Third World Peace

Allow me to share the random things I saw the other day as I was walking to the landless people community. First, four men dressed only in their underwear carrying a bier with a dead body on top. The body was covered with a light sheet. White is the color of morning, hence the underwear. They were just walking down the street along with the pedestrians, cyclists, motorcycles, buses, goat herders and cows. After I walked down the steep hill of trash to get to the community, (I usually cross the river stepping on a makeshift bridge of sandbags, but the river is too high, and I don't want my feet to touch that water) I saw a squealing pig being dragged into its pen. Just as I looked, I saw a man raise a machete and... I've seen a pig slaughter or two in my time, so it wasn't too disturbing. I am instead disturbed by the large number of naked children I see daily. Last sight to complete the image - a 2 or 3 year old boy defecating in the piles of trash while his mother and the cows look on. They have no other toilet facility, so a trash pile seems a more reasonable solution than the river they bathe in... but still.

Yesterday was a bus strike in Kathmandu. Today is a teacher's strike. We left for church early because Rick and I were speaking... it usually takes 25 minutes. An hour later we arrived barely in time. All the roads were blocked, and apparently it is trendy to through rocks at cars and buses during strikes. Our amazing cab driver took us on all these back roads... road is not really the best term. Dirt paths, fields, sidewalks, cobblestone paths in front of temples... A couple times we were going up and down hills that were so steep, I was ready to get out and push the car. Our ride back was even crazier. Today is completely normal again. By normal, I mean no strike.

Today I am start filming for the documentary. The crew should arrive any minute, and then we are off to get footage of all our projects - past, present and planned. I am selecting the shots, and we are hiring someone else to edit it. Tej wants me to narrate it as well... I'll see how it goes. This morning we had no water, so I did not shower. The only day that I will be on film... and I couldn't even wash my face. For the past two weeks there has been a petrol shortage, so I'm totally accustomed to cold showers. These past couple of days, the third world differences have been more present than before.

Just so y'all know that I'm really here

Tumala dressing me in a Saree... I didn't choose the color, but all the Nepalis told me that lime green looked fabulous with my fair skin. Everyday people tell me they want my skin. I never hear that in the US... hmmm

The young adults of the LDS church in Kathmandu (there are a couple visitors too)

A few of my village children in Gothatar

This week was all about mud

Hey everyone!

I've given up on posting pictures, because the connection is so poor! I also haven't been online forever! Life without internet and cell phones is pretty nice. A million things have happened in the past week, so let me fill you in as much as I can...

I am working on four projects:

1. I teach English to the children in the village of Gothatar. I walk 45 min there and back. The class starts at 7am, so I wake up at 5am or earlier. My kids are adorable and fun. The older class is getting more courageous. They have learned English from a book, so the words are there, but they have never attempted to use it. I am teaching this class grammar and pronounciation. Today we learned how to emphasize question words and answer words. Often they miss class because they have to till the soil or do a ritual bathing, but I always have a good group. The kids wear the same clothes everyday... which are falling apart and either too big or too small. They are very humble and grateful, but they are also kids... so they can be brats too! My younger class is adorable. They love to draw pictures, so I save the last 10 minutes of class for drawing pictures of what we learned (eg. today we learned to correctly pronouce the letter B. and talked about yesterday, today and tomorrow. They had to draw B words or what they did yesterday) Compared to where we started, they have made so much progress! They are being creative and bold! I love the class. It has been raining a lot at night, so my outdoor classroom is really muddy, but we just embrace it. I hang out in the mud with the cow looking on, and flies swarming... it's great!

