I've been resisting writing this post for quite some time now, as I've been busy searching for the one profound theme that can link together all of the different experiences, emotions and encounters of this unfamiliar chapter in my life right now. And, of course, I've come to realize that the common thread that will tie all of this information into a paradoxically-complex-but-really-ever-so-simple flow chart either doesn't exist or is simply beyond my grasp right now. So instead of holding out on all the juice that you folks are so thirsty for until I can manufacture some false packaging that will sell it better, I'm just going to spill it all out and hope it doesn't get too messy, if you know what I mean. (Speaking of messy, sorry for using three different and unrelated metaphors in one paragraph to send a message that really isn't so complex. I'm overcompensating for lack of profundity and content.)
I want to simply share some of what I've learned about Nepali society over this past month of orientation and also what different projects Tevel b'Tzedek has set up in response to them. Basically, Nepal is a bit of a mess, searching for her path while torn apart by conflict from within and without. On the one hand, she is searching for her unique Nepali identity, while being sandwiched between two enormous countries (India and China) vying for political, cultural and economic influence. Meanwhile, she's made up of hundreds of ethnic groups each with its own language, culture, customs, goals, narrative, social structure and problems. Throw in a caste system, insane poverty, some communism, a shaky brand spankin' new democracy, and a whole lotta corruption and you've got yourself a party. Oh, and the seemingly impossible task of writing a constitution that adequately represents everyone (including women, "marginalized populations", and "untouchables").
Naturally, all of this has lead to a boat load of social problems, which is where us educated white folks step in to save the day. TBT works to empower people through four main avenues - formal education, informal education, women's empowerment and agriculture - in three different areas - the city (Kalamati), the town (Madavbesi) and the remove village (Sunderwati). Men, women, youth, children, families and the environment in all of these regions suffer from different manifestations of the same problems: poverty, education, alcoholism, health and sanitation, child labor, human trafficking and a whole slew of over things. I'm very aware of how vague I'm being, so instead of describing everything in depth, which I couldn't do even if I wanted to (which I don't, and neither do you!), I'll give you one example of an invented, but probably true, story:
Picture an uneducated, low caste family in a remote village - mom, pops, big bro, sis, little bro - fighting to make ends meet. The village is dependent on agriculture for food and money, yet global warming (or something) has led to unexpected rains that don't allow for the family to harvest the rice, which could mean no food for 6 months. Pops is feeling a little depressed about all this and hitting the booze, while mom works ridiculously freaking hard all day and night to try fix the situation. The kids are having trouble in school, especially because they have to learn in the Nepali language instead of their own language, and because there are 70 kids per class and their teacher has only graduated from grade 10. Plus, they don't have money for books and materials. So they just stop going. And they dream of all the opportunity that awaits them in the big city: Kathmandu. Big bro decides he should go try his luck over there at the grand age at 14 - after all, he heard of a friend of a friend who once went there and did really well, or something like that. So he gets on a bus with the clothes on his back and wakes up 10 hours later in a big polluted city where he doesn't know anybody. After wandering around aimlessly for a a few days, he finds himself working as a trash collector on the streets 8 hours a day for less than a dollar a day, and joining a nice crew of other child workers like himself who sleep on the streets, or in restaurants, or cheap rooms, dealing with disappointment of the big city and missing their families by huffing glue. I guess I could go on for a lot longer inventing all sorts of other things about what happens to the rest of the family members, but I think you get the point.
So as you can imagine, I found myself here dying for a deep and meaningful experience that would be transformative for both me and Nepali society, fixing the conflicts in both worlds in a way that would deeply connect them to one another. But I'm not really so sure how to go about that, so I'm trying to just take things day by day. I finally got my placement, and it appears that I'll be heading off to Sunderwati, a remote and disgustingly beautiful mountain village 10 hours away full of flowing streams, agriculture, and "marginalized peoples" to work in hopefully some combo of formal and informal education for the next three months. We visited the village last week for a few days and stayed with exceptionally warm and welcoming families in their modest mud homes, full of bedbugs, smoke (no chimneys) and love, to get a taste of what the hell is going on over there. My family was wonderful - middle aged parents with 4 sons (2 of whom were married and living in Kathmandu) and a 9 year old daughter who is sweet as sugar. Minus the way in which the mother enviously grabbed at my North Face fleece and warm sweatpants and made this awful gesture to ask whether we were hungry (think of the pantomime motion for turning a door handle - the grab, the twist, the churn, the hunger I will never understanddddddddddd), we had a swell time over there. Practiced our Nepali, hung out by the indoor fire, played with the goats, ate way too much rice, taught them Shalom Aleichem, you know...
Well, folks, there it is. Wish I could give you more, but I'm feeling a little scattered at the moment and hoping that things will come together once I am with my (really incredible) group in the village and getting started on the projects starting on Sunday. Until then, I'll be here...soaking in my last few days of internet, warm water, flushing toilets, and privacyless-yet-super-fun group bonding.
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