One Week

Feeling a whole lot better about things now, and starting to get really excited for the summer here. I think everyone just has “one of those days” once in a while!

Had a great call with Global Giving last night, and we have a much better handle on what this summer is going to look like now. I’m also looking very much forward to Jenee starting tonight – she is a powerhouse and we will be sharing a lot of the responsibility for both the house and Global Giving. I look very much forward to learning from her, as she is a local woman who knows a lot of people in the NGO community here, and so it will be a great partnership.  Her presence also means I’ll likely be able to schedule a 5-6 day trek in the Annapurna region, so I’m super-excited about that! I may need to pick up some trekking gear, but it’s one of those well-worn areas with guesthouses at each evening’s stop so I won’t need a tent or anything. Any of you hardcore people will probably call that cheating, but I really don’t care. I’m just excited to see the Himalayas!

Today we are going to see Swayambunath, or the Monkey Temple. I’ve been there before but it will be nice to go again, and tomorrow we go to Bhaktapur, which is one of the three most important former medieval kingdoms in Nepal. I did not go to Bhaktapur last time, so I am looking forward to that as well. Swayambunath is just a few hours’ excursion, and Bhaktapur is a day trip. I’m dying to get back to Bouddha, the home of the largest stupa here in Nepal and the neighborhood where Women’s Foundation is, and I hope to do that this week.

Politics here – still up in the air. It turns out the headquarters of the Nepali Congress Party is located in the house next door to us, so we’ve been witness to some political meetings taking place in their front courtyard, but so far there isn’t  much to report.

So that’s life here right now – always a measure of uncertainty, but full of beauty and excitement with an air of peace about it, even in the turmoil.

Om Mani Padme Hum.

 

Not Always as Rosy as it Looks

Had horrible sleep the last two nights. Despite my putting a positive face on things most of the time, I’m having a bit harder time than I thought adjusting to life here again. Whereas last time I really was hosted and led around, this time I was kind of thrown into the thick of things, into a leadership role in a country that I only somewhat know myself. I know I will be fine in a week or two, but this first week is actually kind of rough.

Last time, no matter the horrific suffering I saw, I still sort of viewed it as if through a picture frame. This time it feels raw somehow, more immediate – perhaps because it’s dawned on me that this is just day 4 of three months I’ll be living here. Suddenly it seems more immediate, more frustrating that the toilet is always on the blink, the sink leaks, the internet cuts out several hours a day, and I get to the point where I think, “does NOTHING work here?” I’m also getting further into the daily operations of the house and realizing that so much more goes into this operation than is apparent to the average paying volunteer, in order to provide them all with a good experience, and I’m also realizing just how very hard the girls work here. Add to that, that rather than view the dissolution of the current government as a political science case study, I’m more worried about being responsible to all these kids’ parents if I don’t manage them the right way should any instability in Kathmandu arise, and well – it’s just a lot all at once and it hit the minute I stepped off the plane, and last night I was just completely unable to turn off my brain. (Not to mention, the sick cat that was caterwauling outside my window all night last night and would lay in any time I started to drift off.)

We have our conference call with Global Giving Thursday evening, and I think I’m going to have to let them take more of the lead on developing the training materials, etc. I’m just not going to have the level of time I thought I would, and I still have to figure out how to get some dissertation research in as well. To think I was worried I’d have too much free time on my hands! Ha ha ha. I should try and bang out the two articles I need to finish early so I can just focus on Nepal the rest of the summer.

Right now, though, I can’t even think about it. I’ve gotten only about 3 hours of sleep each the last two nights and can barely see straight right now. I have a lengthy but manageable to-do list for today, so I’ll bang that out, but tonight I’m going straight to bed with my book right after dinner. I’m pooped.

Om Mani Padme Hum.

