunteerism is just the beginning of some plans I have to continue working with children and possibly children with disabilities. Again, a big thanks to everyone who supported my cause with monetary and material donations, as well as the emotional support and love. I feel so blessed to have experienced this!
Namaste!
25.5.07
Burn, baby burn...
So, yesterday I ventured into Chabahil, which is an neighborhood in Kathmandu, to pick up one last pair of shoes for Surendra, one of the oldest kids at the DRC. Not only is his English excellent, he is wildly bright, full of life and I think the best bargainer I have ever met. While he is a thin, 14-year old, his demeanor and level of seriousness is that of an adult man when it comes to shopping. The microbus would only take us part of the way because there was a "program" taking place. It was a protest in a very busy intersection. As we walked closer and closer, we could see huge clouds of black smoke lofting through the air. (As a side note, it's very common for people to burn garbage here, so I'm used the smell of strange things burning now.) There was a protest for the Prime Minister to resign (as another side note, he's an 80 year old man that's been in office for ages and sounds like he is quite clever, but perhaps not that effective anymore). There are hundreds of people and some police all in the mix and the burning is 3 large rubber tires in the middle of the street. I'm not sure that burning toxic materials is the best way to attract people to your protest, but I'm not protest advocate, so.... However, the mobilization was interesting to witness and in a country where 8 different political parties can't agree and even organizing the national election process is a huge process, I support their efforts.
A new volunteer arrived this week. Maiko is from Japan and people always find us an interesting pair. We explain that she is from Japan and I'm a Japanese American. She's very sweet, from Kyoto, but attending college in Michigan. She's jumped right into the flow at the DRC with lots of enthusiasm and it's been good fun.
Since my ankle has been healing, I haven't taken the kids on any walks, as I'm just not confident pushing any wheelchairs up the steep, rocky hills. So, 2 days ago, she took the kids out for a walk and about 18 kids went in all. Not knowing the area, the kids ignored my suggestion of taking her on a less strenuous walk, they ventured up the super steep hill to the Gumba Buddhist monastery. It was quite a climb for her first walk, but she's a trooper. On the way down the hill, one of the kids got carried away and accidentally, one of the girls her wheelchair fell out. She broke her arm and got a concussion. Poor Gita.... She's better now, but it gave us all quite a scare. We have learned some valuable lessons about what the children are capable of. Honestly, I have seen these kids do things that make my heart jump, but they are completely capable and have no problems. My level of trust and comfort for what they can do in wheelchairs has really grown. They also take care of each other in such a loving and helpful way, it seems that they are looking out for eachother. However, accidents do happen...
As a treat, I took 12 of the tween age kids to the local market to shop. They each spent 200 rupees ($3 USD) and could buy whatever they chose. Looking back to my tween years, I'm sure that when I got money to spend freely, I bought candy, went to movies, toys or other odds and ends. These kids chose shirts, belts, watches, backpacks, a few little transistor radios, and scarves. It was fun to go with them. Of course, Surendra went along and was an awesome bargainer, making sure we got the most for our money. It was a very productive and fun shopping excursion.
I'm in my last week in Kathmandu and the thought of saying goodbye to these kids makes my heart tear, but hopefully, I'll come back this way someday. Hope you are all happy and healthy!
Namaste!
A new volunteer arrived this week. Maiko is from Japan and people always find us an interesting pair. We explain that she is from Japan and I'm a Japanese American. She's very sweet, from Kyoto, but attending college in Michigan. She's jumped right into the flow at the DRC with lots of enthusiasm and it's been good fun.
Since my ankle has been healing, I haven't taken the kids on any walks, as I'm just not confident pushing any wheelchairs up the steep, rocky hills. So, 2 days ago, she took the kids out for a walk and about 18 kids went in all. Not knowing the area, the kids ignored my suggestion of taking her on a less strenuous walk, they ventured up the super steep hill to the Gumba Buddhist monastery. It was quite a climb for her first walk, but she's a trooper. On the way down the hill, one of the kids got carried away and accidentally, one of the girls her wheelchair fell out. She broke her arm and got a concussion. Poor Gita.... She's better now, but it gave us all quite a scare. We have learned some valuable lessons about what the children are capable of. Honestly, I have seen these kids do things that make my heart jump, but they are completely capable and have no problems. My level of trust and comfort for what they can do in wheelchairs has really grown. They also take care of each other in such a loving and helpful way, it seems that they are looking out for eachother. However, accidents do happen...
As a treat, I took 12 of the tween age kids to the local market to shop. They each spent 200 rupees ($3 USD) and could buy whatever they chose. Looking back to my tween years, I'm sure that when I got money to spend freely, I bought candy, went to movies, toys or other odds and ends. These kids chose shirts, belts, watches, backpacks, a few little transistor radios, and scarves. It was fun to go with them. Of course, Surendra went along and was an awesome bargainer, making sure we got the most for our money. It was a very productive and fun shopping excursion.
I'm in my last week in Kathmandu and the thought of saying goodbye to these kids makes my heart tear, but hopefully, I'll come back this way someday. Hope you are all happy and healthy!
Namaste!
22.5.07
Strikes, steep hills, sprained ankles and knittin sessions!
Namaste from Jorpati!
The monsoon season is just around the corner and storms of thunder, lightening and buckets of rain fall on a daily basis. I have learned how to handwash my own laundry and I think the monsoon storms give my clothes an extra rinse.
My volunteerism in Kathmandu has fallen into a regular pattern now. I wake, have breakfast a cup of coffee, read the English Kathmandu Post paper, then head to the DRC. Nepal is experiencing a nation-wide teacher's strike currently and over 7.6 million children aren't going to school. (The private teachers have been receiving a very low salary, even lower than the government school teacher's salary and from what I understand, the school owners are pocketing much of the tuition. Since there is no government mandated minimum wage, the private school teachers are being exploited. So, all of the teachers are striking.) A strike means that all of the kids at the DRC are "home" and selfishly, I love it. I know the kids should be getting an education, but I like that they are all at the DRC on a constant basis, as I get to spend more time with them.
A few days ago, I went to pick up the custom made yak leather shoes, purchase 50 pairs of white socks and run some other errands. Surindra, one of the oldest children at the DRC, came along with us. Not only is he a bright, happy, enthusiastic boy, but his English is excellent and he is on the best bargainers I've ever met. Erik, the other DRC volunteer, came with us to help carry the heavy shoes and to buy 2 new custom tailored suits. Surindra, was bargaining up a storm in his beautiful Nepalese. He's only 14, but has the fire in his belly of an old man and is such a delight to be around. We took him to lunch at the Boddnath to thank him for all of his efforts. I also offered to buy him something, anything that he wanted. After some thought, he asked for also a new pair of shoes. Apparently, he got a new pair of school shoes last month, but due to his age, experienced a growth spurt and they were already too small. I happily obliged and then thought about this purchase. Asking any 14-year-old teenager "what would you like?" would respond in buying a new video game, candy, maybe sport equipment, comic books, etc. Surindra, knew that he needed new school shoes and that's what he chose. These kids never cease to amaze me.
We took the shoes back to all of them and it was a fun and exciting process to hand out the new shoes and socks to the little and big ones. They were very thankful and the shoes look beautiful! After the shoe dispensing, they all wanted to go for a walk. So, over 15 kids, with 5 wheelchairs and many crutches set off. They wanted to go to the top of the hill that looks out over the DRC and the holy river, to see the Gumba monastery. I had gone up this same hill a few days before on the back of a motorcycle and was amazed at the steepness of these hills. So, now, here we are a big group of children with two adults on a trek up this super steep, not entirely paved road. All of the children that are capable, always help push (or in some cases pull) the wheelchairs. At one point, Naoli, this amazing child with one leg and a crutch, wanted to push his friend Dhan, in the wheelchair. When, I offered to help, he quickly resisted and pushed my hands away with great force. Then, he put one hand on handle of the wheelchair, put his head down into the soft back of the wheelchair and began pushing Dhan himself, with no complaints and no guff. Everyday, my heart melts for these children who continually amaze me with their love, determination and ambition. This day was no different. As I watched the two boys go ahead of me, I realized that I need these children as much as they need me. I feel so blessed to experience all of this.
