Lumbini, the bithplace of Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha, is located down in the Terai region of Nepal, near the border to India. As Buddha's birthplace, it holds a special significance to Buddhists and it attracts many pilgrims. It is listed as a World Heritage Site.
Over the past few decades money has been dedicated towards the creation of a small village of temples known as the Lumbini Development Zone. The most important is the Maya Devi temple which holds the rock Buddha was born on. On its grounds is the pool in which his mother bathed before giving birth. It also holds a group of ruins from over 2,000 years ago, and a sandstone carving depicting the birth of Buddha. It's huge, and beautiful.
The Lumbini Development Zone has been dedicated towards the construction of monasteries from Buddhist countries around the world. Although many are still under construction, we were able to visit several.
The Lumbini Development Zone is divided into two sides, with a museum dedicated to Buddha and a Peace Pagoda, like the one we visited in Pokhara, at the far end. It is fairly spread out, so we hired bicycles (mine worked much better this time!), and went around looking. One of my two favourites was the first we visited, the Chinese Buddhist Monastery. It had a large garden in a courtyard, with a shaded walkway around it. the monastery, at the far end, is a large building, very spacious, open-air and bright. This, I later learned, was in contrast to some others, which were much darker in comparison. In the middle was a huge gold statue of Buddha. I had read that millions of dollars have been donated to the creations of these monasteries, seeing this statue and temples really made me realize it. It think it was also the fact that it was green and there was no dust, because it is HOT in Lumbini, and the road just outside the temple was extremely dusty in places (it was a dirt road most of the way). The walkways were cool and shaded, and the monastery, with it's statue, was truly a sanctuary.
My other favourite was at the far end of the row of monasteries, located with several others around a small pond. It also has spacious gardens, bigger than those at the Chinese Monastery. The monastery building itself had a covered deck all around, so you could walk around in the shade and look at the succession of murals, painted on the outside walks of the building. While we were there I saw a group of children dressed in the same clothing as the monks. They were talking and laughing and going about their lives, it was my favorite part of seeing the temples.
The Zone is divided into two rows of monasteries, each side dedicated to one sect of Buddhism, with a canal in the process of being built in between them. The entire site is truly a construction zone. The roads are still being built in places, and many of the monasteries are unfinished, but there was an air of tranquility within the zone, which made cycling along the dirt roads, along a few avenues line with trees, an idyllic way to pass a few hours. Well, the actual cycling bits were, but it was hot, so some of that idyll might have come from the breeze!
We visited one of the unfinished monasteries, the Korean one, whose gate was unlocked. Right now its a giant concrete building, with concrete buildings all around, but you could just imagine what it was going to look like once completed. It's large, several stories high, with a central room to hold the forthcoming gold statue, which will be quite large based on the size of the room!
The Peace Pagoda was very similar to the one we visited in Pokhara. A large, white, dome-shaped building, it was again a place that inspired quiet. It was also an ideal spot for much-needed shade!
After a rest and a snack lunch, we headed to the Lumbini Museum. As far as the museums I've visited here in Nepal, I was quite impressed with this one. The architecture of the building was quite modern, constructed of brick, with high, arched ceilings and large, circular windows. Some effort had clearly gone into the displays, and although it was mostly rather similar (to me, at least) statues and many paintings and photographs. Mot had clear descriptions, and I learned all about the important places in Buddha's life where he was born, gained enlightenment, preached his first sermon, and died.
Visiting the temples was a lot of fun, but Lumbini will be an even better place in 10 years or so, when the construction will be finished. Then, it will be spectacular, and I only hope I get to see it again.
Friday, April 30, 2010
A Walk in the Fields - Lumbini
The first stop on our week away was Lumbini. A small village near the border to India, It is famous as the birthplace of Buddha. It's located in the Terai, which is the plains region of Nepal, so it it is FLAT and HOT. The village itself is unremarkable, just an intersection with shops and guest houses going a short way down two branches. The real draw to Lumbini is the temples, located in a park just outside the village. It took a long, hot, and hellish bus journey to get there from Gorkha, so we decided to stay two full days, and split the temples into two mornings.
The first afternoon, after relaxing in the shade through the hottest part of the day, Julia, Magnus and I went for a walk through the fields outside of the village. It was weird, walking through fields that were completely flat and completely yellow, after so long among green tiered fields in the mountains. It took only about 10 minutes walking to get completely in the country. The edge of the village was almost like a suburb; rows of individual houses instead of apartments.
From Lumbini we went along a dirt road, past a group of children swimming in a small pond. At first I though it was too bad I couldn't join them (it was still brutally hot) but later, on the way back I saw the far end of the pond clearly. It was gross, and all desire to swim vanished in an instant.
We walked past another small village, all dirt and brick houses, lots of thatched roofs, and people out working in the fields. (my first paddy fields!) As per usual we received lots of stares, but that's all in a day's experience here. Don't really notice any more.
After walking for a little while, we made a right turn and while a while later did the same again. Walking, wandering really, around with only a vague idea of where we were going afforded us the opportunity to see what life in the Terai is really like. It was wonderfully peaceful, and there was farm equipment. Tractors and everything! After so many weeks in the mountains where buffalo do all the work, it was a bit of a shock to see machines.
The walk showed me once again just how friendly Nepali people are. Along the way a man on a bicycle stopped to chat, simply because he spoke English and felt like using it. It turned out to be really helpful, as he directed us back to town! It wasn't just him; almost everyone we passed said hello or stopped to chat a little more. Really, it's the friendliest country I've ever been to.
