16.05.07

- 04:11 wake up to help with water collection..
- need to pump water.. back to sleep @ 0500.. took a while to fill, but necessary if want water.
- comes once every 4 days and it’s a free for all. The home here has to compete with people with automatic pumps. So that’s why we’re up at 0400.
- tomorrow we have to get petrol @ 0600. It may take up to 3hrs to get a little scooter tank full
- more loitering around the night market area.. although we didn’t stay past 2000. so things weren’t open. But it’s still awesome to be in the presence of such madness..
ok online so update more later…. Take up too much internet time not good..

15.05.07

21:58

Excursion:
Dakshinkali (place w/ dirty water and temple) near Pharping (south of city)
- walked from there 200m uphill to another Hindu temple (_________) that we weren’t allowed to take pictures @.
back to the same place.

Got some good footage of traveling…
- mountains are beautiful.

Woke up late again.
- Wrote out the Nepali alphabet.
- Had lunch (dahl bhat – rice w/ sweet sauce, potato (a-loo) and beans)
- Went for training – saw more random cows…


Excursion to Dakshinkali temple w/ Sandip, Suzan and his girlfriend (these are the ppl that I’m hanging out most with these last couple days. I’m going to be watching “Final Destination” @ Suzan’s recommendation....
o On the way saw 2 little boys pop their heads out of the open sewage system along the road. Was a horrifying sight to see.
o Perhaps I’ve been slightly dulled after I went to visit the PHCRC. It was there I went on a walk through the jungle. Before getting there, there were 5 little boys playing by a puddle of stagnant dirty water. 2 of them had syringes and were filling them up with muddy water. I was tempted to take them away, but then Sandip (my host) told me quickly to not to bother them for fear that they would scream. Village people (relatives/family) would soon get involved and it could be a potentially ugly seen. I felt bad, so didn’t take a picture. But apparently, pictures are taken quite liberally here. Most people are more than happy to be photographed. Show them the picture afterward and it’s bring the biggest smile to their faces. Oh yes, and greet them w/ “Namaste” and they’ll also smile big.
o @ the temple, there were docks with dried up bases. The upper section had water knee-high that families were playing in as if they were at the beach.
o I’m not sure what to think about the scene
o Trekking around the temple sight was absolutely breathtaking… God is truly amazing. Some of these hills can be difficult to maneuver, but somehow cows make it there. Their dung is there to prove that they’ve conquered these mountains just like mountain goats.
o Newali meal: raw buff slices, ground raw buff, fried intestines, beaten rice, pickled potatos, chui-la
o Prayer meeting with men from the church: they gather each week to pray specifically for the young ppl @ the church (that they would a) read the Bible, b) be actively involved in the church and c) catch and continue the vision of the church)
o Followed by more eating… feast of carbs… my paradise.

Learning about water:
o must pump water to reserve tank, takes about an hour to pump 1000L (no 1000L will take much longer)
o must wake up at 0400 to obtain government supply of water. Must get to it fast, or else none for you.

14.05.07

01:09

(I'm 10:45 ahead of you.)

typing in my room with the nightly symphony of chaos put on by none other than the plenteous stray dogs in the background.

 

Namaste!

 

Things here are great! Apologies for the lack of replies, but been extremely catered to by host family. I've been exhausted at the end of everyday to a point where I'm struggling to stay awake during my history of Nepal or history of the church lesson from Sandip, my super-cool, very friendly and extremely enthusiastic Christian brother and host. I realized now today why…

 

There's a Nepali saying that goes "atithi dava bhauva" – guests are to be treated like a god. This whole spiritual awareness of the Spirit is quite interesting, from the previous mentioned "Namaste" greeting meaning "I great the God in you." There is a Christian truth in both these statements realizing that the Spirit lives within His people, His creation. Matthew 25:35 à (?), Gal 2:20-21

 

