November 28, 2008
My friend Sue from England told about the culture phenomenon in her country dubbed by some author as social dis-ease. This condition is simply the characteristic of being perpetually ill-at-east in most – if not all – uncommon social situations or when confronted with atypical (to England) behavior. She gave the example of kissing cheeks repeatedly in France. Most English would be very embarrassed, she said, if the number of kisses they thought was appropriate in any situation differed from the French person they were bestowing them upon. Therefore, crashing weddings does not come naturally to Sue and Bill.
However, she is of an age and place similar to mine when you realize that: no one cares much about anything YOU do because they are much to concerned about what THEY are doing, you’ll never see these people again (unless you so choose), and if you want to do something (after considering any legal or life threatening consequences), do it. In the case of wedding crashing in Nepal, in my opinion, the only consequence is that you might get to enjoy a FEAST while participating in a real-life cultural event. (As opposed to going home and eating a huge plateful of sticky white rice with some watery dahl dumped on top of it accompanied by a spoonful of potatoes and cauliflower cooked into a – rather tasy – clump.)
So, although it had been less than a week since our first wedding crash, we could not resist the musical call from the garishly colorful tent a short distance down the road. (Wedding season in Nepal seems to be in full swing now and there are tents sprouting everywhere…. Over night, houses sprout gaudy architectural appendages, rooftops are adorned with dazzling red and yellow tophats, or – as in the case of this wedding – an enormous tent-house had sprung up in previously barren field dwarfing the house to which it was attached.)
I’ll blame in on Sue, she’ll probably blame it on me, and no one will blame it on Bill. But the fact of the matter was we had finished our daily beer, it was only 7:30 pm and we were all FAMISHED and dinner wasn’t due to be served for another hour. So we decided to take a stroll past the wedding tent just in case some nice Nepalese person would like to invite us in for a feast.
Good plan. However, the problem we discovered was that, unlike the previous wedding where the tent actually took up half the road, this tent was set out in the middle of a field. To get to the entrance, you had to walk up a small path for about 100 feet. No chance of “just happening by” and wanting “to peek in” out of curiosity! Also no chance of the host starting a conversation with us out on the road and inviting us in.
This is where the socially dis-eased Sue (obviously now completely cured) started to razz me for “losing my courage” or “backing out” etc, etc. Of course, fighting words in MY world. So she and I sauntered slowly down the path to the tent with Bill lagging well behind and another volunteer, Jade, opting out and heading into town. We picked up a pre-teen along the way who we chatted with until he FINALLY invited us into the tent. Once inside the tent, we had it made.
And what a tent it was!! Billowy red and yellow fabric breathed in the night air lit by “crystal” chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The “food room” was absolutely opulent (in an over-the-top Bollywood sort of way)! The buffet (half veg/half non-veg divided by a carved vegetable display that can only be appreciated in person or photographs but that featured a two-foot-tall statue of the Hindi elephant god Ganesh with a segmented cucumber trunk) stretched from end to end. By now the groom’s father (or uncle??) had taken us under his wing and was escorting us around the festivities. We were within a fork’s reach of the food when Sue asked if the bride was in residence and we were whisked out of the food tent, down a tent hall overflowing with women adorned in sparkling (mostly red) saris, and into another large tent room featuring two plush red velvet throne-like chairs. The bride was GORGEOUS – young, slim, beautiful, dressed in red gown sparkling with glitter and jewels. She did not look ONE BIT happy. (“An arranged marriage,” a drunk relative told me later. “Much more difficult than a ‘love marriage’.” – primarily because, he explained, you had to go through all the costly traditions when dealing with an arranged marriage, whereas couples involved in the slightly-taboo love marriages simply go down to the courthouse (of wherever) and seal the deal.)
The marital tent was packed with relatives in red and we were the honored foreign guests. The videographer – again with small video camera in one hand and blinding lights in the other – followed our every movement. Sue and Bill were caught in the dazzling lights for nearly the whole time we were in the tent (while I managed to slip away and take photos of the kids and the ceremony).
At some point, a large procession led by a young girl dressed in what we would consider a wedding gown – white with veil – entered the tent bearing gifts – fish encrusted with glitter (edible??), shocking pink noodles, breads, sweets, all kinds of fruits and vegetables as well as nail polish?? (including all the latest colors!) and hair and personal care products apparently essential to all newlywed couples.
By the time the food parade and celebrity interviews ended, I was really hungry! But when you crash a wedding, you have to wait to be escorted to the food, which eventually happened. As expected, it was a delicious feast! Mutton, chicken, all sorts of unidentifiable vegetable and rice dishes. I was surprised, however, that the only beverage was water from a jug (although it was clear that the men had been sneaking quite a few sips of alcohol somewhere). Desert was yogurt with a syrup-soaked doughnut ball in it (tasty!)
We were told that the groom would arrive in minutes (or maybe an hour) and that we really needed to stay. The groom’s procession starts in town. He rides in a nice new car festooned with marigold ropes. A band leads the procession and a dozen or so fellows with tall decorative lights precariously balanced on their heads follow. Bringing up the rear, of course, is a noisy generator on wheels being pushed by a bunch of guys (gotta get the power for the lights somewhere!)
We chatted with our escort and his brother (??), both or whom are bankers and quite proud of that fact. We have been invited to our escort’s home for dinner (which we intend to do and try to convince him to buy a nice mosaic for his bank’s lobby). Bill launched into a lengthy conversation about religion with one of the bankers (which I thought was quite ambitious) while Sue and I smiled at the sari-clad dinner guests and multitudes of children – for more than an hour!
By the time the groom arrived, we were ready to head home (although the wedding festivities last all night long and culminate in the couple walking to the temple to finalize the marriage). The promised musical car-and-light parade arrived amidst grand fanfare. Family members circled around and around the car throwing rice and then the groom – I now know why the bride was so unhappy! – emerged and headed inside to claim his prize!
We slipped away into the night, full of food and stories… another good wedding!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Teenage Ninja Warrior Queen
On Monday, November 17th, my silent world was invaded by eight teenaged “circus girls” from
So eight of these “poor waifs” were sent to be incorporated into my oasis of silence and, let me tell you, these girls are some tough cookies! Susma, Priya, Mamta, Sita, Indu, Bunnu, Sunita and Pinkey, are all around the age of 16 and are dark brooding, muttering, eye flashing masses of female rage (or so I first thought). Daggers flew from their eyes aimed directly at mine when I cheerily called out “Namaste!” No smiles.
