Happy holidays to all peoples around the world.
I'm home!
I've had the most wonderful Christmas with my family and friends, full of all the good things in life. I'm so blessed to be back, mostly in one piece, I'm taking penicillin for a systemic strep infection but I'm feeling better than I've felt in a long time. Clean air, good food, music, friends and family all around me, surrounding me with light. Life is a blessing and I intend to life it with this thought foremost in my mind. This journey has changed me so much, I'm me, still bouncy, exuberant and full of joy. Yet I've added so much more to myself on this journey. As this chapter of my life, over thirteen months, closes and another begins I'm determined to walk this path I've set before myself to make the biggest change I can for humanity and our home, the earth. The journey that I walked, bussed, trained and flew is mirrored entirely by what happened within. Looking back, two weeks ago, I was living an entirely different life, and now I've slipped, seamlessly back into my life. Back to old patterns, back to old ways, but something has changed within me. A door has been unlocked and I know how to stand up and turn the knob. To stand in awe and rapture at what's on the other side. A life of beauty, awe and bliss, I can create my life however I wish and I'm determined to make the biggest change I can. I'm so blessed to be home with my amazing family to have so many loving friends and to be alive in a time when I can be the change I wish to see.

I will continue to blog when I feel the urge, I will be gardening while living in Ashland, 5% of my profits will be going to different NGO's that I worked with on my travels. 5% is a drop in the bucket really but it's my way to begin the loop, to start to give back and consecrate all of my actions to God, Humanity and the Earth.

One of the reasons that felt the need to return to our beautiful home nestled in the northwest was for hope. I have been carrying a weight on my leg, that only seemed to be growing, link by link as I saw the poor, sick, and helpless during my sojourn. The disparity in the world is only growing and it has become personal, not something seen on TV, read about or heard secondhand, but my experience. I went to look and came back with so much more than photos. I pray that I touched people as much as they touched me.

I wrote this poem the morning of the 22nd after watching the sunrise above Lithia Park at the Ashland Castles.

Hope

Eyes on the sky,
Waiting.
Wind,
Scented with frozen forests
Tickles past my face
tearing my eyes with it's wild hair
Pushing at my minds clouds
heavy with doubt.
Ears, filled with the arrow sharp song
of the towees and robins
Dispelling the fear of a world unwhole.
Every breath, crisp, clear, cold
Intoxicating my nostrils with its fragrance,
feeding not only my lungs but my entire being.
Tea, brewed to perfection
tantalizes my tongue with its exotic taste
drawing me back
to days spent on street corners
watching life meander by.

I'm the audience, prepared by my senses
to take a leap into the divine dance.
Poised on my rock, ready for the drama to unfold.

The moon set the stage, a white crescent
alone in a deep blue sky.
Then.
Light, Brilliant white light
ascends over the snowy landscape
to lay a kiss upon the valley
Freeing her from the winds cold embrace.
Birds take their cue
singing to the glory of the moment
Light overcoming darkness once again
in the endless dance.

Warmth floods my body
filling me with light
overcoming the doubt
fear
and sadness
from months seeing with eyes unmasked.
This elixir penetrates my being,
through a crack into my soul
it expands
Nectar of life
baptizing my soul
removing the "was" and "will be."
I am here, I am alive.

Darbar Sahib, Heaven on Earth

A full year since I first stepped foot in the Golden temple of Amritsar, so many things have changed, I've grown in ways indescribable. I wanted to have my mind blown and that's most assuredly what's happened. These last months have been especially intense, thus my lack of writing, how to write when I can't even come to conclusions within my own mind. Three more days, then I'll be on a plane leaving the reality that I've drenched myself in for the last 13 months. To be plopped back home during the holiday season, how wonderful. I can't think of anything better :D
I've just had a most fabulous of birthdays, Ben Small ( his blog: http://liminaldivagation.blogspot.com/ )
and I spent a most fabulous day blissed out in the Golden Temple. We napped in grass, soaking up the winter sun, podded(?) peas, rolled flatbreads and listened to the chanting of the Sikh holy book. I'm blessed, if there is one thing to take back from India, it's the sense that our lives are so precious, that we have all the capabilities to do whatever we'd like with our lives. Through these months I've had the whole gamut of experiences, but there is a common thread that stitches the fabric of life together. Whatever one would like to call it there is something there, something un-quantifiable, ever present. It is what augments our humanity, allows us to raise above the world that is so screwed up and recognize that this world is beautiful and our lives are so precious. I've had my real world experience, and in realizing deep within me how blessed I am, I now am going to do as much as I can to make this world a palace for all.
Being in the presence of this magical place is filling me with the highest aspirations for myself and the world. The Golden temple is a model, all are included, everyone's invited to serve, eat, sleep and pray. I'm going to enjoy these moments so that when I can pass along a little bit of this feeling, to bridge the gap between India and the USA, of us and them, you and me, god and humanity.
I'm not such a good writer and I'm especially out of practice, but nonetheless I will try to say this as best I can.
THANK YOU! I'm a product of the world, culture, community, friends, family, and everything in between. I'm 20 years old! Twenty blessed years I've been in this body and I'm so happy for everyone along the way. Have a wonderful time and I'll see everyone soon :D
Blessings from The Golden Temple

My Dream

The bane of an online blogger are crappy keyboards, but I'm going to tough it out so I can write a long overdue post.

My dream is to make the biggest change I possibly can on this earth. This has been my dream ever since I stepped up from wanting to chase snakes around jungles, although I still want it to include as much jungles and snakes as possible. When I came to India I thought I was going to be spending five months traveling around enjoying myself, living it up, expanding my understanding of the world and getting a new perspective on the world. This trip has done that, and much much more.
To change the world I have to change myself. This is the biggest lesson I've received. and now, still on this mission to change the world I'm looking to transform myself. Gandhi said, "Service to humanity is true service to God."
My live has taken a turn towards the spiritual. Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa and the Dalai Lama all have the same message. This message goes back, that we are here to serve, to change the world, and faith is the key. I've had such an amazing experience this last year. Now, in preparation to go home I'm looking to gather the tools I need to keep walking on this path. I'm human, but I have a seed inside me to really make a change. In my own way, however it will manifest, I'm going to make this world a better place.
I'm not blogging as much because I'm trying to avoid the computer, take in the lessons of this magical place. So, when I return, I can share with anyone who's interested about the truth I've found about this world. About the path I'm walking and how we can work together to make the world a better place.
Blessings, I'll see most of you very soon :D

Benaras

I'm back in Varanassi, the wildest city of my life. And also the dirtiest, I have another staph infection! Which means that I'm going to be taking it easy for the next couple of days. I'm taking an antibiotic, which should kill it soon. These sicknesses, on top of more sicknesses can be very frustrating. There has been a recent development since the last time I've posted. It's time for me to come home. I've felt homesick for the first time in my life during this trip. It's a bittersweet feeling when I'm so far away. But now that I've decided to come home the turbulence of my mind has finally settled. Now I'm 100% present and going to soak up as much of this wonderful city as I possibly can until December when I'll be returning home for Christmas!
There's a giant cow standing outside of the internet cafe, doing it's best to block the 6 foot wide path that is populated with bikes, rickshaws, dogs and people. India is amazing. My time here in the subcontinent has taught me so much. It's been my school 24/7 for over 11 months... I'm still waiting for my degree.
One of the developments that I've been leery about writing is God, Divine, The Creator, Energy Pervading the Universe, Love, however we chose to label it, all these words point to something greater than the sum of all the particles in the universe. Since I've been traveling I have been exposed to more religions than in the rest of my life put together. I didn't come here with this in mind, I guess I didn't have anything in mind, but I didn't imagine the focus turning to God. How to express these things with words, created in the mind, where the object I'm talking is beyond the mind and ego. All this may sound like a farce, reading my thoughts online like this. But I've come to realize things here that I never put much focus on. like, why are we destroying the planet? Why is the U.S. in the name of capitalism destroying the world in search of material wealth? We are missing something, we are unhappy. We are poisoned, and this poison is leaking out into the world. Metaphorically and physically, we have become a cancer on the planet. Unchecked growth, disrupting the balance on earth. These problems lie within each one of us. We are responsible only for ourselves, but we neglect the things that really matter, the things that will fill us up, make us whole so we can step out of the rat race for material wealth. We want to be comfortable, I'm going to be so thankful for hot water, clean sheets and baked foods. But the extremes that we've taken physical pleasures has destroyed our planet. We are the gold standard around the world, we've placed an unattainable and unsustainable dream in the minds of the 7 billion people on the planet. If everyone lived like we do in the states the world wouldn't stand a chance. We are a part of a giant machine eating away at what sustains us, mother earth. Each one of us is a cog, totally independent from the rest, we can each make choices that will change the planet. We can chose to take the decisions that will lead us in the other direction. I'm not going to come back some raging Anti-US fanatic, it is thanks to our country that I'm here in India at all, but we in the "land of the free, home of the brave" have so much responsibility, we're leading ourselves and the rest of the world along the path of destruction. It's totally our choice.
I want to share the many lessons I've learned but one of the most important is that everyone is on their own path. Who am I to say how anyone else should live their life. I'm sure of one thing, I'm trying to take the poison out of myself so I can change the world in the biggest way I possibly can. "service to humanity is true service to god"- Mahatma Gandhi

excuse me for this rant, I want to post, but everything I have to say is entering into things that might be misunderstood through the medium of the internet. I'm in one of the most powerful places in the world. I've heard it compared to Jerusalem. Every religion is present in a city that has drawn people from the sub-continent for centuries. Still there are signs littering the city written in all the languages of India, as pilgrims come from all over to bathe in the holy waters and to be cremated. This is the first time I've ever felt God within the confines of a human made space. It used to be only when I was out in nature, surrounded by nothing human that I was able to connect with the divine. Now, in the exact opposite situation, surrounded by city, the mass of humanity, crammed into winding cobblestone lanes, heating up to well beyond my comfort zone during the day. Populated with everything imaginable. I want to stay in this amazing place for the next two months, soak it up and share it with anyone who is interested when I'm back.

