Where has the time gone?

It is Thursday, March 30 by our calendar and Cait 17 (pronounced "chite") by the Nepali calendar. On Cait 31, it will be the end of the Nepali year of 2062. It can be challenging when discussing dates. I have now got into the habit of saying, my last day is "on the 18th, by your calendar". What this means is that tomorrow will be my official last day at DRC, but I will still have another week to work with Hope and Home on other projects. I am so sad about leaving DRC. During the five weeks that I have spent with the children, I have come to adore them immensely. Right now, they are on vacation, but some are eagerly preparing for the upcoming school year and awaiting results of their final exams which will determine whether they advance to the next grade or "class" as they say here. So, despite the fact that they are on vacation, a few have been eager to get more grammar lessons. Fortunately, I found a great grammar book written for class 5,6,7 levels - which explains grammar in both Nepali and English. So when we are discussing, say, prepositions, I just point to the page, have them read it, and voila, they can yell out prepositions! Who says you need to be an English teacher to teach English? Just kidding! English is a tough language to learn - so many rules and so many exceptions!!! What's that about? (Yeah, I know, I am dangling my preposition, but hey, it is cool to do that now!)

You might be wondering - has Jackie turned into a Grammar freak?! No, not really. We have had some "fun" time, too. There has been a couple of birthday parties, one that lasted all day! We also had an Art project day, where the kids drew pictures, painted, colored, etc... They had a blast and it was a good way for them to relax after the brutal exams. I have been the lucky recipient of some of their work! We've also played games - they love Memory Games, Simon Says, etc... etc... (they like to use "etc..." alot, so when in Rome...). There has been a lot of singing and dancing, too. Again, your donations have come in handy (bought some of their favorite music for them to listen to, games to play with, books to read) and they love all the art stuff!!!

Doug is soon arriving. Hopefully, it will be uneventful. The day he arrives marks the 10th anniversary of the Maoist insurgency and there might be a general strike which means businesses and the roadways may be closed country-wide. There might be some demonstrations, we hope peaceful. If the roadways are closed, I and some friends will have to pick up Doug from the airport on foot and rent some folks with bikes to help shuttle his stuff back to our hotel. Fortunately, my host family lives very close to the airport and if necessary, we can go to their house instead. Overall, things have been pretty low-key here in Kathmandu. Most of the problems occur outside of the valley - which makes life tough for the villagers. I feel safe and there is no need to worry.

I hope all is well there and peace to everyone,
Namaste,
Jackie

Are you jutho today?

Ok, this posting may be a bit TMI-ish, but I feel like I gotta share this. If you are living with a Hindu family, be aware that when you females are menstruating, you are considered "jutho" (pronounced joo-tow). What this means is that you cannot touch anything that the man of the house will be using for eating or touch anyone who will be preparing his meals (for some it can be even more stringent). So, what's so bad about that, you might wonder. You may have even correctly surmised that the woman is off the hook for cooking during this time period -yay! But, after the 4 days, even if she is still having her menses, she is now not jutho. This is a relaxed rule (previously, the woman was jutho for the entire period). I think the relaxed rule was thought up by the guys who got sick of cooking his own food after 4 days! So, you might now be thinking, ok, so what's the big deal? - well, for me and other women here, it means we have to eat in our room, our dishes are not to be mixed with the others, food is dropped onto our plates so as to not connect the server (the other woman in the house) with our plates. Once you are past the four days, you must then wash everything you have touched if it is washable. If it not washable, it must be put out under the sun to be purified (ie heavy blankets, but not the bed mattress or bed itself as it did not directly touch your body). It was kind of stressful actually. Rachna, the host couple's daughter, fortunately, was jutho about the same time as me, so she and I were 'banished' together. She even extended her jutho-ness to keep me company while we ate. Her mom finally cut me some slack at the end, but I think she would have preferred total purification (I wore a totally clean pair of pants after I washed myself on the fourth night, but slept in my bed before it was totally purified. She did not require that I wash the pants after one use. Oh, by the way, it is not uncommon for one to wear the same pair of pants for days on end, and shirts, too... Good thing I have a cold and can't smell anything. See what I mean, TMI! haha!

(the literal meaning of jutho - is the act of the rice that have touched your plate, falling on the eating surface - table, floor, whatever. But most use it in reference to that time when you are impure - during menses & childbirth)

Namaste all!
Jackie

Since when are dogs nocturnal?

