Return to whence one came....

So I have finally returned back to the land of prayer flags and poinsettias, and can not say enough about how the Canadian experience has helped remind me of how good the West has got it. Although it took about 3 weeks to overcome reverse culture-shock, and be able to walk into dollar stores without suffering from anti-capitalistic anxiety attacks, the overall 6 week adventure was fabulous in being able to spend quality time with family, friends and old acquaintances alike!!! Not to mention, basking in the true luxury of breathing fresh air, eating nutrient-rich and diverse foods, while drinking safe, clean and purified water. Alas, it was also the joy of my surroundings the made this trip very cleansing and rejuvenating (and all accessible right outside my families front door)...

Oh, and just to compound my anti-capitalist fears, it came as quite a shock to see that our national animals are also now buying into corporate media influences... (yes that is a television satellite dish on a random beaver dam near Kaladar, Ontario....).  Hope the reception isn't "dampened" by the housing location... hee hee couldn't resist the pun...

Now back to reality...and the impending risk of typhoid and cholera that is inevitable this time of year in this part of the world.... ;-}.

Prayer Flags, Poinsettia's... & Shiva?

As the seasonal monsoon pours in on this very day, I am heartfelt to enjoy the cooling effect of soft and steady rains, yet reflective on the more common skyline of white fluffy clouds and clear blue skies.  I will be leaving Nepal for the bulk of the hot and wet season to visit the closest of family and friends back in my homeland of "Labatt's Blue & Beavers" :->. Only too anxious to return in 6 weeks time and learn of how the ongoing political crisis has unfolded and what challenges await my colleagues and community in the Far West of the country. Until then the colour and spirituality of the nation will be not forgotten...

What the world doesn't know....

Have you ever wondered how desperately challenging any given moment of the day is for someone else in the world? Have you ever thought about how many stories of oppression, violence and ignorance you are missing because of the preferential politics of your local media? As someone living within a current situation that hasn't made any news outside of the country, I can honestly say that you are missing lots!!!!

I live in a Far Western Terai (flat, hot, southern border with India) District of Nepal. Far away from the capital, Kathmandu, and much closer to the Indian capital of Delhi toward the vast rocky terrain of Kashmir and Pakistan than the rest of Nepal. This region of Nepal, because of it's separation from the centre, has been left to evolve within its own pace and up against limited support from the political and economic sources to the east. Because of this, politics and economics are deeply engrained within a social/cultural Indigenous identity that speaks its mind and acts without regard for the direction of its Kathmandu associates. Their struggle for recognition and promotional support has been ongoing battle and one that speaks very clearly to those of us who live here.

Now, I am not going to go into the fascinating recent history of Nepal, but it is safe to say, that since the decade long civil insurgency ended in 2005, this country has been without an official constitution, let alone stable government that has  withstood resignation of top officials for nothing less than 12 months. However, on May 28th, 2012, that could change. The current government could still be in power, and the signing of an "official" constitution, the first ever federal democratic constitution to be written for this nation, is to be signed. One might deduce however, that these next few weeks are therefore heavily steeped in political maneuvering and strategic action by all factions of society, and especially those in the Far West who want to have a voice within a government agenda that will affect the whole of the nation for the foreseeable future.

Possibly then, it is not surprising to hear that where I live we have been gripped by a 12 day bandha (or strike) across all of the far western districts. What this means is that groups of protestors (anywhere from a few hundred to ten's of thousands) march along the main market road demanding (and violently at times enforcing) that all shops, offices, schools, etc. remain closed. These groups also barricade the roads so that no motorized vehicle can move. There were some overnight buses and motorcyclists that managed to move out of the region last week, but that has recently stopped due to the escalation of rock pelleting to drivers/passenger windows and then the resulting burning of said motorbikes and buses before people make it to the district border. Purified water is no longer available, and propane for gas stoves is dwindling. Supplies, such as toilet paper, carbonated drinks, coffee, any canned goods, etc. are no longer available, while medicine is also becoming in short supply. Just as we in this region of Nepal can't get out, neither can things get in.

So far our personal safety has not been compromised, but as the deadline of the 28th looms, and the escalation of limited patience is noticeable amongst the protesting groups, our status could become quite precarious. Its not that I want to sound too ominous, for when you live in one of the poorest nations in the world, the loss of some limited goods at this stage is not a big deal. But as people continue to feel the pressure of these enforced strikes, much like we Canadians witnessed with the Oka crisis of 1990 (even though that conflict did make international news), tension leads to violence, which leads to victims of the violence....

Looks like I'll have some more interesting stories to match the challenges of last year's Egyptian revolution to share during this coming summer's visits abroad....

Image vs Vision

When you experience something, someone, somewhere for the first time, what thoughts do you draw upon to measure the experience? Where do these thoughts find their roots: in experience, in socially-learned behaviour offered from family, school, religious community, neighbourhood, local media, etc...through the only lens of learned knowledge that you have uniquely developed from your earliest days on the planet.

