Ri's Adventures Abroad

Aaaaaand We're back!

2011-09-07T09:00:00.003-04:00

Ok, so the video is a little long (what can I say, we babble) so here is a brief summary if you're interested:
We went to St. Louis and did lots of fun stuff.
There were birds doing funny things too.
We sent in our applications and are in the process of getting ready (officially!) to go to South Korea.

Soooo I think this is going to be where my blog ends. I believe Geoff and I will start setting up a new blog together that we'll post on to keep you all updated. We plan to start traveling in December at some point, and we'll be in Korea in February. I'll post on here when we have our url so you can all follow it and read up on our exciting adventures in Asia!!

Happy Mardi Gras!!

2011-03-09T19:04:00.002-05:00

A day late. happy ash wednesday? I had to explain what Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday were to my Muslim co-worker... it was pretty funny. "Well, there's 40 days of Lent, and you have to be good then, well, like, extra good, more good than you usually are, because you're not trying to be a bad person all the other times. Anyways, you have to do extra stuff like give to the poor and not curse and things like that, and so, that starts tomorrow, so today, everybody does all the bad stuff, like drink and party and eat lots and lots so that tomorrow we can be good."
I don't think I did a good job.
anyways, enjoy a video from me:

Thanks!!

2011-02-02T10:41:00.002-05:00

Hello friends and fam,
Wanted to say thank you to all the advice--I got quite a bit from you, and I do sooo appreciate it.
Howevs, Another factor came along and messed up plans (I shouldn't say messed up, cuz it's good news)... Geoff got hired on full time + PTO + Benefits, so it looks like we'll be stickin around til next August. This gives him plenty of time to store up some moolah for travel, and then I can complete my masters here on campus. I'm not gonna pretend like I'm totally happy, but I am rather happy. (As long as I can find a way to travel... I'm working on it with my director...) We're gonna go sign a lease for next year this coming week.... so, friends, fam, love me while you got me. =)

Also, boooooo to winter weather, but here's a couple of pretty pictures from mine and Geoff's walk last night:

A message from thoughtful, impatient Mariah

2011-01-26T22:11:00.002-05:00

Here's a Mariah that's not insane and bouncing off the walls--ENJOY! it won't last...

2011-01-15T19:20:00.004-05:00

Big News of Today:
I applied at a couple of overseas teaching websites... maybe they'll find us some placements... wooo!! exciting!!!

This week I started school again. Only two classes this semester but they're bound to keep me busy. One is taught by the former dean of the school of ed. Ruh roh... I think he has high expectations of us all and was unimpressed by me because he didn't understand my focus. Whatevs.

We went to butchering last weekend. Geoff had a blast, of course. At the end of the day he couldn't stop talking about it, "We got to do this, and I saw them do this, and they let me do this!" It was pretty funny.

We plan to stay up in Btown for a lot of this semester, mostly because we have been away from Bloomington nearly every weekend since we started dating. Can't tell you how nice it was to go out dancing last night and wake up in MY BED this morning (instead of a relative's in St. Louis or Dale).

On a side note:I know it's fun to play in the snow, but can it stop now plz? kthxbai.

PS: Dear Dom, I posted your package to Ukraine, and the same day, met a Ukrainian woman (Marya) at an evening event. Sign I should come visit you, don't you think? bisous.

Winter Break Has Come and Gone

2011-01-03T20:13:00.003-05:00

Christmas from my back porch

Wow, time flies! The break was great, but busy. I'm sorry to warn everyone who got to see a lot of us over break that Geoff and I do not plan to travel so much in the new year... I feel like I never get a night at home!

We spent Christmas evening in Dale, Boxing Day with Tempels and at Emma's birthday party; we had a Christmas exchange on the 29th as well. This week we helped Dana move and broke in our new Quelf game. Playing Quelf, this is the kind of thing you get up to. There were more exciting pictures, but you'll just have to come visit us and play it to see mwahahahahaha.

We went to St. Louis for New Years, where I got to meet Geoff's friends Sarah and Kevin and . We also went to the City Museum which was soooo awesome! It was like a children's museum for adults and I went down a seven story slide and got about five bruises and a black eye but it was AWESOME. Just my style.

Me opening a giant safe at the City Museum

"The monstrosity" outside--giant playground. They even have a ballpit for adults, and we got to roast marshmallows as well as climb up in that giant plane.

Happy 2011 to everyone, I hope you have a great year ahead! Remember to keep in touch please =)

I won't be home for Christmas

2010-12-21T16:45:00.004-05:00

Hello friends and family!
I'm done with the semester! And so far it's looking like A's... yay!
Geoff's family's Christmas party was a lot of fun--getting to meet the family was great, but exhausting.
I had a great weekend this past weekend--it was my cousin Alicia's wedding! It was absolutely beautiful and I only cried once =) It was awesome to see family, which includes my cousin Vince who is home for a couple of weeks from CO, and my pop who came to have breakfast with us on Sunday. Plus, I met up with KYM!!! who was home for the weekend. I kinda attacked her when I saw her, but it's alright, she made it through.
It was a very pancake-y weekend, as we had orange-ricotta pancakes Saturday for breakfast (thanks, Lucy!), cinnamon-oatmeal pancakes for breakfast on Sunday (thanks again, Lucy!) and then we went to a meditation/Dutch pancake pile-up on Sunday evening (thanks, Aryan!) which included gouda pancakes (I had like 3, which is a LOT for me). The meditation was awesome as well.
Thursday we had a going away par-tay for Shannon down here in Btown. It was a blast with some of my favorite people =) Monday night we had a very not fun time driving up to have a very fun time at a different, New York-themed going away party for Shan (I was "the Big Apple"). There were lots of peeps and some good foods and awesome decorations. I don't like the idea of not being able to see my Shan whenever I want, but she's off to work for a biiiig company in Connecticut and be awesome at her job, so no one can really complain.

Geoff, me, Stephen, Ben, Shan, and Dana. We have matching shirts for the occasion. =)

My car also rolled over to 100,000 miles this weekend... wooooohoooooo!

I have to tell friends and fam I won't be coming home for Christmas this year... It's gonna be nice having some time to myself, but I'm begging you, please don't worry about me, and please don't try to make me feel like I have to come home. Thanks! So Happy Christmas to all, and I'm sending out all the Love I have to each of you reading this. MWAH!

December is COLD.

2010-12-07T22:51:00.002-05:00

SORRY!!! I know it's been a while...

2010-11-24T22:38:00.004-05:00

OK, so...
I've been gone for a long while because I've been too busy hating school with all of my might. It takes a lot of energy, you'd be surprised. School is the bane of my existence, and I'm soooooo done with it at the mo. I'll only be taking two classes next semester because I actually want to not die of stress related diseases and because I want to do things that actually matter in life (read: anything but school). Only three more papers to write, one of which has to be done by the end of Thanksgiving break, so.... eeks.

Work has been awesome as always. Babies! I love em. Only problem was (not a problem if it weren't for sucky school) I had to work a full-time week the first week of November, which put me way behind in schoolwork. Just gave up on some of it... is this a good thing or a bad thing for Mariah? No one knows.... serves me right to get a B on a report card, after I've ruined so many curves. I'm prepared..... come get me, Karma! I love my babies, and it's another reason to only take two classes next semester. Bam.

I took a trip to St. Louis the other weekend, met Geoff's parents, went on a tour of the Anheuser Busch factory, etc. We went shopping too, to Teavana and Lush, OMG. I spent waaaaaaaaaay too much money. But now I have sooo much tea and plenty of soap for like the next three years. YES.

Last weekend was Dana's bday. Just throwin that out there because she's my bestie. and she's awesome. and you all should love her because I do.

Now to Turkey Day. I can't wait to see the fam tomorrow, we've got a day at cMoe planned and an evening at the circus. Hopefully I'll have time to post in the midst of writing those last three papers... xxx to all of you readers. MWAH.

Photos:Geoff at the mall with the giant Christmas tree. And the funny lookin' deer.

My way-too-much-money-in-tea-and-soap bags

This was on the Busch factory tour. I'm always a photo opportunity, come on.

Novermberm time

2010-11-05T11:32:00.002-04:00

I did not vote, just to put my voice out there. I don't have TV, and therefore had no idea who to vote for because I didn't see any incriminating ads.

I officially have a boyfriend. it's exciting times because we actually are right for each other. and we're planning a trip to Peru for next summer to volunteer. w00t.

Kym, comments on your blog posts are coming soon.

And now, brought to you by a good nights sleep and dark chocolate reeses....

Time for breathing would be good...

2010-10-24T16:10:00.002-04:00

Just want to update everyone, it's busy. BUSY.
I'll be busy this week because
a) I have work. I have extra hours of work for like the next three weeks. I'd be excited about it if I needed extra money, but really I'd rather have extra time =/
b) I have school. School is busy this week, with extra reading, a paper to comment on and return to my professor, and a leadership role in one of my discussions. Ach. Plus, paper drafts are coming up fast, eek.
c) It's Halloween, banshees and ghouls! I can't wait. Halloween parties, Rocky Horror, pumpkin carving... it's gonna be amazing. THERE IS NO RIAH, ONLY ZUUL.
d) I'll tell everyone that I have a friend who's taking up quite a bit of my time. He's kinda awesome. Hopefully y'all will meet him sometime, that's how cool he is. mariah = happy.

That's it for now, hopefully I'll do a vid post later this week. xoxox kids.

The week of Danser

2010-10-17T23:26:00.001-04:00

PS--I dyed my hair, if you didn't notice.

Friends...friends...friends...friends... (<--harry potter reference, that one is!)

2010-10-14T20:21:00.003-04:00

So I just have to share with you guys a few things I'm very very very grateful for today.

First of all, the thing that prompted this post, is my job. I sit at work all afternoon, playing and singing and rocking babies to sleep and wonder at how lucky I am to have the job I do. I know a lot of people say "I don't understand how you do it--I would drop one of them or strangle them for crying to much" etc., but for me, this is pure happiness and therapy and I get paid for it. I can't believe how awesome it is.

Second, I hang out with the coolest friggin' people on the face of the earth. I don't know who reads this blog, I have no way to tell, and mainly Kym is the only one who comments, but here is a short list (in no order whatsoever) of people who honest to god make my day every time I'm with them:
Dana
Lucy
Ben
Kym
Joel
Stephen
Geoff
Dom
Chelsea
Shannon
Whitney
These peeps are awesome, especially since at least 4 of them are like halfway around the world most of the time and they are still this important to me. Also, if you aren't on here, it doesn't mean I don't love you... maybe it means you should hang out with me more often!

Third, my cousin Christine had a baby, and everyone is healthy. Thanks be!

Lastly, I dyed my hair today, and I was just thinking of Nepal... How god-awful it would have been to dye it and have to rinse my hair with COLD water! Ach! Thank you, America, for being a rich-ass country, even though I'm not a fan of that most of the time. Yay for hot showers!

Renaissanceing

2010-10-10T10:43:00.004-04:00

Renaissanceing would be quite odd, now that I write that word. Re-birthing? Ew.

Anyways, Last Saturday, April, Marisa, Amanda, Lance and I went to the Renaissance Faire up in Fishers, Indiana. We had a blast. Well, overstatement... I had a blast, everyone else was miserable because it was rainy and cold; I said "period be damned" and used my umbrella. We looked at all the shops, bought some perfume, tried some wine, and I watched the Battle Royale at the end of the day. A quick overview:

*-*I fell for the Fool. S/he was awesome. I couldn't tell the sex, but Amanda said the fools were supposed to be androgynous. Ha.

*-*A man gave me a rose. I lost it.

*-* I gave up being a vegetarian for the day and ate me some turkey. I had a giant turkey leg!! It was delicious. I'm not quite sure how I fit it into my corset, but I did.

*-* Marisa, April and I had a free spiritual reading done. It was pretty cool. I was happy that day, and I was all excited about the ren faire and the spiritual reading, and the lady looks at me and says, "You have a great sadness in your eyes, and I can see that it's been a very difficult time for you. But I pray that the Creator will shine light on your path." I was like, oh wow, that's cool, but dammit! I was trying to look happy! Rar.

So that was the day at the Fishers RenFaire. Enjoy a picture of me and April's outfits =)

yeahhhh,....no.

2010-10-07T11:19:00.001-04:00

Surprises!

2010-10-06T18:09:00.000-04:00

Enjoy this Vlog, brought to you by... um, well, me.

2010-10-05T21:15:00.001-04:00

Best thing so far from my philosophy class...

2010-10-04T19:29:00.003-04:00

HOME
by Friedrich Hoederlin

Content the boatman turns to the river's calm
From distant isles, his harvest all gathered in;
So too would I go home now, had I
Reaped as much wealth as I've gathered sorrow.

Dear river-banks that reared me and taught me once,
Do you allay love's sufferings, promise me,
You forests of my childhood, should I
Come to you now, the same peace as ever?

Where by the stream, the cool, I saw wavelets play
And on the river's meadow watched boats glide past,
There soon I'll be; you long-loved mountains,
Once my protectors, and still the homeland's

Revered and certain frontiers, my mother's house,
Embrace of loving brother and sister there
I'll welcome soon, and you'll enclose me,
Healing my heart like a gentle bandage,

You ever loyal ones; but I know, I know,
This grief, the grief of love, will be slow to heal,
Of this no lullaby that mortals
Chant to give comfort will now relieve me.

For they who lend us heavenly light and fire,
The gods, with holy sorrow endow us too.
So be it, then. A son of Earth I
Seem; and was fashioned to love, to suffer.

More posts soon... including a RenFaire one!

Productivity, I choose you!

2010-09-29T09:34:00.002-04:00

It's super-effective!

So It Goes.

2010-09-27T21:36:00.008-04:00

This is a post about Kurt Vonnegut. Unfortunately for me, I have only read 3.5 (Slaughterhouse-Five, Breakfast of Champions, Jailbird, Bluebeard) of his novels. He is phenomenal, and if I may say so, the best American novelist of recent times. Granted, I don't get to read much anymore, but when I happened upon Vonnegut last year in Nepal, I facepalmed and asked myself why I had not read him before.
I have been thinking about Vonnegut because I took out three books of his from our library, and only read half of one before running out of time and renewals because I have too much reading on stupid linguistics to do. I also think of him every time I go to Indy (where he grew up), which I did yesterday. He is not buried there. So it goes.
Here are some quotes. They do not do him justice. I cannot do him justice except to say he's one of the three poets of my soul. Read a book, read a couple, and then tell me he's no good.

"Many people need desperately to receive this message: 'I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.'" --from Timequake

"They had no musical instruments on Vicuna, he said, since the people themselves were music when they floated around without their bodies. Clarinets and harps and pianos and so on would have been redundant, would have been machinery for making clumsy counterfeits of airborne souls." --from Jailbird

"New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on earth. The more truth we have to work with, the richer we become." -- from Breakfast of Champions

"To be
the eyes
and ears
and conscience
of the Creator of the Universe,
you fool."
--from Breakfast of Champions, in response to the question "What is the purpose of life?"

And from books I haven't read and just random quotes found from the internet:
"Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward."

"Human beings will be happier - not when they cure cancer or get to Mars or eliminate racial prejudice or flush Lake Erie but when they find ways to inhabit primitive communities again. That's my utopia."

"A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved." --from The Sirens of Titan

Happy Birthday

2010-09-26T22:13:00.005-04:00

To my Grandma Gayle! She would have been 84 today, but that is a wee bit old, isn't it? To celebrate, I was lucky enough to catch a ride up to Indy with my Pop, my Aunt Carin, and my Uncle Charlie. We went to Crown Hill Cemetery to visit her memorial stone.

I love love love love cemeteries. There's something so serene about being in a cemetery; it's where there cannot be a doubt in your mind that no matter how good or bad things seem now, someday they will be OK, you will be content and at rest and at peace. So for now, you might as well enjoy what you've got, right? You are alive, and someday you will not be... for me that's such a comfort! One should love what he has, whether it's happy or sad, whether he's young and healthy or old and not so-much-so anymore, whether he is alive or dead. The idea of returning into the fabric of the universe is such a peaceful one for me that I can only find solace in the arms of so many who already have. Impermanence is such a precious lesson.

I know that when we die our souls go back into everything that is, and so it always surprises me that I feel so comforted being close to the remains of loved ones. I was so happy today to find out that Grandma Gayle's ashes are buried in the area of her memorial stone... and I'm always excited about going to Dale just to sit next to Mom: Even though I know she's not really there, a part of her is, and that part was essential to her being when she was here. Now reading about the idea of entanglement in quantum physics, I can't help but believe that her remains still have a positive effect on me being close, and vice versa.

Here's a picture or two of my Grandma's memorial, and one of the cemetery, which is the third-largest non-governmented cemetery in the country.

My grandma's stone.

The area where she's buried. If you can't read, the monument says, "Dedicated to those persons of good will who have bequeathed their bodies for the advancement of medical science."

Crown Hill Cemetery.

