Half way to where?

6 months has now passed since I arrived in Nepal. I must be getting very old as time seems to be passing like a bullet train.

For the last 2 days I feel as if I've been trying to pass a hedgehog through my colon, it has been rather painful. Add to that someone kneading down on it as well and you might be able to understand my discomfort. Hopefully it should go away soon, normally these things only last a couple of days.

Dasain officially started last week, but this week has been the start of the main celebrations. Walking along the road, I have passed streams of goats on their way to a grizzly end - eating a goat for Dasain is considered as traditional as a Turkey at Christmas. A few days ago we went shopping for clothes, Racchu, Bhanja and me - the recipients - and Buwa - the money. Even the poorest people in Nepal expect to get a new set of clothes for Dasain, leading to it becoming a bane for some families rather than the celebration it should be.

Yesterday the Bahuun, priest, came to our house to conduct a large puja. This was in honour of a baby being born in the family. All morning, Aama and Rachhu were cooking food, but not eating. Finally, once the puja was completed, we ate the food they had cooked - pickle, bread fried in oil called pourri, and my favourite sel roti, a doughnut-like sweet bread.

The streets are littered with dead kites, the losers in the battles to control the skies. Some are hanging from the telegraph poles, some stuck in trees, and others lying in the road where they fell, fallen warriors trampled beneath the feet of uncaring passers-by.

Something I'm feeling at the moment...

In front of me I see a road. It is undulating, over hills and through shallow valleys. I look behind me, and the same type of path is there. I look around me and see other people I know. Their road is much more mountainous, over high peaks and through deep gorges. I try to walk with them along their road, carry some of their bags, but I can't. There is something stopping me. Is it me? Is it someone else? I just don't know and don't understand. What do I do now?

Everything a bit disjointed I know, but hey - that's my mind sometimes...

SAM