Oedipus Rex goes Nepali

Yesterday, one of my coworkers invited me to attend a theatre performance on environmental conservation with him and two other staff members.   I'm not one to turn down the prospect of attending a theatre performance with three attractive and single Nepali men, so away I went. 

Kumar and I arrived first to the theatre, purchased tickets, and waited for Angel and Sidhi to arrive.  While waiting, I realized that I never asked the name of the performance we were going to see - all I knew was that it was about environmental conservation. I inquired, and Kumar paused, then responded “Oedipus Rex.”

Yes, Oedipus Rex.

Greek Tragedy. Written by Sophocles in 429 BC.

“What does Oedipus Rex have to do with environmental conservation?” you might ask.  That, my friend, is an excellent question, and one that I cannot answer. 

It turns out that the guys had originally thought we were going to another play, but when they discovered that only Oedipus Rex was showing, they decided to go anyway.  Of course, no one told me this.  I mean, I still would have gone, but I would have at least refreshed my knowledge of the play before we arrived.  (Sorry Mom, I read it 11 years ago). “Oh well. Surely I’ll remember it when I see it.” I thought.  Wrong, very wrong.

There was nothing Greek about this performance (with the exception of the wavy permed hair of the lead actor), because I am pretty sure that they did not have gongs, kimonos, or tai chi in ancient Greece.  It was like a Chinese interpretation of part of Sophocles's play, but spoken in Nepali. I was completely lost the entire hour and 15 minutes. Thankfully, Kumar wrote me notes on his business cards every so often to help me along with the story line. Had he not, I would have had no clue who the main actors were.  The messenger from Corinth, for example, had dreadlocks and a Russian hat.  I mean, maybe the Corinthians did dress that way and we've just gotten it all wrong. I didn’t live during that time, how would I know?

Nonetheless, it did seem like a good play.  All three guys enjoyed it, though none had read it before.  I was surprised at first to discover that they hadn’t read any of the same Greek plays that I had in school, until I realized that growing up in Asia meant their history lessons were very different than mine. While we learned about the ancient Romans and the Greek, they learned about the Chinese, the history of Hinduism, and other things more closely linked to their lives in Asia.  This all makes sense, but it was a new revelation for me.  It’s very different to grow up in a culture steeped not in European history, but in Chinese and Indian culture. 

In other news, this past Sunday was a holy day for Hindus in Nepal – the day of the year where the snake is worshipped in hopes that it will provide protection from poisonous snakes and other evil throughout the year. This day on the lunar calendar is also supposed to mark the end of the monsoon and the beginning of winter.  The monsoon, however, is far from over.  It arrived really late this year, and the rains are just now heavy enough to wash the city clean of trash.  The Bagmati River is much cleaner now than when I first arrived, but is also seriously flooded.  The people living along the river will soon find their houses underwater and will have to flee for the streets of Kathmandu.  13 people died Sunday alone from mudslides across Nepal.  The major highway that runs east to west across Nepal through the hills is also closed in many parts due to mudslides.  The diarrhea outbreak continues to spread, and many people have been diagnosed with cholera. 

In political news, the vice president of the country is being called to resign because he took his oath of office in Hindi, not Nepali, and is now threatening to “take on” the Supreme Court to make sure he stays in power.  The coalition government, which broke apart before I left the U.S. has yet to officially form because no one seems to agree on anything.  And the minister of health, in the middle of the diarrhea and cholera outbreaks, left the country to attend a seminar on capacity building and financial management without informing the President.

Strikes also continue to take place at irregular intervals.  Last Thursday, Maoist youth protestors lit a microbus on fire in Kathmandu with people inside. Though all escaped, protests by the transportation companies demanding repatriation shut down the city on Friday and Sunday. Although I live near the government compound, protests rarely take place there.  Protestors in the Kathmandu Valley always strike in the most congested parts of the city where they can cause the most delays in traffic.  The schools (both public and private) are closed again, this time for a 5 day teachers strike.  That’s all well and good, except that I’m supposed to be participating in a workshop for principals and teachers on Friday and Saturday this week, and have no idea whether it will still take place. Several of the universities have postponed their exams as a result of all the strikes, so students close to graduating will have to wait up to two more months to finish up. 

Some days I'm impressed that anything gets done around here. 

This past weekend, I went to Pokhara for three days with Prachet, his wife Mita, and his daughter Palistha.  Though weather prevented us from paragliding, we did fit in a number of other great activities: boating on Phewa Tal lake, visiting Devi’s Falls – a beautiful waterfall named after a Swiss woman who fell in while bathing and was carried away, climbing down into an enormous cave below the waterfall, and visiting several beautiful temples. My favorite part by far, however, was waking up at 4:00 am and driving to Sarankot, a neighboring town high in the hills, to watch the sun rise over the Himalayans. Absolutely breathtaking.

I have 14 days left in Nepal and so much that I still want to do and see.  I am leaving on Sunday for a 6 day trek to Gosinkunde Lake (4500 m above sea level – part of the Langtang trekking route) with a couple of guys I work with.  I’ve never been trekking before and am really looking forward to the challenge – monsoon, leeches, and all.  This trip has taught me so much about myself and the way I live, and I think the trek will be a nice way to end my time here.  When I return, I’ll have a final “debriefing” at work, submit my final report, say my goodbyes, then make my way back to the States. 

I’m hoping to post some pictures tomorrow when I go to the tourist district of Kathmandu. I’m such a bad blogger and still haven’t posted photos from a month ago.  I think the internet gets worse here every day, and I am tired of fighting with it.

If nothing else, expect another post or two before I return.

Love,

Lisa