Nepal- Week Four

Nepal- Week Four

Kathmandu, Nepal

November 13, 2017 to January 9, 2018

I am in Nepal for 8 weeks, teaching for the World Academy for the Future of Women.  I will be teaching college women how to be global leaders with the focus on the UN Sustainable Goals.  I am going to travel a little bit during this time.  This should be an enjoyable 8 weeks.

Monday, Dec 4- We start our bucket list today and it is off to a slow start.  I ask my students,” Who inspires you?’ and their responses are deafening.  They give the obligatory, “My mother.” But no one else comes to mind.  “Any teachers, a neighbor, an author, a politician, a humanitarian, any book you ever read, a movie, an actor, a musical?”  Nothing.  Just their moms and maybe their dads.  They don’t read.  Most of them have never read a book. Some of them pay attention to the news but most are unaware of life outside their bubble.

I ask them where they want to travel, “everywhere”, they tell me.  Name some places”, I tell them.  “Nepal.”  “outside of Nepal”, I encourage.  “I want to see all of Nepal.  It is a beautiful country.”  Finally, they reflect a little more and announce they want to go to Spain and Paris and Dubai.  A few want to go to the USA but mostly they want to go to Dubai. One student wants to go to London so she can go to a Starbucks.

Tuesday, Dec 5- Normally, Nirmala’s 76-year-old mother makes me lunch.  But it is the same meal she backs me for dinner and it is the only meal she makes: rice, collard greens, beans and dahl. I can’t eat it anymore so I offer to find my own lunch.  I wander up to the hazardous main road and find a small, dirty restaurant.  I walk in and stop everyone’s conversation. They are stunned to see an old, white woman.  Two of the other guests speak enough English to help me order noodles and a glass of tea.  But they leave by the time I need to pay the bill.  I take out my small bills and anticipate giving the clerk maybe $3.  Lunch costed me eighty cents.

Wednesday, Dec 6 -  Only three students showed up for class today.  I am told it is because of the election tomorrow.  A new political party is emerging and is threatening the voters.  “They are afraid of the bombs”, one student told me, “my mom told me not to come today but I said I would be alright.”

Thursday, Dec 7- I have cancelled class due to the election. On this day, all of my students are expected to return home to vote. 

I tried pickled grapefruit.  I can’t describe the taste and I cant decide if I like it or not.

I joined Nirmala and her parents as they went to vote.  It seemed as if we were going to a community party.  No one was allowed to use a car or motorcycle today as a way to force people to stay in their neighborhoods to vote. And the people came out all day long and turned this responsibility in to an opportunity to socialize with everyone in the neighborhood.

Friday, Dec 8- I walked up the street to a neighborhood café.  I was looking for chicken mo-mo but only vegetable mo-mo was served here.  I had a big helping of lo mien, a cup a tea and a dreadful glass of hot lemon water.  I calculated the bill to be a meager $1.05.  But the man only charged me 70 cents.  He said he didn’t give me a full plate of lo mien. It was way too much food.

Saturday, Dec 9- After my weekly meeting with the student leaders, I headed back to Thamel for two nights.  It feels like going home when I am there.  After a lovely afternoon nap, I wandered over to a spa and had a facial.  She rubbed my head and my hair looked like Medusa.  But I didn’t care. I found a place that served buff mo-mo and ginger/honey/lemon tea.  I later went to a local café for a beer.  It was a pleasant day.

Sunday, Dec 10-  After breakfast, I roamed the streets to see if there was anything new in the markets.  I hailed a cab and headed to Burdna Stupa.  I had been here before and this is the most familiar site to me. There were hundreds of police officers around today.  The results of the election have been published and there are thoughts of some possible riots.  There is a crown outside the stupa and there is an energy that could turn bad so I didn’t spend too much time here. I am finding that all stupas look the same and I think I am finished in looking at Hindu temples.  When I got back to Thamel, I had a body massage, a body scrub and a steam bath.  I don’t know what I thought the body scrub would entail but I was surprised to find that I was covered in mud when she was finished.  Now I have specks of mud in every nook and cranny of my body.  This was another pleasant day.