mountainbiking nepal: off to dhulikhel!

Backtracking to a couple weeks ago, several of us were fortunate to spend our couple days free of Nepali lessons and development lectures with a weekend of adventure. We began before the sun came up on Saturday morning and headed out from Thamel to Dhulikhel. We hopped on a bus for a quick trip to our starting point and proceeded to bikeride to our stay at Borderlands; a resort on the border of Tibet. We had an incredible time dodging huge trucks, dogs, and people that make a bikeride a little more on the exciting/nerveracking/best time of your life side. Then there’s the awesome Nepali-style bathroom situation: squat “toilets”. Feel free to use your imagination but I can assure you you’re probably underestimating the smell. But sixty kilometers up and down too many hills to count, very sore butts, and a couple dhaalbaat stops later, we finally made it!

tea, traffic, temples, and more tea!

So much of Nepal is nothing like I expected. Getting off the plane, the first thing to catch your eyes is the hazy brown layer of smog hovering over the valley (just like home sweet home!). I’ve always heard that India is dirty and polluted, and I guess it never dawned on me that Nepal might be very similar (though it does makes perfect sense when you take into account India bordering three sides of Nepal). More than anything I think most people have a romanticized picture of a beautiful city surrounded on all sides by the gorgeous snow-capped Himalayas… but I’d be lying if I said I could actually see the mountains I know are out there somewhere.

Though please don’t get me wrong. Nepal is beautiful! I haven’t gotten to see much of its mountainous regions yet, but city life has been challenging, exciting, and so much fun nonetheless. The best way I know how to put it is this: imagine San Francisco with streets half as wide, buildings half as tall, zero traffic laws, countless motorcycles, dogs, and street merchants, and the dirtiness of India. That’s Kathmandu

the daily trek to and from school

Finally getting into a routine has been remarkably nice. Most mornings start by getting ready for school just as the sun is coming up. When I come downstairs Vinu never fails to greet me with a hot cup of tea and before long I’m on my way with Rebecca for the hour’s walk to school. We live in Gongabu, which is in Kathmandu, but quite a ways from the SIT program site in Naxal. The first couple of days were pretty intense – learning how to dodge traffic and navigate the maze of streets can be more challenging than it sounds! On our first walk to school, we took pictures of as many of the major street corners as possible so that we could remember our way back. Rebecca’s host father was showing us the way, but we were on our own for the walk home. Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as street signs in Nepal, which makes things a little more challenging. And that’s not to mention that everything looks the same.

We headed out from the program site, a little nervous at first, knowing that in a little over an hour it would be dark and then we really wouldn’t have a clue where we were going. Dodging cars, dogs, people, and motorcycles, we weaved through traffic and miraculously only made one wrong turn before we made it home! (That’s quite the accomplishment for anyone who knows about my sense of direction – or lack thereof.) At the end of it all, we were left with sore eyes and lumps in our throats from the pollution and dirt (we suddenly understood the popular “Kathmandu cough phrase” – but we learned our lesson… there’s a reason why all the Nepalis covers their mouths with scarves!

Evenings back at home are pretty relaxed. Between tea, studying Nepali, and attempting some conversation, at some point I’ll be given a meal of dhalbaat. (The same lentil and rice dish as mentioned before. Served every night.)

School is a lot of fun… and its impressive how much easier it is to learn a language when you really have motivation to do so. (Each lesson makes conversation that evening that much easier.) But that’s not to say that it isn’t pretty intense. We have two and a half hours of Nepali every morning (don’t worry – a tea break in between!) followed by guest lecturers or some kind of excursion in the area. Overall, they’re long, exhausting days.

On Friday, we went to Pashupatinath, the second most famous Hindu temple in the world. And honestly, it’s hard to describe in words.

It was warm when we went, and the whole area was smokey and dusty. It was heartbreaking to see the poorest people there, washing in the murky river that ran alongside the temple we were approaching. Unable to go inside without being Hindu, we went around the backside where there were several sections of cement jutting out over the river, each with a woodpile burning (explaining the intense smoke). Under each woodpile was a body. People were everywhere, crowded around as their family members were being cremated right there. I didn’t really know what to think. Interestingly, the men whose parents had passed wear all white and shave their heads, and we were instructed not to touch or make physical contact with anyone since in this time of morning, they are considered unclean.

Pashupatinath was quite the learning experience, and definitely incredible to see. (On a sidenote – beautiful architecture!) And it was amazing to see so many Hindus from all over. (Of course, as usual, our group of Americans stuck out like a sore thumb.) But on a lighter note, that evening after classes we took advantage of our first real free time and headed to explore Thamel, the “tourist district” in Kathmandu. We got our hands on some pizza (surprisingly delicious after a week of dhalbaat) and enjoyed the night to ourselves with a taste of American food.

cremations. live cremations. a little intense. and smokey.

Of course, now that this is actually getting posted, school’s getting more intense but our first ISP proposal (our attempt at planning our research project that will be taking over the last month of our studies in Nepal) is officially finished. Such a relief!

Namaste!

