Reasons I Want a Motorbike

1. They are so much more convenient than cars in Kathmandu
   
2. Road rules don’t really apply
   
3. My hair flows nicely in the wind
   
4. I can see the city better
   
5. My balance is improving
   

Reasons a Motorbike is Bad News

1. Accidents in motorbikes are worse than cars
   
2. Riding a motorbike in the rain is not fun. Ditto for mud roads.
   
3.  I still haven’t figured out how to gracefully sit on the bike (and am reminded of this daily)
   
4. Bugs in your mouth = not delicious
   

I’ve been here a week now, and have experienced a range of emotions in regards to this city and its people.  Every day is a different challenge, although I find myself liking it more and more.   I am content here, at least for the time being at least. It’s so fascinating to me that this life is not chaos to the rest of the city’s residents – just me.

The ECCA staff is really nice and has gone out of their way to take me to different ECCA projects across the Kathmandu Valley.  They’ve also been great at answering my random questions. Here’s some of what I’m learning so far:

•     Arranged marriages, though long a tradition in Nepal, are no longer status quo. Some youth now date and choose their own marriage partner, while others ask their family to choose then take time to get to know the person before the marriage.  Several of the guys I work with have girlfriends, so it’s definitely different these days. People date and go out in groups, though its still largely a family-oriented place.
•     Though many women work in Kathmandu, men still own the stores and make the rules.  There are a few women working at ECCA - most are men in between 25 and 40. ECCA relies a lot on volunteers, most of who are college age students.  I am treated 100% as an equal here.  I am trying hard to learn Nepali so I can keep up with everyone’s jokes. 
•      Anyone who can afford to do so purchases big jugs of clean water from stores to use for cooking and drinking. I’ve not had any problems with the water thus far, because I can purchase a jug for my house for 50 Rupees (less than $1), and ECCA and quality restaurants use this kind of water as well.  Water shortages are a problem across Nepal, and the quality of water remains poor even in the wealthiest areas.
  
•     The majority of the upper class in Kathmandu (the caste system is still strong though not widely acknowledged) are part of the Newari ethnic group, so most people in Kathmandu speak both Nepali and Newari. Most children learn English in the schools as well.  
  

On Tuesday, I traveled outside the Kathmandu Valley to a small town called Macheagaun, where we introduced ECCA’s sanitation and water program in a secondary school. I quickly fell in love with the mountains and small towns.  Nepal really is a beautiful country.  It’s very green here, with rolling hills and mountains, and temples everywhere. 

Those of you who have asked for my address: funny story, actually. I live in a part of Kathmandu called Anamnagar, which translates to “place without a name.”  Seriously.  So anyway, I don’t actually have an address.  If you’re interested in mailing me, let me know and I’ll give you my work address. I live right by a huge government compound, which is surprisingly safe. I am very happy to be living away from the tourist areas – this is the “real” Kathmandu here.

As requested, here are some photos that I’ve taken so far. Photos with people in them are infinitely more interesting, but I still get kind of freaked out about that. Give me another few days and I’m sure it will be fine. I’m clearly not in these photos, but I’ll remedy that soon enough.  

The entire Kathmandu Valley is full of beautiful buildings and statues

Homes along the Bagmati river. It's the most polluted part of Kathmandu because of all the sewage and trash that flows into it.  As the monsoon rains raise the river level, it will grow more and more polluted. I pass over this river every day on the way to work. 

Women selling fruits and vegetables along the street.   

A street near my flat and a trash-eating cow. There are cows, chickens, goats, and dogs everywhere.

Kindergarten children in one of the schools I visited today.  

The children practicing their concentration by learning to walk in a straight line holding specific objects that weigh down their walk. 

Houses in the hills outside Kathmandu Valley. The top of the hill will eventually hold a giant Buddha statue that you will be able to see from Kathmandu. 

Speaking about ECCA projects and proper sanitation and water practices in a secondary school in Mancheagaun. 

