I hope the holidays treat you all well and I look forward to phone calls and conversations with the people I love and have missed over the last five months.

Be well,

Jimmy

These questions are difficult ones and tend to just lead to more questions, questions that in end don’t have answers. One area I have been able to address quite well is: what I have learned about Nepal?

Before traveling here I saw Nepal as a the “east,” a place romaticized by almost every quasi liberal college student in America. We think of the Hindu Kingdom as a place where people are mystical,  an enlightened part of the world so to speak. This was the mind frame I came in with, a belief in the mystical powers of Nepal.

Needless to say that this was an overestimation of what the “east” has been to me. I have learned, pushed myself in new ways, and seen things I could never have seen in America, but I have also seen what life in a developing world is in the 21st century. It is place of rapid development and an intense struggle to aquire the modern western lifestyle. Nepalis are looking west while many liberal arts students  look east.

This is just a tid bit of what has been on my mind. I will try to share more of the thoughts that I am having over the next two weeks.

Be well,

Jimmy

The below passage is while Lin, the protagonist, is traveling with his friend to his friend’s home village. The dialogue is from his friend talking to other people on bus. Enjoy.

‘What is he doing here?’

‘He’s visiting my family.’

‘Where’s he from?’

‘New Zealand,’ Prabaker replied.

‘New Zealand?’

‘Yes. New Zealand. In Europe.’

‘Plenty of money in New Zealand?’

‘Yes, yes. Plenty. They’re all rich, white people there.’

‘Does he speak Marathi?’

‘No.’

‘Hindi?’

‘No. Only English.’

‘Only English?’

‘Yes.’

‘Why?’

‘They don’t speak Hindi in his country.’

‘They don’t speak Hindi there?’

‘No.’

‘No Marathi? No Hindi?’

‘No. Only English.’

‘Holy Father. Poor fool.’

‘Yes.’

‘How old is he?’

‘Thirty.’

‘He looks older.’

‘They all do. All Europeans look older and angrier then they really are. It’s a white thing.’

‘Is he married?’

‘No.’

‘Not married? Thirty, and not married? What’s wrong with him?’

‘He’s European. A lot of them get married only when they’re old.’

‘That’s crazy.’

‘Yes.’

‘What job does he do?’

‘He’s a teacher.’

‘A teacher is good.’

‘Yes.’

‘Does he have a mother and a father?’

‘Yes.’

‘Where are they?’

‘In his native place. New Zealand.’

‘Why isn’t he with them?’

‘He’s travelling. He’s looking at the whole world.’

‘Why?’

‘Europeans do that. They work a while, and then they travel around, lonely, for a while, with no family, until they get old, and then they get married, and become very serious.’

‘That’s crazy.’

‘Yes.’

‘He must be lonely, without his mummy and his daddy, and with no wife and children.’

‘Yes. But the Europeans don’t mind. They get a lot of practice being lonely.’

‘He has a big strong body.’

‘Yes.’

‘A very strong body.’

‘Yes.’

‘Make sure you feed him properly, and give him plenty of milk.’

‘Yes.’

‘Buffalo milk.’

‘Yes, yes.’

‘And make sure he doesn’t learn any bad words. Don’t teach him any swearing. There are plenty of arseholes and bastards around who will teach him the wrong sisterfucking words. Keep him away from motherfuckers like that.’

‘I will.’

‘And don’t let anyone take advantage of him. He doesn’t look too bright. Keep an eye on him.’

-David Gregory Roberts

Hope you enjoyed this little excerpt.

Be well,

Jimmy

Below is a shot of what I came home to after being gone for three weeks. It is a major puja that the family does once a year.

Below is a shot of the bajaar at 4 am. I went in one morning to sell vegitables with her at three.

Here is my hajur aamaa making deals at sunrise. You haven’t seen haggling until you have seen a 70 year Nepali women bargain over potatoes.

Here is a shot of the house below the one I lived in. And yes those are power lines, about 6 years ago the village put in a micro hydro plant that brings electricity from 5:30 pm-5:30 am

Here is a shot of the school. On the other side is about a 2000 foot drop to a river.

…

Here is a shot of the village, it resembles the shire  like the shire.

On my way out aamaa, dorji (red sweatshirt)  and unknown child who wanted to be in the photo

It is really like being in the shire

That is all for now, be well.

