Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Running Into Friends

One thing that I have really liked since I've been in Nepal is the Nepali concept of time. Typically time is viewed in two perspectives - schedule-based or people-based. America is schedule-based. We are constantly running around with our list of things to do, and we fit people in so long as they don't disrupt the greater schedule. We feel like we must get things done by a certain time. Nepal is people-based. Nepalis certainly have things to do, and get them done, but relationships and people always trump "the schedule" and things get finished when they get finished.

I've thrived in this environment because this is always how I wanted to live my life, but I so often became sucked into the schedule-based mindset - particularly with work and grad school! I still have to remind myself that everything'll get done, schedule or no, but I do my best to put people first. The last few days have been very much on Nepali time, and have been full and people-oriented.

The other day, I went to Thamel (the touristy part of Kathmandu) to get a sleeping bag, and ended up wandering into a bookstore. My affinity for bookstores is no secret, so I stayed the store browsing for quite a while. I ended up chatting with the store owner while I was there. It turns out we had alot in common, and both had ties to Virginia. His daughter is attending Leesburg College, so he had gone to visit. We spoke about my hearing loss (he originally thought I was European!), and how despite the fact that it is a disability, it has led me to meet the most wonderful people and has been a blessing in many ways. This, according to Paki, is the manifestation of Karma. It turns out that we essentially believe much of the same thing, only we call it by different names. Our conversation was wonderfully enlightening, and I thoroughly enjoyed making a new friend. On my way out with a few books, Paki generously gave me several more that he hadn't been able to sell.

On my way home, still in feeling very blessed, I walked past a beggar and decided that I would see if he could read English, and if so, I would give him one of my books. I stopped, and the man looked up at me in surprise when I asked if he could read English. When he nodded, I began to pull books out of my bag and asked which one he would like. He began to laugh and shook his head - "no English!". We both laughed, and I continued on. I tried! I would have loved to have given him a book if it would have benefited him!

I've also run into many other friends who I've previously met, both American (usually Fulbrighters) and Nepali (usually from the deaf community). It's amazing to think that in such a short time, I'm already running into friends in Kathmandu! It will be hard in Banepa at first, because I've established so many connections here, but I have no doubt the same thing will happen in Banepa within a short time.

I leave for Banepa tomorrow (Friday), and will have less access to Internet, but I'll keep in touch the best I can.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

More Pics from the Exciting Indra Jatra....





Photos by Kerry Brown

These pics are courtesy of my friend Kerry (a fellow Fulbrighter who was with me at Indra Jatra). They were taken after the initial excitement when I'd been moved to a quieter place to rest and recover.

The first two pictures are of Kumari, the Virgin Goddess, who I described in the original Indra Jatra post. I didn't get to see her because I wasn't allowed to stand up at the time, but I got a play by play report from my friends' cameras!

The third picture shows exactly how I felt when the Red Cross guy suggested finding a stretcher and carrying me accross the square on a stretcher. Fortunately that didn't happen. Instead I walked accross the square heavily supported by Red Cross workers.

I'm not sure what I laughing at here, but apparently someone had said something funny?

A Deaf Parade







Descriptions of Pictures:

Pic 1 - Me and my friend from the local Bakery Cafe, Janybu. He's teaching me Nepali Sign Language, I'm teaching him American Sign Language!


Pic 2 - The honorable guests of the day. I'm not sure who some of them are, but the man on the left in the gray vest is Rameshji, the President of the Nepali Federation of the Deaf and a friend who has been instrumental in involving me in the deaf community here. The man on the far right is one of the most famous deaf individuals in Nepal, the Honorable Raghav Bir Joshi who is the first deaf member of Parliment here.

Pic 3 - View from amidst the chaos that is attempting to organize several hundred deaf people.

Pic 4 - The school children from the Bhaktapur School for the Deaf preparing to march

Pic 5 - The unofficial king of the day, Pratigya Shakya, who is a deaf artist who did all the illustrations for the Nepali Sign Language Dictionary

Today was the International Deaf Day parade in Nepal. I, along with hundreds of deaf Nepalis, met at Basantapur, an area in Durbar Square. It was the same place the Indra Jatra festival took place. In true Nepali form, the real start time was 10am and the actual start time was around 11. It was incredible seeing so many deaf and signing Nepalis in one place – it’s a sight one rarely sees in America too, except maybe at Gallaudet University. The difference was that there were men, women and children of all ages, castes, and walks of life. Seeing everyone there for one purpose – to educate the public about deafness and proclaim deaf individuals’ rights – was so beautiful. The pride that radiated through the group was heartwarming to see as well.