So I left the lively teens to their own to get settled into the house next door and enjoyed a reunion with two volunteers from
And then Jill came up with a brilliant idea to integrate the teens – a dance! (Although I wondered if the deaf kids would be able to hear and, thus, dance in rhythm, I realized that MANY people who CAN hear the beat don’t appear to incorporate it into their dancing.) Jill said that Bunnu and Pinkey, the two toughest looking of the bunch, were the best dancers and that we should ask them to teach all of us. Before dinner, Jill made the proposal to the
We usually sit on our chair “thrones” at a small table to eat while the girls eat on mats on the floor. Tonight, however, we were on the floor and – most appropriately -- Pinkey took her throne. “Teenage Ninja Warrior Queen,” I muttered, eyes wide in fascination. Pinkey had tied a wide white and black scarf around her head. Her thick black hair spilled over the top in the front and flowed down her arms and back as she assumed her fighting posture – sitting in chair, elbows on knees, shoulders up to ears. She immediately began shoveling rice into her mouth with her right hand. With each scoop, she shot a glare around the room. Her eyes actually “flashed” with defiance (just like in the movies!) “Whoa!” I whispered, “isn’t looking good for dance lessons.”
But, what the heck, might as well give it a go!
Tried compliment: “I hear you are a very good dancer.” FLASH, angry glance.
Nice request: “We’d really like you to teach everyone to dance.” FLASH, BOOM. “NO!”
Whining flattery: “Oh, come on, puleeeeeze. You and Bunnu are the best dancers here!” CRASH, FLASH. “I said NO!”
Groveling charm: “Come on, come on, come on….. please, please, please…. It’ll be fun.” FIXED STARE screaming “Can’t you hear me, white woman! I’m NOT doing it!”
Lunacy: I jumped up from the floor and began dancing Nepalese fashion around the kitchen. Everyone broke into laughter. Ninja Queen jumped up from her chair almost spilling her plate and ran toward the hallway. Silence. As she exited the kitchen, Pinkey paused, turned, took a Warrior stance and said. “OK, I teach you.” And SMILED!!
Shouts of joy and applause followed the Teenage Ninja Warrior Queen down the hall and into her lair.
THE DANCE
The dance was a huge success. Bunnu and Pinkey began the party by doing complete choreographed dance numbers straight out of Bollywood. They are GOOD! A couple of us tried to mimic their undulations but the music was much too fast. One of the deaf boys jumped in and danced perfectly in synch with Bunnu (must be on a music video).
After the performance they tried to teach some steps but most of the kids were too shy. It felt like a junior high school dance; girls on one side, boys on the other all clinging to the walls. Finally, the four volunteers got on the dance floor and we made such fools of ourselves, that some of the kids joined in until critical mass was reached and the rooftop erupted in non-stop dancing, clowning, and video-taping.
It was SO MUCH FUN! By the end, the kids were dancing and joking around and requesting photos with no regard to who could hear or speak, who was from
Random notes from Nepal
Random Notes:
I was riding my bike into town today and passed a bicycle rickshaw with a well-dressed man talking on his cell phone… however, he was also holding two goats in his lap! He nodded cordially as I peddled past.
The Internet in Bhairawa is definitely the worst ever…. And I didn’t think you could ever beat some of the Internet Cafes in India. It has taken me FOUR DAYS (maybe a total of SIX HOURS!) to upload 8 photos. (Of course, in the first week I was here, I must admit that sitting in the small booths at the Internet Cafes was my sanctuary… didn’t have to speak either sign language or Nepalese for hours while I tried to get a message out to my English-reading buds) For the past 10 days, however, there has been a constant stream of UK people arriving and departing. I have been able to TALK, which all that know me is a blessing for Carol!
Last night, I spent TWO HOURS at the Internet Café… succeeded in uploading TWO photos before the power went out. I then had to bicycle home IN THE DARK through streets teaming with vehicles of all sorts, people,l children, oxen-driven carts. I really thought I’d surely collide with something or someone (probably a small child)… but I didn’t …. I made it home with only one small skid into a fetid ditch.
Bought some White Mischief on my way home…. The India travelers will surely remember that high proof life saver!
I’m becoming a “regular” on the streets…. A continuous song of “Hello! Hi! How are you? I am fine! Namaste!” follows me wherever I go.
The other day, two of giggling mosaic worker girls called me over and showed me a piece of paper on which they had laboriously written in ENGLISH : I LOVE EASY YOU. Ahhhhh, I love easy you, too!
I was riding my bike into town today and passed a bicycle rickshaw with a well-dressed man talking on his cell phone… however, he was also holding two goats in his lap! He nodded cordially as I peddled past.
The Internet in Bhairawa is definitely the worst ever…. And I didn’t think you could ever beat some of the Internet Cafes in India. It has taken me FOUR DAYS (maybe a total of SIX HOURS!) to upload 8 photos. (Of course, in the first week I was here, I must admit that sitting in the small booths at the Internet Cafes was my sanctuary… didn’t have to speak either sign language or Nepalese for hours while I tried to get a message out to my English-reading buds) For the past 10 days, however, there has been a constant stream of UK people arriving and departing. I have been able to TALK, which all that know me is a blessing for Carol!
Last night, I spent TWO HOURS at the Internet Café… succeeded in uploading TWO photos before the power went out. I then had to bicycle home IN THE DARK through streets teaming with vehicles of all sorts, people,l children, oxen-driven carts. I really thought I’d surely collide with something or someone (probably a small child)… but I didn’t …. I made it home with only one small skid into a fetid ditch.
Bought some White Mischief on my way home…. The India travelers will surely remember that high proof life saver!
I’m becoming a “regular” on the streets…. A continuous song of “Hello! Hi! How are you? I am fine! Namaste!” follows me wherever I go.
The other day, two of giggling mosaic worker girls called me over and showed me a piece of paper on which they had laboriously written in ENGLISH : I LOVE EASY YOU. Ahhhhh, I love easy you, too!
