I'd like to begin this weeks blog entry with gratitude. To all of you who read the last entry: Thank you very much! Please remember to donate or encourage others to do so! Even $5 dollars makes a difference, I promise. I'm grateful for any amount, but if you felt like donating $500+ you'll be my personal hero.
Donate HERE!
This week I'd like to include a few memories about arriving in Nepal and some basic historical information about the country's festivals.
Lately, I've been having a difficult time wrapping my brain around this trip. I have a point of reference in regards to arrival and the bombardment of immediate stimulation, but I lack more knowledge of what to expect work-wise. I took a roundabout way of getting to Nepal the first time. I'd heard from a friend that Qatar Airlines was the best. Therefore, I decided to fly from Portland to NYC, NYC to Doha, Doha to Kathmandu. Yes, this was almost the longest way to get there, but the airline was amazing and I was able to fly over the crazy man-made palm tree shaped islands in the Middle East and spend the night in Qatar. So, I found the arduous flight justifiable.
As the last leg of the flight began the descent into Kathmandu, the Himalayan mountains were hiding in clouds, so I focused on the city below. The lower we descended the more I realized I had no idea what I was getting into. Cows leisurely roamed across the runways, while tuk tuks overfilled with people zoomed past pedestrians on discombobulated roads. A thick layer of smog settled low in the valley as the plane landed and I slowly walked into a rustic airport.
I don't recall much of customs, but I remember walking out thinking it was pretty light. The shock came outside when I was accosted by hundreds of taxi drivers asking me in broken english where I was going and picking up my bags before I could answer. When I told them firmly no, another groups would come over and try. Bartering is common, prices are never what's listed and Nepalese expect you to negotiate. I hated this part. I'm not a good at it and in a country where people have nothing, I'd rather pay the asking price and be done with it. But, I'm also a cheap traveler who doesn't like spending more on transportation or lodging. I finally settled on a taxi, told him where I needed to go and set off on the first of many terrifying rides. This time I'm traveling to Nepal with two other ARP volunteers and a member of the organization is meeting us at the Kathmandu airport. I'm glad I won't have to choose a taxi.
This is about where my knowledge of what to expect ends. I know we will spend a day or two in Kathmandu to recover from jet-lag and sightsee, then it's an abyss. For someone who spends 90% of her brainpower on daydreaming, I struggle to come up with a scenario of what this experience will be like. What will all the members of our team be like? Will we get along well? What will the interpreters and patients be like? What will be the most common ailment? Will I know how to treat it? And those aren't even half the questions running through my head. It can be overwhelming at times, but that's what makes this adventure exciting, new and invigorating. These are the feelings I live for with travel.
During our time in Kogate, the Dasain (or Dashain) and Diwali (or Deepawali) festivals will occur. The Dasain Festival is a 15-day celebration commemorating the victories of the god and goddesses over demons, symbolizing victory of good over evil. The first nine days of the festival symbolize the battle between the goddess Durga and the demon Mahishasura. On the tenth day Durga defeats Mahishasura and is worshipped as the divine mother goddess. Each day patrons pay homage to various forms of the Divine Goddess. It is believed if she is worshipped properly and is pleased then good luck will happen, but if she is neglected misfortune will occur. This year the festival will begin on October 5th and complete on October 19th. I hope our clinic will be able to participate in some way, I can't handle misfortune from a displeased goddess.
The Diwali Festival is known as the Festival of Lights and generally falls between mid-October and mid-November. Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the year for Hindus and is considered an official holiday in Nepal and India. Diwali translates to "row of lamps" and part of the celebration involves lighting heaps of small clay lamps filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. These lamps burn through the night to invite the goddess Lakshmi. Diwali marks the end of the harvest season and Lakshmi is honored with puja, which is an expression of honor, worship and devotional attention. Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, her blessings are invoked for a good year ahead.
The Diwali festival maintains a spiritual significance due to the "awareness of the inner light". Hindu mythology maintains a belief of something beyond the physical body and mind that is pure and eternal, called Atman. The celebration of Diwali as the "victory of good over evil" referring to the light of higher knowledge dispelling all ignorance that masks one's true nature as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With this awakening comes compassion and awareness of the oneness of all things. This brings anand (joy or peace). Diwali is the celebration of inner light, similar to the celebration of the birth of a physical being. Essentially, it's a long birthday celebration of your inner light.
Both of these festivals occurred during my time at the orphanage. The children stayed home from school for over a week for both festivals. During Diwali I was forced to walk to each house in the neighborhood with the children cheering behind me and beating drums. After the children knocked on the front door I was supposed to dance, while families put money in a bowl for the kids. This was such an awkward and hilarious experience. Men dance much more than women in Nepal and there was a choreographed dance I didn't know. My impromptu dance moves were mostly just laughed at and the children refused to dance along side me. I hope I don't have to endure this again!
