So I took the last day to wander around Thamel, a very touristy spot in Kathmandu. Not sure what to think of it. Though I kind of enjoy being a tourist, I'm disturbed by this type of "tourism". Shop after shop of the same items, hippies to the left and right, shopkeepers asking me, "Indian?", to which my reply usually is "maybe." I like to keep them guessing. Most of the time when I'm traveling, I just want to blend in and BE. But I found myself sitting at the Pumpernickel Cafe, an air conditioned western bakery. They have sandwiches, pastries and real coffee. Which by the way, I ordered all of it! I purposely didn't bring anything with me. Stephanie left this morning and today really is all mine. I didn't want to be distracted by my phone or books. I just wanted to sit and evaluate the last 20 days. I has been a test of my patience, my ability to work with a very difficult team, learn to love them anyway, and put my endurance to the test! I have almost taken pride in the fact that I'm a city girl with no desire to be a part of nature. WOW...has that changed! Now it might just be temporary since I'm in Nepal and everyone's doing it, or that "thing" about me that super's adventurous when traveling, but a complete bore in the USA. Whatever it is, it's yet another realization that I can do anything I put my love and energy into
In the last year I have traveled to seven countries. Each trip I cam back stronger and a bit more evolved. But usually I come back and fall into the same routine: work, bills, work, bills, work, work, work! And I'm sure it will happen this time as well. But I hope to make a few changes in my life this time around. I hope. Don't ask me what they are yet!
I leave at 11pm tonight. I am thankful to have one final dinner with team USA. And then it's back to a different "reality."
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The Himalayas and I
Obviously, I didn't have internet while trekking, but I tried to journal a bit.
October 10th. My eyes cannot express the beauty they have seen today. We trekked from Khare to Landruk. It took about six hours with the breaks for water, snacks and photos. We went up and down and up and down, across suspension bridges and enjoyed the crisp, cool air. Though extremely difficult, the trek so far has been amazing. My feet hurt, I have blisters and I'm sunburned, but I have so much energy right now. I'm sitting with our guide, Kulu and porter/assistant Meena. We are drinking ginger chai and eating daal bhaat (a Nepali favorite). Apparently, Landruk to Ghandruk is about to kick our asses! We go straight down (mostly steps made out of rocks) and then straight up. It should take us six hours.
Aside from all that, Kulu and Meena have been great. We are definitely enjoying their company, I hope they can say the same about Stephanie and I. We are staying at a small tea house, Ex Captain Lali Gurung Guest House. It's a cute guest house with shared bathrooms. A little story, I had to use the bathroom at about 2am, but feared the YETI would eat me so I waited until 4am and then woke Stephanie up so she would stand guard at the toilet!
October 11th. What do I even say? I just accomplished one of the hardest things I've ever done. I wish I had written more, but I have tons of pics to prove it! The day began with an extreme downhill trek to the bottom of the valley. At that point we crossed a very sketchy suspension bridge and started an even more extreme trek up. It was probably two hours down and four up! We were headed to Ghandruk, a scenic village of stone and slate houses with a colorful Buddhist monastery. We decided that we would stay at the Peaceful Lodge, though I'm not sure how peaceful it was. They had a television and we watched Amitabh films with the family...as a side note, October 11th is his birthday! Happy Birthday Amitabh Bachchan!!!! Meena, the assistant, one can eat any husky American man under the table and two, can sit in front of a television for hours. Which is exactly how she spent her evening!
The next day we made our way to Nayapul, which they say is an easy descent...HA! It rained the night before so it was slippery and difficult. Thank goodness for good hiking boots (THANK YOU REI). I don't want to complain as there were hundreds of porters along the way that were carrying five backpacks, water, camping supplies, etc, all which probably weighed 50-75 or more. The trek probably didn't end in the most enjoyable way as there was much commotion. Dasain begins in a few days so everyone is preparing. Dasain is Nepal's biggest annual festival. It lasts for 15 days. It celebrates the victory of the goddess Durga over the forces of evil. Hundreds of thousands of animals are sacrificed in Durga's honor. Which is no joke. It was terribly hard to see all these sheep being gathered for sacrifice. I am definitely rethinking the whole vegetarian thing.
So, here we are. It's our last day in Pokhara. I'm awake super early and just relaxing and enjoying the view of Fewa Lake. In a few hours we will be departing via YETI Airlines back to Kathmandu. One day left there. Stephanie will leave in the morning and I leave tomorrow night. Twenty days sure did fly by. I'll be back though. The people of Nepal have to be the kindest, sweetest people I have ever met. It definitely has a similar vibe to India, but less hectic. There is a lot less harassment as well, in all aspects. Lastly, women seem to also have more of a voice here. Nepal makes me smile.
October 10th. My eyes cannot express the beauty they have seen today. We trekked from Khare to Landruk. It took about six hours with the breaks for water, snacks and photos. We went up and down and up and down, across suspension bridges and enjoyed the crisp, cool air. Though extremely difficult, the trek so far has been amazing. My feet hurt, I have blisters and I'm sunburned, but I have so much energy right now. I'm sitting with our guide, Kulu and porter/assistant Meena. We are drinking ginger chai and eating daal bhaat (a Nepali favorite). Apparently, Landruk to Ghandruk is about to kick our asses! We go straight down (mostly steps made out of rocks) and then straight up. It should take us six hours.
Aside from all that, Kulu and Meena have been great. We are definitely enjoying their company, I hope they can say the same about Stephanie and I. We are staying at a small tea house, Ex Captain Lali Gurung Guest House. It's a cute guest house with shared bathrooms. A little story, I had to use the bathroom at about 2am, but feared the YETI would eat me so I waited until 4am and then woke Stephanie up so she would stand guard at the toilet!
October 11th. What do I even say? I just accomplished one of the hardest things I've ever done. I wish I had written more, but I have tons of pics to prove it! The day began with an extreme downhill trek to the bottom of the valley. At that point we crossed a very sketchy suspension bridge and started an even more extreme trek up. It was probably two hours down and four up! We were headed to Ghandruk, a scenic village of stone and slate houses with a colorful Buddhist monastery. We decided that we would stay at the Peaceful Lodge, though I'm not sure how peaceful it was. They had a television and we watched Amitabh films with the family...as a side note, October 11th is his birthday! Happy Birthday Amitabh Bachchan!!!! Meena, the assistant, one can eat any husky American man under the table and two, can sit in front of a television for hours. Which is exactly how she spent her evening!
The next day we made our way to Nayapul, which they say is an easy descent...HA! It rained the night before so it was slippery and difficult. Thank goodness for good hiking boots (THANK YOU REI). I don't want to complain as there were hundreds of porters along the way that were carrying five backpacks, water, camping supplies, etc, all which probably weighed 50-75 or more. The trek probably didn't end in the most enjoyable way as there was much commotion. Dasain begins in a few days so everyone is preparing. Dasain is Nepal's biggest annual festival. It lasts for 15 days. It celebrates the victory of the goddess Durga over the forces of evil. Hundreds of thousands of animals are sacrificed in Durga's honor. Which is no joke. It was terribly hard to see all these sheep being gathered for sacrifice. I am definitely rethinking the whole vegetarian thing.
So, here we are. It's our last day in Pokhara. I'm awake super early and just relaxing and enjoying the view of Fewa Lake. In a few hours we will be departing via YETI Airlines back to Kathmandu. One day left there. Stephanie will leave in the morning and I leave tomorrow night. Twenty days sure did fly by. I'll be back though. The people of Nepal have to be the kindest, sweetest people I have ever met. It definitely has a similar vibe to India, but less hectic. There is a lot less harassment as well, in all aspects. Lastly, women seem to also have more of a voice here. Nepal makes me smile.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Three Sisters Adventure Trekking
I am blown away by the empowerment of Nepali women. The Chhetri sisters are pioneers in the field of female trekking guides. Since 1994, they have worked towards empowering women in Nepal. It hasn’t been easy for the sisters to break down the Nepalese social barriers. Women trekking guides is a fairly new concept for the Nepalese society. For these sisters it has been a great challenge to bring women into this industry. They say that women can also work as guides if the opportunities are provided to them. They have demonstrated that women are mentally, physically and emotionally as strong as men.
Their modest and clean guesthouse is located in the North Lakeside area of Pokhara. Stephanie and I are sitting in the café of the guesthouse, drinking chai and enjoying our unobstructed view of Fewa Lake. It rained this afternoon so the air is clean and cool and the skies are a perfect gray. Something we had wished for during our build.
