kancha coming at you---
Apparently that's my Nepali name. It is actually a common name meaning "small brother." Everyone here refers to each other as Dai (older brother) Bai (younger brother), Didi (older sister) and Bahini (younger sister), but because you can have several Dai's Bai's etc. Kancha gets at least a little more specific (referring to size). It was given to me by the Austrian couple's trekking guide somewhere between Machhapuchare base camp and Annapurna base camp. but i digress.
So, while on one hand I was sad to miss Halloween and all the kids who will succumb to wearing ridiculous clothes as long as they get candy (Seinfeld), I was able to celebrate the fall harvest festival not just Nepali style (mind you they don't actually celebrate it here), but with its semi-original intent (I think, correct me if I'm wrong though). I harvested.
This took place in the village of Astam where the Indian's (dot not the feather) trekking guide that I met on my trek lived. It involved a half hour bus ride out of Pokhara, and an hour hike, nearly straight uphill it seemed. Since he wasn't with me, and I just knew his village name, once I got to the village I just started asking everyone for "Shiva, tulo kapal (long hair), trekking guide" and eventually found his family's abode. His house and village sit atop a Himal with incredible views. The first day we just chilled, and day two involved gathering all their cut hay in their field, packing it up with rope made on the spot from the hay, and then carrying it down from their field to their house. I really enjoyed the work and helping out, and actually living the reality of their life if only for a couple of days. Here's the good/bad of the situation-
Recently I became a little disenchanted about living in the city of Pokhara. I mean, just for your personal perspective Kathmandu is Denver, and Pokhara is Boulder. Kat- Dallas, Pok- Austin. Comprende? So Pokhara being slower and more laid back is muy bueno for me, but after a conversation with a Polish and a German gal who work for the UN I started seeing a different shade of green in the grass. Their work consisted of living in a rural village and communicating what the UN wanted to communicate to the people of Nepal. Namely regarding the politics of Nepal, and to then encourage their action, that being voting. After this conversation and hearing about their daily life I was like, "I came to a third world country, but I still live where internet and taxis are still accessible. I wonder what it's like out there." Well I found it.
There's no cars, some people may not have even seen them before, although most have. Everything is transported by foot (ps- apparently 70% of goods are transported by foot in Nepal [porters]), and it's the life a farmer. Their house is one room essentially, with the loft used for storage. The father, mother, son, daughter, daughter's daughter, another son's daughter and son all sleep in the same room/ house. They cook food over a single wood fire. But, no Shiner, so it's not a proper barbeque. They grow their own rice, have their own buffaloes, chickens, etc. Everyone is nearly related. Almost no one has income. Where there is income, the average pay is probably $5 a day. It's all asset based. You feed yourself, maybe trade; there is some currency flowing through, but not much. The people are happy, everyone obviously knows everyone (since they're related), and you just do things as you can and as they come. There's no rush, but if you don't work it's very obvious you don't eat. Children are labor. Kancha II carried his first packaged bundle of hay on his head as all Nepalis do. He's probably 8. Everyone was helping with the harvest, young to old.
Here's the rub. I saw them getting along fine, I mean, poor, but fine. I enjoyed staying with them. People is people to me. We all smile and we all cry. But, like many Nepalis they see me as opportunity. The list of things requested from me in this 2 days is endless: money to paint their house, money to finish building their toilet (outhouse), to somehow get Shiva a visa and plane trip to America(!) (they're all convinced that life is a beach party there), to take the 8 year-old to America with me, or at least to Pokhara(!), new school bags, to teach in their local school, to stay longer to as an extra working hand, and I kid you not, there was even insinuation to take their 25-year-old widowed daughter's hand in marriage (with a 3-year-old daughter as part of the package deal). I don't know, she was beautiful... and I have contemplated living a simple farming life...
