Leaving to trek in the Everest region

Hello Friends and Family,
We arrived safely in Kathmandu, joined by our men... and have explored Thamel area thoroughly for all the trinkets and such that can squeeze into our overstuffed bags for our loved ones (hope you were expecting such... dear family...). We have explored deep pockets of commerce (skinny streets loaded and lined with shops and eager sellers telling us we will be their good luck if only we will buy- name our price) and temples loaded with prayer wheels and symbols and birds and monkeys and more). Our eating has been luscious (after a month of dal-baat).
Tomorrow, early we head for Lukla by air for the Everest region, to begin our 8-day trek. For the next while we are out of range... so we will write to you when we return!

Cheers- hope for good weather and good muscles.
J, C, B and L

Leaving Koshidekha-and next chapter...

September 28, 2013

Dear Friends and Family,

Last day- a day full of profoundly deep heart-felt emotion. Five AM was bitter sweet as we woke up to get ready for the day of good-byes and of celebration for the new school building donated by the Swiss for the children of Koshidekha. Saying farewell to Rajman and Maya was the hardest and brought on our first bout of tears. After dragging our gear up the mountain to the school, we found intense preparations under way, as teachers and volunteers had been working for days and into the night.  The Swiss arrived in their hiking clothes to a flanking of 500 children lined up for a long stretch through the tiny town, in uniform. The procession included ancient Tamang drumming and dancing, teachers dressed in Saris and dress clothes, and all with flower petals to shower the guests. In spite of the pomp and formalities, stray dogs and chickens settled in amongst the revelers.  Five hours of speeches in three languages (Nepali, German, and fractional English), traditional dances, and songs taught by yours truly to each grade 1-7, we ate a feast cooked by teachers throughout the preceding night. The final song, We Shall Overcome, was the culminating moment for us, as 45 children sang their hearts out for us, as we all dreamed of a good future for the people of Koshidekha. After  tearful good-byes and many Pheri Betaula’s (“see you agains”) we piled into the 4-wheel drive jeep to bounce down the mountain road toward Kathmandu.

On our first night of re-entry with our hosts, Dr. and Mrs. Shakar included our first hot water soaking shower in a month and electric light (as opposed to head lamps and flashlights). The cooking was actually on a stove. And the sit-down toilet felt good under us!!! We awoke, however at 4am (damn) to the cacophony  of thousands of rooster cock-adoodle-doos and barking dogs. Welcome to the city! We have found our hotel for the next few nights, before heading for the Everest Mountain area. Tomorrow we volunteer for a medical health camp in Baktapur, joining our Nepal Children’s Center hosts and the Swiss group who funded the new Koshidekha school building.

Stay tuned for our next adventure surely upon the horizon…

C and J

Home in Koshidekha, Nepal

September 21, 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

Our last week begins.  Before we leave, here is a bit more about life in our neighborhood. Mr. Rogers would have been proudly wearing his cardigan sweater after seeing our friendly neighbors.

Ladders in every house lead to the upper floors. The 3^rd floor here is for cornstalk drying. There are three multipurpose bedrooms on the second floor used for everything from living room, guest sitting, TV and computer, storage of clothing and food and tools, as we use our attics or basements. We both share a room just big enough for two wooden beds covered by a quilt serving as a mattress. We manage to sleep soundly most every night! Our early-to-bed and early-to-rise schedules, due to our host’s work / farm chore needs and electric “load shedding” has taken on new meaning! Our evening trips to the outhouse are a challenge; with trusty headlamps secured to our noggins, we have managed to make many a nighttime foray without falling down the ladder.

As we enter our last week, the school is in a frenzy over the upcoming dedication for the new high school building donated by two Swiss corporations. With every student preparing for a dancing or singing performance of some kind (Nepalese and Tamang folk dances, American folk songs taught by yours- truly), speeches, banners, signs, food, gifts, etc. are in the making. We have managed to jumpstart a trash clean-up afternoon all around the building with all the students and faculty participating, something never tried before!