I didn't see any motorcycles. Because it's so flat, everyone rides bikes instead. There were lots of people biking by, old and young. There were also tons of temples dotting the countryside, a sign of how deeply ingrained religion is to Nepali culture. It was very peaceful, to see once again the slower pace, and to walk on a path literally through a field. The villages were poor though; they looked poorer than Laxmi, which I'm coming to realize is a rather prosperous little place.
It was a wonderful walk, a really nice way to pass the afternoon. Lumbini the village wasn't that impressive, so seeing the countryside made a much better impression.
The first afternoon, after relaxing in the shade through the hottest part of the day, Julia, Magnus and I went for a walk through the fields outside of the village. It was weird, walking through fields that were completely flat and completely yellow, after so long among green tiered fields in the mountains. It took only about 10 minutes walking to get completely in the country. The edge of the village was almost like a suburb; rows of individual houses instead of apartments.
From Lumbini we went along a dirt road, past a group of children swimming in a small pond. At first I though it was too bad I couldn't join them (it was still brutally hot) but later, on the way back I saw the far end of the pond clearly. It was gross, and all desire to swim vanished in an instant.
We walked past another small village, all dirt and brick houses, lots of thatched roofs, and people out working in the fields. (my first paddy fields!) As per usual we received lots of stares, but that's all in a day's experience here. Don't really notice any more.
After walking for a little while, we made a right turn and while a while later did the same again. Walking, wandering really, around with only a vague idea of where we were going afforded us the opportunity to see what life in the Terai is really like. It was wonderfully peaceful, and there was farm equipment. Tractors and everything! After so many weeks in the mountains where buffalo do all the work, it was a bit of a shock to see machines.
The walk showed me once again just how friendly Nepali people are. Along the way a man on a bicycle stopped to chat, simply because he spoke English and felt like using it. It turned out to be really helpful, as he directed us back to town! It wasn't just him; almost everyone we passed said hello or stopped to chat a little more. Really, it's the friendliest country I've ever been to.
I didn't see any motorcycles. Because it's so flat, everyone rides bikes instead. There were lots of people biking by, old and young. There were also tons of temples dotting the countryside, a sign of how deeply ingrained religion is to Nepali culture. It was very peaceful, to see once again the slower pace, and to walk on a path literally through a field. The villages were poor though; they looked poorer than Laxmi, which I'm coming to realize is a rather prosperous little place.
It was a wonderful walk, a really nice way to pass the afternoon. Lumbini the village wasn't that impressive, so seeing the countryside made a much better impression.
A Week of Travels
School being done, Caitlin and I headed out for a week of travelling with Julia, Hari, Magnus and Ed. Leaving from Gorkha early Saturday morning, we headed for Lumbini, a town near the Indian border, famous as the birthplace of Buddha.
One LONG bus ride later - 9 hours in progressively hotter weather and crowded buses - we got there. Lumbini is located in the Terai, the plains region of Nepal. It is completely flat, and very hot, temperatures much more akin to India.
3 nights and 2 days later, we set off for Bandipur, a Newari town located up in the mountains, about 40km from Gorkha. Another 2 nights and 2 days, we set off again, this time for Besisahar, to visit another house of volunteers. A night there, and we headed home to Laxmi, having been gone a week.
Having a week of travel was a wonderful way to break the two parts of the trip. We've been teaching, and are now moving on to trekking, then travelling. This week was a start of the next period, but with the benefit of coming home, to have a last few days in our Nepali home lives, and say goodbye to everyday life here.
One LONG bus ride later - 9 hours in progressively hotter weather and crowded buses - we got there. Lumbini is located in the Terai, the plains region of Nepal. It is completely flat, and very hot, temperatures much more akin to India.
3 nights and 2 days later, we set off for Bandipur, a Newari town located up in the mountains, about 40km from Gorkha. Another 2 nights and 2 days, we set off again, this time for Besisahar, to visit another house of volunteers. A night there, and we headed home to Laxmi, having been gone a week.
Having a week of travel was a wonderful way to break the two parts of the trip. We've been teaching, and are now moving on to trekking, then travelling. This week was a start of the next period, but with the benefit of coming home, to have a last few days in our Nepali home lives, and say goodbye to everyday life here.
Exams at School
The end of my time teaching coincided with the end of year exams. It meant we taught for the entirety of the third semester. The majority of the exams are district-wide, and therefore standard throughout the region. Due to this, Caitlin and I didn't have to worry about setting any exams, just whether our kids would pass!
Lessons ended on Wednesday, March 10, and exam prep began the next day. The students stayed at home to study, while the teachers came to school to prepare the exam booklets. It was a ton of folding. I folded for two hours without stopping, and the pile didn't look any smaller. It wasn't difficult though, and with a dozen teachers working together, the work did actually get done fairly quickly. We left around noon, and had the rest of the day off. Friday was much the same, except we brought in a cake to say thank-you to the teachers.
Caitlin and I went to Kathmandu that weekend, and returned to school on Tuesday. Out responsibilities during this time period were to be at school while out classes wrote their English exams, and then to mark said exams. With upwards of 60 students in some classes (and some really poor penmanship) it was a lot of marking. The exams were held in the morning, and we were free to mark at home in the afternoon. All in all not very stressful days.
In reality, the three days our kids had exams were rather boring. We invigilated Class 3, but otherwise hung out in the staff room all morning. Invigilating was fun, but very different from exams at home. The kids of kind of allowed to talk to each other, according to what everyone else is saying about their invigilating experiences. We didn't really let the Class 3's talk, but they were trying to help each other and copy the answers all the way through. Apparently this was even more the case in the older exams. When marking Class 7, I found some many instances where the kids made the exact same mistakes, and even had the exact same essays!