2. Orphanage work. In the evenings, I am going to different orphanages that VSN is working with to mend clothing for the children. I am also teaching some of the older kids how to sew on buttons and mend basic tears. The kids are precious. One orphange has 43 kids and 2 staff members. When I walked in, 20 kids latched on to me and wouldn't let go! I was doing the whole walking with 2 children wrapped around each leg! Loved It! I am going back to that orphanage on Wednesday! A volunteer who works at one, mentioned the atrocious conditions of the clothing, and I said, "I can fix them!" The kids gather round as I sew. The other night, I brought several things home, to do after dinner. Aama (my Nepali mom) came upstairs and helped me. She also came with me to my knitting class! My family (in America and Nepal) are the most charitable people I have ever met!

3. I started a second women's income generation program today! This is a prescedent for VSN, and I am so excited. The women's knitting group in Gothatar have all made hats and booties... VSN is ordering 160 hats to give to the orphans, so the women will definitely make money. Tomorrow, I am traning a committee (selected by the women) in recording keeping and sales. They are stoked.... When I walk home from Gothatar, I am giddy. The second group will be a little more challenging. It is in the landless community, and we found a landless woman to be the instructor. We found 7 women to form the group, but 20 showed up... overwhelming the teacher. I am presently drafting a budget to show the costs of these programs, so they can be perpetuated. If anyone reading this blog is interested in helping... email me at tahoeliz@yahoo.com. $20 can go a long way! I'm just putting it out there, because I spent all my extra cash (and then some) getting here. Otherwise, I would do more more more!

4. I am working to help VSN become an international NGO. This includes my efforts with the landless community water project. If we partner with other NGOs and are set up to receive large donations, so much can be done. I have seen first hand that this organization has pure motives and a sincere desire to help Nepali people. VSN is helping individuals not causes, so I believe it is a worthwhile effort. Tez, the founder, has asked me start an chapter in the US. I am seriously considering it.

Wow... I have so much more to write, but I have to go! On Wednesday and Friday I went to a Hindu wedding (it is a five day affair). Milan and Tumala dressed me in a Saree! I looked hot in my lime green and yellow sequined number! I also got to ride on the back of a motorcycle through the psychotic traffic of Kathmandu, where there are no rules... none!

Lovin it here! I miss you all!
Namaste
~Liz

Church in Nepal is very familiar. I met most of the young adults, who make up a large percentage of the congregation, when Rick took them to ice-cream our first week. We went to a restaurant where all the waitstaff are deaf. They are amazing kids. I have since spent more time with them, and I love to hear about their lives. There is one girl, who is an investigator who really latched on to me. Her name is Yamuna. She is 19 and about half my size. Each time I see her, I get to see first hand the reality of this culture. She has a “boyfriend” (in Nepal that means a guy she talks to a lot... no pda or dates or anything here). He is a lower caste, so she knows that they cannot ever get married. Her parents like him, but... This week she told me that her good friend commit suicide because she was not allowed to marry the guy she loved... she was to have an arranged marriage. Yamuna had just been to her friend's burning. I made her promise me that no matter what she would not consider that path if things do not work out with her boyfriend. We had just heard this amazing lesson from Rick on how we are all Children of God, and I really hope that she internalized the message. She told me that a lot of young people commit suicide for the same reason.

The Service is identical to every other place in the world. It is done in a mixture of Nepali and English. The teachers and speakers usually start in English and then translate. I definitely heard more Nepali then English... which is fine by me. All the girls wear traditional Nepali dress (Kurta Surwals and Saris) the men wear shirts and ties.

This past Friday was Nepali New Years. Rick and I met the two couple missionaries serving here for dinner and then went back to their homes to stay. It was a mansion compared to the other dwelling options in Kathmandu. They were so nice... I painted Sister Taysom's fingernails and we talked about her mission experience thus far. Both couples are humanitarian workers. They are currently working on water purification projects, eduction, etc. Proselyting is not allowed in this country, so if anyone is interested in the church, they must seek it out themselves and be taught by Nepali people only. On Saturday (the only free day in Nepal) we went to institute in the morning, church in the afternoon, and a fireside with the young adults after that. The kids are so dedicated because they spent the entirety of their only free day at church!