At the monastery, we visited with Buddhist monks, who were happy to meet and talk with the children. We also young monks practicing on a horn-like instrument, making sounds similar to a diggeridoo and of course, loved the views. This monastery is so high up on the hill, we could see the Boddnath, the Kathmandu airport and most of the valley that surrounds us. It was gorgeous!
I also took a variety of knitting needles and yarn to the children a few days ago, courtesy of my friends Sarah and Briana in Seattle. Thank you! The goodies were quickly grabbed by the girls and one boy. We spent the afternoon knitting away and as I sat in the midst of the girls, as they knitted and sang Nepalese songs, I relished in the beautiful female energy that surrounded us. They are magnificent!
A few weeks ago, I sprained my ankle, quickly dodging a taxi in Thamel (like most other countries in the world, in Kathmandu, the taxi drivers do want to kill you). My ankle hasn't fully healed and walking the kids up to and back from the Gumba didn't help. The entire trip took 4 hours. Phew! So, I'm taking a few days off to rest my ankle and then will head back to the DRC for more fun. Namaste!
The monsoon season is just around the corner and storms of thunder, lightening and buckets of rain fall on a daily basis. I have learned how to handwash my own laundry and I think the monsoon storms give my clothes an extra rinse.
My volunteerism in Kathmandu has fallen into a regular pattern now. I wake, have breakfast a cup of coffee, read the English Kathmandu Post paper, then head to the DRC. Nepal is experiencing a nation-wide teacher's strike currently and over 7.6 million children aren't going to school. (The private teachers have been receiving a very low salary, even lower than the government school teacher's salary and from what I understand, the school owners are pocketing much of the tuition. Since there is no government mandated minimum wage, the private school teachers are being exploited. So, all of the teachers are striking.) A strike means that all of the kids at the DRC are "home" and selfishly, I love it. I know the kids should be getting an education, but I like that they are all at the DRC on a constant basis, as I get to spend more time with them.
A few days ago, I went to pick up the custom made yak leather shoes, purchase 50 pairs of white socks and run some other errands. Surindra, one of the oldest children at the DRC, came along with us. Not only is he a bright, happy, enthusiastic boy, but his English is excellent and he is on the best bargainers I've ever met. Erik, the other DRC volunteer, came with us to help carry the heavy shoes and to buy 2 new custom tailored suits. Surindra, was bargaining up a storm in his beautiful Nepalese. He's only 14, but has the fire in his belly of an old man and is such a delight to be around. We took him to lunch at the Boddnath to thank him for all of his efforts. I also offered to buy him something, anything that he wanted. After some thought, he asked for also a new pair of shoes. Apparently, he got a new pair of school shoes last month, but due to his age, experienced a growth spurt and they were already too small. I happily obliged and then thought about this purchase. Asking any 14-year-old teenager "what would you like?" would respond in buying a new video game, candy, maybe sport equipment, comic books, etc. Surindra, knew that he needed new school shoes and that's what he chose. These kids never cease to amaze me.
We took the shoes back to all of them and it was a fun and exciting process to hand out the new shoes and socks to the little and big ones. They were very thankful and the shoes look beautiful! After the shoe dispensing, they all wanted to go for a walk. So, over 15 kids, with 5 wheelchairs and many crutches set off. They wanted to go to the top of the hill that looks out over the DRC and the holy river, to see the Gumba monastery. I had gone up this same hill a few days before on the back of a motorcycle and was amazed at the steepness of these hills. So, now, here we are a big group of children with two adults on a trek up this super steep, not entirely paved road. All of the children that are capable, always help push (or in some cases pull) the wheelchairs. At one point, Naoli, this amazing child with one leg and a crutch, wanted to push his friend Dhan, in the wheelchair. When, I offered to help, he quickly resisted and pushed my hands away with great force. Then, he put one hand on handle of the wheelchair, put his head down into the soft back of the wheelchair and began pushing Dhan himself, with no complaints and no guff. Everyday, my heart melts for these children who continually amaze me with their love, determination and ambition. This day was no different. As I watched the two boys go ahead of me, I realized that I need these children as much as they need me. I feel so blessed to experience all of this.
At the monastery, we visited with Buddhist monks, who were happy to meet and talk with the children. We also young monks practicing on a horn-like instrument, making sounds similar to a diggeridoo and of course, loved the views. This monastery is so high up on the hill, we could see the Boddnath, the Kathmandu airport and most of the valley that surrounds us. It was gorgeous!
I also took a variety of knitting needles and yarn to the children a few days ago, courtesy of my friends Sarah and Briana in Seattle. Thank you! The goodies were quickly grabbed by the girls and one boy. We spent the afternoon knitting away and as I sat in the midst of the girls, as they knitted and sang Nepalese songs, I relished in the beautiful female energy that surrounded us. They are magnificent!
A few weeks ago, I sprained my ankle, quickly dodging a taxi in Thamel (like most other countries in the world, in Kathmandu, the taxi drivers do want to kill you). My ankle hasn't fully healed and walking the kids up to and back from the Gumba didn't help. The entire trip took 4 hours. Phew! So, I'm taking a few days off to rest my ankle and then will head back to the DRC for more fun. Namaste!
8.5.07
Namaste!
Hello from Kathmandu!
Introduction
I've been in Nepal for about 2 weeks now and still getting situated. The agency, Hope and Home, has been outstanding and so helpful from the moment I stepped out of the airport. The program director, Rabyn has created a relatively inexpensive and comprehensive program that not only integrates the volunteers into the Nepalese culture, but also places people in appropriate project sites.
My first full week, after the safari, I started Nepali language lessons with Youzeena, who is a delightful, smart, funny and beautiful Nepalese college student in Kathmandu. For two hours a day, I have learned the basic language, which has come in handy when bargaining at the markets and trying to communicate with the children of the DRC (Disabled Rehabilitation Center), however, I often wonder if I'm saying the language at all today, as I walked into a cafe and said "Tapaille kasto cha?" or "How are you?" and the man looked at me with great fear. He quickly got his co-worker who brought me a cup of black tea, as I requested.
I stayed in Thamel which is the touristy area of Kathmandu. The shopping and restaurants are great, but a bit expensive, even for Nepalese standards, I think. However, there are lots of convenient features in Thamel.
Youzeena also gave me a culture class which has been so fascinating. I've discovered that I'm a complete culture junkie and being able to learn about the culture and continually ask questions about it as I go along is really rewarding and also helpful to how to best conduct myself on a day-to-day basis. For example, the Nepalese people often eat with their right hand only. A very common dish, daal bhaat, consists of rice, daal (cooked lentils) and curried veggies. It's really delicious! They mix it all together into a sticky mixture, then use the right hand (only) to shovel it with the fingers and the thumb to push it into their mouth. I am highly impressed with this kind of coordination, as I have tried and yes, it's possible, but takes me ages and is also quite messy. Many Nepalese people often never touch their hand to their mouth (as this contaminates the hand, or "jhutho"). Additionally, the Nepalese people follow a caste system. There are many other fascinating cultural differences that I've learned here, too many to write.
In the afternoons, I went on various sight seeing expeditions. On Budda Jayanti (Buddha's birthday), I went to the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal. It was really amazing. This huge structure had hundreds of prayer flags draped everywhere and it was packed with people. It's proper to walk clockwise around the structure and also nice to spin the several prayer wheels as you walk. The stupa was packed with people on the ground and the ascending levels of the structure, as well. It was his 2551st birthday! Happy Birthday Buddha!
We also visited Pashupati, which houses the most important Hindu temple in Kathmandu. I couldn't enter because I'm not a Hindu, but it was still beautiful to see. (Over half of the Nepalese population is Hindu and a large number is Buddhist). Pashupati is also famous because it's where deceased Hindu people are cremated. We watched a cremation from a distance, but there is a section of the grounds where males of the deceased person prepare a huge fire, then lay the covered body on it to be cremated. Eventually the ashes run into a river below. It was an interesting part of the Hindu culture to witness.