It’s incredible to believe that I’ve been here for ten days. I have mixed feelings on the matter – I really can’t decide if it feels like I just got off the plane or if I’ve been here forever. A week and a half ago, on January 27 2011, I officially departed the United States for a semester studying in Nepal and a summer of traveling and interning in Bangladesh. After months of deciding, planning, and packing, it was difficult to believe the time had come to begin the adventure. With granola bars, my camera, good wishes and prayers from family and friends, and a heavy backpack in hand – I was finally ready to go.

Over seventeen hours of airplane food next to a large snoring man, a layover in Thailand, and a quick flight over the Himalayas later, I landed in Kathmandu, Nepal. After weaving through the hustle and bustle of men offering taxis, car rides, hotels, and even houses I was able to make it over the group of Americans crowded around a huge pile of luggage. There are two SIT study abroad groups here in Nepal, so before long the directors arrived and we were split into our respective sections. Our group loaded into a big van and began the hour and a half drive to Pharping, a village in the hills on the edge of the Kathmandu valley.

We spent four days in orientation at the “resort” where our eleven-student group received seemingly endless information on safety, health, travel, homestays, school, and the Nepali language. On our first morning, we got up before the sun for a hike down the hill for puja (offering) at Dakshinkali, a famous Hindu site. People travel from all over to give their offerings – all different depending on the family and situation. We received tika (red and yellow paint on the forehead) for the coconut we broke and offered. (A much less bloody option than the chickens and goats they were killing right in front of us.) Then, as we walked out, there were lines of bells to be rung along the walkway. It was a lot to take in and a little intense, but a really beautiful beginning to the trip.

A couple of days later we had our first opportunity to go exploring in a Nepali city. We were given the assignment locating at temple in the area and learning as much as possible about it. Of course, it would’ve been a little easier if anyone on the streets spoke English, but with lots of hand signals and some basic Nepali words we were able to successfully make it to a beautiful temple on the hill. We hiked up the steep steps and got ripped off by the woman at the top who charged us way too much for the candles she sold, but we were successful nonetheless.

From our stay in Pharping you could see a mountain strung up and down with what appeared to be telephone wires. When you get closer, you can see that the “wires” are actually thousands and thousands of beautiful prayer flags that have been carried up the hill and strung through the trees, all the way to the top of the mountain.

On Wednesday morning, it was time to head back into Kathmandu to be introduced to the program site where we have class each morning. The school is actually a converted house, and it gives a homey feel that was much welcomed from the freezing (and admittedly uncomfortable) setup in Pharping. I must say, the cold is something I didn’t come prepared for. It definitely gets warm during the day, but with all the buildings made out of concrete, no heating systems, and poor insulation, being indoors is often colder than being outside. And at night, the only real option is to bundle up with layers of leggings, socks, jackets, and blankets. But back to the point – after a tour of the location and introductions to the on-site staff, we all got ready to be picked up by our homestay families.

We were all a little nervous, and regardless of the days of orientation it was nearly impossible to know what to expect. It felt a lot like being a child at an orphanage, anxiously waiting to see what kind of parents would soon arrive to pick us up. And of course with only three days of Nepali under our belts, there was really no telling of whether we’d even be able to communicate with our new families!

Finally, it was time for introductions. My daai (older brother) Manav arrived. We all offered our new family members chia (tea) and then headed off to our new homes. Manav came on his motorcycle (a very common form of transportation here) so me and Rebecca (an SIT student whose homestay is in the same neighborhood) followed in a taxi.

I really couldn’t have asked for a better family. Manav lived in the United States for eight years, so he’s fluent in English (very convenient at times when I really need to give or receive vital information). Also in the house live mother and father (aama ra baa), Manav’s wife Vinu, and a helping girl. They live on a flat above a daycare (yes, that means I walk right through a playground of adorable toddlers before getting inside). On the first floor is the kitchen, living area, and aama and baa’s room, and outside on the terrace there’s a set of stairs that lead to the next floor where I have my own room and bathroom next door to Manav and Vinu. The view is incredible. There doesn’t seem to be a spare inch of space in the city, and being so high up I can see flats just like ours in all directions.

After he showed me around the house, we sat down for tea then Manav walked me down the road a ways and showed me the little shoe store he just opened. I walked back to the house with his wife and went inside to sit on the couch with aama. That’s about the time I truly felt like an exchange student. Like I said, Manav speaks fluent English, but the rest of his family doesn’t speak more than a couple of basic words like “friend, mother” and “father”. The awkwardness began to set in as we sat there, looking around. Aama would sporadically speak to me in Nepali, and I would do my best to pick up a word here or there until without much luck. We began pointing things out in the room and labeling them in each of our languages and eventually I ran up to my room and grabbed my Nepali dictionary and notebook in an effort to actually put together a couple of sentences, but I have a feeling my accent is so bad she probably didn’t understand a word I said.

After awhile I sat outside by a little makeshift fire and through a bit of sign language Vinu offered me dinner. Figuring the rest of the family would be joining, I agreed and was sat down at the table with a big pile of rice (baat) and little bowls of chicken and dhal (lentils). I tried to explain that I could wait to eat, but she insisted and proceeded to sit across from me, watching intently as I tried all of the food and attempted to express my gratitude (mostly through facial expressions). Before long it was time for bed and I’d officially made it through my first night with the fam.

The view of Kathmandu from right outside the door of my room!