Philosophy? Yeah, no, I've never been that high...

2010-09-24T20:25:00.002-04:00

Ok, so, someone want to explain this to me? No? Because it's impossible? Oh, ok, thanks for letting me know... I only have to read 70 pages of this by Monday. No worries.

Kant gives what he calls a 'transcendental exposition' of both space and time. 'By a transcendental exposition I understand the explanation of a conception as a principle from which the possibility of other synthetic a priori cognitions can be discerned. For this purpose it is required, first that such cognitions do really flow from the given conception, and secondly that these cognitions are possible only on the presupposition of a given way of explaining this conception. In his transcendental exposition of time Kant does not tell us very much beyond the facts, first that the concept of change, and with it the concept of motion (considered as change of place), is possible only in and through the representation of time, and secondly that we cannot explain the synthetic a priori cognition exhibited in the general doctrine of motion except on the presupposition that time is an a priori intuition. When treating of space, however, he speaks at some length of mathematics, in particular of geometry. And his general thesis is that the possibility of mathematical knowledge, which is synthetic a priori in character, can be explained only on the theory that space and time are pure a priori intuitions.

Everybody's Workin' for the Weekend... including me.

2010-09-24T10:05:00.002-04:00

Sorry about the loud noises at the beginning, apparently I'm supersonic when I move.

rargh

2010-09-20T01:26:00.004-04:00

I really wish that my life could always be like this:

But sometimes, it's really like this:

However, I had a great evening tonight during which I just chilled with my friend Geoff, who's pretty dang awesome... and Geoff asked me at one point in the evening, "What's the meaning of life?" and I said something to the effect of how I thought it was dumb that people always say stuff like happiness and finding love and success and comfort and all those things. I said I thought the meaning of life was to live it, to experience it, and be content no matter what experiences you have the pleasure to be a part of, and no matter those that you are forced to face even when you don't want to. So I guess I can just stick my foot in my mouth and deal, eh? Deep breaths and acceptance....

I activate in the light of the full moon as well.

2010-09-19T13:24:00.003-04:00

Shaman Juice.

From the crack fox. Enjoy.

OH YEAH

2010-09-16T10:18:00.001-04:00

I forgot to talk about my dream. here ya go.

Not a newsworthy week

2010-09-16T10:09:00.002-04:00

Aaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllll better.

2010-09-14T23:49:00.002-04:00

So I was gonna post pictures showing how my tonsils looked this past week, and how they look now, but turns out, tonsils look disgusting no matter how healthy you are. DON'T google "tonsils" or even "healthy tonsils". GROSS.

anyways--- NO LONGER SICK!!! Yay!!!

Here's a picture of kitties and rainbows to get all of that tonsil grossness out of your head, and to celebrate my wellness:

My Moste Potente Evil Crush

2010-09-13T20:44:00.001-04:00

Damn, homeboy makes a suit look good.
Heeere, Ralphy Ralphy Ralphy....

Lucky Us.

2010-09-13T17:07:00.002-04:00

This post is for my many friends who are traveling overseas for their first extended period of time.
I have been to a fair few places, but one thing I've noticed is that no matter where I go, and how much I love it, and how beautiful it may be, I can never forget how lucky I am to know Southern Indiana. I realized when I was overseas, that yes, there were some really gorgeous places, both vista-wise and culturally. But don't forget the beauty of your home, wherever home is.
My favorite time of year here is autumn. I love driving with the windows down at dusk, the smell of harvested corn so strong, and it matches perfectly with the twilight--that smell that's like a phantom, so soft and earthy. The sun colors the sky orange in the west, but the tiniest sliver of a moon hangs in the blue part of the sky, with Venus keeping close beside. You drive by fields of cows and fields of corn, the light brown, tan, timid yellow stalks blending beautifully with the green trees beyond, some of which have already begun to change to red and orange; the fields slope into hills and rivers... Southern Indiana is a serpentine treat.
Coming back to this part of the States surprises me only sometimes with its beauty. It isn't hard to forget, so keep it dear, and remember where you come from. I'm not saying you have to come back, just realize that while the other places might be nice, the place you came from isn't just beautiful because of your memories of it. It actually is that amazing, serene, and whole.

Thanks to Jasmine, because I came down for her going away party and got to drive back to Btown through the country during sunset. <3

Things to do instead of writing a paper

2010-09-11T14:07:00.002-04:00

Read Vonnegut

Meditate (it's an option... not that I actually did it)

Skype

Clean my car. and my room. and my bathroom (I desperately don't want to write this paper)

Eat snack size Kit Kats til I get sick

Go to Jasmine's going away party

Plan my outfit for going out tonight

Drink tea

Do laundry

Discover my next painting

Shave my legs

Gargle salt water

Anything that doesn't require thinking about linguistics.

Week 2.2 (that's how I label my notes for my online course discussions)

2010-09-09T21:17:00.002-04:00

I forgot to say I love you to my family. I'm not coming to see you this weekend probably, but I LOVE YOU! I PROMISE.

My first VLog!

2010-09-06T18:51:00.002-04:00

SCHOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!

2010-08-31T20:55:00.004-04:00

Ok, so since Kym is amazing at her blog, I feel the pressure rising. I'm gonna start trying to blog like twice a week or something. This is going to be difficult. I am craaazaaay busy.

1) I have three courses. boring, lame, right? But apparently grad school is harder than undergrad, who knew? Lots of reading. LOTS. I'm taking two classes on literacy/linguistics, and then one called "foundations of educational inquiry"... Sounds like how to do studies on educational practices and how to research stuff and find solutions and whatever, right? But no, it's all about philosophy. Which is, very surprisingly, pretty cool.

2) I have a job interview tomorrow. I might have a job. Less time. But more money, since there hasn't been any of that for the past two months. Three months? ew.

3) Apparently I'm a popular kid and people want to hang out with me. I wish this would have happened in high school when I actually wanted to be popular. Now I love my friends, and my family, and I totes want to spend time with y'all. But sometimes I can't even take your phone calls. I WANT TO. I JUST CAN'T.

4) I'm starting a meditation program next week. I'm doing it on my own, but hopefully this will not keep it from actually happening. I'm gonna force myself. It's gonna feel sooooo gooooooood. (o)mmmmmmmmmm....

Ok, so here are some photos from the past several weeks, so you can enjoy the fun times I had before school started and I got responsibilities again.

At the Strassenfest... How adorable are these folks?

I got a tattoo.

I jumped in the Showalter fountain.

And I had a bday party for Sean Connery. Included martinis for the first time ever. They were absolutely disgusting. but make for cute photos. His cake is below.

Wow, long time no post

2010-08-19T15:53:00.003-04:00

I am now in Bloomington, moved into a lovely condo with a lovely gal named April. I have been spending lotsa time with friends, lotsa time with family, and lotsa time trying to figure out my class schedule which has been an unfortunately complex process.

I'll be enrolled in only two classes this semester, was supposed to be three but for some reason that's not working out in Mariah-land. Must mean I need to get a job?

I got my library card. I've been volunteering at the Buddhist temple in town. I've been reading from time to time, and going out with old friends and new quite a bit... Oh, Btown bars, I love you best when there aren't dumb college kids overflowing your depths. I've been painting too, I guess--let me know if you want to buy a pretty painting!

That is all my news, it's unfortunately so little for so long of a month (and a half). I will try to start posting more regularly once the school year begins!

Back in Indiana

2010-07-05T01:08:00.002-04:00

So, the last couple of weeks have been a little cray-cray. I will put pictures up sometime, but not right now. Low down:
1. Pop came, and we had a lot of fun. He helped me pack everything up, and starting on Monday we journeyed across the States, through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, etc. It was a beautiful, and luckily, uneventful drive.
2. Things went to SHIZZ with Patrick. It's been bad. =( That's what you get for underestimating people's ability to hide from the truth. I'm far away now. =)
3. Grandma Tempel died. It was expected, and she's in a much better place.
4. My laptop is done for, so I have to buy a new one... any suggestions?
5. I wrote a country song.
6. Right now, I'm visiting Bloomington. I'm so glad to be seeing my lovely friends again.
7. I'm tired. I need some sleep, and maybe a retreat.

Last Week in LA

2010-06-25T11:32:00.004-04:00

Richard, Patrick, and me by the Hollywood sign

There are a lot of photos here because a lot has been happening my last week or so in LA. I've had some great southern Cali experiences. Yay!
First of all, last Saturday, Harper and Alissa invited me to go along with their scooter group to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and see the scary movie there. They project movies onto the side of the mausoleum, and it was awesome--we had the best seats on the lawn and got to watch Invasion of the Body Snatchers... here's the site =)

The movie on the mausoleum with the lights of LA behind

On Sunday I spent the day with Patrick and his co-comedian Richard, who after a coffee and some writing, toured me around the hills. I got to see the Batcave (below) and the Hollywood Sign (above) and meet some hippies who put me in golden wings and did a photo shoot. It was weird after about 5 minutes, but I didn't know how to say "Ok, you're creepin me out now...." It was pretty cool though.

Me and Albi (Richard's dog) in front of the Batcave!

with wings in front of the Hollywood sign (and James Dean's house)

On Monday I got to see my LOVELY FRIEND Fran and we went to the Getty Villa which is awesome cool. Antiquities museum designed as a Roman Villa. Rock on.

Fran and I in the gardens of the Getty

Pop arrived on Wednesday (and our boys advanced zomg! USA!!!) and that night we went to the Observatory. Thursday we went to Venice Beach, and Thursday evening we went for Nepali food with Patrick and Ryan. It was amazing to have dal bhaat made by Nepali hands! Yay!!! The rest of this week is packing and traveling (with a break on Saturday for our Stage 2 game)... I'll be back in Indiana the next time I post a blog, so be prepared, Midwest! xxx

At the Observatory one last time :'-(

Pop at Venice Beach

Whitney and Adam's Wonderful World of LA

2010-06-19T17:02:00.002-04:00

This was the week of Whitney and Adam. They got here on Saturday night, and we had a very busy week showing them around. It was a lot of fun, although, while I really don't mind driving on crazy California highways, the traffic did drive me a little nuts by the end. We had an event filled week.
Sunday: we went to Santa Monica pier, of course. It was cloudy and cold. I got to walk down the Santa Monica promenade though, I'd never done that before. It was pretty sweet--lots of shops, lots of pedestrians, and lots of buskers.
Monday: Hollywood. Hopefully the last time I have to do it. Below, you can see Adam and Patrick getting really excited about Dan Haggerty. I don't know who he is.

Tuesday: we went to the Getty Center, where a (young) rich lady asked me where Hogwarts School was (I was wearing a Harry Potter T-shirt, but whoa). We went to the farmer's market and then to the Griffith Observatory--we got to see the moon, and the Tesla machine at work. The observatory is always AWESOME. Below, the gardens at the Getty.

Wednesday: we took a trip to Venice Beach, another first for me. Walking the boardwalk granted us some spectacular sights--lots of "kush doctors" handing out medical marijuana cards for any ailment, lots of "donations only" booths--they aren't allowed to sell things along the boardwalk, I guess--and also the Calypso Tumblers, flipping and break dancing and jumping over 5 kids+2 grown men in a line (that's seven people). Then to the Tar Pits (stinky) and Chinatown for supper. Below, the Venice Beach Boardwalk, and Whitney holding Chinatown in her hand.

Thursday: a laid back day, but included a walk down Rodeo Drive and a traffic filled trip down the Sunset Strip.

Friday: an easy day at the beach at Venice. Adam and I played in the waves (which are HUGE and awesome) and otherwise we just laid out and chilled. And got extremely burnt (Whitney's feet, Adam's back, my butt). We got into an exclusive Hollywood club for the night, My House, (I feel so special being on the VIP list!) and danced until the morning hours. Below, our camp at Venice beach. Beautiful.
That's the week. And this coming week is my last in LA. I'm really really sad to have to leave, it's such an amazing city... but Pop will be here by Thursday and I'll be packin' up. Better get ready, Indiana!

Last days in CA

2010-06-13T00:28:00.004-04:00

Joel, Patrick and I with our fish that we took to the aquarium for a swim.

So this week has been a busy and difficult one. I've officially decided to go to IU... not that I don't LOVE California, and really really wish I could stay out here. I'm sacrificing happiness for common sense at the moment I think. Ah well. I'll be moving back to Indiana in the beginning of July.

I got to meet Patrick's co-comedians, Ryan and Richard, who are dolls. They're great guys... and Richard took us out to a club last weekend, so that was awesome... it was fancy schmancy and I hadn't been to a club in a long while... so glad I got to go! Plus, we went out for mac n cheese at 3am. It was like university all over again... prepping me for IU once more...

On Thursday we celebrated Joel's birthday by going to the aquarium. There were lorikeets (which we fed)! and otters! and things you could touch, but I didn't like that because they were all slimy. The boys (Joel and Patrick) definitely did though, they touched everything. We also had a water balloon fight, although that wasn't at the aquarium.

I also got my car fixed, saw a really bright shooting star, and hung out with my landlady, Melissa, who is awesome. It was her birthday yesterday, we went putt-putting. Oh, and the US tied England... it wasn't really because we're good or anything, but it's still points, right? More next week: Patrick's friends Whitney and Adam visit!

Homecoming

2010-06-04T19:40:00.003-04:00

This past week I got to take a trip to Indiana! It was a wonderful wonderful visit, full of friends and family.
I got to see:
--My Bloomington buddies, who watched FlashForward with me to try and spot me (we found my dress and the back of my head, for about a quarter of a second each), and ate at Mandalay with me, and shared some lovely Oliver wine with me =)
--My Jasperites, who are just plain amazing. We don't even have to do anything, it's a party when we're together. Seriously.
--My brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew. Emma now recognizes me (and commands me) as "Yiya" (very close to Riah, if I may say so). We celebrated Drew's birthday with a couple of parties and a lot of playing.
--My family, who ALL showed up for a Memorial Day party. It was so awesome to see everyone, and we got the news that there's a new baby--my cousin Terri had her first son while I was at home!
--My Pop's family, including my Aunt Carin and Uncle Charlie, and my cousin Sonya, who's here all the way from Japan!

I got to take a trip to Holiday World (where my nephew rode a roller coaster for the first time, at not even 6 years old), I got to play at cMoe where I used to work, and I got to spend a great morning with my pop, who seriously is the coolest guy I know. Thanks to all of you, because I had a wonderful trip home and am looking forward to coming back as soon as I get accepted to IU (cross your fingers!).

Emma on a ride at Holiday World

Drew on his birthday

Shea, Jamie, me and Stef. So good to see my gals!

Crazy old Kym and Dom, always good for a laugh. (name the disney reference for 30 points!)

Me with my Mumma.

May in LA

2010-05-24T20:22:00.003-04:00

This week hasn't brought much to do... mostly I've been preparing to come back to Indiana for the week (YAY!!!).
Most exciting thing of the week, other than more cupcakes from Sprinkles , was my trip (solo) to the Renaissance Faire up by Ventura. It is a beautiful ride on the 101 out of LA toward Ventura, and the rolling Cali hills made my trip worthwhile before I even got to the fair. There's one point at a high pass through the foothills where the mountains and hills end and there's only plains out to the oceans and mountains to the north... and at the top you can see for miles.
Anyways, went to a Ren Faire, all dressed up. Got called up onstage for the juggling show... it was funny. The guy was called the Bawdy Juggler, and yes, he did do some bawdy things, especially once I was called up onstage.... and afterwards, he told me that I should introduce myself to his wife.
"I have to apologize for all of the bawdy things I allowed your husband to do," say I.
"My fair maiden," says she, "apologize only if you will not allow me to do the same."
"Erm, uh, yeah, that's, um... I. Uh. Thanks for the show. Your son is adorable. Bye," say I.
And the whole time her mom is next to her doing a pretty damned good impression of Eric Idle's "Nudge Nudge Wink Wink" character. They were serious. Say no more.
I got my tarot read: Two men in my future, one who's only after one thing (like they all aren't) and another more mature, older man. I'm supposed to choose the latter, although I'm not quite sure I'm ready for family life. Ha.
I also got to go onstage for the Parrot show, but I was older and wiser this time, and came away at least, well, less scathed than I did from the juggling show. Plus I got a kiss from a parrot! He was actually a good kisser.
I was asked to have my picture taken with several people, and named the most beautiful woman in the world, and hit on by several old pirates. OLD pirates. This costume is going to introduce me to many things for which I'm not sure I'm ready.
That's my big news of the week. Also, Patrick had a big audition today that went really well but he hasn't heard back from the guy yet... Keep him in your thoughts. It would be an awesome opportunity for him!
See some of you very very soon!!!!!! YES!

My life in the 1500s

2010-05-15T22:05:00.004-04:00

My new Renaissance corset and costume; see details further down.