DRC
After a week of language classes and sight seeing, I moved out of Thamel to Jorpati. I moved in with Rabyn's older brother and his family. I met the kids right away, as my new home is just a 20 walk or 10 min. motorbike ride from the center. The children at the DRC range in ages 4-16. The majority of them go to school, but some do not, due to their disabilities. From the moment that I entered the center, I was met with unconditional joy, love and appreciation. These children, some of whom are orphaned and some who's families still see them, face physical and social obstacles, but the energy that pours out of them brings me to near tears on a regular basis. They are AMAZING.
My mornings are spent working with the children that don't attend school, due to their disabilities. Erik, another volunteer and myself are setting up a basic school program that can be continued with each new volunteer that they encounter further down the road. Their learning can be stopped for huge pockets of time if no volunteers are in Nepal, so I want them to be able to practice reading and writing on their own. We are just in the planning and assessment stages of the children, Pema and Gita, two bright and happy girls who spend their days in wheelchairs. We also take them for walks, which is a bit tricky, as not all road are paved and I've learned how to best "drive" a wheelchair, especially up steep, steep hills, down stairs, on gravel and grass... you get the picture. One boy, Bharat, who often comes with us on walks, can manuever his wheelchair alone and gives me mild heart attacks, especially when he is coasting down the steep hill near the DRC, but he is confident and very capable. I am always impressed with his skill and strength.
Yesterday, we had a particularly active walk. Erik and Charlie (both volunteers) and myself took 6 children for walk. Five of them were in four wheelchairs and one walked with us. Bharat was fine on his own and each of us pushed a wheelchair. We walked up the steep hill to a Hindu temple, which they like to visit and saw the river nearby. From the river, we decided to take a different route back to the road to avoid the stairs. The different route, essentially was a series of small streams, steep dirt hills, walking over huge drain pipes and almost entirely wheelchair inaccessible. Thanks to Erik and Charlie, they carried each child over each obstacle and I followed with the wheelchairs. Phew! The kids loved it all and I was happy that we all make it to the road, a little soggy and dirty, but fine and with no injuries. Once on the road, we ventured to a new part of the town, that I hadn't explored. All along the way, people are drying straw in the streets, so we share this skinny part of the uncovered paved road, with the motorcyles, buses and trucks that went by. Everyone slowed down when they saw us and honked less, which was nice. At the top of the hill, we saw a small cow stuck in this narrow gutter. The gutter was big enough for the cow to walk forwards and backwards in, but the cow couldn't get out. So, we parked the wheelchairs and Erik, Charlie and some other locals worked together to pull the cow out. It was an amazing feat and I cheered from the sidelines. Then, we walked a bit further, now in the dead heat of the day and the kids were looking a bit hot and tired, so we headed back to town. We waved a gravel truck down, folded up the wheelchairs and threw them in the back of the truck, the smaller kids sat in the front with the driver and the adults and a few little ones rode in the back, holding onto the wheelchairs. It was great fun and the kids really enjoyed it.
Homestay family
My homestay family consists of Devindra (father), Asha (mother), Susaan (son), Sumeda (daughter), Swedde (niece/cousin), Sividra (Swedde's sister) and the grandparents. They live in a huge home and Erik also lives there. They feed us and really take great care of us. We play card games together and recently, I started a knitting craze with some of the girls. It's been a lot of fun and a great cultural experience.
3rd World Country
Nepal is one of the world's 50 poorest countries. It's a 3rd world country and the average annual income is 12,500 ruppes or about $250 USD. While some people live above this average, many people live far below it. Nepal is quite polluted-garbage on the streets, well, everywhere. The air quality isn't that great in some places and most people live on two meals a day, however, the meal system may be based on culture, not wealth. The roads aren't all paved and some general hygenic practices are different from western culture. There are cows walking around, grazing on grass, garbage or whatever they can find, as it's illegal to kill or harm a cow. However, the culture is rich, years of tradition are evident and religion is a big part of it. What I have loved about this culture is the genuine happiness that people exude. People are friendly, kind and truly wonderful.
In preparation for my volunteerism, I collected monetary donations. Thanks to Mom, Kai, Grandma, Scott and Debbie. In total, I have $275 to donate and that money is going very far. For $1USD, it's approximately 66 rupees. I have been able to buy school supplies, snacks, sports equipment and brand new yak leather school shoes for about 15+ kids. (The last time the DRC bought new school shoes was 2 years ago.) Today, I went with about 20+ kids to get fitted for the shoes and it was quite an excursion. We all piled into a bus and lined up near this tiny (think large closet) of a shop, where each child was fitted. I'll go pick up the shoes next week. I'm still sorting out what the rest of the donations will go to, but I'm learning more about some of the other needs children have for schooling, medical costs, etc.
My Learning Experience
Thus far, I have learned so much about Nepal, a different asian culture, language, food, etc. This country has opened my mind in ways that I didn't know I needed. However, there are some parts of the culture that I haven't full embraced with an open heart. Like many cultures, there is a stigma attached to children with disabilities. As I mentioned, some of the children at the center, do have families that they see on a somewhat regular basis. Some children, do not. Some have been abandoned because of their disability or because their family just can't afford to take care of them. When we take the children out in public, of course we get a lot of stares, but I also think it's important that Nepali people see foreign people helping the children with disabilities, too. In the caste system, the children with disabilities rank quite low and this means that they already have a disadvantage when they get older, leave the DRC and continue schooling or find work. My heart breaks on a regular basis when I think about how much need there really is and how much more work is needed. But, just ask quickly, one of the kids will nuzzle up into my lap, flash me a smile or ask to sing a song and think about how blessed I am to experience this.
Sorry, but the few pictures that are up on the blog, took hours to load, so more pictures will have to come after I leave Nepal. The Internet connection here is slooooow... Lots of love to everyone! Namaste!
Introduction
I've been in Nepal for about 2 weeks now and still getting situated. The agency, Hope and Home, has been outstanding and so helpful from the moment I stepped out of the airport. The program director, Rabyn has created a relatively inexpensive and comprehensive program that not only integrates the volunteers into the Nepalese culture, but also places people in appropriate project sites.
My first full week, after the safari, I started Nepali language lessons with Youzeena, who is a delightful, smart, funny and beautiful Nepalese college student in Kathmandu. For two hours a day, I have learned the basic language, which has come in handy when bargaining at the markets and trying to communicate with the children of the DRC (Disabled Rehabilitation Center), however, I often wonder if I'm saying the language at all today, as I walked into a cafe and said "Tapaille kasto cha?" or "How are you?" and the man looked at me with great fear. He quickly got his co-worker who brought me a cup of black tea, as I requested.
I stayed in Thamel which is the touristy area of Kathmandu. The shopping and restaurants are great, but a bit expensive, even for Nepalese standards, I think. However, there are lots of convenient features in Thamel.
Youzeena also gave me a culture class which has been so fascinating. I've discovered that I'm a complete culture junkie and being able to learn about the culture and continually ask questions about it as I go along is really rewarding and also helpful to how to best conduct myself on a day-to-day basis. For example, the Nepalese people often eat with their right hand only. A very common dish, daal bhaat, consists of rice, daal (cooked lentils) and curried veggies. It's really delicious! They mix it all together into a sticky mixture, then use the right hand (only) to shovel it with the fingers and the thumb to push it into their mouth. I am highly impressed with this kind of coordination, as I have tried and yes, it's possible, but takes me ages and is also quite messy. Many Nepalese people often never touch their hand to their mouth (as this contaminates the hand, or "jhutho"). Additionally, the Nepalese people follow a caste system. There are many other fascinating cultural differences that I've learned here, too many to write.
In the afternoons, I went on various sight seeing expeditions. On Budda Jayanti (Buddha's birthday), I went to the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal. It was really amazing. This huge structure had hundreds of prayer flags draped everywhere and it was packed with people. It's proper to walk clockwise around the structure and also nice to spin the several prayer wheels as you walk. The stupa was packed with people on the ground and the ascending levels of the structure, as well. It was his 2551st birthday! Happy Birthday Buddha!
We also visited Pashupati, which houses the most important Hindu temple in Kathmandu. I couldn't enter because I'm not a Hindu, but it was still beautiful to see. (Over half of the Nepalese population is Hindu and a large number is Buddhist). Pashupati is also famous because it's where deceased Hindu people are cremated. We watched a cremation from a distance, but there is a section of the grounds where males of the deceased person prepare a huge fire, then lay the covered body on it to be cremated. Eventually the ashes run into a river below. It was an interesting part of the Hindu culture to witness.