I met a number of great people today. One lady, whose name I never learned, took me under her wing upon discovering that a.) I was deaf and b.) I was by myself. She took one look at my pale skin (or slightly sunburned skin!) and traded me my poster for her umbrella. I looked like a true Nepali with my kurtha, scarf & umbrella to shield me from the sun! Another man, Chheerioji was quick to introduce himself. He is a trekking guide for visitors, and has traveled all over the world trekking and meeting new people. I learned all about his family, he has a hearing wife and a 6 year-old daughter (I think!) and it was interesting because he felt the need to explain why he, as a deaf man, has a hearing wife. According to Chheerioji, it’s extremely handy because she can talk on the phone and, what could he do?, he fell in love with her! I also met a (hearing) teacher from the Bhatktapur deaf school who I talked to for a long while. Yojaniji has been a teacher since 1988, and has her degree in Special Education. She wanted a degree in Deaf Education, but Nepal does not have a Deaf Education program and going to an international university is not a plausible option for the majority of people in Nepal. She asked me to come to the Bhatktapur school to visit for a week or so, and let me know that I was more than welcome to stay with her. In general, hospitality in Nepal is phenomenal! I look forward to taking her up on her offer.

A few random stories from the last couple of days:

While I was purchasing my last kurtha at a family owned shop in Hadigaon, I discovered just how differently Americans (or Westerners in general) are proportioned than Nepalis. As the tailor was measuring me for the kurtha, he kept showing the family (grandmother, mother, aunts, uncles, etc.) my measurements. Several of the measurements drew raucous laughter. Particularly my calves! Apparently Westerners have much thicker calves in general than the typically small Nepali population, so the circumference of my calves was quite a surprise to the tailor. Understanding the cultural context, the situation makes sense, but my self-esteem definitely waivered for a while after that!

In a similar vein, at the Indra Jatra festival, one of my American friends I was with, who is a bit taller than me, was standing in our group when a TINY Nepali grandmother came up next to her. This lady was no more than 3 feet tall and perhaps 70 lbs. She was so delighted about the comparison with my friend that she wrapped her arms around her waist in a hug!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

A Plea...

Writing a blog can be a one-sided conversation at times. You don't know if anyone reads it, cares, or finds anything interesting! I would LOVE to hear your comments, or would welcome emails if there's anything you'd like to chat about. I hope life is treating everybody wonderfully!

The ‘New’ Becomes the ‘Normal’





Pictures:
The pictures are of the volleyball tournament. The bottom picture is my friend Rojinaji (Rameshji's wife) and their beautiful little girl. The black around the child's eyes is to protect her from evil spirits entering her soul as the eyes are the windows of the soul.

Yesterday I was privileged enough to be invited to go to the first deaf volleyball tournament in Nepal. As the volleyball tournament was in Jawalekhel (an area on the opposite side of Kathmandu), I had two choices: take a taxi (very expensive) or take a couple of buses (terrifying!). I chose the latter. The tournament was supposed to start around 11, so Swetha and I walked to the Ring Road (a road that goes around the city; similar idea to 495 in Baltimore, only a VERY different experience) to catch the bus. We finally caught the bus after the conductor waved at us to run and meet it! We were on the bus for about 30 minutes when Swetha had to get off, and she informed me that my stop would be about 10 minutes later. 10 minutes later, when I had seen no sign of where I was to get off, I asked the bus driver if he was going to Jawalekhel. He said the bus didn’t go there and that I should get off and catch another bus! I caught that bus after a kind local pointed me in the right direction and FINALLY made it to the volleyball courts.

The volleyball tournament, as I said before, was supposed to start at 11. When I arrived, I was informed that the start time was now 11:30. Actual start time? 1. While I waited I got to meet a number of deaf individuals from various parts of Nepal, including the Secretary for the Paralympics in Nepal, and the first deaf member of the Nepali Constituent Assembly (Parliament). When Rameshji and Rojinaji arrived with their darling little girl, I found myself a guest of honor at the games (I was introduced and given a special badge), and a member of the Lalitpur volleyball team! The games were very exciting, and I enjoyed playing with the Lalitpur team. In the end, the team from Naxal, Kathmandu took the crown, and the Kavre-Banepa team came in second. While I was watching the finals, the principal from the Kavre-Banepa School arrived (the school where I will be observing and researching for the next several months) and before I knew it, I had become the new volleyball coach! I haven’t played volleyball competitively in years, but apparently this was the first game the students had ever played, so I make an ideal coach! I can’t wait though, I think it’ll be a blast!

When it came time to get home, I was thoroughly exhausted, sunburned and nervous about finding the correct bus. Fortunately, the Naxal team came to my rescue! They were headed back to the school and said I could come with them (the school is about a mile from my apartment). The students from Naxal were high on their win, excited to be of service and full of questions about America. We made quite a scene on the normally solemn bus! Most of the bus riders not in our little party of 10 stared at our group of signing adolescent males and a white woman. If they learned that deaf people are just like them, then I’m more than happy to be the object of attention for a while. I look forward to going back to the Naxal school this coming week to do some observations before I head to Banepa later in the week.