It is Saturday washing and chore day, what everyone does on his or her one day off from school or work. We, however, are planning a hike around our foothill mountains after we have done our own laundry and swept the mud floor. Again, no electricity today- this time all day -to subsidize city power in great demand, we are told.  This epistle will go when we can load and send- electricity is a precious gift when we can access internet!

 The men arrive in Kathmandu on the 28th. We will be oh-so glad to see them.

Love, C and J

 

 

September 20, 2013

We awoke this morning at 4:40 am to the pungent fragrance of water buffalo dung mixed with the ripening guava fruit, both competing with the early cooking fire smoke, all within 20 feet of our bedroom window. Our window remains wide open to the elements- no screens in spite of the deafening chirps of cicadas and birds, and the eager hoard of flying critters (bugs) just waiting for a light bulb to illuminate. There is the sound of a single motor bike each morning heading for the milk collection shed down the path. Our day has begun.

We have not really described our school activities- the amazing daily experiences with 500 children and 17 teachers. After our 9AM “lunch” (Kanna) at home with Rajman (already been to school and back and hauled water jugs from the local well ) and prepared by Maya, we put on our walking shoes (all others in their flip flops) to make the trek up the ¾ mile rugged path.  We are usually joined by 20 plus children for the hike up to school where we mop off our soaked brows and bodies to begin our day. We are greeted all along the way and again at the school by dozens of “Namastes”,  “good mornings” and warm smiles.  At 10:00 am the gong is heard and all children (K-10) gather on the new patio for the daily morning assembly- rows of students in front of the brand new building built by the Swiss donors and by Health Care Nepal (our friend Jack Starmer and NGO). With students leading the troops, students stand at attention, sing the Nepalese anthem with bowed heads, answer a trivia question of the day, and march out to drums to their respective classrooms. We gather our box of materials and head for our first class. Our role began and emerged: teachers of English and mentors or teachers.  We seem to be a hit! In that these teachers have had little training- few have been to college or university and most began right out of high school- we are bringing a very new view of education. Their traditional model has been one of rote recitation, memorization, and chanting facts and readings. This school, thanks to the influences of the a few outside visitors/volunteers brought in by Nepal Children’ Aid Center and Health Care Nepal, slowly becomes a model school for the area, with English texts and instruction (though extremely limited), interactive classrooms, and Kindergarten. We, however, are the first teachers to spend a concentrated amount of time in the classrooms and with the teachers to model, coach, instruct, and guide teaching in a western style. We are doing the first teacher workshop they have ever had early next week, complete with handouts and interactive learning strategies for them to see in action. We are thrilled with the eager and open reception from teachers, with continual invites to additional classrooms beyond our planned 3rd-5^th grades. It has been wonderfully rewarding; we are a good team, sharing like styles of teaching and philosophy, and know each other well. Last night our home stay hosts, Rajman and Maya, extended a most generous invitation to return to his home and school, extolling our virtues and contributions. We are glowing.

 

Teachers and Principal earn nearly nothing- in fact, so little none qualify to pay taxes at the minimum wage of $5000 per year. Two teachers are volunteers (no pay) and several are earning the equivalent of less than $700 per year. Most around $4000 per year, we are understanding. Materials are scarce. There is one internet-connected computer and printer in school and the printer acts as the only copy machine. The generous support of outside donors has brought a computer lab (non-internet) of 15 computers to the school- an amazing luxury for these parts.  Carolyn and I scrounge for a pencil and paper to make notes and materials. It took ten minutes to find a pair of scissors. This is miracle in the making, yet has so far to go.

Nepal has more hydro power resources than most countries in the world, yet we experience 50 hours of  “load shedding” (no power)  per week. As we rarely know the schedule of shutoffs,  we never know when we will be in the dark. The country is too poor to harness its resources both,  for itself or for export. No electric power for up to seven hours per day means we often are in the dark; in places where they are in place, one cannot use any  electric appliances or heating system, etc. TV is limited. It is hard for the country to move into the 21^st century with any muscle.