DRC
After a week of language classes and sight seeing, I moved out of Thamel to Jorpati. I moved in with Rabyn's older brother and his family. I met the kids right away, as my new home is just a 20 walk or 10 min. motorbike ride from the center. The children at the DRC range in ages 4-16. The majority of them go to school, but some do not, due to their disabilities. From the moment that I entered the center, I was met with unconditional joy, love and appreciation. These children, some of whom are orphaned and some who's families still see them, face physical and social obstacles, but the energy that pours out of them brings me to near tears on a regular basis. They are AMAZING.
My mornings are spent working with the children that don't attend school, due to their disabilities. Erik, another volunteer and myself are setting up a basic school program that can be continued with each new volunteer that they encounter further down the road. Their learning can be stopped for huge pockets of time if no volunteers are in Nepal, so I want them to be able to practice reading and writing on their own. We are just in the planning and assessment stages of the children, Pema and Gita, two bright and happy girls who spend their days in wheelchairs. We also take them for walks, which is a bit tricky, as not all road are paved and I've learned how to best "drive" a wheelchair, especially up steep, steep hills, down stairs, on gravel and grass... you get the picture. One boy, Bharat, who often comes with us on walks, can manuever his wheelchair alone and gives me mild heart attacks, especially when he is coasting down the steep hill near the DRC, but he is confident and very capable. I am always impressed with his skill and strength.
Yesterday, we had a particularly active walk. Erik and Charlie (both volunteers) and myself took 6 children for walk. Five of them were in four wheelchairs and one walked with us. Bharat was fine on his own and each of us pushed a wheelchair. We walked up the steep hill to a Hindu temple, which they like to visit and saw the river nearby. From the river, we decided to take a different route back to the road to avoid the stairs. The different route, essentially was a series of small streams, steep dirt hills, walking over huge drain pipes and almost entirely wheelchair inaccessible. Thanks to Erik and Charlie, they carried each child over each obstacle and I followed with the wheelchairs. Phew! The kids loved it all and I was happy that we all make it to the road, a little soggy and dirty, but fine and with no injuries. Once on the road, we ventured to a new part of the town, that I hadn't explored. All along the way, people are drying straw in the streets, so we share this skinny part of the uncovered paved road, with the motorcyles, buses and trucks that went by. Everyone slowed down when they saw us and honked less, which was nice. At the top of the hill, we saw a small cow stuck in this narrow gutter. The gutter was big enough for the cow to walk forwards and backwards in, but the cow couldn't get out. So, we parked the wheelchairs and Erik, Charlie and some other locals worked together to pull the cow out. It was an amazing feat and I cheered from the sidelines. Then, we walked a bit further, now in the dead heat of the day and the kids were looking a bit hot and tired, so we headed back to town. We waved a gravel truck down, folded up the wheelchairs and threw them in the back of the truck, the smaller kids sat in the front with the driver and the adults and a few little ones rode in the back, holding onto the wheelchairs. It was great fun and the kids really enjoyed it.
Homestay family
My homestay family consists of Devindra (father), Asha (mother), Susaan (son), Sumeda (daughter), Swedde (niece/cousin), Sividra (Swedde's sister) and the grandparents. They live in a huge home and Erik also lives there. They feed us and really take great care of us. We play card games together and recently, I started a knitting craze with some of the girls. It's been a lot of fun and a great cultural experience.
3rd World Country
Nepal is one of the world's 50 poorest countries. It's a 3rd world country and the average annual income is 12,500 ruppes or about $250 USD. While some people live above this average, many people live far below it. Nepal is quite polluted-garbage on the streets, well, everywhere. The air quality isn't that great in some places and most people live on two meals a day, however, the meal system may be based on culture, not wealth. The roads aren't all paved and some general hygenic practices are different from western culture. There are cows walking around, grazing on grass, garbage or whatever they can find, as it's illegal to kill or harm a cow. However, the culture is rich, years of tradition are evident and religion is a big part of it. What I have loved about this culture is the genuine happiness that people exude. People are friendly, kind and truly wonderful.
In preparation for my volunteerism, I collected monetary donations. Thanks to Mom, Kai, Grandma, Scott and Debbie. In total, I have $275 to donate and that money is going very far. For $1USD, it's approximately 66 rupees. I have been able to buy school supplies, snacks, sports equipment and brand new yak leather school shoes for about 15+ kids. (The last time the DRC bought new school shoes was 2 years ago.) Today, I went with about 20+ kids to get fitted for the shoes and it was quite an excursion. We all piled into a bus and lined up near this tiny (think large closet) of a shop, where each child was fitted. I'll go pick up the shoes next week. I'm still sorting out what the rest of the donations will go to, but I'm learning more about some of the other needs children have for schooling, medical costs, etc.
My Learning Experience
Thus far, I have learned so much about Nepal, a different asian culture, language, food, etc. This country has opened my mind in ways that I didn't know I needed. However, there are some parts of the culture that I haven't full embraced with an open heart. Like many cultures, there is a stigma attached to children with disabilities. As I mentioned, some of the children at the center, do have families that they see on a somewhat regular basis. Some children, do not. Some have been abandoned because of their disability or because their family just can't afford to take care of them. When we take the children out in public, of course we get a lot of stares, but I also think it's important that Nepali people see foreign people helping the children with disabilities, too. In the caste system, the children with disabilities rank quite low and this means that they already have a disadvantage when they get older, leave the DRC and continue schooling or find work. My heart breaks on a regular basis when I think about how much need there really is and how much more work is needed. But, just ask quickly, one of the kids will nuzzle up into my lap, flash me a smile or ask to sing a song and think about how blessed I am to experience this.
Sorry, but the few pictures that are up on the blog, took hours to load, so more pictures will have to come after I leave Nepal. The Internet connection here is slooooow... Lots of love to everyone! Namaste!
5.5.07
3.5.07
Simon's Chinese Adventure!
While I am in Nepal, Simon is venturing through China. Below is a story of one of his adventures that sounds very lively. I believe this took place in Kanding:
I didn't e-mail yesterday as I met some locals when I was sitting in my hostel's cafe. Over a cup of hot yak butter tea, which incidental tastes like feta milk, we struck up a conversation. They spoke no English so I managed to surprise myself. I'm still annoyed with my inability to adequately express myself in Chinese. It was good practice.
There were 3 guys who lived together. All of whom are the same age as me. One of them, Chou Wan, is married to this spitfire of a woman. After getting to know him better I decided that to deal with her was a sign of strength. Chao Wan is in all respects the alpha male, liking his displays. He said that he was a taxi driver and the one of the other guys was his mechanic. The mechanic had surprisingly long and clean finger nails. Their tattoos and scaring led me to suspect something else. They are all ex army, tough as nails, carrying ak47 bayonet flick knives.
They treated me with nothing but respect. To the point of refusing to accept money during gambling. I was a bit of a novelty.
We ate a dinner that Chou Wan cooked and it was exceptional, drank a lot of beer (thank god for my hedonistic youth) and talked. I find that one on one or in a small group I can make myself understood, to some extent any way. They offered me a place to stay for the evening so Chao Wan and myself went and grabbed my gear. Couch surfing here we come!
Four women arrived in the evening each of whom was louder than the previous. Again we ate. The only English they know is 'I love you'. which one girl in particular thought was a great laugh. I couldn't follow the conversation from then on. The ladies drank like 15 year olds at New Years. Sculling back glass after glass, the volume rose. There was some underlying tension between a couple of them. I was made a deal of, the get together was in my honour if you will. Come see the freak. We finished what alcohol there was in the house and headed out to a bar.
We were asked to leave the first bar after about 5 min. This was a group of people with issues. Chao Wan was smiling at me and shaking his head at what I'd walked in to. Of all of them it was him that I made friends with.
The next bar had karaoke. No English for me though. the table was loaded with bottles of beer. All that sang sang well.
As I said before, I had no idea what was going on. I felt relaxed with it though. the bottles were downed. Every one in the bar drank a glass with every one else which made for a lot of glasses. One lady in particular was trying to drink me under the table so I started sneaking tea. People came and went but the core group stayed the same. I popped out to the loo and then for a quiet smoke on the street. Chao Wan came out and we stood and talked for a bit. Him shaking his head at the behaviour of his friends.