These amazing women have thought of everything. In the cost of our trek, we received a pick up for the Fulbari Resort, breakfast at the guesthouse, free wifi, the entire trek (not including food and accommodations which are only $20/day), our guide and assistant, a pick up from the last stop on the trek, taxi to the airport, FREE filtered water and the storage of our luggage.
She and I decided to take today off as yesterday was emotionally draining and the build was physically exhausting. Turned out to be a great decision. We said bye to our new friends, came to Lakeside and took a walk in the touristy area. It’s a typical hippie town. You’ve got the soaps, teas, stationary, CDs, Internet cafes, bars, jewelry, and loads of clothes one would never dare to wear in the US! We also got ayurvedic massages that probably cost less than $20.
We leave tomorrow at 8AM for Khare. We trek from Khare to Landruk, then to Ghandruk and finally to Nayapul. We will be back in Pokhara on the 12th. Then we head back to Kathmandu. Time sure does fly!
Their modest and clean guesthouse is located in the North Lakeside area of Pokhara. Stephanie and I are sitting in the café of the guesthouse, drinking chai and enjoying our unobstructed view of Fewa Lake. It rained this afternoon so the air is clean and cool and the skies are a perfect gray. Something we had wished for during our build.
These amazing women have thought of everything. In the cost of our trek, we received a pick up for the Fulbari Resort, breakfast at the guesthouse, free wifi, the entire trek (not including food and accommodations which are only $20/day), our guide and assistant, a pick up from the last stop on the trek, taxi to the airport, FREE filtered water and the storage of our luggage.
She and I decided to take today off as yesterday was emotionally draining and the build was physically exhausting. Turned out to be a great decision. We said bye to our new friends, came to Lakeside and took a walk in the touristy area. It’s a typical hippie town. You’ve got the soaps, teas, stationary, CDs, Internet cafes, bars, jewelry, and loads of clothes one would never dare to wear in the US! We also got ayurvedic massages that probably cost less than $20.
We leave tomorrow at 8AM for Khare. We trek from Khare to Landruk, then to Ghandruk and finally to Nayapul. We will be back in Pokhara on the 12th. Then we head back to Kathmandu. Time sure does fly!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Serving My Country Was an Honor, Serving My People is a Blessing
Which is what Ram Bahadur told me today. He is extremely active in social work, providing his village with guidance and support. He also served in the Nepali Military as a soldier. He trained in India and then transferred to Africa in the field of security at the UN Mission. He and his wife are so thankful that we are there helping them create a home.
The last few days have been spent weaving bamboo, plastering the walls and whitewashing the exterior of the home. I hope we are able to get the windows and doors in tomorrow.
October 8th, 2010
The Internet was down yesterday and my laptop died so I’ve been disconnected…which is a good thing.
There is a roof, windows, doors, and the front has been whitewashed. Though we did not complete the interior of the home, the exterior is complete. The family will be able to continue working even during the rains.
The President of Nepal, Ram Baran Yadav was our guest of honor at the closing ceremonies. It was such an honor for the people of Lakuri village to see their president arrive in a helicopter and speak to them about their housing situation. I felt real change for the villagers. Since it was our last build day we also had a gathering at our home. There was a ribbon cutting ceremony, we gave them some gifts like a stool and a rug (but don’t tell Habitat), and had some wonderful chai. Roshni (the 13 year old daughter) took me inside their home and gave me a small gift of red cloth and a red necklace. I don’t know if I can ever take it off because there is so much love in it. Rajit (10 year old son) was so upset that he decided to leave so he wouldn’t have to say bye. Roshni went to get him and the poor little boy was in tears. It broke my heart. He didn’t say much. He was spunky with a bit of an attitude, but he was sweet to me. I will miss him the most.
We were adorned with a red “tikka” (dot), flowers, shawls, and so much love. Not only did I build, but also I did most of the translating this entire time. So I was honored to be the voice of the Thapa family. I was able to keep it together, but lost it at: “If we have done anything to hurt you or offend you, we apologize.” They continued to say that whenever we decide to visit, we have a home to stay at and fresh Nepali meals. There will be no staying in a hotel. We are family now. How can they be filled with so much love, kindness, purity, and selflessness? I never stopped crying this afternoon. The tears were flowing like the Ganga. I have fallen in love with Nepal and Nepali people.
Ram Bhaiya (brother) took me aside and asked me if I knew of any labor jobs in the United States or any other country. He asked me to ask the others as well. He can support his children right now since they are young, but college is another story. He needs more money to pay for their education. Many Nepali men will take jobs in the hospitality industry in the Middle East. He is still trying for that. I’m not sure if anyone is reading this, but if you are and you know of anything, please do let me know. It takes a lot for a man to ask for job assistance, especially a man who once was a soldier. At first Ram Bhaiya was distant and timid, but now he jokes and makes us all laugh. I will truly miss him.
The entire family, including the SOS Children’s Village volunteers walked us from the village to our buses. The tears continued. We held hands, we held each other and we said, “see you soon.” I will be back.
I’m sitting in the lobby of the run down “five star” establishment looking at all of these wonderful people that traveled so far to build homes for strangers. I am filled with love.
The last few days have been spent weaving bamboo, plastering the walls and whitewashing the exterior of the home. I hope we are able to get the windows and doors in tomorrow.
October 8th, 2010
The Internet was down yesterday and my laptop died so I’ve been disconnected…which is a good thing.
There is a roof, windows, doors, and the front has been whitewashed. Though we did not complete the interior of the home, the exterior is complete. The family will be able to continue working even during the rains.
The President of Nepal, Ram Baran Yadav was our guest of honor at the closing ceremonies. It was such an honor for the people of Lakuri village to see their president arrive in a helicopter and speak to them about their housing situation. I felt real change for the villagers. Since it was our last build day we also had a gathering at our home. There was a ribbon cutting ceremony, we gave them some gifts like a stool and a rug (but don’t tell Habitat), and had some wonderful chai. Roshni (the 13 year old daughter) took me inside their home and gave me a small gift of red cloth and a red necklace. I don’t know if I can ever take it off because there is so much love in it. Rajit (10 year old son) was so upset that he decided to leave so he wouldn’t have to say bye. Roshni went to get him and the poor little boy was in tears. It broke my heart. He didn’t say much. He was spunky with a bit of an attitude, but he was sweet to me. I will miss him the most.
We were adorned with a red “tikka” (dot), flowers, shawls, and so much love. Not only did I build, but also I did most of the translating this entire time. So I was honored to be the voice of the Thapa family. I was able to keep it together, but lost it at: “If we have done anything to hurt you or offend you, we apologize.” They continued to say that whenever we decide to visit, we have a home to stay at and fresh Nepali meals. There will be no staying in a hotel. We are family now. How can they be filled with so much love, kindness, purity, and selflessness? I never stopped crying this afternoon. The tears were flowing like the Ganga. I have fallen in love with Nepal and Nepali people.
Ram Bhaiya (brother) took me aside and asked me if I knew of any labor jobs in the United States or any other country. He asked me to ask the others as well. He can support his children right now since they are young, but college is another story. He needs more money to pay for their education. Many Nepali men will take jobs in the hospitality industry in the Middle East. He is still trying for that. I’m not sure if anyone is reading this, but if you are and you know of anything, please do let me know. It takes a lot for a man to ask for job assistance, especially a man who once was a soldier. At first Ram Bhaiya was distant and timid, but now he jokes and makes us all laugh. I will truly miss him.
The entire family, including the SOS Children’s Village volunteers walked us from the village to our buses. The tears continued. We held hands, we held each other and we said, “see you soon.” I will be back.
I’m sitting in the lobby of the run down “five star” establishment looking at all of these wonderful people that traveled so far to build homes for strangers. I am filled with love.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
So Much to Say, So Little Time
It’s been an interesting few days. Three hundred volunteers, 40 houses, box lunches, heat waves, random breezes, amazing friendships and many conflicting personalities. We have now begun to predict what our breakfasts will be like, what time our buses will leave for the worksite and who will speak to us first when we walk into the hotel. I finally bought my “I Love Nepal” shirt today…and I love it. Also, Stephanie and I trying not to kill any bugs to affect our karmic situations.
