Boudha, Nepal

Back in Kathmandu

2008-11-28T03:31:00.001-08:00

Since my last post, I have traveled throughout Nepal quite a bit, in addition to taking part in some really neat happenings at the Monastary where I go to school. In the beginning of November, I had a chance to travel to both Pokhara and Chitwan, Nepal. Pokhara is about eight hours away from Kathmandu, and it serves as the base city for many treks heading off into the Himalayas, or specifically the Annapurna Circuit. Generally, my time in Pokhara was magnificent as it is a small town around a lake, with gorgeous mountain views, and much clearer air as compared with that of Kathmandu.Although I didn't partake in any trekking myself, the mountain views in Pokhara were amazing! The Himalayas are truly a breathtaking sight, early in the morning sunrise. The popular lookout point to get early morning mountain views is in Sarangkot, which is located about 15 minutes in a taxi from Pokhara. That morning we arrived in Sarangkot at around 5am, and sipped chai at tea shop just until the sun hit the mountains at a perfect enough angle to take pictures.

After out time in Pokhara, we went to Chitwan National Park in hopes of seeing some rhinos or at least an elephant. Chitwan is located in the lower terai region of Nepal. The interesting thing about my time in Nepal has been the varied topographies within short distances of one another. From Pokhara, a mountain town, we headed straight to the lowest part of Nepal, Chitwan, which borders Bihar, India. As such, Chitwan was noticeably warmer than both Pokhara and Kathmandu, and also significantly flatter. Although we didn't see any rhinos, the time spent viewing elephants was really neat and definitely worth the trip. After Chitwan, we headed straight back to Kathmandu, where I have been ever since.

I will be in Kathmandu for the remainder of my time here in Nepal. With just two short weeks left, I am looking forward to spending lots of time with my host family, and getting lots of school work done.

India!

2008-11-03T01:31:00.000-08:00

So today I got home from India, which was really great. We went to Bodhgaya first, which is located in the poorest state of India, Bihar. Bodhgaya is a rural community, and it is also considered the most holy Buddhist pilgrimmage site in Asia. We stayed at a Burmese Monastary which was a great experience in terms of living inside a monastic community. Although the city of Bodhgaya is considered the most prosperous city within the state of Bihar, it was still shockingly desolate, even compared to that of Kathmandu. I went on a walk through the main village there, and it was unbelievable. It was essentially farmland with small homes made out of mud and cow dung on the outskirts. The situation is clearly dire, and few of the children were wearing shoes. As we walked by, everyone would just scream, "hello, money money money?" It was sad, irritating, depressing, and a lot of emotions all at once. What made it even more difficult is that this village is apparently the site of many National Geographic-esque photo shoots because while we were there, Westerners came in, snapped some pictures of the children, and then sped off as fast as they came. All of the kids chased the car hitting it screaming "money money money." Of course Kristina, the girl, and I weren't staying there and getting in touch with the life either, but just the whole scene of the photographer and the kids made me uncomfortable and represented more than just the poverty in India, but the relationship between Indians and people of the West. I'm still trying to figure out what even happened and how I really feel about it. Needless to say, I appreciated my time in Bodhgaya for both the cultural immersion as well as the chance to see one of the most holy Buddhist Stupas, the Mahabodhi Temple.

After leaving Bodhgaya, we went to Varanasi which was amazing. Varanasi is, from a western perspective, India in a nutshell: women in saris everywhere, rickshaws, the Ganges, chai stands. I know it sounds cheesy the way I describe it, but it was really quite amazing. We took a rowboat out on the Ganges at sundown. It was so interesting to see everyone bathing in the river. It was also really cool, although smelly, to see the cremation areas, called the ghats.There is only one ghat that actually still functions, although throughout history, all of the ghats were used to cremate Hindu bodies. After death, Hindus believe it is most desireable to be thrown into the Ganges, so a lot of older people go to Varanasi to literally wait until they die. It's kind of like a city of death, which is both creepy and interesting. When we were in Varanasi, there was also one sadhu with hair that was easily 15 ft long. A sadhu is a Hindu holy man who renounces everything in life and lives to die, basically. They wear yellow and gold, and meditate for a living. There are four stages to the Hindu life, the fourth one being that of a renouncer. This renouncer with the long hair was sitting on top of one of the ghats, and his dreads draped down all the way until the river.