Someone please tell me, are dogs nocturnal? I did not think so, but here in Nepal, they are. They bark all night long (I got used to it by my third night at my host family's home), and sleep all day. On my walk to the care center and back, I see dogs sleeping and sunning themselves - not barking, all day long! At first, I wanted to just wake them all up, but that would be risky - with rabies, and all. And plus, they never bother me now, so why should I interrupt their slumber? Hahaha!

So, life here for me is going well. I absolutely love the children. I have to clarify that the disabled care center is not really an orphanage. Some of the children are orphans, but the majority are disabled children who come from very poor families who live in remote villages of Nepal. Their families could not provide them with adequate care. The official name of the the center is the Disabled Rehabilitation Center (DRC), Nepal. A husband and wife team (Tanka and Urmilla Tiwari) from Nepal established the center in 2000. Both of them are disabled themselves. The facility is by no means state of the art. Hygiene is less than optimal by western standards, but appears to be adequate by Nepal standards and not causing serious issues. At least there is running water and soap in the toilet room. The children are well-disciplined and cared for. Nevertheless, they are kids after all, and they can get playfully rambuncious, with the occasional fight here and there! However, there is much respect, chores are shared, and always there is a helping hand.

I have only less than two weeks remaining at the center! Since all the children have been preparing for final exams, we have had no real play time, except for Holi. So I look forward to doing art projects and just playing with them rather than just giving homework, homework, homework! Even I am sick of homework! The week after that (first week in April), I will be doing some site visits with the organization that placed me at DRC. We will be visiting a rural school to teach kite-making, and in another, we will be delivering supplies. I will truly miss "my" kids. I feel totally connected to them and hope to have a lasting relationship with them through letters.

Thanks for reading the blog. It keeps me connected to all of you! Hey, did I tell you another holiday is coming up - Cait Dasain (pronounced, chite da-sign). It is the smaller version of the festival Dasain that happens in November. It is like Christmas to them, but the smaller one, is the mini-Christmas. It is celebrated for one day only, but big Dasain is celebrated over a number of days! See what I mean about holidays here in Nepal? Oh, and did I tell you, the Nepali New Year is coming up, too?

Namaste, Jackie

Holi - day!

I think Nepal leads the pack of countries with the most holidays. On Tuesday, everyone (well, almost) celebrated Holi (pronounced like holy). It is considered the festival of colours to celebrate the coming of Spring. But it also is the festival to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. It has its roots in a mythical Hindu legend where a young son of a power-hungry king decided to worship the Lord Vishnu. The King wanted everyone to worship him and he was so angry that his son did not, that he ordered his daughter or sister (not sure which one) Holika to kill his son. Holika apparently could walk through fire, so she was going to burn the King's son in the fire, but somehow, she was burnt instead. So, where does the colour part come in? Well, here in Nepal, the way to celebrate Holi is to fill colorful balloons with water or colored water and throw them at friends - however, innocent folk, young gals in particular, get hit all the time by surprise! Also, friends get together and paint their faces with various colours of powder usually used for tikkas (the ceremonial painting of a dot on the forehead during Hindu worship). It is craziness! I celebrated with the kids at the rehab center. We had a blast!!!

Now the serious part, after Holi, everyone had to crack open the books again, because today is the start of a weeklong course of examinations. For many, today is their primary English exam. More to come... wish them luck!

Namaste,
Jackie

Had a date with who?

Last Friday, I had a date with a couple of lamas (monks) that I have befriended here. Namkha and Karma are both of the Ningma sect of the Tibetan Buddhists. It is one of the oldest sects in Buddhism. Namkha invited me to visit the temple of Swayambunath which is a gathering place for both Buddhists and Hindus in Kathmandu. We stopped by their friend's shop to fix Namkha's prayer beads, and in true Nepali style, had to have some tea! Talk about whirlwind, we did this during my mid-day break of 4 hours - yeah, sounds great, but it takes forever to get across town in a taxi, and even worse in a micro-bus!