We walked back in and all hell had broken loose. The women were screaming banishes. The guys were doing there darnedest to calm things down but not doing a very good job of it. Several glasses were smashed and the bear went flying. Beer bottles with there condense pouring on the ground were used to threaten. Arms grabbed, pushing and the din creschendoed.
Me, I just stood there watching, waiting to grab someone who was going to brain someone else. I felt comfortable enough sitting on the outside looking in. I couldn't have offended any one as I hadn't said much.
After several attempts we got Chao Wan's screaming wife, who had turned on him and they were having there own argument, and another girl out the door. The yelling continued as we walked down the street, heading for some food.
We got back home at about 1:30am. Not too bad really considering. It felt much later. After a coffee I went to bed to read, to sleep. Fortunately I had been given my own room.
All of this amidst the back drop of shear mountains ascending into the clouds, and it was very cold.
I didn't e-mail yesterday as I met some locals when I was sitting in my hostel's cafe. Over a cup of hot yak butter tea, which incidental tastes like feta milk, we struck up a conversation. They spoke no English so I managed to surprise myself. I'm still annoyed with my inability to adequately express myself in Chinese. It was good practice.
There were 3 guys who lived together. All of whom are the same age as me. One of them, Chou Wan, is married to this spitfire of a woman. After getting to know him better I decided that to deal with her was a sign of strength. Chao Wan is in all respects the alpha male, liking his displays. He said that he was a taxi driver and the one of the other guys was his mechanic. The mechanic had surprisingly long and clean finger nails. Their tattoos and scaring led me to suspect something else. They are all ex army, tough as nails, carrying ak47 bayonet flick knives.
They treated me with nothing but respect. To the point of refusing to accept money during gambling. I was a bit of a novelty.
We ate a dinner that Chou Wan cooked and it was exceptional, drank a lot of beer (thank god for my hedonistic youth) and talked. I find that one on one or in a small group I can make myself understood, to some extent any way. They offered me a place to stay for the evening so Chao Wan and myself went and grabbed my gear. Couch surfing here we come!
Four women arrived in the evening each of whom was louder than the previous. Again we ate. The only English they know is 'I love you'. which one girl in particular thought was a great laugh. I couldn't follow the conversation from then on. The ladies drank like 15 year olds at New Years. Sculling back glass after glass, the volume rose. There was some underlying tension between a couple of them. I was made a deal of, the get together was in my honour if you will. Come see the freak. We finished what alcohol there was in the house and headed out to a bar.
We were asked to leave the first bar after about 5 min. This was a group of people with issues. Chao Wan was smiling at me and shaking his head at what I'd walked in to. Of all of them it was him that I made friends with.
The next bar had karaoke. No English for me though. the table was loaded with bottles of beer. All that sang sang well.
As I said before, I had no idea what was going on. I felt relaxed with it though. the bottles were downed. Every one in the bar drank a glass with every one else which made for a lot of glasses. One lady in particular was trying to drink me under the table so I started sneaking tea. People came and went but the core group stayed the same. I popped out to the loo and then for a quiet smoke on the street. Chao Wan came out and we stood and talked for a bit. Him shaking his head at the behaviour of his friends.
We walked back in and all hell had broken loose. The women were screaming banishes. The guys were doing there darnedest to calm things down but not doing a very good job of it. Several glasses were smashed and the bear went flying. Beer bottles with there condense pouring on the ground were used to threaten. Arms grabbed, pushing and the din creschendoed.
Me, I just stood there watching, waiting to grab someone who was going to brain someone else. I felt comfortable enough sitting on the outside looking in. I couldn't have offended any one as I hadn't said much.
After several attempts we got Chao Wan's screaming wife, who had turned on him and they were having there own argument, and another girl out the door. The yelling continued as we walked down the street, heading for some food.
We got back home at about 1:30am. Not too bad really considering. It felt much later. After a coffee I went to bed to read, to sleep. Fortunately I had been given my own room.
All of this amidst the back drop of shear mountains ascending into the clouds, and it was very cold.
2.5.07
Kathmandu!
Namaste! (Which literally means "I greet the divine within you") Every where I go, this how I am greeted. I am also called "sister" all the time, which is very endearing. Needless to say, Kathmandu is really wonderful.
As some of you may know, there is a strong Indian influence in Nepal, but the people seem different from what I understand. I've been in Kathmandu for about a week and am starting to learn the Nepalese language. I am staying in a fairly touristy area, but enjoying it all the same. The streets are not all paved, the traffic is super crazy (even crazier and more dangerous than Taiwan and China), there is a lot of poverty and sometimes electricity cuts out (sometimes while you are in the middle of typing an e-mail or making an addition to your blog), but the people... oh the amazing people... are a constant display of happiness and kindness.
Over the weekend, I visited the Royal Chitwan National Park for a short safari. It was really beautiful, quiet and I was completely surrounded by nature, some tourists and other indigenous villages. On the safari, I went for a jungle walk, took a lovely canoe ride in a dug out tree trunk, saw gorgeous wild animals such as deer, boar, crocodiles, monkeys, many birds and bugs, elephants and rhinos! I also got to meet some delightful baby elephants at the breeding center there. The baby elephants were curious, hungry (for the cookies that the center sold), and so docile. They knew that cookies were coming and came right up to the fence for some treats. They would climb up on the fences if I bribed them with a cookie. One of my fondest memories is the youngest baby, only 6 months old, who wasn't that coordinated, as she stumbled trying to climb the fence, then the cookie didn't seem to get down her throat so well, so she choked a bit, then trumpeted her horn a bit and ran back to be by her mother's side. So cute! Also, I heard a baby elephant fart, as he tried to climb a little embankment, the sound gave me a bit of a surprise, it was really loud!
However, the highlight of the trip was taking a bath with an elephant. For a small fee, I climbed onto the back of an elephant as it waded through the Rapti River and squirted me with river water, then gently rolled over and I fell into the river, over and over again. I fed it bananas and stroked it's rough and hair prickly skin as I stood eye level with the huge beast. It was a really wonderful experience.
Today is the Buddah's birthday, Buddha Jayanti and I am headed to the one of the largest Buddha stupas in all of Asia to see the celebration. More pictures and stories coming soon... The internet is slow here, so it takes a while.
Hugs!
As some of you may know, there is a strong Indian influence in Nepal, but the people seem different from what I understand. I've been in Kathmandu for about a week and am starting to learn the Nepalese language. I am staying in a fairly touristy area, but enjoying it all the same. The streets are not all paved, the traffic is super crazy (even crazier and more dangerous than Taiwan and China), there is a lot of poverty and sometimes electricity cuts out (sometimes while you are in the middle of typing an e-mail or making an addition to your blog), but the people... oh the amazing people... are a constant display of happiness and kindness.
Over the weekend, I visited the Royal Chitwan National Park for a short safari. It was really beautiful, quiet and I was completely surrounded by nature, some tourists and other indigenous villages. On the safari, I went for a jungle walk, took a lovely canoe ride in a dug out tree trunk, saw gorgeous wild animals such as deer, boar, crocodiles, monkeys, many birds and bugs, elephants and rhinos! I also got to meet some delightful baby elephants at the breeding center there. The baby elephants were curious, hungry (for the cookies that the center sold), and so docile. They knew that cookies were coming and came right up to the fence for some treats. They would climb up on the fences if I bribed them with a cookie. One of my fondest memories is the youngest baby, only 6 months old, who wasn't that coordinated, as she stumbled trying to climb the fence, then the cookie didn't seem to get down her throat so well, so she choked a bit, then trumpeted her horn a bit and ran back to be by her mother's side. So cute! Also, I heard a baby elephant fart, as he tried to climb a little embankment, the sound gave me a bit of a surprise, it was really loud!
However, the highlight of the trip was taking a bath with an elephant. For a small fee, I climbed onto the back of an elephant as it waded through the Rapti River and squirted me with river water, then gently rolled over and I fell into the river, over and over again. I fed it bananas and stroked it's rough and hair prickly skin as I stood eye level with the huge beast. It was a really wonderful experience.
