Monthly Archives: May 2009

Honouring Fridays: May 29th, 2009

In efforts to get a jump on my blog post due to a white-water rafting extravaganza happening this weekend, I am writing this on Thursday night. Usually peaceful and quiet evenings are the norm in our cozy little neighbourhood. However, tonight we have the distinct privilege of a wild and noisy party happening next door. Ordinarily, I might be particularly bothered by this disruption of peace but it is hard to be mad when the crowd is grooving to a great live band and screaming the lyrics to Bon Jovi and the Police songs at the top of their lungs…if I close my eyes I could be anywhere…when I open them I am both surprised and tickled to remember I am rockin’ out to Bon Jovi in Nepal 🙂

Plums. Appearing in street-side wicker baskets all over the city, the bright red and yellow globes are the new must-have fruit of the season 🙂 About the size of very large cherries with intensley bitter skin and sweet juicy insides they are the perfect accessory for fruity salads or workplace snack attacks. And the pits make great chew toys for long bus rides and are fun to spit out the windows of moving vehicles. Plus, they are THE newest super food…watch out plums…you may have tried to stay out of the spotlight but I think you might be headed into the super food fastlane…ask the blueberry for tips on handling the “pit”falls of fame and fortune.
The sound of children playing in the alleys near our house. From the sterile and serene environment of our Vancouver apartment to our bustling and yet peaceful neighbourhood in Kathmandu, the sounds have changed with the seasons (the evening dog choir is the only constant) and we now have frogs, crickets, and monsoon rains to soothe us to sleep. But the most joyful and happy sound is actually the sound of the neighbourhood kids playing in the alley. Squeals of delight at being caught in the rain, laughter when a friend gets lost in the empty lot, beautiful singing of one of the many traditional folk songs, and shouts between competitors in one of the many imaginative games they play. It is the sound of complete comfort and reminds me just how inventive and creative kids can be with nothing more than each other for company.
Braids. It has been an incredibly long time since my hair was long enough to braid. Ponytail, yes, braid, not quite. But the time has come to march the braid out. I have dreams of having those long thick braids that many Nepali women have – glossy, black, and as thick as a rope – it will never happen but one can dream. Instead I parade a more meak and sad version of the braid, thinly woven into a teeny tiny blonde rat-tail like braid (it feels this bad but I have been assured by credible sources it is not this bad). Braids hold a kind of earth mother mystique for me – perhaps beause my own mom worn one in my early years – but I always feel like I should bake bread, till the earth, and milk cows when I wear a braid. Natural, earthy, and maternal – all stylish looks in Nepal.
Having less choice. I walked past a sign this afternoon in a large kitchen appliance shop. Their slogan “130 modles of kitchen appliances, with more on the way” . WHO needs 130 types of fridges and stoves to choose from? In Canada, I remember quite vividly suffering from my need for choice. In fact, I carried it all the way to Nepal and have only just recently shaken the need. I bought my first kurta surwal (Nepali clothes) after visiting 6-8 different tailor shops, patiently searching for the perfect fabric and colour. I was certain that if I looked a bit further I would find exactly what I wanted – in psychological terms this is called being a maximizer. But it didn’t take too long for me to realize that the quest for that perfect something was entirely built upon my need for excessive choice – to leave no stone unturned before making my decision. Yesterday, I went to two shops, next door to each other, to buy another kurta surwal. I looked at the options, picked the two that pleased me the most, got measured, and left. I liked what I chose and felt no urge to keep searching for something better – I have become a satisficer! More choice for me meant I was paralyzed by options…less choice meant I got to buy something lovely and had enough time left to stop, buy some plums, watch the kids play, braid my hair, and smile knowing that all the choices in the world would not make up for missing the opportunity to live in this moment.

Honouring Fridays: May 22nd, 2009

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Let’s keep this short and snappy shall we? Time has been creeping away from me lately and I find myself on a Friday afternoon facing into a weekend jam-packed with meetings, presentations, language refresher classes, and proposal reading and have just finished up a week that contained a 4-day volunteer conference with full to bursting days. So, I am in the mood to get straight to the point – no waxing poetic or philosophizing about life in Nepal. Just some honest-to-goodness moments of gratitude worthy of sharing and then on to enjoying this lovely Friday evening.