Report on Ussha Foundation

This is the Report I wrote for Ussha Foundation, the NGO I was working with near Pokhara. I thought I would post it in case people are interested in the kind of work the NGO is doing and my thoughts on the work.


After spending almost a month meeting and working with Bijay, Nirmal, MP and Tusli as well as spending a large portion of that time in Rivan itself I’ve come to a number of conclusions and thoughts as to the direction that Ussha foundation needs to take in order to realize it’s goals of: Supporting the youth through sustainable development, slow migration and create a model community in Rivan, a model to be taken to other villages and regions to improve the standard of living of Nepalis.
Ussha has multiple focuses, a multifaceted NGO with a goal that tackles a very wide range of issues from migration to organic farming. When I arrived in Rivan I was immediately disappointed at the discrepancy between what was said to me and what was actually happening. The focuses as they were described fell into these categories: Fish farming, Tourism, Organic/Biodynamic farming, Youth Empowerment and Computer Classes at the Community Resource Center (CRC).
When I arrived only one of the above listed was actually performing to the level that it was described, Fish Farming. It can be considered as the biggest success thus far of Ussha foundations projects (excluding the work camps that built the CRC), because the community has entirely taken it over, there are 104 members in the cooperative. There is nothing that Ussha foundation has to to until the fish are nearing maturity, then comes the connection with DADO, to somehow get the fish to market, I was explained that the target market is in India. So, when the fish have matured there will be the organization of getting the fish from Rivan to Pokhara. From there the District Agricultural team should be able to take the fish to Mahyana Pradesh. This project is crucial because it is the only project that the community has taken into their own hands. I wasn’t a part of the trainings or in the discussions with the community but I was told that the community specifically asked for it. This is important to remember, the Fish farming was a community initiated project. Ussha foundation must directly work with the community to find out what projects the community wants and asks for. Not what we believe is best.
Fish Farming to-do: Connect with DADO, find out how the mechanism will work to get our 15,000 Carp to their Indian Market. When they are matured and ready to be sold in March it’s up to us to make sure that these fish are sold at a profitable price for the 104 members of the cooperative.
The biggest push for Ussha foundation is to get the homestay program up and running. Rivan in one word is outstanding. The Massive Himalaya towering above the vibrant green hills, a clean fast river, amazingly friendly people and all the necessary accommodations to host foreigners. Running water, toilets and available, well off families. Tourism falls perfectly into the scope of Ussha foundation. What a good way to empower people, provide them with a market for what they consider to be normal. If Rivan became a destination albeit, a small one through proper marketing and direct contact with Tulsi or whoever is the Pokhara coordinator, the villagers would begin to see their home in a different light. Foreigners paying to participate in the normal lives of Rivan will give people a new sense of respect for the place that they live and an incentive to stay there. Rivan could be the poster child of homestays in Nepal. It’s easily accessible, gorgeous, the people are wonderful and there is even a small trekking route! What better than to attract foreigners to our own little Shangri-La. This can be achieved with minimal work, so let’s do it!
Homestay to-do: Create a list of homestay families; organize them into a cooperative like the fish farming so it can eventually be taken into their own hands. Get the pending applications pushed through Nepal Tourism. Organize another group of applications to be sent in and push to get those applications processed quickly. Communicate with the villagers; help organize the cooperative so it can run on its own. Then we can sit back and make the connections, a well run program will sell itself especially when the competition is largely overpriced. With two of Ussha foundations members in Kathmandu and another in Pokhara, with a business it will be extremely easy to connect to the market. The tourist season is just beginning once again. Get moving!
Organic/Biodynamic Farming: I’m not an agricultural expert, but my experience was that people are largely farming organically, even when they aren’t 100% organic they aren’t relying on chemical fertilizers and herbicides/pesticides like large scale farmers are using in the USA. They are only used occasionally when there is a pest invasion or small amounts of chemical fertilizers are spread by hand in the rice paddies. Thus the need for Ussha foundation isn’t to teach organic farming to the people of Rivan like they’re beginners, but empower them to realize that what they are doing is organic farming. One of the points previously brought to me was that people aren’t producing enough food to feed themselves. The problem is stemming from an increased population, not misuse of the fields or bad farming techniques. People don’t see farming as profitable; many people want to go to the cities or abroad to make money. The farming that is being done is to feed their families, but who wants to work from sun up to sun down for food, rather than money.
A question to be presented to the community is whether or not they want support in looking for value added crops to be taken to market. If they do Ussha foundation can find what crops can be grown and sold by the people of Rivan. This is a double edged sword that cannot be taken lightly, if people start growing crops for market they are losing valuable space in which staple foods are grown. Thus this needs to be discussed with the community whether this is something that they are interested in. Bazaar needs fresh produce for its restaurant. The land that was purchased to become a farm needs to be put into production as soon as possible. This doesn’t really have anything to do with Ussha foundation other than another opportunity to provide jobs in the community and the opportunity to train one or two people in Biodynamic and other farming techniques that can be applied on the farm and be taught to fellow villagers. Integrated pest management and proper composting are two big focuses. Of course there are many things that can be taught, but first we must inform and empower people that their traditional methods are organic and many times follow permaculture and biodynamic principles. One example is the villagers stacking of crops. Planting beans with the corn is what was traditionally done by the people that created our modern day beans and corn. Beans are grown in with the corn providing nitrogen to the corn plants; as well millet is planted in with the corn before it is harvested, thus maximizing the use of the land. People are smart, the traditional techniques are tried and true, it’s about bringing some of the new agricultural knowledge and science within their grasp so they can produce even more sustainably and effectively, by mixing the tried and true with new advancements.
Agriculture to-do: Hire people to work on the farm, train them well so they can in turn teach the other villagers. Empower people that they are doing organic farming. Give teachings on new farming techniques and inform people about what are natural fertilizers and synthetic ones. Create the market for organic produce.
Youth Empowerment is a topic that I didn’t get to explore in depth. I talked with many youth but there are many things that are deeper within the culture that I haven’t experienced. Why has it been so hard to find a steady computer teacher? This question has been dogging my mind and I really don’t have a logical answer. The incentive was there, but still it was thrown away by not one, but three people. I hope that the new teacher is more inspired and willing to give it his all. To empower the youth we have to present the resources that the youth want. The community resource center is the center of this work, we have the facilities to create a space that the youth will come to and enjoy. Speaking as a youth myself I feel like the most important things to provide is a space to hang out, meet friends and have fun. How can we create that space? By unlocking the CRC doors and making the resources available to the youth as well as providing fun indoor alternatives when it’s cold or rainy. There needs to be a free computer time where kids can surf the net, play computer games and do research for school, the library needs to be adapted into a youth room, with board games, a kirim board and other things that the kids in Rivan will find enjoyable, talk to them and find out. To empower someone you have to give then a purpose and incentives. Creating a space where the youth can meet up, read, surf the net, play games and just meet friends is going a long way towards that goal.
Youth Empowerment to-do: Create a youth room; find out what needs to be included in the room. Put posters up at the school and around the different villages announcing opening and closing hours. Get a regular worker to open and close on time, clean, organize and monitor. Organize meetings and game days to bring the youth together.
The CRC was built to be a Community Resource Center, while I was there the stark contrast between the name and the big unused building hung over my head. How is the community using this building? Well, at least the outdoor space was being used by grazing buffalo. There is a library, that’s never open. A computer lab with no teacher, and two rooms that are virtually unused, one for storage and the other the communities meeting room. Is it living up to its name? No, most defiantly not. But the solutions are amazingly simple: open the doors, before I left I was told that we’d found two new workers. One to manage the space, the other to teach classes. So if that’s the case much of this doesn’t need to be said. Regular opening hours and making the resources available are key. Creating a space that the community wants to come to and regular opening hours so people won’t be stopped by locked doors will be a move in the right step. Making an enjoyable outdoor space will bring people to the CRC.
CRC to-do: Connect the internet to all the computers, regular opening hours, buy books, and make an enjoyable outdoor space. Work with the community so the rooms can be regularly used by the community and youth.
Ussha Foundations organization is an issue that needs to be tackled. Of the four members only one is actually in Rivan, and at the time of this writing I’ve been informed that he’s in Kathmandu. How will this project move forward if the people running it aren’t able to commit their time and energy? Well it won’t. So my advice is to take care of your own needs before trying to deal with a whole communities. People need to have specific jobs and be held accountable for those jobs. An organization that can’t organize itself will never be able to do anything effectively.
Ussha foundation is built upon an amazing ideal, and ideally it would be working. But it most clearly isn’t, the scope is huge. Focus needs to be driven on specific issues and then when those projects are running, turn the attention to other things that need to be done. Everyone needs to hold themselves and the other members accountable for their actions and work. The project will only work if this is done.
I’ve had a wonderful time with everyone. From Bijay’s house and the Ussha hotel to staying in Rivan with Tulsi’s parents. I honestly want this project to work. The idea is so spot on, but the work doesn’t even come close to comparing. I hope that my time working with everyone helped even if in small ways. I look forward to seeing a full fledged and soaring project when I return.