Once exams were over that was it for school. After 3 months we said goodbye and headed out the gate. A bit anti-climactic, but that's life.
Lessons ended on Wednesday, March 10, and exam prep began the next day. The students stayed at home to study, while the teachers came to school to prepare the exam booklets. It was a ton of folding. I folded for two hours without stopping, and the pile didn't look any smaller. It wasn't difficult though, and with a dozen teachers working together, the work did actually get done fairly quickly. We left around noon, and had the rest of the day off. Friday was much the same, except we brought in a cake to say thank-you to the teachers.
Caitlin and I went to Kathmandu that weekend, and returned to school on Tuesday. Out responsibilities during this time period were to be at school while out classes wrote their English exams, and then to mark said exams. With upwards of 60 students in some classes (and some really poor penmanship) it was a lot of marking. The exams were held in the morning, and we were free to mark at home in the afternoon. All in all not very stressful days.
In reality, the three days our kids had exams were rather boring. We invigilated Class 3, but otherwise hung out in the staff room all morning. Invigilating was fun, but very different from exams at home. The kids of kind of allowed to talk to each other, according to what everyone else is saying about their invigilating experiences. We didn't really let the Class 3's talk, but they were trying to help each other and copy the answers all the way through. Apparently this was even more the case in the older exams. When marking Class 7, I found some many instances where the kids made the exact same mistakes, and even had the exact same essays!
Once exams were over that was it for school. After 3 months we said goodbye and headed out the gate. A bit anti-climactic, but that's life.
Weekend in Kathmandu
The weekend of March 13-15 Caitlin and I went to Kathmandu, to buy books for our school, so Caitlin could go to the doctor, and just generally to relax. I needed it too. After a long week of highs and lows it was nice to have a change of scenery and change of pace.
The official reason for going was to buy the books that would be our donation to school. Part of the fees paid to AV was 60 pounds each to put towards a specific donation of our choice. It meant we spent hours on both Saturday and Sunday looking around bookshops. I had no problem with this, other than I had the same problem I always do in bookstores - there was a long list of books I wanted to buy but couldn't. (too heavy!) We ended up buying about 50 children's books, a combination of picture books and easy novels. - Roald Dahl!
As we were there for 2 nights, we spent one night down in Freak St. and one in Thamel. Freak St. was the Thamel of the 60's and 70's, but is small and quiet now. It's cheaper, which makes it a nice option. It's about a 15 minute walk south of Thamel, down very crowded streets. Not too far, but enough that you are amidst Kathmandu proper as opposed to an area devoted entirely to tourists.
Caitlin was ill on and off in the weeks preceding the trip, and couldn't shake whatever was bothering her, so she went to the doctor on Sunday afternoon. I went and wandered around Durbar Square a little, and did some shopping.
You may remember that my bag was lost for about 2 weeks when I got to Nepal in January. The final errand of the weekend was to the airport, to get the official paper from Jet Airlines saying how long the bag was lost, so now I can make an insurance claim. That done, we settled back to enjoy ourselves.
Durga's brother Harry is currently living in Kathmandu, so we met up with him for tea a few times, and generally just wandered around and relaxed in cafes. A nice way to spend a retreat weekend!
We caught the direct bus home on Monday morning, and were there in time for dinner. All-in-all it was an easy and hassle free trip. We got to know Kathmandu, particularly Thamel, much better due to all the book shopping. I like Kathmandu much more the second time round. In January we only saw a little, and were in such culture shock I couldn't appreciate it. I can't wait to come back. After spending some more time here, I'm torn between preferring Kathmandu or Pokhara.
The official reason for going was to buy the books that would be our donation to school. Part of the fees paid to AV was 60 pounds each to put towards a specific donation of our choice. It meant we spent hours on both Saturday and Sunday looking around bookshops. I had no problem with this, other than I had the same problem I always do in bookstores - there was a long list of books I wanted to buy but couldn't. (too heavy!) We ended up buying about 50 children's books, a combination of picture books and easy novels. - Roald Dahl!
As we were there for 2 nights, we spent one night down in Freak St. and one in Thamel. Freak St. was the Thamel of the 60's and 70's, but is small and quiet now. It's cheaper, which makes it a nice option. It's about a 15 minute walk south of Thamel, down very crowded streets. Not too far, but enough that you are amidst Kathmandu proper as opposed to an area devoted entirely to tourists.
Caitlin was ill on and off in the weeks preceding the trip, and couldn't shake whatever was bothering her, so she went to the doctor on Sunday afternoon. I went and wandered around Durbar Square a little, and did some shopping.
You may remember that my bag was lost for about 2 weeks when I got to Nepal in January. The final errand of the weekend was to the airport, to get the official paper from Jet Airlines saying how long the bag was lost, so now I can make an insurance claim. That done, we settled back to enjoy ourselves.
Durga's brother Harry is currently living in Kathmandu, so we met up with him for tea a few times, and generally just wandered around and relaxed in cafes. A nice way to spend a retreat weekend!
We caught the direct bus home on Monday morning, and were there in time for dinner. All-in-all it was an easy and hassle free trip. We got to know Kathmandu, particularly Thamel, much better due to all the book shopping. I like Kathmandu much more the second time round. In January we only saw a little, and were in such culture shock I couldn't appreciate it. I can't wait to come back. After spending some more time here, I'm torn between preferring Kathmandu or Pokhara.