 

Politics, Yoga and Pictures

As of midnight last night, the Constituent Assembly that functioned as parliament while they were supposed to be promulgating the new constitution is dissolved. As of this morning, the ousted king has launched a website and a blog (possibly positioning himself for a comeback), factions are disgruntled, and no one is quite sure what is next for Nepal. There is rumor of a bandh (general strike) to begin at noon today, but we’ll see. If there is a bandh, standard operating procedure is to stay home and obey the rules set forth by it. It’s only those that defy the bandh or that get stuck out somewhere after it starts that wind up in trouble – if we’re at home, we can ride it out. That’s why I brought books, UNO, and playing cards – something to amuse us all if we’re stuck in the house for any length of time. But, this bandh is still a rumor at this point so we’ll see what happens.

This morning two other volunteers and I attended a wonderful yoga class – there is a free, traditional yoga class every morning in the park about 10 minutes’ walk from our house. I hope to keep going to it unless there is a bandh happening – terrific mix of pranayama, meditation and active yoga poses, and the locals welcomed us and helped us with the parts we were not familiar with. I’m very excited to go back.

And finally, here are some pictures! This slideshow function is awesome, except I haven’t figure out how to get the vertical shots to show vertical here the way they do in Picasa. Maybe soon!

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My room and the view from my balcony, and walking around Thamel in Kathmandu

Om Mani Padme Hum.

 

Observations

46 percent of Nepali men leave the country for work. I saw the evidence on my flight from Doha to Kathmandu – there were three tourists, about four women, and the rest of the flight was packed with Nepali men. I’m not sure if it’s cultural or general scarcity mentality, but everyone was jockeying for seats and getting to the front of the line to board. I wanted to say “We do all have tickets – no one is going to take your seat so that you can’t go.” But, I just went with the flow. I was still rushed to the front of the line though, which made me uncomfortable. I was perfectly content to keep my place about 2/3 of the way back because that’s when I arrived from the hotel in relation to everyone else, but for some reason I was pulled out and moved to the front. I don’t know why.

When we got to Kathmandu, baggage claim was another adventure. Each of these men brought the maximum luggage possible, including bringing back goods like televisions and other items – for their families or to resell, I can’t say. But there was no traveling light for them.

I was very pleased to get my bag back last night though – it came like clockwork on the same flight, the next day. Opening it was like Christmas – I could change clothes! Scott and Sunita have given me a gorgeous room here that even has closets, so I was able to put everything away instead of leaving an open suitcase around like last time. I also have a balcony with a gorgeous view! I’m being really spoiled here.

Things are also moving fast on the project front with Global Giving. I didn’t have enough time to prepare for my meeting yesterday and was honestly still jetlagged at the time, and so I worried about looking a bit unprofessional. My project partner thought we would have had more together as well, since she was brought on very quickly. But, I managed to put together a preliminary project plan yesterday afternoon and get that out, so hopefully I pulled that out of the fire. I have to wait until Tuesday in the US, Wednesday in Nepal, to get a bunch of the information needed to launch the project but at least we have a start, and there are a few things I can still work on while we wait and before we revise the plan.

Meanwhile, I’m going to take the next few days to reacquaint myself with Kathmandu. Several of the volunteers who have been here a while are leaving in the next few days, and I need to be able to direct incoming volunteers around the city. Yes, I just found a way to rationalize my desire to be a tourist with a business reason. Ha ha! This day of walking will be fueled by fruit and Namuna and Shanti’s famous pancakes, of which I have been dreaming these last two months. Soooo good!

Pictures in the next post, promise. Now I’ve got the cord I need, I can remove pictures from my camera, plus I’ll have new ones from Thamel today.

Finally, I’ve heard about the free yoga class in the park by our house at 5:30 every morning, to which mostly locals go. I’ve heard it’s very unique – they start it off each day by singing the Nepali national anthem. I can’t wait!

Om Mani Padme Hum.

 

Namaste! Ta pai lai kos ta cha?

Still waiting on luggage – will hopefully have that tonight – but meanwhile I substitute a photo from my last trip.

