Welcome! Read this first.
Hi everybody, welcome to the latest improvement on telling you all news from over here! This is called a ‘blog,’ which is short for the word ‘weblog,’ and I for one wish they had never shortened it. Anyways, I have had a ton of stuff happen since the last time I emailed, and I’ve tried to give a little info on everything in this blog. I will be posting a description of my sister’s wedding soon, once I have the pictures ready. Kathmandu at the moment is rather dry and thankfully not so very cold anymore. I only need one blanket to sleep in and don’t have to walk around my apartment bundled up like I’m ready to go sledding anymore. The coming heat means that the mosquitos will soon hatch, though, so I’ll be having to go buy a mosquito net to hang over my bed. I’m trying to think of recent news to put in this first post…
I’ve been taken on a really nice walk with my sister and one friend from Bungamati, down to the valley where their fields are. The weather really is wonderful right now, if a little hot in the sun, and the fields are green again with wheat instead of rice. These wheat fields are interspersed with patches of mustard; the mustard flowers are not only proliferous and bright yellow, but they also have a heavy honeyish scent that hangs in the air when one walks by. My pants got a lot of yellow pollen on them from being brushed by these flowers, but I didn’t mind. There are some fruit trees in bloom now that are also really lovely, tiny light pink and dark pink flowers. I’ve been told that they are peaches but you never know how these fruit translations work out. Avocado are not indigenous here, and I found out that their Nepali translation is something like, butter fruit, which I found appropriate as well as delicious.
I went to a wedding reception with my sister and friends from Bungamati. A bunch of those ladies came over to my house to get dressed up beforehand – we all wore saris and it took like two hours to get ready. I wore my new one from India, but I just know saris just don’t look quite right on me… My sister and her friends looked beautiful. It reminded me of getting ready to out with my friends during college, helping each other with hair and makeup and lending earring etc. The actual event was held nearby here in a building that used to be a theater, there must have been a couple hundred people there. The bride and groom (who had been married the day before) sat in these huge red chairs on the stage and everyone came up and congratulated them or gave them a present. We gave them bouquets. There were snacks being passed out all over the place and a huge buffet. We sat down to eat and everyone told me to eat slowly, which they usually tell me and is ridiculous because I am always really slow compared to them, but this time they actually meant it and ate like sloths (slowly) and even left food on their plates. I imagine that this is for public appearance, there must be some idea that eating really super-fast isn’t appropriate. I explained to them that this seemed confusing to me and they laughed.
The day after this reception I met up with a professor who is here on a different sort of Fulbright grant – she teaches classes at a university on top of doing her research. We went together with her Nepali ‘son’ and her cook’s twelve year old son to Pashupatinath temple, where the celebration of Shivaraatri was taking place. I had heard that many many Indian people come on pilgrimage to this temple for this holiday, including many sadhus, ascetic holy men. I had heard also that these sadhus would be naked, but we didn’t see any of that, thank goodness. (Not that they shouldn’t be naked, I just wasn’t particularly interested in that aspect.) The roads to Pashupati were almost completely jammed with people, and on each side of the path to the temple were the sellers, trying to convince you that you really need either some tourist jewelry or a fake leather purse. We got onto the temple grounds for free with our “U.S. Mission to Nepal” cards (I still despise that phrase) and pushed our way along with the rest of everyone. It was interesting to look at the sadhus just hanging out (and smoking), some of them got twisted up into pretzel shapes and one guy had his face pierced with bunches of lemons hanging off the piercings. Don’t ask me, I don’t understand the lemon part either. The crowd was a bit much to handle though, so we left after an hour. I’ll have pictures of this to post soon.
I will also have pictures and a description of my sister’s wedding soon hopefully. I decided that it will be much easier to describe this through the photographs.
My new find is a little coffee shop down the road from me that lends out books informally. So far I’ve read the Stone Diaries and another book called Harm Done. I recommend them both. I also recommend any of the books on my ‘favorite books’ list, if you click on my complete profile up on the top of this page. Also for those of you who might be interested in the environment and religion, check out this article that was forwarded to me a while ago (some of you have seen it already), called “There is No Tomorrow,” I found it interesting: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/013105F.shtml
Please take a look at this pbs.org link,
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/daymygoddied
This talks about a documentary they ran about girls being tricked, kidnapped, or sold into sexual slavery in India (commonly referred to as trafficking). It is worth being aware that such things are going on in this world, and remembering that it isn’t just happening here but in the US also. What a reflection this practice is on the desperation of poverty and the continual objectification of women all over the world. I have not seen this movie but perhaps it is available to watch over there. There are a number of NGOs (non-government organizations) here working with trafficking survivors and awareness programs, and the NGO described on this website, Maithi Nepal, is one of the largest. They apparently have a record, however, of distorting their figures or not releasing certain numbers in their efforts to fundraise– if you are really interested in making donations to these types of organizations in Nepal I can provide you with a list.
Some other news on the sad side: My family’s goat, which gave birth during the wedding, of course, is now a month later very ill. The baby goat has grown up enough that it will probably survive without its mom, but it is still very sad to hear the mom goat making its sick bleating noises from inside its shed. The baby goat has cute white, brown, and black markings, and loves my aamaa and tries to jump on her lap. I fed it some pieces of apple.