Lost in the Clouds

Lost in the clouds, of my mind and the mountains of Sikkim. It's raining in the mountain capital of Gangtok. I came here to explore and to learn more about this earthquake that has devastated the state. Here in the capital though it is hardly felt other than the conversations I've had with people who tell me that the buildings were swinging from side to side and that no one had ever felt anything like it in all their times living here. Gangtok is on a mountain side, the whole city is on a Park Street like incline in Ashland. Basically it's steep! I can only imagine what it must have been like to be here during the quake. In northern Sikkim is where the damage has been dealt. Landslides caused by the tremors wiped out entire villages, carrying away everything in their wake. There have been almost 100 reported deaths here, 11 in Nepal, 7 in China and 1 in Bhutan. One person whom I was speaking with told me that the death toll is somewhere nearer to 1,000 but the government doesn't want the real statistics getting out. The damaged areas are restricted, roads blocked by landslides as the army is flying in relief supplies and trying to help the survivors. This is a disaster to an already poor and barely accessible region. I'm sending my blessings to the survivors.
I was in Chitwan, Nepal when the earthquake struck. I went back to Ramu's farm before leaving Nepal. We had gone looking for Rhinos. We'd stopped at one of the park entrance gates, we were talking, sitting on top of two concrete pillars when the tremors happened. I was shocked, being the first time I've ever felt the earth shake like that. But they were only a fraction of what happened in Sikkim.
My mind is lost in the clouds, taken over by forces without. I've come to Sikkim on a whim, rather than stay at my friends steel manufacturing company in Siliguri. Sanjit, we met trekking in Nepal, has taken me under his wing. He's been amazingly kind, inviting me to come and stay with him. To experience another part of India with his guidance and help. But at the same time, Siliguri, a large sprawling city of industry and business, doesn't have much to offer me. Other than wild rides through Indian traffic, so I headed to the mountains to see the famous state of Sikkim, currently devastated by the September 18th earthquake.
The lack of writing as of late is reflecting my conflicted state of mind. I've been having trouble lately, internally, about my direction and what it is I'm actually supposed to be doing with myself. When I left the USA almost a year ago I was unsure of why I was going ,I just knew that I had to go. After wandering, alone, without the support of anything familiar. I've melted, joined with the forces of the world and have been picking through the pieces of what and who I am.
The boat I've been using to ride the waves of my adventure has capsized, and I've been left alone in this sea. Before, the swells would lift me into the sky, giving me a glimpse of where I was going before plunging me into the holes between waves. Now, without my precious raft, holding me above the dark grey waters. I'm just struggling to hold my head up, to breathe air, not water.
I'm still just smiling my way across the country, yesterday I think I made at least 50 people smile. All is good, even if my mind can't seem to find itself.

India!

Well, I'm back in India. My own predicted barrage of posts didn't seem to materialize as I chased paperwork around Kathmandu trying to get a visa back to India. Long story short, somehow I wasn't able to get the 6 month visa due to... actually it wasn't made that clear, except that my information was sent to the Indian Embassy in San Francisco where i first got a visa and they didn't respond or something. So, I have a 4 month visa this time.
At the request of a man I met while trekking I headed to his home in Siliguri, West Bengal. So, I'm still alive and I of course4 have so many stories to write. But I'm not feeling the typing spirit at the moment. I'll be back at it soon enough.

Kathmandu Round 3

I'm back in Kathmandu! Again! Nepal is very different than India, it's small, and everything revolves around the capital. I'm back in Kathmandu to get an Indian visa for another border hop. Like all governmental agencies around the world, the Indian embassy has minimal hours for when one can apply for a visa. 9:30-12:00 AM. I've missed the opportunity today so I'll have to make the scramble tomorrow morning. The Nepali tradition of eating two meals a day, one mid-morning and then in the evening is perfectly suited for life in the villages, when things need to be prepared fresh each meal cooking twice saves time. The morning time is also perfectly suited for cutting grass for the animals and milking them, and getting work done before the heat sets in. At least now in the hot season. In the city though, where Nepali life has taken a fast paced 21st century twist, this model of dining seems to bump up against the needs of busy workers. Anyhow, I was cutting veggies for the morning meal rather than dashing across the city to wait in line for a visa.
I'm staying with a friend Bijay, who I met last time in Kathmandu. He's the secretary of USSHA foundation and also works for another NGO Association of Youth Organization Nepal. As I was walking out the door last time his wife told me to stay with them when I returned to Kathmandu, so yesterday I gave him a ring to ask him if I could stay. He said of course but didn't inform his wife, I was a surprise guest arriving at their door last evening. Both Bijay's wife and younger sister were happy to see me nonetheless.
I've spent the last week and a half incognito. I ventured out to another village, Dawa, in Gorkha district. My friend Laura, who I met in India told me of an NGO that is doing some great work. I had to see it before I left. Laura, from Australia, has spent lots of time in Nepal and told me that this project just had to be seen. I played a game of internet tag with Justin, from England, who is building a school in Balantar near Dawa. He's in England at the moment gathering funds so he can return and put some walls on the school. He's completed the foundations and will be back in some months to finish the job. Staying in Dawa was wonderful, although I had no work to do and was basically just bumming there. Giri, the headmaster of Dawa's school is the local contact with whom Justin is working. They've done some great work. Like installing Solar panels on the school to give it electricity even when the town doesn't have electricity due to Nepal's short supply. Walking around the village everyone asked me when Justin was going to be returning, or if he was there with me, people were always disappointed with my answers. The community is very responsive to the work being done and everyone I talked to spoke highly of Justin and his work. When he's back in the country I'm going to have to join him on this project. My memory of building a school in Ecuador still stands out as one of the best moments of my life. I commend Justin for his work, it's the first NGO I've encountered that's really walking the talk. If anyone is curious to learn more the website is: http://www.learningplanet.org.uk/
More to come, stay tuned since I've got free computer access!

NGO's are...

Extremely complicated.
My experience in Nepal has taught me so much about what it means to be an NGO (Non-governmental organization). Previously my only interaction with NGO's was signing petitions for the Sierra Club and other large U.S. based conservation societies. Here in Nepal I've gotten to be in direct contact with many NGO's, as well as spending the last 3 weeks working for one.
Many NGO's are a name only. In Nepal I've been told that there are 84,000 NGO's, while walking around the streets of Kathmandu I saw posters for NGO registration and website building. Of these 84,000 NGO's in a country with a population of about 30 million, 90% are based out of Kathmandu, doing very little work out in the field. These NGO's throw out words and phrases like, "sustainability," "empowerment," "helping people help themselves," "decentralization." "skill building," etc. Catching the eye of international donors, who send money but may never see the project that they're supporting. Much of this money is taken by the "middleman" NGO rather than going to the project, I was quoted 45,000 NRS a month (about $600) as a project coordinator. This is a very good salary in Nepal, thus these NGO jobs are sought out by many educated people who may not have any real desire to help.
Since Nepal opened it's doors to the world in the 1950's foreign aid has come pouring in, and yet the money isn't reaching the villages, before the 1990's all the foreign aid went through the government before being given to different projects, it's known that many of these funds were put directly into the royal coffers. Only in the 1990's were NGO's able to directly receive funds from international donors, and many of these organizations followed in their governments footsteps.
I finished reading a book called Fatalism and Development: Nepal's struggle for modernization by Don Bhandur Bista. This book, although dated, helped to explain so much of what I've been experiencing while working these past three weeks with USSHA foundation. Not only have NGO's been seen as a desirable job for the educated middle class but Nepal itself poses many challenges to those who do want to make a change. Bista's book basically states that since the influx of the Indian Brahmin class who were fleeing the Muslim jihad centuries ago, a "fatalism" has gripped the country. This "fatalism" is based upon the idea that people are born into positions and this determines what they will get from life. Bista states some things that would be extremely difficult for a foreigner to say, let alone see, for example. That education is a goal in itself, rather than a means, and people get education expecting to thus receive a salaried government or more recently NGO job. I've directly experienced this, people not caring what major, just wanting the title. Her also points out some things like, Nepal has a large amount of trained agricultural experts, but why aren't their any significant improvements. He says because the people who are being educated have no intention of going into the field but receiving a government job. This education as a means comes from the idea of "Fatalism," in the past, education was reserved for the elite, who because of their positions in society held high positions. People seek education to reach the same position. In terms of NGO's he reserves a whole chapter among which he points out that the money that does go to the projects, and the projects that are completed often aren't utilized by the communities because they fail to make the connection between the "outsiders" who initiated the project, and their own community property. Without going further this book opened my eyes to the difficulty of development in Nepal. Bista's conclusion is that the resources at the community and village level have to be tapped, people have been living for centuries in amazingly harsh climates, using the communities support to thrive. It is in these decentralized communities where this "fatalism" hasn't reached, people have the desire to improve their lives and know how best to do it.
Opening up the Nepali magazine "The Boss" I found an article titled "US foreign Aid Hinders More Than It Helps" although focusing on Government programs it reaches the same conclusion, that foreign aid isn't necessarily beneficial to those whom it is supposedly helping.
Now, back to my own experience. After three weeks in Rivan, working with an NGO I've gotten to directly experience many of the difficulties that NGO's face, as well as the unorganized nature of this NGO. The concept is wonderful, but in practice they are struggling on how to really reach and benefit the community. I've spent the last three weeks, conducting a survey, talking with community members and doing my best to get the ball moving. It's been hard and frustrating, but an amazing experience nonetheless.
One of the biggest problems that I see in Nepal, is the exportation of the best and brightest young Nepalis. Since I've been in Nepal I've been astounded at the vast majority of youth who have only one goal, to go abroad. The desire is almost the same across the board. Many see Nepal in a negative light and dream of going to the U.S or Europe for school and work. Many Nepalis go abroad to work and support their families back home, the amount of Nepalis in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Dubai and other countries is huge. The fact is that there just aren't the opportunities for work here in Nepal. As the population increases and weather patterns become more extreme subsistence farming is becoming more and more difficult for families. Plus, who wants to work all year for only food, when you can work for money which allows you to purchase other goods. USSHA foundation is trying to tackle this very issue by creating jobs within the community, empowering the youth, creating a market for handicrafts and starting a homestay program.
Everything is just in the budding stages, but the potential is there. I was able to help by offering my perspective as a foreigner, looking from without on the situation. I was originally supposed to help them design a permaculture farm, but the idea was scrapped because of it's lack of compatibility with the projects goals. Instead I spent my days talking with people and trying to get an accurate view of what they need and how USSHA Foundation can best address those needs.
I'm filled with a new perspective and inspiration. If I had a longer visa, I think I would jump in and commit myself to this project and see the change happen. There is so much work to do here as well as all over the globe. I've just got to remember that it all begins with a smile.