Top of a Bus
Buses in Nepal are always something of an adventure. With the exception of large cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara, most buses travel from town to town, instead of within the town. There are usually 1-2 official stops in each town/village. The buses are either large, and quite akin to a yellow schoolbus with individual seats, or microbuses, which are like large vans with 3-4 rows in back.
Some buses run on schedule - long distance buses are pretty much it though - and leave at a certain time. These double as local buses, picking up people who want to go just a few kilometers down the road as well as those travelling long distances. Keep in mind though that it takes at least 3 times as long to get anywhere here as at home, as the road are so windy and twisty. A long distance bus will go for 4-5 hours and have covered about 200km in that time.
I mentioned above that there are a few official stops in each village, but a bus can be hailed just like a cab, at any point along the road. It's the same with getting off; if you let the conductor know where you would like the bus to stop, it will! This results in constant stops and starts, but you get used to it.
While the long distance buses do leave at a specific time, there is no guarantee of how fast they will be. While traveling from Gorkha to Lumbini one day, it took 90 minutes to get past my school, a distance that is usually covered in about 15 minutes. We sat in Laxmi for about an hour, with a crowd of people around the bus. None of the 6 of our group on board could figure out what was going on, but eventually we got moving again. At this point itinerary changes like this are so commonplace that the only thing that frustrated me was that I could see my house, and could have slept for an extra hour!
Now that the weather is warm, the buses are extremely hot. Long distances require at least 2 bottles of water, and result in copious amounts of sweating. It doesn't help that the bus is always crammed as full as possible, so there's lots of body heat! The heat and distance combined break long trips into legs, with much needed rest stops along the way. Shade!! It's allright when the bus is moving and you can get the window open (note the combination of the two, one or the other doesn't make a difference). It's when the bus is sitting in the sun that it really becomes an oven.
Some buses don't have a set time to depart, they just fill with people going in the right direction and go. This is the case with local buses, those that go stretches of about 25km in each direction. (this takes just under an hour) It's amazing how many people can fit into a bus; often every seat is full, and there are large bags of fruit and veg, 12.5L canisters of gas and a goat or two in the center aisle. Plus people, they fill the aisle as well, cram into the doorway, and even hang outside it. These buses don't tend to depart until the driver and conductor feel they have enough people. It means that when I climb onto an almost empty bus I know it's going to be a while before I get to my destination, because the bus won't leave until it's full.
It's impressive though, how an empty seat is always immediately filled (with at least one person!), and people filter to the back of the bus to make space. There's never of problem of lots of space in back but a crush of people in front. No available space is left open. I've sat with next to mothers with 2 children on their lap, been sat on by random people in the aisle, and so crammed together with other standing people I didn't need to do much holding on. The roofs are really low too. I hit my head if I don't remember to duck!
All buses tend to play Nepali music, and music videos in some of the larger ones, very loudly. Really, super loud. You can't hear an ipod on max when the music is going. Having listened to so much music during dancing practice for the Jubilee, I recognize some of the songs, and have a few favourites. I have no idea what the songs are about though!
The best part of riding the bus is the roof. All large packages, such as our backpacks, are tied to the top. When there is no more room inside, it also takes passengers. I've only ever seen Nepali men up there, never women, but we climb up there anyways. When its not too cold (so as long as the sun is still fairly high overhead) the top affords the best view of the valley. When its really hot out, its the perfect way to catch a breeze. Plus, now I can say that I've ridden up a mountain on top of a van while sitting on a pile of bananas!
My most memorable experience on the roof was coming back to Laxmii after a week touring trip. Coming from Abu Khaireni (about 45 mins) on the roof, we passed a ton of the kids from my school. Having finished teaching a week before, it was nice to see some of them one last time.
Buses here can be frustrating, as there is no way to know when the next bus will come along. It could be 30 seconds or 30 minutes, and there's no way to know other than to wait. The worst is waiting a long time, because you know that when the bus does arrive it will be absolutely packed. A packed bus, particularly a microbus, won't stop, leaving no option but to wait for the next one, however long that may be.
In addition to local buses there are tourist buses. These are usually air conditioned, have more leg room, and are several times the price of a local bus. However, having been here for so long, none of us would consider taking anything other than a local bus!
The distances involved in my life here - down to school, up to Gorkha - have meant lots of time on the bus. Although we walk to school every morning, and home in the afternoon, if Caitlin and I are going to Gorkha after school we get the bus directly there (and save ourselves 1.5 hrs walking). I'm on the bus at least 2-3 times per week, which increased to 3-4 by March, when the days were longer and we went to Gorkha more often.
Having spent so much time on the bus, by March we could get on and find that the conductor already knew where we wanted to go. As 2 of the only 8 white people within 50 kilometers, and the two that took the bus the most,we stood out quite a bit. Often we would here snatches of conversation that involved some combination of the words volunteer, UK, teaching, Biren Chowk and Laxmi Bazaar. At that point I knew we were really part of the community.
Some buses run on schedule - long distance buses are pretty much it though - and leave at a certain time. These double as local buses, picking up people who want to go just a few kilometers down the road as well as those travelling long distances. Keep in mind though that it takes at least 3 times as long to get anywhere here as at home, as the road are so windy and twisty. A long distance bus will go for 4-5 hours and have covered about 200km in that time.
I mentioned above that there are a few official stops in each village, but a bus can be hailed just like a cab, at any point along the road. It's the same with getting off; if you let the conductor know where you would like the bus to stop, it will! This results in constant stops and starts, but you get used to it.