 

On the other side of things, we continue to experience our neighborhood in new ways. Our neighborhood  has moved on from corn crop harvesting and bean planting to rice or corn wine making for the upcoming holiday, Dashain. One neighbor weaves intricate wool rugs for sale (wool must be imported as there are no sheep here), while her husband works in Malaysia and returns every couple of years. This is pretty typical- women stay to farm and raise children while the men leave for work and return when they can. Maya and Rajman are Tamang, complete with their own traditional dress and unique language. Learning Nepalese reading and writing has been a challenge for many. English is a  something for the new generation.

So much more to tell – coming soon. Love to all the outside world, if you are still there???

J and C

Life with mountain women farmers

September 15, 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

This morning brought new meaning to the world of high finance. At 7AM we headed down the path to the next hamlet where Rajman opened the “bank” for business for the entire local community. Sitting upon a woven mat, on the front step of a mud brick house next to the town well, he opened his financial borrowing –lending ledger and began to collect cash. Money appeared from under their cloth belts. Careful accounting was kept for thirty customers (25 ladies, 5 men) while they all watched the individual transactions take place.

Their small children were fascinated by our gray hairs and western garb. They fed us penny candy, sang us songs, and demonstrated their Buddhist yoga positions, while mothers and grandmothers banked and looked on. Others bathed under the well tap and did laundry – all this in the “bank lobby.”

On the way to and from the early morning trek, the clouds lifted and we were treated to our first panorama of the snow-capped Himalayas.  It was surreal.

We are constantly bombarded by the contrasting ways of life: modern century cell phones complete with Facebook in the midst of mud houses, primitive farming methods, outside and inside cooking fire pits, outhouses, etc.

Saturday, our one day of rest, we took a long hike- 3000 ft. elevation drop- into the valley to seek water where we found the beautiful river, doffed all clothing, and submerged blissfully.

Back to school on Sunday morning early for the first day of our six-day workweek.

The sickle is ever present and ever handy....Maya opened the plastic Tang bag with it.  We put ourselves in the dark when we undress to avoid having to look at our big and increasingly fat bodies.  We are on an all starch diet complete with corn, potatoes, rice, bread and muffins three meals a day!!!!

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xoxox,

J and C

More notes from Nepal

September 15, 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

This morning brought new meaning to the world of high finance. At 7AM we headed down the path to the next hamlet where Rajman opened the “bank” for business for the entire local community. Sitting upon a woven mat, on the front step of a mud brick house next to the town well, he opened his financial borrowing –lending ledger and began to collect cash. Money appeared from under their cloth belts. Careful accounting was kept for thirty customers (25 ladies, 5 men) while they all watched the individual transactions take place.

Their small children were fascinated by our gray hairs and western garb. They fed us penny candy, sang us songs, and demonstrated their Buddhist yoga positions, while mothers and grandmothers banked and looked on. Others bathed under the well tap and did laundry – all this in the “bank lobby.”

On the way to and from the early morning trek, the clouds lifted and we were treated to our first panorama of the snow-capped Himalayas.  It was surreal.

We are constantly bombarded by the contrasting ways of life: modern century cell phones complete with Facebook in the midst of mud houses, primitive farming methods, outside and inside cooking fire pits, outhouses, etc.

Saturday, our one day of rest, we took a long hike- 3000 ft. elevation drop- into the valley to seek water where we found the beautiful river, doffed all clothing, and submerged blissfully.

Back to school on Sunday morning early for the first day of our six-day workweek. 

If you wish to be alerted to our site in your email, check the box on main page to register as a viewer. Hope all is well with you! Joanie and Carolyn

Our Life in Nepal- ongoing!

Dear Friends and Family, 

We are sorry for no pictures, but limited electricity and computer internet connection, along with dial up when it does happen... prevent us from sending pictures now. When we finish at the school at the end of September , we will put in some of our hundreds of pictures!!