Paint Doctor

Alex's photos 335, a photo by alexlandt on Flickr.

The red cap I traded with a man on the first night at the Gumpa, it's the generic cap that many Sherpa people wear, it can also be turned into a face mask, by flipping the bill down.

Trekking Chronicals Part 2: The Paint Doctor

When I arrived at the last settlement in Langtang Valley, Kyanjin Gumpa, I was invited to stay a little longer. If I painted Gyalbu’s Tibet Guest house. On my wander up the beautiful valley, I did my best to stay in smaller guest houses, this meant that I was often eating with the families and sharing more space with them. When I arrived in Kyanjin Gumpa I hadn’t slept the night before, dancing through the night, and I had beaten many of the locals back home. The town was silent. I found Tibet Guest House at the end of the town, the town is 100% guest houses, with people there, Gyalbu, his wife and small daughter.
On the second evening Gyalbu asked me to help him stack firewood. As we were tossing wood into the new pile he asked me. Do you want to stay and paint the windows of my guest house? I said sure. So the next day I found myself scraping, sanding and painting the windows of his guest house. I was saving 500 Rupees a day, about $7. But hey, not many people can say that they’ve painted at almost 4,000 meters! When I was questioning myself and why the heck I was hanging out of a second story window by one hand, and attempting to paint it with the other. I would switch the focus of my eyes to the reflection of the mountains in the glass. I was getting to stay in one of the most beautiful and peaceful places on the planet, during some surprisingly clear weather for the season. It was clear almost all of the five days that I spent there. Amazing, considering that for the rest of my trip, and the days before it rained all the time.
Gyalbu, the guest house owner, worked me hard. I worked 8 hours a day 4 of the 5 days that I spent there. It was great because Gyalbu helped me with my Nepali, which was shabby at that time and fed me well. The experience was wild, for a couple days I was the only foreigner in Kyangin Gumpa. There were some things that happened while I was there. Sadly one of them was the death of two people, one Japanese tourist and her Nepali guide. They tried to tackle the Ganja La Pass which is usually attempted at other times of the year. They died in an Avalanche. Their cook and porter returned bringing the news.
One day about 30 Nepali armed police and army walked up over the hill, fully armed, with dogs and dragging 3 US army personel who weren’t acclimated at all. They were doing a missing person search funded by the American Embassy, last year one American woman went missing in the Langtang Valley. I bluntly asked one of the huffing and swearing U.S. Army guys, “What’s with all the guns and glory.” He said that it was training for the army, to practice carrying all their equipment. I have seen Nepali Army carrying mortars, and bazookas as they trudged along a road.
The time in Kyanjin turned out to be perfect. Gyalbu was happy with my work, I was thorough and meticulous. The person who painted previously was not. He called me the paint doctor, he gave me a white coat of his so my clothes wouldn't get covered in paint, bu to no avail. He asked me multiple times whether I’d trained in painting back in the states. I told him that as a gardener I've done almost all the work under the sun. On the fourth day I finished all the paint. The next morning he surprised me by telling me that I’d have to go since there was no more paint and no place to buy it, thus no work. It was the right amount of time to be worked that hard, I don't think I would have wanted to stay longer and it just so happened that there was another ceremony happening at the Gumpa in Langtang. I packed up my stuff, headed down the trail, and spent another night dancing, singing and having a grand time with my friends. After a week in the Valley, and the knowledge that I was painting, people were even more friendly to me. I did my best that time to really help out. I served people food, dragging buckets of curd, curry and rice to many hungry people and of course, washing dishes in the dead of night.

Trekking Chronicals: Gumpa Dancing

It’s now been over a month since I’ve returned from my sojourn through the Nepali hills and mountains. But there are some stories that are really too good to let go of. So many moments of joy, elation and wonder kept me bounding along just waiting to see what new adventure would be in store for me.
I left a day late, Nepal held a national strike the day I tried to leave in protest of parliaments inability to charter a new constitution. This has been years in the making, since 2006 when Nepal reclaimed democracy they’ve been waiting for a new constitution. I’ve just finished a book on Nepal’s history, and wow, it’s convoluted and crazy. All I’d ever heard of Nepal before I arrived in the subcontinent was about how beautiful this country was, how wonderful the people were and that the trekking is great. No one ever mentioned “A people’s war” that ravaged Nepal for years, killing thousands and putting Nepal in the number one position for human rights violations in the world. This all happened since 2001, we must have been too preoccupied with our own war to pay this small country any attention.
To get to the start of my trek I rode on top of a bus. Through a rainstorm, while the bus trundled along across a landslide that erased any sign of the previous road. We, on top of the bus played tug-of-war with the poor old tarp, trying to cover ourselves with the bits of it that actually offered protection, rather than just coalescing the drops and plopping them upon our already wet clothes and luggage. Needless to say it was one of the best bus rides ever.
I arrived in Syaphru Besi around 4:00 PM after a 10 hour bus ride, while everyone else checked themselves into a hotel. I hit the trail determined to get out in nature, I spent my first night underneath my tarp, cooking instant noodles and listening to the raging river tell stories to the world in a boulder moving grumble. Setting up my little blue tarp I thought of the Charter School and longed to have an army of blue tarps along with me. It was my only night of camping and it set a wonderful tune for me to bounce along to for the rest of my adventure.
I got to the town of Langtang two days later and 1,500 meters higher than just two nights before. Just as I reached the first guest house a woman told me that there would be a festival at the Gumpa, the Buddhist place of prayer, in two days. I was in no hurry, I had no time constraints, just 8,000 Nepali Rupees in my pocket ( about $113) I told the woman what my budget was and that I just need to eat what they eat, Dal Bhaat Tarkari twice a day, and I’d stay for the festival. She agreed, so I spent one lazy day washing my clothes and taking in the beautiful scenery.
In Tibetan Buddhism the soul of the deceased remains for 7 weeks, 49 days, after death. To move on to the next life and to receive a good body for the next life, the dead persons’ family holds this ceremony. To the untrained eye this seems to be in all respects a big party.
During the day I wandered up to the Gumpa to see what was happening. All throughout the day there was singing, chanting and praying being done for the deceased. The sound of the drum punctuated the high notes of the women with a force that was meant to shake the spirits. Standing outside and pearing into the dim Gumpa I could make out the weathered faces of the elderly Tibetan women. They sat crosslegged, singing and spinning their prayer wheels, pausing only to sip their tea that was constantly being passed out by their attendants.
At around 4 or 5 PM I went to the Gumpa to stay. I was told that the party goes all night, I was interested and intrigued about what was to be done. I had been told that everyone eats, drinks and dances the whole night. I was asked by multiple people whether I was going to stay up all night, I was unsure, they seemed to think that I wouldn’t be able to. They told me that they’re used to staying up all night at these ceremonies, but that dancing through the night is hard work.
Just when I arrived the first “meal” was being served, I had rice with curried vegtabes and meat, topped off with Yak curd and milk. I was served on a plate, and they gave me both the curd and milk, on the plate, it was a balancing act as I squatted with the other men outside the Gumpa eating my meal. I wandered around, talking with people and trying to get an idea of what the meaning of the ceremony really was. Men were mostly outside, chatting, playing cards and beginning to drink Chang, rice beer. The women were generally inside of the Gumpa, still chanting. I wandered my way up to the second floor of the Gumpa, there Lama’s were reading off of old scriptures, chanting and drumming. I sat down and took in the scene, the gumpa wall was old and cracking but someone had done an exquisite painting of the Tibetan deities all along one wall. The back was shelves full of scriptures wrapped in cloth, I learned later that they were brought from Tibet. It's amazing to see how they've transplanted their culture in new land, luckily fertile with the development of a trekking route.
In the 1950’s the Nepali government opened the Terai, southern plains, to development by spraying the forests with DDT eradicating malaria. Many mountain and hill people , hungry for more fertile land, picked up their families and moved south. At about the same time Tibetans began to flee Tibet after the Chinese invasion. This is purely conjecture, but before a trekking route was established the Langtang Valley wouldn’t be the best place to live. When I spoke with the Tibetans in the Langtang Valley they told me that the government gave their fathers or grandfathers the land. So, what I assume is that the Langtang Valley’s previous inhabitants, Tamang people, left for the Terai's better land and that the government gave the recently vacated land to the refugees.
Sitting upstairs, listening to the chanting, readings, drum beats and the occasional horn being blown I was awed. The intricacies of the process were unknown to me, I was an uninformed observer stuck in the moments pull. I sat there for a while taking it all in, committing the beauty, force and energy that the men performed there duties to memory. It wasn’t long after that everything started to get foggy, the foot-stomping dancing and drinking was about to begin. The downstairs had become quiet, the chanting had stopped and I was informed that after a few minute break the fun would begin.
The rest of the night turned into a blur. I danced, ate mountains of food and drank chang along with everyone else. The night became a party. Everyone was just having a good time, people were pinching, punching and tackling each other all in good fun. There was never a short supply of food, tea or alcohol. In fact it was almost forced upon everyone. The dancing was done in a ring around the bottom floor, people were sitting in the middle and the dancing went on all around. The women were in one group and the men in another. Everyone was shoulder to shoulder with their arms around each other. The steps themselves were easy but the Tibetan singing eluded me throughout the night. It was impressive, everything was call and response, the women would sing, stomping their feet in rhythm with the singing, and then the men would respond, it went on all night. There was the “refuel station” as I thought of it, one woman had picked a spot where she was offering Chang to all the dancers as they circled by her. People took turns dancing and resting throughout, but the dancing and singing ever stopped. It was explained to me that the deceased’s soul was present, an elderly woman in this case, watching if not participating in the fun. She wanted to see that we were happy, enjoying ourselves and then she too would be happy and ready to move on.
I managed to stay up through the whole thing. I found myself washing dishes at one point late in the night. In that moment, hands under snowmelt piped to in front of the Gumpa, crouching on the rocks and vigorously scrubbing the many cups, plates and spoons that were being brought as fast as I could, I thought of Country Fair. I was thinking my favorite thought, how did I get here? When I realized that I’m always trying to be a part of what’s going on. I’m not content to just be an observer, thanks to my mothers teachings of always helping out, and her genes which make me always want to. As well as my own experience, like Country Fair Teen Crew, it’s just better to tap in. So here I was, hands going white, with Tibetan women yelling at me to do a good job and to wash quicker. I laughed out loud, a huge grin on my face, this is why I’m here, to freeze my hands and to warm them around the fire laughing along with them.
The night was amazing, I learned how to dance Tibetan style, how to laugh the belly laughs that erupted from everyone, and just have a good time. People just wanted to make sure that I was having as much fun as them. It was hard to see what this had anything to do with a spirit moving on sometimes, but in hindsight I realize that it is intimately connected. These gatherings draw friends and family from all up and down the valley. People come from all over, they have fun, socialize, laugh, eat, drink and dance. It brings the community together with entirely good energy. It sounds much better than a funeral to me.
At the end of the night, when light was beginning to show in the sky and people were beginning to fade, the doors were closed by two men who refused to let people out. The dancers were dwindling when the last rite was preformed. Butter candles were lit by everyone in the gumpa and we placed them around the walls and upon the alter upstairs then the doors were open and people began to leave. Many not sleeping and walking back to there homes hours away.

