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Namaste! I wish I could tell you everything about my experience in Nepal-- down to the last detail, so that you could experience it with me. But, instead of writing "the post that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friend," I'll share with you the highlights of our adventure.
*In this post, I'll tell you about KATHMANDU.
*The NEXT post will be specifically about the TEACHING CONFERENCE :)
*Lastly, I'll have a post about the Servlife children's homes and the adorable children and inspiring leaders!
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SO here we go-- First of all, the 5 W's.
1. WHO: A small, Christian organization called Servlife works in Nepal. They run several girls & boys homes, and sponsor those children to receive an education and care. They also help Nepali pastors plant churches around the country, and now they are involved in relief work post-earthquake.
Our team consisted of the Servlife assistant director, the communications director, 2 teachers, a college student, a principal, my husband the engineer, and me.
2. WHAT: Our team's purpose was to run a 3-day teaching conference for rural Nepali teachers.
3. WHERE: We flew into Kathmandu and were able to stay there a few days. The teaching conference was in the "far-western region" of Nepal, in the Kailali District, in the town of Lamki. Our hotel was in nearby Chisapani. HA! I think all of those names are accurate! Thanks, Google Maps. Don't quote me.
4. WHEN: 11 days in July. Whew that was an easy one.
5. WHY: My husband and I sponsor a middle school girl through Servlife who lives in the girl's home in Kailali. We exchange letters a couple times per year :) When I heard that Servlife was hosting a teacher training event in Kailali, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to do 3 awesome things: serve as a teacher + visit Nepal + visit our sponsored child. I wasn't disappointed!!
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AFTER APPROXIMATELY A MILLION HOURS OF TRAVELING {including an overnight layover in Qatar} we arrived in Kathmandu! My brain tortured me with the Bob Seger song for about 5 days. {But after all, that's really really where I was going to.} My first impression upon being taxied from the airport to the hotel was: I'm glad I don't have to drive in this country. If you've ever been to a non-western country then you're probably way ahead of me. Stop lights & stop signs are replaced with honking your horn and playing chicken with oncoming traffic. Oh, and btw, don't hit that animal that's inevitably laying in the middle of the road. If it's a cow, and you kill it, you may be facing jail time. If you're familiar with Hinduism, you know that cows are sacred. About 80% of Nepal is Hindu-- but if some members of government get their way, Nepal may become a Hindu state once again. At the moment, it's legal to embrace another religion, but you can't evangelize.
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| Don't...turn...around... I have no words for this shrine to Shiva that we walked by. |
YOU MAY KNOW Nepal for it's world-renown attraction: Mount Everest! Sorry, this post has nothing to do with Mt. Everest. But Kathmandu is in a valley surrounded by the Himalayas, which made for pretty, Instagram-worthy views!
Nepal is a developing country, and Kathmandu is the most "developed" city in the country. Electricity exists, but don't count on having it all the time. Don't be *too* sad if your phone or camera can't charge overnight. It doesn't matter where you are - a restaurant, hotel, THE AIRPORT - the electricity WILL go out. They may or may not have back-up generators. C'est la vie. Also, give a kitty high five if you get to take a warm shower.
{"kitty high five" - GoNoodle reference}. FYI.
{"kitty high five" - GoNoodle reference}. FYI.
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| The view from the roof of our hotel in Kathmandu. You can see the foothills of the Himalayas, but the Himalayas themselves are hidden by clouds! It was hit or miss to see them! |
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| A view of a neighborhood in Kathmandu. |
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| My favorite coffee and wifi spot in Kathmandu. http://www.topoftheworldcoffee.com/ |
On our "tourist day," we ventured out to see some of the historic sites in Kathmandu. I was excited to see the alleged "Monkey Temple," after hearing about how the monkeys will steal your stuff if they feel so inclined. (Real name of temple: Swayambhunath. Say that 5x fast. Really, just try saying it once.) We experienced no monkey thievery, but did enjoy the view as well as the old religious monuments.
There was a sign under this Buddha saying "Please do not sit on statue" -- That flat hand though! So perfect for photos!
In Nepal (and maybe other places) Buddhism and Hinduism do a little overlapping with regards to reverence for Buddha.... I'm not hearing anyone asking to explain, so, moving on!