This week has been, well, eventful. First of all, on Sunday, I finished a puzzle that I've been working on for a long while. 500 pieces. Heck yes. Exhibit A:

Then we rescued a cat that got caught between two walls behind our apartment complex, and then I got pressured into taking him in so that he wouldn't go to the shelter and get euthanized. But, he got very very very sick in my bathroom. I will not go into details because when I think about it I think about how I almost threw up when I had to deal with it. You do not want to know details. Anyway, Exhibit B:

Albert the Cat

Third, I went and got cupcakes from Sprinkles with Kathy. Sprinkles is amazing... did I link it last time? Just in case I did not: Sprinkles. Also, my episode of CSI: Miami was on this week, but I have no screenshot as an illustration because you couldn't see me, at all, ever. Boo. Exhibit C:

Lastly, today Patrick and I (who are officially not boyfriend/girlfriend anymore, for any of you behind on the times) went to a Renaissance Faire. It was awesome. Although it was hugely expensive. I am forcing myself not to think about how much money I spent today, not just on food and tickets and parking and games, but also on my amazing new Renaissance costume. I went for simple, and still, you do not want to know how much it cost. The corset, however, was WELL worth the money. Link to corset place: go. I did find out that my waist can be effing TINY. Although my ribs are wider than normal. Whatever... 20 inch waist is pretty impressive, even to me.
We got to throw tomatoes at a pirateer who continually insulted us (it would make me blush to write the things he said to me); we saw the queen; we listened to a really cool bard/madrigal singer man; we looked at wands and flagons and masks and things that one doesn't really need (like Renaissance costumes); and we listened to a heavy metal Pirate band that played with a standing bass, drums, two accordions, a mandolin, a guitar, and one of those tiny little pianos that children play with. Oh, and a horn. They were pretty cool.

We could not figure out what this booth was for. It was a bunch of people in really weird makeup just sitting around. Odd.

My outfit, once more, complete with tiny waist.

LACMA etc

2010-05-07T22:25:00.004-04:00

This week was good. I drove Kathy nearly every day, and might get more work out of it from a family friend. I also started visiting a really cool center nearby called weSPARK... it's a center for cancer patients, caretakers, and people who have recently lost family to cancer. I've been to a meditation course and a creative writing course, and there's a family support group next week, yay! Here's the website if anyone wants to check it out, it's a NFP: weSPARK

Thursday, Patrick, Joel and I went to LACMA (the Los Angeles County Museum of Art) which was pretty cool... we saw all the European art, a lot of modern art, some Korean art, and a really cool building with Japanese art... that might have been my favorite and is helping me lean more and more towards Japan for my next teaching overseas adventure. Yay! Also at the site of LACMA is the La Brea Tar Pits... complete with sad little woolly mammoth statues of a mommy drowning while her child and husband watch. Wah wah.Other exciting things: I made a Pancake Nonpareil, recipe here, only I added strawberries. Second, I saw A Nightmare On Elm Street. Meh. Last, I've fallen in love with Michael Palin. Oh, and I cut my hair.Picture time!!!Joel and Patrick act odd, as always, at LACMA.

The Japanese art center, all paper walls and soft light, and some really beautiful art, my favorite called Snow, Moon, Flower.

An EPIC hat from Papua New Guinea.

The mammoths die in tar. If I could insert a wookie noise here, I would.

2010-04-28T14:32:00.002-04:00

The Western sunset and Hollywood sign from a high point in Griffith Park

The past week and a half has been nice. I was able on last Thursday to spend a day with Joel, during which I didn't take any pictures, but it was awesome. First we went to a little place called the Museum of Jurassic Technology... the weirdest museum I've ever been to. It has nothing to do with dinosaurs... but there is a tea room and oil portraits of the Soviet astronaut doggies. I think Mum would have loved it. That evening we went to Joel's sister's house and played rock band, and then ordered in from a lovely vegan restaurant, and then went out to an awesome frozen yogurt place where you get as much yogurt and any kind of toppings you want and you pay by the ounce, which works out quite well. Then we went to an awesome jazz club just around the corner from my house for some great R&B-jazz fusion. It was a great day.

Friday evening I went to Griffith Observatory for their monthly "Star Party" where amateur astronomers brought out their telescopes. I got to see the Moon, some pretty colored stars, Mars, Venus, and Saturn with his rings and moons. Couldn't get any of those in photos, but here are a few.

Griffith Observatory with all the people there for the Star Party. I had to park over a half a mile away!

On the roof of the observatory, the moon above.

Los Angeles at night, from the Observatory roof.

Only other fun thing is that I made supper, with the help of Harper's girlfriend Alissa, and a wee little bit of meat frying by Patrick. We had homemade alfredo sauce with mushrooms (and chicken) on some spaghetti, tomato soup, and garlic bread, with cake with Connie's icing recipe (although I must say it tasted nothing like hers... she must put so much love into it). It was fun, and then Harper and Alissa would not stop doing the dishes, which I appreciated ever so much. Tonight, we're planning on making pizza with some of the amazing goodies we got from yesterday's farmer's market.

Harper, Alissa, and Patrick with their fancy pasta.

Blog o' the Week (April 10-17)

2010-04-17T17:03:00.000-04:00

This week has brought some good things
1. I worked on two TV pilots. Keep an eye out for them:
--"This Little Piggy" starring people I've never heard of and a 12 year old who hit on me.
--"Wright vs. Wrong", a political comedy starring Debra Messing (Grace!) and Cheryl Hines.
2. I got a PS3!! I've started playing video games. Mum leaves us, and immediately I go to the dark side. (She probably actually would be disappointed.)
3. I've started trying really hard to be a good Buddhist. I've been meditating a lot more and studying a lot more, and while the week before last was AWFUL with panic attacks, etc., I feel 300% better this week. I've also made seeral donations to charity. =)
4. I kinda start a job this coming week--chaufferring a girl to and from school. I'm down, it gives me something to do.
5. I've almost finished my application to Pepperdine's Master's in Education with TESOL accreditation program. Yay!

That's it for the updates for now. I don't even have any photos of this week! Better luck next time.

Videos from Nepal

2010-04-16T16:16:00.005-04:00

I found a bunch of videos from Nepal! Unfortunately, several of them that I'd like to share are too big for blogger to upload... But I'll figure out a way. Here are some starters though.

First, a video of Nepali traffic. This was taken on my second day in Nepal, and from what I know now, it isn't really that bad at all. But if you get lucky, around 26 seconds you can see a dog laying in the middle of the street. That's pretty standard.

Here are some videos from Dolpo:

This was during the first weekend we were in Dolpa--it was a local festival where a boy became a Goddess. We were confused too. he's the one dressed up in a skirt, of course, and in a trance.

Here's one of our culture days at school, where the kids danced and sang for us... and we were expected to do the same. The little girl on the far right was amazing!!

Last, a video of the Dashain festival in Dolpa, where there was more dancing and giving of strings.

This is just an example of a class at Bigu. This particular morning, Rob and I were reviewing the subtle differences between the sounds "and", "ahn", and "een", and the meaning of the corresponding words.

Here goes April!

2010-04-10T20:33:00.003-04:00

Me and the boys (Patrick and Joel--they're both really nerdy, but that's why I love 'em) with a view of LA from the Getty

Sorry I've been absent the past two weeks--they've been... well, um... I guess I don't have any excuses this time. Ha! They've been rough, but that hasn't stopped me from getting a few things done... like going to dance class, working on two sets as a background "actress" (check out CSI Miami and FlashForward in May... I think I'll be in those two season finales!), visiting the Getty Museum, celebrating Passover and Easter, and buying a PlayStation 3 Slim. I've also almost completed (I don't think I can ever say I've completed a work of art... there's always something that I'm going to at least want to go back and change, even if I don't do it) two paintings as well, which is nice. Here, enjoy some pictures :)

My and Patrick's Easter "basket". I also hid eggs for him around the apartment tehe.

I forgot to put this up when I went to Mexico, I bought this birdie there since I don't have my budgies with me. His name is Fhagan (after Mom's friend Felicia, who always brightens my day...)

Downtown LA from the Getty Center, which holds works of masters such as Renoir, Manet, Monet, Da Vinci, etc etc etc.

One of the buildings at the Getty had some really cool paneled rooms. Here, Patrick and Joel enjoy.

California week 3

2010-03-28T23:22:00.003-04:00

Patrick and I with Mickey in Hollywood... We thought Drew would be excited

This week has not been my best week. Actually, it's been the worst since Mum's death. I haven't been myself and it's been really difficult just to get up some mornings, but I won't go on about it. Patrick has been absolutely great, even though I've been awful. Yay!

In more fun news and photos though, on Monday we got to walk down Hollywood Boulevard, lots of cool stars to see and Graumann's theatre and all the handprints and whatnot. Also I've gone running, found a dance studio, booked a flight home for Drew's birthday, eaten Thanksgiving dinner (which I missed in Nepal), and also booked my first extra job--I'm filming for CSI Miami tomorrow... I'll keep everyone updated on what goes on =)

And then today Patrick and I took a drive up the coast on the 101 Freeway. It was nice, we played in the ocean and had fish and chips for lunch and saw some beautiful scenery. Lots of photos below... enjoy.
xxx

Me and Sean Connery

Johnny Depp with his signature and handprints.

The view from our back deck at sunset.

Another picture of the apartment... from the front door into the living room.

Highway 1

The ocean at the town we stopped at--Morro Bay. Twas lovely.

A view of a lake on the way home.

Patrick and I at the beach.

Week 2 in CA

2010-03-22T12:14:00.002-04:00

A sunset and fire in Mexico

This week has been good. No job yet, although I've been sending in lots of inquiries and applications... maybe it's the out-of-state phone number that spooks them. Who knows. Last weekend I did sign up for a casting agency in town; hopefully I'll get to be on some cool TV shows! woohoo! It's a lot of work, calling this hotline, and then trying to call this person, who might say, "No, you're not what we're looking for" and hang up and then you have to do the whole process again. Lucky for me, I have a fair bit of free time.

This week on Monday one of our friends from Bloomington came to visit LA and has been crashing on our couch; it's nice to have people around! I enjoy playing hostess. On Tuesday, Harper (who also lives in my apartment, he's from IU, he's pretty cool =) ), his girlfriend Alyssa, and the Btown friend (Jeff) went to The Price is Right, and Harper got to "come on down!" He won a lot of prizes, but you'll have to watch on April 20th to see just what he won. Patrick and I went on Wednesday, but we didn't get called down (cue the Price Is Right sad music "bum-bum-ba-baaaawwwwnnnnn") but Drew Carey was really funny and we had a good time anyways. You might be able to see us in the audience (we were in the second row, right near Contestants Row!) if you watch on April 21st.

Patrick trying to take a bad picture with his Drew Carey Price Is Right t-shirt on before the show.

In other news: I finally got my California license and my car re-titled. Here she is (her name is Kopila, I think Mum and I decided on) with her new CA plates!

And last but not least, I finished off the week with a trip to Mexico with Harper, Alyssa, and Jeff (Patrick had to work). Harper has a friend who has a beach-front house (and that means literally that the patio door opens onto the beach--it was amazing!) so we just went down for the weekend. It was cool to be able to go so easily--the house was only a three hour drive away. The beach was black sparkly sand and the waves were well too cold to swim in, but we built fires (in a fire pit and a fire place, not just randomly about) and played guitar and chatted and all that kind of cool stuff. We were also able to go to a market in a nearby town--I got myself a ceramic bird since I don't have Dana and Dio anymore. It was a wonderful trip.

The patio that leads right to the beach.

A view of the ocean from the patio door. =)

California Dreamin'

2010-03-09T21:53:00.006-05:00

The Budget truck and the TX state line. Everything was bigger.

Well, I’ve gone from winter to spring quite quickly (as I hear all of you folk in the Midwest have as well)… I am officially a resident of California, I suppose. I do have an apartment here now.
The drive out here with Jim and Connie was great. We had no problems, some beautiful scenery--New Mexico was my favorite--and a quick drive. Plus, meals on Mom for the most part; every time we stopped to eat it was at Crackerbarrel, from Illinois to the last stop in Arizona. Saturday was a tiring day, moving things in. Sunday was relaxing: Jim, Connie, and I went to Santa Monica and saw the Pacific, walked out on the pier (where we accidentally found the official end of Route 66), and then drove to downtown LA where we saw the Hollywood sign and drove down Sunset Boulevard.
Living with a boy (or two) isn’t so bad… I have my own bathroom, and I can’t complain right now because most of the stuff exploded across the living room is mine. Woops.
Yesterday my friend Joel took Patrick and I out to dinner just down the road where we had some delicious Kosher food. The people here have been really friendly--I got offered a job on the beach on Sunday morning, although I don’t think I’m going to end up taking it, and people have been kind on the street, even if they only speak Spanish and I have to think hard to remember my vocab to understand what they’re saying.
This week’s goals:
1. Register my car. This will probably take all day. Eugh.
2. Apply for jobs, both for TV work and at the mall across the street
3. Get my library card
4. Cook something fresh

Sorry, the photos aren’t in order. My compy doesn’t like to work for me sometimes. Enjoy anyway!!

A shot of my bedroom in my new apartment!

Livingroom, all inclusive.

LA city limits!

My new kitchen!

On Santa Monica Pier

The End of the Road

A Route 66 ghost town. Good thing they had gas though.

Following the Budget van in New Mexico

Standin' on a corner in Winslow Arizona...

Malibu Beach

Pretty parts of NM. I'd apologize for the crookedness, but I was taking these photos whilst driving, sometimes on scary roads, so deal.

End days

2009-12-29T22:20:00.001-05:00

The lights on Carnaby Street

Our time in England was much too short. During the two days we were able to get out of our hotel room and enjoy the town, Mum and I joined Lucy and her parents, Cat, and sometimes Whitney (who stayed with us in our hotel, yay!) in London to do fun things. On Saturday we met Lucy and fam for lunch in Belsize Park, then did a little shopping before staying in for fish and chiips for supper and playing dreidle games for the “last night“ of Channukah. They were soooo much fun. On Sunday we had a late start, but went out to a “slow food” festival and after supper, went to Carnaby Street to see the cool Christmas lights and have some hot cocoa. Then, unfortunately, it was already time to pack and depart early the next morning. After a very full day of flights (430am in London to 730pm in Indiana… so that’s more like 130am in London, nearly a full 24 hours of flying) we made it back to a wonderful reunion with Ben, Kim, Drew, and Emma at the Louisville airport. Happy (and terrified) to be back home, and my journey across the globe is officially finished… for now.

Berlin x 2

2009-12-22T17:30:00.004-05:00

May and I at the Potsdamer Platz mall with all the Christmas decorations

Well, we made it to Berlin, and all we could say was “How glad we are to be here!” We had to shorten our trip by two valuable days, but we packed the two days we had chock full of fun things to do. The first day with May we had to wait for our lost luggage, but we still squeezed in a trip to the top of the Reichstag, a visit to our first Weinacht’s Markt (Christmas Market), a choir concert, and a jazz club. The Reichstag was full of information and had fantastic views, the Christmas Market helped us spend some Euros, the choir concert (with May’s younger brother Magnus) was FANTASTIC and made me miss choir so much, and the jazz club was lovely and located under the train station, so I felt totally Chicago every time a train rumbled overhead. What a day.It snowed!!!

The inside of the top of the state building, the Reichstag.

Some of the corny gingerbread hearts at a Weinachtsmarkt.

The next day we headed out after a breakfast at the neighborhood coffee shop to the big Christmas Market, where May and I rode on the big Ferris Wheel. Then we went to the Altes Museum, which has a great collection of ancient Greek and Roman works. We had some spiced wine, a specialty of the Christmas Markets, took a bus ride around town to see all the sights, and then stopped by one last (seriously, how many more could we go to?) Christmas Market before heading to supper at May’s mum’s house. It was lovely, she cooked all kinds of delicious food for us, we got to visit with May’s family, and she presented us with fantastic presents: jam, and scarves. The best. What more could you ask for? We had a wonderful time in Berlin, and now of course, Mum knows she has to come back to visit some day. Especially since I’ve decided I’ll be living here at some point in my life… two days is definitely not enough.One of the Christmas markets from above.

May's mum, her sister Clara, and May at our supper!

Last days in Abu Dhabi

2009-12-13T05:09:00.004-05:00

Christine and I on our camel ride in the desert

On Thursday we had the day to ourselves, and it was quite slow and nice--a trip to the Corniche (the beach) and then a trip to the Abu Dhabi Mall (mall three in three days!) But our Friday and Saturday were wonderful. As the Emirati (Islamic) weekend is Friday and Saturday, Chris and Randy had the days off and really treated us to *real* Abu Dhabi experiences. On Friday we got up early and headed out to the racing track… that is, the camel racing track. There were no big races on when we were there, but we got to drive around the practice track and the real big track and watch the men running their camels for practice. It was preeeetty cool to see, and all the camel jockeys really liked seeing Anastasia hanging out the window too; men love babies here… what gives?

The sign that says "Camel Races". Lol.

