Tag Archives: Weather

Honouring Monday (because Friday got the best of me): December 28th, 2009

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Merry Belated Christmas!  This is a late blog post in lieu of one that was half finished for last Friday, Christmas Day, when I just simply ran out of steam for writing.  It was a combination of packing for our big move on Boxing Day and the preparations for a pseudo-Christmas dinner that ran into some problems (the biggest being that the chicken we bought was rotten, but we didn’t realize it until it was half cooked which then sent R on a run to the local Tandoori shop that I actually think was way tastier anyway) that has resulted in a Monday post instead if a Friday one (as if you even noticed anyway!).  We have finally settled into our new house and, despite the fact that it is about 10 degrees colder than our previous top floor apartment, we are enjoying it.  The lovely dog, Kiva, makes it feel a lot like an actual home (as does the real couch and chairs, dining room table, and luxurious bed with a feather duvet!).  So, it is a nice way to transition out of Nepal – a little bit of luxury – before we find ourselves homeless vagabonds for 6 more months.

  • Warmth.  There is nothing we take more for granted at home then clean water and warmth.  While we have found ways to secure clean water here it is the quest for true warmth still eludes us slightly. First, and this takes some time before it clicks in, is that it is always warmer outside.  The concrete buildings and lack of a heating system combine to make indoors frigid while the outdoors are sun basking and lovely.  Inside we often wear toques, fleece jackets and double layers of wool socks inside slippers.  And if computing anything some sort of gloves or arm warmers are a must for the chilly exposed arm and finger skin.  Top all that off with a blanket for any moment when we are sitting still and a cup of tea is always on the ready.  The closest comparison I can make is that it is a bit like camping in December, but only when inside.    And there is always a slight feeling of chill despite the layers most often caused by any bare skin that comes in contact with the air or by any shifting one makes while in their warm cocoon that means a new spot needs to be warmed.  All I can do is dream of Hawaii and the Philippines and know that in 19 days I will feel warm again.
  • Inverters (aka uninterruptible power supplies). The loadshedding schedule is set to increase to about 6 hours per day (3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the evening).  And usually, we adapt by lighting candles, reading for a short while, and then going to bed exceptionally early.  But our new house has an inverter – a battery that stores electricty from solar panels on the roof which can then power a CFL bulb in each room, the TV, and a laptop.  And let me tell you, it certainly doesn’t take long to become accustomed to this – I have all but forgotten about candles and early to bed evenings in the span of 2 days!  I will look forward to the days when we don’t need to worry about whether we have power in order to shower, check email, or cook dinner.  But until then, we will revel in the joys of our temporary inverter.
  • Being spoiled.  So, we maybe wouldn’t choose to live this way, but given that it is part of the housesitting gig, we are left to just sit back and enjoy it 🙂  Despite the fact that we are meant to look after the dog and house the following arrangements were made by the folks who live here and will continue while we stay:  1) A regular cleaning lady who comes 2 days a week to do laundry, dishes, and general cleaning; 2) A gardener who looks after the property, yard and plants; 3) A dog-walker who walks the dog on weekends, 4) A dog mover who takes the dog to doggie daycare Monday-Friday, and finally 5) Doggie daycare who look after the dog on weekdays from 9-5ish.  So, what are we left to do?  Basically, sit back and enjoy it because this will likely be the only time in my life when I have these perks!
  • Broccoli.  The proliferation of broccoli this season is suprising.  However, when one considers where it is being sold, it actually graphs in direct relationship to the density of foreigners.  It is not a vegetable that Nepalis eat but is being grown for the foreign palate.  So, shops in areas where we live are selling the leafy green bundles.  It is an nice change from the cauliflower which is a staple in our diet and provides some added colour and nutrients to a regular meal of rice and curried paneer.  I have also taken to chopping the bunches up into giant spears (trees instead of the small shrubs) and tossing it with a oil/dijon/soy/honey/vinegar/red onion dressing before a quick toaster oven roast, which makes the spears all toasted and caramely.  Can you say delicious?  Unfortunately, I can’t because my mouth is full of broccoli 🙂

Honouring Fridays: August 29th, 2009

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Call me crazy, but I think I feel a chill in the air.  The temperature dipped below 20 degrees and as we scrambled to get the blankets back on the bed I realized just how much my internal thermometer has shifted.  Since when did 20 degrees become cold?  And how much will I shiver when I get home and an hour of rain isn’t followed by blazing hot sunshine?  But perhaps it isn’t temperature at all, but rather old habits driving this need to cozy up – with September around the corner it somehow just feels like the right thing to do.