Today is the Buddah's birthday, Buddha Jayanti and I am headed to the one of the largest Buddha stupas in all of Asia to see the celebration. More pictures and stories coming soon... The internet is slow here, so it takes a while.
Hugs!
1.5.07
26.4.07
Fish markets, climbing walls, train trips from hell...
Konichiwa! Ni hou! Namaste!
Tokyo
In Tokyo, we visited the world's largest fish market. I wouldn't say it's designed for tourism at all, as walking through the stalls you are at risk of being run over by mini-forklifts whizzing by the narrow corridors, without horns, which makes you stay on your toes. However, the market is amazingly huge with all kinds of fish and sealife, much of which I didn't recognize. However, we watched 3 men saw through a massive piece of tuna with finesse and perfection using a knife much taller than me. We also dined on the most delicious sushi I have ever tasted. It simply melted in our mouths and was so cheap. What a treat!
Beijing
After a fun visit in Tokyo, we headed to Beijing. Interestingly, while in Tokyo, picking up our Chinese visas we ran into Matthew, a handsome, witty British lad that we knew in Taichung. We briefly exchanged stories and planned to meet up in Beijing. Beijing is a huge city and was a bit overwhelming for me at times. After being mislead at the airport, we ditched the bus plan into town and took an expensive cab rid, instead. However, our hostel was conveniently located next to a huge train and subway stations, and near lots of traffic and hustle and bustle. Our room overlooked all of the action and it felt like being back in Taichung, with loads of horns honking, people yelling and constant noise. Ahhh...
I've been fighting an ongoing cold, so some days not as active as Si. I try to have a few days off here and there to rest up and stay out of the air pollution. As busy as Beijing is, it's a fascinating place. Everywhere you look, the construction, planning and preparation for the Beijing Olympics is in full swing. One tour guide told us that an estimated 10 million people have come to the city from other towns and provinces to help with the construction and building of new hotels, restaurants, statudims and more. Along side each of these major construction sites are makeshift apartment builings, built out of temporary siding, just like the trailers you see at construction sites in the US, but these buildings are 2-3 stories tall, and full of male workers who have temporarily moved to Beijing.
One thing that I have loved is the appearances of people in China. After living in Taiwan, where people are so cautious about their skin aging in the skin and just aging in general, as well as Japan, where appearances are very important (lots of make-up, high fashion, etc.) China is completely different. Yes, people are concerned with their appearances, but you it's very common to see men and women with rich wrinkles in their faces. Each line represents a different experience, memory and lesson. The people here look so interesting and unique. It's really beautiful.
Summer Palace
In Beijing, we took the subway system everywhere, which was easy and fun. Not as quick and organized as Tokyo, but for 3 yuan ($0.38 USD) to any destination, it was a cheap way to travel. We met up with our friend Matt and visited the Summer Palace one day. The Summer Palace was the location at the Emperor's ran away to during the hot summer months. In addition to a beautiful lake, the palace had huge temples, corridors and mazes of smaller buildings, homes, and theaters. We visited in the afternoon and were blessed with witnessing an amazing sunset. We also climbed huge steps to the Temple of Incense (although strangely, no incense was burning) and saw a tall and gorgeous Buddha overlooking the entire palace landscape.
Great Wall
A few days later we climbed the Great Wall! We joined a tour that drove us to the Great Wall site, where we hiked to the actual wall, then walked/climbed/hiked along the wall for a total of 10K. It was amazing. The landscape surrounding the Wall is massive, gorgeous and never-ending, with hills and mountains that go as far as the eye can see with huge cloud covers shadowing the landscapes. Surprisingly, there were many cherry blossom trees growing all over the landscapes as well. So, from the top of the huge guard towers, our views were peppered with delicate puffs of pink. In the first part of our journey, we ventured up parts of the wall that were left in the it's old fashion. The steps reminded me of Angkor Watt, as they were steep, a bit unstable and I didn't bother looking down or stopping until I reached the top. Just keep going, Girl!
As our journey continued, the wall changed and more modern parts became visible where renovations have taken place. Also, along the way we were met with ticket takers and people selling us things. Traveling up that wall each day to sell water, beer and cola is quite a feat! The beverage sellers are truly dedicated business men. Along the way, we also had intersting chats with other tourists on the tour. We finished our journey by having lunch with a guy named Fred from Oakland. He and I had some fun chats about my old neighborhood Fruitvale in Oakland. His dry sense of humor and travel stories were really fun.
Xi'an
Itching to leave the big cit of Beijing, Simon and I booked tickets to Xi'an. We underestimated our travel time to the train station with our packs and rush hour traffic and missed our train. So, we sorted out travel on the next train, but did not have any seats. Climbing on the train, we wedged our backpacks in a little hall way, across from the bathroom and the smoking area on the train... for 11 hours. We sat on our backpacks with another Chinese guy who also didn't have a seat. Quite a few people didn't have seats and dynamics of this experience were somewhat interesting, but overall pretty uncomfortable. This was undoubtedly the worst travel experience I have encountered so far. As the night wore on, with a sore back and cramped legs, we made the best of it all. People without seats layed newspapers on the floor and slept there. (As a side note, China is dirty, more dirty than Taiwan and the ground is pretty disgusting. People spit and blow their noses on the ground all the time and with so many people populating this country, well, it's just pretty gross.) Simon through it all remained upbeat and positive, which was my saving grace. The best part of the journey was not smelling the icky bathroom because of all of the cigarette smoke. Needless to say, I was SO HAPPY to get to Xi'an.
In Xi'an, we stayed at a wonderful hostel, centrally located and with a beautiful view of the Bell Tower, which is a beautiful landmark in the city, surrounded by beautiful flowers in rows of yellow, purple and pink, as well as lots of traffic, as it's a big round-about for cars. Every morning, we woke to the sounds of beeping horns, music playing from the Bell Tower and employees lined up outside stores chanting and practicing their greetings to customers. While in Xi'an, again, we met up with our friend Matt and made some new friends, too.
We also saw the Terracotta Warriors, which was really cool. 2000 years ago, Emperor Xin decided that in addition to building the Great Wall, he wanted an entire army constructed underground so that his soul could live on after he died. The vastness of the entire army is really overwhelming and interesting. The detail that went into planning and building the army is specific, intricate and well-thought out with horse carriages, soldiers of various ranks, etc. Equally impressive are the tourists that flock to see these warriors. I heard languages from all over the world.
After the hustle and bustle of Beijing, Xi'an was wonderfully smaller, less intense and I felt a bit less targeted as a tourist. Well, truth be told, I can get by looking like a local, until I open my mouth, but Simon usually blows my cover. Sometimes I can even get a local price without opening my mouth, but once my attempt at Chinese escapes my lips, the cat is out of the bag. :) Xi'an has a Muslim neighborhood, where the food is delicious, cheap and fast. We dined on delicious hot pot, various bbqs and soups. Yum!
Chengdu
After Xi'an we took a night train (and made the train this time-yay!) to Chengdu. Here we stayed in a really cool, fairly new hostel. It's called The Loft and is modeled after new-old lofts that you would find in New York. We took one night away from the city and ventured to Leshan, where we saw the largest Buddha in the world. He sits at 71 meters (over 232 ft) and is surrounded by a huge park, that over looks a river and is filled with numerous other buddha statues, temples and paths. We spent an entire day there and it was so beautiful.
The food in Chengdu is super duper spicy. Located in the Sichuan province, it's famous for it's spice. I like spicy food, but this level of spice is of a different league. Simon and I were good sports the first few days, but eventually had to have no-spice dishes (bu yao la) just to have a little break. Oy! My travels with Si have temporarily ended until June as I left Chengdu yesterday.
Kathmandu
I've safely landed in Kathmandu, Nepal after a layover in Lhasa, Tibet. The view from my window seat of the plane as we landed was jaw droppingly gorgeous, as the mountain ranges continued for as long as the eye could see. I was very impressed and so were the several Chinese tourists who came in kissing distance to me, to get a good picture. I was a good sport for the first few people, but eventually had to take my personal space back, as I felt a bit trapped. Chinese people never pass up an opportunity to get a good picture!
Hope you are all well! Lots of love from Nepal!
