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!
hello Bethany. I'm checking your blog every week or so and it is great! You are an excellent writer and your entries give a very detailed feel for your experience.
ReplyDeleteHi Bethany,
ReplyDeleteI laughed over the visit to the tailor because I had a similar experience. No laughter at my expense, but I had to take my trousers back 3 times to expand the seams for my large Western calves. And if it makes you feel better, my Nepali bowjuu (sister-in-law) constantly comments on whether I look older or younger and whether I am getting more wrinkles from the constant sun exposure here. If I happen to look "good" to her, she'll say, "You look better than the last time I saw you." Yes, self-esteem takes a real hit here. Take care!
Kathryn Hagy (fellow Fulbrighter)
Namaste Kathryn! It's amazing how many hits your self-esteem takes here even though it's never an intentionally mean comment. People here are just incredibly blunt! One of my new Nepali friends saw me after I'd been sick for a few days and said "Oh! before you were fat - now you're thin!" I decided to just take it as a compliment :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm glad you posted because I was able to see your blog - it sounds like you're enjoying Nepal as well! Please let me know if you make it to Kathmandu University because I live very close (I walk there each morning).
Happy Dashain!