Today I had an enjoyable (though language-inept) time purchasing a new kurtha. I’ve been looking for some red fabric (red is considered a sacred color) for a new kurtha so that I’ll be ready for festival season, but haven’t found any I like yet. So I wandered into a small shop in Hadigaon today to look. First of all, shopkeepers here won’t let you simply “look”. They start pulling out fabrics left and right, and overwhelming you with choices. This is actually a good sales tactic – you’re basically guilted into buying something! Anyway, after the initial communication breakdown, complete with the shopkeepers’ entire family laughing on numerous occasions, I finally found kurtha material I was happy with. Now came the bargaining. The price was ridiculously high for what I was purchasing so I shook my head and told them I could get the same at a number of shops down the road for a much better price. Finally after haggling for a while and the price changing a few times, we finally found a compromise that worked for everyone. I’m just happy to have successfully bargained, but bargained in a way that was fair for both the shopkeeper and me.

“new” is finally becoming the “normal”!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Indra Jatra & That Crazy Westerner…










Pictures from Indra Jatra

Today (actually yesterday given the internet delay…) at the Indra Jatra festival I made quite a name for myself. How? By passing out smack in the middle of the excitement and becoming the focus of the Nepali Red Cross (who, by the way, did a wonderful job). Fainting can certainly cause excitement wherever it happens, but when a white person faints in the middle of hundreds of thousands of people in Durbar square – things get really exciting. Fortunately, despite the excitement, I’m doing just fine. It turns out to have been a perfect storm of dehydration, a stomach virus, a fever spiking, heat, pollution, etc. I’m sure the whole spectacle was extremely comical to an outsider. I woke up surrounded by Nepali Red Cross employees in vests and yellow hard hats, with a group of Japanese tourists and several press people constantly snapping pictures.

About the actual festival, it is a festival worshipping the god Indra who is the god of thunder and rain. The festival is to thank him for the rains during the raining season and let him know that it is now the end of the monsoon and the rains need to stop. Another portion of the festival, probably the part that makes it so famous, is when the Living Goddess comes and blesses the ruler, giving him a blessing for the new year. Traditionally, the Kumari (Living Goddess) had blessed the king, but with the kind in exile this year, the president of Nepal was blessed. There are many Kumaris throughout Nepal, but the most important one lives on the edge of Durbar Square where the ceremony takes place. The Kumari is typically a young girl, who is the Living Goddess until she begins menstruation or loses blood in any other manner. For the Hindus, she is the bodily incarnation of the goddess Taleju, a manifestation of Durga. Buddhists believe that she is the tantric goddess Varjadevi.

The Indra Jatra festival draws an enormous crowd to Durbar Square, where the steps leading to all of the temples were completely packed. One temple was blocked off for foreigners only. The festival is essentially a lot of “hurry-up-and-waiting”. We arrived at 2:40 and the festival was not over until around 6, although during that time, things were only happening in spurts of 10 or 15 minutes or sometimes even faster than that. The first interesting part of the festival was the arrival of the elephants (elaborate elephant costumes with several men underneath). The elephant is the vehicle of the god Indra, so they were essentially preparing the way. They danced for a long while in front of the old palace where the president and a number of diplomats watched. The next portion of the festival was when a man in an elaborate costume appeared and began dancing around the crowd. I was later told he represented a monkey of some sort, although I’m not certain how he tied into the festival. A three or four year old boy, also dressed in an elaborate costume teased the monkey. Finally, the most important part of the festival occurred when a chariot carrying a manifestation of Indra and a chariot with the Kumari came out. Unfortunately I was still being forced to sit after getting sick, so I missed this, but got a play by play from my friends who took pictures and showed them to me as it happened. Disclaimer: this description of the festival may be completely wrong – I’m basing it on the little I know about it, what I was told by other Westerners, and how I interpreted it. Anyone who knows more is more than welcome to correct me!

Overall it was a crazy day for sure! I’m hoping the rest of my stay won’t be nearly as exciting…at least not in the way today was.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

And the Bag is Found.....in Paris.

My bag lives! But unfortunately it’s living in Paris…. That being said, it is looking more hopeful that my bag may someday reach Kathmandu. Apparently things became mixed up at the Newark Airport, and instead of them sending my bag to Nepal, they sent it to Paris. Not sure how you can confuse the two. Although Nepal was having Fashion Week that week….

Obviously I spent much of today at the airport. I was so happy to FINALLY have a relatively informative trip to the airport – between my parents and I, there have been many trips that proved frustrating and fruitless. If I can get my luggage back, I will be thrilled to pieces!