A big pack o' camels racing

That evening we gathered along with a few of Christine’s friends from school and a lady came to do henna for all of us. Mum and I both got a foot and a hand done… maybe you’ll get to see it at Christmas! It was nice to have a girly evening and chat.

My hennaed hand in the desert.

On Saturday we started the day out by going to the Grand Mosque built by Sheik Zayed. It was absolutely amazing. It’s made of marble from Greece, and all of the columns have inlaid stone. All of the decoration is marble, precious stones, or gold; there’s no paint. Plus, the central area (the men’s praying room) has the world’s biggest dome (I’m not sure about that… maybe the world’s biggest mosque dome?), the worlds largest carpet, and the world’s biggest chandelier. It was all pretty big. And absolutely beautiful. Oh, and we had to wear abayas and shelas into the mosque, so I got to try out the traditional dress. Woohoo!

The worlds biggest chandelier under the world's largest mosque dome... and over the world's largest carpet.

In my abaya and shela in front of the courtyard of the Grand Mosque.

In the evening we got to go on a desert safari with Christine and her friend Leanne; it was action packed: we petted camels, we went dune bashing (scarier than a rollercoaster, but not like riding on top of the buses in Nepal), we rode camels, we smoked shisha, and just chilled listening to Arabic music and drinking tea and eating dates.

Chris and I in the desert after dune bashing
Me and a camel do the myspace thing.

The camp at night with the dunes and nice lights.

However, during all of this, Mum had gotten all wonky and sick; we ended up spending the night in the hospital, but the doctor gave her antibiotics for an infection and she’s so much better today. Oh, and I must note that it has been raining the past three days we’ve been here! It’s usually a one-day-a-year event, and so the streets are flooded and it’s quite cool outside; Mom wanted the coolest time of year, and not only have we gotten the coolest time of year, we got a flood to go along with it. What a trip! Now, after letting Mum spend the day resting, we’re ready to head on to Germany!

A jeep drives through the flooded streets outside Chris and Randy's apartment... since there's not much rain in the desert, the drainage systems aren't really built for it. eek.

Dubai!

2009-12-10T10:06:00.004-05:00

Me in front of the Creek in Dubai.

Our second day in UAE we took a jaunt (and by jaunt, I mean 4 hours in a bus there and back) over to Dubai. Dubai is very spread out, and very interesting to see--there are cranes EVERYWHERE! There’s always a lot of construction going on… even through the financial crisis, there’s still lots of building to be done, apparently. We first walked through the Bur Dubai district and went to the Dubai Museum--I really liked their display on archaeological finds (of course) but also their facts about camels (they can go months without water in the winter!). Haggling with some mannequins in the Dubai Musuem.

The Bur Dubai fabric souk.

We walked through the Bur Dubai souk, which had Mum goin’ nuts--it was a fabric souk! After briefly viewing the Creek (this was a creek on steroids, I would have called it a river, but apparently the Emiratis think otherwise) we took a taxi to the Burj Dubai and the Dubai Mall. What is a Burj? you might ask, and I would answer, I have no idea, but maybe it’s Arabic for “The Tallest Building in the World” because that’s what the Burj Dubai is. The Dubai Mall is also the world’s largest mall: it’s four storeys high and has an ice rink, an aquarium, a fountain and waterfall, a food court complete with the UAE’s only Taco Bell, and not to be left out is Fashion Avenue, replete with stores like Hermes, Jimmy Choo, Dior, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Roberto Cavalli, etc etc etc and some of them even had their doors closed and probably wouldn’t have let me and Mum in if we had tried. I was kinda intimidated. I did buy some clothes there, so I feel minorly fancy. It was really neat to see all of these things, but I was not unhappy to say “bye-bye Dubai” at the end of the day--my bank account was shakin’ in it’s 2nd hand tennis at the sight of those Jimmy Choos.

The Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world at nearly a kilometer high.

Inside the Dubai Mall, looking at part of the aquarium and three of the four floors.

Arrival in Abu Dhabi

2009-12-10T09:54:00.002-05:00

The Emirati's Palace... pretty much allll gilded.

We left Nepal on Monday evening, and arrived in the capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi, just a few hours later. I can’t describe how I feel… even on the plane I got good food, Baileys, and was able to watch two awesome movies of my choice because I had my own TV screen. Then after Chris met us at the airport and we started on our way toward the capital, we saw all kinds of Christmas lights (not for Christmas, but for the country’s national day) and huge buildings lit up, and a line of trees each watered by their own little irrigation hose. Talk about a change of scenery.

Monday was near the most awesome day of my life, and the coolest I can think of for a first day out of Nepal. I took a shower. I washed some clothes in a washing machine. I went to a grocery store that had at least 17 aisles (I lost count after that… and I seriously got a little dizzy looking around in there. Don’t make fun of me), located in a mall that had 3 levels!!!! And then… oh, then…. We went to a spa. We got Morroccan baths where this lady scrubbed every inch of me. I got highlights. There were mani-pedis and facials for Mum and Chris. And lots of tea or coffee, whatever we wanted. We spent almost 4 hours in the spa. It was perfect.Me at the spa!!

After lunch, we headed to the Emirati Palace to meet with Sam for tea. Emirati Palace is not only a palace, it’s a huge hotel and convention center (Sam was there to see the Killers); if the royal family wants to use it, everyone is out by the next day. Cray-cray. It’s covered in gold lief mosaics and has intricate floor and ceiling designs in its four storey dome; it’s quite lush all around, really. We had delicious Afternoon Tea (complete with scones and clotted cream) in good company before looking around a bit and heading home to bed. A perfect first day out of Nepal and into the richest country in the world… I feel like a princess in a fairy tale!Sam and I having a good time at tea.

Who put the Kat in Kathmandu? ME!!

2009-12-10T09:01:00.004-05:00

Mum at Bouddha with all of the prayer flags.

Mum arrived safe to Nepal on Thursday, and we had an awesome time. There was a bandh (strike) on transportation one of the days, but we used that day to help move the vounteers into their new and improved home and play with the kids. We did the classics, visiting Bouddha, Thamel, Swoyambunath, Pashupati, and the Durbar Square. On Saturday we got to visit all the kids at Papa’s House (all 140-something now, and we witnessed the arrival of three new girls! It was soooo cute, everyone ran to the gate to cheer them in!) and deliver some books, two of my favorites from my childhood: Our World and Our Universe. They’re excellent books, and the kids immediately loved them. They also loved the photos Mum brought from home of the family--a lot of you are now famous in Nepal. We said our goodbyes on Sunday night, and I think that Mum is convinced already that she needs to come back… multiply that by four months, and you’ve got what I’m feeling.

Mum braiding the girls' hair before school.

Helping out at Pashupati Ashram. The old lady was singing while Mum rubbed her head; it was pretty cool.

Some of the boys looking at the "Our World" book Mum brought.

Chillin at Papa's on my last Saturday with the kids.

my photo on natgeo!

2009-12-05T22:04:00.003-05:00

National Geographic online has a link where you can submit photos, so I sent one in, and they picked it as one of the "Daily Dozen"! Wasn't expecting that! Here it is:

You can see it on National Geographic Online with this link, where you can also vote for it... two photos are published fr0m the Daily Dozen every month!

Enjoy!

Myriad events in the Bigu general metropolis

2009-12-01T21:03:00.002-05:00

This was when my eyes started tearing up on the way out of Bigu.

On a couple of my nights in Bigu, we were invited to supper with a nun. Whlie that may sound really boring to you folks, it was a blast. My first night Narjin and monkette Somden Wangmo made me supper. I had a fantastic time, speaking Nepali, teaching English (ke kam gar chha=waat du yuu du?), slicing mountain squash, and drinking coffee. Narjin is from Nepal and has lived here in the monastery for 28 of her 42 years. Somden is young still, only 13 I think. We had a “tomato-ey” (it tasted like a persimmonpeachthing) goodness that I would have gobbled up if it weren’t so spicy. We learned the difference between “I have a cold” and “I am cold”, how to ask about what people do and where they’re from, and that the Tibetan word for nun (“ani”) is the name of a Western musical. They took good care of me.
The second time I had dinner with the nun who looks like Gail (Tsering Chenzum), and three mini-nuns (Jangchub Chodon, Serap Dolma, and Loden Wangmo). We had the best Nepali tea I’ve had--lots of cinnamon and cloves… mmmm. Then I got to help make some potato balls… did you know that if you mash boiled potatoes for long enough in a giant wooden bowl with a giant wooden stick it will turn doughy? I thought you didn’t. Then you roll it into balls and boil it in a savory soup. It was delish, and again, I had a wondrous time. I loved both of my evenings with the nuns, and it was an experience I can never forget.

Tsering Chenzum, Serap Dolma, Jangchub Choden, and Loden Wangmo, clockwise from left.

The next week the nuns celebrated the death day of the founder of their gumba. There was a GIANT puja for this which lasted two days and cancelled classes. On the second day the nuns fasted from food and speaking. Sarah took part fully in this, but I can’t really be a good person without food, so I ate. I did go the whole day without talking though! Ok, well I slipped up once and talked to Rob about art, but if you get me started on art… and then I did catch myself speaking aloud twice when there was no one else around. If you know me, you know I talk to myself. I’m not sure if this counts or not. Anyways, the puja involved drinking saffron water (which tastes a lot like camphor) and lots of prostrations. It was a nice break that allowed us all to meditate and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

The fancy things all set up for the death-day puja.

On our last day, Patty and Sarah threw a tea party to which all the nuns were invited. It was a wonderful celebration. They practiced their Enlgish, Patty and I entertained with Disney songs and a horrific rendition of the American National Anthem. It was nice, because it gave us a chance to be as hospitable as we could to the women who had made our stay amazing. The next morning we had to head out, and we were bombarded with katas (journey scarves) and walked all the way to our jeep by nunkies who wouldn’t let us carry our heavy bags. These women were amazing, and I plan on keeping the promises I made them to come back within the next years.

Sarah serving tea to the nuns!

Going to Tibet

2009-12-01T20:43:00.002-05:00

On the first Saturday we spent in Bigu, I was up bright an early at 430am (like I am every morning) and we left by 5 to head up the mountain behind us. Dawa (the volunteer Tibetan medicine doctor who fixed my sinuses and hung out with us all the time) organized an awesome trip for us.There is a mountain behind us, and it’s ridge very very high up. And very steep. So we climbed. I didn’t like it. But we got to a chorten near the ridge just in time for sunrise, and we stopped to build a fire and have some coffee and biscuits. Then we continued up to the top of the ridge and to a clearing with a view of Tibet and a giant mountain. We spent hours running around the mountaintop meadow, having photoshoots and just peering at the beautiful scenery around us. We put up a prayer flag signed by all, and eventually Dawa made us a fantastic lunch (especially since he had carried pots, pans, utensils, tomatoes, and ingredients for soup up in his backpack) and after a short nap we were ready to head back down. I’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking for this one.

Sunrise over the mountains.

Butter for Breakfast: a day at Bigu

2009-12-01T20:15:00.003-05:00

A view of the gumba from where I sat each morning.

First, I started all of my days at 430 am, when a giant Narnia-style horn would be blown to wake up the nuns. The gong is sounded at 5 am for puja, and all of the nuns file into the gompa to chant and pray and play music until 7 am. I get up and go do prostrations and yoga in a little meditation room and shrine across from the gompa, but I go and join the puja where I meditate and just listen to the beautiful chanting and music (they have two different kinds of trumpets and three different size drums, one larger than I am!) which even includes harmonies. There is always a cup of Tibetan tea served during puja; this is Tibetan butter tea, which literally tastes like butter and salt melted in a teacup… I think there is a little bit of tea though, because there is a brown tint in the bottom of the cup once I’ve managed to down the majority of it… it didn’t work for me in the beginning (I had to pretend it was soup), but now I’m quite fond of it.

The room where I did yoga and prostrations. Pretty sweet.

Patty with the giant drum for scale.

From 8 to 10 am there are classes; I teach English to the younger children with an Englishman named Rob. We also have classes in the afternoon, when Sam and I teach geography or spend time with Dawa (the Tibetan doctor) to practice English. I try to read about Buddhism or yoga and ayurveda in my free time, but there is little between interacting with the girls and the women, and planning lessons.

Rob-sir teaching English to nunkies.

The food is delicious, at 7 am, 11 am, and 5pm, plus tea “three times a day” (which actually means about 29 times a day). Spicy thukpa (Tibetan noodles that are kind of like dumplings), thick roti (almost like a pancake), and an amazing dal that to me tastes like really chive-y potato soup. Yum! Usually in the evenings we’d sit around the kitchen fire and sing Christmas sons. Like I mentioned before, the water comes from a stream--a huge, gushing stream--and there are no settlements above us, so it’s good to drink. Even more yum! Bigu is the perfect placement, and I’m sad I was only there two weeks, but it’s great that I had this awesome experience (every day!) and I hope to go back the next time I’m in Nepal.

Patty, Sam, and Rob around the kitchen stove fires while we sang Christmas songs.

Hikin’ into Bigu

2009-12-01T19:59:00.002-05:00

Our first view of Bigu monastery in its beautiful Himalayan setting

For the past two weeks I’ve been in a tiny village called Bigu. It’s based around (take that to mean, it is) a Tibetan Buddhist gumba (temple) and nunnery that runs here. If I had known about this placement when I first arrived I would have spent all four months of my time in Nepal at this monastery; I would have come here first, I would not have left. It is a beautiful setting, with a large ridge rising straight up behind the nunnery grounds from which you can see mountains and a little Tibet (see one of the next posts!); the nuns (the youngest of whom is age 9), doctor, and lama are the kindest people I’ve met; the water gushes from a mountain stream and you can drink it straight from the tap here; and there’s tea, literally, 24/7. There’s so much to write about! I’ll break it up into a few blogs…

Ever think I would trek anywhere? Neither did I.

First, our journey here was eventful--we took a jeep, but the driver was less than keen to take us the whole way in and he dropped us off before he was supposed to (we didn’t know the location of the monastery, precisely). So we ended up hiking two days in, instead of one. Luckily we found a house near where we were hiking when it fell dark (we had only seen one other all day) or we would have had to spend the night on the mountainside. A family of women (an old mother and two daughters) took us in (there were 6 of us!), fed us and gave us blankets and a floor to sleep on. It was terribly kind of them. We made it into Bigu the next day with all arms and legs attached.

The Bigu gumba and grounds

The main nun here looks like a friend of mine (Gail Fuhrman), especially when she smiles, so that always made my day. She greeted us and showed us to our big room, right above the classroom, and we were given a tour around the complex by the Tibetan medicine doctor (Dawa--who also treated my sinuses… I can breath now!). There’s a kitchen and garden, several classrooms, a gompa (temple), shop, meditation room, two giant prayer wheels, and several small stupas, plus facilities for nuns who go on silent retreats for 7 months to several years. All of the nuns (and monkettes or nunkies, as we called the wee little ones) are incredibly kind and always laughing. It’s a beautiful place to be.

The gate and the chortens with prayer wheels.

Some of my students. The two in the front are what we would term nunkies, the rest monkettes.

A trip to Shanti-Didi’s

2009-11-12T11:16:00.003-05:00

Me dressed up in sari, just like a Nepali bride

With the help of Anna, I have befriended one of the kitchen staff, a lovely lady named Shanti Thapa, who I call Shanti-didi, and who invited us over for supper and a stay overnight (or for the weekend, or for the rest of our lives); unfortunately, Anna was sick the day we were supposed to go and then went on a kayak trip, but I finally made arrangements to go on my own. We had been to Shanti-didi’s house just to visit for an evening, but going on my own to a completely Nepali home all on my own was more frightening to my cowardly heart than I care to admit.I’m glad I overcame that.

Shanti-didi and her lovely children were more kind than I ever expected, and although Shanti-didi doesn’t speak any English, her kids study it in school and her youngest daughter Rashmi was a huge help. Once the girls (three of them, Srijana, Ranjana, and Rashmi) got home from school, I was immediately transformed into a life size doll: I got my makeup done and a new kurta sorwal of my own, plus a new sweater, new earrings, and new bangles and necklaces. I then was taken to the local Shiva Mandev temple, then we had fresh guava from the tree in the backyard, followed by a big supper, including chicken which I didn’t have the heart to turn down even though I knew it would bring on a terrible tummy ache… they bought a whole half a chicken for the occasion that I was there. After supper we looked through all the photos they had and then put on a serious dance party--it was a blast. I got sleepy very quickly, as I’m wont to do here, and was given a nice cozy bed.