September 2013- Home Life 

We have settled in to a life routine in our tiny village and abode: up at 6:00am (two hours after our hosts, Rajman and Maya, who have already fed the livestock, made 6 trips to the community well, and prepared Khaajaa- our breakfast tea and fire roasted corn on the cob or sel roti, a fried ring of sweet dough. Our mornings are quiet thus far, while Maya goes to do her daily cutting of grass for the water buffalo and goats and Rajman heads out early for school (7am). While we sit outside the house, doing morning things, neighbors carry their heavy baskets of corn or grass through the yard to the short-cut path to the other cluster of homes around us. Maya returns home in time to cook the mid day Khanna “lunch” at 9:30 or 10:00 of Dhalbaat (rice and veggies with curry or other sauces). Rajman returns from school for lunch.

We sit for meals in the main, mud floor room, at our small table and plastic chairs bought specially for the foreign guests- the only pieces of furniture in the room. They generally sit on the floor on small round mats; however, we have corrupted them to join us for a few meals.  After lunch,we walk up to the school on our ¾ mile trek up the rough dirt road to the top of the ridge where the school sits.

We wash and toilet in the small out-building next to the house, with cold water faucet and pit toilet. The rooster often follows us to the john! We brush our teeth while standing over the compost heap (not smelly), right next to the water buffalo and goats. The bold rooster wanders freely in hopes of corn or rice castoffs.

Mid day has been hot (guessing 85-90); this is the quiet time for them on the day off. They watch TV in their bedroom on the second floor which serves as living room, study with computer, and TV room. We are truly an anomaly, with books, sketch pad and paints (Carolyn) , recorder practice (Joan) or computer picture sorting, writing, and planning for school, since Nepalese TV is hard to follow! It is most intriguing to witness the contrast between simple, old world life and true poverty with linoleum on the mud floor, TV and computer in the bedroom (minimal dial up capacity), and elaborate colors of clothing and bedding, not all to our taste.

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We have the daily challenge of four hours of electricity “load shedding”, different times each day; some activities are worked around this blackout as necessary. Sometimes, we just give up and go to bedrooms at 7PM since the house is black, except for our flashlights and head lamps. Other nights we extend our day till 8:30 or 9:00PM if the power is on, giving us few electric lights to sit and talk or read by!

We are planning our teaching schedule- four classes each of grades 1-7 between us (45 min/day), six days per week! Our goal is to get children excited about English and their teachers to expand their teaching strategies and English usage. We have also been charged with preparing the students for a Building Dedication celebration-performance for the Swiss donors. We are a bit daunted by the challenge!

Our hosts have been warm and welcoming, upbeat, and eager for our input. They will do what ever they can manage our ideas! We are working very hard to keep ourselves in check, so as not to overwhelm them. Our neighbors are all curious and friendly, babbling incessantly to us in Nepalese! Our blank stares coupled with a grin and lots of gesturing seems to be good entertainment for them. The whole village knows us!

School Life

We began our school introduction with a field trip with those students who have been sponsored for their schooling. It was a whirlwind tour of the road to China, with a goal to expanding their very limited horizons. We began at 4:30 am walking up the hill  to school to join 17 students and 3 adults to walk the remaining 2.5 miles out of the region in the pouring rain, on the washed out road, complete with umbrellas, flipflops, and dreary darkness. We loaded a bus and headed out on the remainder of our red clay, mud trenched, road- to merge to the only main road leading to China in all of Nepal. Our trip included harrowing climbs up and down mountain passes, temples and dams, hot springs, chalk mines and simple villages, swinging bridges over class 5-6 raging river, waterfalls and massive wasp hives. We were in absolute terror as we sped through villages and down steep passes and curves.  Our second day was our first glimpse of sun, and all in the villages were out doing laundry, likely their first chance since monsoon began. The Chinese border was loaded with trucks, in queue, waiting to load and carry Chinese goods to all of Nepal. The road they traveled was not much better than our own, with one lane, wash-outs, pot holes and mud slides, and perilous terrain.

The children were reserved to begin with, but by journey’s end, were singing, dancing, drumming, and teaching us Nepalese and laughing at us relentlessly.