There is chai, boxed mango juice, sun burns (yes, even me), bananas, guavas, loud speaker announcements, children, pink, orange and green Habitat shirts, Kale (the water buffalo), my Hindi/Nepali mix, affection, appreciation, respect, honor.
There is Love.
The bamboo walls have all been woven with bamboo strips, the roof is in place that is allowing for some protection from the sun, the walls are being plastered and we will start to paint tomorrow. Can you believe it…our house is almost done!
Ram Maya married Ram Bahadur at the age of 15. Her daughter is 13 and her son is 10. Roshni is absolutely beautiful. She looks just like her mom. Though she is a quiet and shy little girl, her bubbly friends bring out the teenager in her. Rajit is known as Bala Gopala (Baby Krishna). He is spunky and only listens to you when you speak with authority. He listens to me! And I know he likes me because he brought me a mango juice box, put the straw in it and only gave them to the other volunteers when his mother yelled at him…yep, I’m his favorite! Rajit is an amazing little photographer. I let him take pictures with my camera during the build and I can’t wait to share them with you all.
We also have a lot of SOS Children’s Village volunteers working with us. They are fantastic as well. They taught me a Nepali dance today and I taught them a little Bollywood…how awesome it is that Dance is an international language!
I also had the wonderful opportunity to hike up to house #34 to help translate. I ended up having chai and enjoying the breathtaking views of the Annapurna for their rooftop.
I have to say, I think I have fallen in love with Nepal. Maybe I won’t come back…teek ccha???
There is chai, boxed mango juice, sun burns (yes, even me), bananas, guavas, loud speaker announcements, children, pink, orange and green Habitat shirts, Kale (the water buffalo), my Hindi/Nepali mix, affection, appreciation, respect, honor.
There is Love.
The bamboo walls have all been woven with bamboo strips, the roof is in place that is allowing for some protection from the sun, the walls are being plastered and we will start to paint tomorrow. Can you believe it…our house is almost done!
Ram Maya married Ram Bahadur at the age of 15. Her daughter is 13 and her son is 10. Roshni is absolutely beautiful. She looks just like her mom. Though she is a quiet and shy little girl, her bubbly friends bring out the teenager in her. Rajit is known as Bala Gopala (Baby Krishna). He is spunky and only listens to you when you speak with authority. He listens to me! And I know he likes me because he brought me a mango juice box, put the straw in it and only gave them to the other volunteers when his mother yelled at him…yep, I’m his favorite! Rajit is an amazing little photographer. I let him take pictures with my camera during the build and I can’t wait to share them with you all.
We also have a lot of SOS Children’s Village volunteers working with us. They are fantastic as well. They taught me a Nepali dance today and I taught them a little Bollywood…how awesome it is that Dance is an international language!
I also had the wonderful opportunity to hike up to house #34 to help translate. I ended up having chai and enjoying the breathtaking views of the Annapurna for their rooftop.
I have to say, I think I have fallen in love with Nepal. Maybe I won’t come back…teek ccha???
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Change Hearts Join Hands Build Homes
Today marked our first day on the job site. But it also marked the day that I saw the most beautiful sunrise. I woke up around 5am as breakfast for 300 or so volunteers was at 6:30! I decided to take a step outside of our verandah and I instantly felt blessed. The shining rays of the rising sun glared over the gigantic peaks of the Annapurna. A part of me wishes I never had to go back.
Yesterday, 500 plus volunteers gathered at the Mountaineers Museum grounds to enjoy the welcome festivities. We watched gorgeous Nepali and Tibetan children dance for us, we met two very famous Nepali movie stars that are known as “Maha Jodi” (The Great Pair), we met many gracious people including some of the sponsors, one of which is the Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity in Washington State!!! The motto for this Everest Build in Nepal is “Change Hearts, Join Hands, Build Homes.”
We will be completing nearly 40 homes in just a week. Each home is 30 square meters, includes an outdoor toilet, bedroom, kitchen and living room. I’m working at home site # 33, the Ram Bahadur Thapa Family. He is 45 years old and lives with his wife (30yrs old), two children (10 and 13) and 75-year-old mother. Ram Bahadur is very special to me. He is a retired Nepali military soldier. After retirement, he has yet to find a job, but is involved in social work in the Lakuri village. The house they live in is in very bad condition. During the rainy season, the water seeps into the house from the holes in the roof and there are many cracks in the walls. He cannot afford to repair his home. And that is where we come in! As most of you know, my Dad was retired from the military as well. Being able to help a man who served his country is an honor for me.
When we arrived at the home site, the pre-build folks from Canada already completed the frame! (Thank you!). So we spent the day drilling bamboo into the frames vertically and then weaving bamboo horizontally. It wasn’t less than 90 degrees today and I fell a bit sick. I took a break and came back as good as new. But dehydration is no joke…I will drink more water tomorrow. Back to me drilling and using a saw!! WOOT WOOT! I’m kind of a rock star! I felt so amazing and powerful. I’m going to buy one when I get home and build things☺ Tomorrow we begin on the roof.
I have bonded with a few team members and hope to get to know the others in the coming week. Tomorrow is World Habitat Day!
So…so far so good!
Yesterday, 500 plus volunteers gathered at the Mountaineers Museum grounds to enjoy the welcome festivities. We watched gorgeous Nepali and Tibetan children dance for us, we met two very famous Nepali movie stars that are known as “Maha Jodi” (The Great Pair), we met many gracious people including some of the sponsors, one of which is the Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity in Washington State!!! The motto for this Everest Build in Nepal is “Change Hearts, Join Hands, Build Homes.”
We will be completing nearly 40 homes in just a week. Each home is 30 square meters, includes an outdoor toilet, bedroom, kitchen and living room. I’m working at home site # 33, the Ram Bahadur Thapa Family. He is 45 years old and lives with his wife (30yrs old), two children (10 and 13) and 75-year-old mother. Ram Bahadur is very special to me. He is a retired Nepali military soldier. After retirement, he has yet to find a job, but is involved in social work in the Lakuri village. The house they live in is in very bad condition. During the rainy season, the water seeps into the house from the holes in the roof and there are many cracks in the walls. He cannot afford to repair his home. And that is where we come in! As most of you know, my Dad was retired from the military as well. Being able to help a man who served his country is an honor for me.
When we arrived at the home site, the pre-build folks from Canada already completed the frame! (Thank you!). So we spent the day drilling bamboo into the frames vertically and then weaving bamboo horizontally. It wasn’t less than 90 degrees today and I fell a bit sick. I took a break and came back as good as new. But dehydration is no joke…I will drink more water tomorrow. Back to me drilling and using a saw!! WOOT WOOT! I’m kind of a rock star! I felt so amazing and powerful. I’m going to buy one when I get home and build things☺ Tomorrow we begin on the roof.
I have bonded with a few team members and hope to get to know the others in the coming week. Tomorrow is World Habitat Day!
So…so far so good!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
There Were No Monkeys
It’s been two very hot days here in Kathmandu. I wish I knew the temps, but I’m sweating even when sitting and that happens at about 85-90 degrees…so that’s my estimate. Yesterday was spent exploring the city of Kathmandu. Like other capitals, it was crowded, polluted and filled with guides, tours and souvenir shops. What was unique was there were plenty of hiking, trekking and mountain climbing rental shops that were homes to great replicas of North Face, Columbia, Mountain Gear and other great brands!
It’s great to know that Stephanie (my travel companion) and I are similar when it comes to being tourists. We definitely enjoy meeting locals and people watching rather than participating in guided tours and walking through museums. So when we approached Darbar Square, we were able to stroll the galis (alleys) and enjoy all the temples and pigeons. Yes, I said pigeons. There are so many pigeons…it’s quite disturbing actually. I’m so paranoid that one will poop on my head that today when we felt raindrops on our hike, I was convinced I was pooped on. Steph reassured me that the only thing on my head was white hair (insert sad face here).
So Darbar Square is where the city’s kings were once crowned and now remains as the traditional heart of the city. The square dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries, but a lot of it was damaged in an earthquake in 1934 and was rebuilt, but not to original form. We visited many temples and my favorite, the dancing Shiva statue!
Stephanie and I returned to the hotel soon after to enjoy essential oil massages. Interestingly enough, there were no essential oils and I think I might have received a very “special” massage by my masseuse. But I try not to think too much into it!