I was in a talent show on Sunday. It was totally last minute. They asked me on Saturday at church...I sang Let it Be by the Beatles. My neighbor, Babish, is really good on the guitar, and agreed to accompany me. It was a church activity, and Babish and Nabina and Nabina's twin sister came with me. I was glad they got to see so many Nepalis at church w/ Rick and I. There were at least 150 people there... It was awesome, like a cultural arts presentation with lots of Nepali and Hindi dances, Nepali songs, Nepali comedy acts, etc. Rick did the Cha-Cha with a girl in the branch. They had begged me to perform, so I though they were wanting for acts, but not so! There were so many, and by the time I was on stage it was almost over, and I was super nervous. However, Babish and I totally rocked it! I forgot how much fun it is to perform in front of crowds. Rick videoed it, so I can show y'all. I'm sure out of all the other photo and video footage, you're going to me most excited to hear me singing. :) The Beatles number in the midst of all the native music and dance was pretty random, but we all had a good time.

mercy and justice

Liz guru

This blog, on which I also spent much time, was also lost in cyberspace. I wanted to let y’all know about my classes. I will have to combine a week of experience into one blog.

I was excited to finally get started volunteering. I am working in a village, which is about a 40 minute walk from my Kathmandu suburb home. I initially had 3 classes in this village. Two English classes and an income generation program for women. It has turned now turned into 4 classes. I started with 8 students in my morning class and 14 in my afternoon class. Now I have 17 in at 10am and 25 at 1pm. I split the pm class, and about 8 selected students will come and have conversations with me during the second half of my women’s group. I am excited that they’re excited, but it is really challenging, because they are at all levels and I am in an outdoor class room. On Friday, the neighbors spent the entire day 10am – 2:30pm pounding hay (to break it up, I guess). Also, the entire village gathers round and watches me teach. They have little conversations in Nepali, so I have to ask them to leave. They usually just go to the rooftop of the houses and watch me from above. I’m getting used to it. These kids have no daily schedule, so often the younger class will show up for the other classes, just to watch me and visa versa.

On Friday, a large group of students were absent… which was odd… I was told that the 4 boys were bathing. Bathing is an important part of the Hindu religion, so I am assuming there was some event… Another couple of girls were working in the fields.

My younger class, have learned a little English, but a typical day sounds like this:

Liz – “My name is Liz”

Class – “My name is Liz”

Liz – “No, listen to me only” with my hand by me ears

Class – places their hands by their ears “No listen to me!”

They are getting better. They really like to sing “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” and I taught them “I’m a little teapot” Both my classes love to play Simon Says, but they younger group doesn’t understand the Simon part of they game. It is good for them just to learn commands and to understand my words.

One day, I we talked about colors in my younger class. We also learned about the concept of “I like” and “my favorite”. I brought crayons and paper for everyone to draw a picture using their favorite color. The kids were spread out all over, and each one of them drew exactly the same picture: a house with a road, a bird, a tree, and mountains. After talking to the VSN staff and other volunteers, I found that the only opportunity these kids had to draw was probably once in school where the teacher drew the same picture on the board and had them copy it. These kids spend all day playing in the dirt and fields without any adult supervision… they have to be uber-creative… but they have no opportunity to use that creativity on paper.

My older class is really fun. They have a better grasp of the language, so I can do a lot more. They are begging me for books in English, so they can read and practice. I only brought a couple with me, so I might go to downtown Kathmandu and see if I can find some more.

Everyone is amazing… I took pictures of each child, so I could learn their names. When I told them to smile and point to my teeth, they would point to their teeth too.

I have so much more to tell, but this will have to do for now.

Namaste!

Mean Bunnies

Amaa after we found the last egg she had hidden! She is so cute!

Aama = Mom in Nepali

Bishi, Sujanna, Sophi, Me, Aama

So I wrote a huge blog on Thursday... I spent an hour filling y'all in on details and details, but alas the awesome Internet service here for some reason only posted my titles. I will try to make this composition as brilliant as the original...