Got into the house about 6:30 last night – was greeted at the airport by the lovely Shanti Rai (second from right in this picture from last time – she has long hair now). As usual it was hectic – I’d forgotten I needed to give a passport photo with my visa application at the airport but thankfully they’ve put in a small photo stand at Tribhuvan airport for those of us who forgot. Had a great dinner of noodles and curried vegetables at the house and went to bed early, then woke up at 3am even though I was incapable of getting out of bed until 6. I’m sure I will adjust in a couple of days!

Had breakfast this morning and then made a trip to Bhat Bhatteni for some necessities – fruit and nuts for lunch and some other things to tide me over til my luggage gets here. Currently wearing a pink pig shirt borrowed from another volunteer, because after 72 hours in the same clothes for waking and sleeping, I couldn’t take it anymore. Already have my first programming meeting in about an hour and a conference call on Thursday – let the games begin!

A couple of volunteers who also just arrived and I are discussing a short trekking trip. I’ll be working, but had planned on a few long weekends for travel while here, so am really looking forward to that. We’ll probably go near Pokhara, which is a tourist lake town and also the start of many of the Himalayan trekking trails, and there are several 3- and 4-day trek options available around the beginning part of the Annapurna circuit which is where people who climb Everest start out. We’d be going near base camp.

Meanwhile, I’ve got to get ready for this meeting at 11am. So glad to be back here! I remember a lot more of the city than I thought I would, so that’s really helpful.

Om Mani Padme Hum.

 

Halfway There

If you’ve got to have a 15-hour layover, Qatar Airways does it right. They’ve put me up in a sweet hotel in downtown Doha for the night, as well as giving me all my meals free and a shuttle to/from the airport, plus they led me through the whole process so it was completely painless. SCORE! They are so helpful in the airport here.

I’d post a picture right now except I realized that the cord needed to take pictures off my camera is in my checked baggage, which may not have made the connecting flight in DC with me. The ATL > DC leg was over an hour late and I had to run in order to make it – so who knows about my bag. But, the plane was really nice and had lots of room, the food was good, I slept (some), and then like I said, free hotel. Almost makes up for the screaming banshee that sat in front of me from ATL > DC. Mothers, do not hop your three-year-old butterball of a kid up on sugar and soda, as I saw this woman do, right before cramming them into an overbooked teeny commuter jet for two hours when it’s also past their bedtime. People will not be amused.

Driving through Doha was neat on the way to the hotel though – in many ways, looks like other Asian cities I’ve been in. It was interesting to note, though, that while there were lots of people hanging out on the streets enjoying this summer night, all were men. There were no women to be seen. So, I gathered that wandering Doha at night alone as a woman would not be a good idea, and ate the free dinner in the hotel restaurant which turned out to defy expectations by being FABULOUS. The restaurant doesn’t look like much and the soundtrack alternates between Bollywood and Green Day, but they had a buffet full of Middle Eastern and Indian delights that was incredibly good. I didn’t want to eat too much because my stomach’s still off from the pressure differences of a long-haul flight, but I had about a bite each of several salads and a small portion of some fantastic paneer butter masala with a little rice and a bit of naan, followed by a single gulab jamun for dessert. Man, it was perfect. SOOO good. They also insisted on serving me a can of 7-up despite my insistence that water was fine, so I brought it to my room. When I’m reunited with my luggage I’ll show y’all what 7-up cans look like in Qatar.

I feel like I should go to bed, but I think I ate the above meal and my breakfast within only 4 hours of each other – I’m so disoriented though, I can’t be sure. From traveling through time zone after time zone, it’s been night for over 24 hours now. I’m going to chill out a bit, regardless of the actual time and the time my body’s on, and look forward to landing in Kathmandu tomorrow.