This is not a request, nor a statement towards my new found direction in life (for those that can't discern my sarcasm via written word). This is just information. All of these things were mentioned at least more than twice. Of course each time it made me feel a little awkward, and I have been in Nepal long enough to see it coming, but not this strong. The reason I tell you is just to tell you of the condition. I'm quite sure this is quite a typical Nepali family. It's funny how I wanted to see it, but part of the 2-day experience was frustration of being asked for so much. At the very end, when the proposals were strong, all I could say was "I really do have to go, I genuninely don't have the means to help you, I wish I did," and leave. Several times when I was staying with them I would hear them ask in Nepali to the guide, Shiva, "Is he going to give us money?" 'I'm a simple guy, and I want to hang out with you, but this really makes it hard for me-' is what I would have liked to say. Throw a huge language barrier into the picture (Shiva's English is far below par, and I've only been here like 6 weeks), and getting a whole idea across was quite difficult. That being- "I can't help you renovate your whole house and revolutionize your community and bring stability and additional workforce to your family by marrying your daughter, but if Shiva is able to scrape up about $3000US(!) to come to America I will make him feel as at home as you have made me feel." Somehow I wasn't able to say that in Nepali.
I'm going to be honest. I was a bit bemused walking away. I mean, the children were clinging to me. Not out of love, but out of opportunity. The more I walked away the stronger and smaller the requests became. Finally I gave in when the daughter I'm supposed to marry (dad- I think maybe we can get a couple buffalo and maybe a goat or two out of the deal) asked for 20 rupees (about 35cents) for biscuits for her child. Walking back down the mountain I had to stop several times just to be like, "is this selfish? should i go back and pour out my wallet to them?" And, just resorted to getting back to my room in Pokhara to try and sort out my heart and mind. If any of you ever figure this dilemma in life out, shoot me a text to tell me what's up.
More honesty- part of the dilemma is that I didn't see it as bad. It's life. They're not starving, and they're government's not perfect but it's not oppressive. It's just very much not able to help anyone. You sow your seeds, you reap them, you eat. Sure we've complicated things with our intricate social infrastructure in America, and I'm not growing my own corn, but is it really any different? I mean, we're all just trying to live, we're all struggling. We all spend money on frivolity (they had a tv and dvd player- 2 things I don't own). The first day I told Shiva that people where I come from would pay a lot of money to live where he lived and be that removed from distraction. I mean, there are some people that even have to live in Houston. About 3 million I think. These Nepalis are very in tune with the earth's cycles and respond accordingly, I think that's beautiful and that we've lost a lot of that in our concrete jungles. They are very well alive, and moreso, have all of their friends and family around them. But, my friends, I guess they're not content. And at the end of the day, I don't care who you are, or where you were born, or what you do, that's what you need.
There's always more that I will desire I'm sure. For now, if anyone's looking to get rid of a set of tele gear or a Jeep, I think I can help you out. But, that's not reality right now. Now, let's be more honest, tele gear isn't exactly indoor plumbing, but I guess my simple point is that there's always more, I don't care who you are. I'm not flashy with my money- I haven't even worn my steezy Nixon watch once in Nepal (partly because Tony Hawk's voice chiming for the hour drains the battery in about a one-week-flash), and I just about can't afford all the batteries required. My camera is the most valuable things I may be seen with, and that's rare that I'll bring it into the open. But I'm a tourist, and tourists mean money. Yes, my budget here is right around what the average person makes a day, but that's that. I still take the bus and not taxis, and drink tea and not fruity expensive drinks. One thing I tell so many Nepali people that actually lend an ear is that, "you think America perfect. America have many problems. Nepal have many problems. Same. Same. People struggle for food in America, I promise." While I know that life is seemingly easier in America, all I want people everywhere to see is that we're all people. We all struggle, we all claim victory, we all have the capacity to love or to hate, to help or to hurt, and one of the most beautiful gifts we have is the gift of choice based on those aforementioned. And it is our choices based on the cards we are dealt that makes life what it is. Yes, I may have access to health insurance, but does that really make the days I own more fulfilling?