September 8, 2013

Today was Teez Festival. Ladies dress elegantly in their finest red saris and jewels, they fast with no food and water for 24 hours, travel  to their mother’s home, dance and sing at the Temple all day, and then return home for bathing in the river or well, and feasting the following day. We at school celebrated for a long afternoon, with speeches by all the teachers, essays by students, and  dancing traditional Nepalese dances in the broiling sun of the day, dressed in beautiful red saris and fully bejeweled. . The girls danced in solo and small groups followed by older women, and male teachers. There was not a dry brow or back in the place. Joining the school community of faculty, children and yours-truly were past students, mothers, grandmothers, and village onlookers. Of course, we were pulled in to the dancing before all, trying to copy all the intricate steps and motions of the dancers. How embarrassing was that! At least we were dressed in our finest kurtha suruwaal  and jewels bestowed upon us for the occasion! The crowning blow was being asked on the spot to give a speech before the crowd, which we attempted in our pigeon Nepalese! Yikes! You would not be proud!

September 9, 2013

Greetings friends and family. We surface! As we sit outside our small abode writing and sketching, we look out onto lovely steep hills and valleys with a large river below. Traffic is not the usual: two motor bikes have passed the house in 7 days- but the intermittent flow of neighbors  passing to the surrounding fields, laden with huge baskets filled with corn cobs  for drying or grass for the goats and water buffalo is a regular occurrence. Each family has at least one buffalo, several goats and a chicken or three. Some have oxen for the field plowing.

We have had many lessons of all types and are settling in nicely. Rajman, our host and school principal,  must endure our endless questions about school, culture, families (branches, leaves, trunks, and seedlings!!), language, and basic household life questions right down to the toilet paper! We managed to lure his wife, Maya, to the dinner table one evening, but that was short lived as that is not proper. Guests are treated like gods, we are told by Rajman. (we could do with more of this at home!).

Our daily walks have been invigorating, complete with drenching sweat and spectacular views on our way to school each day. Our most serious hike was on the Teez holiday to the swift and mighty river 2 hours below us, meeting all the family and community members along the way down and back - mostly Tamang (this local cultural group haling originally from Mongolia ) with their own unique language, clothing, and traditions. (There are over 92 of these different groups around this small country the size of Arkansaw, we are told.) Once we crossed the rice paddies, passed through the small temple, we wade into the river- we so much wanted to jump into the river and drench our sticky bodies but two naked “venuses” would shock the valley for good!

Our first day of school was yesterday- still less than full house due to the Teez Holiday. A number of classrooms lacked teachers (off celebrating with families in other villages). We “wung it, jumping in to three classes throughout the day, having a blast. The children speak and write English at least as well as their teachers, we are discovering, as confidence and accuracy is not their concern. The school is scarcely equipped. Constant electric “load shedding” and intermittent internet make computing nearly impossible. Each classroom has a white board and a few random posters. Most, but not all children have a small pencil, notebook for writing and a couple of paperback texts  translated into “English”.

Shree Ram is a school full of laughter and good will. The children are eager to have us- and just like children all around the world. The children run the morning meetings” national anthem, exercise drills, and drum roll before exiting to class. No wonder they have a public presence and self-confidence. They have little English language skill, however, probably as Rajman is the only person at all conversant.

Carolyn and I are a damn good team. We do lots of laughing along with problem solving, brainstorming, planning, and filtering. Our first effort, after a day of teaching, was to clean and organize the shelves in the faculty /temporary library room, only later to discover that each of the dusty, disorganized and seemingly unused article-strewn shelves  were assigned to each teacher. Oops! Be careful of two intense, hyperactive, overly enthusiastic, eager teacher-mothers!

Enough rambling. Surely,  we will have new appreciation for hot water, sit and flush toilets, and abounding  resources when we return. Also know that we are better people for doing this incredible thing.

J and C

September 10, 2013

On our way home, we were accompanied by two adorable ten year old boys who took us under their wing and proceeded to pick and present us with honey suckle (larger than our variety), fruits and flowers all along the way. We loved their sweet ceremonial offerings and special attention. They made our day. 

Love, J and C