  • Work days that allow for a quick venue research trip up a mountain to resort-ish type location where one can see the Himalayan vistas. Need I say more?  In comparison it would be like being asked to visit Whistler (albeit much less fancy) for a day and report back on the quality of the hotel rooms, meeting halls, and menus of possible workshop venues.   And our selection was…Hotel Country Villa.  Beautiful rooms, fantastic food and excellent (read inspiring) views.  Sigh…work is tough some days!  The only piece of this day that I was not as grateful for was the screeching and precariously speedy trip up the mountain side to get to said location.  Thankfully, I was not riding on the roof of a public bus…it was scary enough from the backseat of a car.
  • Pothole warnings.  due to some very heavy rainstorms lately, some of the paved roadways are developing rather large, almost crater like, holes.  On my regular walking route to the tuk-tuk stop I had noticed some sinking spots in the pavement.  But literally overnight, these sink holes had sunk to new lows…giant hollow spaces beneath the pavement, much like cracking the head of a chocolate Easter bunny – the hole may look small from the top but is cavernous underneath.  So, to warn drivers who are speeding through the streets the neighbourhood solution is to prop a tall tree-like branch into the hole.  No bright tape, coloured ribbons, massive orange cones, or heavily roped off areas.  Just a bamboo branch waving lazily in the breeze and blending very wall into the surroundings.  I admit the holes were fixed within a week, an excellent turnaround time for Nepal, but Iam still left marveling at the simplicity of it all.
  • Being able to get work done in a cyber. Cyber is Nepali speak for an internet cafe – minus the cafe.  A bunch of old computers crammed into a small shop along with phone booths, a copy machine, and some dusty office supplies.  Speeds vary, monitors are often discoloured and flickering, and keyboards have notoriously sticky keys.  But right now, we have no internet in our office and have not had for the past 3 months.  So, this means regular trips to the local cyber to check and answer email.  And I am still somewhat shocked (and grateful!) for the amount of work we manage to do in these little cybers.  The noise level is ridiculous, with locals calling family gone to work in the Middle East and yelling over a poor reception, the ergonomics would make any office rep cringe, and there are always a gaggle of folks reading email over your shoulder.  However, with a bit of focus and preseverance we have managed to operate this way for 3 months.  Not ideal, but somehow satisfying.  And a tribute to a culture like Nepal where people simply are not bothered by these small inconveniences.
  • Peanut butter cookies.  It was a moment of madness and I was blinded by a recollection of smell and taste.  I had been dreaming about this particular version of peanuttyness for a few weeks but thought that the feeling would wear off.  It didn’t.  It got worse.  So, after trying desperately to ignore it, I caved and sent R on a scrambling race to the corner store for some peanut butter and baked out my craving with only moments to spare before the power cut started for the evening.  They were delicious and I think worth the madness.  My only excuse is that it was a back-to-school treat (without the back to school part)!

Honouring Fridays: August 14th, 2009

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Last night I awoke to the most spectacular rainstorm we have had yet.  It sounded like rivers streaming from the sky and drowned out any other sounds.  I laid still for about half and hour and just listened to the sound, carefully looking for a change in pace, water volume, or drop intensity.  Straining to hear, you could make out the sounds of the rain falling on different objects – the banana trees in the yard were lashed and submissive, the leaves being torn by the heavy drops, the rhythmic thudding of the balcony downspout on the pavement 3 stories down, and the metallic spring of drops bouncing vigorously off the tin roof over the carport.  All these rains sounds wove together to create a cocoon inside our mosquito net – at that moment there was nowhere more secure, cozy or peaceful to be.

  • The countdown. It is literally one month until we embark on a 4-week vacation that feels like it just can’t come at a better time.  The 4 weeks will be blissfully free from work and allow me to remember just how amazing Nepal has been.  So, forgive me, while I not so silently jump for joy each morning when I look at my countdown clock on my Google homepage and see the numbers ticking down…such power those little numbers hold…I may not be living as directly in the moment as I may like, but I sure as heck have lots to look forward to!
  • Finding the lesson, despite how deeply it might be buried. With enough distance from my stressful and rather confidence defeating past weeks, I have had enough time to gather my wits and regain perspective.  And buried near the centre of all the junk is what I like to call the kernel of wisdom.  My kernel from the last weeks has been: don’t assume that lack of interest is equivalent to lack of caring.  
  • The smell of fresh guava. Not the prettiest of fruit but certainly the most intriguing.  Walking down a muddy alley in Kathmandu I could smell what seemed like a some rich and luxurious Parisian perfume – heady top notes of super sweet and fragrant fruit – like a strawberry married a pineapple.  Much to my suprise the smell was wafting from a precarious looking basket of rumpled yellow-green fruit.  The guava season had arrived by smell alone.  They are not the most delicious of fruits – in fact I would discourage you from going out of your way to find them for their taste value.  Oh, but the smell…the smell alone is reason to seek them out.  They permeate our entire apartment with their fruity, flowery, and steamy scent.  They smell like seduction, passion, and intrigue.  I think small animals, insects, and birds must be seduced by them too – it is a bewitching fruit.  I have since used them to make a rather perfumed sauce with honey and a raspberry tea bag which I hope to serve this weekend with a chocolate cake.  And true to Nepal, the fruit seasons just keeping bringing the most delightful surprises – wistful goodbyes to mangoes – flared nostril hellos to guavas!  And it probably wouldn’t surprise you to know that guava essence is a central ingredient in many perfumes too!
  • Cooking my way to good mental health. There is a term in our house that R and I use, particularly on weekends, when I emerge from a state of intense cookery…we call it the food coma.  Sometimes it is induced by eating all the fruits of my kitchen labours, but other times it it simply the coma from channeling every last drop of creativity and soul into making something tasty.  But I actually do believe that cooking has become an important mode of expression for me.  An outlet from some frustration, a chance to capture feelings on a plate. Nothing better than expressing myself and ending up with a delicious plate of food at the end of it.