The story: We go to church on Saturdays here, so Easter fell on a regular work day... I told you a little about visiting the refugee community... that was my day. That evening we had a meeting with all the volunteers. It was really great to meet everyone and hear their suggestions and experiences. They are from all over... mostly Canada and the US, but we have one from Germany, Singapore, Czech Republic and a handful of Nepalese volunteers as well. In addition to a farewell/introduction party, we had a meeting regarding how to improve VSN for future volunteers. Rick directed the meeting and even followed up later by disseminating meeting minutes. A lot of interesting things were brought up, which gave me a clearer picture of how VSN works. Rick is the self appointed interim director of VSN... he is doing amazing things, but he runs a tight ship. I sometimes worry that his vision may be a little overwhelming for this infant NGO. They are lucky to have him however. What he is doing in Nepal is very large scale compared to my minor contribution.

After the meeting we went home and I told Aama and the girls that we were going to have an easter egg hunt. I explained that in America a rabbit hides eggs for children to find. "I'll be the rabbit tonight." I told them. G and I hid 10 plastic eggs (I brought from home) in the main room downstairs. Since it is a new idea/concept we were really nice. The eggs were peeking out of things... The girls came in, and within 3 minutes had found everything (I also hid little piles of candy). They were so giddy and cute. Then they decided that they wanted to hide them. They locked G, Rick and I in the kitchen (when I say lock, I mean with a key). 10 minutes later we were released and set free to find 10 bright plastic eggs in a 10 x 8 ft room. ... an hour later we were still looking for the last eggs. They would not let us give up. They had hid them inside light fixtures, zipped up in couch cushions, and other ridiculous places. Bishi had joined them and helped find the most impossible places in the room. We were taking apart furniture... it was crazy fun. The last egg turned out to be in Aama's bun. They were all laughing uncontrollably, and wanted to do it again and again. By the time we had finished our search it was really late... I told them they were mean bunnies.

Mero Nepali Pariwaar (my Nepalese Family)

Last night was a big thunderstorm - hail, lightning, etc. On top of that was powersharing, so the entire suburb of Pepsicola as pitch black. We live right next to the airport, so I could see the runway lights only.

The family was bored, so I gave them the quilt I made for them and spent the next hour showing them pictures of my family and Tahoe, etc. They do not get snow in Kathmandu, so they were facinated with my pictures of snowboarding, sledding, etc.

After dinner, Sophie tried on Saris. She is graduating next week, and this will be the first time she is allowed to wear a sari. I liked the salmon color one, she liked the pink one because it had sparkles. She will look stunning regardless. It was fun to see her get all dressed up.

There is a talent show at the branch this weekend, and Rick is teaching the cha-cha to one of the girls in the branch to perform as their talent. Sophi really wanted to learn too, so last night Rick and I taught Sophi and Bishi how to ballroom dance. Bishi is their cousin who lives next door. Sujana refused to try. We covered several dances... waltz, salsa, swing; they learned really quickly. Rick and I would show them, and then I would dance with Bishi... Rick with Sophi. It was so much fun. I love the family. I had every intention of being super productive and diligent in my language study and lesson prep, but there was a thunderstorm... :)

Sugandha asked me last night about what the options are in America for adults that didn't go to school (finish high-school). I explained the GED program, etc., but finally he got to his point! Their maid/cook, Goma, has no education. He has tried to encourage her to return to school, but she doesn't want to be the only teenager or young adult with a group of young kids. He said that she has worked for them for so long, and he feels that he should really encourage her. So he is going to ask her to come to my income generation class that starts today!!!! He also asked me to start helping her learn English. This makes me so happy. In Delhi, I wasn't allowed to talk to the "help"... and here Sugandha is breaking the century long tradition one person at a time. This just reinforces how great this organization is that he started... VSN that is.