I mentioned this when I first started this blog, which was also when I went to Nepal for the first time, but there’s a reason I end all my blogs with om mani padme hum. It’s a beautiful Hindu/Buddhist expression which, loosely translated, can be understood by people of other faiths (including my own) as a prayer for the fruits of the Spirit as expressed by St. Paul. As I venture back to Nepal, I pray again for such a synthesis. I’m really looking forward to getting to work.

Om Mani Padme Hum.

ETA: Blergh. Total sleep: 3.5 hours, non-consecutive. Finally out cold and now it’s time to shower and head back to the airport already. Still, grateful for the comfy bed! Guh…

 

Getting Ready!

Today’s to-do list:

1. Clean apartment
2. Print all travel paperwork
3. Pack apartment (clothes and bathroom stuff) to make room for subletter
4. Pack suitcases
5. Double-check didn’t forget anything that needs doing for being away 3 months

Can she do it all in one day? Can she bench press a tank with one arm?

Phew! Exams and presentations are finally finished. Passed my first year qualifier too, although I didn’t present as well as I did on Friday at the Ph.D. research conference. There is some work to do on the article before submitting for publication and I’m hoping I can get some long distance coaching on how to do a Heckman selection model in Stata 12 (hint), because my profs want me to submit to journals this summer if possible. Yay!

Meanwhile, I’ve a crapload to do today. I rested yesterday afternoon while doing laundry and making packing and (much longer) to-do lists for today, but now I gotta get moving. Gotta get ready to go see the family and watch my niece graduate from high school this weekend! So proud!

And, I’ll be in Nepal a week from Friday. Let the adventures (and the more interesting blog posts) begin!

Om Mani Padme Hum.

 

Om Mani Padme Hum

 The semester is finally winding down and I’m preparing to depart for Kathmandu via Atlanta next week already! This finals season felt like a band-aid that took six weeks to rip off. But, all my exams and class papers are finished now, and I’ve just got a presentation, a paper revision, and a qualifier defense to complete by a week from tomorrow. Oh, also need to finish a book chapter draft, but if that takes an extra week it’ll still be alright. I’ve been catching up on some sleep this past week, which is a good thing. My body has definitely shifted into recovery mode now.

A friend told me recently that if anyone has some weird physical ailment, it will manifest itself during their first year in a Ph.D. program. So it was not a surprise that I had my first seizure in 12 years three weeks ago, and was in the hospital for a couple of days. I’m totally fine, but since then I’ve had to be extra careful about listening to my body despite being in the middle of finals. Thankfully, I happened to be with my cousins when it happened and they knew what to do, and thankfully I completed my goal of moving to a city where I was not reliant on driving anymore. That’s because having a seizure means a suspended driver’s license if you lose consciousness – and a third reason for thanks was that I didn’t lose consciousness with this one. But despite hiccups, I think I produced some of my best research ever this semester and I’m really excited about where that will lead.

But now, besides preparing for the qualifier, I’m preparing to leave DC for three months next week. I’ve prepared all the time-sensitive things that need doing, but I need to make several lists this afternoon so I can systematically knock out the rest. I’ve been very tired these last three weeks, though I chalk that up to exertion from exams and not from the seizure, since everyone else I know is as tired as I am. Well, except for 2 or 3 fellow students who seem to just keep on going no matter what and who we suspect are actually cylons.

Now that the lion’s share of schoolwork is behind me, I’m getting really pumped about being back in Nepal in two weeks! I can’t wait to see my girls at the house. My project load has changed a bit – instead of working at the Language Lab, I’ll be part of a small team launching a training program about online fundraising for local Nepali NGOs, as well as serving as a KTM-based resource to this years’ Mountain Fund volunteers. I also hope to reconnect with Women’s Foundation and to pursue my first wave of data collection for my dissertation. I need to come up with a research plan pretty quick to submit for IRB approval if I want to do that, though.

But, today is another rest day. This is the third one my body has taken in the last week, whether I wanted to or not. Here’s hoping for more energy tomorrow, because there’s a lot to get done.