When we look, engage, assess any experience for the first time, we bring our biases, our judgements, our expectations, our learned knowledge of what and how we think things "should" and/or"known [in our minds]" to be to that assessment.  And those who might offer their "un-bias" opinions, [unless otherwise cognizant of their biases and judgements in relation to that which is outside of their learned experiences], will find themselves shifting into a prescribed response which, is at its root oppressive, ignorant and patronizingly superior in deliverance.

I am currently reading Greg Mortenson's Stones into Schools. A recently controversial biographic tale (and follow up book to Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea) about Mortenson's experiences with building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan over the last 15 years. Both books have become controversial because of the challenges that have come about to the stories accuracy. Yet, the author makes his shortcomings very clear to the reader in both books, let alone describes the nature of the personal challenges working in that part of the modern world.  Now, I'm certainly not in a position to argue the legitimacy of the whole story, but what I can offer, as someone who is currently working in education within the Far Western Districts of Nepal, and most recently in Egypt, that there are realities within many stretches of the world that can not be judged based on the lived experiences of non-travelled North American's or Europeans. Indeed, these audiences should not be in any position to judge the legitimacy of the story, unless they have lived and worked for an extended period of time in the areas which Mortenson has engaged. The subtleties and nuances of all cultures are labyrinthian in nature. To be ignorant of how your learned knowledge has come about and in not having shared in a lived history for any length of time, is not an excuse to super-impose another "standard" upon those that are "different". To judge an "image" based on your perceived "vision" without accepting to embracing difference, is in my opinion to continue the sins of the colonial fathers.

I tip my hat to Mortenson for his attempt to share the far reaches of a 21st century Pakistan and Afghanistan with the world, in so much as the raw determination and persistance that many people, who are faced with phenomenal challenges of survival, endure to empower their kin while relishing in ancestral negotiating patterns embracing progress and their civility.  The "images" he has encountered were offered, again in my opinion, through a "vision" of humble acceptance and passionate conviction to embrace difference. This message is something that all believers AND doubters of the story should learn and act upon.

Children of Nepal.... by what "vision" do you measure the image of their faces?

Progress without colonization

Upon returning from my first adventure to Thailand, my 23rd country in 16 years of international travel, I sit inspired by this peninsular South-East Asian nation. Although I knew very little, historically, politically, and socio-culturally about this tropical gem of a country prior to arrival, I was at once in awe of their obvious level of infrastructural development (roads, transportation, electrical and water capabilities), accessibility and diversity of goods and food products, while holding on to the true nature of the commodity-profit theoretical equation: if it's a basic living condition (food, water, transportation, housing) and cheap (in the global economic dollar-pound-euro scheme of things) most people will purchase at random and often. A definitive role-model society if I ever saw one. Again, compared to the global scheme of things... and especially having lived the last 3 years in Egypt and Nepal. The historic and modern sites memorable, while the country-side and sea-view landscape overwhelming picturesque. Thailand is truly a nation that lives up to being a major tourist hot-spot for the modern traveller.

Personally, I don't know why more South-East Asian nations don't take note of how this small, but diverse nation has maintained its political constitutional monarchy (that is highly praised if not challenged subliminally every now and then), while progressing into the 21st century as a modern nation with much opportunity and forward-thinking in its major grounding arenas: economics (i.e., the control/sale/distribution of the national lottery), education (the diversity and quality of government and private institutions), health (quality and standards with international support), compounded with the acceptance of diverse religious, cultural, racial, linguistic and gender/sexual diversity (I know I have never seen the number of non-gender or ambiguous gender identity individuals in any one experience of a country in all of my travelling experiences, let alone country of origin, it was breathtakingly wonderful!!!!!!!!! let alone freeing).

What more can I say.... Visit Thailand before the rest of the world catches on (and the Thai government hikes up the price of the adventure)...

 Yes...this is one of many "piled high food stands" often filled with various protein/meat products such as these dried/deep fried fish/seafood products....

Exhaustion

Over the last few days I have come to accept something within myself, and that is that I am exhausted. Exhausted from attempting to gain respect and recognition from all those around me, and most of all from within myself.

I'm not sure how many white men ever realize their place of privilege in global society. And if you are a person deemed to be of low class or racial inferiority, your struggle to be heard, let alone recognized and respected are compounded with immeasurable challenges. As a woman, segregated because of class and race for the first 18 years of life, I feel an inherent understanding to the persistent struggles of the lowest caste group in Nepal (Dalit) and especially girls and women. Yet, even as a foreigner, I do not deny my privilege to be here and to be living and working amongst the people of a country considered one of the poorest on the planet. Yet, even amongst those I work alongside (other foreigners) my opinion, actions and voice are still challenged and made to feel inferior. Those old feelings of oppression which were felt as a child haunt my daily routine, and to be honest, have haunted me for the two decades in which I left my home village of marginalized existence.

It is only now that I have come to the realization, that the daily internal and external shouting above the imposed silence, has drained my energy and will to challenge the closed minds surrounding me. It has been my reflective soul-searching of the last several months that suddenly opened a door for me to acknowledge the reality of this daily battle and how my head, heart and soul are fractured because of it. It is time to not only be proud of myself outwardly in all I have become and done, but most importantly, inwardly in all fairness and honesty to myself. I bow now to let those around me to continue to live in self-imposed spaces of privilege and ignorance-of-self, while I will roam freely and with conviction in knowing my own good, my own identity, embracing my own spiritual peace.