While the long distance buses do leave at a specific time, there is no guarantee of how fast they will be. While traveling from Gorkha to Lumbini one day, it took 90 minutes to get past my school, a distance that is usually covered in about 15 minutes. We sat in Laxmi for about an hour, with a crowd of people around the bus. None of the 6 of our group on board could figure out what was going on, but eventually we got moving again. At this point itinerary changes like this are so commonplace that the only thing that frustrated me was that I could see my house, and could have slept for an extra hour!
Now that the weather is warm, the buses are extremely hot. Long distances require at least 2 bottles of water, and result in copious amounts of sweating. It doesn't help that the bus is always crammed as full as possible, so there's lots of body heat! The heat and distance combined break long trips into legs, with much needed rest stops along the way. Shade!! It's allright when the bus is moving and you can get the window open (note the combination of the two, one or the other doesn't make a difference). It's when the bus is sitting in the sun that it really becomes an oven.
Some buses don't have a set time to depart, they just fill with people going in the right direction and go. This is the case with local buses, those that go stretches of about 25km in each direction. (this takes just under an hour) It's amazing how many people can fit into a bus; often every seat is full, and there are large bags of fruit and veg, 12.5L canisters of gas and a goat or two in the center aisle. Plus people, they fill the aisle as well, cram into the doorway, and even hang outside it. These buses don't tend to depart until the driver and conductor feel they have enough people. It means that when I climb onto an almost empty bus I know it's going to be a while before I get to my destination, because the bus won't leave until it's full.
It's impressive though, how an empty seat is always immediately filled (with at least one person!), and people filter to the back of the bus to make space. There's never of problem of lots of space in back but a crush of people in front. No available space is left open. I've sat with next to mothers with 2 children on their lap, been sat on by random people in the aisle, and so crammed together with other standing people I didn't need to do much holding on. The roofs are really low too. I hit my head if I don't remember to duck!
All buses tend to play Nepali music, and music videos in some of the larger ones, very loudly. Really, super loud. You can't hear an ipod on max when the music is going. Having listened to so much music during dancing practice for the Jubilee, I recognize some of the songs, and have a few favourites. I have no idea what the songs are about though!
The best part of riding the bus is the roof. All large packages, such as our backpacks, are tied to the top. When there is no more room inside, it also takes passengers. I've only ever seen Nepali men up there, never women, but we climb up there anyways. When its not too cold (so as long as the sun is still fairly high overhead) the top affords the best view of the valley. When its really hot out, its the perfect way to catch a breeze. Plus, now I can say that I've ridden up a mountain on top of a van while sitting on a pile of bananas!
My most memorable experience on the roof was coming back to Laxmii after a week touring trip. Coming from Abu Khaireni (about 45 mins) on the roof, we passed a ton of the kids from my school. Having finished teaching a week before, it was nice to see some of them one last time.
Buses here can be frustrating, as there is no way to know when the next bus will come along. It could be 30 seconds or 30 minutes, and there's no way to know other than to wait. The worst is waiting a long time, because you know that when the bus does arrive it will be absolutely packed. A packed bus, particularly a microbus, won't stop, leaving no option but to wait for the next one, however long that may be.
In addition to local buses there are tourist buses. These are usually air conditioned, have more leg room, and are several times the price of a local bus. However, having been here for so long, none of us would consider taking anything other than a local bus!
The distances involved in my life here - down to school, up to Gorkha - have meant lots of time on the bus. Although we walk to school every morning, and home in the afternoon, if Caitlin and I are going to Gorkha after school we get the bus directly there (and save ourselves 1.5 hrs walking). I'm on the bus at least 2-3 times per week, which increased to 3-4 by March, when the days were longer and we went to Gorkha more often.
Having spent so much time on the bus, by March we could get on and find that the conductor already knew where we wanted to go. As 2 of the only 8 white people within 50 kilometers, and the two that took the bus the most,we stood out quite a bit. Often we would here snatches of conversation that involved some combination of the words volunteer, UK, teaching, Biren Chowk and Laxmi Bazaar. At that point I knew we were really part of the community.
Spitting
Part of the everyday culture in Nepal is the practice of hawking and spitting. This occurs everywhere: out bus windows, out building windows (from any floor!), on the side of the road, and anywhere else you can imagine.
It's both adults and children, male and female, who do it. I've never been a fan of spitting, but I've grown accustomed to it. It's the hawking beforehand that I cringe away from. When I see/hear the younger kids doing it, it makes them much less cute.
At school the teachers, particularly the male ones, tend to spit off the walkway along the second floor, down into the courtyard where the children play. One time, a teacher came about an inch away from hitting of the kids in the face. The look of mortification on his face when he realized was priceless!
Of all the differences in culture between Canada and Nepal, the spitting has been on of, if not the, most difficult to adjust to. It's one of the very few things I won't miss!
It's both adults and children, male and female, who do it. I've never been a fan of spitting, but I've grown accustomed to it. It's the hawking beforehand that I cringe away from. When I see/hear the younger kids doing it, it makes them much less cute.
At school the teachers, particularly the male ones, tend to spit off the walkway along the second floor, down into the courtyard where the children play. One time, a teacher came about an inch away from hitting of the kids in the face. The look of mortification on his face when he realized was priceless!
Of all the differences in culture between Canada and Nepal, the spitting has been on of, if not the, most difficult to adjust to. It's one of the very few things I won't miss!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Picnic on the Mountain - March 8
On Monday the 8th there was a school holiday (don't remember why), so my house and the Gorkha house decided to go for a walk along the top of the ridge from the Durbar. In the end there were only five of us though, as Amy and Kirsten were invited to their headmaster's, and Ed didn't feel too well.