Ode to the camera

I'm sitting in the Community Resource Center in Rivan, north of Pokhora. It's quite a story of how I've come to be here. I'm working with an NGO called USSHA Foundation, somehow I've become one of the two people working here in the village. This is a great chance to learn about how NGO's work, and don't work. Because as I'm learning, the NGO sector in Nepal is hugely overblown in comparison to the work that it's actually doing in places that need it. I'm waiting for a meeting to start which will help us define what work is needed and how we can go about doing it. The meeting was supposed to start at 10:00 AM, it's now 12. The Community Resource Center, or CRC has a small library and a computer room. It's connected to solar panels on the roof, but those don't work. The internet is patchy, sometimes working, like now, and other times not. The computers were donated from Germany.

While I was in Jiri visiting Subodh my camera died. Here's what I wrote:

With a click and whir
You come to life
Emerging from your shell
A chrome dinosaur
Of a forgotten digital age
Defiant
Against planned obsolescence
You have traveled the world
Four continents and many countries
In eight well run years.
Outliving your brethren
You are tenacious
Leaping from backpacks
To tumble down Himalayan ravines
You have spent the night on a mountain top
Never complaining
Only uttering “Canon”
With manufacturers pride
My amiable companion
Helping me tell my stories
Capturing the moment
With only 3.2 megapixels
While others boast into the teens
I will miss your unbreakable, clunky frame
And the recklessness that we explored together.

My week in Jiri was wonderful, somehow subodh's mother appointed me as a cook. I helped or cooked almost all the meals while I was there. I always watch how people cook here so I can bring back the wonderful recipies when I return. Cooking at Subodh's house I got to test out some of the recipies I've seen before with the help of Subodh's mother or brother. I'm now confident that I can replicate the Nepali meal back in the U.S. even without the varied spices that can only be found here. I'm staying in another Nepali families home in the Village, I'm again watching and helping with the cooking in the morning and evenings. There is tons of work here to do, sadly, so much of it is organizational, and my language skills hinder me. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about NGO's and how to make a larger change.
It looks like this meeting is about to get going. See you :D
As always I've got so much to write,

Freeze this Moment

This thought first ran through my mind with the potency of a thunderbolt when I was being sucked along on the wildest adventure of my life, the Panchkroshi Yatra. I was in a river of people being pulled along with the momentum of the moment. Not a clue where I was, where I was going, but sure that I was in the right spot. The 80 something kilometer Yatra (Pilgrimage) began at midnight, I was barefoot, along with all the Indians who rose out of the shadows around me with yells of “Bom Bom Bole” whooping at the top of their lungs surging forward with the energy only created by thousands and thousands of people working towards one goal. Receiving Darshan, and reaching the end. Sadly my two attempts to write this story were erased because the computer crashed twice and the word documents were lost when the computer was totally rebooted. It’s a story to get from me personally.
This thought, “Freeze this moment” is no longer unique. Sometimes, I feel like I’m an insider on my own personal joke. How did I get here? In situations where I’m surrounded by local people, that very few other foreigners get to experience. I’m not just an observer; I’m a participator, acting out the lives of the amazing people that I meet. One of the highlights of my stay in Jiri was this:
In Subodh’s families village in the hills above Jiri the women gather together and weed one person’s field in one day. It’s like the barn raisings that at one time were common in our own country. This has a lot of benefits, there’s little money in these places, almost all the food is grown for their own consumption, and this eases the burden on the individual farmers, many whose husbands are in other places working. Weeding is much more fun when you do it with friends and family.
Subodh’s mother left after the morning meal while I was still eating, she was late to meet the other women. I didn’t join until around 3 PM, where as they all met at 10 AM. When I arrived I got to take part in this great example of teamwork. We lined up along the fields, which have the small millet plants planted underneath the larger corn stalks that are getting near harvest time. Squatting, we went through the fields in rows, side by side, laughing joking and throwing weeds at each other. The women were all so light hearted about their work, even after a day of rain. There was one man who picked up the weeds after we piled them behind us.
Just as we were beginning the last field the deluge began. A couple of women ran to get the plastic bags that are used as rain jackets here. All over the villages in Nepal people use large sized plastic bags as raincoats. These were ingeniously fitted with woven bamboo so they resembled blue plastic books. They have straps on the inside for the head. All the women covered themselves with these, I had my raincoat. Bent double, it looked like giant books were busy weeding the last field as the clouds climbing the mountainsides shrouded the world and made it seem like the terraces dropped off into the oblivion.
One of the women that I was talking with asked me if I liked Nepali songs, traditional Nepali songs are absolutely beautiful, thus I love them. One of the highlights of taking the local buses in Nepal are listening to Nepali songs blasted on blown out speakers for hours and hours on end. She asked me if I could sing any songs, which, although my Nepali is getting better and better every day, I can’t. I can sing along with some of the easier and catchier ones when they’re playing but that’s it. I told her I could sing an English song and started singing. She cut me short and started singing in Nepali, “It’s raining, we’re weeding a millet field…” Nepali is a beautiful language and it can be sung as well as spoken. We began to just sing about what we were doing, trying to be heard over the noise of the rain beating against the plastic. Everyone laughed along with us over the drone of the rain.
We finished the last field and walked single file on the trail back to the field owner’s home. There we were served “Bulu” and Chai. I took “Bulu” or “Chang” in Nepali; it is the local grain alcohol. I’ve gotten to taste Chang made from rice, corn, and now on this occasion millet. These local alcohol’s are usually thick with the grain still in them and quite tasty. The rain was torrential, Ama, two other women, one who was family and the blue eyed man all were sitting in the houses unattached kitchen building, chatting and drinking our warm beverages.
Sitting in this small building on hand-woven mats made from corn husks, laughing with people whose story is so different than mine was so special. Somehow we got to joking about how the blue eyed man was my Nepali father, we joked about how it could be that he’s my father when he’s so small and I’m so big. We decided that he is in fact my long lost father and I’m Nepali after all. One woman was telling me how her sister lives in the U.S. with her husband. This prompted me to talk about the U.S. and how it’s “Another world” the realities are so drastically different it’s almost impossible for me to describe with my limited vocabulary, but I do my best. I told them how special Nepal is, how much love I felt from Subodh’s mother after only a week. How all over Nepal people are so loving and kind to me. I was getting emotional, sometimes it seems like my words carry so much weight even though I’m limited to such a simple vocabulary. This was one of those moments that made me think, “Freeze thus moment.” Subodh’s mother turned to me and said, “If you couldn’t speak Nepali we wouldn’t have any idea of who you are, and you wouldn’t have any idea of who we are, we would never be able to talk or get to know each other. Now I know who you are and it’s easy for me feel love for you.”
Language is the key to culture. This moment just affirmed this belief. People usually are so happy to hear me speaking their language, especially in Nepal. I'm told "Thank you" almost daily by people.