I am so grateful for this life.

Om Mani Padme Hum.

 

It’s been a minute.

It’s been a crazy roller coaster here this semester. Last week was Spring Break, during which I got a few much-needed days visiting with the family before coming back to work on papers and stuff. Took a couple days off to myself as well – had to crash and burn just a little!

But, it’s only two months now until I am in Nepal again! 65 days, to be exact. I started this blog when I went to Nepal the first time, so that will be nice to come back round to again. And, my posts will get SO MUCH MORE INTERESTING than they are right now! Ha ha.

School-wise I’m doing fairly well, though I am still nervous about my term papers. They are re-works of the ones I did last semester though, and I’m pleased to be able to develop my over-arching projects in this way. I’m going to have to defend my Stats paper before a committee in May, as my qualifier, so I want to do a really good job on that one, and the other one on human trafficking crime organizations is going to grow into my dissertation so there’s a lot at stake there as well. Between those, classwork, the book I’m helping write, and an Occupy-related survey project I’m also trying to help on, I stay just a little bit busy.

I’m also very excited for this Easter! I’ve been doing the RCIA class at my local Catholic church all this year and I will be fully inducted into the Church in two weeks. I have been drawn to the Catholic faith since I was a child for the mysticism and the sacraments – especially the full bodily presence in the Eucharist. The idea of Communion as merely a symbol, and not celebrated every Sunday, has always been very empty to me and just seemed plain wrong. Even though I disagree strongly with some of the things the Church as an organization has done, for me the Catholic faith itself is the fullest expression of Christianity and so I am joyful about joining the Church! Regarding the flaws of the human institution, perhaps it will be possible to influence change from the inside. Many lay people are doing just that.

Still doing fairly well with eating right and working out too – it looked iffy there for a couple weeks but I think I’m on the other side now. I’m back to daily workouts this week and am starting to bump it up a notch by adding 15-20 minutes of hand weights as well. Food-wise, I’d like to be able to cut back on my bread and cereal intake, but it’s so hard for me for some reason. Nepal will help with that though, because they don’t eat a lot of wheat there, so I won’t stress too hard about it now.

OK, back to working on this book chapter!

Om Mani Padme Hum.

 

Grateful Friday!

Here are five things I’m grateful for this Friday-After-Ash-Wednesday:

1. Lent: I love Lent and the opportunity it gives me to focus and examine my life. I haven’t done so well on my “sacrifice” – trying to limit Facebook to under an hour a day – but I’m going to keep trying! The point of doing so was to make room for more prayer time.
2. Beating the rain: I had several errands to run today, including getting my passport renewal application out, and it wasn’t looking good for a while. But, mission accomplished! Monsoon season may now feel free to re-commence.
3. Nepali food and great girl-time: A few of us took a good friend out for her birthday and had Indian/ Nepali food at Himalayan Heritage here in DC – laughs, fun, great food and a great bottle of wine were shared by all. We must do this more often!
4. I still feel fairly in control this semester despite constantly feeling slightly overwhelmed. However, to retain this feeling, I’ll be writing another school essay as soon as I finish this blog post. I am convinced my new healthy habits are part of the reason why.
5. Listening to my gut: I have to find a new neurologist here in DC, which I hate because I went to Dr. Schiff for 12 years and I love him. I made an appointment with one and didn’t feel quite right about it for some reason, so looked him up online and he’s had a slew of disciplinary sanctions filed against him! No WONDER he had multiple same-week appointments available! No neurologist ever has that. So, now am working on getting one with the neuro recommended by the Student Health Center here and feel much better about it. I’m still asymptomatic but have to schedule my annual checkup and prescription refill – and having had bad doctors in the past, I’m very picky.

OK friends, back to paper writing and then Stats homework! Please, I know it’s hard, but do try and contain your jealousy.

 Om Mani Padme Hum.