The Nine Honks of Nepal
As I walked to work last week, I had an idea for a fun poem/song to share so that friends get a sense of the sounds of Nepal.
Sing alond, in the tune of the 12 days of Xmas :)
After 6 weeks in Nepal, the honks aren't a mystery to me.
Let me explain them, so you, my friend, can see.
The first honk of Nepal that is no longer a mystery to me Means "Hey, wanna a taxi?"
The second honk of Nepal that is no longer a mystery to me Means "This ONE lane can only fit vehicles three!"
The third honk of Nepal that is no longer a mystery to me Means "Traffic jam- I'm running latey!"
The fourth honk of Nepal that is no longer a mystery to me Means "Hey pedestrian, don't walk, for your safety!"
The fifth honk of Nepal that is no longer a mystery to me Means "I'm a big truck, don't mess with me!"
The sixth honk of Nepal that is no longer a mystery to me Means "The bus, is waiting for thee!"
The seventh honk of Nepal that is no longer a mystery to me Means "It's a strike day, enjoy your roller skatey!"
The eighth honk of Nepal that is no longer a mystery to me Means "Ahoy there, me matey!"
The ninth honk of Nepal that is no longer a mystery to me Means "I'm here, gate open sesame"
After 6 weeks in Nepal, the honks are no longer a mystery to me.
1. Wanna a taxi?
2. Vehicles three!
3. Running latey!
4. Don't walk for safety!
5. Don't mess with me!
6. Bus waiting for thee!
7. Enjoy your roller skatey!
8. Ahoy there matey!
9. Open sesame!
Let's all join in the cacophony!
Happy Holidays- Kathmandu Style
I hope that Santa has kept you on his list with bountiful blessings.
Life here in Kathmandu is excellent. There is so much to write about and I hope I don’t blather on longer than anyone cares to keep reading. In summary: Nepal is exactly what I expected. It is a country full of wonderful people, trapped in a sometimes dangerous political situation, trying to survive despite economic weakness, a lack of resources and conflicted leadership. Despite all of the bad that goes on each day, the people maintain an attitude of kindness and hospitality.
My Job:
I am settling into my role as Assistant GSO. I am responsible for Housing and the Motor Pool for my first year here. After that I will get rotated into other areas of the office so that I can get a complete experience. Some of the tasks for the year include creating and documenting the Standard Operating Procedures for all mission critical processes and replacing the 40% of our houses that are not seismically safe. Each day is crazy, as I try to understand who does what and how everything gets done. My Nepali staff is fantastic though, and incredibly patient with me as I learn the ropes.
My House:
“Enormous” is the best description when there are 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms for just me. Generally, the only houses in Kathmandu that are seismically stable, have safe electrical systems and adequate plumbing are large houses. I have loads of room for guests, and look forward to welcoming anyone into my home for a visit during my stay here. Three of the guest rooms are furnished, 2 as bedrooms and 1 as a sitting room. The final bedroom will become my workout room when the rest of my household shipment arrives. I am eagerly looking forward to being able to unpack and really settle in here. If you would like to see pictures of my home, check out my Ofoto album: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=16nw59zt.99gymu41&x=0&y=-xjop4n
My Cultural Introductions: A Nepali Wedding:
December was an “auspicious wedding” month. KB, one of the men in my office, celebrated the marriage of his daughter, and invited me and other members of the embassy to participate in the various ceremonies. Weddings here frequently last 4-7 days. On some of the days, it is only the bride’s or groom’s family having special ceremonies or parties, but on the final night, at the reception, the whole group gets together. I attended two of the events for this wedding, and wore sari both times. On one evening I was at the bride’s home for the welcoming of the procession from the groom’s home. In this case, the groom and select members of his family drove to the bride’s family home. There was a ceremony in which the bride’s male relatives walked around the groom’s car three times. The groom was then greeted by the bride’s father taken to a ceremonial area where a number of puja (prayer ceremonies) were performed. The bride was able to be a part of the celebration before the groom arrived, and later in the evening, but was not present during the groom welcoming ceremony. The relatives of the bride were not allowed to eat or drink anything but water and fruit until the pujas were complete, but the rest of the guests were well taken care of throughout the evening. I also attended the final reception event and was very impressed. There were close to 1000 people at the final reception, and everyone was dancing, eating, drinking, talking and laughing until late into the evening. It was quite fun to dance in a sari, but I am still very reliant on the kindness of the women in my office to help me dress in one. There assure me that they will be sure I know how to dress myself by the time I leave here though. I wore the teal sari on the first event and the gold sari to the reception. If you would like to see pictures of my wedding experience, check out my Ofoto album:
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=16nw59zt.869ook81&x=0&y=ih22brMy Holiday Season:
The staff members at the embassy have been fantastic and very welcoming. I arrived just at the beginning of the holiday party season, and there was an event, some formal, others casual, almost every evening. I have taken loads of photos, so if you are interested in checking them out, take a look at the following albums on Ofoto.