Tokyo
In Tokyo, we visited the world's largest fish market. I wouldn't say it's designed for tourism at all, as walking through the stalls you are at risk of being run over by mini-forklifts whizzing by the narrow corridors, without horns, which makes you stay on your toes. However, the market is amazingly huge with all kinds of fish and sealife, much of which I didn't recognize. However, we watched 3 men saw through a massive piece of tuna with finesse and perfection using a knife much taller than me. We also dined on the most delicious sushi I have ever tasted. It simply melted in our mouths and was so cheap. What a treat!
Beijing
After a fun visit in Tokyo, we headed to Beijing. Interestingly, while in Tokyo, picking up our Chinese visas we ran into Matthew, a handsome, witty British lad that we knew in Taichung. We briefly exchanged stories and planned to meet up in Beijing. Beijing is a huge city and was a bit overwhelming for me at times. After being mislead at the airport, we ditched the bus plan into town and took an expensive cab rid, instead. However, our hostel was conveniently located next to a huge train and subway stations, and near lots of traffic and hustle and bustle. Our room overlooked all of the action and it felt like being back in Taichung, with loads of horns honking, people yelling and constant noise. Ahhh...
I've been fighting an ongoing cold, so some days not as active as Si. I try to have a few days off here and there to rest up and stay out of the air pollution. As busy as Beijing is, it's a fascinating place. Everywhere you look, the construction, planning and preparation for the Beijing Olympics is in full swing. One tour guide told us that an estimated 10 million people have come to the city from other towns and provinces to help with the construction and building of new hotels, restaurants, statudims and more. Along side each of these major construction sites are makeshift apartment builings, built out of temporary siding, just like the trailers you see at construction sites in the US, but these buildings are 2-3 stories tall, and full of male workers who have temporarily moved to Beijing.
One thing that I have loved is the appearances of people in China. After living in Taiwan, where people are so cautious about their skin aging in the skin and just aging in general, as well as Japan, where appearances are very important (lots of make-up, high fashion, etc.) China is completely different. Yes, people are concerned with their appearances, but you it's very common to see men and women with rich wrinkles in their faces. Each line represents a different experience, memory and lesson. The people here look so interesting and unique. It's really beautiful.
Summer Palace
In Beijing, we took the subway system everywhere, which was easy and fun. Not as quick and organized as Tokyo, but for 3 yuan ($0.38 USD) to any destination, it was a cheap way to travel. We met up with our friend Matt and visited the Summer Palace one day. The Summer Palace was the location at the Emperor's ran away to during the hot summer months. In addition to a beautiful lake, the palace had huge temples, corridors and mazes of smaller buildings, homes, and theaters. We visited in the afternoon and were blessed with witnessing an amazing sunset. We also climbed huge steps to the Temple of Incense (although strangely, no incense was burning) and saw a tall and gorgeous Buddha overlooking the entire palace landscape.
Great Wall
A few days later we climbed the Great Wall! We joined a tour that drove us to the Great Wall site, where we hiked to the actual wall, then walked/climbed/hiked along the wall for a total of 10K. It was amazing. The landscape surrounding the Wall is massive, gorgeous and never-ending, with hills and mountains that go as far as the eye can see with huge cloud covers shadowing the landscapes. Surprisingly, there were many cherry blossom trees growing all over the landscapes as well. So, from the top of the huge guard towers, our views were peppered with delicate puffs of pink. In the first part of our journey, we ventured up parts of the wall that were left in the it's old fashion. The steps reminded me of Angkor Watt, as they were steep, a bit unstable and I didn't bother looking down or stopping until I reached the top. Just keep going, Girl!
As our journey continued, the wall changed and more modern parts became visible where renovations have taken place. Also, along the way we were met with ticket takers and people selling us things. Traveling up that wall each day to sell water, beer and cola is quite a feat! The beverage sellers are truly dedicated business men. Along the way, we also had intersting chats with other tourists on the tour. We finished our journey by having lunch with a guy named Fred from Oakland. He and I had some fun chats about my old neighborhood Fruitvale in Oakland. His dry sense of humor and travel stories were really fun.
Xi'an
Itching to leave the big cit of Beijing, Simon and I booked tickets to Xi'an. We underestimated our travel time to the train station with our packs and rush hour traffic and missed our train. So, we sorted out travel on the next train, but did not have any seats. Climbing on the train, we wedged our backpacks in a little hall way, across from the bathroom and the smoking area on the train... for 11 hours. We sat on our backpacks with another Chinese guy who also didn't have a seat. Quite a few people didn't have seats and dynamics of this experience were somewhat interesting, but overall pretty uncomfortable. This was undoubtedly the worst travel experience I have encountered so far. As the night wore on, with a sore back and cramped legs, we made the best of it all. People without seats layed newspapers on the floor and slept there. (As a side note, China is dirty, more dirty than Taiwan and the ground is pretty disgusting. People spit and blow their noses on the ground all the time and with so many people populating this country, well, it's just pretty gross.) Simon through it all remained upbeat and positive, which was my saving grace. The best part of the journey was not smelling the icky bathroom because of all of the cigarette smoke. Needless to say, I was SO HAPPY to get to Xi'an.
In Xi'an, we stayed at a wonderful hostel, centrally located and with a beautiful view of the Bell Tower, which is a beautiful landmark in the city, surrounded by beautiful flowers in rows of yellow, purple and pink, as well as lots of traffic, as it's a big round-about for cars. Every morning, we woke to the sounds of beeping horns, music playing from the Bell Tower and employees lined up outside stores chanting and practicing their greetings to customers. While in Xi'an, again, we met up with our friend Matt and made some new friends, too.
We also saw the Terracotta Warriors, which was really cool. 2000 years ago, Emperor Xin decided that in addition to building the Great Wall, he wanted an entire army constructed underground so that his soul could live on after he died. The vastness of the entire army is really overwhelming and interesting. The detail that went into planning and building the army is specific, intricate and well-thought out with horse carriages, soldiers of various ranks, etc. Equally impressive are the tourists that flock to see these warriors. I heard languages from all over the world.
After the hustle and bustle of Beijing, Xi'an was wonderfully smaller, less intense and I felt a bit less targeted as a tourist. Well, truth be told, I can get by looking like a local, until I open my mouth, but Simon usually blows my cover. Sometimes I can even get a local price without opening my mouth, but once my attempt at Chinese escapes my lips, the cat is out of the bag. :) Xi'an has a Muslim neighborhood, where the food is delicious, cheap and fast. We dined on delicious hot pot, various bbqs and soups. Yum!
Chengdu
After Xi'an we took a night train (and made the train this time-yay!) to Chengdu. Here we stayed in a really cool, fairly new hostel. It's called The Loft and is modeled after new-old lofts that you would find in New York. We took one night away from the city and ventured to Leshan, where we saw the largest Buddha in the world. He sits at 71 meters (over 232 ft) and is surrounded by a huge park, that over looks a river and is filled with numerous other buddha statues, temples and paths. We spent an entire day there and it was so beautiful.
The food in Chengdu is super duper spicy. Located in the Sichuan province, it's famous for it's spice. I like spicy food, but this level of spice is of a different league. Simon and I were good sports the first few days, but eventually had to have no-spice dishes (bu yao la) just to have a little break. Oy! My travels with Si have temporarily ended until June as I left Chengdu yesterday.
Kathmandu
I've safely landed in Kathmandu, Nepal after a layover in Lhasa, Tibet. The view from my window seat of the plane as we landed was jaw droppingly gorgeous, as the mountain ranges continued for as long as the eye could see. I was very impressed and so were the several Chinese tourists who came in kissing distance to me, to get a good picture. I was a good sport for the first few people, but eventually had to take my personal space back, as I felt a bit trapped. Chinese people never pass up an opportunity to get a good picture!
Hope you are all well! Lots of love from Nepal!
22.4.07
4.4.07
Konichiwa!
After a tearful flight from Taiwan, I was quickly distracted by a mediocre China Airlines meal and a re-run of `Will and Grace`. Not trying to minimize my emotions about leaving Taiwan, just needed some comic relief and gay people trying to live certain parts of a heterosexual ｌｉｆｅｓｔｙｌｅ, was just what I needed.