Jimmy

I have just returned a few days ago from Northeastern Nepal. I was staying about 6 km from the border of Tibet with a very nice Sherpa family. The village went by the name of Simigaau and is nestled at 6,500 feet near the Rowalling Valley (about the same height as Colorado Springs). The economy in Simigaau is pretty basic, people farm to eat and porter during the trekking season. This creates an interesting dynamic. During peak trekking season all the men who are old enough (this can start at about 10-13 years old–so if you ever went trekking and thought your porter looked young he probably was) to carry loads head for the Annapurna region. The only people left in Simigaau are young children, women and old men. The ones who stay are left to harvest the millet that is cut during trekking season. Because there is a shortage of able workers during these months people work from about 5 in the morning until 5 in the evening.

There are some interesting changes taking place that are worth noting to all of you: Currently the largest hydropower plant in Nepal is being built about a four-hour walk from Simigaau. This is bringing a new road that will have some great benefits for the community but also bring new problems. In synch with the hydro plant permits for trekking in this region have been loosened–last year there were only two groups that went through Simigaau, this year to count there have been 30. It was great to experience the more rural side of Nepal and see what is going on with Nepali’s lives outside of the KTM bubble. It is a mixed bag, but one that is bringing a lot of chances for improving the quality of life for rural farmers (by this I mean health standards and chances for education).

Now I am beginning the final segment of my time here in Nepal (a true shock!). I will be looking at the effects of migrant labor on the Nepalese economy–this is people who leave their homes for work abroad and send money back. This is a huge part of Nepal–some argue that remittances are the only thing that has kept Nepal afloat (remittances account for roughly 20% of the GDP). Also, about 1 out of every 2 Nepali families have someone working abroad–a definite strain on the work load at home. I am very interested in this topic because it is such a global issue. We in America have Central Americans coming up to provide us with cheap labor, the Gulf Countries have Nepalis and Indians. Hopefully I will learn some new things in the next few weeks that I can share with all of you.

I will hopefully put some pictures up in the next couple days to show you the sights that I have been seeing–you really have to see the dramatic landscape that I lived in over the last 2 and 1/2 weeks. The Sherpa/Tamung people have made home on the sides of jagged mountains–and somewhat thrived. I hope all is going perfectly back home.

Be well,

Jimmy

Sorry for the long absence but I have been on the move for the last month or so. My journeys have taken me from 80 feet above sea level to 14,500 above. It has been a whirlwind tour. My Nepali is now conversational, and I have decided a research topic  for the last month of the program. I will be looking at the domestic affects of Nepalis leaving the country to work. This is the Nepalese remittance economy, similar to what we have in the USA with people from Central America and Mexico coming up to work. I will spending two weeks staying in a very rural village in the West interviewing people, then I will spend about two weeks in Kathmandu interviewing various officials, manpower companies (those who organize the logistics of Nepalis going abroad–think of Coyotes in the American example), and scholars. Should be a great cap to my time here. It is strange thinking that I have been here for two and a half months, but that is how time I usually react to time when it has been passed well.

Hope all is well wherever you may be,

Jimmy

A View of the Valley

This is who I drink tea with in the morning

Mountains

dido

The boys of the program

Family on Dasai

Goat– I think it has had better days

Luke with a friend

Our trip out of the valley at 8 am. Our outfit is a rugged group consisting of: 11 students, 4 language teachers, 4 cooks, 3 transportation staff (I guess in Nepal it takes 3 to drive a bus– one to drive, two to tap endlessly on the bus when we are in traffic) and one director. The ascent out of the valley was grand. We moved through the city before rush hour traffic and climbed out of the pollution that I have been sitting in for the first six weeks of the program. Once out of the valley we drove a single lane road that makes Highway 1 look like an interstate (for those not familiar with California roads–Highway one is a two lane

road that runs along the cliffs). On the drive we passed thousands of goats heading towards the Valley to be killed for Dasai. After one stop and about 7 hours on the road we reached Chitwan.