TODAY… well it was AWESOME! We decided to visit the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park that is home to fantastic flowers and even monkeys, bears and leopards (or so we were told). The teeny tiny taxi we took up to the entrance was entertaining. Being a bit nervous about this very empty national park, we asked the driver to take us up to Tarebhir, from which we would hike to the nunnery and back down. Not sure if that was the best decision. The drive uphill was frightening. The road narrow, the edge so near that just a little weight shift and the car and we would be gonners and with the car lacking any type of power or even breaks, we figured, this might be the way we were meant to go. However, when we arrived to our destination, we were pleasantly surprised. The views were outstanding. We hiked to the Tibetan Nunnery of Nagi Gumpa. There are about 100 nuns that reside there and even higher, is the Bodhnath Ka-Nying Sheldrup Ling Gompa that holds retreats for foreign students. And other than all the very interesting bugs and snakes (my biggest fear that I did not handle well today), there were NO monkeys.
Stephanie and I enjoyed our leisurely hike back, stopping for a cold soda at the end. So refreshing!
We also met our team leader today and some other volunteers…some of which have lost their luggage and are not as pleasant as I’m sure they would be if they had their things.
Overall, it was an awesome day!
It’s great to know that Stephanie (my travel companion) and I are similar when it comes to being tourists. We definitely enjoy meeting locals and people watching rather than participating in guided tours and walking through museums. So when we approached Darbar Square, we were able to stroll the galis (alleys) and enjoy all the temples and pigeons. Yes, I said pigeons. There are so many pigeons…it’s quite disturbing actually. I’m so paranoid that one will poop on my head that today when we felt raindrops on our hike, I was convinced I was pooped on. Steph reassured me that the only thing on my head was white hair (insert sad face here).
So Darbar Square is where the city’s kings were once crowned and now remains as the traditional heart of the city. The square dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries, but a lot of it was damaged in an earthquake in 1934 and was rebuilt, but not to original form. We visited many temples and my favorite, the dancing Shiva statue!
Stephanie and I returned to the hotel soon after to enjoy essential oil massages. Interestingly enough, there were no essential oils and I think I might have received a very “special” massage by my masseuse. But I try not to think too much into it!
TODAY… well it was AWESOME! We decided to visit the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park that is home to fantastic flowers and even monkeys, bears and leopards (or so we were told). The teeny tiny taxi we took up to the entrance was entertaining. Being a bit nervous about this very empty national park, we asked the driver to take us up to Tarebhir, from which we would hike to the nunnery and back down. Not sure if that was the best decision. The drive uphill was frightening. The road narrow, the edge so near that just a little weight shift and the car and we would be gonners and with the car lacking any type of power or even breaks, we figured, this might be the way we were meant to go. However, when we arrived to our destination, we were pleasantly surprised. The views were outstanding. We hiked to the Tibetan Nunnery of Nagi Gumpa. There are about 100 nuns that reside there and even higher, is the Bodhnath Ka-Nying Sheldrup Ling Gompa that holds retreats for foreign students. And other than all the very interesting bugs and snakes (my biggest fear that I did not handle well today), there were NO monkeys.
Stephanie and I enjoyed our leisurely hike back, stopping for a cold soda at the end. So refreshing!
We also met our team leader today and some other volunteers…some of which have lost their luggage and are not as pleasant as I’m sure they would be if they had their things.
Overall, it was an awesome day!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Spending The Day With Buddha
I'm going to begin this with some very helpful Hong Kong advice. Dress lightly, it's like Hot Yoga OUTSIDE! If you have a long layover in Hong Kong, I suggest spending the day at Lantau Island. After going through immigration, head straight toward Terminal 2. There you will see signs for electronic lockers. I highly suggest it. Have a $1 coin (Hong Kong dollars). It's about $30 for 4 hours. I paid $60 and I was out for about 6 hours. You pay when you pick up your things. After that, exit the airport nearest the lockers. Head over to the bus stop on the right that has a sign for S-1. For $3.50 it takes you straight to where you would catch the cable car to Lantau Island. Have exact change because they won't give it to you. The cable car does not open until 10AM, so it's best to grab some coffee and chill out in the courtyard. At 9AM, you can buy a bus ticket (to Lantau) and a cable car ticket (from Lantau) for $92. It's a great deal and the route is so scenic. The cable car is extremely frightening as I sat all alone and was imagining my death if the car happen to fall. After about 15 minutes though, I was fine.
The bus drops you off right on Ngong Ping Plauteau and that is where the Tian Tan Buddha (Giant Buddha) is. It is an 85-foot high bronze Buddha statue. It's amazing!
There are monasteries and other great paths. I decided to walk down Wisdom Path, in hopes to be enlightened in some way. Nope. In fact, I got super scared when four dogs kept growling and barking at me. My inner WISDOM said to turn around...and that is what I did!
To my friends out there with kids, Hong Kong is a great place to vacation with kids. It's hard to take anything seriously here when even at this very beautiful Buddhist hot spot you've got an animated dancing monkey show about sharing and Hello Kitty EVERYTHING! As I walked towards the cable cars I decided to stop and have lunch at Zen Noodles. I assumed it would be rude to ask for hot sauce so I just ate my bland noodle soup and headed back.
After the 25 minute ride in the cable car, I decided to cool off in the mall. There's a lot of security...like Vegas actually. After recalling how much I hate malls in every country, I decided to take the S-1 bus back to the airport. And though I know I should have had another noodle dish or something of Hong Kong fashion, I opted for Popeyes. I know I know...leave me alone!
Overall, it was a great day in Hong Kong. I look forward to my return where I will be getting a foot massage and maybe even my hair did!
The bus drops you off right on Ngong Ping Plauteau and that is where the Tian Tan Buddha (Giant Buddha) is. It is an 85-foot high bronze Buddha statue. It's amazing!
There are monasteries and other great paths. I decided to walk down Wisdom Path, in hopes to be enlightened in some way. Nope. In fact, I got super scared when four dogs kept growling and barking at me. My inner WISDOM said to turn around...and that is what I did!
To my friends out there with kids, Hong Kong is a great place to vacation with kids. It's hard to take anything seriously here when even at this very beautiful Buddhist hot spot you've got an animated dancing monkey show about sharing and Hello Kitty EVERYTHING! As I walked towards the cable cars I decided to stop and have lunch at Zen Noodles. I assumed it would be rude to ask for hot sauce so I just ate my bland noodle soup and headed back.
After the 25 minute ride in the cable car, I decided to cool off in the mall. There's a lot of security...like Vegas actually. After recalling how much I hate malls in every country, I decided to take the S-1 bus back to the airport. And though I know I should have had another noodle dish or something of Hong Kong fashion, I opted for Popeyes. I know I know...leave me alone!
Overall, it was a great day in Hong Kong. I look forward to my return where I will be getting a foot massage and maybe even my hair did!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Two Weeks Till Kathmandu
I'm at work, not able to get anything done. I am listening to Bollywood oldies and the first song I hear is from the film Teesri Kasam (1966), Chalat Musafir. The song basically describes a caged bird who has been set free and decides to make the most of the different places she lands.
I've been traveling all over the place since October of 2009: India, Greece, Italy, Spain, Morocco, and now Nepal. Never could anyone imagine that I was a caged bird...not even myself. But maybe I was. I limited myself to many things in life. This last year has turned me into a free bird. I have nothing holding me back and I'm taking full advantage of it.
I will arrive in Kathmandu in exactly two weeks. Stephanie will be there waiting for me and I totally look forward to meeting my sweet friend in a foreign land.
She and I are planning to be total tourists the first few days in Kathmandu, taking in the amazing sights of the city as well as the Kathmandu Valley. I hope to also visit some monastaries.
I would like to take this time to thank all of you that donated to my volunteer trip to Pokhara. According to government data, 9.5 million people in Nepal live in less than adequate housing. That means the structures are with thatched roofs and straw walls, sometimes supported by pillars made of bamboo or old timber. Water is often unsanitary and few dwellings have toilets or electricity. These dilapidated houses are also a fire risk; nearly 10,000 families lose their homes to fire every year. Thousands of others lose houses to landslides, floods and other natural disasters each year.
I am honored to be a part of a team of over 300 volunteers from around the world to provide not just houses, but homes to the people of Lakuri village.
Please stay tuned for further posts on this amazing journey! Dhanyabad (Thank you)!
I've been traveling all over the place since October of 2009: India, Greece, Italy, Spain, Morocco, and now Nepal. Never could anyone imagine that I was a caged bird...not even myself. But maybe I was. I limited myself to many things in life. This last year has turned me into a free bird. I have nothing holding me back and I'm taking full advantage of it.