Other tidbits from the last few days:

I AMAZED myself when I walked all the way from our apartment to the Fulbright Office, to the store near the bank where I purchased my contacts, to the post office and back without getting lost. I was proud as a peacock :)

On the other side of that coin lurks another bleary-eyed wander though. Swetha and I decided that we were going to a place in a nearby neighborhood that had waffles and free WIFI. Basically it sounded like the perfect restaurant. So we begin walking towards Naxal, confident that we would find it quickly because Naxal’s not that big. Once again, 2 hours later, we finally stumbled upon Mike’s Breakfast. To make things worse, when we found it, it was a place we had passed no less than 4 times. I have to give us credit though; we are some seriously determined ladies. Besides, the sign was covered by moss and there was a pizza sign above that kept confusing us.

Tomorrow is Indra Jatra, a holiday that celebrates the goddess Indra. It’s supposed to be an awesome celebration in Nepal and I can’t wait to see it! I’ll do my best to post pictures soon.

Buses, Boudha & Bleary-Eyed Wandering






The pictures worked!!!

First & Second Pictures:The Boudha Stupa. I hope to return and get more detailed pictures. It was amazing!

Third Picture: A view of a city street - don't be deceived though, there are normally MANY more cars and people.

Fourth Picture: A row of policemen hanging out near a huge rally. Most likely it was a political rally, but we never found out for certain.



On the agenda today (actually 3 days ago – we haven’t had internet access since then!) was a trip to the post office for airmail envelopes and postcards, a trip back to the bank for our ATM cards, and finding an internet café that actually had internet AND food. There may be a few things in the above sentence requiring clarification: Business days (days of work week) are Sunday through Friday here, rather than the Western work week of Monday through Friday and ‘internet cafes’ are rarely cafes. More often they are cramped little places with a few computers that you pay to use. Finding a restaurant or coffee shop with wireless internet is very exciting here because there are so few in the non-touristy areas.

My roommate and I left the house at about 11 this morning and began our walk to the area where the bank and post office were. Getting to the area took about 40 minutes because of the distance – finding where we were looking for took another 2 ½ hours. We found the bank first after about an hour or so of walking, and then walked for another hour or so before we found the post office, and another 30 minutes to find a bus. We had originally planned on going to a café my roommate knew, but our many failed attempts at finding bus #26 led us to Boudha instead – we easily found a bus going there.

The Nepali bus is very different than anything you see in the states. They are essentially vans with wooden planks near the windows that you sit on. The planks are maybe 7 feet long on the far side, 5 feet long on the side of the door, and the driver is separated by a pane of glass, but the 2 seats next to him are nearly always filled. Riding a Nepali bus is like riding in a clown car – the more impossible it seems that anyone else would fit in the bus – the more likely 2 or more people get on. The bus itself has two workers – a driver and conductor. The conductor hangs out of the door yelling where the bus is headed and shepherding more and more customers onto the bus. No matter how little room, everyone is expected to scoot over even further to allow the new people seats. The bus I was on had 7 people packed on the far bench, 6 people (including the conductor) on the bench near the door (you can’t sit where the door is because there is no door – it’s just an opening), 2 people on the short bench in the front, and 3 people (including the driver) in the front seat. I have no idea how one more person could have fit. Regardless, Swetha assures me that I haven’t seen anything yet – most of the buses are far more crowded!

Boudha is a neat area in Kathmandu where the majority of the Tibetan population lives. It is predominantly Buddhist and there are a number of monasteries in the area. It is also home to the famous Boudha Stupa, a massive religious statue that is most commonly associated with Buddhism but has significance in Hinduism as well. The statue is adorned with thousands of prayer flags, and prayer wheels are found circling the bottom. The area surrounding the Stupa is quite obviously a touristy area, with many shops that sell souvenirs and handmade items. The café we went to is in this circle of shops. Boudha is a relatively expensive place to live or stay but is a wonderful area to visit. I hope to go back and explore more when I’m a little less tired!

Friday, September 17, 2010

A Really Productive Day?

Address for those who want it:

Bethany Hundley
c/o The Nepal Fulbright Federation
G.P.O. Box 380
Gyaneshwor
Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel: 4444780

I know the telephone number at the bottom of the address seems odd, but it is actually vital to getting the mail here – think of it as a U.S. zip code  Also, packages can be sent, but only through first class mail – not DHL or FedEx since the address is a P.O. Box. Postcards, letters or even random thoughts written on napkins will be HUGELY appreciated and read voraciously!

I’m beginning to settle into life in Kathmandu (although soon I’ll be uprooting and heading to Banepa), and have started into the “post-honeymoon period”. Not that the post-honeymoon period is bad, it’s just the awareness that this is your new home and it has both amazing attributes and the flaws that are to be expected with anything. I think it’s a requirement for any new and exciting situation that will last for a long time. The the novelty begins to wear off, homesickness begins to slowly but surely creep in, you realize that the non-stop honking, barking and lousy internet connections are here to stay, and you begin to fit into your new world.