Note: we went to a Monastery today. It's beautifully situated in the middle of nowhere. You ride for a good 30 minutes or so up the rockiest path possible. Along the way up, there's a truck coming down, with their wheels just inches from the side of the cliff. One slip and there will be a toppling truck going down the mountain. There are also light orange coloured berries that you can pick and eat (very very sweet – " mito" as the Nepali say) these grow just above the open sewage system that runs along the mountain road. It was dried, up at the time, but since there's no garbage disposal system here, garbage just gets tossed and left in the gutter. Occasionally, you'll get a clot which causes someone to shovel all the trash out to the side of the road to be compacted into the earth by passing vehicles. We had to get off the bikes, because it was too steep to ride up it. Also along the way were many women carrying loads of sand and rock, I think they were headed to a settlement off the road to construction something, but they were extremely happy to be greeted with "Namaste" complete w/ palms together and a small bow. People love to be acknowledged. I hope also that people might learn each others names and be able to use them. God is personal and I'm sure it would go a long way to try and learn ppl's names. That being sad, I'm also having a hard time learning ppl's names here. They are very different. Please pray that I might be able to learn names properly.

 

I met Suzan, Sandip's good friend. Suzan is a guy – very nice guy (who let me ride his bike – yeah!), who is also very knowledgeable. Did you know that second to Brazil, Nepal has the 2nd largest amount clean water? So why, do we have a water shortage in Kathmandu now? Routing is the main problem, due to the poor state of the country. They can also harvest a ton of energy from turbines from water gushing down the mountain, but no one is willing to invest and get invest in getting a system setup. On the way there, there was a constant stream of water coming out of a pipe that was fresh mountain water.

 

The locals keep saying that the locals are rich, but the country is poor. Please pray for selfless leaders to invest in the country.

 

Back to the way up to the monastery, there were others collecting water and bringing them to their homes. Imagine camping in 30 degree weather carrying 10L of water in a metal jug up a steep unstable road for a couple kilometres. You can take a shortcut that is extremely narrow and much steeper but unforgiving should you loose your footing. There's not much to stop you from a dry, dusty, rocky tumble to whatever ends up stopping you.

 

Monastery was beautiful and under construction. Didn't get to talk to monks, busy with things – but allowed us to roam about freely. We stopped at the base to wash up and eat something. It was nice to talk and get to know Sandip, Suzan and his girlfriend better.

 

Praise Him, I've been very well. I took 500mg of Vitamin C 2 days ago, but don't think that it's necessary. What I am afraid of is air pollution. My mouth feels full of particulate matter. I don't want to ever swallow… (@ street level, you literally go right through clouds of diesel. If you were from London you'd probably think that it's someone passed some gas in the fog… that's a bit exaggerated, but when you're close, I kid you not, it's like that)

 

I also got to meet more ppl at the night market – Puza and Indra good friends of Sandip from school. Everyone is well versed in English, Nepali and Newali (if they are Newali). Newali is a language of the native ppl in the Kathmandu Valley area. However, it's weird b/c there are different dialects and if you're from a different part of the valley, people from the other side of the hill won't understand your dialect of Newali.

 

There is a water shortage. Normally, we only get water once/4 days. And all we have is a 1000L storage reserve tank. Not sure if water will come for a while cause it's during the summer before monsoon. Anyway I splurged and indulged today w/ bucket. I think I used about 4L quite impressed. But I was getting very nasty after 5 days.

 

The orientation Sandip's giving me is 100x better than anything any organization could have offered. I'm slowly learning Nepali too. San-script alphabet tomorrow. (I think). Anyways, his school starts at 0600 and goes to 0900. I hope that he doesn't have to go get petrol tomorrow. It's a 3hr ordeal to stand in line to get a couple gallons.

 

We have it real good. We need to count bless'gs and be less self-absorbed in NA. – realize everything we have does not BELONG to us, but is to be used to bless others. I'm absolutely astounded by the hospitality I receive in any home I enter. ( e.g. Steve's home, I go to his room for 5 minutes and his mom comes in with a plate of food spiced potatoes (hot off the pan), homemade banana bread, and chunks of fresh banana with the largest cross-sectional area I've ever seen in my life. They're so tasty too. And before I can finish, an overflowing cup of juice is presented to Steve, Sandip and I. Apparently this is normal – they treat all ppl as if they were a god. Not saying I'm a god, but if Holy Spirit lives in me, then God does live in me.   So perhaps we need to exercise this hospitality. As well, there's a nicely decorated room w/ carpet and places for ppl to sit in every house I've been in. It's nice how they focus on spending time w/ ppl. Ok getting late 0130. Trying to wake up earlier…

 

Back to the symphony….