Chitwan is a beautiful slice of heaven cut in the Terai portion of Nepal (quick geography lesson–Nepal is broken into three distinct climates ranging from 80 meters above sea level to 8000. The lowlands are the Terai where the majority of the food is grown, then is the foot hills where Kathmandu lies, followed by the Himals which I am sure all you know about. What most don’t realize is that Nepal is tropical place filled with jungles and mosquitos. Further because of Nepals location in the tropics the snow line is roughly 18,000 feet compared to Colorado’s 9,000!) Back to Chitwan: While in this jungle playround I road elephants, saw Rhinos, and drank a blend of home made liquor that rivals the cheepest college booze in the states. A highlight while I was there was definately the elephant breeding center. While there I played with twin baby elephants–and when I say played I mean wrestled with, tickled bellies, and pulled trunks. I guess in the Nepal the Zoos work a litle differently.

After our fill of the animal life we headed out to meet one of the local indegenous groups for dinner (one of 53 distinct ethnic groups who speak one of the 125 languages spoken in Nepal). The Tarus are a fun loving agricultural based community. I knew it was going to be a good time when I realized the appetizers consisted of Roxy (home made liquor) and cigarettes (yes upon arrival I was presented with a plate of cigarettes) We had a great time dancing and eating some of the spicest food I have ever had.

Following Chitwan we headed to Bandipur, a great town nestled in the hills on route to Pokora. Here we decompressed and relaxed.

After Bandipur we hit Pokora–the jump off point for the Annapurna Circuit treck. This was great place but as my writing shows none of it rivaled Chitwan.

I will try to update a little more often, both for my own ease and your convenience. Tomorrow I am going to witness the slaughtering goat following by its consumption. Hope all is well wherever you may be.

Be well,

Jimmy

Jimmy

It takes patience to upload photos, and as of right now I have just enough for one photo. Sorry it is sideways. I am now headed for Kathmandu after spending the morning at the family shop, writing a post, and posting 1 picture.

This last week has been a great one. I have finally begun to feel a bit at home here. I have the day to day rhythms down, and am becoming more conversational with my Nepali. The the language is really the key to making yourself feel as though you belong, without it I think I would just tread on the surface for four months and then just leave without going deeper into Nepal and Nepalese Culture.

One of the highlights of the week were the lectures from various professors. The first lecture focused on an issue that America has been dealing with for some time: Suburban sprawl. Currently in the Kathmandu Valley the econcomic upper class are forming what they call “colonies” on the outskirts of the Valley. These colonies are similar to American subdivisions (for those in Colorado Springs–just picture East Colorado Springs popping up next to rice patties and subsistence farmers–strange indeed). The colonies are self-sufficient in a certain sense–having their own movie theatre, pool, supermarket, ect–but they are very water and energy intensive, especially for the valley which each year is losing 4 feet of ground water (This is very scary considering that the Himalayan Plateau provides water for 47% of the world’s population). 

The second major lecture of the week focussed on NGO’s and environmental issues. Currently there are over 30,000 NGOs operating in Nepal. They cater to a range of issues and attempt to change some of the major problems facing the country: health, education, and environmental degredation. One of the major problems that these groups face is distributin money effectively, estimates state that 90% of funding for these groups does not leave the Valley (the Kathmandu Valley has roughly 3 million people in it while the entire population of Nepal is around 27 million). Another major issue is that Nepal does not really have a government at the moment. There is a constituent assembly with an interim constituion but nothing seems to happening do to the strong party divisions (Maoist hold 226 seats, UML(United Marxist and Lennist’s) hold 111 seats and Nepali Congress hold 114 seats). So, as you could guess distrubeting aid effectively is a difficult task.

The last issue I will speak of is that of helplessness. Nepal has been receiving foreighn aid since 1951, because of this the people have become accustomed to the money from foreigners. We build roads, schools, and just about anything for the sake of “progress.” A professor who I spoke with argued that this has lead the Nepalese to become stagnent, waiting for the foreigners to come and fix the 2 km road. They have lost the ability to get things done for themselves, to fund projects.

Stat Recap:

13% of the Nepal’s Budget goes to paying back foreign aid loans (6% just goes to interest)

Groundwater is being lowered by 4 ft in the Kathmandu Valley

47% of the World’s population depends on water from the Himalayan Plateau

Over 30,000 NGOs are operating in Nepal

90% of their money does not leave the valley.

Obviously I have provided a slanted view of foreign aid, but it seems easier to talk about the bad. I just want to think about what it means to help a country.