Getting made up by Srijana

Saksham and I at the Mandev temple site

The next morning, Shanti-didi woke us all up, I was given warm, sweetened milk and biscuits, and then we all went up on the roof to see the Himalayas (the Annapurnas, Mashupishare, and Ganesh Himal). Then it was “Raya doll” time again, and I was dressed in a traditional Indian linga and then a beautiful red sari, each one followed by a photo shoot. They made me a nice Nepali breakfast (including everything from supper the night before plus a fried egg and potato soup) and then we set out to meet my friend Ber, a girl from Holland who’s also working at the HRDC, and we trekked up to a temple called Changu Narayan, one of the oldest and (according to Lonely Planet) most beautiful temple complexes in Nepal. Much of it dates from the 500s CE, and it was cool looking, but after as many temple complexes as I’ve seen, they all start to look the same. There was a big elephant carved of stone and lots of Nepali families picnicking. Woot.

Shanti-didi, me, Rashmi, Ranjana, and Srijana at sunrise on the roof

The Changu Narayan temple, complete with guard to make sure non-Hindus do not enter!

After a little shopping in Bhaktapur, during which Shanti-didi got us the Nepali price (700 rupees less than the tourist price at times!), Ber and I headed back to Banepa (with a quick trip by the giant Shiva statue being built and eventually painted by a rich Indian man; on Sunday we also made a quick trip to Dhulikhel which boasts a big golden Buddha and some marvelous views of the Himalaya). I was loaded down with gifts and new clothes, and it only makes me want to be a great hostess whenever I have guests visiting. So, whenever I get back to the States and I figure out what my address is going to be, please, drop by. =)

My friend Ber at a shrine in Dhulikhel

The GIANT Shiva statue. Def gonna be the corniest thing in Kathmandu here in a couple of years...

Newari fest!

2009-11-12T11:14:00.002-05:00

My friends Ber and Mayke with our Newari food

I have to start out by saying that I have no idea what was celebrated today.

However, it was very enjoyable, and held a couple of surprises.

I was invited out by Damu (our host here in Banepa) for a day at the temple--Chandeswori temple, that is. According to Lonely Planet, this temple marks the spot where Parvati (in the form of Durga in the form of Chandeswori--Hindu gods are confusing) defeated the evil Chand. According to Damu’s wife, it marks the spot where a man chopped into a tree in the jungle which bled, so they knew it was a god. Either way, big temple. A family had a light festival today, which involved lighting lots of butter lamps and little pyramids of butter and cotton and five giant bowls filled with (not kidding) 26000 hand woven oiled wicks. You even got to stir the 26000 wicks with a big stick. Talk about pyros.

Me being a pyro.

I also *drum roll, please* got to go into the temple. I was very hesitant about this, since non-Hindus aren’t allowed within the temple proper, like, ever. But they let us go in today, and if anyone wants to know about it, email me/message me and I’ll talk your head off; my inner anthropologist was going nuts. It was so cool. Crowded, smoky, and confusing, but cool.

After the ceremonies we went off to have a Newari style breakfast (fried chapati--called puri-- and curried chickpeas). Then we bummed around a while, looking at gardens and touring the local hospital (it has a nursing school, Mum!); until it was time for a Newari style lunch (beaten rice, curried potatoes, buff meat, pickled ginger, roasted soybeans and peanuts, and a weird lentil donut). I thought after all of this, dinner would be optional, so I went home to while away the afternoon reading, but Damu had other plans. When I didn’t show up for dinner at the temple, he personally came to get me on his motorbike and I was jetted back to join in the (I’m not kidding) fifth round of dinner; the building near the temple where people literally feast isn’t your typical community hall that seats hundreds, so people have to take turns. This time there was tomato soya ball yumminess, coca cola with raksi, tarkari, soup, pickles, three kinds of meat, syrupy donut balls called gum-jum-something-or-another, and the famous local curd that’s close to yogurt. Since I had not anticipated another feast and had snacked on granola and tinned tuna (separately of course), I came back one stuffed goose. But as always, it was a great experience, and I’m grateful for the awesome people that make it happen stuff like this happen every other day here.

That Sunday I took a trip to Panauti, where I got to see the cool Durbar square, and a second square with temples built where two rivers (and a third invisible river) converge, and where there was a funeral taking place. The rituals, which included everyone walking down the stairs to rinse their feet in the river, were interesting to see, and I felt a little awkward just sitting and watching, but everyone else on my side of the river was just staring at the event; plus, I really wanted to take part in some little way since my Grandpa Coley had died just a few days before and I didn’t get to go to his funeral in the States. After getting a little emotional (and doing my best to explain why--in Nepali--to the people staring at me), I went to several jewelry shops and consoled myself by buying chura (bangles) and a pair of silver earrings. It was a nice trip, and I even got some nice new views of the Himalaya.

One of the squares in Panauti with lots o temples

Maoists

2009-11-12T11:08:00.002-05:00

So, I'm gonna try to update my blog, but I probably won't be able to get all the photos up and stuff til like, well, mid december. I'm heading to a remote Himalayan village (while that description of travel sounds cool, it's actually nothing new anymore. That definitely makes me sound more cool though) soon and won't be back til December, and for now, there are lots of bundhs going on--that's when they shut things down hoping to make a political statement. While the Maoists know how to throw a party (their protests today, complete with live music and food, were described as festivals in the local papers), they get a little annoying when they want everything in the Kathmandu Valley shut down for the TWO DAYS I'm here with internet trying to update you fine folks. Know that I'm trying. xxx

Bhaktapur Trip

2009-11-01T22:00:00.002-05:00

The Himalaya!!

My second week in Banepa Sam, new volunteer Maggie, and I met up with a couple of other Papa’s House volunteers Tomomi (from Japan) and Patti (from Canada) in a town called Bhaktapur. Bhaktapur is about halfway between Banepa and Kathmandu, and was one of the three kingdoms (Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Patan) united back in the day to form the kingdom of Nepal. Bhaktapur is especially famous for its Durbar Square. The squares in the city were quite amazing with some really old temples--including the tallest one I’ve seen (five stories high!)--some really cool sculpture (a little erotic art thrown in there), and lots of pools for ritual washing. The art was beautiful and the city is seriously stuck in the middle ages--the ticket price helps fund conservation for the entire old part of the city, so most homes are very old looking. We also did a lot of shopping, which is probably lucky for you if you’re reading this blog.A view up the tallest temple in Bhaktapur

After a day in Bhaktapur, we grabbed a bus up to Nagarkot, well known for it’s views of the Himalayas. The hotel where we stayed, Hotel At The End of the Universe, was unfortunately true to its name, or at least the kitchen was a universe away from the restaurant; both supper and breakfast the next morning took two hours. Eek. Our sleeping quarters, however, were awesome--the five of us shared a cabin (with THE biggest bed I’ve ever seen) for about $5 each. We got up early to watch a sunrise over the mountains obscured by clouds, but by the time we left Nagarkot for a lunch in Bhaktapur on our way home to Banepa, the skies had cleared and I got some great views of some giant mountains. Ah, to be so close to the Himalaya--they are truly beautiful, especially when I can see them, as I discovered just the other day, on my way home from the hospital.Our little cabin, complete with garden.

Tihar

2009-11-01T21:59:00.007-05:00

A group of patients play music at the X-ray department during Tihar

The entire weekend and then some was been part of the Tihar festival, which includes Dipwali, the light festival; I’m not sure about the boundaries between the two, but it’s celebrated throughout five days, dedicated in this order to crows, dogs, the goddess Laxmi (fortune), cows, and brothers. On Sunday we explored the town (seeing a few temples and buying persimmons! They have persimmons here!!!), but in the evening we were invited in by the family downstairs for part of the Tihar festival. There were lots of candles, some circles on the floor made of colored powder and rice, and plates of fruit and malas (the plates were much fuller for the men than for the women, I must say, but there ya have it). Tika was applied, butter candles were lit, oiled string was strung across the rice circles and burned, and the fruit was presented to each of the men before we started supper, which was a feast: it included rice and tarkari, fried fish, chicken, greens, eggs, kippers, pickle chutney, curd, wine, and some kind of flaky sweets that I’m assuming were mostly sugar but were delicious. It was a nice time, and although we didn’t have enough Nepali and English to go around between us to understand what everything symbolized, I am very glad I got to see all of the ritual enacted.

Sam with some sweets for Tihar!

Grandpa and grandson during the Tihar festival.

We also got to see a little Diwali happnin’ at the HRDC on both Friday and Monday. Friday the kids took the afternoon to go department to department singing and playing instruments, a little like caroling, except I believe they made some of the listeners the subject of the song and got money in return. This ended with a gathering on the lawn of the hospital, with all the kids playing and singing and the didis dancing. It was pretty cool. Plus we got invited back to a woman from the kitchen (Shanti)’s house and spent the afternoon with her, it was pretty sweet. On Monday it was the day for bai-tika (tika for little brothers) and all the little boys at the hospital got tika from the two girls, and all the children got a big plate of fruit and sel roti (made from rice and extra oily). Sam and I even got plates, which was really nice of the hospital staff. I’m glad I’m in Nepal with such lovely people for a nice holiday!

A cow with tika and mala on "gai-tika" day.

Sandeep, a boy in long-traction, getting his treats for bai-tika.

Namobuddha

2009-11-01T21:59:00.006-05:00

One of the giant Buddha statues--like 10 feet high!

My first weekend in Banepa was a good one. On the 17th Sam, Anna (our German friend from the HRDC), and I took a trip to a nearby monastery called Namobuddha (meaning Prostrated Buddha). We were up early in the morning and took a bus (after waiting an hour in the bus without departing the station, but meeting a nice German man named Raphael) along an extremely bumpy road--like throw you out of your bus seat bumpy; it was fun! (in a way…) I also got my first glimpse of the Himalayas, much higher (above the clouds) and bigger than I thought they would look from here. We arrived nearly three hours after we first got on the bus, and after a short hike we were greeted by a gorgeous, new, red and gold painted monastery. The feel of the place was absolutely peaceful; Anna and I mused that it would be difficult not to have a Buddhist outlook in a place as lovely as Namobuddha. We were invited in to have lunch with the monks, yummy daal bhaat and my first taste of (disgusting) Tibetan butter tea, in a hall lined with literally thousands of eight-inch gold Buddhas in glass cases. It was crazy to see. At 1 p.m. we were invited to puja (I would translate this as “worship”), where the monks chanted, banged drums, and blew Narnia-style trumpets for an hour while we meditated. We also visited a smaller temple with a bigger Buddha--ten feet tall on a fifteen foot pedestal, surrounded by elaborate wood carvings and bright paintings. Last we visited the stupas--one on top of the hill marks the place where Buddha (in his second-to-last life) fed himself to a starving tigress so that she could feed her cubs; the second is said to hold some of Buddha’s bones. The bus ride back was empty by Nepali standards (about half full) and so the ride was even bumpier without people squeezed next to you like sardines in a can to hold you in place--I’m not kidding when I say it’s fun, it really does make one laugh quite a bit if you have the right attitude!

A pretty view of the monastery and the sky.

The shrine showing where Buddha fed himself to the tigress.

The second stupa with lotsa prayer flags.

Yoga

2009-11-01T21:58:00.000-05:00

I have to include this blog about an experience I had in Banepa. I met some cool people the first day and I was told about a yoga class in town. Sam and I got up at 0430 in the morning to get dressed and head to the yoga class, which started bright and early at five. It was a large room, with at least a hundred people there to join in the yoga-ing. It was all in Nepali, and there was a lot of “om”s going around, but we did our best to just follow the movements of the people on the stage and those around us; the men around me were very helpful actually, politely correcting me when I was doing something wrong.
The class, however, was a bit different. It started similar to the scene in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure where Joan of Arc takes over the aerobics class in the mall. I have to say, this is not what I was expecting from “yoga class”. There was even a portion devoted solely to putting on music and dancing. Just dancing. (I didn’t dance. I wasn’t brave enough. But I was encouraged.) There was also some laughing involved--deep breath in, and laugh at the top of your voice, repeat x 4. Granted, once you start laughing like that, it’s hard not to actually laugh at the absurdity of it. There were some sun salutations involved, and the last half hour was breath work, but other than that, I was hard pressed to find yoga, and I think it did more damage to my stretching routine than good. But it was a fun experience, laughing and dancing, and I can see how people enjoy starting their day off with it. I think I’m going to try and find a little radio here so I can put on some Nepali music each morning and dance--but dance alone in the privacy of my room where no one can see what a fool I am. You should try it too. Same effects… maybe after a few weeks of that I‘ll be brave enough to go to the course again.

Banepa Business

2009-11-01T21:57:00.001-05:00

A photo of me to prove I'm still alive!

I’m spending the days until mid-November in a little town called Banepa, about 20 kilometers outside of Kathmandu. Banepa is beautiful; it’s still in the Kathmandu valley, but away from a large part of the noise and air pollution and close to lots of neat places to see, as is illustrated in posts to come. I’m volunteering at the Hospital and Rehabilitation Center for Disabled Children, or HRDC for short. The hospital is well funded and treats many cases from osteomylitis (infection of the bone) to spinal TB (TB isn’t just for the lungs! Who knew?) to clubfoot and other deformities from birth. Surgery days are on Tuesday and Wednesday; outpatients are received on Monday, Thursday and Friday, and appointments are made to treat them in the near future. It’s a learning hospital and since it’s funded by charities, cases are seen from every caste, even if the family can’t necessarily pay. Some of the kids are there long term, especially the children who come in to be treated for clubfoot later in their lives when the bone has already completely developed. I spend my days helping cast kids’ legs and feet to correct clubfoot and AMC, playing with the kids in the ward, teaching English, spending some time in the Pathology Lab testing swabs and blood and hemoglobin levels, and learning not only Nepali, but about everything there is to learn about the medicine practiced at the hospital. It’s a great place to be. The day also includes two breaks for tea, plus lunch, which is pretty sweet; I sometimes feel a little guilty because it seems like I‘m on vacation, but I try to remember that I‘m making life easier for the kids here, because for most of them the day would be ever so boring without someone to interact with. Plus, I’m learning more than I’d ever get to back in the US about this kind of medicine without studying it at uni. More on my adventures to follow.

My Week of Buddhism

2009-10-11T10:15:00.003-04:00

The Boudhanath stupa and prayer flags

This past week my friend Sam and I took a week off of volunteering to take some courses in Tibetan Buddhism, which I have to say was a great idea. I have learned a lot in the past week about the Three Jewels and meditation, and I’ve also gotten to live in Boudhanath (an area of Kathmandu that houses the largest and most important stupa in Nepal… it is very important to Tibetan Buddhists; the Boudhanath stupa is at least 1500 years old). Every morning I woke up to the sound of large trumpets (think 6 foot long Narnia-style) and drums being played and numerous monks chanting in the monastery that was right next door to our guest house. Sam and I had all mornings free (class was in the evenings) so we usually spent some time sitting in one of the nearby cafes to have some coffee and breakfast (which is a delicacy after our month in Dolpa); the Saturday Café is my favourite, as they make delicious organic and vegan foods to order… their porridge with dates and raisins is the greatest. I’ve been drinking lots of tea and reading lots of books (our guest house had a “library” as well!) and spending a little time walking around the stupa and watching the monks and tourists intermingling. A second meal in the afternoon usually finished me off for food for the day, and then it was time for class.

We took two courses: one was on the key points of Buddhism taught by Loppon Yeshe Phuntsok. He seemed pretty cool. He spoke through a translator and would answer any questions we had as best as he could after class. The most difficult tenet for me to grasp is the one of giving up attachment. I don’t think it’s difficult to give up attachment to things, I’ll do that in a heartbeat; but I’m a people person, and I can’t give up loving my family and friends. However, one of the girls studying at the Institute explained it to me better: “It’s not that you love your family less, it’s that you love all sentient beings [even enemies] just as much as you love your family.” Now that is something to aspire to.

An old woman feeds the pigeons near the stupa

Meditation class was on Saturday and Sunday and was taught by Khenpo Jampa Donden. I thought I would be really interested in this class, but the two day session failed to impress me. I, as a person trained in very basic meditation (like what I’d read in books), already knew and had practiced the type of meditation he described on both Saturday and Sunday, and I didn’t really learn anything new about it. But I suppose the main lesson I learned is that one actually has to practice meditation--something I’m not very, um, tenacious about. And meditation is very important, apparently… gonna have to get on that one.

Our Classroom at the Rangjung Yeshe Institute

Also on Saturday, the main monk of the gompa (temple) where we’re studying gave a talk. His name is Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche and he’s very much admired and respected around these parts… well, everywhere really--he’s got institutes in California and Austria as well, and he travels a whole lot to visit all kinds of places. His talk was very nice, it was about surrounding ourselves with the right kind of people. (If you surround yourself with negative people or people attached to disturbing emotions, you too will become disturbed; if you surround yourself with people focused on loving-kindness and compassion then you too will become a loving and compassionate person. Seems simple enough.) The gompa was amazing inside, and while I sat listening to Rinpoche talk (through a very talented translator) I put myself in the 7-fold posture (a posture for meditation) and was surprised that what they’ve been saying is true: I almost immediately entered a state of meditative concentration and stayed that way for quite some time. It was really cool to experience; I was meditating in a gompa in the most important Buddhist center in Nepal, listening to a renowned Rinpoche speak. Rock on.