I need to stop ranting. All this word vomit just means I haven't figured it out in case you didn't already realize that. All this from 2 days in one of the most beautiful places I have ever woken up to, confronted by one of the most difficult situations I have ever woken up to. But guess what? That's life.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
pokhara, nepal
hello friends.
i wish i could fully explain how happy the mountains make me. some of you are clued into this. let me try to offer you the highlight- i woke up at 5:00am (an hour later than hoped) to watch the remainder of the forecasted meteor shower. I walked outside my room of the teahouse I was staying at situated at the base camp of Mount Annapurna (South and I, there's actually 5 of them) at roughly 14,000 ft. altitude. After watching about one meteor a minute on a perfectly clear night, the sun started to rise. What this means in the Himalayas is that the tops of the mountains are seemingly lit on fire with what only the Germans have found an appropriate name for, "alpenglow." Maybe the Austrians said it first, that would make more sense.
I got my morning cup of coffee and had one of the most spectacular surveys of the world ever, in a valley surrounded by 20,000m+ peaks standing on fresh snow from the night before. I love snow.
Snow. Mountains. I was the last person to leave the base camp and head back down I'm pretty sure. All the other people I guess were in a rush to head back down to reality and pollution. Once the clouds rolled in, I decided it was a good time to jet and we made our way down mountains that US wise most closely resemble the Smoky Mountains. So, in one day you can walk from a height higher than any of the Rockies in Colorado, to an environment only found in southern mountains verging on tropical. Amazing.
When I say, "we" I mean I was joined by one of the little homies I'm taking care of, Soraj. He was the only of the 6 that did not want to visit his home for the holiday season we're in right now, so I took him trekking instead. Here's the problem with Nepalis and the mountains. They're really good at it, but they see no point. They think goras (white people) are stupid for trekking, and can't understand why we do it, because if they walk in the mountains it's because they have to (either work or transportation). But, Soraj did amazingly well and had a great attitude. And, I'm pretty sure that he's now the only Pokhara city kid that knows how to read a topographical map. Which I assure was a struggle each morning as he didn't even have a grasp on the concept of altitude or direction. But, now, he can manage a topo map. Hooray. Success.
Moreso, since I don't know when I'll get to write next I'll go ahead and indulge on this: I have discovered that looking after 6 teenage boys who are essentially orphaned (by their own choice, mainly avoiding not-good family situations) that have grown up on the street isn't exactly Candyland or Chutes and Ladders. If anything it's like playing Risk with the really crafty manipulative friend that we all have. I want to say "unfortunately," but really it's just the reality of the situation that the role I have to fill has been about 90% discipline. Maybe my standards are too high. My standards that I hold in their life in any encounter we have are as follows:
1.don't lie
2.don't steal
3.do your homework
This consumes over 90% of my time with them as I have already mentioned. Here's more of the issue. They have roughly 546 mothers around them. The women who pay their school, their teachers, their cook-lady. But not one dude. Except yours truly. They are fed, schooled, and taken care of, but apparently, not consistenly held accountable or challenged. Yikers. This is not what I had in mind, but kay gar ni (what do do)? The really frustrating part is that I'm attempting to fill a role in their life left not only void, but with negative impact, roughly 14 years too late. Add in the enjoyable surge of hormones of a teenager and it leads to a pretty interesting mezcla of issues.
I have hesitated to post this, since I didn't want to 1.sound like I'm complaining 2. make the kids look bad in any way, but I figure only the people who really care are looking at this anyway. It's tough, but good. Everyday is a new issue with a new kid. I suppose every given day some issue arises birthed of of simply those three standards above that I hold. Homework is the most annoying one I have to deal with, probably because I wasn't exactly the homework king in my day. But, I never scored 0 out of 20 on a math exam which is why I started holding that standard for them. But I digress.
Believe me. I am wide eyed looking for a person who can fill my role after I leave. Basically a loving, consistent, male who is smarter and stronger than them who can teach and encourage them. This is my dilemma. This is why I haven't decided when I'm coming home. Because all this work I am doing now will easily vanish without the void being replaced. I look at all the Nepali guys I see around, and zero feasible candidates have been presented. It's a bit frustrating. ps- I have barely even tapped into the issues I have hoped to tap into with young males, as I'm still trying to clear the basics that are wiped out at the age of 4.