During the Diwali festival our clinic will close for several days. At that time, we are invited to go on a trek in the Langtang area. This is an area of the Himalayas northeast of Kathmandu. The trek lasts about 7 days and climbs up to about 16,000 feet. But, I'll include more on my favorite subject, trekking, next week. So stay tuned and thanks for reading.
Donate HERE!
This week I'd like to include a few memories about arriving in Nepal and some basic historical information about the country's festivals.
Lately, I've been having a difficult time wrapping my brain around this trip. I have a point of reference in regards to arrival and the bombardment of immediate stimulation, but I lack more knowledge of what to expect work-wise. I took a roundabout way of getting to Nepal the first time. I'd heard from a friend that Qatar Airlines was the best. Therefore, I decided to fly from Portland to NYC, NYC to Doha, Doha to Kathmandu. Yes, this was almost the longest way to get there, but the airline was amazing and I was able to fly over the crazy man-made palm tree shaped islands in the Middle East and spend the night in Qatar. So, I found the arduous flight justifiable.
This is me sleeping in the airport during my layover...
As the last leg of the flight began the descent into Kathmandu, the Himalayan mountains were hiding in clouds, so I focused on the city below. The lower we descended the more I realized I had no idea what I was getting into. Cows leisurely roamed across the runways, while tuk tuks overfilled with people zoomed past pedestrians on discombobulated roads. A thick layer of smog settled low in the valley as the plane landed and I slowly walked into a rustic airport.
I don't recall much of customs, but I remember walking out thinking it was pretty light. The shock came outside when I was accosted by hundreds of taxi drivers asking me in broken english where I was going and picking up my bags before I could answer. When I told them firmly no, another groups would come over and try. Bartering is common, prices are never what's listed and Nepalese expect you to negotiate. I hated this part. I'm not a good at it and in a country where people have nothing, I'd rather pay the asking price and be done with it. But, I'm also a cheap traveler who doesn't like spending more on transportation or lodging. I finally settled on a taxi, told him where I needed to go and set off on the first of many terrifying rides. This time I'm traveling to Nepal with two other ARP volunteers and a member of the organization is meeting us at the Kathmandu airport. I'm glad I won't have to choose a taxi.
This is about where my knowledge of what to expect ends. I know we will spend a day or two in Kathmandu to recover from jet-lag and sightsee, then it's an abyss. For someone who spends 90% of her brainpower on daydreaming, I struggle to come up with a scenario of what this experience will be like. What will all the members of our team be like? Will we get along well? What will the interpreters and patients be like? What will be the most common ailment? Will I know how to treat it? And those aren't even half the questions running through my head. It can be overwhelming at times, but that's what makes this adventure exciting, new and invigorating. These are the feelings I live for with travel.
During our time in Kogate, the Dasain (or Dashain) and Diwali (or Deepawali) festivals will occur. The Dasain Festival is a 15-day celebration commemorating the victories of the god and goddesses over demons, symbolizing victory of good over evil. The first nine days of the festival symbolize the battle between the goddess Durga and the demon Mahishasura. On the tenth day Durga defeats Mahishasura and is worshipped as the divine mother goddess. Each day patrons pay homage to various forms of the Divine Goddess. It is believed if she is worshipped properly and is pleased then good luck will happen, but if she is neglected misfortune will occur. This year the festival will begin on October 5th and complete on October 19th. I hope our clinic will be able to participate in some way, I can't handle misfortune from a displeased goddess.
The Diwali festival maintains a spiritual significance due to the "awareness of the inner light". Hindu mythology maintains a belief of something beyond the physical body and mind that is pure and eternal, called Atman. The celebration of Diwali as the "victory of good over evil" referring to the light of higher knowledge dispelling all ignorance that masks one's true nature as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With this awakening comes compassion and awareness of the oneness of all things. This brings anand (joy or peace). Diwali is the celebration of inner light, similar to the celebration of the birth of a physical being. Essentially, it's a long birthday celebration of your inner light.Both of these festivals occurred during my time at the orphanage. The children stayed home from school for over a week for both festivals. During Diwali I was forced to walk to each house in the neighborhood with the children cheering behind me and beating drums. After the children knocked on the front door I was supposed to dance, while families put money in a bowl for the kids. This was such an awkward and hilarious experience. Men dance much more than women in Nepal and there was a choreographed dance I didn't know. My impromptu dance moves were mostly just laughed at and the children refused to dance along side me. I hope I don't have to endure this again!
During the Diwali festival our clinic will close for several days. At that time, we are invited to go on a trek in the Langtang area. This is an area of the Himalayas northeast of Kathmandu. The trek lasts about 7 days and climbs up to about 16,000 feet. But, I'll include more on my favorite subject, trekking, next week. So stay tuned and thanks for reading.