One thing I’ve certainly learned about my current home is that a productive day in Nepal is measured on an entirely different scale than is a productive day in America. Everything here takes FAR more energy than you would expect. For example; today was a really productive day for me – I got 3 things accomplished. Here’s how 3 things accomplished equals a really productive day:

First Thing: I met Janybu, a waiter at the local Bakery Café who’s been awesome about teaching me Nepali Sign Language (NSL), at a Bakery Café in another area of Kathmandu. He had the day off and was eager to learn American Sign Language (ASL). Like anyone who only has a few days off, he didn’t want to spend it at his place of work, and besides he wanted to see his friends from the Boudha Bakery Café. So I agreed to the place despite having no idea how to get there. This led to a lot of orienteering on my part (I am AWFUL with directions – I could get lost on a closed track. Seriously.), and the stress involved in finding a new place in another country. I found it – only a 30 minute walk! Then, it was time for the obligatory waiting period that occurs when meeting anyone in Nepal. Fortunately, he showed up early (after only 30 minutes). Next, Janybu explained why he was late, and had to introduce me to all his friends (all deaf) at the café. The lesson continued with food, instruction, conversation with various waiters, instruction, conversation, tea…..etc. It was a great time, and I met a number of wonderful people, but was definitely tiring. The amount of energy it takes to carry on a conversation in a language you don’t know is incredible!

Second Thing – Swetha met me at the café, similarly exhausted because the people at her affiliation refuse to speak English now that they know she’s learning Nepali. We then trekked (this is not an exaggeration – the streets and sidewalks in Nepal are not walked the same way those back home are) back to the Fulbright Office to pick up our new Fulbright Nepal business cards. This part of the journey took about 30-45 minutes.

Third Thing – We’ve been avoiding going to the middle of Kathmandu to pick up our ATM cards at the bank, so we decided to remedy that today. We left the office and started walking (towards?) the bank. 3 hours later we found it. Really. We walked, and walked, and saw a huge political rally, at least several thousand vendors, numerous streets, and more miles than either of us probably care to admit. And when we found the bank at long last, we were told they close at 1pm on Fridays. I think it would be safe to say neither of us was very happy at that point. There was a silver lining though – I found a place to buy contacts and ordered a few to hopefully get me through the time I get my luggage. Note to Delta – I would REALLY like to have my luggage back.

So, there you have it – this is why 3 things accomplished in Nepal is “a very productive day”. I was physically, mentally, and emotionally beat by the time I got home.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

A Day at the Nepal Federation for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing




More photos from the Teej Festival. Sorry for the delay, getting photos to upload here is based on sheer luck that the internet won't die while the photos are uploading, or even more maddingly, right before they finish!

Yesterday I went back to the Deaf Federation (NFDH), to see Rameshji, hopefully pick up a Nepali Sign Language Dictionary, and learn more about deaf culture and deaf education in Nepal. Fortunately I was able to walk straight there after my long winding journey to the building last Thursday. I'm finally beginning to understand the streets of Kathmandu!

I arrived at the federation about 11am and was ushered into Rameshji's office where he was meeting with a deaf man and his son, and giving them information on sign language and employment options for deaf individuals in the area. After they left, Rameshji gave me a dictionary and answered some of my questions about deaf culture here in Nepal, and how the deaf organizational hierarchy works.

Everything (deafness related) falls under the leadership of NFDH, including 24 deaf associations in various districts and the deaf schools in some of the districts (there are 15 deaf schools in Nepal). Given that Nepal is roughly the size of Kansas or Tennessee, 15 is a good number. One major difference, however, is that the education options here are different than in the States because students here are rarely, if ever, mainstreamed given the serious scarcity of sign language interpreters. Typically, deaf children, if they attend school, attend schools specifically for the deaf.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Pratigya Shatya who did all of the illustrations (as well as the cover) for the dictionary. He is deaf himself, and is working on getting to Canada to see friends and sell his art there. Pratigyaji told me how the dictionary was created and how he and other deaf individuals working on the dictionary had gone around to deaf schools in Nepal and learned what signs were used. The list of signs was then brought in front of a board whose members discussed the validity of each sign and came to a consensus regarding the "official" version for each sign. As in American Sign, I've already been taught a few variations on a number of words.

There is a fingerspelled Nepali alphabet (18 vowels and 37 consonants) as well as the English alphabet (which most Nepalis know also). After the Nepali fingerspelled alphabet was created, it became apparent that the English letter "t" had the same handshape as the Nepali consonant "ka". Thus, deaf leaders in Nepal decided that the international alphabet must be changed, and so "t" fingerspelled in Nepal is different than typically seen. For the signers among you, the English "t" in Nepali is a fist with the thumb up (like "a"), and the pointer finger pointed out (not up), rather than the traditional handshape of the thumb sticking out between the pointer and middle fingers.

I was able to talk with Rojinaji (Rameshji's wife) for a long time as well about what I'm hoping to do here and how my goals work with Nepali culture. She had a lot of good advice, and I learned much about the deaf population in Nepal from her. She has been wonderful for helping with my Nepali sign, and I will help her with her ASL tomorrow too. The constant exchange of cultural and linguistic information here is so exciting!