Thamel

OK I have 5 minutes online!

Yesterday G, a volunteer from Canada, took me to Thamel. The only economy in Nepal is tourism. This is the tourist trap of the country. It is a section of Kathmandu that is lined with shops. I was actually a little annoyed to see so many tourists. I was tempted to spend 100 dollars and buy everyone I know new outfits, masks, etc. It is incredibly inexpensive, but I worry about the conditions of where things were made. Daily I see little children working in construction, running the corner store... Just an example you can buy a woven skirt and shirt... hand made for 2-3 dollars. A cashmere sweater for $5 or so. I bought a handmade coin purse for about 80 cents because the Rupees are too big for the one I brought with me. Otherwise, I think all the souveniers I get will come from the villages.

I have to go to Kotesur to meet Milan and Tumala to buy supplies for my women's group tomorrow. I tried to write 3 times today, but the internet was not working, so hopefully I'll be back again and give more details.

Shiny Happy Caste System Part II

I begin volunteering today!!! I am so excited. I have three separate projects. One involves the refugee community, which I probably didn't finish telling you about. We have had several meetings and are currently trying to get outside help to work in a partnership with us. This will be a first for VSN. Rick and I are compiling pictures and video of the place and people. Today, I will go and interview some people to get personal stories. I could stay 1-2 years and focus solely on this community! VSN is hesitant to start income generation projects here because of the flooding and other more pressing needs of the people.... hence my other projects...

In the mornings I will be teaching English to 30 teenagers in a nearby village. Today I assess the levels of the kids and decide whether I need 2 or 3 classes. 3 other volunteers are coming to build me an outdoor classroom. Ahhh the caste system. In my class I have students from all castes including a few from the lowest caste, the untouchables. We were unable to find a location that would allow us to use a room because no one wants untouchables in their home or building! It makes me want to scream, but I am glad that I get to work with a mixed group! This is why VSN rocks! They are indirectly helping weaken this caste system by making sure all children have equal opportunity. I am excited. I am nervous about learning and remembering 30 names! Some names are easy (like Sabin and Sophi) others are more challenging (like Gahaanindra).

My third project (about which I think I am most excited) is an income generation program for women. Today and tomorrow Sugandha and I will select about 10 of the most needy women in this village. We have certain criteria for the selection (e.g. widows, disabled, etc.). We have hired a Nepalese woman from Kathmandu who is an 'expert' in sewing and knitting to teach them. We will make items that will appeal to tourists (tourism is the major/only economy in Nepal). I will then help them to approach shopkeepers to buy the items to sell in the store... I will teach them about making a budget for materials and not spending all that they make, etc. Depending on their abilities... I might look into an online sales program. This is the plan at least. Today I find the women. Tomorrow, I go shopping and buy materials with Tumala, my expert. Thursday, we begin! This is the first time that VSN has done an income generation program independent from another organization (like a women's center), so they are excited to have me! What is great about the way we set it up, is it can continue after I leave because it will be run exclusively by Nepalese women. I am only there to guide and get everything set up.

I should mention that before I got here, I thought I would have a specific volunteer plan waiting for me to step into. Not so. They wait until you arrive and then give you a bunch of options. It is my responsibility to design my own project. I was a little frustrated by this at first, but now I am stoked! I want to stay longer!

Malaii raamro chha

I just quickly reviewed what I just posted... There are many grammatical errors. Keep in mind that I am typing quickly and I have Nepali trying to make it through the English, Spanish and Hungarian in my crazy mind.

Shiny Happy Caste System

I'm sorry it has been so long... my access to the internet is sporadic. The connection actually goes to one server from Kathmandu to a server in Bangladesh... you know just down the street. They have this thing called power sharing, where every couple of days the power will randomly go out for a few hours. This is why I brought a head lamp. So, a lot has happened in the last few days... I will try to cover it all.