Honouring Fridays: August 7th, 2009

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I hear it is hot in Vancouver. Hotter than what would be considered usual for this time of year. And while I can sympathize with those West Coasters who are just not genetically engineered for this heat (and I feel absolutely terrible about the forest fires that are raging…they were actually featured in photo on the cover of a national Nepali newspaper this week…I could hardly believe my eyes)…but I digress. I just wanted to toss out a quick reminder that your version of hot is mild. Yesterday, I walked to work and by the time I arrived my shirt was actually soaking with sweat…and I mean SOAKING..dripping…could be wrung out with enough sweat to brew a cup of tea…gross. And there is no cool refereshing lakes, rivers or oceans…just large seas of rice paddies. In some of the southern areas of Nepal near the Indian border the temperature is regularly in the 40’s for weeks. So, it is hot on the West Coast but my sympathy extends only so far…until your brewing tea with your t-shirt sweat it’s not that hot 🙂

  • Cold marble floors. On those days when the temperature is insanely hot one of the most cooling things I can find to do is stand (or admittedly sometimes lay)  in my kitchen. Usually associated with hot, steamy, splattering foods, the kitchen in my house is actually the coolest spot around thanks to the floor to counter slabs of marble. I find that I channel almost all my excess body heat through my feet so there is nothing more comforting than soaking up the cool through one sole…which inevitably cools the other soul.
  • Nimbleness. One of the things that I have learned since being here is just how much I appreciate nimble organizations.  The type of organization that can be quickly responsive, adaptable, flexible, and strategic – that doesn’t get bogged down by adhering to excessive, circular, and semantic conversations.  I truly believe that nimbleness is possible for an organization of any size, degree of hierarchy, or type of work.  It is often thought that being smaller means being more nimble, but really it is more about the implementation of organizational structure not the actual structure itself.  In a dictatorship, nimble is easy – boss makes decision and can change the decision based on new information at any time.  In the same way, a more participatory organization could empower those most impacted to make the decision on behalf of the group.  I believe that very few organizations recognize nimbleness as a high priority but I think this will become increasingly important – to stay ahead they will need to be nimble to remain competitive.
  • Good communication. Good things happen when communication is good.  I was reminded this week that communication takes practice, patience, and listening.  Listening.  Listening.  Maybe speaking.  Listening.  And no matter how experienced or capable you are in communication there will be tests of this skill – moments when your abilities fail you and you need to find some new strategies.  But as soon as you stop allowing your communication strategies to evolve, the less able you will be to communicate.
  • Garlic and cheese rolls. Near our house there is a wonderful Italian bakery of which we only recently started taking full advantage.  They make breads, cookies, pastries and other delicious goodies.  But my indulgence there is singular.  In fact, I don’t think my eyes even drift further than the large tray of warm garlic and cheese rolls.  They always have my full attention, the garlic winking, the cheese seductively draping itself over the wholesome multigrain goodness.  For those who know me well, they could tell you just how much I love savoury breakfast.  So, for breakfast, we sometimes walk over for a breakfast treat and delicious latte (next door is a little coffee roasting shop that hand grinds beans and steams milk individually for each latte…divine and the best to be found in Kathmandu I think).  Below is a photo tribute to this new Saturday morning ritual.
The source of deliciousness
A little piece of heaven in the form of a roll.
The equally delicious latte.
Sheer joy and contentment!

Honouring Fridays: March 27th, 2009

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I have spent the whole day today in a incredibly interesting consultation forum on the drafting of a new youth policy in Nepal.  Youth from all regions of the country were invited to review the draft policy and provide feedback, suggestions, and critques about how their voices were reflected in the policy.  Youth from many ethnic groups, with disabilities, religious minorities, and those displaced from conflict zones in Nepal shared passionate and emotional stories with the policy committee and have clearly invested much of their future in the development of “New Nepal”.  I left feeling hopeful for what they should be able to achieve within Nepal, provided the government listens to their voices.