Please let me know if you'd like more information about the research side of my work, and I can send out more detailed research notes to those interested.

Other information:
I went on my first motorbike ride (in Nepal) yesterday with Rojinaji who brought me home from NFDH. It was actually not bad at all given that in Nepal people rarely drive over 35 mph!

Pink-eye reared its ugly head again yesterday, so I visited the CIWEC clinic this morning to get eye drops. I got a few of the vaccinations I still needed as well. I still have a few of the 2nd and 3rd shots to get for several of the vaccines, but I'm basically immune to everything now!

The other day, I made the best brownies EVER. I was so excited at how well they turned out given our oven is a tiny little thing that shocks us constantly and turns off whenever it feels like it. It is entirely possible that the brownies tasted as good as they did because we're in Nepal and rarely have treats like that, but still! They were awesome :)

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone and Into Festivities




Yesterday was a festival-filled day here in Nepal, the main day of the Teej Festival. The Teej Festival is predominantly Hindu and is specifically for women. It involves feasting, fasting, ritual bathing, dancing and special blessings at the temples. The women dress up in all of their finery (typically red and gold), and pray for marital success and the longevity of their husbands as well as happiness and success for their children. The single women participate as well, typically praying for potential grooms. My roommate and I, with several other friends and Fulbrighters, walked to the Pashupatinath Temple, a large temple in Kathmandu that is the hubs of the festival as it is the largest temple dedicated to Shiva and the festival celebrates the union of Shiva and his partner.

On our way, we picked up Bindis (decoration worn on the forehead as a sign of respect in Hindu culture) to wear for the day, and have for future festivals. The sights were amazing. Tens of thousands of women waited in three lines that were each nearly a mile long to get into the temple (all in beautiful red outfits with parasols to block the sun). I later read that around 400,000 women entered the temple to pray yesterday. Other sights were the many vendors hawking wares along the street, people dancing to music, and people praying at a small Hindu temple near Pashupatinath. The entire area was crowded beyond belief, and there was a festive feeling in the air.

After the festival, my friends and I walked to an American-type restaurant in Kathmandu that has wonderful wood-fired pizzas and celebrated with dinner. Nearly collapsed as well – we’d been walking from 10:30am to 3:30pm! Swetha, Marissa and I walked back home afterwards, and decided to stop by a small park near our apartments because there was loud music and lots of dancing. We were curious, and figured we could get good pictures. Our plans were foiled (mine in particular!) when a Nepali lady grabbed my hand and pulled me into the dance area! She began to teach me the hand motions of Nepali dance, and then other ladies and girls grabbed my hands to dance with me (or more likely, to show me how!). Just as my friends and I had planned to take pictures, it turns out that I was a seriously photogenic subject for Nepalis while on the dance floor. They kept ushering me closer to the cameras and video cameras! Finally, Swetha and Marissa decided to join in on the fun, so the three of us were quite the spectacle. The whole situation was miles out of my comfort zone (I am NOT a dancer whatsoever!), but in retrospect I’m really glad I was able to join in and I ended up having a blast. It was just another example of how welcoming the people are here and how willing they are to help you become part of their culture.

I think from here on out it is safe to assume that there’s “still no luggage” but I’ll let you know if anything changes!

Friday, September 10, 2010

A Very Nepali Sort of Day

On Thursday I was on Nepali time ALL day. In the morning, I left the apartment determined to find the Nepal Federation for the Deaf, as I was hoping to talk to people who work there and pick up a book on Nepali Sign Language. I left the apartment at 10am, and found the federation about 12:30, walking non-stop the whole time. It was not that the building is far from Hadigaon, directly, it’s about a 30 minute walk. I was not walking terribly slowly, nor did I go in the completely opposite direction. Instead, I made the grievous error of asking people where to go once I had become lost. In Nepal, the idea of “saving face” is very important, and it is considered rude to not give people an answer when they ask you a question. It is extremely rare for anyone to answer “I don’t know”. At least 75% of the people I spoke to should have answered that, but instead, to be polite, pointed me in various conflicting directions. Around noon when I was tired, hot, sunburned, and not a little frustrated, I decided to give up and meet my roommate at the Fulbright Office. I knew exactly where that was – you know how when you’re lost, all roads seem to lead to the same (wrong) place? My center of gravity yesterday was apparently the Fulbright office!

My saviors yesterday appeared as I was walking back towards the Fulbright office and were in the form of a group of young men from the local secondary (deaf) school who were signing. I walked over to ask them where to find the federation and they were so excited to find a signing American that they grabbed my hand and led me to the office (which in my defense was down an alley with a few twists and turns). It was a huge point of amusement to them that they had seen me wandering earlier and not known I was deaf or looking for the deaf federation. The apparent leader of the group had met a number of deaf Americans, and knew ASL very well. It turns out he had become quite close with the deaf Fulbrighter who was here several years ago. When we arrived at the federation (all 5 of us!) we were told that the staff were in meetings and ushered to a waiting area where we continued our conversations and the students did their best to teach me Nepali Sign.