The seto gompa on a beautiful October day.

In the evenings we might watch TV, but many times we used the time to read or correspond using the internet. It’s been a pretty chill life for the week, but just what the doctor ordered after the month in Dolpa and before I head out to my next assignment--a hospital and clinic in the small (and close to Kathmandu!) town of Banepa. I can’t wait to update you guys on that one.

A shopkeeper at Boudha puts away his wares by candle light during a break in the electricity.

Please let me know on here if anyone is interested in a post about what I’ve learned this past week. I can summarize and explain the key points of Buddhism for you from my notes. It will be a long post, but it’s really interesting stuff.

A view of the edge of the stupa and the surrounding shops at nighttime.

Good news/Bad news

2009-10-02T09:51:00.003-04:00

Pradeep pays more attention to the camera than the classwork.

Hello everyone! I have to say, right now, thank you guys for following my blog. It’s nice to know that people care about what I’m doing in the world, and it’s always great to have your comments on here. I miss you all, and I’m glad you enjoy all the stuff I’m putting up here for you.

I have to share some good news/bad news with you. The good news is (***drum roll please…***) I’ll be home for Christmas! The bad news is, of course, I’m cutting short my planned trip. It’s always difficult to shorten the range of your goals (especially when your goals were to work in a developing nation helping educate its youth) and not feel like you’re failing in some way, but as I’ve spent time in Nepal, I’ve realized that in the time I’m spending here and the experiences I’m a part of end up being more for me than those I’m helping. I’ve seen in multiple situations that the Nepali people want to help themselves and sometimes think that they know how to do it better than I do (or any Westerner does). Many are very grateful, it’s true, and I could never diss the Nepali people--they are always so welcoming, friendly, accepting, and kind. But I do see a lot of corruption, and a lot of using the system that I think needs to be ameliorated. I also know that it is difficult to come into a country as foreign to me as Nepal and expect understand what they need or help them obtain it in a way that doesn’t insult their intelligence or culture. While the organization I’m with has GOT IT DOWN (I would recommend that anyone and everyone give to this cause or offer their help--please if you have any questions about how it’s run or where the money goes and why this is the best cause to give to, email me, call me, whatever. I’d be more than happy to talk your ear off), I believe that it took and takes a lot of cultural understanding that I don’t have and cannot attain in only five months.

All of that being said, I do miss my family very much (and my friends, I miss you too!). I have realized how important you all are to my life, and even though I am self sufficient and I’m having these amazing experiences on my own (thanks again, friends and family, for raising me right!) I definitely want to be home for Christmas and New Years and my niece’s first birthday and to see my nephew’s Christmas program if he has one, etc etc. I know now (especially seeing the Nepali culture with homes containing grandparents, parents, and children; the small villages that hold multiple generations; the siblings reunited after long times apart) how important my family is to me, and how good it is to be able to rely on friends for advice or a talk through a problem. I love and miss every one of you who is reading this blog huncha-bunches.

I think that this trip has helped me most to understand what amazing blessings I have (such as toilet paper and an economy that does not require bargaining or bartering), and how fantastically lucky I am to have the education I do. I hope to keep studying and learning, and therefore gain some of the brainpower to solve the problems I’m encountering here and throughout my travels--but solving those problems will take a lot of brainstorming and discussion and months and weeks and days and years and nights and forever* before I can help to chip the tip off of the iceberg.
So I’ll be home in only six months instead of seven. Woohoo! I can’t wait to see you all in December….

*e. e. cummings reference, “what Got him was Not/hing”; if you want the whole poem, email me (or google it), it’s awesome.

Dashain Days in Dolpa

2009-10-02T09:11:00.006-04:00

Dashain is the biggest holiday in Nepal (or other Hindu countries), somewhat similar to Christmas. It celebrates the goddess Durga and her slaying of lots and lots of demons… for this reason, tons of goats are sacrificed to Durga on the day of Dashain; the temples literally run with blood. The vacations for Dashain last one entire month for public schools, and give most people the chance to travel home to their families and visit for a long time.

Two days before the actual feast of Dashain, we got to participate in another festival, more locally based, that again involved Gunga’s brother, the “goddess” Diphendra. This festival was very similar to the others, with lots of dancing and handing out of strands of colored fabric (red and white) and handfuls of rice. This time it also involved roti, the fried flatbread made of flour and water, although we think some kind of cornmeal was involved in some of the roti this time, which was delish.

Making chapati at the temple.

Diphendra and another priest handing out cloth thingies.

I woke the day of Dashain early because of a nightmare and had some extra time to go out and lay out on the roof to watch the stars (I saw three shooting ones!). Once the rest of the town was up, we waited to hear on the radio when the official priest-astrologers would declare the best time for starting the Dashain celebrations (it was 10:55 this year). We were invited to the home of one of the founders of the boarding school, Hom. He was there with the principal of the school, Gopal, and the remaining teacher, Gurung (as the other two teachers had been fired a week before for beating the children as punishment). We sat and chatted for a while, had a Tuborg beer (I don’t even like beer, and that was one of the most delicious drinks I’ve had), and then at 10:55 started the festivities with tika giving. Hom gave his children tika as blessings and some rupees as treats. He, Gopal, and Gurung also gave Sam and I tika, and eventually, after more chatting and more beer, we had some lunch. Sam and I decided to be true Nepalis today and eat with our hands. Sam also partook of some of the mutton that had been slaughtered the day before. ‘Twas nice.

The Dashain fare at Hom's house.

At around 12:30, we left Hom, thanking him so much for his hospitality and the chance to teach at his school. We went to Gunga’s family’s house (as we had missed the tika at Tarak’s house because we were at Hom’s… It is a lot like Christmas, isn’t it?) in the neighboring village, where we were tika-ed and we received rupees this time as well! I got 40 whole rupees (about 50 cents) from Gunga’s mum and pop, which I was extremely pleased with--not kidding--as we’ve sort of run out of money up here in the mountains. We also got to see Gunga’s niece’s first Dashain; she got lots of tika, lots of money, and also at her first food, some dudh bhaat, or rice with milk. (She doesn’t have a name yet--they just call her “bhoine” (little sister) and they will name her when she turns a year old.) We were invited to have some dudh bhaat as well, rice with warmed buffalo milk--it was almost sweet and very good, although difficult to eat with hands and no spoons.

Baby bhoine getting tika and her first rice.

Then we were led by a kindly relative away from Gunga’s; we misunderstood and thought she was taking us home, so we were a little surprised when we stopped at another house. It was a lovely house, full of lovely women and children who tika-ed us again and gave us more rupees and more food. Just tarkari this time and some sweet roti and these little circle thingies that are kinda like giri but without syrup. Delish. It was a lovely time, we had some great conversations, I think; it’s difficult to tell when none of the Westerners speak Nepali and none of the Nepalis speak English. But it was nice. Eventually we left there, led away by another nice woman with a baby (named Mahan) on her back; we went took some shortcuts through cornfields, stopping to pick up some fresh cobs to roast on the fire for supper, and strolling through the beautiful sunshine and breeze whispering through the stalks. It was beautiful.

Me in kurta and tika at the end of the day.

My haul--100 rupees and an ear of corn.

I ate so much that I was fit to burst by the end of the evening. The next day brought our flight out of Juphal to Nepalgunj, where hotel and bus were taken care of remarkably easy, and the day after was a fourteen hour bus ride, the last hour (and curviest roads) were driven in the dark. But we made it back safe and sound, and were very happy to find the volunteer house. It was packed with new volunteers (six of them) which has been a little difficult (although I shouldn’t, I get a little irritated when they explain to me Nepali etiquette as if I hadn’t been living with it longer than they have… Understandable, but irritating). Soon everyone is leaving on a trek, however, and I will be spending the next week at Boudanath enrolled in a short course on Buddhism and meditation. I can’t wait for the short time to relax and rejuvenate so I’m ready for my new placements in October and November!

Terminal One at the Juphal Airport... on our way to Nepalgunj again.

singing Schoooool’s Out-- for-- the Dashain

2009-10-02T07:50:00.004-04:00

My crazy UKG Class: Pradeep, Biplop, Sashila.

Well, today was our last day of school. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been here in Dolpa and teaching for four whole weeks, but time flies when there’s so much to do. I wish I could keep teaching--I have so many lessons planned out and need to keep going, plus I’ve grown so attached to the kids here, even Class I which I had trouble with at first. In Class I, Luckie is very smart, but needs to learn to stay in his seat and chup (be quiet), Bipana is the cutest and smartest girl in the class, and Pukar is always ready to help. UKG has Sashila, a very smart young lady, and Biplop, who I swear will be the next PM of Nepal. LKG is a madhouse, but Seshman and Amar are very smart as long as they aren‘t seated next to each other, and Sujata isn’t far behind if she’d pay attention; Manisha, Sova, and Durga are all terribly bright too. *Sigh* I’m SO gonna miss these kids.

But anyways *wipes away a tear*, today we taught the first four periods but were told that periods 5, 6, and 7 were cancelled as the kids had a program for us. We went down to the school after tiffin and all of the kids lined up while we were seated at the front of the playground. Three of the school founders came along with the teachers. Everyone made speeches (including us… I wish I’d had time to prepare!) and we were presented with official papers thanking us for our time volunteering. Then all of the kids, each of the fifty-three who were at school today (many have already gone home for Dashain (see the next post!)), gave us tika. It was so sweet, and such a mess! Tika is powdered dye or a dyed rice mix applied to the forehead as a blessing; today it was just a red powder, applied by a bunch of little kids, so it was all over our foreheads and clothes. The officials gave us tika as well, and then presented us with khata, which are white scarves sometimes called “journey scarves” to wish a safe journey; they‘re also given as gifts to Tibetan Buddhist lamas… the combination of the Hindu and Buddhist religions here is pretty cool. Then after a photo with all of the kids, school was dismissed and everyone went running home since Dashain is the biggest holiday, and this is akin to Christmas vacation.

Puspa (LKG) applying my tika

Amar getting ready to tika me

I must note that today in UKG we didn’t really stick to our lesson plan, instead taking a short break for photos (Biplop, Sashila, and Saugat are my pets, I’m afraid to say) and also to analyze a certain old wive’s tale. I have unfortunately been eaten alive by bugs here (including bed bugs)… you’d think we were high up enough at 3000 feet to be away from bugs, but nope. Anyways, my ankles are covvvverred in bug bites, and since I was scratching a lot, the kids told me how to fix it. Apparently, I need to get a piece of roti (fried flatbread) and scrape my ankles with it, and then feed it to a very dirty dog. I thought that’s what they were trying to tell me, but I didn’t believe that I’d heard them right until they illustrated the entire event on the whiteboard with stick people (and stick dogs). I almost died laughing. But that does not mean I’m beyond trying it. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Me with UKG

Dunai was not exactly New York (Title borrowed from Sam B)

2009-10-02T06:06:00.005-04:00

On September twelfth, I and my two travel buddies, Sarah and Sam, journeyed to the “big city” of Dunai. Dunai is the headquarters of the Dolpo district, and we had been told by the chef here (Im) that it was a very big city. (It has less than 200 buildings.) We were also told that it was a 2 to 2.5 hour walk along a main thoroughfare (a walking thoroughfare that is; there are no cars here).

The day started out lovely. We got up early to watch the sunrise, which was beautiful, with gray clouds growing into hot pink and then fading to creamsicle above the mountains. We had some tea, got some water ready for the trip and headed out.

It took us an hour to get down our mountain and then we started walking on the larger road that runs parallel to a river coursing through the mountains. The scenery was beautiful, with lots of mountains popping up here and there, large cypress trees, and huge rock falls beneath sheer cliffs. The sun was out and so the weather was warm, but there was a lovely breeze following us everywhere we went that made the temperature perfect.

On the way down the mountain: pink flowers and steep slopes.

A view of a tributary river and a wonky mountain.

A special tree (with many string offerings tied to it) under a sheer cliff side.

After the three hour mark and no sign of the city (remember, I was told 2.5 hours tops) I started to get a little nervous. We finally arrived 3.5 hours after we set off into a small village nestled along the right bank of the roaring river. We quickly passed through the town looking for food, especially the momos (steamed dumplings) we were told the restaurants there had. None of the restaurants had them, so we settled for egg omelets (with onions, yum!) and some buffalo milk tea (it tasted extremely, um, earthy).

Sarah posing with our omelets and buff milk tchiyaa.

After that we crossed the river on a rickety wooden bridge to visit a monastery up the hill. Luckily enough, right next to the monastery is a private boarding school. We were invited in to talk to the principle and one of the teachers and given the most delicious coffee I’ve had in Nepal. The school seems to be run very nicely, with a good rewards system and teachers in an English medium for grades Nursery through 5. I was very excited to see that they also had a library, which included Dr. Seuss (The Lorax), Shel Silverstein (The Giving Tree), and college level books on Ecology. After the school we headed up further on the hill to the Bonpo monastery. Bonpo is the pre-Buddhist religion in the region. It had a nice little mundir (temple) high up, surrounded by prayer flags of every shape and size; we circumambulated counter-clockwise (in contrast to the Buddhist clockwise) and then made our way back down the hill.

I have to note that on the hillside of Dunai, I realized that the city had the most energetic feeling. I don’t know how to describe it; it was almost peaceful, but more ancient and powerful. I immediately thought of the magnetic hotspots I’ve seen in specials on channels like the Discovery Channel, and I have a feeling I’ll have to investigate that further. It was so strong and yet subtle, and most of all earthy. It made me extremely happy. It would be difficult to be unhappy with that scenery, but this made the experience awesome (I mean awesome in it’s non-vernacular way) for me.

The Bonpo temple on the side of a mountain in Dunai

Once we were back in the city the search for momos recommenced. We were told that somewhere would have them, but no one seemed to. Once we finally found a place that had momos, we sat down, and one of my travel partners was sexually assaulted about thirty seconds after we got in the door. Needless to say, we got up and left immediately. I hate to get on a negative kick, but men never fail to disappoint me, wherever I go, ever. Having been sexually assaulted twice in my 22 short years of life, I tend to get extremely angry whenever someone close to me is harassed or assaulted, especially in my presence. I’m glad that I wasn’t certain which one of the men did the assaulting because I’m afraid I would have caused a scene. It amazes me that nearly every single woman I know has an assault story, and that it just keeps happening. I don’t understand what the hell happens in men’s minds… it doesn’t matter if you’re uneducated or you’re drunk, to me there is absolutely no excuse. Nepal only exacerbates the situation unfortunately; men tend to stare at white women and most expect that their morals are a little looser than the women of Nepal… I’m going to do my best to overcome my anger quickly, because I’m afraid I might really snap at the next man who leers at me. I am glad, however, that I’m in Nepal and not involved in a relationship right now, because needless to say, my boyfriend would not be gettin’ any for a month or so. (Amendment: Add two harassments during Dashain to that assault, please.)

After that we bought some sweets and samosas for the trip home, and stopped by a café on the edge of town for some chowmein. We headed out, picking up a couple of taggers-on on our way. At first we basically ignored them because we figured they wanted money, but they just wanted to hang out with us. We spoke an odd mixture of English and a little Nepali, spelling words in English and trying to communicate our likes and dislikes in Nepali. We shared our sweets with them, and they stopped with us whenever we needed a break from the walk. Unfortunately, Sam’s legs started hurting her about halfway back from Dunai. The walk was a lot to take on in a single day, and while we had considered breaking it into two and staying the night in Dunai, we had vetoed that decision and tried to tough it out. But Sam’s legs eventually got to the point where she literally couldn’t walk but a hundred feet without pausing to stretch, so Sarah ran ahead to get help while Sam and I took it slow because my legs were killing me as well. (Sarah is a mountain goat, literally, she’s all over the place. I don’t know how she ran up the mountain as fast as she did.) Sam and I got to the base of the mountain, but Sam’s legs were just too bad, we had to go steps at a time, and as I could not see any donkeys coming and the sun was starting to set, I seriously started making plans to camp at the side of the road for the night.

One of our young friends made on the way back.

Well help came finally, just not in the form we expected. I had been watching for a donkey, but our savior came as a boy named Nahendra. The people of Nepal carry heavy loads by tying a strap around the back or bottom of the load and then around their forehead, supporting the weight up the mountains half on their backs and half on their heads. Nahendra, a nineteen year old student, came with a scarf which he tied around Sam’s bottom and then around his forehead. He literally carried her up the mountain like he would a bundle of sticks. I did not know whether to laugh or to cry, I think I was doing both. It was an emotionally and physically exhausting day for all of us, I know, and this was the cherry on top. This guy was amazingly strong (he can carry 70 kilos in this fashion! (Sam weighs less than that, btw, just so you know)) and we hiked the long way around so that the slope was less steep; however, it made for a much longer hike, and we ended up getting back to our hotel five hours after we left Dunai. After getting Sam into bed and plied with ibuprofen, Sarah and I ate a quick supper, and then it was bedtime for all of us. The day was a debacle, but I have to be grateful for the weather, the subtle energy-laden feeling of Dunai, and my friends, all of which helped make the experience a positive one in general.