My Nepali language classes are daily. Sabin is a good teacher, but he likes to get off topic and talk about life. Yesterday we were having a practice conversation about the caste system. I asked a simple question, which turned into an hour long discussion about the caste system. Sabin is Brahmin, which is the highest cast... the ruling caste. He asserted that there it is an old custom no longer in effect, but when I asked him if he could marry Nabina, a girl Chhetri girl who works in the VSN office, he said no. Nabina and I also had a long conversation about marriage. She cannot be outside after dark, and do other things all to make make her a good marriage prospect. She wants an arranged marriage because she believes or knows that they have a higher success rate. About 50% of the marriages here are still arranged. Nabina says she doesn't believe in love and that money is the most important part of marriage because if there is struggle, it will fail. These two conversations are coming from the “upper class of Nepalese culture”. The lower classes adhere to this as well. Caste stay with castes. In my family's home, we have a servant who does all the cooking and cleaning. Her name is Goma. She is not allowed to eat with the family or do anything... she is a servant. She is so sweet and so beautiful. But of couse she is from a lower caste. In the morning she makes me my breakfast and I try to talk to her in my broken Nepali... she is great to practice with because she doesn't know English. She will bring me tea (hot water with lemon) when she hears that I wake up, and then inform me that my meal is ready in the morning and at night. We eat two meals a day here. One at 9:00 am and one at 8:00 pm. In between they stuff our faces with “snacks”. I am getting fatter! Tomorrow I start volunteering at 7:00am, so I am hoping that I can skip that morning meal and just eat a piece of fruit or something... but I doubt it. Goma will probably be instructed to fix me something when I return, no matter what I say.

Anyway... my days thus far! Day 3 I had my language class in the morning. It lasts 3 hours. It was intended that I be taken on a sightseeing trip to some temple, but plans were changed. There is a displaced person's community nearby. It is really a refugee camp consisting of over 5000 people (3800 under the age of 18) who were driven from their homes because of either Maoist rebels, floods, landslides or because they were sharecroppers who never had homes to begin with. They established “camp” in this river bed, and in the past 3 years have established their own community. They are squatting on public land, from which they will likely not be removed. The conditions of this community are abominable. The homes are makeshift sheds... it is a shanty town about which I have read in books only. Because it is in the bed of a river, they have no water system or waste management system. Raw sewage is running down the middle of the “streets”. And hundreds of children play in the streets.

They've established their own government. I met with the leaders, who I call the elders, about the needs of the community. It was actually, Sabin, Sujan, myself, Karstan, a volunteer from Germany, Abe, a volunteer from Maine, and Nabina, my translator. They emphasized the obvious. Their need was clean drinking water. VSN has never worked on a project like this, so they were trying to offer other resources like health care, education, income generation, etc. But the hard truth is these things will be obsolete is everyone contracts major diseases from drinking the same water they use for urinating and defecating.

We also met with the principle and superintendent of their school. This community has at least 3000 school age children, and 100 of the local school. 100 go to nearby public schools.

I'm off to an Nepali class... but I will finish these thoughts and add lots of pictures later.

Namaste!

Some girls in my neighborhood... wearing the traditional dress called Kurta Suruwaal... I think I will buy one!

The school house in the refugee community... It gets flooded for about three months in monsoon season.

My friend Nabina

This is my favorite picture so far... all of the children have charcoal around their eyes to enhance their beauty.

Garbage... just a few feet from the community

Kids playing just feet away from the raw sewage

Days 1 and 2

The view from my window in Delhi

This is the husband and wife I stayed with in Delhi. He is giving her a kiss!