Boudha with friends

Left to right:Tashi, Soru, Doma and I

Reverence,
clockwise rotation of devotees,
pulls in the energy of the universe.
A whirlpool of blessings
radiating out towards the world.
The center,
a spire towards the heavens.

Illuminated by the collective prayer
lit from without as well as within.
Eyes look inwards towards the soul.

Old men move mountains in their bones,
arising and settling of Dharma.
Juniper colors the air pungently,
inviting the spirits to dance,
awakening the Buddha within.

Boudhanath, another amazing part of this trip. Tomorrow will begin a new chapter. I leave tomorrow morning for Jiri to meet my friend Subodh. We met at the Chandanbari cheese factory when I worked there. His is one of the managers there and he was visiting on school vacation. He goes to school in Kathmandu but he lives in Jiri. His school doesn't start for a week or so and he's invited me to come and stay with him.
It's hard for me to find like minded youth in Nepal and India. Almost all the young people I talk with in Nepal have one idea in their mind. Go abroad and make money. Subodh and I connected amazingly quickly after only three days. I'm excited to see him and a new place that I was just told, is the "Switzerland of Nepal." This was a one minute decision. I'm having a hard time finding volunteer work at the moment, I've run into more than one dead end. I gave him a call yesterday to see if he was in Kathmandu yet, and he invited me to his house!
The past six days here have been healing and fun. I didn't go into the extent of my injuries, but somehow my immune system took a dive. Probably because for the month that I was in the mountains my diet was basic. Every cut that I got was getting infected and wasn't healing, it was scary. I counted 9 different cuts/scrapes that were getting worse rather than better. I took anti-fungal medication but it didn't seem to be doing the trick although things were looking better. I have been eating as much fresh fruits and veggies as possible. So, I dropped the antibiotic bomb for the sixth time since i started my trip. I feel like it's hitting the restart button for my whole body. but sometimes it's what I've gotta do. All my cuts are healing quickly now, my energy and diet is high and I'm full with Boudha's energy.
Every morning and evening all the people who live within walking distance circle the stupa in prayer. The most devote, are almost always the elderly, hunched, clutching their mala beads they recite "Om mani padme hum" while slowly circling the stupa. All along the periphery are prayer wheels with the same mantra written on them. Inside the stupa wall are grounds where people can fully prostrate themselves in prayer, people also circle the stupa laying flat each time that they pray. The devotion is powerful. Beggars come and stand on the outside to receive alms from all the devotees. It is a wonderful practice to participate in, circling this beautiful stupa repeating the mantra that the Dalai Lama says: "Thus the six syllables, OM MANI PADME HUM, mean that by the practice of a path which is an indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech, and mind into the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha."
When I arrived at Boudha i was looking for a place to stay, and striking out at many expensive guest houses. A man came up to me and said, I've got a room for you! Yay, what a wonderful meeting that led to three new friends. Tashi, doma and Soru have been so kind to me. Tashi is the owner of Bun Bun's sandwich shop, Doma, his Second cousin and her friend Soru work there. Doma and Soru are amazing friends, it's been so much fun to just hang out with them. Sit in the deli, laugh, joke and eat the first pizza and hamburgers I've had since I left the U.S. Doma lived in the U.S. for 7 years and went to Culinary school in Florida. Her and Tashi opened an American style Deli that serves, Sandwiches, Hot Dogs, Hamburgers and Pizza. It's only been open for a month and a half but the locals seem to be catching on to American flavors. Tuesday, Soru and Doma's day off I made a massive fruit salad for breakfast. Then it was off to Soru's house with a pit stop for a snack. Soru made an amazing lunch of Dal Bhat and Chilly Chicken, I watched her carefully when she made it. After lunch we went shopping for one of Soruu's friends and finally went to Doma's mothers house for Dinner! Youu can tell these are my kind of people right? Haha, Doma's younger brother and his wife made a tasty dinner that included marinated and friend fish. I ate my way through the day! It was a fun and very relaxing. In fact my whole experience in Boudha could fall into that category.
Except for last night, when I crammed myself into a "micro" (small vans, emphasis on small, their like the size of a 4 seater car in the states) at 7:30 PM to get back to Boudha from Kathmandu. I went USB and backpack shopping, after trading my backpack and carrying a pack-basket across mountains, I can assure you backpacks are an improvement. I now have a Nepali made backpack, quality isn't great but the price is right. Public transportation in Nepal wins for having the smallest vehicles and packing the most people into them. I'm not looking forward to the 9 hour bus ride to Jiri, my knee caps are going to fall off from being smooshed into the seat in front. Unless I ride on top :D
I've made great friends and shared good memories in one of the most amazing places. Once again I'm feeling blessed and overflowing with love. I am continuously helped along, I just want to say thank you to everyone, this adventure is teaching me so much and everyone has had a hand in shaping me into who I am today. I'm sending my love and blessings from Boudha, they're circling the stupa, rising into the sky and with the united strength of everyone they're spreading across the world. Love and Blessings.

All of my photo's are on Flickr! Check them out!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexlandt

The Update

Today was marvelous, I walked from Boudha to a Gompa (monastery, or in this case a nunnery) in the mountains on the north side of the Kathmandu Valley. The nunnery borders Shivapuri National park, I wandered into full blown jungle just as a rain laden cloud hit the mountain from the south. All the monsoon cloud systems come from the south and the Shivapuri range is the first mountains that they get to. I was swallowed whole by a very wet monster. The forest was beautiful, I had my head pointed downward most of the time, looking for mushrooms.
Just as I reached the nunnery a taxi was struggling through the mud. All the taxi's are small suzuki's and I gave it a heave and pushed it up the last leg. The nun's thanked me, they'd just returned from grocery shopping. I was hungry and asked if there was any way I could get food. I ended up eating a wonderful meal with the nuns. The "Tarkari" (Curried veggies) were mushrooms, and my favorite Nepali spice called Timbour, it's the berries of a mountain plant. It makes ones mouth tingle and go kinda numb, as well as have a tangy flavor. It's interesting but I've acquired the taste for it. Anyways we got talking about mushrooms so while I was hiking i picked at least one of every mushroom I saw, I succeeded in finding a good amount of edibles. I brought them all back in my jacket pockets and went through them with the nuns.
The last couple of days have been just as full of adventure, on Saturday I stumbled upon a group of foreign students who were going on a field trip. I heard that there were free Tibetan Buddhism classes at 8:00 AM and I followed a foreigner rushing into the monastery grounds only to find myself in the street behind the monastery with a big group of foreigners. I just smiled and hung around until someone asked me if I was also a student, I told him how I'd magically arrived and asked what they were doing. He said they were going to Pharphing to see some caves were a tantric Buddhist master was meditating. I asked if I could tag along, he pointed me to the organizer and she said sure, if I was willing to pay 200 rupees. I ended up being bussed around, fed a fabulous lunch and go on a tour of places i never would have heard of otherwise. It was also Mata Kali day, she is the fierce feminine incarnation. She asks for blood from her devotees, normally it is signified by braking a coconut, but on this auspicious day many people bring goats and chickens to be killed in her honor, they're then taken home and eaten. We went to the temple and got to witness the intense puja take place.
Yesterday I saved myself 1100 rupees ($15) in Baktapur. They charge that just to get into the city, I just went in by a side street. I went their because i had a lead on another volunteer organization but it fell through and we didn't even meet up. I swear that when I'm older and have the cash I'll pay all the fees but that's jsut redicoulous to ask em to pay just to wander around the streets. Needless to say the city is beautiful. I got there entirely on public transportation, it took 3 buus changes. I now can get anywhere the Nepali way, including by foot. Today must have been at least 20 KM.
I've made some great friends here in Boudha who have a western style cafe restourant, I've had my first hamburger and pizza since I left the states!

The Kathmandu Experience

I was trying to meditate at the base of the stupa when I heard someone come up to me and stop, I opened my eyes to a teenager taking my photo, I told him he could take my photo if he took one with my camera.