Wedding Crashers
As a prelude to buying a beer at the small shop two doors down, we decided to wandered down the road to see what was going on in the “wedding” tent that had been being constructed throughout the week. When we got there, two of the volunteers from the
We drank the coffee (I had TWO) and then were invited, once again, to join them for the wedding feast. (We were superstars by then… the video man had filmed all of us throughout our coffee drinking and mingling with random strangers at the tent’s entranceway). I immediately accepted (I had been eating little more than rice and dahl every night for three weeks and I knew that was what we were most probably having for dinner this night). And so we ate…. No, we feasted.
Oh, the food was delicious! The groom’s cousin escorted me through the buffet telling me the details of each of the culinary delights. (I wanted to pass up anything that had rice as an ingredient and load up on the nan – garlicky flatbread – and paneer – cheese – dishes but it didn’t seem polite so I took some of EVERYTHING but A LOT of the nan and cheesy dishes… no meat… this was a “veg” wedding).
Of course, we had only intended to go out and buy a bottle of beer so I didn’t have my camera (darn!) and I was dressed in rather scruffy (from a long day in the mosaic workshop) jeans. The wedding guests (females), of course, were adorned in colorful saris that seemed to have been spun from an out-of-control Kitchenaid loaded with rainbows and peacocks. The men, not so much…. we were in good company with those that seemed to have stopped by on their way home from work for a tasty (and substantial) bite to eat
The cousin of the groom served as our host and stood “guard” over the 5 of us as we sat in our plastic chairs scarfing down our overloaded plates of absolutely delicious food. It really was culinary heaven. I smiled and “namasted” everyone that sat near me. The wedding videographer (a guy with a small video camera in one hand and a rack of blazing lights in the other) appeared regularly to document our progress from gate crashing to major consumption to as-graceful-as-possible exit.
We met the family (the father of the groom was gorgeous hot! But, of course, married, with enough children that they had populated their hometown in
Postscripts:
1. Jill and Sarah ran into the entire wedding crew in Lumbini (birthplace of Buddha) the next day…. Coincidence??
2. Bill happened upon the wedding family two days later as the bride (we think, although she appeared to be old enough to be the groom’s mother and very well could have been) and groom (festooned with an over-sized ruffled color of flowers and feathers) were heading to the Hindu temple to be blessed.
3. Boy, I wish I knew the whole story....We were told day two was dedicated to defoliating the bride (and if she looked like Bill described, probably a good idea). We thought they said the arty moved to India on Friday, but they were still here...obviously, we misinterpreted a lot... Maybe I can get a peek at the wedding photos when they are developed and at least determine who the wedding couple are!
Lumbini or Bust!
November 11, 2008
The saving grace of my first week was the arrival of Nadia. Nadia is the chief fundraiser for the organization from London. She only recently started so they’ve sent her on a tour of the schools and refuges they run in Nepal. She’s a total delight! She arrived with Nick(UK), Jason(from US) and Samir(Nepal) --(three other delightful staffers or advisors-- and I was in HEAVEN!! English speakers! I jabbered non-stop (in competition with Nick, who can actually out-talk me! REALLY!!)
After the “officials” held their meetings, we visited the School for the Deaf – quite a large facility run by the competent Mrs. BK. My mosaic artists and I may design and install a mosaic to adorn the walls here. (Ricky, we really need your painting skills at the School!! Ray, a little plumbing would come in handy, too!) They board students and have day students…. Must have a couple hundred. We visited quite a few classrooms, the kitchen (fueled by wood as well as bio-fuel from the toilets…. really high tech but not quite working yet), and the dorms. Of course, we took the requisite gazillion photos of the kids and then headed off to our next stop.
Next, we visited the Refuge for circus/jail/street kids that’s a short walk from my house. The kids range in age from maybe 4 to 17…. Some have been there for years, others have recently been rescued from their abusive situations. Some can’t even speak Nepalese yet; still speak local dialects and are, therefore, kind of “outcasts” from the others (although NO ONE is mean! I cannot believe how KIND these people are!! In the US, the newcomers would be like bloody meat to the sharks!!) We spent a couple hours with the kids taking a gazillion photos and chatting with them as best we could.
Then, Nick, who lived here in Bhairawa for a couple years when the Trust was headquartered here, showed us the local “haven” – Pizza King – with its back-of-shop oasis, a cozy and welcoming garden. But best of all, you can get a cold beer and not look like white-woman-drinking-alcohol. Love it! We chattered away for a couple hours and then headed home for our 8 pm dinners.
Nick and Jason flew out the next day, but Nadia and Samir and I went on an adventure to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha.
Nepal donated a huge piece of land to any countries that want to build temples honoring Buddha and his birthplace and there are now acres of land dotted with absolutely gorgeous temples interspersed with others that are under construction (for many years it appears).
We sardined into the local bus where we spent 45 minutes bumping through the endless rice paddies that make up this area. Harvest is now underway and workers are harvesting the rice with small hand scythes, loading it on backs (or women, usually) and taking it to the “processing area” where they either separate the rice from the rice hay with baskets (throwing it up in the air repeatedly) or a small machine (I think peddle operated). MOUNDS of rice hay are everywhere! Samir jumped out and got me a sample of the rice to see how it grows… looks like hay, but has rice in the buds instead of wheat….duh!
Anyhow, Lumbini was great. We hired bicycle rickshaws to take us around (bartered hard to one for Nadia and I for 300 rupies each, about $3.50…. and Samir’s for 350 rupies…maybe $4) The tour took several hours and some pretty intense pedaling! We visited about 6 beautiful temples as well as “the actual spot where Buddha was born,” an excavation under roof with a stone that marked it… I have fuzzy photos to prove it!
After a tasty lunch we headed home and decided we should ride on the roof of the bus! Loads of Nepalese do it, but I had never tried it. It was GREAT! Nice cool breeze…. Lots of room (the bus that had a capacity of maybe 40 was crammed with about 80)… plenty of people to wave at and take video/photos of. Really great except for the steel bars that bammed against our bums for the entire trip!
Nadia and Samir left on Sunday morning (11/9)…. I was really sad, but that’s life on the road! I spent the day at the Internet Café in town uploading images for the article Ego-Generist magazine in Russia is running on my work in December!! Check it out!! It’s in Russian, but I’m sure you’ll all want to spend the time to interpret it and learn all about me!! It took THREE HOURS to upload 22 images…. I’m sooooo glad I remembered to take my book!!