I felt bad because I was supposed to be meeting my roommate, but unbeknown to me, I had just followed the Nepali standard for time – people and relationships come before schedules. After a while, I begged out, and let my companions know that I would come back to the federation at a later time. I finally met Swetha and ran some errands with her before going back out in the evening with another Fulbrigher (Marissa) to look for Kurtas. Buying Kurtas was an interesting experience for me, because I don’t really bargain. If I believe a price is unfairly high, I may bargain it down to a fair price, but never lower. I understand that bargaining is culturally acceptable here, but I feel that since by all standards of living in Nepal I can very well afford to pay reasonable prices, it is perhaps morally unacceptable? I’m not sure. That has been one area of I’ve struggled with arriving in Nepal. What are everyone’s thoughts?

Friday we had a security briefing at the US Embassy and received our passes so that we may visit the US Embassy in the future. The briefing was informative, and often common-sensical. Most of what we learned was things we have heard before, just not in such an official manner! I’ve been dragging through everything today and seem to be coming down with something. Lots of headaches, tiredness. It may be my jetlag catching up with me! Lots of rest tonight, as tomorrow (Saturday), is the Teej festival, and I hope to be out and about experiencing everything and taking pictures!

Still no luggage.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Dance of the Signs

Me in my new Kurta!

Yesterday was difficult, as we had Fulbright (in-country) orientation, and most of the speakers were Nepali and very difficult for me to understand. I try very hard to read lips, but have not yet mastered Nepali accents! The day was more challenging in that the talks were given in a forum or lecture – type style, and that, regardless of the speakers’ accents is always makes speech reading hard. There was one lecture in particular that fascinated me, and while I didn’t hear much of it, it was accompanied by a very informative PowerPoint presentation. The lecture was given by a Nepali anthropologist and sociologist about the caste system and its effects in Nepal.

Caste is surprisingly important in Nepal, and the professor was also able to answer my questions about disability in relation to the caste system here. Apparently, people with disabilities, when matriculated into society, are often seen as second class citizens. This is different than being in a lower caste, as a brahman (high caste) person who has a disability and is thus treated as a second class citizen brahman, is still higher than a person who is a dalit (low caste person) who is not disabled. For the dalit, a disability is a double challenge, for they are not only discriminated against as a dalit, but also looked down upon by their own caste for the disability. One would imagine that the dalit woman with a disability would be most discriminated against. The second-class citizen concept was further demonstrated by a deaf man I later met (see below) when he complained that deaf people in Nepal are not allowed motor vehicle licenses. He has apparently racked up quite a few tickets!

* Note to my Nepali and Indian friends (or any others who are wise on the subject): if I have misrepresented anything above, or if you know more about the subject, please let me know!

The frustration with lack of understanding I had at the orientation melted away with the Fulbright welcome reception later on. As I introduced myself to the people who had come, I noticed that a lady was interpreting (in Nepali Sign) to a man and woman on my right. I was barely able to sit through my fellow Fulbrighters’ introductions after that, because I wanted so badly to meet these people who were signing. I met Rameshji , the founder of the Kavre-Benepa School for the Deaf, and his wife (both of whom are deaf) and we immediately begin the communication dance that occurs between NSL and ASL. The beauty of sign language in general, which involves much facial expression and many classifiers (signs that represent what they stand for), as well as the talent of many deaf people to gather information from situations in which communication is sparse, often means that it is easier for people who know two different sign languages to communicate than those who know different spoken languages. Thus, after a few hitches, we were signing away in a fabulous mixture of NSL and ASL in no time.

Both Rameshji, and his wife (who studied in America for a while), know some ASL, so this allowed our communication to be more fluid than it may have been otherwise. By the end of the night, my brain was ready to burst with all the information and signs I had learned, and the realization that overwriting muscle memory (the automaticity of the ASL signs) may be fairly difficult. Though my brain knew the Nepali sign, my hands preferred to stay in their ASL comfort zone! Despite this, I have learned over 30 Nepali signs, as well as how to count, in a few hours. This gives me hope that I can continue to learn NSL quickly and be more able to communicate in the deaf schools I visit, and with the deaf people I meet. I hope to see my new friends again soon and to continue our dialogue and mutual learning experiences!

A few more notes:
Swetha and I arrived home at 8:30pm from the welcome reception and this morning our landlady was in a panic because she'd been worried when we arrived home so late!

Still no luggage. If they seriously can’t find it, do you think they’ll trade me for a plane ticket for Jeremiah?