Well Let me first tell you all the joy to be sitting at a computer with a new keyboard and fast internet, I'm streaming music and finally getting photos uploaded onto flickr for everyone to see. I'm currently sitting in an internet cafe in Boudha, a suburb of Kathmandu, the name refers to the largest Buddhist stupa in the world. A stupa is a Buddhist place of worship. a stupa is basically a mound after Buddha was cremated his remains were spread between 8 original stupas. I've decided to come here to soak up the vibe, relax, write and heal. I have a systemic infection after wandering the mountains. A Nepali tour guide diagnosed it as a fungal infection, I'm taking medicine, that if it doesn't work it'll be another round of antibiotics. In 8 months I've taken antibiotics 4 times already.
There is so much to write about, but I seem to keep on having amazing, mind-blowing experiences faster than I can write about them. As much as I want to delve into my epic in the mountains I think I should write about the amazing experiences that have been happening to me in my last week in Kathmandu.
I've been staying with my "Aunt" and "Brother" in law in their small room. In the past week I've taken their 3 year old son to school, baby-sat him, picked him up from school, and this is good enough for my resume: I made egg fried rice for him and the neighbors daughter while they played together, kept them from leaping out the windows and narrowly avoided disaster when she had to go pee. I now know how to say pee in Nepali kid language :D Living with them in the City is an amazing opportunity to live like most Nepali's in the city. They live in one room and share the bathroom with the neighbors. An apartment in Kathmandu really will almost always refer to one room. My didi and binaju have been so nice to let me stay with them in their small "apartment." But it was time to move on.
In my first days in Kathmandu I got to experience a whole other side of Kathmandu. I ended up bumping into a young Nepali who's friends were hosting a Dance/pool party in one of the cities 5-star hotels. He gave me an invitation and I met another friend the next day to go to the hotel. Tearing through the city in a car with a leather interior, listening to gangster rap made me feel almost made me feel like i was back in the U.S. except we passed by a temple that had a drive in! We passed through praying to the many gods facing the drive through. I had a really good time, dancing to some loud music for the first time in ages. The bass was all lined up along the ground rather than stacked which was a disapointment but I had a good time. I was the only foreigner, and one of three people who wore swim trunks, and the only one to get in the pool. The best part of the experience was meeting the headlining DJ who studied in the U.S. and meeting the members of the Curious Crew. I had a good talk with DJ Girish about Nepal and he told me that there's money in the country, referencing all the kids with designer clothes and iphones, but that they lack a good tax to retrieve it. The Curious Crew is a b-boy crew who's been dancing for two years. Their all in high school, and they dance so well together, I was super impressed by how they've gone for it in a place where there are no resources except the internet. The whole experience was a trip after I'd just returned from the mountains, nice to experience the other side of things and dance some.
My mother's friend and co-worker, Deepak Pandey's parents live in Kathmandu. I went to visit them on Monday with my adopted family. The idea was to go and visit them and then go to the Swyambu stupa nearby. We were running late and I wanted to go to the stupa since the sun was shining and everything was lit in the late afternoon sun. L.B, Deepak's dad quickly told me that I could spend the night at their home. Once again an amazing example of the warm-hearted nature of the Nepali people. I had a wonderful time at the stupa, the sun was setting and the golden sides were almost blinding. I got into the stupa half off because of my Nepali! I'm now officially at the "dangerous" level, I can defend myself well and even with L.B. who can speak very good english, we spoke a good portion of the time in Neplali. The connections that span the globe are amazing, I had great conversations with L.B. about Ashland and Nepal.
The next day was great, I wandered around the city, bumped into some friends I met while trekking, got my sickness "diagnosed" and found out I didn't have a place to stay that night. My didi went to spend the night at a sick relatives house for the night and binaju works until 12:30 AM. I could find a hotel room, no problem. As the sun was setting I was feeling really good, I played a little frisbee with a new friend. I decided it was time to go to a Temple and give some thanks to the divine. It just so happened that the Ganesh temple was nearby. Ganesh is the Hindu God who clears the path and helps opportunities happen. Perfect, I practically skipped to the temple, performed puja and saw that Bojan, devotional singing was happening in one of the temples rooms. I went in and joined as best as I could, by clapping my hands. There were a number of main men who were taking turns singing, playing the harmonium and tabla. A little boy who was there as well began to speak to me in English, which was quite good, after some minutes he asked me if we could be friends. i told him "of course," after bojan he introduced me to his grandmother and invited me to come to his house so I could see where he lived. His mother quickly invited me in and we began talking, next thing I knew i was invited for dinner and to spend the night in their small room. I told his mother how much I loved Nepali food especially lentils, she said that they didn't have any lentils because of how expensive they were. I offered to buy them and I had another amazing, filling Nepali meal. The kindness of the Nepali people is just astounding, the openess and warmth to a total stranger continues to swell my heart and remind me how blessed I am. I slept in the same small bed with Rajeev, my new friend.
These are really only some of the amazing experiences that have happened to me since I've arrived back in Kathmandu. I feel like now I've unlocked the city in a whole new way. I've found how to walk on the back streets where people look at me and say to each other, "Look a foreigner" and I smile and ask them how they are.
I've found the best Nepali Lassis which makes me happy, the perfect drink for any hot muggy day. I've also begun to explore in earnest the old city, age old wood carvings and gods abound in these courtyards linked by doorways that I've got to bend double to get through. There's still so much to be discovered.

Smiles (:

In Paulo Coelho's book, The Alchemist, the main character learns about the "Language of the World." This language is the language of the heart that the whole world speaks. In the past 8 months I've learned the biggest secret of this language. It is the power of smiles. An honest real smile does wonders all across the globe. It is the tool to break down barriers and show the humanity within us all. A smile can turn a stranger into a friend in an instant. I have a wonderful advantage because even when I'm not smiling I'm always wearing my goofy pink and yellow cap with the smiley face on it. I tell people that my cap smiles for me when I'm not smiling. I love seeing the way that a smile opens people up, on the busy and crowded streets of Kathmandu it's not as possible as in quieter sections, thus I've found myself rambling through Kathmandu's older sections and taking the back ways back to where I stay. In these wanders I get to loose my way, wander unknowingly into beautiful courtyards each with their own small temples. A smile is always the conversation starter, and then comes the suprise of people to hear a foreigner who can speak their language. Since I've been traveling I've never met anyone who hasn't seen a westerner, I'm 50 years to late (haha), but I've met people who've never met a foreigner who can speak their own language. In both India and Nepal many travelers feel that there's no advantage to learning the languages because of how easy it is to get by with english (In touristy areas). The first step to learning a language is to smile. Smiling is opening the door to the language of the world, the language of the heart that everyone speaks across the world.

Chasing the eagles,
I climbed a mountain into the sky,
High up
with the ice gods as my witness
and the windhorse as my steed
I prayed.

The prayers tumbled down the mountains
were swept away in the streams
shrouded by the clouds
and tossed by the wind.

Sitting on the back of one of these giants
I was swallowed by the clouds.
The world flickered in and out of existance
I was a witness to gods game,
Hide and seek.

Surprisingly, I had company
birds,
pieces of blackness let loose upon the day,
surfed the powerful gusts with
reckless abandon.

My prayers were answered.
Beauty abounded everywhere
Inspired
I left
without a thought of where.

I walked paths worn by ancients
touched the ice gods feet in reverence
and danced across stony plains.

I found paradise
but it had owners
Yak who wouldn't share.

I at last I stumbled into town
tired
worn
and hungry
with a huge grin
from a day of adventure.

I wrote this after wandering around Kyanjin Gompa for a day. I got above 5,000 meters and took photos! But I'm having serious issues loading them. Flickr seems to be extremely slow in Nepal.
I extended my visa, I've got a visa to explore this wonderful country until September 21st!

Que Gurni?

Is a Nepali expression I've picked up. It basically means, "What to do? or what can I do?" This is about where I stand in my life at the moment. I'm poised between a decision that I don't particularly want to make: Extend my Nepali visa or get an Indian visa and hop back across the border. Visas are the only thing that keeps me from being entirely free in this wander. Visa free travel across the globe is an ideal that will take some time to realize.
Coming back from spending a month in the mountains and hills have inspired me hugely, the combination of adventure, huge mountains, amazing people and so many new experiences has me bubbling with inspiration. I have so many ideas bouncing around in my head I'm not sure where to put them all. Actually I am sure, I want to put them here. This blog is my project. It has a dual purpose, to keep people informed about where I am and what I'm doing, and to share a little bit of the experiences that are changing my life. As I've been traveling, now 8 months in the subcontinent the lessons that I've learned have been immeasurable. I'm receiving an education that is profound and exactly what I need in my life. I've always been an experiential learner. I can remember touching my grandmother's electric stove top just to see how hot it was after she turned her back. I knew it was hot, it cooks food right, but I couldn't see any flame like our gas stove at home. So I learned the hard way. This adventure is exactly like that. I'm learning by living the lives of the people and places I go. It is putting my bubbly enthusiasm and optimism in it's place, but in a way that only these experiences could do. There is so much to be said and so little time, I loath sitting on the computer while life passes me by. But second to calling my parents and telling them that I'm alive after a month of wandering, I felt the desire to share my experiences with other people. The readers of my blog are the best audience for me to share these wonderful lessons with. Most people know me well and can understand my writing as well as who I am and what angle I'm approaching the world.
So basically, what I'm trying to say is, I want to pour as much of these wild and amazing experiences into my blog. I will do my best to share more tan the basic facts but to delve deeper into the reality of what these expericences are and the lives of the people I meet. It is the people that inspire me, the kindness and warmth that is given to a total stranger like me constantly blows my mind. People here have so little in comparison to us in the U.S. yet they give so freely and openly, with joy and love. I want to do these people and places justice. I want to paint a picture with my words, let you see through my eyes the world that is teaching me to be human. Not everyone has the opportunity to do what I'm doing, I want to share my lessons with you, those that can, I want to inspire you. As humans we are all poised at the brink, but we can't see the edge, we've created a global society based on money and greed, we've pushed the planet's capacity to house life to the edge but we keep on steaming forward. We have a global economy, but no global community.
My life's goal is to make as big of a positive change as I can for humanity and the earth. I'm living my dream. When I sit down with a Nepali man, 68 years old and who calls English, "tourist language" and talk with him, in his own language after spending a day working the fields alongside him. I'm confident that I'm working on connecting the global community, by being an ambassador of our country and more importantly by being human. What he doesn't realize is the change he's making in my life, because he is teaching me lessons that run deeper than the words we are sharing.
I'm going off on a rant, but the point of this post is to say that I'm inspired, to continue to make a change in as big of a way as I can and to continue learning in this wonderful school of life. I want this blog to be my project, my testimonial to the experiences and the people that are teaching me along the way. I want to pull back the veil from my own eyes and in turn shed light and do justice to these amazing people across the globe.
More to come, I really want to hold on to this feeling and pour it into the cyberspace for everyone. I've gotta unclutter the ideas and get them organized. Whn I just sit down to write I drop these wandering blogposts that accuratly represent where I am but just might be a little to scattered to have the desired effect.
Thank you everyone who reads my blog, especially those who respond. It's come to my attention that my email might be hard to find. If you click on the photo of me under "Who am I?" my email is there. I love getting emails from people and I will send you a reply for sure.