DOWN THE MOUNTAIN back in some historic parts of town, we saw many temples, shrines, and architecture.
We even saw the "living goddess" (Kumari) who is revered by both Buddhists and Hindus. We entered an small, old courtyard built in the 17th century and looked up at the many windows, hoping the goddess would make an appearance. Our Nepali guide shouted something, and one of the Kumari's caretakers shouted something back-- and then the little 8 year old girl appeared in the window. She was completely done up with make up and a traditional, fancy (technical term) outfit. She made some kind of waving gesture to us, which wasn't exactly waving. Maybe she was giving us a blessing, I don't know. I waved at her, but she didn't acknowledge it. We all noticed that she looked extremely bored. The selection process for the girl who becomes the living goddess is interesting, and involves the girl sleeping in a room of decapitated, sacrificed animals. Our guide told us that the current girl was chosen at the age of 3. Once the girl reaches puberty, they return to a "normal" life.
Here's the Wikipedia article about the living goddess: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumari_(children)#Selection_process
The estimated number of Christians in Nepal is 3%, although the government says less. We were lucky enough to attend a church that is run by a Nepali man (& his family) who works with Servlife. He is also the Children's Director, who takes care of the children who live in the Servlife homes in Kathmandu! I heard that he was once put in jail for a month after being accused of evangelizing. He is an inspiration and a great force for change in Nepal.
Since we were guests, people from our group were invited to give the sermon on both Sundays we attended :) You may notice that all the backs of heads in this picture are men. That is because it so happened that I ended up sitting on the men's side of the church, in the back. The women & children are on the right, outside of the picture!
Thanks, Kathmandu, for everything -- and hope to see you in the future! NAMASTE!
Look for my next 2 posts about our Nepal journey soon! And feel free to ask any questions -- I would love to answer them!
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| Los monkeys |
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| On the way up to the temple. The flags that you see are actually prayer flags. If you hang them, when they wave, they pray on your behalf. THANKS FLAG-FRIENDS! |
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| Buddha at the Monkey Temple! |
In Nepal (and maybe other places) Buddhism and Hinduism do a little overlapping with regards to reverence for Buddha.... I'm not hearing anyone asking to explain, so, moving on!
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| THE one and only Monkey Temple... relics from Buddha's personal library are housed underneath this monument. |
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| Prayer wheels at the Monkey Temple. And a lovely face. If you spin the prayer wheels, the prayers that are written on them will be prayed for you. |
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| View from the Monkey Temple. |
We even saw the "living goddess" (Kumari) who is revered by both Buddhists and Hindus. We entered an small, old courtyard built in the 17th century and looked up at the many windows, hoping the goddess would make an appearance. Our Nepali guide shouted something, and one of the Kumari's caretakers shouted something back-- and then the little 8 year old girl appeared in the window. She was completely done up with make up and a traditional, fancy (technical term) outfit. She made some kind of waving gesture to us, which wasn't exactly waving. Maybe she was giving us a blessing, I don't know. I waved at her, but she didn't acknowledge it. We all noticed that she looked extremely bored. The selection process for the girl who becomes the living goddess is interesting, and involves the girl sleeping in a room of decapitated, sacrificed animals. Our guide told us that the current girl was chosen at the age of 3. Once the girl reaches puberty, they return to a "normal" life.
Here's the Wikipedia article about the living goddess: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumari_(children)#Selection_process
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| Earthquake damage - the earthquake in April destroyed many historic sites. |
Since we were guests, people from our group were invited to give the sermon on both Sundays we attended :) You may notice that all the backs of heads in this picture are men. That is because it so happened that I ended up sitting on the men's side of the church, in the back. The women & children are on the right, outside of the picture!
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| Rob giving his sermon at a small church in Kathmandu! |
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| The Children's Director and leader of the church :) |
Thanks, Kathmandu, for everything -- and hope to see you in the future! NAMASTE!
Look for my next 2 posts about our Nepal journey soon! And feel free to ask any questions -- I would love to answer them!
How cool is all of this? I've learned a lot; it's really fascinating! Looking forward to your next post!
ReplyDeleteThanks Elizabeth! I really appreciate your encouragement! (Feel free to ask any questions in case I need to clarify anything)!
DeleteSuch a pretty blog and interesting!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
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