So, in 4 months what have I done. Well, not much to be honest. I've learnt quite a lot about how things work with NGOs, which I was completely ignorant of before coming here - a big mistake. I've also improved my Nepali a lot. I can understand quite a lot now, and even have conversations with strangers which is fun. I still can't quite understand the TV or songs, those words a bit too quickly for me and are usually complicated. However I'm getting better at reading the ticker going along the bottom so can tell when people die in bus crashes or the parliament is meeting to resolve the latest crisis in Nepali politics. The good thing about doing nothing is I haven't invalidated my visa, which they have just doubled in price to my surprise.
I've also learnt a lot about myself, something I didn't really expect as I thought after 26 years I knew myself quite well. Some things I'm not so happy about so will definitely have to work on. Others aren't that bad qualities to have. I've found I've inherited a something from my Grandad. Unfortunately it's not his amazingly big hands, skill as a carpenter or ability to grow a most beautiful garden. I've become a hypochondriac. I have so far self diagnosed myself with appendicitis, bronchitis, giardiasis, worms, ear infections, conjunctivitis to name a few and become very paranoid about every little bump and lump I find - especially on my head. Of course, all of these lumps are potentially fatal. But to be truthful, the only thing I've really suffered is the traditional travellers stomach problems, and none of them have been that serious - especially compared to the second time I came here, I had stomach acid coming out and couldn't stand up by myself, so had to be carried for 2 km to a friend's house.
So, the report card would probably say:
"Could do a lot better. Must work harder. Stop obsessing on health and staring at navel. Promising prospects ahead if you put your mind to it."
(I know I haven't shown many photos of me for a long time, partly because I don't like photos of me, but mainly because I had a insect bite the size of Mount Everest on the end of my nose, which wouldn't go away. It probably sounds quite vain and is, but hey.)
The final approach into Kathmandu airport is fairly tricky, you descend over the mountains surrounding the valley and duck down below the peaks before landing. Sometimes the valley floor is hidden beneath the morning mist or afternoon pollution cloud. More recently the evening flights have faced another problem - kites. As I understand it's not as popular as in Pakistan or Afghanistan, but in the evenings there are still several hundred kites flying from the roofs the houses here. These kites don't fly just 20 or 30 metres above the ground, they can go several hundred metres up. The other day a kite from a house near ours got caught up in the turbulence from a small shuttle aircraft approaching the airport. What would happen if the aircraft actually flew into a kite? I guess very little, 5 rupees worth of plastic and bamboo wouldn't be able to take down, but I can imagine it would be fairly scary for a pilot to see one of the kites passing his cockpit window. Anyway, these kites are flown as high up as possible with mock battles taking place, young vs. old, everyone vs. foreigner, the usual. At home, I would like to think I'm a fairly competent kite flier, but all my kites have 2 or 4 lines, providing ease of control. However, these are single line kites, and controlled by pulling the string when the kite is facing the appropriate direction. I can't seem to tell when the kite is pointing the direction I want it to go in, and so it generally tends to plummet from the sky every time I take control. The nearby army camp has gained a large number of kites!
I don't know how many people have been watching the news and have seen the stories from western Nepal, but the World Food Program and other aid agencies say that there are almost 2.2 million people in the remote hills that are starving. The price of food has obviously risen worldwide, the increase in the price of petrol has caused further price increases for those dependent on buying in food, and landslides have made many roads impassible even with tractors. Can I ask everyone to pray that a solution is found soon before these people starve to death. This should not be happening in a world with plenty.
On a bit of a happier note, today is Nag Panchami - a festival to appease the snake spirits. So this morning, Aama, Achut and Rachhu stuck up pictures of snakes with cow dung on the entrance to the house, before doing puja. During the puja, the picture of the snake is covered with milk and water, grass is put on the top of the picture, then large quantities of sindur powder is applied to the picture.
Apparently this is also the day to clean your well. Wells are the traditional home to snakes, but on this day snakes are off visiting their relatives so you are safe to clean your well. A bit like Boxing day in the UK. However, I don't think I'd like to find the well where all the snakes are visiting their relatives in...
A Gaine (said guy-nee), traditional Nepali wandering minstrel, has turned up to our house and has been playing Nepali folk songs whilst I've been writing. The sound of the chords playing on the sarangi, a Nepali violin type instruments, and the Gaine's whining melodious voice brings everyone in our road out onto their balconies to listen. He sings a song or two, I think they are sad, as his face has a pained expression on it and the audience remains quiet and contemplative. He then asks for some money, and receives a few rupees before wandering on to the next road. The joys of living in Nepal.
I'm off to see some micro-hydro projects on Friday or Saturday with a friend - was supposed to be today, but this is Nepal - and so shall be away for a week or so. I'm really looking forward to getting out of the valley and visiting another rural village. I'm not quite sure how things will go, it's one day walk from the nearest bus stop and these people won't probably have seen too many white people before.
Fun fun fun
SAM
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