I'm in...

I've landed and evrything worked out well! Flights were flights,
exciting as per usual. As I landed in Kathmandu, I was greated by a
most informal immigration process. The wait was long and they still
use paper for everything. Monies collected from visas were stashed in
a giant pile of random bills, security personnel were absent and money
hungry porters/taxi drivers were eager to be of service to you.
They'll always ask you for more than you give them. Gave in once,
don't give in again. Very in your face culture - very friendly ppl
tho.

very different:
- ruckus on roads,
- ran over dog today. (he lived, dont' worry, there's tons of stray
dogs here) in fact, they're barking like mad outside.
- it is indeed very dusty and moderately warm.
- i'll also be sleeping on a bed once again.

staying realy close to Kanti Childrens' Hospital (15 min walk), but
far from New Baneshwor.

Tomorrow the Program Coordinator at the Primary Health Care and
Resource Centre (PHCRC) will pick me up with the supplies and I'll be
able to report more on the health care facility then.

Indeed the Lord has been watching over these steps. Luggage went
through at all sites w/o any trouble - and it's all here too. Continue
praising Him.

speaking today with people in this house - very friendly and had my
first meal of dahl bhat - traditional Nepali food (and Momo - buffalo
meat). no diarrhea yet...

It's exciting and also weird in a country where you dont' understand a
lot of the conversation around you - but it's no problem communicating
w/ ppl.
on dialup. more later

in the race,
e
heb12

Learning so far...

Geniune concern is not something you become methodically convince of, it comes about from conviction - a holy discontent that will prompt you to action. Therefore concern demands action.

In applying to volunteer in Nepal I have already learned a lot. I realized that it's not about what I can do for them; but rather I am willing. The situation is so desperate in Nepal that they will take anyone willing to spare time to be of service to the people there. They live in utter desperation and seem to be willing to take whatever you can offer. I was looking at some of my initial emails that I sent out - they looked like cover letters. Then I looked at some of the last emails I've been sending out to people and reflecting on my own attitude and realized that I've become a lot more concerned about people and their state of need rather than self-absorbed in trying to see what I can offer.

This physically poor nation has taught me a lot about survival already. My faith requires action... James 2

speaking of action.. prayer items....

Luggage: I have plenty of donated medical supplies to ship and struggling to get everything to fit in the 2 check-in bags. I think I'll be grossly overweight/oversized and may require another checkin. Please pray that I might be able to get away with being overweight/oversized. It will be another large expense. After some begging, Qatar Airlines has agreed to match Air Canada's 2 piece check-in allowance. Praise God.
Preparation: Please pray that I can clearly discern and prepare the message for the church there as I go to share about God's work in Brampton, Ontario, and Canada - that I migth be the Spirit's mouthpiece.
Psychological: Please pray that I be centred on Christ and remain fixated on me and what He demands of me.
Loved ones in Canada: that they might be encouraged and continually praying in faith.

Namaste!

from the lonely planet Nepal book

...the Nepali view of the world is dominated by puja; prayer and ritual and a knowledge that the gods are not remote, abstract concepts but living, present beings, who can influence human affairs in very direct ways. Nepalis perceive the divine everywhere, from the namaste gretting that literally means 'I greet the divine inside of you', to the spirits and gods present in tress, sacred river confluences ( dhoban) and mountain peaks.

The notions of karma and caste, when combined a tangled bureaucracy and deep-rooted corruption, tend to create an endemic sense of fatalism in Nepal. Confronted with problems, many Nepalis will simply respond with a shrug of the shoulders and the phrase khe garne? ('what is there to do?'), which Westerners often find frustration.

Very spiritual land indeed.

Correction Notice

For all those keen readers. I am actually not gone yet. My flight plans changed. My travel date is May 10 --> July 25.

Currently, I'm madly scrammbling to deal with airlines to see if they'll let me take extra baggage so that I can get all the supplies donated to me to Nepal. Perhaps I can attach a picture when I get around to finding a camera. And there more coming.