Strike!

Namaste!

Wow the days are going by way to quickly! My days are packed... I've realized that I have not seen a lot of the essential tourist sites around the Kathmandu area (even 20 minutes from my house) because I've spent most of my time w/ the volunteer work. I know that sounds noble and altruistic, but the truth is that I just didn't bother to schedule it. I am going to try to get to the Monkey Temple and Baktapur before I go. However, I won't get to everything, so I guess I just have to come back... :)

Yesterday I woke up at 4:30 ( I usually get up at 5:00 or 5:30) I went to the roof and watched the sunrise. The smog is pretty bad, but you can see the outline of the Himalayas in the mornings. I love the mornings because from 5 to about 8 the weather is tolerable. After 830 it just gets hot. Even the evenings are pretty bad. We haven't had rain for a while... the rain usually cools things down.

I have a new respect for filmmakers... I spend all of my free time working on this project. Insomnia is actually helpful.

A couple updates: The leader of the landless community was able to return after paying a ransom fee. He is unharmed which is an indication that the Maoists are a little less severe than a few years ago, when abducted persons would regularly be tortured or killed. Despite the situation, the road was able to be installed in the community. This was a joint effort with the people and VSN. Each house along the road was asked to give 20 rupees (about 30 cents) and 5 bags of sand. VSN subsidized the costs and provided the trucks to transport the gravel.

This past week, there has been a slightly different mood in Kathmandu. On Sunday the Maoists led a transportation strike. All transportation (not just public) was forbidden. If someone attempted to ride their motorcycle or use their car... their tires would be set on fire. This happens frequently, but usually it is for buses only or taxis only. I've seen and smelled a lot of burnt tires, but nothing in action. It's interesting... all the volunteers found a way to make it to their commitments... Bryony (who usually takes a bus an hour to get into Pepsicola, our neighborhood) rented a bicycle and rode here on the empty streets. Two other volunteers walked an hour or more... Every volunteer was at our volunteer meeting that evening (even though many of the Nepali staff were unable to attend). We are all so committed! It is awesome!

For almost two weeks, there has been a teacher's strike. It is unclear who initiated it, but there is no organized union, so many teachers are unhappy about the strike even though it is an effort to raise their meager salaries. Apparently in the beginning days of the strike some teachers who tried to return to work were beaten. In the meantime... the students and teachers listen to the radio every morning to see in the strike is over. I visited my kids in Gottathar... they work in the fields, but mostly they are just hanging out. The strike worked in our advantage last week because when we visited the orphans all children were available to see the doctors and go to our workshops.

I want to tell you all about my kids in Gottathar as well as my knitting group. And I was in the sound studio all yesterday... that was an adventure! I met a Nepali pop star! Anyway, I have to go, so you'll have to hear about it later.

Namaste

a supplement to my thoughts

So everyone should visit Rick's blog. He has loads more photos and details about our trek than I do. He also has the luxury of a fast laptop... maybe when I get back to the states, I'll post more photos. It's interesting isn't it... most of his shots are scenery, and mine are all of me me me. I should be the least narcissistic person after this trip (days with out bathing would do that for you). http://www.rickhenriksen3.blogspot.com/

Visuals for you!

Radhika, the mother of the Gottathar village showing me what they have done in a month. I don't know if you can tell the quality... but trust me... it is amazing! These women didn't know what to do with a knitting needle a month ago!! I can't stop beaming about this!

My knitting class from the landless community. Fortunately our teacher, Dilmaya on my right, is from the community... so I don't have to be around for it to continue.

The most rewarding part of me week is teaching these girls basic sewing skills.

I am spending my mornings in the studio editing the film, and in the afternoons I go to the orphanages! This is my favorite thing. The girls are so excited to see me. Even though I have only been to some of the places once, they remember my name and exactly what I taught them. They are super beginners, but I am having them repair the clothes with me rather than practice on the strips of fabric. The clothes I repair are in such bad condition, I know it would only cost me a few rupees to replace them... and if I had a machine (I hand stitch everything) I could do so much more, and such a better job. What I am doing is making things wearable. I don't even worry about holes. We are talking entire inseams undone, etc.



Because the internet is so dodgy...
you are going to have to be satisfied with images
rather than brilliant prose about our little trek to Everest...
The airplane that landed on (arguably) the shortest runway in the world!

Amazingly cool glacier behind me!

Me and a Didi in Dole, Nepal

The Malaysian team that was off to summit... stayed in our guest house in Gorak Shep

Dennis and his son Dan from Zimbabwe and Canada.
(Dennis has summited a couple times)

Our new best friends, Floor and Tim, from The Netherlands

Me in a glacier!