Debate. Alright, I hate debate. I loathe the strict and structured format, the polarization of opinion, and the outcome of motions “standing or falling”. However, this week, I saw the value of debate. It kep people quiet. More specifically, it kept the people who talk too much quiet and gave the people who did talk a time limit. And while I don’t find the process of debate fulfilling, I sure do like the silence it can provide. I can think of a number of meetings where this would be helpful here in Nepal – keeps the loud ones quiet enough to here the voices that are mere whispers.
Miracle ovens. One of the highlights for the volunteer conference was that we had a cooking demonstration session. A group of us put together a collection of easy recipes one can make on a 2 ring gas burner or in a miracle oven. I took the challenge and produced a chocolate cake! Over a gas burner! Thanks goes entirely to the magical Miracle Oven. A miracle oven is like a bundt pan that sits oven a gas flame with a lid over the top. The centre hole in the pan allows heat to move through the centre and create an oven-like atmosphere in the bundt pan. Amazing, but true, a perfectly moist and delicious chocolate cake was mixed and baked over one gas flame 🙂 Loaves and fishes…pshaw…chocolate cake is the true miracle!
OR2K. One of my favourite new restaurants in Kathmandu, serving up magically delicious Israeli food. How I did not find this months ago, I will never know, but surely am glad I found it now. Last night we went and had falafel, hummous, baba ghanoush, a soured cream cheese dip, and a spicy tomato spread all slathered on thick and soft pieces of naan bread. I will admit that the place is more than a little touristy but the food is so delicious it is hard to resist and the prices are reasonable. It is hard to imagine getting jazzed up by hummous but the escape from curry was heavenly, even just for one night. OR2K means “Light to Kathmandu” in Hebrew.
Great chimeckiharu (neighbours). We live in a building with great people. We have caring landlords and even a couple of fledgling friendships with people in the building. Yesterday, I rescued a pigeon trapped in our stairwell with the girl downstairs. And Rex might take motorcycle lessons with the guy on the first floor. They are good people and I am so grateful to have good people who live in such close proximity. There should be a day every year for people to honour their neighbours…to thank them for being good and neighbourly…I think it should be May 22nd every year. In fact, I think I will begin this year – if you want to join me cross the hall, road, or field and bring that neighbour of yours some cookies!

Honouring Fridays: May 15th, 2009

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Sick sucks. But sick also gives a weary brain some rest. Perhaps sick is actually a physical manifestation of a psychological need to not think. So, I was sick this week with a flu but in retrospect I think it was that my brain was sick of working overtime trying to understand, solve, and communicate. So, I called in sick for 2 days and voila! Distance from the problems and worries gave me new clarity and a renewed spirit to deal with them.

Bananagrams. One of our fellow volunteers has helped to cultivate an absolute ADDICTION to this simple, scrabble-like game. We have taken to having rotating dinner parties at our houses and ending the evening with a “bunch” of bananagrams games (if you thought that pun was bad, just wait till you see the bananagrams game vocabulary…split, peel…smoothie!). If you have a love of word games I highly suggest picking this up. Great for groups of 2-8.
The return of good friends. Many of the volunteers who arrived in Nepal with us have since disappeared to their often far-flung placement locations. Next week we have our annual 3-day volunteer conference. An opportunity for learning, sharing, and thinking. But also an opportunity to reconnect with those dear friends who we just don’t get to see enough of these days.
Egg salad. You either love it or hate it. I love it. And after such a successful tuna discovery last week I realized that egg salad was completely within the realm of possibility! With power increases it is finally safe to have mayonnaise in the fridge and eggs are a regular staple of the diet here. Freshly made with a hint of Dijon, slathered on whole wheat toast, topped with lots of pepper and a couple generous slices of tomato made the perfect lunch! And if you are an egg salad hater (although I do remember that at most UBC meetings, when lunch was included, the egg salad was the first to disappear!) I implore you to give it another chance – zesty, filling, and wholesome.
Deciding. No waffling. No hesitating. Just full, unbridled, unquestionable commitment. Better when said aloud to someone who can hold you fully accountable. Carpe diem in action!

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The mental cycles of development work

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have hope

see bright future

doubt said bright future is possible

lose hope

lose belief in self

lose belief in other people

see shimmer of possibility

remember why this work is important

feel momentarily inspired

be crushed by the politics and self-interest of others

realize your assumptions were all wrong

have one great meaning or meaningful conversation

have hope…

Honouring Fridays: May 8th, 2009

This week contained an incredible amount of change for Nepal, with the resignation of the Prime Minister, amidst some of the most complicated accusations and juicy political scandal imaginable. Videos circulating of lies the previous PM told the UN, unconstitutional moves by various individuals that have been called `illegal`, and a `constitutional coup`. And while the rumour mills and gossip chains are on fire with chatter, the rest of life rolls along, as it must. The regular folks (and that includes me) got up and went to work, drank their tea, made dinner, and tried with all their might to hope that stability and peace would succeed.

Packages. R`s mom sent us a lovely package that arrived early this week. The anticipation of opening them, the secret treats that are hidden inside, the carefully wrapped and addressed box…packages are a treat (cards and letters are just as wonderful!) that we dearly look forward to. It is true that we can get just about anything we need here, but there is still something lovely about knowing that someone somewhere thought enough about you to drop something in the mail.
uTorrent. The source for my regular fix of bad yet totally addictive TV. Until now, our power situation was too dire to even consider downloading anything remotely large. But lately, we have been the recipients of magical power that stays on for…gasp…DAYS…at a time!!! Which has meant some quality utorrent downloading. I am slowly finding my way back to the centre of pop culture.
Courage. I am currently wading through some rather intense and unfortunate group politics in my work that has had me questioning not only myself, but the worth, value, and possibility that the work we do can actually change education for children. I was reminded yesterday that there are so many Nepalis who have been fighting this same fight for their entire lives – demanding that Dalit members of their society have the same rights, opportunities, and access to quality of life that caste based discrimination has prevented them from having. While I struggle to keep faith in humanity, my Dalit colleagues can look at this and see it simply, as one more challenge to be overcome. My emotions still get the better of me, my hope and faith slowly drains, and I know that my courage is only a sliver compared to the courageous folks who live with this every single day of their lives. I am grateful that they feel the courage to keep on fighting the good fight.
Tuna. We have once again discovered the joys of canned tuna. I know, not much of a discovery, but I had somehow forgotten how delicious a tuna sandwich, rich with mayonnaise and studded with sour little pickle bites could be. How much it reminded me of home. Part of this discovery was also the holy grail of a good tuna sandwich…good bread. A local hotel makes fresh french bread – toasted and smothered with tuna and cheese brought us right back to home. Mitho thiyo! (It was tasty!).