As noted earlier, this week has been good…. Learning, working, creating… living in the dark, living in silence…. Got to Instant Message with Emily and Molly this morning for the first time… Ahhhhhh! Wonderful to chat with some wacky friends…. Anyone else on IM? Lets talk! I can get on at 8:30 am here which is 9:30 pm at home… if anyone wants to join in, PLEASE DO!! Or if not, WRITE TO ME!!!!!! I need my buddies!! (I can hear you all now…whine, whine, whine… then why did you leave??!?!?!?)
The last big news of the day before I end this lengthy writing…. NADIA IS RETURNING ON THURSDAY!!! I guess she couldn’t stand to be away from the fantastic energy here in my silent/fun house so she’s going to come back and play with us for awhile. YAY!!!! (Although the last time she was here she didn’t wash her hair for 3 days because the water was too cold…. Can’t wait to hear what kind of “accommodations” she found at the next place to make her want to return here!! Hahahahha! A cold spigot sometimes looks mighty good when you’re surrounded by friends! Even ones that only speak with their hands…. And hearts….
The saving grace of my first week was the arrival of Nadia. Nadia is the chief fundraiser for the organization from London. She only recently started so they’ve sent her on a tour of the schools and refuges they run in Nepal. She’s a total delight! She arrived with Nick(UK), Jason(from US) and Samir(Nepal) --(three other delightful staffers or advisors-- and I was in HEAVEN!! English speakers! I jabbered non-stop (in competition with Nick, who can actually out-talk me! REALLY!!)
After the “officials” held their meetings, we visited the School for the Deaf – quite a large facility run by the competent Mrs. BK. My mosaic artists and I may design and install a mosaic to adorn the walls here. (Ricky, we really need your painting skills at the School!! Ray, a little plumbing would come in handy, too!) They board students and have day students…. Must have a couple hundred. We visited quite a few classrooms, the kitchen (fueled by wood as well as bio-fuel from the toilets…. really high tech but not quite working yet), and the dorms. Of course, we took the requisite gazillion photos of the kids and then headed off to our next stop.
Next, we visited the Refuge for circus/jail/street kids that’s a short walk from my house. The kids range in age from maybe 4 to 17…. Some have been there for years, others have recently been rescued from their abusive situations. Some can’t even speak Nepalese yet; still speak local dialects and are, therefore, kind of “outcasts” from the others (although NO ONE is mean! I cannot believe how KIND these people are!! In the US, the newcomers would be like bloody meat to the sharks!!) We spent a couple hours with the kids taking a gazillion photos and chatting with them as best we could.
Then, Nick, who lived here in Bhairawa for a couple years when the Trust was headquartered here, showed us the local “haven” – Pizza King – with its back-of-shop oasis, a cozy and welcoming garden. But best of all, you can get a cold beer and not look like white-woman-drinking-alcohol. Love it! We chattered away for a couple hours and then headed home for our 8 pm dinners.
Nick and Jason flew out the next day, but Nadia and Samir and I went on an adventure to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha.
Nepal donated a huge piece of land to any countries that want to build temples honoring Buddha and his birthplace and there are now acres of land dotted with absolutely gorgeous temples interspersed with others that are under construction (for many years it appears).
We sardined into the local bus where we spent 45 minutes bumping through the endless rice paddies that make up this area. Harvest is now underway and workers are harvesting the rice with small hand scythes, loading it on backs (or women, usually) and taking it to the “processing area” where they either separate the rice from the rice hay with baskets (throwing it up in the air repeatedly) or a small machine (I think peddle operated). MOUNDS of rice hay are everywhere! Samir jumped out and got me a sample of the rice to see how it grows… looks like hay, but has rice in the buds instead of wheat….duh!
Anyhow, Lumbini was great. We hired bicycle rickshaws to take us around (bartered hard to one for Nadia and I for 300 rupies each, about $3.50…. and Samir’s for 350 rupies…maybe $4) The tour took several hours and some pretty intense pedaling! We visited about 6 beautiful temples as well as “the actual spot where Buddha was born,” an excavation under roof with a stone that marked it… I have fuzzy photos to prove it!
After a tasty lunch we headed home and decided we should ride on the roof of the bus! Loads of Nepalese do it, but I had never tried it. It was GREAT! Nice cool breeze…. Lots of room (the bus that had a capacity of maybe 40 was crammed with about 80)… plenty of people to wave at and take video/photos of. Really great except for the steel bars that bammed against our bums for the entire trip!
Nadia and Samir left on Sunday morning (11/9)…. I was really sad, but that’s life on the road! I spent the day at the Internet Café in town uploading images for the article Ego-Generist magazine in Russia is running on my work in December!! Check it out!! It’s in Russian, but I’m sure you’ll all want to spend the time to interpret it and learn all about me!! It took THREE HOURS to upload 22 images…. I’m sooooo glad I remembered to take my book!!
As noted earlier, this week has been good…. Learning, working, creating… living in the dark, living in silence…. Got to Instant Message with Emily and Molly this morning for the first time… Ahhhhhh! Wonderful to chat with some wacky friends…. Anyone else on IM? Lets talk! I can get on at 8:30 am here which is 9:30 pm at home… if anyone wants to join in, PLEASE DO!! Or if not, WRITE TO ME!!!!!! I need my buddies!! (I can hear you all now…whine, whine, whine… then why did you leave??!?!?!?)
The last big news of the day before I end this lengthy writing…. NADIA IS RETURNING ON THURSDAY!!! I guess she couldn’t stand to be away from the fantastic energy here in my silent/fun house so she’s going to come back and play with us for awhile. YAY!!!! (Although the last time she was here she didn’t wash her hair for 3 days because the water was too cold…. Can’t wait to hear what kind of “accommodations” she found at the next place to make her want to return here!! Hahahahha! A cold spigot sometimes looks mighty good when you’re surrounded by friends! Even ones that only speak with their hands…. And hearts….
One week anniversary as volunteer
I’ve been here one week now and I think I’m getting a grip.
FACT: Nobody speaks English here… heck, nobody SPEAKS here! Well, that’s an “exaggeration”…. One girl –Kavita--speaks Nepalese and a bit of English, but she’s only here during the “work” day –
SOLUTION: Learn NEPALESE sign language and teach Sunita how to speak English
For the first several days, everybody’s faces merged together into one swirling mass of “my Nepalese housemates that don’t talk but chatter away with flying hands.” ALL absolutely friendly and smiling (as I sure I was…. Nod and smile in total incomprehension!) On day three– in desperation! -- I had them write their names on a list…. I took photos that corresponded with that list and as I took the photos, I had them show me their “sign” name and wrote down a description of it. I went on an adventure Friday (more later) and they don’t work on Saturday and Sunday, so I practiced the names-photos-signs intensively for three days and – miracles of miracles!! I learned ALL their names in words and sign! They were verrrrry impressed (as was I!!)