I will be spending more time at the orphanage now that my language classes are over and also because many of the students are preparing for "examinations" (aka mid-terms). Like I mentioned before, it has been a challenge. My language lessons have come in very handy. Many of the supplies you have donated have also helped me create some learning tools. I will be distributing some of the supplies to the orphanage I am at, but also to one that is newly being established. The new one does not have anything - no school supplies, no electricity, and even worse, no running water. I hope to donate some of the monetary gifts to help install a water line. Remarkably, the dollar goes a long way here. I can spend 100 rupees on a taxi and not think twice here (rs 100 = $1.40), but for some, it is a days wage! Thank-you all who have helped - it is greatly appreciated!!!

I gotta go back to the orphanage now. More to come. Oh, did I tell you that Kathmandu has over-used its electricity - so it is turned off for 5 hours or so a day or night depending on where you live? It creates such a hardship, but people manage. My tikka headlamp has come in really handy!! And lastly, Lakpa and Sharmila's wedding was a blast!

Namaste,
Jackie

Om Mane Padme Hum

All hail the jewel in the lotus, Om mane padme hum, the mantra of compassion. As I sit here at the best internet cafe that I have come across, I hear this mantra over and over again as it is put to music. Also, from my vantage point in this second floor cafe, I have a clear view of Bouddhanath Stupa - which I mentioned earlier is one of the largest Buddhist stupas in the world. It is also the Buddhist center of Kathmandu. It will be closeby to this stupa where I will be attending a Buddhist wedding today of my friends Lakpa Lama and Sharmila Lama. It is such an honor to be invited and I even went and got me a traditional Tibetan choba (traditional dress that the Tibetan women wear). Lakpa thought it would be ok for me to wear my usual clothing (yeah right, nylon trekking pants and a t-shirt!), but he said it would be special if I wore the traditional dress, so he helped me get one (like he had the time! for god's sake he's getting married!, but he insisted on helping me not get cheated!).

The work at the orphanage is going well, to me anyway. I have developed a system of sorts, but it could change. I go there twice a day, as most of the children are in school during the day. I spend about 5 hours there right now, but after my language classes are over, I hope to spend more time there so I can concentrate on those too disabled to attend school. Yes, as part of my volunteer experience, I have been provided language classes, and after just two classes, it has come in very handy at the orphanage, where even the staff know minimal, if any, English. The brighter, older kids help out a lot and many of them want to teach me Nepali. I've told them that they need to concentrate on learning English, not teaching me, but they don't listen. I guess kids all over the world are the same. I wish I could tell you about every single one of them - they are all so remarkable and all so willing to learn. I cannot think of any of them who are not interested. I have developed some word games and they like that a lot - and want more (what have I started!?). They are all concentrating on upcoming examinations, so I have been asked not to deviate too much from their lessons (lessons? what lessons?). Some of the children are not provided good lessons and are asking ME for homework. When I arrive, they grab their notebooks, throw it on my lap and say "give me homework, please"!!! Can you imagine a kid begging for homework?

Ok, that's it for now. Oh, by the way, I have not been asked yet to help with calculus, but my knees are shaking because yesterday I was asked to help with another complicated math problem - thank goodness the answers were at the back of the book and I could work my way backwards! Yikes!!!

Miss ya all and hope you are all well,
Until next time (provided there is electricity and I feel up to making the trek here), Namaste, Jackie

Dal Bhat Tarkari

Dal bhat tarkari is sooooo good. That is what I have been eating for the past couple of days since I moved in with my host family, the Pokhrel's. The couple's 18 year old daughter, Rachna and her parents Ramesh and Indira have been taking such great care of me. I am so lucky. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for all of the children here in Nepal. I started my volunteer "duty" this week and it has been quite the challenge. There are about 35 children in the facility ranging from 5 to 15 years of age with many different types of physical disabilities. I have been tasked to help them learn English and help them with their homework. Yesterday, I was asked by one child, Surendra, to help him with his Algebra! Algebra? What's that? I haven't done algebra since high school! Well, it slowly came back and I did not lose face afterall (how could I let down a kid who says "you don't know algebra???", I answered, "well, it's been a while, but give me your book - (written in Nepali no less), and I will figure it out". Whew, dodged a big one there. Hopefully today he won't ask me to help him with trigonometry - I will be doomed!

Anyway, on the serious side, the organization - Hope and Home are really trying to do more for other facilities in the valley. We visited a school and orphanage outside of kathmandu which was very eye opening. If you ever want to volunteer or help out - please let me know, and I will hook you up.

Well, I need to go now. More in a few days.
Namaste,
Jackie