a short history lesson

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To help understand the political history of Nepal, which in some ways can help put the recent events into some perspective, I recommend this neat and tidy little timeline from the BBC. And while it is much more complex than this timeline shows, it does highlight just how long these struggles have been happening and just how fragile a state Nepal truly is. It looks very much like a cyclical, revolving, and regularly changing political system which could explain why it has taken so long to get a firm set of laws and policies in place….the direction keeps changing!

Follow the leader…unless he resigns!

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It has been a month full of political maneuvering and an notable air of tension as the government has slowly unraveled for the past week in Nepal.

The root issue: whether or not the Chief of the Nepal Army should be fired. He is said to have obstructed the process of integrating the Maoist rebel fighters into the regular army, stating that they are not suitable for the posts. He was fired yesterday by the Prime Minister (the highest government post in Nepal) amid protests from the opposition parties.

Following that 16 Ministers resigned due to the firing. Then, late last night, the President (second in command to the Prime Minister) reinstated the Army Chief, saying that the removal of the Chief is unconstitutional. A curfew was initiated to keep the protests to a minimum. Then, this morning, the legal experts tell everyone that the firing and rehiring moves of BOTH the PM and the President are unconstitutional…uh oh…so all day we have been waiting to hear what would happen. Lots of meetings, lots of boycotting of meetings, lots of protests, lots of rumours.

The PM was scheduled to address the nation today at 3pm and with that televised broadcast…he resigned, stating that the various factions in government are not allowing him to govern the country smoothly and saying the resignation was a move to protect democracy!

So Nepal is now PM-less and the various youth factions are rioting, either in support of the resignation (in short they are celebrating the decision) or in anger that the Maoist leader has stepped down. Basically, an uncertain few days ahead as the country sorts out what this will all mean…

For more details have a look at:

I will do my best to keep everyone posted, but this certainly will impact the ongoing quest for peace and justice in Nepal.

Honouring Fridays: May 1st, 2009

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I was reading back through some of my old blog posts and realized that I don’t talk as much about my work as I would like to. Perhaps I have difficulty putting into words what I do here or perhaps it is just the last thing I feel like thinking about after a long and busy week…so this week, some things I am grateful for at work, to hopefully share a bit more what exactly I am doing

Focused advocacy plans. Our coalition had a planning meeting this week and has FINALLY narrowed their focus down to some tangible, measurable, and achievable demands around advocacy. It is all well and good to want to demand high quality education for all students, but to whom do you make your demands? And how will you know when they have been met? And what does quality education really mean? So, we spent a day focusing our demands. We want…1) The Nepal Government to allocate 20% of the national budget to education (currently 16.53% comes out way), 2) Funds to flow more quickly to the school level (there are currently about 25 steps for money to reach schools so it takes forever to get there), 3) Proper use and allocation of funds at the school level, 4) Establishment of a national constitutional body through which all teachers are hired, 5) Better governance at the school level. It is satisfying to know that we are capable of these kinds of demands…let’s just hope that we can actually do some of these things!
Hiring great, passionate, and intelligent people. This week we also completed the hiring process for GCE Nepal’s first full-time staff member, a Coordinator. We had outstanding applications, a great interview team, a transparent and ethical recruitment and selection process, and what I think will be an incredibly talented individual who I will enjoy working with immensely. Much like hiring students at universities – a great colleague can make all the difference.
Having more questions than answers. It is always the case that when you are new to any organization, you should spend more time asking questions than answering them. AND, the wonderful thing about being able to ask lots of questions is that you can push thinking further. I don’t always plan to challenge how things work, but in my efforts to understand for my own learning, my questions prompt discussions that might not otherwise happen. Take, for example, a simple question about how GCE Nepal communicates with their members. I wanted to understand how the Steering Committee shares information. What I discovered is that nobody had really ever considered this before. A good question can be one of the best tools for learning but it can also be one of the best tools for getting work started…
Gaining the trust and confidence of colleagues. If I think of what I knew about my work 5 months ago, 4 months ago, 3 months ago, 2 months ago, or 1 month ago I can see how the depth has changed but also how I get my information has changed. Those I work with are much more open and willing to be honest about where our coalition struggles. I have real conversations…finally! It took time to sift through the information, opinions, perspectives, and glossy descriptions of our work. To weigh, measure, test, clarify, and analyze all this information takes time…slowly, slowly, slowly. But eventually I got a complete picture of the reality. And then, I began to have real conversations.