Namche... the most beautiful of the villages (in my opinion)

My new friend in Thamel

Bad news, good news... balance

Yesterday we were informed that a division of Maoists have taken control of the Manahara landless community. The leader of the community has been abducted, and the people are being forced to comply with the group's requests. Needless to say, volunteers are not going to be working with this community now unless or until the situation changes. This is so unfortunate because VSN has so many projects going on with this group. We just opened a clinic... I had my income generation group... We also have contributed funds so they can make a gravel road to go through the center of the community, which will cover up some of the sewage drainage. Fortunately most of the projects will continue with Nepali volunteers and staff only. Also, our efforts to help with the clean water and toilet issue can continue, we just have to hope that the Maoists leave.

Anyway... I am so frustrated with the whole situation. Several weeks ago, I interviewed many of the community members (I have photos and write-ups of my interviews). A large percentage of them abandoned their homes to escape Maoists rebels, and now here they are being faced with a similar problem. Today I spent about three hours reviewing footage from my documentary. (I edit it this week.) At one point I am interviewing this woman in the community. I asked her what situation brought her family here from their village. She said the Maoists. I asked her if anyone in her family had been hurt or killed. Tears filled her eyes and she just looked at the camera. So I totally lost it in the studio when I saw that clip. AHHHHHHHHHHHH

For those of you concerned with my personal safety, please don't be worried. We are well taken care of here. This is a internal political issue that doesn't concern foreigners. I actually live in a suburb of Kathmandu, so the palace, government offices, etc. are far away. I haven't seen any demonstrations besides strikes... Right now there is a teacher's strike, so schools have been closed for a while. This is also a frustration for the volunteers who work in schools... every morning the students must listen to the news to see if the schools will open. This strike is not affiliated with the Maoists.

Yesterday we had a meeting with the current volunteers... a group of us are going to visit all the orphanages again (taking advantage of the fact that they are out of school). Two doctors, two girls doing hygiene eduction and myself will split the orphans into groups rotate them. The doctors will give check ups, Bryony and Jessica will teach about hand washing, etc., and I will inspect and repair their clothing. If I have time, I will teach some more of the kids basics like threading a needle, etc. We will go to a different orphanage everyday. I am excited because so much will be accomplished.

Today I visited Radihka, the committee leader for my village income generation project. She took me into her shed and showed me what the women have done! They have become knitting machines! Hats, socks, sweaters, pants.... Tumala, the teacher is no longer coming, they are just honing their skills. They have arranged w/ Tumala to call her if they have questions or run into problems. What they have done in a month is unbelievable!!! I am ecstatic, and they are too! She also specifically told me that they did not want any more supplies from me. They are going to buy their own supplies from now on. This is awesome firstly because we intended not to give them anymore supplies, and secondly because it is an indication of their independence and motivation to succeed. I am going back in a few days and we will have the marketing committee member schedule a time to visit the orphanages supported by VSN. She will take measurements, etc. of the children and VSN will place a large order. I can't begin to describe how great this is. Not only do 20+ women have a skill that will be helpful to their families... that they can teach their daughters, etc... they are doing so much more with their skill! My vision has come to fruition! Yeah!

Because of this success, VSN is going to use this template for other projects. For example, the same group of women expressed a desire to learn to read. No volunteer is able to teach how to read and write the Nepali Sanskrit... but we can bring in local teachers and provide materials etc. We just got a Nepali volunteer who is interested in working exclusively with women. I just volunteered her to spearhead the literacy program...

Yesterday, Yet (a doctor from Holland) and Jessica (a pre-med student from Vermont) and I were discussing the nature of volunteer work. There is this theory that only the volunteer benefits from volunteering... however, after today I think that is unfounded. Needless to say, today was a good day.

Tomorrow I am in the studio and off to the orphanage!
Namaste

Everest Base Camp

An important Monestary in Tengboche

Mt. Everest! View from Kalapatar

I made it over the Chola Pass! A steep assent in the snow at 5300+ meters

Hey everyone! I have been in a different part of Nepal for a while... no internet access or phones or cars... yaks only. We went on a little trek to Everest Base Camp. I climbed insanely high peaks (Kalapatar - 18,500 feet was my tallest), and saw the most beautiful parts of the earth. I should be most impressed by the mountain Everest... it was definitely amazing. However, I was most fascinated by the huge glaciers. I had seen Glaciers in Montana, but not like these... they were miles wide and long. It was also completely silent, so you could here ice shifting. We had to cross a few, and it felt like a star wars movie.. caverns and silence...

This is definitely one of the most beautiful regions of the world. In the lower regions there are beautiful trees and vege

I met the greatest people. Where I live in Kathmandu is primarily Hindu. The Solukumbu region is primarily Buddhist, and it is a totally different experience.

I am healthy and happy... my feet hurt a little, but all is well.

I have so much to do now that I'm back in Kathmandu. Tonight or tomorrow, I will try to compose a beautiful blog about the details of my experience...