So, there you have it. There's the reality of the situation. But the thing that keeps me going is realizing that the amount of energy and frustration and effort I am forced to put into these kids is simply the balance of the amount that they need it, and haven't received it. Believe me, somedays a quick flight home is really attractive, but in the long run, it just seems to keep getting delayed.
I'll keep you posted. but now you know.
i wish i could fully explain how happy the mountains make me. some of you are clued into this. let me try to offer you the highlight- i woke up at 5:00am (an hour later than hoped) to watch the remainder of the forecasted meteor shower. I walked outside my room of the teahouse I was staying at situated at the base camp of Mount Annapurna (South and I, there's actually 5 of them) at roughly 14,000 ft. altitude. After watching about one meteor a minute on a perfectly clear night, the sun started to rise. What this means in the Himalayas is that the tops of the mountains are seemingly lit on fire with what only the Germans have found an appropriate name for, "alpenglow." Maybe the Austrians said it first, that would make more sense.
I got my morning cup of coffee and had one of the most spectacular surveys of the world ever, in a valley surrounded by 20,000m+ peaks standing on fresh snow from the night before. I love snow.
Snow. Mountains. I was the last person to leave the base camp and head back down I'm pretty sure. All the other people I guess were in a rush to head back down to reality and pollution. Once the clouds rolled in, I decided it was a good time to jet and we made our way down mountains that US wise most closely resemble the Smoky Mountains. So, in one day you can walk from a height higher than any of the Rockies in Colorado, to an environment only found in southern mountains verging on tropical. Amazing.
When I say, "we" I mean I was joined by one of the little homies I'm taking care of, Soraj. He was the only of the 6 that did not want to visit his home for the holiday season we're in right now, so I took him trekking instead. Here's the problem with Nepalis and the mountains. They're really good at it, but they see no point. They think goras (white people) are stupid for trekking, and can't understand why we do it, because if they walk in the mountains it's because they have to (either work or transportation). But, Soraj did amazingly well and had a great attitude. And, I'm pretty sure that he's now the only Pokhara city kid that knows how to read a topographical map. Which I assure was a struggle each morning as he didn't even have a grasp on the concept of altitude or direction. But, now, he can manage a topo map. Hooray. Success.
Moreso, since I don't know when I'll get to write next I'll go ahead and indulge on this: I have discovered that looking after 6 teenage boys who are essentially orphaned (by their own choice, mainly avoiding not-good family situations) that have grown up on the street isn't exactly Candyland or Chutes and Ladders. If anything it's like playing Risk with the really crafty manipulative friend that we all have. I want to say "unfortunately," but really it's just the reality of the situation that the role I have to fill has been about 90% discipline. Maybe my standards are too high. My standards that I hold in their life in any encounter we have are as follows:
1.don't lie
2.don't steal
3.do your homework
This consumes over 90% of my time with them as I have already mentioned. Here's more of the issue. They have roughly 546 mothers around them. The women who pay their school, their teachers, their cook-lady. But not one dude. Except yours truly. They are fed, schooled, and taken care of, but apparently, not consistenly held accountable or challenged. Yikers. This is not what I had in mind, but kay gar ni (what do do)? The really frustrating part is that I'm attempting to fill a role in their life left not only void, but with negative impact, roughly 14 years too late. Add in the enjoyable surge of hormones of a teenager and it leads to a pretty interesting mezcla of issues.
I have hesitated to post this, since I didn't want to 1.sound like I'm complaining 2. make the kids look bad in any way, but I figure only the people who really care are looking at this anyway. It's tough, but good. Everyday is a new issue with a new kid. I suppose every given day some issue arises birthed of of simply those three standards above that I hold. Homework is the most annoying one I have to deal with, probably because I wasn't exactly the homework king in my day. But, I never scored 0 out of 20 on a math exam which is why I started holding that standard for them. But I digress.