In addition, I’m realllllllly trying to learn enough sign language to communicate…. I carry my sign language “primer” around everywhere …. And I do a lot of improvising (I’m sure you can all imagine my “sign” explaining why I didn’t want my photos taken with everyone because I wasn’t wearing a bra!)
Needless to say, we laugh a lot!
After just a week, I am impressed at my ability to get my messages across.
On Monday I started “drawing lessons”… I had reviewed their “portfolios” and they were horrendous. NOT because they lack ability, but they are missing any and all basics of drawing and yet were trying to draw cityscapes and temples and trees with prayer flags strung throughout their limbs. Not possible.
We started with the cylinder in 3D and within two days they were drawing containers of all sorts – water bottles, jars, cups, SCOPE bottles – and they were really good! I’m so impressed! Tomorrow we start on the cube…. I think this is going to be more of a challenge, but…. Why not?? I taught the cylinder by using about 4 “words” --- same, straight, right and wrong – and it worked!
Oh! And today I put the alphabet on the board in lower case and upper case because I wanted to practice my sign language alphabet. Instead, it turned into an hour-long lesson on printing the alphabet…. THEN they wanted to try to write the alphabet…. And they did! So tomorrow I’m teaching each of them to write their name in cursive. (I did get to practice my sign alphabet …. Doing pretty good, but ….)
Powercuts
November 10, 2008
Powercuts, a.k.a. “load shedding” occur every day for between 3 and 6 hours per day (that I KNOW about…. I think they slip some in during the night, too!! Or at least reduce the current enough to prevent my camera battery to charge during an ENTIRE night!!)
However, powercuts almost ALWAYS occur from 5 pm to 8 pm… understand that this time is the ONLY time that I can – with ease – make contact with people in the US (11 hours difference in time)… Soooooo, this makes it IMPOSSIBLE to communicate with anyone in “real” time because the Internet cafes have no power. Therefore, I am stuck in my room during this time…. In the dark… with only my laptop on battery…. For THREE HOURS… three very critical hours in my life in Bhairawha, Nepal…. I WORK from 10 am until 4 pm and THEN the power goes out for the remaining daylight hours!!
Hahhahahahhahahha! Soooooo funny! So, what do I do??
I can read by my headlamp (and use up my precious batteries). I can compose on my laptop (as now until the battery dies). I can sleep (but then it’s impossible to sleep during regular hours). Such a pickle!
Of course, not only is the power off, but also my fan is off…. So it gets hot, VERY hot! And the mosquitoes are hungry, VERY hungry! If I turn on my headlamp, the mosquitoes can find me… If I turn my headlamp off, I am in the dark with only my laptop light to guide me (and the mosquitoes).
Right now I’m sitting at a very small desk in the dark… dogs are barking all around.. howling/barking/ baying because it has become dark and there is nothing else to do except try to communicate thru the dark with their howls.
If I go into town before the Powercuts, I can drink a beer at the Pizza Time garden in the light of their generator. BUT, when the power comes on (at 8 pm) or when I finish my beer (well before 8 pm), I have to bicycle home (quite a distance) in the dark… not knowing too well where I’m going… not knowing too well if there is any danger from man or beast or natural hazards…. Not seeing too well the rocks in the “road” (a gravel path littered with rocks and sand and cobras -- Yes, there are COBRAS slithering across the road in front of my bicycle or feet… we saw one crossing our path the other night as we walked home…. I asked the guy with us what kind of snake it was likely to be and he responded, “Cobra”… iyyiyiyiyiyi! THAT gets your attention!) Note: I was told later that there are NOT cobras here… other poisonous snakes, yes; cobras, no.
So, it seems a good idea to stay in my room and wait out the dark.
I think the answer is candles – A LOT of candles! I can light up my room with candles and incense and protect myself with Odomos (mosquito repellent extraordinaire).
But as I sit here I hear screams of delight from children playing (What?? In the dark??)…. I hear tractors heading home after a long day in the rice paddies (that surround everything in Bhiarawa)… and in the distance, the strident tweedle-ee-tweedle-ee! of buses on not-so-distant roads rushing thru this small town on the way from –where??—going to – where??
It is now 6:32 pm… the power has been out for an hour or so….there are still 2 hours to go before dinner (3 cups of rice with a chicken-noodle-soup-like sauce to dump on it and a ladle of mixed vegetables (cauliflower and green beans seem to be the favorite) on the side… same or similar thing EVERY night and leftovers EVERY morning.
I guess it’s time to crawl under my mosquito net and read my third book since arrival only 2 weeks ago. If you like to read (Ricky!) but life gets in the way, this is definitely the place to be!! IF your batteries on your headlamp last… or if you get A LOT of candles!
Powercuts, a.k.a. “load shedding” occur every day for between 3 and 6 hours per day (that I KNOW about…. I think they slip some in during the night, too!! Or at least reduce the current enough to prevent my camera battery to charge during an ENTIRE night!!)
However, powercuts almost ALWAYS occur from 5 pm to 8 pm… understand that this time is the ONLY time that I can – with ease – make contact with people in the US (11 hours difference in time)… Soooooo, this makes it IMPOSSIBLE to communicate with anyone in “real” time because the Internet cafes have no power. Therefore, I am stuck in my room during this time…. In the dark… with only my laptop on battery…. For THREE HOURS… three very critical hours in my life in Bhairawha, Nepal…. I WORK from 10 am until 4 pm and THEN the power goes out for the remaining daylight hours!!
Hahhahahahhahahha! Soooooo funny! So, what do I do??
I can read by my headlamp (and use up my precious batteries). I can compose on my laptop (as now until the battery dies). I can sleep (but then it’s impossible to sleep during regular hours). Such a pickle!
Of course, not only is the power off, but also my fan is off…. So it gets hot, VERY hot! And the mosquitoes are hungry, VERY hungry! If I turn on my headlamp, the mosquitoes can find me… If I turn my headlamp off, I am in the dark with only my laptop light to guide me (and the mosquitoes).