I will arrive in Kathmandu in exactly two weeks. Stephanie will be there waiting for me and I totally look forward to meeting my sweet friend in a foreign land.
She and I are planning to be total tourists the first few days in Kathmandu, taking in the amazing sights of the city as well as the Kathmandu Valley. I hope to also visit some monastaries.
I would like to take this time to thank all of you that donated to my volunteer trip to Pokhara. According to government data, 9.5 million people in Nepal live in less than adequate housing. That means the structures are with thatched roofs and straw walls, sometimes supported by pillars made of bamboo or old timber. Water is often unsanitary and few dwellings have toilets or electricity. These dilapidated houses are also a fire risk; nearly 10,000 families lose their homes to fire every year. Thousands of others lose houses to landslides, floods and other natural disasters each year.
I am honored to be a part of a team of over 300 volunteers from around the world to provide not just houses, but homes to the people of Lakuri village.
Please stay tuned for further posts on this amazing journey! Dhanyabad (Thank you)!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
A Letter to Sophia
Jan, a team member, wrote this beautiful letter to Sophia. I will be translating and sending it to her family. I wanted to share these loving words...
LETTER TO SOPHIA
March 23, 2010
Dear Sophia--
You never knew our names; you never knew how we cherished you and your vibrant spirit. To you, we were the people who strolled down your street one morning and kept coming back to build a house with your neighbors. You never knew how much your happy 5-year old voice delighted us that first day as you, peeking out through the hole in your gate, called out: “Hello. What is your name? My name is Sophia Khan.”
You never knew how your visits to the build site made us smile. You were a bit quieter and shyer then, seeming to wisely observe all the activities. When you went back into the street, you bounced about playing with your friends. You giggled when Steve did his crazy dancing and singing with all the kids and laughed when he taught all of you to play “Rock, paper, scissors.” You told your family that he was your favorite.
You never knew that our Habitat work team wondered what you would do when you grew up. Would you manage to get an education? We thought so because your mother seems well-educated. Would you manage to escape the harshness of life in your village of Hegdenagar? But then we asked if you would find, beyond the dusty streets, the love,acceptance and freedom that you have had there? Would you find happiness wherever you were? We thought and hoped that you would.
You knew, from our whooping and cheering at Friday’s neighborhood game day, our excitement when you threw the ball knocking over six water bottles, coming in second place to your mother’s seven! You knew we wanted you in the photos of the neighborhood kids and with the Habitat team.
You never knew how treasured these moments and photos would become. You never knew that Steve wanted to buy you a special gift that weekend but didn’t because of the Habitat rule that says we can’t unless we do it for all the kids. You never knew that on Tuesday morning we came to your gate to see you and your funny little goat.
You never knew, dear precious child, because on Monday you died.” Sophia? Little Sophia? Dead? How can that be?” Your grandmother said that you had climbed on a table, had fallen and hit your head. You had seemed to be getting better; then you just stopped breathing. So did we.
In accordance with Muslim law, you were buried before sundown that day. You never knew the tears shed, the prayers prayed, the cold pit of loss we all felt and feel. You, like the butterflies who came and brushed us with their wings, flitted into our lives bringing beauty and great joy. And then, like them, you were gone.
Our lives were touched and enriched by the few days that we knew you. Your spirit and beauty vibrated within each one of us. You were a child of promise, a child of the future of India. Your death has left your family heartbroken, your neighborhood quieter, your new friends bereft and people who didn’t even know you, sorrowful.
In the days since, I’ve reflected on you and the gifts you brought to those blessed enough to have been with you. One of the greatest gifts you brought to me is that you have become the face of children who die. Whether they die of accidents, disease, earthquakes, tsunamis, or neglect, all have died too early. They are loved, they are mourned, they are missed.
You, Sophia, child of blessing and wisdom, are also loved, mourned, and missed. You will always live in our hearts.
With love, laughter and tears.
LETTER TO SOPHIA
March 23, 2010
Dear Sophia--
You never knew our names; you never knew how we cherished you and your vibrant spirit. To you, we were the people who strolled down your street one morning and kept coming back to build a house with your neighbors. You never knew how much your happy 5-year old voice delighted us that first day as you, peeking out through the hole in your gate, called out: “Hello. What is your name? My name is Sophia Khan.”
You never knew how your visits to the build site made us smile. You were a bit quieter and shyer then, seeming to wisely observe all the activities. When you went back into the street, you bounced about playing with your friends. You giggled when Steve did his crazy dancing and singing with all the kids and laughed when he taught all of you to play “Rock, paper, scissors.” You told your family that he was your favorite.
You never knew that our Habitat work team wondered what you would do when you grew up. Would you manage to get an education? We thought so because your mother seems well-educated. Would you manage to escape the harshness of life in your village of Hegdenagar? But then we asked if you would find, beyond the dusty streets, the love,acceptance and freedom that you have had there? Would you find happiness wherever you were? We thought and hoped that you would.
You knew, from our whooping and cheering at Friday’s neighborhood game day, our excitement when you threw the ball knocking over six water bottles, coming in second place to your mother’s seven! You knew we wanted you in the photos of the neighborhood kids and with the Habitat team.
You never knew how treasured these moments and photos would become. You never knew that Steve wanted to buy you a special gift that weekend but didn’t because of the Habitat rule that says we can’t unless we do it for all the kids. You never knew that on Tuesday morning we came to your gate to see you and your funny little goat.
You never knew, dear precious child, because on Monday you died.” Sophia? Little Sophia? Dead? How can that be?” Your grandmother said that you had climbed on a table, had fallen and hit your head. You had seemed to be getting better; then you just stopped breathing. So did we.
In accordance with Muslim law, you were buried before sundown that day. You never knew the tears shed, the prayers prayed, the cold pit of loss we all felt and feel. You, like the butterflies who came and brushed us with their wings, flitted into our lives bringing beauty and great joy. And then, like them, you were gone.
Our lives were touched and enriched by the few days that we knew you. Your spirit and beauty vibrated within each one of us. You were a child of promise, a child of the future of India. Your death has left your family heartbroken, your neighborhood quieter, your new friends bereft and people who didn’t even know you, sorrowful.
In the days since, I’ve reflected on you and the gifts you brought to those blessed enough to have been with you. One of the greatest gifts you brought to me is that you have become the face of children who die. Whether they die of accidents, disease, earthquakes, tsunamis, or neglect, all have died too early. They are loved, they are mourned, they are missed.
You, Sophia, child of blessing and wisdom, are also loved, mourned, and missed. You will always live in our hearts.
With love, laughter and tears.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Home Sweet Home
“You made this shack a home”. That is the one statement that Mohammed made on our last day in Hegde Nagar. We were able to complete the basement, start the walls and we even began working on the foundation for the kitchen and the bathroom. Maybe we were not able to get the roof started, but we turned their piece of property that was nothing more than dirt and rubble to a dream in progress.
I worked with a team of strangers that now are family. Jan, Jane, Jim, Melissa, Steven, Rachel, Diane and I will always be connected. We also now belong to Pyari and Mohammed’s family. My sweet girls, Ruksana Banu, Yasmin and Hajira Banu will always reside in my heart. I look forward to keeping in touch with them and watching those beautiful girls develop into strong women who will change their community and the world.
When Dad died, mom and I didn’t have anywhere to live. We lost our home. Helping to provide a home for people who once were strangers, helped me to push past that loss.
I’ve been back in Seattle for almost 40 hours. I am sitting in silence, missing India. The sounds, the people, the energy, the constant actions and reactions…I miss it all. I sit here writing, feeling so fortunate that I have a roof over my head, clothes on back, food on the table, yet so sad because I sit here alone in silence. Pyari and Mohammed don’t have any those things, but they have each other and a wonderful family. Pyari is such a strong woman and I learned so much from her. I hope that one day I can be half the woman she is.
Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village Women Build program was the most rewarding two weeks of my life. I’ve traveled around the world in a group and alone, but nothing compared to this experience. I have officially been infected with what they call, “habititus”. I look forward to my future builds with Habitat. I promised myself one build a year.
Thank you Habitat for Humanity for changing my life.
I worked with a team of strangers that now are family. Jan, Jane, Jim, Melissa, Steven, Rachel, Diane and I will always be connected. We also now belong to Pyari and Mohammed’s family. My sweet girls, Ruksana Banu, Yasmin and Hajira Banu will always reside in my heart. I look forward to keeping in touch with them and watching those beautiful girls develop into strong women who will change their community and the world.