So I got into Kathmandu about an hour ago. Rick and Sugandha, the VSN director, picked me up from the airport. My flight from Delhi was about an hour. I was in 1st class because economy was sold out. I was the only woman in 1st class. The family I stayed with in Delhi was great. In the morning, their cook gave me a cooking lesson! I'll try to make it for y'all when I get home.
Right now I am just hanging out at the volunteer office. There are about 10 of us... from Italy, US, Canada, Germany, etc. From what I've seen so far it is definitely a third world country. I am staying in an upper middle class suburban neighborhood. I am staying with the director, his wife and daughters, and two other volunteers. My room is really nice. Nicer than I expected.... I should be able to email quite often, so send me a message!

In the mean time know that I am safe and happy to be here!

Sugandha picked me up from the airport. He is the director of VSN and my "dad" while I am here. I am staying at his house. He is so awesome and so into helping the Nepalese people.

View from room in Khatmandu... I live in a neighborhood called Pepsicola. There is a pepsi factory nearby. There are no addresses in Nepal, so if someone asks me where I live, I say in the white house by the field in Pepsicola.

Neighborhood children. When I walk down the street, they all say Hello really loud and follow me. They love to get their picture taken, and even more, they love to look at the image in the digital camera!

Hey everyone! I am currently listening to Hungarian music in the VSN office in Kathmandu. Rick has a million songs on his laptop. Tomorrow we are going to only speak Hungarian and Nepali to each other.

So today was crazy cool! I slept well. Because I'm the doctor's friend I got the total hook up! A nice room (with a key so I can lock it when I leave) I have a hot shower and western toilet that I share with one other person. I expected so much worse, so I am blessed. The director's wife is a vegetarian and she was excited that I am too because her husband and daughters and the other volunteers are not! Needless to say I have had special treatment.

This morning I had breakfast (fried bread and a bean vegi mixture). So far everything I've eaten has been delicious. After breakfast, I went to the VSN office for my 1st language lesson. The office is about a 5 min walk from my house. My instructor is named Sabin (pronouced Saabeen). We work one on one which is awesome. There is currently 15 volunteers here. I learned how to introduce myself, talk about my family, ask for water, etc. [side note: today I went to the store and asked for water all by myself! ... the girl understood me!] Sabin also talked to me about culture and customs.

After my 3 hour lesson... we went sightseeing. 3 other volunteers just arrived - a guy from Germany and a husband and wife from Seattle. Sujan (pronounced suzanne), another Nepali instructor, Sabin and we 4 volunteers were taken to lunch. We ate momo, which is basically potstickers served with hot sauce... really hot. After the momo we went to Boudhana, a Buddhist temple. There were hundreds of monks all ages 4 years old to 90 all chanting. According to our tour guides, it was unusual to see. There were some signs saying that they were saying prayers for world peace.

In order to get to our destinations we got in these vehicles called microbuses. This basically a minivan, but smaller, in which they squeeze 25 people. A young boy hangs out the window and yells the destination in order to get business. Yes, I had a few Nepalese sitting on my lap. We also walked down the crowed streets that are filled with trash, shops, mangy dogs, beautiful people,. extremely poor people, children and of course cows... I had to watch were I stepped... I won't elaborate. There was so much to take in that I can't begin to describe it because my brain won't finish processing it until 2009.

After the Buddhist temple, we took a microbus to Pashupati, the major Hindu temple. It was in a much nicer part of town. We weren't allowed inside because we weren't Hindi... but Sabin and Sujan both did a ritual bow at the entrance. I took a few pictures of the hundreds of monkeys that are on and around the temple.

At the back of the temple I was able to see the Hindi burials... which is where they place bodies on pyres and burn them. Yes I saw about 6 "burial". The mourners dress in white and tend the deceased family member's fire. They sweep the ashes in the holy river below and then drink the water. It was not a disturbing sight. It is just there tradition. Sabin said to me, "when I die, they will do that to me."

I would love to tell you more, but I am off to dinner, so I will write again tomorrow.

Pasupati, the Hindu temple. There is one of the dead being burned. I was a lot closer, but I didn't feel good about taking a picture.

In front of Boudhanath the Buddhist Temple