The Sweet Air of Kathmandu

(Photos coming Thursday. I promise!)

Every day, as I walk to work, I look for the mountains that surround Kathmandu in every direction. Yet every day, I can just barely make out their outlines.  And every day, I am told that it’s a shame that it is too “cloudy” to see the mountains, but surely I’ll be able to see them tomorrow. 

I’ve composed this letter as a response to these comments.

Dear people of Kathmandu: 

The air is not cloudy here, it is polluted.  We are not breathing in “cloudy” air, we are breathing in lung cancer.  Please stop telling me that the weather conditions are bad. I know just as well as you do that this disgusting filth that I am breathing in comes from the traffic, trash fires, and the polluted river.  It is not natural – it is manmade.  And no, I will never get a good view of the mountains from Kathmandu, because it is not going to magically “clear up.”   Also, I do not have a cough because I don’t eat enough food: I have a cough because my lungs are very angry with me. And with you, for making your rivers, grounds, and air so polluted that they make sewers in the U.S. look refreshing.  I never thought I’d miss the sweet, sweet Washington, DC air.  Thank you, Kathmandu, for giving me a reason to buy a darling purple mask.   

Love,

Lisa and her lungs

(if you're lucky, I'll send photos of me wearing my purple mask while on a motorbike! How cool am I, really?)

The First 72 Hours

I’ve never been in a city quite as busy or as fascinating at Kathmandu.  There’s so much to take in.  To keep this interesting, I’ll focus on some observations from my first few days here:

The traffic: there are no stop lights, stop signs, or crosswalks.  Want to cross the road? Just make your way through the taxis, cars, bicycles, motorcycles, buses, minibuses, and three-wheel public transport vehicles that are weaving in and out of a 4 or more lanes. Piece of cake.  

The sidewalks, where they exist, are equally crowded. On the way to work, I saw several stray dogs and a disgruntled cow hanging out on the sidewalk. On the way back? Monkeys.

My internship:  I am working at ECCA, a Nepali nonprofit that runs a number of programs focused on environmental conservation and community development.  Their programs increase sanitation and health practices and improve the quality of education in the central, southern, and eastern regions of Nepal. I’m very excited to be working here for the next 2+ months. I just got back from a meeting at the Bagmati river (most polluted part of Nepal) with one staff member and I’ll hopefully be visiting some government schools later today with another.   

ECCA staff is very nice and, because the organization publishes most of its work in English, nearly everyone speaks at least some.  Though I’m hoping to learn Nepali, it’s really nice to have English as an option.  My contact, Prachet, (chairman of ECCA) has gone above and beyond to make sure that I’m settling into the organization and the city.  I’m so thankful for his support!

My apartment: I’m living in a cozy (bright pink!) flat in the southeast part of Kathmandu. I’m renting the flat from a retired doctor and his wife.  When I mentioned I was from Ohio, he started chatting about a visit he once made to Dayton, Ohio for medical training. Small world. I have a housemate through May, Lilian, but she's been traveling with ECCA so I won't meet her until tomorrow. 

The City: ECCA is located across the river to the south in the town of Lalitpur, which is an easy 35 minute walk from my apartment.  Most of the touristy and historic areas of Kathmandu are in the northern part of the city, but it should be easy enough to visit different areas of the city by walking or using public transportation.  Kathmandu is really the only city in Nepal, so I’m looking forward to visiting the villages and rural areas.   

In Kathmandu, people work from Sunday to Friday, so Saturday is the only day off.  We have power outages every day (called "load sharing"), but they're on a schedule so you can plan your activities around them.  

Okay, that’s all for now. I will post pictures soon.  I have to admit that I haven’t taken many yet. You know how intimidating it is to try to take a picture when everyone within 50 feet of you is staring directly at you? I’m sure I’ll start caring less, but it’s certainly unnerving. 

Miss you all and please keep in touch through email! I’m not entirely sure how often I’ll be able to skype, so email is probably the best way to get in touch at this point. 

Love!