I went to a huge, gorgeously modern mall in downtown Kathmandu with a few of my fellow Fulbrighters. In a way it bothered me, because it did not fit in with the Nepal I have seen so far, but it also cemented the idea that part of the beauty of Nepal is its many stark contrasts.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Nepali Sign Language, Free WI-FI, Great Food = New Favorite Place in Nepal!

Today while walking all around Kathmandu in search of SIM cards and cellphones, my roommate Swetha and I walked past a Bakery Cafe not too far from our apartment. We were both starving and Swetha remembered that other Bakery Cafes in town employed deaf people so we decided to go try it out. Like she remembered, virtually all the employees were deaf (I think all but the manager, who was hearing, but knew sign), and I started trying to converse immediately! I drew smiles from our waiter who was both shocked and amused that I was signing (and not in his language!). Fortunately though, several signs were the same, and we were able to determine that we were both deaf (it took a while for him to believe me because I was talking to Swetha), I was from America, and I knew American Sign while he knew Nepali. After he left, the waiters began signing in a frenzy- I was apparently the topic of conversation as they kept gesturing towards me, and one by one they came over to the table. Through the conversations, one which took place in written English (!) I learned a number of Nepali signs, and was glad to see that many were the same or similar to ASL. The waiter's written English was incredible - it renewed my interest in Deaf Education in Nepal, because they have obviously learned ways to successfully teach literacy to deaf individuals. The employees at Bakery Cafe may get sick of me by the end of the week because I can't wait to go back and learn more about their histories, and learn more Nepali sign. My experience at the Cafe completely made my day - and quite possibly my week!

Other happenings in Kathmandu. My luggage is still missing! Fortunately I came prepared for that eventuality, but I thought that when you were prepared for the worst, the worst wasn't suppose to happen! With any luck my luggage will still be found, but it's looking less and less likely as all of the airlines say that they don't have it. Very frustrating! Suspecting that I would be needing supplies, I have purchased several Nepali outfits, so I have some clean clothes, but I will need quite a bit more if my luggage does not show.

I've been struggling with the fact that my deafness is not apparent in Nepal, where my accent sounds simply foreign. I'd forgotten about the difficulty I had when I had more hearing and better speech in the past, and people would not believe me, or would forget that I couldn't hear them and expect more of me than I am physically capable. Case in point: I was chatting with a very kind Nepali man where I bought one of my kurtas and mentioned I was deaf because I was having difficulty understanding him. He understood and asked me if I wore hearing aids (no), could hear at all (not really) and how I understood him (speech-reading). As I left, he gave me the number to the shop and told me to call if I ever needed any help in Nepal (?). There have been many similar situations, and while it's rather flattering that I communicate through spoken language well enough to appear hearing, the miscommunications compounded by the disbelief is frustrating.

That's enough for now! Namaste :)

Saturday, September 4, 2010

A few pictures....








So I've been settling in and getting to know my current neighborhood today. I slept from 5:30 pm to 9:00 this morning so I think I'm getting caught up on my sleep finally! I did go to the airport hoping that my luggage would be there, but not only is it not there, no one can seem to find it. sigh... Oh well, I've ordered my first kurta (tunic and pants), and can do my best to replace my things if absolutely necessary. Hopefully not necessary though!

Pictures

Picture 1: my bedroom in the apartment where I'm staying in Kathmandu - it's really nice!
Picture 2: car going down the street towards the apartment - and yes that's a cow in front of the car :)
Picture 3: The local supermarket - 5 stories tall!
Picture 4: The apartment building (inside the gates)
Picture 5: Another shot of the street in front of the apartment
Picture 6: View of apartment from the street

Friday, September 3, 2010

Long way gone....

So I've made it to Nepal! Jetlagged and missing my checked baggage, but I'm here. I'm currently at a crowded internet "cafe" in Kathmandu so I'll just sum up the highlights:

1) Left Great Falls at 9am Sept. 1st, arrived in KTM at 10am Sept. 3rd (Nepal time). LONG flights!
2) I had a sinking suspicion that my luggage would be lost when the clerk at the first airport didn't know where Delhi. Unfortunately, last I heard my bag was still in the Newark airport.
3) About that airport - had to check in and go through security again!! Confusing place!
4) Met up with other Fulbrighters at the Newark terminal and the Delhi in-transit area. Played cards while stuck in transit for 4 hours, and waiting for our KTM flight for another 6.
5) There are two things that were going through my head as I took in Nepali streets for the first time - please don't let anyone hit anyone! and wow - they must be really talented to dodge all the cars, people, bikes, etc! The main rule seems to be that there are no rules and everyone loves honking!
6) Not being able to read the signs in town gave me a new respect and empathy for those who can't read or write - you miss so much without the ability to read books and your surroundings!
7) I'm staying with a Fulbright friend in KTM for a few days until after orientation, and her apartment is adorable! Very nice place with lots of flowers all around.

Heading on to the Nepali supermarket: I'll try to post pictures as soon as I can.