  • Fragrance. Kathmandu is alive and bursting with flowers now that the winter chill has subsided.  Besides the colourful beauty of these flowers, my favourite part is the fragrance.  At night in my little neighbourhood you can walk down these small winding alleys and find yourself in a haze of jasmine – sweet, pungent, and rish was sumptuous frangrance.  The other flower that has been casting a spell over my walk to work the past few days is a bit like a large grapefruit flower.  The smell is intoxicating and I have taken to picking a couple blossoms on the way to work that are an easy counter smell to some of the nasty odors one encounters on the walk (garbage, pollution, smelly river etc.).  And both of these blossoms make wonderful natural perfume, dabbed on the wrist when walking past a bush.
  • Vacations. Next Friday my lovely hubby and I will be leaving to take a short 3-day trip down to Chitiwan with some of our friends.  Another volunteer has a travel agent for a landlord so the deal we have gotten is simply incredible.  We have all transportation, food, and accommodation included, PLUS, some great activities in Chitiwan – tiger walks, elephant rides etc.  I have been in Kathmandu for about 3 months with only a short respits to a village and training centre for 1 month – I am itching to get out of he city and into something more peaceful.  I think this trip will be the perfect salve for my battered nerves and polluted lungs 🙂
  • Rainstorms. Storm season has officially started.  Nothing torrential and as heavy as a monsoon rain, but at least some scattered and intense showers to freshen things up.  The heavy clouds billow like blackend marshmallows and hang there for what seems like hours.  The thunder will grumble, grumble, grumble and then finally, as though lightening is the decision maker, a streak of electricity will get the whole thing started.  The storm will thunder on for about an hour and then like a faucet being turned off will suddenly stop.  Brilliant sunshine comes back out and everything dries in a matter of minutes.  But I love the storms – it reminds me of Vancouver, of being cozy, and of a fresh new start.
  • Ovens! We had a lovely and generous gift of a small toaster oven this week.  Another volunteer who is leaving inhertited one when she arrived and is passing it along.  I have grown so familiar with gas flame cooking that it has been sitting in our kitchen all week gathering dust because I don’t know what to do with it.  Oh, and I guess because we need electricity to run the darn thing.  But once we have more power I am certain that some cookies, cakes, and perhaps muffins might emerge from it 🙂

Newsworthy in Nepal: 02/20/09

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It has been a pretty quiet month for news in Nepal actually – no major headlines but lots of great small ones that are interesting to me, so I will share.

  • The Maoist government is having their annual convention this week, full of many many closed-door meetings.  The political party system here is incredibly complex, with mutiple parties having the words “united”, “maoist”, “Nepal” in their title.  There is in fact the following political parties listed in today’s paper:  1) Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) – UCPN(M) who are newly elected into power and have a minority in the Constituent Assembly, 2) Nepali Congress (NC) – the ousted party who form the second largest party in Nepal and are the opposition, and 3) Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) – the largest coalition group of many smaller communist parties.  This doesn’t include the smaller, more extreme parties which often represent specific regional ethnic groups or are youth wings of the above mentioned parties who provide the agitation and public distrurbances for the party.  A great summary of the political situation right now is published today on ReliefWeb.
  • One of the driest winters on record.  According to the Nepal Meteorological Forecasting Division we had almost no rain in Nepal this dry season and temperatures that were above normal (despite the fact that I spent most of December shivering).
  • Oldest man to climb Everest.  It is a feate that many from around the world attempt and one which many also fail.  But for Nepalis, a point of pride is their tenacious ability to climb Everest.  So, when a 77 year old attempts to get into the Guiness Book of World Records as the oldest man to scale the peak and is trumped by a 75 year old…well national pride is hurt.

Is it wrong to wish for a warmer, softer bed?

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Last night marked our first interaction with the VSO Nepal staff and current VSO Nepal volunteers.  We visited their offices in Patan (just across the Bagmati river from Kathmandu) and celebrated a with a bonfire and delicious meal, complete with music and dancing.  It was spirited, lively, and utterly welcoming.  Despit a lingering head cold, it was great fun.  Today we shall embark on a scavenger hunt of Kathmandu – a small team competition to help familiarize ourelves with the city. 

I am reminded that it has only been 24 hours since we arrived, when I catch myself thinking of my warm bed in Vancouver…still not a distant enough memory to be forgotten and so readily available for comparison.  Our current guest house is lovely, but like most accommodations in Nepal there is no central heating and it is winter now, with temperatures in the 20’s during the day but plummeting to between 5-10 at night…chilly indeed.