Ancestral Festival

2009-10-02T06:03:00.002-04:00

(Sorry guys, no photos; since this was spurt of the moment, I didn't have my camera with me!)

Guess what: Today we got to play hooky! We went to teach at the school in the morning, as per usual, but this afternoon before we had a chance to go back for sixth and seventh periods, Tarak invited us along to take part of a Hindu festival. His father was performing a puja (blessings) for his grandfather. Within several days during this Hindu month, the patriarch of a family performs a ritual to honor and remember their ancestors, therefore gaining their good will. Tarak told me that if they didn’t make these offerings then their ancestors would be angry and wouldn’t “give us what we want.” There was a Brahmin (priest) there who was leading Tarak’s father through the steps: there was a lot of incense and one butter candle involved; rolling of rice balls; offering of fruits like apples, pomegranates, and cucumbers; drawing of symbols in ashes on the floor; and of course, an exchange of money. Everyone received a tika, and then there was a feast! We got to eat cucumber, roast potatoes, roast corn, pomegranate, a lemon-sorbet-ish-tasting-melon-like fruit, chapati (fried bread like tortilla chips, my personal favorite), and cooked pumpkin. After we had gorged ourselves on all of that, they brought out the daal bhaat! We didn’t know there would be more food, or we definitely wouldn’t have eaten so much. And, as an add-on, they weren’t expecting white people so we didn’t have utensils. Sarah, Sam and I have toyed with the idea of eating the Nepali way--with your hands--before, but we’d never been brave enough to try it. Well, today was our lucky day! It was messy, but I think I did an admirable job, considering I haven’t eaten with my hands since I was about four; plus, this is not like fried chicken, sandwiches, or French fries… this is rice with lentil soup poured over it and mushy vegetables… difficult to handle with your hands unless you’re an expert, I think. It was a very cool festival to be a part of though, and I’m glad we were welcomed into such a special day.

A day in the life of a Dolpa-ite:

2009-10-01T21:03:00.015-04:00

The early morning mountains and clouds reflected in the mirror.

Rise and shine early in the morning at 0530. Battle porters staying at our “hotel” for the very dirty, smelly, grimy squat toilets. Sometimes a hike, but always meditation, yoga, core work. Tea. Wash face, and look up into the mirror to be astounded by the view reflected: three large mountains dominate the background, with a deep river running between them. Splash a little water out for Mickey Mouse and Donald, the two ducks who hang around the dining area. Rarely a shower. (By “rarely” I mean about every five days… or every week.) Plan lessons. Read books.

Lunch at 0900. Dal bhaat.

School at 0930. Assembly, including a very out-of-tune-but-oh-so-cute Nepali national anthem, followed by a shouted prayer of which none is most likely understood by the supplicants, and yet still so adorable.
Class 1: LKG (Lower Kindergarten) Science. The hassle of an American woman trying to wrangle twenty-three 4-9year old children who don’t speak English into learning about family trees. “Chup lagera basa” (“shush and sit down”) is my favorite phrase here.
Class 2: UKG (Upper Kindergarten) Science: A group of five fairly well behaved little munchkins who love to learn. Biplop knows almost every answer and is often my translator for the rest of the class. Sushila and Saugat are barely a step behind him in brainpower. They dazzle me.

Concentrating very hard on the morning prayer.

UKG working at their studies.

Break for the volunteers at 1110-1345. Time to read, plan lessons, chat with the trekkers whose supplies and porters have taken over most of the yard, and eat a small snack (Tiffin here, instead of lunch)… usually the apples which make Dolpa famous throughout Nepal. Mmmmm, the taste of autumn.

Back to school at 1345. Periods 6 and 7 with Class I: a group of older children some of whom are very bright, and a few of whom would rather cause mischief instead of learn English. Difficulties.

School ends at 1505. Spend time tutoring Tarak’s son Saugun (UKG), who oftentimes mysteriously disappears into the kitchen and under the arm of his grandmother as soon as the word “book” is spoken (we all know how nanas are). Work in Tarak’s shop so he’s free to roam around a little; sell the locals noodles, biscuits, and cigarettes with very poor Nepali and much gesturing. Help Im, the cook, in the kitchen chopping tomatoes or garlic, while trying to memorize the seven different kinds of masala he uses to cook his dal bhaat.

Tarak in his shop

Me, Im, and Sam in the kitchen during dal bhaat lessons!

Me stirring the tarkari at supper.

Supper at 1900 hours. Then some time reading the Odyssey aloud to Sam and Sarah, discussions, laughter, maybe a much-desired and very expensive chocolate bar. And, gratefully, but with the uneasy feeling that I might already be 75 years old, to bed around 2100 hours.

Things I do/n’t Need

2009-10-01T07:42:00.003-04:00

Things I can do without and do not need to have:
1) Television (cable)--I still want a TV or some sort of DVD player for movies. No cable though
2) Air conditioning
3) Biscuits
4) A microwave (this seems ambitious, but I think I’ll try it…)
5) Hot, hot showers. Or to shower every day.
6) As many clothes/shoes as I have
7) Electric lights all the time. Candles at night are nice.
8) Makeup.
9) Most forms of media/entertainment. Not many movies, certainly not in a theatre. No TV shows. No blogs. No newspapers. No magazines.
10) A sit-down toilet.

Things I’ve decided I *do* need:
1) Computer. Internet. Microsoft Office
1.5) More printed and framed photos at home
2) Fruits and dairy
2.5) To cook more often
3) Toilet paper
4) Tea and Coffee
4.5) A sex life
5) Drew and Emma
6) Some kind of art studio to work in
7) Exercise: dance. yoga. running. something. (refer to numbers 4)
8) Music/iPod. To sing and dance. More books.
9) A job and an apartment of my own.
9.5) A dining room table where I will eat.
10) To travel.

A Day for a Goddess

2009-10-01T07:22:00.009-04:00

Sarah, Diphendra, me, and Sam with some of his family.

September 4th was a big festival for the locals here, and Sam, Sarah and I were lucky enough to get to be a part of it, even more so because Tarak‘s brother-in-law Diphendra was a main part of the ceremonies (which happen to be gender-bending). Around one in the afternoon, we started heading up the hill to the temple where we had been gazing on events the past few nights and from there we joined a huge crowd of people and started even further up the hill to a bigger temple. It took us about an hour to make it up the steep hillside with the rest of the village, but everyone did pause in their walking every so often to take a dance break. During these dance breaks, random cucumbers and other fruits would be thrown out into the crowd surrounding the main dancers.

At the lower temple: the festivities begin...

About halfway up the hill everyone stopped around a tree and Diphendra had his clothes changed from his young boy’s jeans and t-shirt (he’s 13) to a big red skirt, golden women’s jacket, and a golden veil topped with flowers. (He couldn’t change them himself since he had been fasting from food, water, and sleep for the past 24 hours.) Diphendra was becoming a goddess, or a queen, we were told. After we made it all the way up the hill, where the women and children had been gathered for hours around the temple, there was much singing and dancing, and by much I mean about four hours of it. Eventually they started handing out rice and colored strings again, and this time I was chosen! I felt oh-so-special (not kidding). I ate the rice and tied the red string (which I’ve now found out symbolizes power, woot) around my neck. During the four hours of dancing we took a little break to eat some apples and giri (like funnel cakes, but dripping in a gooey sweet syrup) on the hillside. When we went back to the festivities, Diphendra was in his own “personal” temple and he gave us some apples and strings as well.

The hundreds of people gathered around the dancing and the temple.

Diphendra handing out red strings.

Then we headed over to the feast. Most of the families in the village had made little camps around the temple where they had cooked tarkari (curried veggies) and roti (fried flatbread kinda like tortilla chips). We were invited to sit with so many families; we only sat with three, but had food from at least seven groups who brought their own version of the tarkari and roti over. The roti was sooo delicious, I ate a whole whole lot, but most families had a whole whole lot so it was ok. We headed back down the hill stuffed like Christmas geese.

Diphendra's mother with all her roti

On our way back down we got stopped to try the local raksi (alcohol) which was, um, kinda gross, but then again, I’m not a huge alkie. We also got stopped by a crowd surrounding some singing and dancing. Unfortunately, the locals pushed and prodded me into joining in the dance (I promise this had nothing to do with the raksi)… I was the only woman dancing with a couple of men, I tried to do the local dances, but ended up just trying to get out by laughing a lot. And now, of course, everyone I see wants me to dance when they see me. Not gonna happen. Sorry, locals.

Trying the raksi

Trying to escape the dancing ring

September Full Moon Fest

2009-10-01T07:19:00.003-04:00

Sorry, not many good pics of a night festival...

Our first night in Juphal we were invited to see a men’s festival enacted to get rid of demons and ghosts. We arrived at a spot a little higher on our mountain at a temple--a square building with a courtyard and peristyle like halls on two sides, open rooms on the other two. It has a tall post with Tibetan prayer flags hanging off on one of the corners of the roof, on which we were invited to sit (with most of the women and children in the village, I believe). Others crowded around the open halls and into one of the open rooms. In the other room (which we were facing, luckily) there was a fire and a gathering of men, obviously taking part in some ritual. Every once in a while, men would come out and play drums and blow large trumpets.
While the secret-men ritual was going on, we watched for an hour as other men gathered in the courtyard to form a circle--strike that, two semi-circles facing each other. They would slowly rotate counter clockwise while chanting back and forth. One semi-circle would chant a melody, sometimes gesturing at the other group or pointing at them (the most enthusiastic we nicknamed “Sean Penn”, as he reminds us of the actor), then the second semi-circle would respond with what sounded like the same thing over and over. Men freely came into the circle and left, and much later, women were added. We decided that it could be a very slow, Nepali version of “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better”… “I have seventy mules and a wife with three kids, you don’t!” “Well my wife is cuter than yours and that’s what really matters, so there!”--that type of thing, you know? (In actuality, it’s just a traditional chant, they’re all saying the same thing and only divided by age. I couldn’t tell.)
Eventually three men dressed in white came out of the room with bells and drums and tambours and danced around, hopping on one foot and tying strings around peoples necks. I decided that these people were “chosen ones” who really needed protection from demons… they’re the ones in the community who, by coincidence, always seem to be at the site of trouble, even though they say they have naught to do with it. (This is mostly true, apparently. The strings are to protect the people receiving them from ghosts.) Then the whitemen disappeared back into the fire room. Tarak informed us that the circle bit would go on til the wee hours of the morning.
This same ritual happened the two nights afterwards and climaxed on the last day with a trip to the big temple higher up the hill. Check out the next post!

My Nepal Travel Buddies: a profile of Sam and Sarah

2009-10-01T07:12:00.003-04:00

Sam and Sarah

The other night, at four-thirty in the morning, I and two other women found ourselves in a discussion we never imagined having: the value and convenience of a chamber pot. While Albus Dumbledore might have lightheartedly enjoyed the conversation, we were debating actually getting one for our shared room. (The answer was, of course, yes.) Since I’ve become so intimate with these two gals, I thought I’d introduce them to you.

I enjoy Sam (25, South African) very much. She got here about a week before I came, and we’ve been spending most of our waking (and sleeping) hours together. She’s an awesome travel partner, especially since she’s traveled extensively before (India, Australia, Europe, and she’s lived in UAE) and since we share a lot of the same ideas about travel. You can learn a lot just by hearing other peoples thoughts on the same situation. She said she enjoys my and Sarah’s company as well: “I like how we compliment each other, how we’re different. The humor--traveling these countries you wouldn’t get far without a sense of humor, and we all seem to have a sense of humor. And a lack of prudishness--the topics that you’re forced to talk about, you cant exactly avoid sometimes if you’re going to survive.” All three of us are interested in what we do, as well, which Sam is grateful of: “I like how gung-ho you guys are… it’s good to have that, to kind of force each other out of our comfort zones. All of us are willing to try everything; we encourage each other to get involved.” And of course, as I have discovered, just the comfort of having other people around often turns crises into adventures to laugh about. I also like Sam because we both seem to have really funny weeing stories and we aren’t afraid of sharing them, and because she said her funniest memory of Nepal was Sean Connery’s birthday party--extra brownie points.

Sarah is in the same situation as I am--22, American, just out of college and taking some time to travel and volunteer before starting the rest of her life. She likes volunteering because she is able to work one-on-one with the kids and really watch them learn. When I asked her what she liked about the three of us, her face lit up in a huge smile and a gasp; just that warmed my heartstrings. “It made me so happy when you guys showed up the first day and I saw that there would be fun people to hang out with here… I just had the occasional image of myself stuck on the side of a mountain, in some village somewhere,” she said. “I like that we all get along, we take things similarly. We have a tendency to laugh a lot about things… like being stuck in Nepalgunj for three days would not be funny, but it was with you guys.” Sarah says that her favorite thing about Nepal is “all the different stuff we’ve gotten to do: like riding on the top of the bus, milking the cows, all the new experiences. I can actually say I’ve been hiking in the Himalayas. That’s pretty cool.” I have to agree with her, and I’m lucky that my new friends here love to try new things and go on every size adventure.

Just like Sam and Sarah said, I think our best and greatest survival tool is humor. We laugh so much. We laugh that we all daydream about hot showers, instant coffee, and powdered milk (that’s what’s in our personal “Rooms of Requirement” at the moment…), we laugh at each others stories, and we can turn and laugh with each other (instead of sitting down to cry) when something ludicrous and absurd happens. I’m very grateful to have these two women traveling with me because for a confused mind, a homesick heart, and a culturally exhausted spirit, laughter is the best medicine.

Sarah, me, and Sam during a local festival.

Journey to Dolpa

2009-10-01T06:38:00.007-04:00

The drive to Nepalgunj, Narnia style.

I am now in Juphal, Dolpa. Dolpa is one of Nepal’s lesser known but absolutely beautiful trekking areas. It is mountainous, on the northern border of Nepal towards the west and includes the Shey-Phokshundo National Park. There is a lake here that I hope (but doubt) I will get to see which lacks any form of life, so the water is absolutely blue and beautiful, surrounded by mountains. We are in the city of Juphal, just a three hour walk from the district capital of Dunai, which we plan to check out at some point.
While Dolpa is beautiful, our journey here was less so. After a 14 hour bus from Kathmandu, we ended up being stuck in Nepalgunj (the armpit of Nepal) for three days (three more than we planned) due to difficulties in flight schedules and weather. Nepalgunj is only 6 km from India, but we couldn’t swing over to the other side of the border because you have to have an Indian visa before you get there, which I was lacking. We spent our days reading, taking a few walks, and trying to avoid the heat by using the “air conditioner” in our room (which also had a television with English channels… it was a nice luxury, but I was more excited to see Aljazeerah for the first time in my life).

Our Twin Otter Airplane... after it had the seats loaded in...

We finally made it out of Nepalgunj on the first of September and arrived in Juphal Aiport around 730 in the morning. Juphal and lower Dolpa are absolutely beautiful. We have high mountains on every side (we’re at about 7000 feet above sea level, nothing compared to high peaks, but it did give me a headache on the first day), very green and with a forest above a certain level, plus the river in a valley it’s carved for itself. Our accommodations are nice too, a nice little cedar room with shelves (!), a kitchen (where hopefully we will learn to cook dal bhaat so I can bring it back to all you lovely folks), toilets and a shower (which I think I will avoid using at all costs… the water is soooo cold and comes out in a trickle so it will take a while to wash).

The Juphal Airstrip.

Our first view of Dolpa.

The man in charge is named Tarak, and he’s very nice and helpful. He also organizes treks; we went on a walk our first day and saw a house where he gardens, the home where he was born in Juphal, and also his wife’s family’s home. His wife’s name is Gunga, and her family is absolutely lovely--they treated us to apples, cucumbers, and fermented buffalo curd (it was, um… tangy). Also, marijuana grows along the roadside here (lots of marijuana)…… fill in your own comment.

This photo looks photoshopped. It isn't.

We visited the school our first day as well. The kids are in different classes: Nursery, LKG, UKG, and Class I. Sarah, Sam, and I are excited to split up the English classes, and hopefully teach some math and science classes as well. Tonight is a festival in a nearby village--check out the next post!

August 25th, 2009

2009-08-26T08:55:00.003-04:00

The past few days have been fairly normal; I've been going to Pashupati and spending time with the kids as well. I'm including a photo of me and my gal Gita--the kids had a good time with my camera.. they love to take pictures. However, last night Sir Sean Connery was celebrated, as he is every year when you're around me. We had a cake, balloons, some truly horrible "cider", mango juice, and two movies, which just happened to be my favorites--From Russia with Love and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ("Junior!"). How did my two favorite Sean Connery movies show up in Nepal? I think there's some kind of universal reason behind this... Enjoy the pics!

Me 'n' Gita

Happy birthday, Sean!