Right now I’m sitting at a very small desk in the dark… dogs are barking all around.. howling/barking/ baying because it has become dark and there is nothing else to do except try to communicate thru the dark with their howls.
If I go into town before the Powercuts, I can drink a beer at the Pizza Time garden in the light of their generator. BUT, when the power comes on (at 8 pm) or when I finish my beer (well before 8 pm), I have to bicycle home (quite a distance) in the dark… not knowing too well where I’m going… not knowing too well if there is any danger from man or beast or natural hazards…. Not seeing too well the rocks in the “road” (a gravel path littered with rocks and sand and cobras -- Yes, there are COBRAS slithering across the road in front of my bicycle or feet… we saw one crossing our path the other night as we walked home…. I asked the guy with us what kind of snake it was likely to be and he responded, “Cobra”… iyyiyiyiyiyi! THAT gets your attention!) Note: I was told later that there are NOT cobras here… other poisonous snakes, yes; cobras, no.
So, it seems a good idea to stay in my room and wait out the dark.
I think the answer is candles – A LOT of candles! I can light up my room with candles and incense and protect myself with Odomos (mosquito repellent extraordinaire).
But as I sit here I hear screams of delight from children playing (What?? In the dark??)…. I hear tractors heading home after a long day in the rice paddies (that surround everything in Bhiarawa)… and in the distance, the strident tweedle-ee-tweedle-ee! of buses on not-so-distant roads rushing thru this small town on the way from –where??—going to – where??
It is now 6:32 pm… the power has been out for an hour or so….there are still 2 hours to go before dinner (3 cups of rice with a chicken-noodle-soup-like sauce to dump on it and a ladle of mixed vegetables (cauliflower and green beans seem to be the favorite) on the side… same or similar thing EVERY night and leftovers EVERY morning.
I guess it’s time to crawl under my mosquito net and read my third book since arrival only 2 weeks ago. If you like to read (Ricky!) but life gets in the way, this is definitely the place to be!! IF your batteries on your headlamp last… or if you get A LOT of candles!
Bucket bath wisdom
Since sleep is out of the question (still queasy stomach) and activities are limited to reading, working on the computer, or washing my clothes, I worked on sorting Molly and Davey’s thousands of wedding photos (you KNOW you’re bored when…) and then washed my clothes along with my body in the bucket with the spigot (sounds like a totally wrong came of Clue).
There is a shower here, but there is no handle to turn the shower on. So bucket baths it is. I have discovered some poetic beauty in bucket baths, though. Here’s how you do it:
- Put some water in bucket with laundry detergent and dirty clothes.
- Get hair wet under spigot.
- Stand in bucket and agitate clothes while shampooing hair.
- Empty bucket of soapy water down squat toilet or on tile floor (whichever needs washing the most).
- Rinse hair and then rinse clothes.
- Soap up rest of body while agitating “rinse cycle” with feet.
- Rinse body and then rinse clothes again.
- Continue until body, clothes and bathroom are all spic-n-span!
Went to the office after breakfast (leftovers from last night…a definite pattern is developing…. I could only eat half… stomach not good) to check on the election results. Obama is ahead but long way to go. Talked to the director about the horrors of the circus children and how they manage to capture them back (have “4 Heroes” who are experts at this)… also the jail kids (if mother goes to jail, they go too or are left behind with or without family to care for them).
Worked on my mosaic despite stomach pains and sweats… got the heads of my parrots done and glued down (a miracle!) Lunch – incredibly, as mentioned in last post, was a stack of 8 Ritz crackers and a glass of water! (I got fancier “biscuits” and sugary tea, but really! Not enough to survive on!) But all for the best, I would’ve barfed if I had dinner/breakfast leftovers .
After “work” I tried to get my stomach settled but the local shop is out of water and told me to come back in an hour. So I’m passing time on the computer at the small desk and found the last volunteer’s teaching notes. Oh, my God! They (there were two) had lesson plans and projects and awards and grades, etc, etc. I can’t even communicate OR do mosaics! And I’ve got the poops!!! Not good.
One of the administrative people – Nadia – is coming tomorrow for 3 days… It’ll be nice to speak some English but even better to find out what the heck they expect of me. I’d LIKE to be productive but there are so many barriers…. iyiyiyi! I’ll just have to wait and see!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Election Day
November 4, 2008
It’s Election Day in the US… of course, I have no way of knowing what’s going on since I have no Internet close by… but anyway, it’s only 1 am on the 4th at home, so no polls are open yet… I’ll have to wait until the 5th and then go find out what has happened (please, please, PLEASE, don’t let McCain get elected! If he does, people in other parts of the world are going to think we are such idiots, which will be TRUE!!)
My day hasn’t been very productive, I must say… after a breakfast of rice/beans/potatoes/sauce (same as dinner), I went over to the Trust office and used the Internet and then got to work in the Mosaic workshop. There are around 15 workers between the ages of 16 to 18… all deaf… all delightful. My “vocabulary” has now expanded to maybe 5 gestures, but I did impress them by “signing” my name. I decided to try to learn how to do mosaics and spent three hours clipping/carving/ sanding tile to create two pieces of the parrot piece I’m tackling (probably has 500 pieces!)
When I showed it off to the others, they were impressed BUT …. Showed me where I needed to fine tune the pieces by clipping and sanding miniscule areas… I was so nervous that I’d mess up the pieces, I could barely bring myself to follow their instructions. Finally, one of the guys came to my rescue and quickly clipped away the offensive material. At this rate, I MAY finish this tile by the time I leave in three months! Boy! It’s gonna get a place of honor in our house!!
Lunch break is from 1-2 pm… a small bowl of what looked like Ramen noodle soup, but pretty tasty…. Bits of onion and garlic and hot pepper in it. The noodle soup lunch is the GOOD lunch…some days we only get 8 Ritz crackers!! Either way, I usually scarf down a packet of crackers with peanut butter on them in my room so I don’t starve to death while making two more mosaic pieces before quitting time (4 pm).
I did indeed make FOUR more pieces and was completely exhausted by 4 pm quitting time. I barely dragged myself down to dinner – same rice, vegetables and dahl but with a sliced onion for me, the guest of honor. And NO they won’t let me sit on the floor, so I’m still in my chair throne providing dinnertime entertainment.