We began by going to visit Laxmi, a teacher at Hari and Magnus' school. She lives in a small village called Raniban, just outside Gorkha. While there she made us ghandruk, a dish of pickled spinach. Not being a fan of pickle, I wasn't took into the taste, but I did enjoy the spinach.
From there we headed up to the top of the ridge, a little ways east of the Durbar. That path up was through a wood, and it was like walked through a wood in Ontario, albeit with slightly different trees. The feeling of shade and solitude was the same, as was the sound of the birds. It wasn't too steep and, going at Nepali pace, an excellent pace, a pleasant walk up. It was hot though, and I was grateful for the breeze when we hit the top.
While we were walking, particularly on the way up to the ridge, we passed several small groups of children out collecting rhododendrons, Nepal's national flower. One group stopped and gave us each a flower. Caitlin saved hers and put it on the kitchen table, and we've had a rotation of flower centerpieces ever since.
From the ridge we could see into the valleys on both sides. A short way along we stopped for lunch and a relax at a small platform made from flat rocks. We hung out there for a leisurely lunch, and then headed a little further along before descending. The route down took us though some small groups of farms strung along a dirt road snaking through the tiered fields. This was my favourite part of the walk, as it was more rual that anywhere I've yet seen. And I though Laxmi was small!
The houses themselves were small, mostly with corrugated iron roofs (complete with stones on top to help the metal down), and some thatch roofs. They are set in small group, and often have animals living in part. They small size of the tiered fields means all farmwork is done with buffaloes and small plows. It also means that a family's fields are necesarily right next to the house, but could be a ways up the mountain.
It was extremely peaceful walking through the little clusters of houses. As with all of Nepal, there were people hanging around the buildings and road, as well as out in the fields. It was a wonderful way to spend a day off school.
We began by going to visit Laxmi, a teacher at Hari and Magnus' school. She lives in a small village called Raniban, just outside Gorkha. While there she made us ghandruk, a dish of pickled spinach. Not being a fan of pickle, I wasn't took into the taste, but I did enjoy the spinach.
From there we headed up to the top of the ridge, a little ways east of the Durbar. That path up was through a wood, and it was like walked through a wood in Ontario, albeit with slightly different trees. The feeling of shade and solitude was the same, as was the sound of the birds. It wasn't too steep and, going at Nepali pace, an excellent pace, a pleasant walk up. It was hot though, and I was grateful for the breeze when we hit the top.
While we were walking, particularly on the way up to the ridge, we passed several small groups of children out collecting rhododendrons, Nepal's national flower. One group stopped and gave us each a flower. Caitlin saved hers and put it on the kitchen table, and we've had a rotation of flower centerpieces ever since.
From the ridge we could see into the valleys on both sides. A short way along we stopped for lunch and a relax at a small platform made from flat rocks. We hung out there for a leisurely lunch, and then headed a little further along before descending. The route down took us though some small groups of farms strung along a dirt road snaking through the tiered fields. This was my favourite part of the walk, as it was more rual that anywhere I've yet seen. And I though Laxmi was small!
The houses themselves were small, mostly with corrugated iron roofs (complete with stones on top to help the metal down), and some thatch roofs. They are set in small group, and often have animals living in part. They small size of the tiered fields means all farmwork is done with buffaloes and small plows. It also means that a family's fields are necesarily right next to the house, but could be a ways up the mountain.
It was extremely peaceful walking through the little clusters of houses. As with all of Nepal, there were people hanging around the buildings and road, as well as out in the fields. It was a wonderful way to spend a day off school.
Kids Along the Road
Unlike in North America, Nepali children spend quite a lot of time outside. Outside of school hours, they can be found just about everywhere.
Some of the games played are just like those played by kids at home, like hopscotch and jump rope. Others are straight out of the early 20th century; a spinning top launched from a string, a rolling hoop controlled by a piece of bent wire, and marbles. Occasionally you will see a handheld gaming device, but not often at all, especially here in the country.
It's nice to see so many kids outside. Nepal doesn't have an obeisity problem, partly because the kids don't sit in front of the tv all the time. Partly also because everyone is much poorer.
There are often small children playing around one of the (yes there are two! how small village I've become) bus stops in Laxmi. One day one of the toddlers was given his first (slow!) ride on a motorcycle. An ear-to-ear grin and non-stop laughter means it probably won't be the last!
Walking to a from school, Caitlin and I often walk past some of the same groups of children on their way to school at Maha Laxmi. Most call out a greeting, either in English or Nepali. I've now perfected the motion of transferring my water bottle to being carried by my elbow and doing namaste without breaking stride!
The other, slightly less popular, salutation is 'good morning' delivered at any time of day. I've been told to have a good morning when it was 7 in the evening. Quite often the kids will do away with pleasantries altogether, and launch straight into questions. Mostly 'how are you?', 'where are you from?' and 'where are you going?' Once I answered where are you coming from as Gorkha, which brought out tons of laughter. Apparently that wasn't the answer they were looking for!
Sometims it's hard to know where the voices are coming from. It could be a balcony or roof, a parked vehicle, the side of the road, or 50ft up the mountain from the road, next to a goat. It's like the live version of Where's Waldo.
The kids in the cities, particularly in/near tourist areas, are less likely to call out friendly greetings, and more likely to ask you for something. Mostly money - 10 rupees, the price of a packet of biscuits- and chocolate or sweets. I say asking, but its really more of a demand, as please and thank-you are not commonly used in Nepali, and have been lost in translation. They are really quite unabashed about it, and will continue until you are several feet past.