We arrived in Osaka and Simon`s friend, Michiyo met us as soon as Simon`s friend, Michiyo met us as soon as Immigration gave us their glowing approval. Michiyo first visited New Zealand when she was a teenager at a homestay with Simon`s family. She has since visited Kiwi-land numerous times and is a good friend of the family. She welcomed us into her home, which was lovely. She teaches English from her home and we stayed in her classroom, which felt just like home, really. Nodding off to sleep, while staring at posters of common phrases like `how are you?` and `don`t worry, be happy` phrases like `how are you?` and `don`t worry, be happy` made me feel like I never left Taichung, or teaching English.
Each morning, Michiyo made us a delicious breakfast of eggs, rice, miso soup, tea and this of and this morning, as a special treat, she made barazushi, which is a rice dish tea and this morning, as a special treat, she made barazushi, which is a rice dish seasonsed with rice vinegar, sugar, sake and all sorts of treats mixed in like veggies, nori (seaweed), eggs, etc. Yum! In addition, she packed us a lunch for our bullet train ride to Tokyo. She is so sweet!
On Monday, we visited the Osaka Castle and it Monday, we visited the Osaka Castle and it was really amazing. 8 floors of artifacts such as swords, armor and decorations dating back over 400 years ago, when Hideyoshi ruled. At the top of the tower, we saw beautiful views of the city. Luckily, we are visiting during cherry blossom season. All through out each town we`ve visited, delicately pink colored trees peek out from behind buildings and hover above you gently while whispering sweet nothings. The cherry blossom tree， or sakura is my most favorite tree and I feel so blessed to experience Japan during this season.
MICHIYO`s son, Kazu, is an adorable, typical, 15-year old boy. an adorable, typical, 15-year old boy. He came with us to the castle, but having seen the museum before, quietly found a bench to sit on each floor and texted his friends. I think teens are the same around the world. Cool, calm, collected and completely bored with our adult lives. He was a great sport, though! I gave him lots of opportunities to practice his English, too.
Later that afternoon, after Kazu left us, we went to Nara and ran right into a campaign effort by a local politician. An olympic ski athlete was helping in the campaign efforts and they marched up the thin streets with the other workers, all wearing bright orange jackets, greeting people along the way, gleeful with the other workers, gleefully shouting out encouragement to vote for this guy. It was sweet to see the candidate shaking hands with the elder citizens and shopowners. Nara has a huge park full with the elder citizens and shopowners. Nara has a huge park full of `wild‘ dｅｅｒ that can be fed with crackers for sale. I enjoyed the experience, but felt that the wildlife got a little too close for comfort. The deer literally hang out near the cracker stands waiting to be fed. However, the park department cuts off their antlers so they`re not a danger to people. Of course, I attracted the cute baby deer, who was quickly scared away by the scary, mean, old male deer, not to be confused with the mentally challenged deer who kept bobbing his head around like Ray Charles. Ah, nature..
Yesterday, we ｖｅｎｔｕｒｅｄ into Kyoto. Let me just say that I am in love with the train systems here in Japan. They are complicated with their many intricate, various lines, yet clean, efficient and fast. We puchased a Japan rail pass prior to leaving Taiwan, which gives us unlimited rides on all JR lines for ７ days. The Kyoto station is huge, modern looking and very cool. Michiyo, Simon and I rushed to the station and met up with my Mom. My mother, uncle, aunt and cousin are on a trip through China and Japan and our travel paths aligned, which is great. It`s been so fun to see them!
We spent the rest of the day eating (Japanese food is nummy), touring the Nijo temple and just catching up. They`ve had so much to share with me about our family`s history that they learned of in Hiroshima, the Kubo side and other experiences through out their travels.
This morning, we took the bullet train, Shinkansen from Osaka to Tokyo. The train is very spacious in travel space, super quiet (both on and off the train), very clean and so fast. We arrived to Tokyo in just 3 hours. Tokyo is massive and it`s been raining lots, so we`ve been spending a few quiet Tokyo is massive and it`s been raining lots, so we`ve been spending a few quiet hours indoors, which is nice. Tomorrow, we`re hitting up all embassies of countries we`d like to visit in the next few months. More soon!
We arrived in Osaka and Simon`s friend, Michiyo met us as soon as Simon`s friend, Michiyo met us as soon as Immigration gave us their glowing approval. Michiyo first visited New Zealand when she was a teenager at a homestay with Simon`s family. She has since visited Kiwi-land numerous times and is a good friend of the family. She welcomed us into her home, which was lovely. She teaches English from her home and we stayed in her classroom, which felt just like home, really. Nodding off to sleep, while staring at posters of common phrases like `how are you?` and `don`t worry, be happy` phrases like `how are you?` and `don`t worry, be happy` made me feel like I never left Taichung, or teaching English.
Each morning, Michiyo made us a delicious breakfast of eggs, rice, miso soup, tea and this of and this morning, as a special treat, she made barazushi, which is a rice dish tea and this morning, as a special treat, she made barazushi, which is a rice dish seasonsed with rice vinegar, sugar, sake and all sorts of treats mixed in like veggies, nori (seaweed), eggs, etc. Yum! In addition, she packed us a lunch for our bullet train ride to Tokyo. She is so sweet!
On Monday, we visited the Osaka Castle and it Monday, we visited the Osaka Castle and it was really amazing. 8 floors of artifacts such as swords, armor and decorations dating back over 400 years ago, when Hideyoshi ruled. At the top of the tower, we saw beautiful views of the city. Luckily, we are visiting during cherry blossom season. All through out each town we`ve visited, delicately pink colored trees peek out from behind buildings and hover above you gently while whispering sweet nothings. The cherry blossom tree， or sakura is my most favorite tree and I feel so blessed to experience Japan during this season.
MICHIYO`s son, Kazu, is an adorable, typical, 15-year old boy. an adorable, typical, 15-year old boy. He came with us to the castle, but having seen the museum before, quietly found a bench to sit on each floor and texted his friends. I think teens are the same around the world. Cool, calm, collected and completely bored with our adult lives. He was a great sport, though! I gave him lots of opportunities to practice his English, too.
Later that afternoon, after Kazu left us, we went to Nara and ran right into a campaign effort by a local politician. An olympic ski athlete was helping in the campaign efforts and they marched up the thin streets with the other workers, all wearing bright orange jackets, greeting people along the way, gleeful with the other workers, gleefully shouting out encouragement to vote for this guy. It was sweet to see the candidate shaking hands with the elder citizens and shopowners. Nara has a huge park full with the elder citizens and shopowners. Nara has a huge park full of `wild‘ dｅｅｒ that can be fed with crackers for sale. I enjoyed the experience, but felt that the wildlife got a little too close for comfort. The deer literally hang out near the cracker stands waiting to be fed. However, the park department cuts off their antlers so they`re not a danger to people. Of course, I attracted the cute baby deer, who was quickly scared away by the scary, mean, old male deer, not to be confused with the mentally challenged deer who kept bobbing his head around like Ray Charles. Ah, nature..
Yesterday, we ｖｅｎｔｕｒｅｄ into Kyoto. Let me just say that I am in love with the train systems here in Japan. They are complicated with their many intricate, various lines, yet clean, efficient and fast. We puchased a Japan rail pass prior to leaving Taiwan, which gives us unlimited rides on all JR lines for ７ days. The Kyoto station is huge, modern looking and very cool. Michiyo, Simon and I rushed to the station and met up with my Mom. My mother, uncle, aunt and cousin are on a trip through China and Japan and our travel paths aligned, which is great. It`s been so fun to see them!
We spent the rest of the day eating (Japanese food is nummy), touring the Nijo temple and just catching up. They`ve had so much to share with me about our family`s history that they learned of in Hiroshima, the Kubo side and other experiences through out their travels.
This morning, we took the bullet train, Shinkansen from Osaka to Tokyo. The train is very spacious in travel space, super quiet (both on and off the train), very clean and so fast. We arrived to Tokyo in just 3 hours. Tokyo is massive and it`s been raining lots, so we`ve been spending a few quiet Tokyo is massive and it`s been raining lots, so we`ve been spending a few quiet hours indoors, which is nice. Tomorrow, we`re hitting up all embassies of countries we`d like to visit in the next few months. More soon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)