Some mango juice, Sean, and some "grapple cider". Don't ask what that means; I've tasted it and I still don't know.

Sean's 0079 cake

Vinod, our only boy, blowing out Sean's candle

Narti Part 4: The trip home

2009-08-24T03:30:00.004-04:00

My girl Maya... just had to include this photo somewhere! (she and her sister are moving to Kathmandu to Papa's house, yay!)

We had a lovely send off on Sunday morning. All of the girls had spent the entire night awake because right now it is the Teej festival. On this festival, women fast for the good health of their husbands or luck in finding a future husband, so the night before is a little like Mardi Gras. The girls stayed up, had a huge meal at midnight, and then danced the night away in a frenzy. Unfortunately, I was dead tired and slept through this all, but I’m told it was a sight to see by Sarah and Sam. Vinod said some of the girls were the best dancers he’d ever seen. I wish I had pictures for you all. Some of the girls gave me a little mini-show of dancing before I went to bed though--they danced so fast it reminded me of some kind of seizure… I can’t imagine how exhausted they were by the end of Sunday. Anyways, all of the girls got up (or stayed up) at five in the morning to see us off. They all came out to the road, they put tikas on our foreheads, and they gave us bouquets of flowers and waved us away.

The girls dancing the night away for Teej (Thanks to Sarah Rhodes for the photo)

Krishna-sir, Vinod, and most of the girls

Sarah getting her tika applied

Me with my bouquet and tika, saying goodbye before getting on the bus

After a while, our bus (which was much nicer than the one on the trip out--more room for feet, and rather empty at first) filled up with people, and Vinod, Sarah and I decided to sit on top for a little more breathing room. Once again, putting myself in more danger than I ever have, but it was so awesome. Roller coasters will never be the same. We were riding on top of the bus around mountain curves and passing big trucks with other vehicles coming our way (I said a few choice words more than once), and a couple of times I swear that driver was going a little fast for having people on the roof of the bus, but the views were worth it. I didn’t bring my camera out of course, but the mountains in some parts of Chitwan (a region that we rode through) look like they come straight out of a fairy tale. The cliffs are sheer, the water slices through and leaves steep islands with temple tops sticking out through the forest canopy, there are more shades of green than I could possibly describe, and I fully expected the creatures of Narnia to start appearing out of the brush. The wind sculpted my hair into an indescribable up-do; my legs are sunburned; the backs of my knees are bruised from the metal luggage rack we were sitting on; but we whooped and hollered when we were going fast and I saw some absolutely incredible sights. Well worth it.

A view from the top of our bus (Thanks to Sarah Rhodes for the photo)

Narti Part 3: Touristy Bits

2009-08-24T03:24:00.006-04:00

A view from the top of a truck on which Vinod and I were riding

Just a short little post--I tried to have my rice read (to see the future) but the lady was out. Fortunately (I use this term very warily), her brother-in-law happened to be a snake charmer, so we got to see him do his thing. I must say, the past few days I have probably put myself in the greatest danger I’ve ever been in, just by riding on top of vehicles and playing with snakes (and going to the bathroom where snakes happen to live). This guy brought out a basket and sat it down literally four feet away from us. The locals were gathered around behind us--even they weren’t stupid enough to sit as close as we were. He unties the basket and there are two freshly caught cobras in it--straight from the jungle, he said. I was terrified, but I watched the whole time. They stayed in the basket, but seriously, if they had felt threatened by any of us, there was no way we would have been safe. I told Vinod and Sarah that I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t push one of them in front of me if we had to run away. I was dizzy and had a headache afterward because I was hyperventilating I think… it was exciting, but the type of excitement that is almost indeterminable from terror. We gave the dude 200 rupees for being clinically insane and collecting these snakes--he deserved that much, it was scary. Eugh.

The two cobras who were feet away from me.

The last night we were there, the girls hennaed my hand. I think that’s pretty touristy as well, although not so much here. I love henna. The most common design here is simple but beautiful, and they especially liked it on me since I’m so white. Lol.
A last thing, not really touristy, but just awesome. One night I got to see quite a show just by looking up. We were far away from absolutely everywhere, of course, and the night sky was amazing. There were so many stars out, and I could even see the Milky Way, which I haven’t seen in a long while. The clearing where the girls’ hostel is located is surrounded by trees, and at night, those trees are filled with fireflies. The stillness of the bright stars contrasts beautifully with the blinking and motion of the fireflies, but to top that off, there was a storm to the southwest, completely hidden by the trees except for echoes of the flashes of lightning. It was a natural light show that I can hardly describe. It was awe-inspiring. I know I’ll never see anything like it again.

Narti Part 2: Life in Narti

2009-08-24T03:07:00.004-04:00

The school in Narti near sunset

When we got to Narti, our mission was to find out how the girls were being treated there, what they needed for a better life, and if any of them wanted to come study at Papa’s houses in Kathmandu. Overall, I must say that the girls seemed very happy. Some of them are taking the opportunity to come to the city, but most have decided to stay in Narti, in their home district. The people there are very proud of their culture and want to stay in the district to make a difference there; the girls don’t seem to understand that they can get a better education in Kathmandu and then return to their homes, but hopefully we can impress that upon them with time.

Our room in Narti, complete with mozzie nets

Narti is a wide spot in the road and the girls there live on government property. All of them are Kamlari--they were sold into slavery by their parents or grandparents at a young age and worked for a master until they were bought out of slavery by a group called SWAN, which then sends them to school. Their housing and resources are very minimal. There is electricity most of the time. However, there is no safe water source--the girls bathe under a well pump about 50 meters from their housing and cannot drink the water from that well; there’s no sink at which they can wash their hands. They have two toilets (of course without flush, that’s the norm in Nepal) but they’re not very safe… there was a snake in our toilet the first couple of nights; when it was finally killed (the third night) we found out it was indeed poisonous. Eek.

The girls washing their hair under the pump

My bath time in the same spot

The girls have cows to provide milk (and hopefully some day, income). We had milk tea every day for breakfast (it was delicious) and I even got to milk a cow, which has seriously been a dream of mine since kindergarten (I got sick on the day of the little social when we got to milk the fake cow with a latex glove udder… I’ve milked a real cow now. Ha). It was more gross than I’d imagined. I also got to take a shower under the pump. We have to wear a big skirt called a lungi (can’t shower naked, it’s taboo to be naked in front of other people; understandable, I guess, but somewhat difficult for nude-model-Mariah to get used to) and the water was always cold, but it felt wonderful after the hot and humid days in Narti. Transportation to nearby villages (to visit the hospital, get our bus tickets back, see a girl off in her mission to find her brother) was either walking or riding on buses, trucks or tractors. Many of the trucks were so full we ended up riding on top; it was a little scary, but offered some great views.

I milked a cow!!

Me on the back of a truck... normal transportation

A view from one of our truck rides--homes in a rice field, mountains in the back.

The first morning we were in Narti there was no school because it was a type of father’s day. The girls put a pink tika on their “father’s” (Krishna, the man who runs the hostel and school) forehead and bless him with pink flowers. We got the tikas too, I’m not sure why. There were also sweets involved, and much henna-ing of hair.

One of the girls, Amrita, applying the tika to their Krishna's forehead

The girls go to a government run school, which I was lucky enough to teach in for one day (they only had school one of the days we were there due to festivals… that’s a clue for how often they actually have school). The school is sort of a joke as well because many days some of the teachers don’t show up. I taught sixth grade English and Maths. They didn’t understand English, even after six years of “English classes”, but I lectured on the verbs “to be” and “can” and sort of made it into an inspirational speech (or tried to… I don’t think they got it). Eventually I gave up and just worked on pronunciation of simple words. Math was easier for me, even though they didn’t understand English, math is a universal language, so it worked out. Sixth grade is a tough group anyways since they’re always, literally and in every culture, “too cool for school.”

Narti Part 1: Transport out of the Valley

2009-08-24T03:00:00.003-04:00

Last Tuesday I came home from my work at the nursing home to find out that a trip to Narti was in the works. I hadn’t really planned on visiting the small village located in the Dang district (if you look for it on a map, you might want to try to find the city of Lamahi or Gorahi… it was near those), but since a trip was being planned, I decided to be a part of it. It was prepared and executed really fast--we spent five days there and back. I went with the leader of the boys’ home here, Vinod, and other volunteers Sam and Sarah. Let me tell you, everything about this trip was an adventure, from the very start. On Tuesday, Vinod talked me into going with him to the bus station to pick up our bus tickets for the next day; only problem is he rides a motorbike, and my nurse mother has drilled into my head that you never ride a bike (especially without a helmet or leather--I had neither, and Vinod laughed out loud when I asked about a helmet… apparently people who ride in back never get helmets in Nepal). I was nervous, but I went along anyways, because I’m in Nepal, and everything is an adventure here. Since it’s the rainy season, it’s very warm when it’s not raining--I was in a thin t-shirt and capris… but since it’s the rainy season, it starts raining at random times, and it decided to start raining about three seconds after we started out. This wasn’t a regular rain either--it was an absolute downpour. I had to laugh, because if I didn’t laugh, it would have been tears. I was soaked to the skin--probably the wettest I’ve been in my life (the rain was coming down so hard I couldn’t open my eyes even though I was wearing glasses)--and freezing, and so was Vinod. He made me some coffee when we got back. He deffo owed me.
The next day (Wednesday) we started our trip at five a.m. It took the cramped bus about an hour and a half to get out of Kathmandu Valley, but then we were on our way. Unfortunately, we were on a reused city bus--the seats were so close together that I (let alone Vinod, who is six foot tall) was very uncomfortable… and it was a twelve hour bus ride. Unfortunately, wherever Vinod and I sat, the people who were going to be sick sat in front of us. I need to stop hanging out with this guy--it’s always the laugh or cry situations… we were vomited on multiple times, but just had to laugh, or else we’d be sick too. We stopped a few times for food, I slept a little, but when I was awake, the scenery was amazing. There were mountains and rivers and jungle and plains. Nepal is a country of varied and beautiful landscapes. There were some rock slides as well… a little unnerving when the road is about a lane and a half wide and there is traffic coming from the other direction, but ya know, it‘s something you get used to.

Nepal: Second week.

2009-08-17T05:42:00.003-04:00

The past week has been a good one. I was a little sick, but I’m now on the mend. I’ve been spending a lot of time with the kids… They’re absolutely awesome to be around; they’re so loving and love to learn. I know I shouldn’t, but I definitely have some favorites… Gita, although she’s very young and doesn’t speak any English (she’s just learning her alphabet), always has the biggest smile and tries her best to hold my hand when she can--and is always saving a kiss for me before I leave; Yeshorda just turned 13 and is quite shy but always good for a hug; Kabita is street smart and sassy, and speaks the best English I’ve heard; Sangita is 18 and humble, but very smart and quite cool; Ashok always needs help with his math homework, but is a quick learner; and Saroj is the best photographer and most creative kid I’ve met here. I could go on and on but I think I might bore you. Suffice it to say, these kids are awesome and deserve so much more than they have, but make the absolute best of everything they’ve got.

My girl Gita and I

I went to supper the other night with volunteers Sam and Lauren--we had a great meal on a terrace at Boudanath, which offered a great view. The Bouda stupa is 38 meters tall I found out last night. I had a veggie burger (YUM) and some potatoes, and tea, and coffee, and for dessert there was chocolate cake and lassi (Lassi is a yougurt drink here… if I haven’t described it before, well, it’s awesome). It was a great time. Lauren shared some of her adventures; she’s been working with kids at a Buddhist school on a writing workshop, and some of their stories are so great!

Bouda Stupa from a more level view

I also recently bought a traditional dress from Nepal--a kurta surwal. I plan on getting several more (well, maybe two more). They’re so pretty, and they’re good for every day wear here too… and they’re all tailor made. Yay!

My new, pretty blue kurta surwal!

Volunteer House

2009-08-09T05:41:00.002-04:00

For now I’m in Kathmandu, and it’s monsoon season, so it’s unbearably hot during the day until it rains, and then it doesn’t stop raining and gets much cooler. Right now it’s raining, but that’s ok because that means it’s cool.
Here are some photos of the Volunteer house, as per request. We do have a sit down toilet, but it is broken for the moment.

The reading room

The volunteer bedroom, mine is the bed in the corner (there are 5 in here)

Our downstairs (working) bathroom

Dal baat: rice with veggies fried in oil and curry. This is every meal, breakfast included.

Plans for the next few months

2009-08-09T05:40:00.002-04:00

The Ashram where I've started working

Just so everyone is up to date on what I’m doin‘:
Until the end of August I’ll be in Kathmandu. I’m working with the kids every Sunday through Friday morning from 545-7 and evening (430-6), spending time and helping them do homework. Then from 8-12 every day I’m working at the Pashupati Bridhu Ashram, a kind of elderly home… with less facilities. It’s actually the Ashram where Mother Theresa started her mission and the part I’m working for is run by the Sisters of Mother Theresa. On Saturdays the kids don’t have school, so I’m trying to set up a photography workshop for a small group of those interested and old enough. They all LOVE cameras, so I’m going to teach them the basics. I was inspired when one of the kids taught me more on my camera than I knew myself. He’s a smart one. He’s def in the class.

An entrance into the part of the Ashram where I work

From September to the end of November, I will be traveling the country to volunteer in other places. I don’t know in what order yet, but I plan to go to Pokhara, Banepa, and Dolpa.
In Pokhara I would be working with a home for boys, just tutoring in the mornings and evenings, and seeing them safely off to school. Banepa would be working in a hospital, doing whatever they need. A lot of premed students go there, but I love hospitals, having been raised by nurses, and I’m really starting to think of nursing as a career opportunity, although I’m my favorite Classics professor would hate that--she wants me to be an archaeologist, of course--anyways, tangent, where was I? Oh yes, Banepa=hospital. Both Pokhara and Banepa are fairly close to Kathmandu (as in only 6 hours away by bus). Dolpa would be a 20 hour bus ride, then staying in the main city there with my name on a waiting list until I’m allowed on a flight to my final destination. But it’s a beautiful place, up in the Himalayas, and I’d be teaching at an English school. I’m looking forward to all of my placements… I haven’t chosen when to go where because I’m hoping someone else will want to go to Dolpa so I don’t have to do the long trip alone. Although I can’t wait too long because then it will be uber cold. I’ll keep you guys updated.

Dhapasi to Pashupati

2009-08-09T04:58:00.006-04:00

A sunset with the mist rolling in over the mountains from the west, taken from my roof

The past few days in Nepal have been busy. On Thursday I was able to visit Bouda (pronounced BOH-duh) and Pashupati. Bouda is one of the most important temples in the Buddhist religion, very important for Tibetans. There’s a HUGE stupa (the biggest one I’ve seen) and a very lovely temple within the area. Pashupati is a Hindu temple and park and is along the Pashupati river. This place has a really weird myth around it that I just have to share… Shiva (the god who it’s dedicated to and the “main” Hindu god) was chillin’ in Pashupatinath as a deer with a shiny silver horn for a while, but the other gods got worried when he didn’t come back for so long, so they went to look for him and broke off his horn. They buried it, and then many years later, a farmer lived on the land. He noticed that one of his cows dropped a little milk on the same spot every day, and that ticked him off because he wanted the milk, so he dug up the spot where she dropped the milk, and lo and behold, the horn that the gods had buried so long ago had become a fiery phallus. (???!?!) So that’s where the temple is built, and along the Pashupati river there is a deer park, of course, and it’s also where Hindus cremate their dead.

The giant stupa at Bouda

The temple at BoudaThe bank of the Pashupati River where families cremate their deadThe main Pashupati temple to Shiva, where the mark of the fiery phallus is housed
The small temples, all to Shiva, at Pashupati. There's always a docile bull (Shiva was the Master of the animals)sitting in front of them, facing the west I think.

The next day I got to go to the Durbar Patan area--the big Nepali market, not the touristy Thamel area, although I did get to go there (not including it on here… just imagine Bloomington with less drunks and more Nepalis). It was really neat because it’s all these old temples and buildings--they honestly look like they’re from the 19th century at least--they’re falling apart and melting into the ground really, but there’s shops in all of them and windy roads and tiny alleys. It’s pretty neat.

The really old temples in a courtyard surrounded by markets.

Some of the old dilapidated buildings and the markets

Saturday was spent with Papa’s kids, who are awesome. It’s so neat to see kids who have so little, and yet education for them is an opportunity and something exciting instead of a chore. After everything they’ve been through, it melts your heart when you see where they’re at now; one of the volunteers here interviewed a couple of them--she’s a writer--and when she asked what they liked most about being at Papa’s house one of the little boys said “Papa’s love.” Seriously, I’m not making this shit up. If you eat that kind of thing up, there’s plenty more where it came from, and if you want to donate (or volunteer!), please please please visit The Nepal Orphans Home Website.

Me with two of Papa's girls

Two of the cutest kids you'll ever meet, Gita and Rajan