There has been a difference in the children in Gorkha over the past few weeks. Tourist season is starting, so there have been an increasing number of foreigners in town. Clearly some have been giving in to the kids' demands, as they have grown ever-more insistent, even following you down the road. It was much nicer before!
Some of the games played are just like those played by kids at home, like hopscotch and jump rope. Others are straight out of the early 20th century; a spinning top launched from a string, a rolling hoop controlled by a piece of bent wire, and marbles. Occasionally you will see a handheld gaming device, but not often at all, especially here in the country.
It's nice to see so many kids outside. Nepal doesn't have an obeisity problem, partly because the kids don't sit in front of the tv all the time. Partly also because everyone is much poorer.
There are often small children playing around one of the (yes there are two! how small village I've become) bus stops in Laxmi. One day one of the toddlers was given his first (slow!) ride on a motorcycle. An ear-to-ear grin and non-stop laughter means it probably won't be the last!
Walking to a from school, Caitlin and I often walk past some of the same groups of children on their way to school at Maha Laxmi. Most call out a greeting, either in English or Nepali. I've now perfected the motion of transferring my water bottle to being carried by my elbow and doing namaste without breaking stride!
The other, slightly less popular, salutation is 'good morning' delivered at any time of day. I've been told to have a good morning when it was 7 in the evening. Quite often the kids will do away with pleasantries altogether, and launch straight into questions. Mostly 'how are you?', 'where are you from?' and 'where are you going?' Once I answered where are you coming from as Gorkha, which brought out tons of laughter. Apparently that wasn't the answer they were looking for!
Sometims it's hard to know where the voices are coming from. It could be a balcony or roof, a parked vehicle, the side of the road, or 50ft up the mountain from the road, next to a goat. It's like the live version of Where's Waldo.
The kids in the cities, particularly in/near tourist areas, are less likely to call out friendly greetings, and more likely to ask you for something. Mostly money - 10 rupees, the price of a packet of biscuits- and chocolate or sweets. I say asking, but its really more of a demand, as please and thank-you are not commonly used in Nepali, and have been lost in translation. They are really quite unabashed about it, and will continue until you are several feet past.
There has been a difference in the children in Gorkha over the past few weeks. Tourist season is starting, so there have been an increasing number of foreigners in town. Clearly some have been giving in to the kids' demands, as they have grown ever-more insistent, even following you down the road. It was much nicer before!
Teaching Update - Part 3
Snack, or 'casa' in Nepali, is made and served everyday by the school caretaker. It's always a curry, usually potato and cauliflower (which I've since found out is called govi curry), which is eaten mixed together with chura, or beaten rice. I'm not a fan of chura, although others seem to love it. It's too dry and chewy for my taste. I'm not so sure about the govi curry, but I love the chickpea curry, pea curry, and mostly, noodles.
All the teachers eat lunch together, and its the main social time of the day. Caitlin and I don't often know what is being said, but sometimes someone will translate some for us. And of course, we are always asked if the food is tasty, and if the tea is hot. Every day.
After lunch is another free period, and then it's on to Class 5, our last lesson of the day. W've had this class the least - there was a period near the Jubilee where I didn't teach them for 2 weeks! They're also a great class; at an age where they can sit queitly, but still love the games we play with them. There's a few kids that stand out, but not as many as in my two other classes.
At thyis point the school day is over for us (it's now 3:20), so we head either home or to Gorkha, unless there is something going on at school. There have been farewell ceremonies, prize giving, quiz competitions, and even a joke competition. It's quite a busy school!
All the teachers eat lunch together, and its the main social time of the day. Caitlin and I don't often know what is being said, but sometimes someone will translate some for us. And of course, we are always asked if the food is tasty, and if the tea is hot. Every day.
After lunch is another free period, and then it's on to Class 5, our last lesson of the day. W've had this class the least - there was a period near the Jubilee where I didn't teach them for 2 weeks! They're also a great class; at an age where they can sit queitly, but still love the games we play with them. There's a few kids that stand out, but not as many as in my two other classes.
At thyis point the school day is over for us (it's now 3:20), so we head either home or to Gorkha, unless there is something going on at school. There have been farewell ceremonies, prize giving, quiz competitions, and even a joke competition. It's quite a busy school!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Teaching Update - part 2
The teaching part of the day begins after the break between periods 2 and 3.
When the bell rings it takes 2-3 minutes plus for everyone to get inside. The teachers don't start moving for at least that long. The first 5 or so minutes of the class is punctuated with repeated cries of "May I come, miss?". Over and over, because each kid says it individually. It's quite fun to see them go running for the classroom when they see me coming down the stairs, and they always look somewhat sheepish when they don't make it in time. The kids won't enter a room with a teacher in it without first asking permission, no matter what room it is. If you say no, they won't come in - I did that once to a kid who showed up 10 mins before class ended.
Period 3, in which I have class 3 and Caitlin has Class 4, is my favourite of the day. Every day when I walk into class I'm greeted with handfuls of red flowers. Sometimes they're even tied together with leaves to make a proper bouquet. By the time class is over my pocket is bulging with them. I've accidentally stained the inside cover of my textbook because I had nowhere else to carry them.