Dashain Holiday

2008-10-09T06:58:00.000-07:00

Today was one of several days throughout the Hindu Dashain holiday. I'm not exactly sure why, but today is a special day in that typically, most Nepali families all gather to offer tikah (a red rice and paste mixture) to one another and to celebrate the harvest time in Nepal. Along with making animal sacrifices, receiving tikah is a hallmark of this Hindu celebration. Although I am living with a Tibetan Buddhist family, I had an opportunity today to celebrate the holiday with a Nepali friend and his family. Today was definitely one of my favorite days since being here in Nepal. All of the women were dressed in their beautiful and ornate saris, an elaborate Nepali meal was prepared, and the family celebrated the biggest holiday of the year. In many ways, it reminded me of the way many Christians celebrate Christmas in the United States, as my family does. For the first time since I've been here (and probably for the last time all year) the streets of Kathmandu were empty. Everything was closed and not even the vegetable and fruit stands were set up for shop. Just like on Christmas in the United States, the only thing open for business was the movie theater!

The elders in a Nepali family offer Tikah to the younger members of the family. As the day continues, everyone who is older than you offers you tikah on your forehead. Therefore, by the end of the day, the smallest child in the family usually has a full forehead full of red, rice paste. Traditional music played in the background, while each family member lined up to first receive tikah and then give tikah to the children. I feel very blessed and lucky to have been invited to this celebration. It was truly a memorable experience and one that I will never forget.

My first few weeks in Kathmandu

2008-09-23T03:21:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I've already been in Kathmandu for nearly four weeks now. Things in Nepal are completely foreign to anything I have ever encountered before in my life. A friend once told me that she loved traveling in a developing nation because of "how raw things are." In my last three weeks, I have realized how "raw" life can be here in Nepal as well. I have found that nothing is concealed or coated or tucked away. I am feeling, smelling, and seeing things up close and personal. The cows roam the streets freely, the dogs wake up the Tibetan city of Boudha at 5am, and the monks and nuns continuously circumnavigate the Boudhanath Stupa, gripping tightly to their prayer beads. In the beginning of my journey, I was completely overwhelmed by this foreign place and this completely foreign culture, yet as the days go by, I feel more and more apart of Boudha, Nepal.

I have had several interesting cultural experiences since arriving from the US. I am in a very interesting and unique position in that I am living in Nepal, a predominantly Hindu nation, yet am living in Boudha, which is a Tibetan Buddhist enclave in the heart of Kathmandu. I am also living with a Tibetan family, yet have interacted with many Nepalis thanks to the program coordinator here, as well as my host family's friends. For my Tibetan family, living in Nepal is obviously somewhat of a challenge. They feel violated and persecuted after having been forced to leave their homeland and attain refugee status in Nepal. My host mother, Amila, wears the same t-shirt nearly everyday that reads, "Save His Holiness The Dalai Lama. FREE TIBET!" Amila and I have discussed her families involvement with the protesting at the Chinese Embassy in Nepal. Out of fear of being deported to India, they no longer go to the protests, which happen daily.

Within our Tibetan home, there are portraits of the Dalai Lama and other Lamas everywhere in the apartment. Popo-la, the father of my host father, chants and meditates at all hours of the day. Both in the morning and at night, he heads towards the stupa with his prayer beads wrapped around his wrist to pray. I also attended a puja with my host family, which is a Buddhist ceremony, in this case held for the 49th day after someones death. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, it is said that the period of rebirth for an individual is from the day of their death, to 49 days after. On the 49th day a puja is held in order to pray that the soul of the person is reborn into a heavenly realm.

After nearly four weeks of adjustment, I can say with confidence that I am happy to be in Nepal and am looking forward to the next two months.