Believe me. I am wide eyed looking for a person who can fill my role after I leave. Basically a loving, consistent, male who is smarter and stronger than them who can teach and encourage them. This is my dilemma. This is why I haven't decided when I'm coming home. Because all this work I am doing now will easily vanish without the void being replaced. I look at all the Nepali guys I see around, and zero feasible candidates have been presented. It's a bit frustrating. ps- I have barely even tapped into the issues I have hoped to tap into with young males, as I'm still trying to clear the basics that are wiped out at the age of 4.
So, there you have it. There's the reality of the situation. But the thing that keeps me going is realizing that the amount of energy and frustration and effort I am forced to put into these kids is simply the balance of the amount that they need it, and haven't received it. Believe me, somedays a quick flight home is really attractive, but in the long run, it just seems to keep getting delayed.
I'll keep you posted. but now you know.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Sunday, October 7, 2007
pokhara, nepal
hooray.
pictures.
Like I said, I'm not able to download pictures in internet cafes because the computers and connections are too slow. Which is where my new friend Kelly from Delaware comes into play. I needed a computer, and what do you know, she needed a usb cable- oh, the beauty of living in community and combining resources.
So, the pointy mountain is what I look at every day for my "morning survery of the world."
The nice sunset is at a restaurant on the lake (Fewa Tal) here in Pokhara.
The youngun with the guitar is the littlest homie, Bibek.
The kids that look like they just got out of school are some of my students. The boy student standing with his teacher is affectionately referred to as "Mr. Bean" by not just the students, but the teachers and principal as well. The girl is Pushpa.
The guy who looks like he's trying to play teacher by throwing on his nice white collared shirt and khaki pants is yours truly.
and he teaches at the school shown in the photo. Small school, but it does the trick. Except for misspelling "foundation" on the entrance gate.
Enjoy.
more to come.
*uhhh- kelly has to go now, so i'll post the rest of the pictures tomorrow. ps i'm doing this at the only cafe in lakeside with wireless. because emma and i convinced the owner to get wireless 2 weeks ago. actually it was mostly emma, but i want some credit too.
Friday, September 28, 2007
pokhara, nepal
dear friends.
i apologize.
it's been too long.
My typical daily schedule here in Nepal:
8:30 - wake up, go downstairs to where Kamala is preparing our morning daal bhat, and make myself my cup of coffee. I then head upstairs with my coffee to the roof terrace to have my morning "survey of the world" looking at the my mountains (Himal) for these few months (see pic above), if it is not raining. ps- I took the picture during a "monsoon season-is-over fake out." It's not over. Hopefully soon though. The pointy peak in the pic is Machupuchhre (aka Fishtail), and the other peaks are one of 1-5 Annapurnas.
9:15 - Eat daal bhat. This is what all Nepalis eat. Twice a day. Kamala, is a neighbor / cook for the family I am staying with. Don't worry, there's a driver too. Did I mention I'm staying with a high society family here in Pokhara? Life's rough. My room and bed are bigger and nicer than my place back in Boulder. So much for fully engaging with a country that 40% of the people live below the poverty line. That's not entirely true, though, more to follow. ps- I got this fierce infection from an ingrown fingernail in my thumb. Good thing the brother and father of the family I am staying with own a pharmacy. Good thing the surgeon is attached to their pharmacy. Why good thing? When I asked how much I owed the doctor for my minor surgery (locals / scalpel / all on some newspaper with a reading lamp on a table), he said, "You are a friend of theirs. No charge." Uhhhh. okay. And when I asked how much I owed for the antibiotics, a similar reply of, "You are our guest." No charge, fair enough. In the ski industry under such circumstances you hook your technician up with with a 6 pack of good local brew. I'm not quite sure that beer is the appropriate answer in this case, however.