Went to bed at 9 pm and was up by 4 am with the trots… Delhi belly…. Got to know our squat toilet quite well by morning….. just what I need!
It’s Election Day in the US… of course, I have no way of knowing what’s going on since I have no Internet close by… but anyway, it’s only 1 am on the 4th at home, so no polls are open yet… I’ll have to wait until the 5th and then go find out what has happened (please, please, PLEASE, don’t let McCain get elected! If he does, people in other parts of the world are going to think we are such idiots, which will be TRUE!!)
My day hasn’t been very productive, I must say… after a breakfast of rice/beans/potatoes/sauce (same as dinner), I went over to the Trust office and used the Internet and then got to work in the Mosaic workshop. There are around 15 workers between the ages of 16 to 18… all deaf… all delightful. My “vocabulary” has now expanded to maybe 5 gestures, but I did impress them by “signing” my name. I decided to try to learn how to do mosaics and spent three hours clipping/carving/ sanding tile to create two pieces of the parrot piece I’m tackling (probably has 500 pieces!)
When I showed it off to the others, they were impressed BUT …. Showed me where I needed to fine tune the pieces by clipping and sanding miniscule areas… I was so nervous that I’d mess up the pieces, I could barely bring myself to follow their instructions. Finally, one of the guys came to my rescue and quickly clipped away the offensive material. At this rate, I MAY finish this tile by the time I leave in three months! Boy! It’s gonna get a place of honor in our house!!
Lunch break is from 1-2 pm… a small bowl of what looked like Ramen noodle soup, but pretty tasty…. Bits of onion and garlic and hot pepper in it. The noodle soup lunch is the GOOD lunch…some days we only get 8 Ritz crackers!! Either way, I usually scarf down a packet of crackers with peanut butter on them in my room so I don’t starve to death while making two more mosaic pieces before quitting time (4 pm).
I did indeed make FOUR more pieces and was completely exhausted by 4 pm quitting time. I barely dragged myself down to dinner – same rice, vegetables and dahl but with a sliced onion for me, the guest of honor. And NO they won’t let me sit on the floor, so I’m still in my chair throne providing dinnertime entertainment.
Went to bed at 9 pm and was up by 4 am with the trots… Delhi belly…. Got to know our squat toilet quite well by morning….. just what I need!
Bhairawa
Oh, my God! I’m the only one here who speaks English (at least during a significant percentage of the time…like 99% of the time!)
I caught a minivan from
Anyhow, I figured 8 hours of bumping thru beauty in silence was great… then I arrived at my new home for 3 months. Oh, boy! I’m probably gonna use less words here in three months than I usually use in three days…. Or maybe minutes. And I think I’m gonna love it. The town is just the right size… I can bicycle in and buy groceries and stuff and go to the Internet and the local chai shops with little effort… The house I’m staying in is lovely…. Two side-by-side houses filled with deaf girls who are adorable (no English, tho, except for one). Down the road is the Refuge for children saved from jails and abuse. Stopped in today and held many hands and shared giggles and hugs… they are certainly going to be fun! The deaf boys’ house is down the road as is the Administrative office (with Internet and promised art supplies).
After taking the tour of the surrounding town and kids, I unpacked using my headlight (power outages are common between 6 and
After dinner we shared sign language names and other amenities with the help of the “Nepali Sign Language Dictionary” the girls whipped out and sent home with me. They each spelled out their names and then gave me their “shortcut” name. I spelled out my name and they all agreed – in giggling unison – that my shortcut name is a hand on the head wiggled down thru blonde curls. I did a few vampish renditions of my new name (gotta establish that I’m crazy, you know) to appreciative laughter and then was hit by a BARRAGE of words and phrases that were easy one on one but after a dozen of so my mind went into hibernation mode.
They sent me home with “good night, see you soon” (Good --thumbs up) Night (pretend you’re sleeping on your hand), see you (twirl finger from eye) soon (flat palms banging together)… if that’s all I had to say, it’d be fine, but tomorrow is not going to use “good night” for many, many hours…
I think I’m gonna do a photo shoot tomorrow.. print out all their photos and add their names and pin them on the wall… it’s my only hope!
I do think , though, that I can teach some some English (that can hear)… they can teach me either Nepalese or sign language (depending on whether they can hear)… and local people can have my horrible language skills inflicted on them (whatever! They get to stare at me and say ‘how are you?’ a million times!) Not to worry, I’m just gonna shoot “cust o cha” right back at ‘em! And if they say they are fine, I’m gonna be “tick-ta” with an attitude!
Oh, and it’s HOT here… I’d guess around 90 during the day and cools off to maybe 60 at night.. the heat is nice, the mosquitoes, not so much… we are, after all, living in the middle of rice paddies and word has it that Bhairawa is MOSQUITO PARADISE!!! Thankfully we have fans in our rooms…. Oh! But then there is that little issue about having the POWER to make them spin around!!
Love it…. Why doesn’t everybody want to be here with me???!?!?!?
Male's Day in Nepal
October 30-31, 2008
The Himalayan Mountains surrounding Kathmandu are breathtakingly beautiful (if you can see them through the spog and/or fog). The art school and refuge for the former circus kids are located about 20 minutes out of town in lovely countryside with terraced fields ringed by the Himalayan Mountains. On clear days you can see Mount Everest peaking through the clouds in the distance.
They are housing me in a nice hotel until Sunday when I head for my teaching post in Bhairahawa in southern Nepal. The weather up here is warm (70s-80s) in the day and cold (40s) at night. I dive into my long underwear every night after an “invigorating” (NOT!) ice-cold shower. I’m told that where I’m going is a lot hotter (of course, most of the clothes I packed are for the cold!).
Yesterday I hung out with the two artists teaching up here. The school is BEAUTIFUL! Surrounded by gardens… Bright red bougainvillea and other flowers drape the brick buildings. The school has living quarters for two and some large sunny studios where the students do pottery, sculpture and mosaics. WAY nicer than I expected!
Since the Festival of Lights is going on, the students have the day off. Yesterday was like Father’s Day but for all males. The girls/women anoint the males with oil and marigold petals, drape them with flowered leis and decorate their foreheads with brightly colored lines embedded with jewels (glitter) made with powdered dyes. Then they give the guys sweets and fruits and other goodies. (I guess the women are thanking the males for allowing them to work their butts off 24-7 for the benefit of the men, families, society, etc… somethings remain the same wherever you go!)