When Dad died, mom and I didn’t have anywhere to live. We lost our home. Helping to provide a home for people who once were strangers, helped me to push past that loss.
I’ve been back in Seattle for almost 40 hours. I am sitting in silence, missing India. The sounds, the people, the energy, the constant actions and reactions…I miss it all. I sit here writing, feeling so fortunate that I have a roof over my head, clothes on back, food on the table, yet so sad because I sit here alone in silence. Pyari and Mohammed don’t have any those things, but they have each other and a wonderful family. Pyari is such a strong woman and I learned so much from her. I hope that one day I can be half the woman she is.
Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village Women Build program was the most rewarding two weeks of my life. I’ve traveled around the world in a group and alone, but nothing compared to this experience. I have officially been infected with what they call, “habititus”. I look forward to my future builds with Habitat. I promised myself one build a year.
Thank you Habitat for Humanity for changing my life.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Hello…my name is Sophia Khan.
Today was a sad day.
On our first day of work, we met this darling five-year-old girl who lived two doors down from our home site. She introduced herself in English, “Hello. My name is Sophia Khan. What is your name?” She stole our hearts with her beautiful smile, energetic personality, and complete awesomeness. She spent a lot of time coming by our site and hanging out with Steven (a fellow volunteer who all the neighborhood children loved).
Last Friday, we played carnival type games with the kids and Sophia came in second place. Her mom came in first! Our team leader promised Sophia a gift on our last day for being second place.
We didn’t work on Saturday or Sunday so on Monday we were looking forward to seeing Sophia’s bright smile as we walked by. But she had already left for school. Since today is Ugadi (Telugu New Year), we knew she would be home. A few minutes prior to turning the corner onto our street, I said, “I hope we see Sophia today!” Steven was ahead of us and walked up to Sophia’s gate to show us their odd goat. Her aunt came to the gate and in Hindi told me that Sophia was gone. She then restated and said that Sophia had died. My eyes filled with tears. My fellow volunteers kept asking me, “What did she say?” So I became the bearer of bad news. I informed them that Sophia died yesterday. She was playing in the afternoon, fell off a table and hit her head. She went to the hospital where she was stable, but eventually stopped breathing. She was buried that night.
We all stood around her gate and cried for what seemed like forever. Charly, our team leader came by and we informed him as well. The shocked look on his face was unbearable. He has a child close to Sophia’s age. We left her house with heavy hearts to continue the work we came to do.
Before we began work, we decided to pray for her soul. We cried and hugged and pushed forward. Charly wanted to separate us today so we could help other homes, but knew we couldn’t bear it. So instead, we began building our family a kitchen and bathroom. It was a quiet workday.
As we began to depart for lunch, Sophia’s mother arrived. She came walking over to us. This vibrant young woman, who couldn’t possibly be older than me, now looked as if she were 50. Since I’m the only one who speaks Hindi in our group, she walked over to me repeating, “Sophia’s dead, Sophia’s dead.” I didn’t have to translate the tears. We all held her, which was definitely out of her cultural norm, but she gratefully accepted our condolences. We met Sophia’s father today, but he is a man of little words.
Today was a sad day.
On our first day of work, we met this darling five-year-old girl who lived two doors down from our home site. She introduced herself in English, “Hello. My name is Sophia Khan. What is your name?” She stole our hearts with her beautiful smile, energetic personality, and complete awesomeness. She spent a lot of time coming by our site and hanging out with Steven (a fellow volunteer who all the neighborhood children loved).
Last Friday, we played carnival type games with the kids and Sophia came in second place. Her mom came in first! Our team leader promised Sophia a gift on our last day for being second place.
We didn’t work on Saturday or Sunday so on Monday we were looking forward to seeing Sophia’s bright smile as we walked by. But she had already left for school. Since today is Ugadi (Telugu New Year), we knew she would be home. A few minutes prior to turning the corner onto our street, I said, “I hope we see Sophia today!” Steven was ahead of us and walked up to Sophia’s gate to show us their odd goat. Her aunt came to the gate and in Hindi told me that Sophia was gone. She then restated and said that Sophia had died. My eyes filled with tears. My fellow volunteers kept asking me, “What did she say?” So I became the bearer of bad news. I informed them that Sophia died yesterday. She was playing in the afternoon, fell off a table and hit her head. She went to the hospital where she was stable, but eventually stopped breathing. She was buried that night.
We all stood around her gate and cried for what seemed like forever. Charly, our team leader came by and we informed him as well. The shocked look on his face was unbearable. He has a child close to Sophia’s age. We left her house with heavy hearts to continue the work we came to do.
Before we began work, we decided to pray for her soul. We cried and hugged and pushed forward. Charly wanted to separate us today so we could help other homes, but knew we couldn’t bear it. So instead, we began building our family a kitchen and bathroom. It was a quiet workday.
As we began to depart for lunch, Sophia’s mother arrived. She came walking over to us. This vibrant young woman, who couldn’t possibly be older than me, now looked as if she were 50. Since I’m the only one who speaks Hindi in our group, she walked over to me repeating, “Sophia’s dead, Sophia’s dead.” I didn’t have to translate the tears. We all held her, which was definitely out of her cultural norm, but she gratefully accepted our condolences. We met Sophia’s father today, but he is a man of little words.
Today was a sad day.
Monday, March 15, 2010
We Have Walls!
What a mind-blowing (or mind-blasting for the Russell Peters’ fans out there) experience to go from digging two feet ditches to having walls up! I can’t explain our team’s excitement and sense of accomplishment! We just wish we had the time here to at least get a door in! Many of the home sites have had door ceremonies, so we want one too! Charlie (Habitat employee), our house leader, says we are two days ahead of schedule. But we have to let the cement dry and cannot add anymore bricks for a few days. And well, we leave on Thursday so tomorrow and Wednesday will be spent cleaning up our site, shifting sand, bricks, and rocks from the street to the property. I’m not sure if I mentioned this, but I decided to be on a team where I didn’t know anyone. I traveled here with Madelyn and really hit it off with some great girls from Portland, but I really wanted to develop relationships and see how it is working in such a situation with strangers. Well, I have to say, I picked the best team! We all work so well together. The age range is from 30 to 70 years old and we are from the US, Canada, Ireland and Australia. The diversity is amazing and I really feel like I have created a family. Melissa (the Canadian) and I almost cried today as we took a picture standing behind our newly built wall. I can’t imagine how emotional tomorrow and Wednesday will be.
Because we are ahead of schedule, our team is being split up tomorrow to help other teams. That’s going to be rough.
This afternoon, we had a gentleman come to our lunch and speak to us about domestic violence against women in the Northern Karnataka region. The most important point he made was that not only were women learning about their rights, but men were also being educated and being held accountable! Loved it! This evening James, the Bangalore representative from the International Justice Mission discussed bonded labor slavery. IJM is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. James shared some fantastic success stories, but also those people who felt to afraid to recreate a life after being freed. Please visit the website for more detailed information: www.ijm.org.
It was a wonderful day and now I’m sad I’m leaving in two days…
Because we are ahead of schedule, our team is being split up tomorrow to help other teams. That’s going to be rough.
This afternoon, we had a gentleman come to our lunch and speak to us about domestic violence against women in the Northern Karnataka region. The most important point he made was that not only were women learning about their rights, but men were also being educated and being held accountable! Loved it! This evening James, the Bangalore representative from the International Justice Mission discussed bonded labor slavery. IJM is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. James shared some fantastic success stories, but also those people who felt to afraid to recreate a life after being freed. Please visit the website for more detailed information: www.ijm.org.
It was a wonderful day and now I’m sad I’m leaving in two days…
Saturday, March 13, 2010
My First Day Off
It was spent sleeping until 11:30 AM, traveling to the Aroma Home Spa, taking a local bus to dinner, then to the Ice Cream Corner and a bumpy ride back to Hotel Evoma. It was a pretty perfect day!
Below is an email I sent to my work family yesterday:
I'm feeling super homesick today and wanted to drop a line and say hello. India is wonderful and you all know how in love I am with this country, but today I'm a bit sad. Lots of mixed emotions.