Innocence...

What do children really need? Toys? New designer shoes? Electronic gadgets? Attention? Empathy? Love? I guess depending on your own social, political and economic status in the world, you might answer with all of the above. But it's not until you walk out of the developed world box that you see Children really need Equality!! Equal access to clean sanitation, safe housing, quality education, and basically the individual recognition of potential!!!!

Children's innocence in what they have to what they don't have amazes me. As I think of the 5 year olds from my middle-class world in Canada, to the 5 year olds I greatly admire and respect in impoverished rural Nepal, I see how much "richer" these local children are.

Their certainly rich in their joy of the simple. The way all Nepali children laugh, explore, investigate with limited fear of strangers, any creature great or small, is utterly blissful!! Baby goats and puppies are all part of the local "gang" to sing with, dance with, dress up in towels and hats, as everyone rolls around in the grass between rice patties, cattle stalls, pig styes and concrete or adobe walls of their "modern" humble homes. Their possessions are very few. One or two causal outfits, to one or two school uniforms will be all they wear for some years. Expected school shoes are enclosed, but most children (and adults for that matter) live in hard plastic sandals, or nothing at all. Toys are few. Electronics non-existent.

And yet, these children are some of the poorest in all the other ways that qualifies developed nations as "developed". Many schools have limited running water, let alone separate bathrooms for boys or girls. All sanitation is outside of course, and there is no environmentally safe/appropriate waste system anywhere in rural Nepal. Schools are in various states of construction or crumbling, qualifying many classes to be conducted outdoors all year through. There are no Health & Safety rules or regulations here in Nepal.

Children however, are incredibly resilient in this nation of 30 million people (roughly the same as Canada). The statistics for child-hood disease and death rates are still alarming, but of those children I engage every day... I routinely sit in awe of their urchin-like smiles, their unadulterated giggles and their captivating sense of innocence.

The potency of "rain"....

As the beginning of a new Gregorian calendar year is upon us (the Nepali/Hindu New Year is in April), I am delighted to offer that my partner and I sought to enter 2012 in a different city, engaging in new adventures, and of course discovering new bird-life! :->  (check out his revisited blog site at markdread.blogspot.com for more feathery details) Still in Nepal, we made our way to the city of Pokhara. Nestled in the central hills of Nepal, Pokhara is more known for being the stepping off point for many popular treks into the Himalayas than for much else. But with it being a trekkers paradise, the perks of Western cuisine, hot showers and a more active nightlife highlight the stopover in a way that the overcrowded, "hippie-esqe" hustle & bustle of Kathmandu is not. It was certainly a nice refuge for a week. The biggest and possibly only challenge, however, with visiting Pokhara from our current 'dera' or home in the Far West, simply comes down to "getting there and back".

Nepal has one highway. It is a dual-carriage/single lane highway, not highlighted by an central line, rudely maintained and cliff-teettering in spots, but often the only means of transportation (sparse air services do exist, but are temperamental based on weather and expense) from the east to the west of the country. All forms of moving vehicle and terrestrial animal, from rickshaws to lorries, cattle to dogs, use this highway, and often its "2-lane" width is in reality a "6/8-lane" roller-coaster experience.  Getting from Dhangadhi to Pokhara, therefore, comes down to a choice of 3 transportation options: a flight from Dhangadhi to Pokhara. This requires a transfer in Kathmandu (which is further away from Dhangadhi than Pokhara, but ALL flights come in and fly out of the capital regardless of internal destination or start-off points). There is a tourist bus which will take you again toward Kathmandu (a 19 hour no stops/overnight ride) of which you can get off 2 hours this side of Kathmandu and flag down another tourist bus to finish the journey to Pokhara which would take another 6 hours, depending on bus availability on the side of the highway. OR a local bus, which is a direct bus to Pokhara but stops everywhere, resulting in a 20 hour, cramped adventure on a bus that is reminiscent of the comfort felt riding a children's schools bus.

Flying in Nepal is cheap on an international cost scale, but as a volunteer, it far exceeds my allowance. The tourist bus option, this time of year in particular has odds of leaving one stranded on the side of the road for hours, if not overnight, and so the local bus won out, as it was the most direct, least confusing/scary in tempting the unknown, and by far the cheapest. The great thing about the local bus though...is you never know with what or "whom" the bus-boys will jam it with to generate any form of payment for transportation. :-> All in all, an interesting experience, and one that would not be dismissed readily for the next adventure....but be for warned.... goat pee and rain initially retain the same qualities coming down against open or closed windows... but that "fresh-rain" smell is sorely lacking with the first option by far.... :-}

View of Pokhara City from the Peace Pagoda Hilltop Vantage Point.

Phewa Lake which borders the city of Pokhara, and boat rides are a cheap way to spend a day. (No motor boats allowed!)

The Annapurna Mountain Range, the view again from the Peace Pagoda Vantage Point.

....and the last of 20 goats being loaded on to the roof or our bus for what would be another 18 hours of our trip to Pokhara. Wonder how much each one of them was charged for the journey??? ;->