We went down to the Refuge where the Esther Benjamins Trust houses the children they have rescued from jails, servitude in Indian circuses, and other abusive situations. What a trip! We were greeted with joyful shrieks and cries of “Namaste, Sister!” from about 100 kids ranging in age from maybe 6 to 16. There are three large apartment-like buildings overseen by a handful of adults. It’s really amazing how well the place runs. We were there for the ceremony for the males as well as lunch. The kids all pitched in, helped out, laughed and played, joked around with us and each other. They were very affectionate and funny and it was great fun!
After lunch we went to the “older girl” apartment and some of the art student teenagers tried to teach us how to dance Nepalese style. What a workout! We danced non-stop for about two hours trying to imitate the girls’ wiggles and twirls. I was sopping wet and exhausted, but we were all laughing hysterically by the time we collapsed. Then the girls gave us an impromptu language lesson. Oh, my God! I don’t think my brain is going to deal too well with yet another language! It’s kind of like Hindi (which I don’t remember anyway) but different enough to confuse me completely.
I tried to use the Internet but it’s not too good here, so don’t expect much correspondence unless it’s better down South. (Skype, by the way, is not possible according to the other artists, but I’ll try at the Internet cafes). I’m typing this in Word and am going to try to dump it onto the Internet quick… we’ll see. One of the challenges, I’m told, is the very frequent power cuts that last between 3 and 6 hours each day at various times.
Last night I crashed at 7:30 pm and then, of course, woke up at 3:30 am… don’t have the hours sorted yet, for sure!
Today – Happy Halloween! – I’m going to hang out at the school and watch the artists work. I’m also going to meet Philip, the founder of the whole thing… should be interesting.
The food is pretty good – lots of rice and vegetables and curries. The marsala tea (chai) is DELICIOUS!!
The Himalayan Mountains surrounding Kathmandu are breathtakingly beautiful (if you can see them through the spog and/or fog). The art school and refuge for the former circus kids are located about 20 minutes out of town in lovely countryside with terraced fields ringed by the Himalayan Mountains. On clear days you can see Mount Everest peaking through the clouds in the distance.
They are housing me in a nice hotel until Sunday when I head for my teaching post in Bhairahawa in southern Nepal. The weather up here is warm (70s-80s) in the day and cold (40s) at night. I dive into my long underwear every night after an “invigorating” (NOT!) ice-cold shower. I’m told that where I’m going is a lot hotter (of course, most of the clothes I packed are for the cold!).
Yesterday I hung out with the two artists teaching up here. The school is BEAUTIFUL! Surrounded by gardens… Bright red bougainvillea and other flowers drape the brick buildings. The school has living quarters for two and some large sunny studios where the students do pottery, sculpture and mosaics. WAY nicer than I expected!
Since the Festival of Lights is going on, the students have the day off. Yesterday was like Father’s Day but for all males. The girls/women anoint the males with oil and marigold petals, drape them with flowered leis and decorate their foreheads with brightly colored lines embedded with jewels (glitter) made with powdered dyes. Then they give the guys sweets and fruits and other goodies. (I guess the women are thanking the males for allowing them to work their butts off 24-7 for the benefit of the men, families, society, etc… somethings remain the same wherever you go!)
We went down to the Refuge where the Esther Benjamins Trust houses the children they have rescued from jails, servitude in Indian circuses, and other abusive situations. What a trip! We were greeted with joyful shrieks and cries of “Namaste, Sister!” from about 100 kids ranging in age from maybe 6 to 16. There are three large apartment-like buildings overseen by a handful of adults. It’s really amazing how well the place runs. We were there for the ceremony for the males as well as lunch. The kids all pitched in, helped out, laughed and played, joked around with us and each other. They were very affectionate and funny and it was great fun!
After lunch we went to the “older girl” apartment and some of the art student teenagers tried to teach us how to dance Nepalese style. What a workout! We danced non-stop for about two hours trying to imitate the girls’ wiggles and twirls. I was sopping wet and exhausted, but we were all laughing hysterically by the time we collapsed. Then the girls gave us an impromptu language lesson. Oh, my God! I don’t think my brain is going to deal too well with yet another language! It’s kind of like Hindi (which I don’t remember anyway) but different enough to confuse me completely.
I tried to use the Internet but it’s not too good here, so don’t expect much correspondence unless it’s better down South. (Skype, by the way, is not possible according to the other artists, but I’ll try at the Internet cafes). I’m typing this in Word and am going to try to dump it onto the Internet quick… we’ll see. One of the challenges, I’m told, is the very frequent power cuts that last between 3 and 6 hours each day at various times.
Last night I crashed at 7:30 pm and then, of course, woke up at 3:30 am… don’t have the hours sorted yet, for sure!
Today – Happy Halloween! – I’m going to hang out at the school and watch the artists work. I’m also going to meet Philip, the founder of the whole thing… should be interesting.
The food is pretty good – lots of rice and vegetables and curries. The marsala tea (chai) is DELICIOUS!!
Invasion of the Birthday Party
After nearly 48 hours of rather grueling travel (
I was the only customer so chatted with the waiter (who didn’t speak any English but seemed to understand my sign language) and ordered (I though) chicken butter
The restaurant went from silent to raucous with a single sweep of the double glass doors. Leading the procession of 16 boisterous men was the 30-something female birthday girl. With hardly a pause, the guest of honor whipped out a cake and surrounded it with four slender tapers, lit them, and ordered the video camera to “roll”. The men burst into a rousing round of “Happy Birthday,” partly in English and partly in what I assumed was Nepalese, and clapped enthusiastically as she blew out the candles carefully one by one.
Next, one of the men cut a small piece of the cake and fed it to the birthday girl while giving a speech about the wonderful qualities of “our friend and colleague.” A flurry of photos later, the entire group was chowing down at the buffet line that had miraculously appeared. Within 15 minutes, both the food and the party were gone. (However, the birthday girl had – very graciously – dropped off a piece of birthday cake at my table.. it was delicious...white cake and icing …very moist… topped with apples, mango and cherries, pits and all.)
I was left, once again, in the silence to enjoy my excellent meal, which cost $910 rupies (around $12 – outrageous!!). In all fairness, though, I had ordered enough food for 4!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
