I traveled back to Kathmandu today for the festival Tihar (festival of lights). It is five days long and each day something is worshiped: ox, dog, crow, God of wealth and then siblings. I don't think that is exactly in the correct order but, today was the second day and the street dogs were prancing around with flower necklaces and paint on their forehead. Very cute. I made friends with the people who i traveled with in the jeep (see the selfie below as evidence). We stopped a few times along the way - first to stop to buy a bunch of flowers for the festival and second to buy some vegetables and other snacks. Someone bought and gave me what looked like tree bark to chew on - I went along with it. They also shared some homemade treats that they brought along for the ride. I'm not entirely sure what it was, but it was sweet and tasty. New Friends! Tree bark snack. More snackz Stopping to buy flowers I am staying at someone's home while I am in Kathmandu. She works at an orphanage and I went with her this afternoon. There are about 30 children living there from 3-18 years old and we're all very nice. I also got to eat buffalo mo-mo's which where soooo good. View of Kathmandu from the orphanage The best MoMos I've had so far
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This is where we spend a lot of time before and after school playing, coloring, and dancing. There is a tv where we watch Nepalise soap opera-like shows every night and a little throughout the day. I am thoroughly invested in one of the shows, despite it being in Nepalise. In the latest episode the evil girlfriend was making her boyfriend burn all of his ex's items but fell into a spell and went unconscious. While she was trying to pry the necklace out of his hand his bros appeared and smacked her over the head with a stick. There is also another show that comes on after about a woman who transforms into an evil snake. Very intriguing. Basically, you don't need to be good at acting to be a Nepalise TV star, you just need to be able to hold an extremely shocked face for at least 2 minutes at a time and have really great eyebrows. Whenever something dramatic happens (which is often) the camera focuses in on every characters face to show their reaction. Very entertaining. The mother cooks all of the meals on the clay square. She lights a fire in the cylinder and coats the bottom of a pot with clay before putting in on top. I'm unsure if all of the mess are cooked this way because of the fuel shortage or if that is just how things are done in rural areas. Behind on the white square is where we get all of the water for drinking, cooking, cleaning. There are two bathrooms behind the blue doors, but it is very different than our bathrooms. It's basically a ceramic hole on the ground and a water faucet. There is no indoor plumbing or toilet paper. I've also become good friends with a massive daddy long leg that resides there.
Pictures by Anjue Magar, Ashika and Asma After I came back from temple yesterday morning. We ate different food than what we usually eat throughout the week on Saturday and it was soo delicious. My favorite dish was fried potato mixed with rice, tomatoes, garlic and some spices that made it look yellow (curry??)
I can finally remember almost all of the girls' names - which was so challenging at first I wasn't sure if I would be able to. I also can count to ten in Nepalise, so I'm fairly impressed with myself. The first few days of being here took some adjustment. These girls live a completely different life than we do in the U.S. and are so joyful, kind and lighthearted. They have so much less than what most American children grow up with, yet are laughing and having fun with what they have. Have your grandparents ever told you that back in their day, they played with rocks? Yeah, well, today I played with rocks and it was actually fairly entertaining. Also, I'm so glad I brought the coloring books and pencils because the girls absolutely love them. I color with them before school and all evening. They are so proud of what they make and get my attention to look at their progress every five minutes - it's so adorable. Saturday is their holy day and I get to go with the children to the temple. I'm really looking forward to that. While I'm at the center I don't think it is appropriate to take pictures, but before I leave I will ask if I can take a group picture of the children. I arrived at the counseling center in Hetauda on November 3rd by driving through some rigorous roads. We were literally driving 10 feet away from the edge of a cliff most of the time - but I played it cool despite looking potential death in the eye (for 4 hours straight).
There are about 12 girls from age 3-14 at the center. They are all extremely friendly and so happy to have me around. The older girls know how to speak some English and they love to teach me Nepalise. While the older girls go to school during the day, I spend time with a little girl who only speaks Nepalise. I do a lot of smiling and nodding - but even though we don't understand each other's language, it's pretty amazing how as humans we still find a way to communicate, play and laugh. They love to show me what talents they have or a picture that they colored - they are always yelling "Sister! Sister!" to get my attention (usually a minimum of 2 girls at once). They are truly amazing and I'm so happy to have met them. I've had such a great day so far! I learned so much about Hinduism and Buddhism. Can't wait to share later
Tried dal bhat (plate with rice): Check.
Ate mo mo (dumplings): Check. Watched traditional Nepali dancing: Check. Saw man eat fire: Check. Selfie with yak: Check. HELLO? IS THIS THING ON??
I just landed in Philadelphia with a hour layover before my 13 hour flight to Doha, then another 4 hours to Kathmandu. It's going to be a long day of travel. Thank you to everyone who has helped and supported me as I prepared for this trip, it means so much to me. I'm still unsure how accessible wifi will be in Nepal, so hopefully I will be able to continue documenting my journey here. But, regardless, off I go! |
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