Nepal is Calling...: 2012

This month has been full of long days with nothing to do as a result of political bandhs taking place throughout Nepal. The current government is tasked with completing the national Constitution by May 28th and the Supreme Court has refused to allow for another postponement. Apparently, this process has taken several years already. As a result many decisions are being made regarding "federalism" and how governance should be structured throughout the country. There is an attempt to implement what they call "ethnic-based" federalism, where state and regional boundaries are drawn based on ethnic groups vs. resources, geography, etc. This has resulted in growing tension between different ethnic groups such as the Madeshis, Newars, etc. Every group is claiming that they want their own state and equal representation in government. Different groups throughout the country enforce a civil shutdown in protest - so no shops are open, no schools are open, there is no transit on the roads, not even bikes. In fact, Satish was simply walking his bike, not even riding it and a group of protestors came and punctured his tires claiming that he should be on the streets supporting them. In general, safety is not an issue if you're not engaged in the protests. But the alternative is that you're stuck at home and kids don't go to school. That's the worst. I really think that schools should be allowed to stay open since it really sets a horrible example for the future generation. This is not the way to effectively address political change. At least, not here. These bandhs don't influence the government one way or the other. They just want to get this Constitution out. And to be honest, it's going to be just like anything else in Nepal, rushed and botched up at the end. I just hope these bandhs are over in the next few weeks. I'm ready to go back to the office and have Manav back in school.

Manav goofing off in the new garden

Eating daal bhatt with his hands just like his didis!

Mother's Day Festivities in Nepal

Wedding season in Nepal

We arrived in Nepal on October 23rd, over 6 months ago and we can truly say that this is home. I was initially keeping a journal on my laptop because it was challenging to load pictures and post my blogs due to sporadic electricity and access to the internet. I will make it my project to post some of those earlier entries so you have a glimpse of what those early couple of months were like...

Meanwhile, lots has happened with a fair amount of ups and downs. Satish and I always framed our decision to move based on trade-offs that we were going to make - things we would be giving up in the U.S. for the life we would gian in Nepal. Six months later we ask ourselves, are the trade-offs worth it, and we can both confidently say YES! Our quality of life here is so much better than in the U.S. Here are some of the reasons:

No bills to pay - we have no rent, no credit cards, you just have to make sure you have cash in the bank!
No laundry - everything is hand washed and line dried
No grocery shopping - daily veggies are bought from the local market or delivered to us here at home
No cooking or dishes - we hired a lovely woman who cooks yummy Nepali food for us every day and does the dishes
No pressure to go to the gym - Satish goes jogging or biking with his cousins in the morning and I found a lovely yoga studio I can seek solace at
No shuttling Manav to therapy appointments - ok, so I have some mixed emotions about this one. I do miss the swimming and hippotherapy and the support I got from all his therapists. But it really was very exhausting to manage his schedule
No driving or parking - we bought a scooter to take us around, otherwise there are minibuses, taxis or we walk
Manav is surrounded by tons of family and is learning Nepali, rituals and customs
We have a huge vegetable garden and a lovely new yard for Manav to run around and play soccer
There is tons of social activity with birthdays, dinners and regular family get togethers
Satish and I have regular date nights because there is always someone here to be with Manav

The list can go on and on... these things help me adjust to the long power outages, lack of playgrounds for Manav, missing our friends and family, the ocean. That's another list that I'll save for another day. Right now, I'm rejoicing in our new life here :)

JOBS

I started working for Seva Foundation in late January it has been such a rewarding experience. Seva is a small INGO that has been working in Nepal for over 30 years working to eliminate blindness by providing sight services and cataract surgeries to communities in need. They have grown significantly in the past ten years and wanted someone to assess their programs, services and partnerships. This two month project really made me feel like I found my niche. It felt great to be an outsider and offer insight, analyze a situation and use my problem solving skills. The Seva team from Berkeley came to meet with us last week and it was so rewarding to know that they found my work informative and helpful. It reinforced that yes, I am capable of doing good work here! We're now in the process of renewing my contract so that I can continue working with them.

Satish has also been working since December with the Nepal Investment Board, a government initiative to increase direct foreign investment to strenghten various sectors such as hydropower, agro-business, tourism, etc. I think he was hit a bit with the fact that his salary went from six figures in the U.S. to about $750 a month here. The work itself is exciting and has huge potential to do a lot of good for Nepal, if they are successful in cutting through the politics and beauracracy. He recently met with representatives from the Canadian government who were familiar with his work back in the U.S. in renewable energy, so that was a real boost for him!

MANAV

Manav has really adjusted very nicely to life here. He is picking up alot of Nepali and I was surprised how good his grammer is. He is able to ride his tricycle without any pedal supports, kick a soccer ball around on the lawn, color in the lines, attempt tracing, is cutting paper with scissors, and can walk up small steps without any support. He is still a silly little boy who loves to make up songs and dance. He does Bhaya to Hazur Ma and Ba and Kamla PhuPhu in the mornings and learned the Gayatri Mantra at school. He's learned to do pooja, receive tikka, and mimicks mini bus conductors to the T! I love his free loving spirit which has allowed him to cultivate such lovely relationships with his six didis, three phuphus, ma and ba.

Lately he has started getting very upset and crying in these uncontrollable fits, unpredictably. He did this yesterday when he refused to get out of the bath, and this morning when he fought going to school. Sometimes I think it's because he's tired and hungry, but today I don't know what pushed his buttons. It's so unlike him, and I'm a little concerned. Time to refer to my parenting books again...