We are really getting to know the family we are building for. A family of five lives in a room the size of Cary's office. They eat there, study there and sleep there. It's heartbreaking. But today when we broke down their old wall and started building a new one, we were all overcome with joy. We spent the last hour of our build, playing with the kids and hanging out with the homeowner. They made us the best chai I've ever had because it was made with love. I couldn't help but shed a tear when I saw Pyari (the home owner) buy eight cups from the street vendor because she didn't have any. She bought cups for us! Maybe that doesn't seem like a big deal, but she earns only $2/day. The cups cost $1 total.
I'm also sad that we will not be able to complete this home before we leave. I will be back to see it though. I have to.
I feel so unbelievably fortunate to have a roof over my head, a job, a car, and all of you. So I am overcome with emotion today.
--------------
I have no idea how to say goodbye to this beautiful family. They have transformed my life. As of yesterday, we completed the first set of cement bricks around the edge, outlining their living and sleeping area. We also broke down their last wall! The last hour was spent playing games with the kids of the family and the neighborhood children. We had a blast with them! Please check out the pictures below.
There is another day off tomorrow. I’ll be taking some girls shopping and then off to see Karthik Calling Karthik (movie). Taking it easy until another busy Monday!
Below is an email I sent to my work family yesterday:
I'm feeling super homesick today and wanted to drop a line and say hello. India is wonderful and you all know how in love I am with this country, but today I'm a bit sad. Lots of mixed emotions.
We are really getting to know the family we are building for. A family of five lives in a room the size of Cary's office. They eat there, study there and sleep there. It's heartbreaking. But today when we broke down their old wall and started building a new one, we were all overcome with joy. We spent the last hour of our build, playing with the kids and hanging out with the homeowner. They made us the best chai I've ever had because it was made with love. I couldn't help but shed a tear when I saw Pyari (the home owner) buy eight cups from the street vendor because she didn't have any. She bought cups for us! Maybe that doesn't seem like a big deal, but she earns only $2/day. The cups cost $1 total.
I'm also sad that we will not be able to complete this home before we leave. I will be back to see it though. I have to.
I feel so unbelievably fortunate to have a roof over my head, a job, a car, and all of you. So I am overcome with emotion today.
--------------
I have no idea how to say goodbye to this beautiful family. They have transformed my life. As of yesterday, we completed the first set of cement bricks around the edge, outlining their living and sleeping area. We also broke down their last wall! The last hour was spent playing games with the kids of the family and the neighborhood children. We had a blast with them! Please check out the pictures below.
There is another day off tomorrow. I’ll be taking some girls shopping and then off to see Karthik Calling Karthik (movie). Taking it easy until another busy Monday!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
BUILD, BUILD, BUILD!
I need to recap. The days are just going by so fast and we are doing so much. The house I am working on is making progress. In fact, we are one day ahead of schedule. The foundation was already placed and we worked on completing the basement. The outline was dug, filled with granite and random rubble, then filled with dirt/mud and finally another layer of rocks, but done in a more structured way. I don’t think I’ve ever worked so hard in my life. Throughout the whole day, I think of Dad. He must be turning in his grave! I hated going to Home Depot with him. I hated working out in the yard or helping with anything that resembled construction. And now, it’s my choice to do it…and I have to say, I love it!
The family is wonderful. We are working in a Muslim community. The homeowner’s name is Pyari. Her husband’s name is Mohammed and the eldest daughter is Ruksana Banu. She is going to school to become a tailor. Once this house is built, her parents can then find a suitable groom for their daughter.
It’s now March 11th. There is no Internet connection so I’m just writing in hopes that I can post this soon. I am starting to fall sick, but going to push through it and continue working. Last night was “Indian” night. We drove back to the site where we have lunch, Nagalahari Center. The tent was decorated in purple, gold, red, pink, white, and green. The meal was absolutely delicious, especially the paani puri, bhel puri and chaat station! Katie, a volunteer from Portland, Oregon passed on dinner and ate 21 paani puris! Aside from dinner, there were two vendors selling their Kashmiri handicrafts and an up and coming female designer who intends to hire underprivileged women to help her produce her designs. Part of their proceeds went to Habitat for Humanity India. After dinner, we had one dance performance, the Northern Ireland team sang an old Irish song, Home site number 5 sang a cute little song in Kannada (I love you, do you love me), and then two of the house leaders, John and Bunty, accompanied by D.J. on the dholak (drum) sang a pseudo-bhajan! It was a great evening! We headed back to the hotel for Ladies Night at the Ultra Violet Lounge. In India, it doesn’t mean the same thing. We walked in and realized that ladies night meant one free “mocktail”! We were so bummed. So instead, we ordered a few Kingfishers and called a night.
It’s about 7AM now and it’s time for breakfast. My home site is going to start laying blocks today! So exciting! At lunch, we have a speaker that will discuss women’s rights in India. And tonight is Bollywood night! There will be henna, food (Indian of course), and DJ and a dance floor! Can’t wait to bust a move☺
10PM
Just returned from the Bollywood party at the hotel. It was so fun! We had henna artists and tons of food: butter chicken, palak paneer, fresh naan, daal, and so much mithai! The DJ played lots of Bollywood music, but enough top 40 to keep everyone on the dance floor.
So more about the workday: We continued with the basement until the afternoon. At lunch, we had a speaker discuss women’s rights and land issues here in India. It was a great talk. I will post his talks later. After lunch, we completed the first layer of cement bricks. It was a satisfying feeling to see the actual outlines of the room. The last half hour we spent with the family, sitting in what will be their living room. Pyari, Mohammed, and their two younger daughters, Yasmin and Hajida Banu served us fresh pineapple slices with salt and chili…it was delicious! Then we had an opportunity to ask them questions and they in turn asked us. We discussed their children, how they felt about us helping with their home, etc. They are so appreciative of our assistance. They feel very proud knowing that people from so many parts of the world are assisting in building them a home. They now know that they can find a suitable groom for their older daughter. It’s an amazing feeling to know that complete strangers from all over the world have come together to make a community better. It’s very moving.
The family is wonderful. We are working in a Muslim community. The homeowner’s name is Pyari. Her husband’s name is Mohammed and the eldest daughter is Ruksana Banu. She is going to school to become a tailor. Once this house is built, her parents can then find a suitable groom for their daughter.
It’s now March 11th. There is no Internet connection so I’m just writing in hopes that I can post this soon. I am starting to fall sick, but going to push through it and continue working. Last night was “Indian” night. We drove back to the site where we have lunch, Nagalahari Center. The tent was decorated in purple, gold, red, pink, white, and green. The meal was absolutely delicious, especially the paani puri, bhel puri and chaat station! Katie, a volunteer from Portland, Oregon passed on dinner and ate 21 paani puris! Aside from dinner, there were two vendors selling their Kashmiri handicrafts and an up and coming female designer who intends to hire underprivileged women to help her produce her designs. Part of their proceeds went to Habitat for Humanity India. After dinner, we had one dance performance, the Northern Ireland team sang an old Irish song, Home site number 5 sang a cute little song in Kannada (I love you, do you love me), and then two of the house leaders, John and Bunty, accompanied by D.J. on the dholak (drum) sang a pseudo-bhajan! It was a great evening! We headed back to the hotel for Ladies Night at the Ultra Violet Lounge. In India, it doesn’t mean the same thing. We walked in and realized that ladies night meant one free “mocktail”! We were so bummed. So instead, we ordered a few Kingfishers and called a night.
It’s about 7AM now and it’s time for breakfast. My home site is going to start laying blocks today! So exciting! At lunch, we have a speaker that will discuss women’s rights in India. And tonight is Bollywood night! There will be henna, food (Indian of course), and DJ and a dance floor! Can’t wait to bust a move☺
10PM
Just returned from the Bollywood party at the hotel. It was so fun! We had henna artists and tons of food: butter chicken, palak paneer, fresh naan, daal, and so much mithai! The DJ played lots of Bollywood music, but enough top 40 to keep everyone on the dance floor.