Where to begin...

Once again, after a long time away from the net I become exhausted and overwhelmed with this world that doesn't really exist, I don't even understand how the internet works. There's emails to respond to, a million things to write about, stories to tell and life to figure out. But I'm back in Kathmandu!
I never would have guessed at all the twists and turns that my adventure took. But one thing I've learned throughout my wanders: don't make plans, but never run out of ideas.
Since I managed to post in Thulo Syaphru along the trail I've had a novels worth of adventures: I had a Nepali boy follow me and think he was going to come back to the U.S. with me, I milked Chowry (Yak/Cow mix), traded my backpack for a Bamboo pack basket worked in a cheese factory and learned to make cheese and butter, performed pooja with a Nepali family 4500 meters up at a holy lake, got invited to leave the "trekking route" and see real Nepali life, and ended up harvesting rice, rebuilding the paddies, and planting new rice... So many stories and where to begin.
At the moment though, I'm overwhelmed, can't seem to function or respond to emails and I think I'll do better wandering the streets of Kathmandu than sitting on the computer.
I'm going to do my best to get on the computer and write. I feel so inspired after wandering the hills and mountains, I want to share that inspiration with everyone.

Still... Trekking!

Here's a quicky for everyone :D I've been having an amazing time wandering across the mountains. I'm in Thulu Syaphru and I'm on my way back to Kathmandu over Larabina La pass. I'm as close to civilization as I've been in a while and since my trip took one of the many unexpected twists that my journey takes I'm writing to let people know life is grand!
The mountains are amazing, I hope my photos will give people an idea once they're uploaded. The connection is slow and I'm paying an arm and a leg for internet at the moment.
Anyways, as the adventure continues I found myself painting windows at a guest house in Kyanjin Gompa at 3,800 meters. I painted for free room and board. When I was hanging outside of the second story window,breathing in paint fumes and wondering why I was painting 8 hours a day to save $7 I would switch my focus to the windows and see 7,000 meter mountains framed by the fresh paint.
I'm finally starting to appreciate "tea house" trekking. I get to take my time, wander through beautiful landscapes. And then get food, room and a hot shower at the end of the day! It's a shift from wandering the backcountry of the northwest but it has it's merits as well.
I've had so many experiences: trying to carry a porters load, and almost breaking my neck after 100 meters, spending two nights dancing at a gompa with Tibetans, getting charged by a Yak, getting above 5,000 meters, and sawing through a log with the local lumberjacks. So many stories to tell. I sent my blessings across the world from the top of the world, maybe you heard?

Namaste

Trekking!

After climbing back up the mountain to retrieve my camera I was stokin' on life!

Today was a national strike and everything was closed... fancy that :D Tomorrow things look like they will be opening up so I'm off to go trekking. I've got to catch a 9 hour bus ride that covers 120 KM... I'm used to buses that move as fast as I can jog so it's ok.
The itinerary it stands is to hop on a bus tomorrow at 6 AM bus it out to a place called Dunche almost directly north of Kathmandu on the edge of Langtang national park. I'll do the popular "Langtang Trek," then the idea is to connect via a 14,000 foot pass to another area known as the Helambu and walk back to Kathmandu. This should take me about 14 days give or take a few. I'll be out of contact entirely until I get back. This kind of trekking is known as "tea house" trekking. There are lodges and tea houses along the more popular sections. I have a tarp with me and we'll see how realistic it is for me to camp as much as possible. Wood can't be used for fires in these areas because they are heavily traveled and I'm not going to bother with a stove so I'll be eating out while wandering around mountains. It's quite a new concept to me, I'm used to just going out and fending for myself. I'm excited to do what "70% of all tourists who come to Nepal want to do." Haha.
Some highlights of volunteering on the farm were spending time with Ramu's older brother's son, who is two and a half and at the age when he's curious about everything. One night, when we had electricity, and all the geckos we're eating insects that flew around the light I was lifting him up so he could try and grab them. It was a repeated, "Lizard" and then me hoisting him up as high as I could so he could try and grab one. He came very close.
Another moment that is making me smile is learning and singing Kirtan (Devotional songs) with "Ama" (Ramu's mother, and another one of my many adopted mothers :) We were working out in the field side by side and she was slowly teaching me the songs of Lord Krishna (One of the manifestations of Vishnu and known for his flute playing, his naughty nature as a child, stealing milk and cream from the milkmaids) We sang together as the sun was setting and it gave me energy after a long day's work in the sun. it was so much fun to sing as the parrots flew back to their roosts in large flocks and the sun turned red, setting over India.
While I was sick I had a couple brief moments of literary inspiration, here's a poem that I wrote.

I long to find the end of the earth
Take the leap into the unknown.

Falling with giddy glee
and a smile on my face
I will plummet into stormy clouds.

Amongst these ethereal giants
I will have tea with my fears
Dance with my joys
Hug my sorrows,
and paint them all with my dreams.

When I am hungry I will eat chubby cumulus clouds
and suck the cirrus clouds dry.

I will learn to speak with the wind,
Learning ancient secrets
from the her eons of wandering,
whispered into my eager ears.

I will make friends with the sun and moon
Share with them my heart
and chase them in circles around the globe.

When the cloud has tired of it's burden,
and spits me upon the earth
as a human hailstone.
I'll look up and smile because it was all worthwhile.

It's quite crude but the sentiment is there. I remember the inspiration of this. Everyday almost clouds would roll in and we'd get thunder, lightning and sometimes full on tropical storms. I've never seen a hailstone so big. They were seriously the diameter of quarters. They came with 40-50 mile an hour winds which knocked down trees and ripped off the neighbors roof. Quarter sized hailstones coming almost horizontal is quite scary, take it from me.

New pictures are up on flicker, sadly it's taking forever to load so only about 150 new ones are up and they're quite old. I'll be sure to keep my camera handy wandering about in the mountains.

Namaste

Over a month...

and so much to say.
I'm sitting in an internet cafe in Kathmandu Nepal situated across the street from my "Didi's" house. Didi is the Nepali (and Hindi) word for older sister. My ideas when came to Nepal were to get out of the cities and make it into the mountains and find out what big mountains really mean. I completed one of the requirements and I plan to leave for trekking in 2 days! I worked on a farm for about a month in a small village called Megauli in the Chitwan district of Nepal. Megauli's claim to fame is that it hosts the elephant polo championships every December! It is a rural area bordering Chitwan National Park in lowland Nepal.
I crossed the border without any difficulties (I walked across without getting my Indian visa stamped without even realizing it) and went to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha. Through the website workaway.info I was in email contact with a man named Bishnu who has a volunteer organization out of Kathmandu, he saw my profile and said, "I have a place for you." From Lumbini, i hopped on local transportation and with a little difficulty arrived in Megauli and met Ramu. Ramu is a second generation farmer (There has been a little unrest in Kathmandu lately, strikes and such, a march is walking by the cafe at the moment...) His family migrated to the fertile lowlands, known as the Terai, from the mountains after DDT was used to eradicate Malaria in the 1950's and 60's. Southern Nepal is under 1,000 feet elevation on the Gangetic plain. This area has much of the arable land and almost all of the industry. It is also hot. It was between 80 and 100 degrees with almost 100% humidity.
Ramu and his family took me in without any questions, Bishnu asked Ramu if I could come only 3 days before, and we got to work on the farm. I joined in the daily ritual of: wake up at 5:30, out in the fields by 6 or 6:30, depending on whether we had tea or not. Work until about 9 or 10 when the sun was scorching and then breakfast of "Dal Baat Tarkari." Lentils Rice and Curried veggies. We ate entirely food that was grown on the farm! Then we'd do odd jobs near the house, feeding the cows, etc. or rest until about 4 PM when we'd go back out in the field until dark. Then we'd eat Dal Baat again, or roti's and then sleep. It was a wonderful and wholesome routine.
During my stay I attempted to reach an internet connection in Narangarh (24 kilometers and almost 2 hours by bus...) there wasn't electricity and I got heat stroke, which proceeded to become a fever and diarrhea, I was knocked out cold for a couple of days. My immune system was out of whack big time, consequently I got 2 staff infections on one foot. This put me down for another week. Luckily there's a rural clinic no more that 200 meters down the "road" from Ramu's house. I became a regular there for about a week and a half. For the infections I got shots of local anesthesia and then they popped the suckers like giant mutant zits and packed the holes with iodine soaked bandages. I spent a week with nothing to do but stare at the ceiling and hope that there was electricity so that the fan would run. I survived the ordeal and it's just another lesson of how important our bodies are and how much I take my healthy body for granted.
While I was bed ridden Ramu's older sister came to visit and she told me that when I come to Kathmandu to come and stay with her. So that's how I'm living like the locals again. I am so astounded at how open people have been to me, inviting me into their lives. Ramu's family has become my Nepali family. Bishnu's husband works as a chef and she's a stay at home mom until she can find work as a teacher. I've been helping her three year old son practice his ABC's, walk him and the neighbor's daughter to school and cooking dinner. My Hindi has morphed into a Hindi/Nepali mix that allows me to communicate adequately here. I plan to leave for trekking in two days! I'm determined to get some mountain time!
Excuse the scatteredness, it's reflecting my state of mind, trying to organize everything for trekking and opening up the cyber world after a month of not looking at it has sent my mind spinning.
Love to everyone and sorry if anyone was worried :D