Class 3 is challenging, but a ton of fun. Everyone loves writing on the blackboard, so if I'm not careful there will be a full on stampede - I kid you not, kids crammed together to get as close as possible - when its time to fill in the answers. There are a few kids I need to pay particular attention to, like Munisa, who will fill in as many answers as she can instead of just one, and Ram, who gets so excited he runs out of patience and fills them in early. Overall theres lots of shouting a laughing, and its a ton of fun.
The kids are at the age of passing tons of notes in class, and the boys shot elastics at each other for a few weeks. Now they're on to paper airplanes, because I confiscated all the elastics. Kept my house in elastics too, we don't ever need to buy any!
Leaving the room is difficult, as the kids all want handshakes or high fives, and some like to hold onto my hand as long as possible. There's often quite the throng, and lots of yelling from the door of the room.
Immediatly after Class 3 comes Class 7, which is a nice change of pace. The classroom is much quieter, and everyone stays in their seats. They're just as much fun though, once you get to know them a little. We've been doing a lot of reading comprehension lately, and when someone puts an answer on the board, everyone tries to fix any grammar mistakes. It's fun to watch them discuss among themselves where the problems are. They love to hear us say 'no mistake', and ask it constantly. Caitlin thinks is because it sounds like 'namaste'!
The class has really come out of its shell over the past few weeks. At first they were hesitant to come to the board, and now about 1/3 love to do it, and compete with each other to get the right answer first.
There are over 60 kids in Class 7, the largest class Caitlin or I have - although Caitlin's Class 4's come pretty close! Everyone is so crammed in that you wouldn't think there are that many, but there definitely are. Marking their exams took forever! There are two rows of benches, one for girls and one for boys. The size of the class determines bench space per kid - in Class 7 there's 4 to a bench.
By this point it's 1pm, and we have another free period before lunch. It passes in the exact same manner as the first two periods. Caitlin and I are becoming masters at playing snake on her cell phone! And then its time to eat!
Teaching Update - Part 1
Now that school has been going on for over two months, it's time for an update. Our days at school follow a pretty similar pattern, so what you read here is pretty much how each of my days go.
Although school officially begins at 10am, Caitlin and I arrive around 9:45 for assembly. The kids line up by year, one row of boys and one of girls for each year, and do a mini-calisthetics program before singing the national anthem. I have no idea what they're singing, but I can repeat verbatim entire portions of the anthem.
There are 8 periods each day, each one 40 mins long. This is typical of Nepali government schools, all of whom run from 10-4 each day. The only difference is the exact times of each period, which varies slightly by school.
On the walk across the courtyard we are greeted by kids from almost every class. 'Good Morning', 'Namaste', handshakes and high fives fill the roughly 100m from the gates to the stairs, and then along the walkway to the staff room. Handshakes (the kids are obsessed with them, and equate a handshake with good) and high fives are almost exclusive to the younger classes, while all years say hello.
Unless a teacher is absent and a class needs to be covered, we have periods 1 and 2 free. We spend the time planning lessons, chatting, reading, playing random word games and staring out the window. Pretty much, we're bored. On nice days we take chairs out onto the walkway to enjoy the sunlight.
For the first six weeks or so there were about 10-12 student teachers. This meant there were always lots of people at the end of the walkway where the staff room is. It is quite a central location, teacher-wise, and there was a constant stream of people going by, an English teacher stopping to chat, or other teachers stopping to test our limited knowledge of Nepali. We're still getting better, but can still only handle the pleasantries.
Now that the student teachers have finished it is much quieter. The teachers are teaching the classes themselves now, and have much less free time. We've even found ourselves alone int the staff room!
Leading up to the Jubilee out headmaster, Mr. Ram Babu Shrestha (I love that name) was so busy he was almost never around. Now he's at school every day, so we see him quite a bit. He's a lovely man, and really makes an effort to ensure we are happy. Hopefully with his slightly less busy schedule we will be able to spend some time with him.
Although school officially begins at 10am, Caitlin and I arrive around 9:45 for assembly. The kids line up by year, one row of boys and one of girls for each year, and do a mini-calisthetics program before singing the national anthem. I have no idea what they're singing, but I can repeat verbatim entire portions of the anthem.
There are 8 periods each day, each one 40 mins long. This is typical of Nepali government schools, all of whom run from 10-4 each day. The only difference is the exact times of each period, which varies slightly by school.
On the walk across the courtyard we are greeted by kids from almost every class. 'Good Morning', 'Namaste', handshakes and high fives fill the roughly 100m from the gates to the stairs, and then along the walkway to the staff room. Handshakes (the kids are obsessed with them, and equate a handshake with good) and high fives are almost exclusive to the younger classes, while all years say hello.
Unless a teacher is absent and a class needs to be covered, we have periods 1 and 2 free. We spend the time planning lessons, chatting, reading, playing random word games and staring out the window. Pretty much, we're bored. On nice days we take chairs out onto the walkway to enjoy the sunlight.
For the first six weeks or so there were about 10-12 student teachers. This meant there were always lots of people at the end of the walkway where the staff room is. It is quite a central location, teacher-wise, and there was a constant stream of people going by, an English teacher stopping to chat, or other teachers stopping to test our limited knowledge of Nepali. We're still getting better, but can still only handle the pleasantries.
Now that the student teachers have finished it is much quieter. The teachers are teaching the classes themselves now, and have much less free time. We've even found ourselves alone int the staff room!
Leading up to the Jubilee out headmaster, Mr. Ram Babu Shrestha (I love that name) was so busy he was almost never around. Now he's at school every day, so we see him quite a bit. He's a lovely man, and really makes an effort to ensure we are happy. Hopefully with his slightly less busy schedule we will be able to spend some time with him.
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