1. Xmas party in the GSO section:
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=16nw59zt.c1776kxt&x=0&y=uerj39 where the managers and supervisors provided the food and drink. Part of my contribution was Irish coffee, which became a VERY popular treat.
2. Xmas at the Marine House: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=16nw59zt.35ip8foh&x=0&y=1csl0w where we enjoyed a gift exchange that included a lot of stealing of gifts and caroling
3. Xmas morning with the “single” embassy staff: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=16nw59zt.9q5343z5&x=0&y=-vq1qed where we lounged in our PJs, ate a great potluck meal and had more gift exchange fun
My Spiritual Experiences:
Laura, the Assistant Public Affairs Officer here, invited us one day to visit the monastery of Monk Krishna Man. He worked for the American Embassy for 27 years, but after retirement he decided to become a Buddhist monk. Now, at 80-something, he is still incredibly active. One day, we went out and he showed us around his monastery and shared his knowledge of all things in his neighborhood. During our conversation we found that at another temple in Kathmandu there was a long puja in process for world peace. He invited us to attend some of the chanting meditation sessions on Christmas Eve morning. Five of us took him up on the wonderful opportunity to observe the rituals in our own sort of Xmas worship. The people-watching before the chanting session was amazing. People of all ages, from all over the world, gathered to listen to the chanting. It was a very special experience. Monk Krishna Man, who has written several books about the Nepal-US relationship, is embarking in April on a peace pilgrimage across the state of Pennsylvania. He is trying to raise funds and find a land donor to build a “Faiths of the World” temple in Bucks County. It is a wonderfully ambitious and inspired project. Photos of both visits at:
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=16nw59zt.4dodnrsx&x=0&y=-5j3hp1http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=16nw59zt.6q7ycylp&x=0&y=p4iz9eMy Travels:
I took advantage of the long New Years weekend to visit Pokhara, a city with the second largest lake in Nepal, with my friend Natasha. Tina and Chrissie and 5 Nepali men were adventurous enough to cycle the 200 kilometers from Kathmandu to Pokhara, but we are not allowed to do things like that for security reasons, so Natasha and I flew. Pokhara was having a city-wide festival, which meant that all of the shops and restaurants had extended themselves into the streets. The crowds of people, the party atmosphere and some new friends made this a New Year like no other. In addition to the party scene, we also rented a row boat with friends Chrissie and Tina and rowed around the lake, wandered throughout the town shopping and explored the culinary delights of the area. . You guessed it, see some pictures at: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=16nw59zt.9bb9n025&x=0&y=-t9wjtf
My Encounters with the Tibetan Refugees:
On New Years Day, Natasha and I took time out from our Pokhara revelry to visit two Tibetan refugee settlements, one established in 1962 and the other in 1965. Through a Congressional visitor Natasha guided for during Christmas week, we were able to connect with a wonderful guide, the Director of one of the camps, who answered all of our questions and gave us great insight into the reality of life on the settlements. The people who live on the settlements are in a sort of limbo. They aren’t Nepali citizens and don’t have the papers to work in Nepal, but they can’t go back to their homeland. So they live and work together as a community on plots of land they are allowed to use by the Nepali government. In the past they were renowned for their intricate hand-woven rugs, but in recent days that skill has been learned by the Nepalis. The competition has driven down the price of rugs, forcing them to look elsewhere for additional revenue sources for the settlements. Souvenirs became their new revenue source, but the drop in tourism due to the Maoist insurgency is really hurting that trade now. If you are interested in having any rugs custom-made for your home, just let me know. I will be happy to act as a go between for anyone who is interested. See some pictures of our time at the settlement:
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=16nw59zt.4asd99ql&x=0&y=d9ledy