So more about the workday: We continued with the basement until the afternoon. At lunch, we had a speaker discuss women’s rights and land issues here in India. It was a great talk. I will post his talks later. After lunch, we completed the first layer of cement bricks. It was a satisfying feeling to see the actual outlines of the room. The last half hour we spent with the family, sitting in what will be their living room. Pyari, Mohammed, and their two younger daughters, Yasmin and Hajida Banu served us fresh pineapple slices with salt and chili…it was delicious! Then we had an opportunity to ask them questions and they in turn asked us. We discussed their children, how they felt about us helping with their home, etc. They are so appreciative of our assistance. They feel very proud knowing that people from so many parts of the world are assisting in building them a home. They now know that they can find a suitable groom for their older daughter. It’s an amazing feeling to know that complete strangers from all over the world have come together to make a community better. It’s very moving.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Equal Rights- Equal Opportunities- Progress for All
Today is the 100th year of International Women’s Day. And what a day it was. It started at 6:30AM with a group breakfast. We then boarded buses to Hegde Nagar, which is our work site. The group took a quick tour the different houses we would be working on and we had the opportunity to meet these wonderful women the homes belonged to. After the quick tour, we headed to the opening ceremonies of the build. The chief guest was India’s first female Deputy General of Police, Jija Hari Singh! It was an empowering morning. As we gathered under this beautiful tent, Carnatic music and live singers engaged us. Just as we began to sit, hundreds of women from all walks of life marched into the arena with their colorful saris and amazing spirit. They held signs, but since they were written in Kannada, we were not sure of what they said. There were various speeches both in English and Kannada from guests, children performed, and women sang. The message created by Habitat for Humanity and BIRDS (Bharti Integrated Rural Development Society: http://www.birds-india.com) for this year’s Women’s Day: Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities and Progress for All!
After this fantastic assembly, we embarked for lunch and then straight to work. I am working on home site # 12. The name of the homeowner is slipping my mind at the moment, but I will ask again today. She has four children, two girls and two boys. Her husband also lives there. The foundation has been set, but nothing else. So yesterday was spent digging a two foot deep edge around the foundation, which will help us create a base. I’m not in construction nor do I understand it so I’m not sure how this works. We were told not to take cameras to the site, so I didn’t have one, but today I’m sneaking one in. Maybe some of you will understand how this will work. The tools are limited. For the few hours we worked yesterday, I used a long pole with a sharp edge to loosen dirt. My teammate used a shovel like contraption to dig up the lose dirt and throw it into the center. The goal for our two weeks is to have the walls up. If we work fast enough, we may even be able to start the roof!
Yesterday was exhausting and we only worked a few hours. I have no idea what today will be like. It is 90-95 degrees here and no shade. We are keeping hydrated as best we can. It is time for me to head out and board the bus. It is a 30-45 minute bus ride to the site. Wish me luck!
After this fantastic assembly, we embarked for lunch and then straight to work. I am working on home site # 12. The name of the homeowner is slipping my mind at the moment, but I will ask again today. She has four children, two girls and two boys. Her husband also lives there. The foundation has been set, but nothing else. So yesterday was spent digging a two foot deep edge around the foundation, which will help us create a base. I’m not in construction nor do I understand it so I’m not sure how this works. We were told not to take cameras to the site, so I didn’t have one, but today I’m sneaking one in. Maybe some of you will understand how this will work. The tools are limited. For the few hours we worked yesterday, I used a long pole with a sharp edge to loosen dirt. My teammate used a shovel like contraption to dig up the lose dirt and throw it into the center. The goal for our two weeks is to have the walls up. If we work fast enough, we may even be able to start the roof!
Yesterday was exhausting and we only worked a few hours. I have no idea what today will be like. It is 90-95 degrees here and no shade. We are keeping hydrated as best we can. It is time for me to head out and board the bus. It is a 30-45 minute bus ride to the site. Wish me luck!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Dog, Circus, Ping Pong
A golden retriever in an auto rickshaw, the circus is in town and an intense game of ping-pong.
Madelyn and I are roommates. Another Habitat volunteer from Seattle, Lori, came knocking quite early. It is her first trip to India and she was wide-awake at 9AM. She told us that the eight other volunteers already at the hotel were headed into Bangalore proper for shopping and lunch. So we decided to join them, but there was no room in the taxi. I love that Madelyn is up for anything so we jumped into an auto rickshaw and headed into town. An hour later and some negotiating with the rickshaw wala, we were able to find our group and do a little sightseeing of MG Road and Brigade Road. We then headed to lunch at Ebony, located in the Ivory Tower! After lunch, you know I had to hit up the beauty parlor. Got these eyebrows did! Headed back to the hotel to relax. En route, we saw a beautiful golden retriever taking a ride in an auto rickshaw. That dog was so happy!!! I just thought, “Butters would love this!” As soon as we passed that, I saw the circus tent! I told Madelyn that we need to go to that, but due to a group dinner and the intense game of ping-pong accompanied by loud Bollywood music, I didn’t make it! I hope to go tomorrow!
So far, the group is fantastic. I look forward to working with them. Today we found out that the foundation has been set for these homes so we will be working “up”. We will know more tomorrow evening at our initial meeting with the entire volunteer group.
So stay tuned…
Seattle-Paris-Bangalore
Teenagers. French teenagers. They irritate me. I tried very hard for 9 hours to reflect back to my teenage years. Was I loud, obnoxious, and angry with this permanent frown on my face that’s apparently cool? Yes, I was, just not in public and especially not on an airplane. In 2000, I traveled to India with three teenagers and not once were they obnoxious to the other passengers. So here’s what happened. A frustrated group of French parents must have decided to send their children to the United States to torture Americans. They were on my flight back to Paris…all 12 of them. I had the pleasure of having the angriest and loudest one sit behind me, who’s only English phrase he repeated through the flight was, “How low can you go, how low can you go” (rap/hip-hop song by Ludacris). We also had touch screen televisions on the back of our seats. Apparently his television was not as sensitive to his touch so he pounded it the entire flight. We could not have landed in Paris sooner. I held myself together very well…I want to keep a peaceful state of mind…but the thought of chucking him out of the aircraft did cross my mind.
We landed in Paris right on time and had two hours to kill before the flight to Bangalore. As we boarded the shuttle to the aircraft, I couldn’t help but examine at my companion’s reactions. Madelyn is a world traveler (this is her first trip to India though) so she’s got this down. She stood right next to the door so she could quickly exit. I stood as far from the door as possible. As the shuttle continued to fill, all the Indians stood toward the front…not the back where I had plenty of space. Very eager Indians acting as if we don’t have seat assignments crowded her! We get to the aircraft and they are still cleaning it. So we stand there for at least 20 minutes. And when we are allowed to exit, there she went! She was amazing…just pushed her way in. By the time I boarded, she had put her carry on in the compartment above her and was seated! We sat on the tarmac for at least an hour if not longer. Not sure what happened. For those of you who know me well, I was already asleep. In fact, some loud announcement woke me and that is when I realized we didn’t even take off yet!
I was lucky enough to get an empty row and relax a bit. So here I am writing about this journey on the flight. We will be arriving in Bangalore at about 2/3AM on Saturday morning. That’s it for now…
Sunday, February 28, 2010
7 Days and Counting
Namaskara!
How can I express my excitement and nervousness? In seven days I'm embarking on my first Habitat for Humanity project in India. On March 8th, International Women's Day, volunteers from around the world will begin building homes in a village north of Bangalore called Hegde Nagar.
In 2006, HFH India launched a campaign called IndiaBUILDS to provide shelter and stability to 50,000 families. As a part of this campaign, Habitat India is bringing different segments of society together to build, which includes women from all backgrounds. We the volunteers, will work alongside members of local women's savings groups as a part of Habitat's "Women Build" initiative.
The women we will be building with live in a resettlement colony in Hegde Nagar. The families that were moved there from slums in Bangalore's urban neighborhoods still do not have access to decent housing. Conditions are poor for most due to underemployment and lack of basic services. Unfortunately, most of the women living there become single parents after a husband has moved elsewhere for work or even worse, is lost to alcoholism. This makes the women vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.
What I've learned in the past few weeks as I research Habitat and the Global Village program, that this is not a hand-out, but a hands up. There is a need to improve housing, so along with these amazing women, we will contribute sweat-equity hours working on their homes. In addition to all this, the aim is to increase the dignity and social capital of these women. I feel so fortunate that I will have the opportunity to get to know them better. We will work side-by-side building, we will be participating in study sessions on self-help groups and micro financing, and we will take a poverty-housing tour of the slum community in which many of these women live.
I feel like this particular project wasn't something I fell into. I was guided towards it by a higher force. People come into our lives for different reasons and there is always a purpose. Last year, I met ten different women and they each have had a purpose in my life. I want to thank my YKB ladies! Each of your stories empowered me to change and develop. You have given me the strength to build a better me. And now, I have the ability to help other women build better lives. Thank you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