I have around four months left here in Nepal and I’m about ready to do some formal taped interviews. I’m also considering, due to the number and serious nature of questions I have been asked about pregnancy-related issues, having a really informal class here in my apartment where I can show pictures from the internet and at least share what I know. I don’t feel quite qualified to give health advice, obviously, but if I’m who they feel comfortable asking then I feel somewhat compelled to do a little research and give them any answers I can. It would be a reciprocative event, as well, as I will be able to ask them questions as well.
Sending love and best wishes to all of you!
I’ve been taken on a really nice walk with my sister and one friend from Bungamati, down to the valley where their fields are. The weather really is wonderful right now, if a little hot in the sun, and the fields are green again with wheat instead of rice. These wheat fields are interspersed with patches of mustard; the mustard flowers are not only proliferous and bright yellow, but they also have a heavy honeyish scent that hangs in the air when one walks by. My pants got a lot of yellow pollen on them from being brushed by these flowers, but I didn’t mind. There are some fruit trees in bloom now that are also really lovely, tiny light pink and dark pink flowers. I’ve been told that they are peaches but you never know how these fruit translations work out. Avocado are not indigenous here, and I found out that their Nepali translation is something like, butter fruit, which I found appropriate as well as delicious.
I went to a wedding reception with my sister and friends from Bungamati. A bunch of those ladies came over to my house to get dressed up beforehand – we all wore saris and it took like two hours to get ready. I wore my new one from India, but I just know saris just don’t look quite right on me… My sister and her friends looked beautiful. It reminded me of getting ready to out with my friends during college, helping each other with hair and makeup and lending earring etc. The actual event was held nearby here in a building that used to be a theater, there must have been a couple hundred people there. The bride and groom (who had been married the day before) sat in these huge red chairs on the stage and everyone came up and congratulated them or gave them a present. We gave them bouquets. There were snacks being passed out all over the place and a huge buffet. We sat down to eat and everyone told me to eat slowly, which they usually tell me and is ridiculous because I am always really slow compared to them, but this time they actually meant it and ate like sloths (slowly) and even left food on their plates. I imagine that this is for public appearance, there must be some idea that eating really super-fast isn’t appropriate. I explained to them that this seemed confusing to me and they laughed.
The day after this reception I met up with a professor who is here on a different sort of Fulbright grant – she teaches classes at a university on top of doing her research. We went together with her Nepali ‘son’ and her cook’s twelve year old son to Pashupatinath temple, where the celebration of Shivaraatri was taking place. I had heard that many many Indian people come on pilgrimage to this temple for this holiday, including many sadhus, ascetic holy men. I had heard also that these sadhus would be naked, but we didn’t see any of that, thank goodness. (Not that they shouldn’t be naked, I just wasn’t particularly interested in that aspect.) The roads to Pashupati were almost completely jammed with people, and on each side of the path to the temple were the sellers, trying to convince you that you really need either some tourist jewelry or a fake leather purse. We got onto the temple grounds for free with our “U.S. Mission to Nepal” cards (I still despise that phrase) and pushed our way along with the rest of everyone. It was interesting to look at the sadhus just hanging out (and smoking), some of them got twisted up into pretzel shapes and one guy had his face pierced with bunches of lemons hanging off the piercings. Don’t ask me, I don’t understand the lemon part either. The crowd was a bit much to handle though, so we left after an hour. I’ll have pictures of this to post soon.
I will also have pictures and a description of my sister’s wedding soon hopefully. I decided that it will be much easier to describe this through the photographs.
My new find is a little coffee shop down the road from me that lends out books informally. So far I’ve read the Stone Diaries and another book called Harm Done. I recommend them both. I also recommend any of the books on my ‘favorite books’ list, if you click on my complete profile up on the top of this page. Also for those of you who might be interested in the environment and religion, check out this article that was forwarded to me a while ago (some of you have seen it already), called “There is No Tomorrow,” I found it interesting: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/013105F.shtml
Please take a look at this pbs.org link,
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/daymygoddied
This talks about a documentary they ran about girls being tricked, kidnapped, or sold into sexual slavery in India (commonly referred to as trafficking). It is worth being aware that such things are going on in this world, and remembering that it isn’t just happening here but in the US also. What a reflection this practice is on the desperation of poverty and the continual objectification of women all over the world. I have not seen this movie but perhaps it is available to watch over there. There are a number of NGOs (non-government organizations) here working with trafficking survivors and awareness programs, and the NGO described on this website, Maithi Nepal, is one of the largest. They apparently have a record, however, of distorting their figures or not releasing certain numbers in their efforts to fundraise– if you are really interested in making donations to these types of organizations in Nepal I can provide you with a list.
Some other news on the sad side: My family’s goat, which gave birth during the wedding, of course, is now a month later very ill. The baby goat has grown up enough that it will probably survive without its mom, but it is still very sad to hear the mom goat making its sick bleating noises from inside its shed. The baby goat has cute white, brown, and black markings, and loves my aamaa and tries to jump on her lap. I fed it some pieces of apple.
I have around four months left here in Nepal and I’m about ready to do some formal taped interviews. I’m also considering, due to the number and serious nature of questions I have been asked about pregnancy-related issues, having a really informal class here in my apartment where I can show pictures from the internet and at least share what I know. I don’t feel quite qualified to give health advice, obviously, but if I’m who they feel comfortable asking then I feel somewhat compelled to do a little research and give them any answers I can. It would be a reciprocative event, as well, as I will be able to ask them questions as well.
Sending love and best wishes to all of you!
posted by Alani Price | 9:27 PM
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