10:00 - arrive at school (Gandaki WOCAS school) with the bhidyahtis (students) who take well to me, and the principal who is not quite sure. I can't tell if she likes me, simply because Nepalis are overly kind to guests, especially foreign guests. But I think she has a certain distaste. Good thing I'm getting paid. Oh wait---
I teach 2 English classes, and one science class. It's difficult, because it's an English medium school (they supposedly learn in English), but if they are still learning English, how are they to learn science in a language they do not know? Malai thaha china (I don't know). It's quite a challenge. But, I have learned that I really enjoy teaching. Good thing, because otherwise I would jump out of the window sometimes.
12:30 - leave school, change clothes and head either to Mahandrepul or Lakeside where I type at people (such as now), and / or read at my local cafes. But, apparently I have plenty of time to read while waiting for new pages to load on these jurassic computrons. I just finished The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky (highly recommended), and am now reading the autobiography or "The Story of My Experiments with Truth" written by Ghandi. Interesting. I still plan on eating meat despite his experiments in dietics. Sorry, I have Kansas farming blood in me.
5:00ish - Leave aforementioned places and head to the home of the six boys I'm trying to give some older male influence to for the first time in their lives. Usually I have a little bit of reprimanding (since I am also their teacher), and then some physical reprimanding via wrestling, or help (and much encouragement) with their homework. More on this to follow.
8:30 - Eat evening daal bhat with Kamala Bahini and Varsa Didi (Pamela's friend, my connection to my accomodations). Maybe even watch Prushant Tamang win freaking Indian Idol. ps - he's Nepali, so we were all quite stoked when he beat the Indian fellow.
10:00 go to bed. Not much else to do. Sometimes I have an evening survey of the world, with Santosh, Kamala's brother, who also lives next to us.
So, that's how it is right now. This schedule will apply for the next two weeks until the Nepali "Christmas" happens for a month. Maybe it's more like summer break, I can't figure it out. ps- the students, and teachers for that matter, have to go to school 6 days a week. I'm considering writing the UN about this violation of human rights. pps- I have never seen so many UN vehicles in my life, as there are around here.
And friends, enjoy the picture below. I did. I took it at a cafe on the water in Lakeside (the tourist area I go to at least once a week for my "white fix").
Peace.
sorry. apparently pictures can't load on these computers. "you mean the files are in there?" -Zoolander. hopefully soon I'll get them up.
i apologize.
it's been too long.
My typical daily schedule here in Nepal:
8:30 - wake up, go downstairs to where Kamala is preparing our morning daal bhat, and make myself my cup of coffee. I then head upstairs with my coffee to the roof terrace to have my morning "survey of the world" looking at the my mountains (Himal) for these few months (see pic above), if it is not raining. ps- I took the picture during a "monsoon season-is-over fake out." It's not over. Hopefully soon though. The pointy peak in the pic is Machupuchhre (aka Fishtail), and the other peaks are one of 1-5 Annapurnas.
9:15 - Eat daal bhat. This is what all Nepalis eat. Twice a day. Kamala, is a neighbor / cook for the family I am staying with. Don't worry, there's a driver too. Did I mention I'm staying with a high society family here in Pokhara? Life's rough. My room and bed are bigger and nicer than my place back in Boulder. So much for fully engaging with a country that 40% of the people live below the poverty line. That's not entirely true, though, more to follow. ps- I got this fierce infection from an ingrown fingernail in my thumb. Good thing the brother and father of the family I am staying with own a pharmacy. Good thing the surgeon is attached to their pharmacy. Why good thing? When I asked how much I owed the doctor for my minor surgery (locals / scalpel / all on some newspaper with a reading lamp on a table), he said, "You are a friend of theirs. No charge." Uhhhh. okay. And when I asked how much I owed for the antibiotics, a similar reply of, "You are our guest." No charge, fair enough. In the ski industry under such circumstances you hook your technician up with with a 6 pack of good local brew. I'm not quite sure that beer is the appropriate answer in this case, however.
10:00 - arrive at school (Gandaki WOCAS school) with the bhidyahtis (students) who take well to me, and the principal who is not quite sure. I can't tell if she likes me, simply because Nepalis are overly kind to guests, especially foreign guests. But I think she has a certain distaste. Good thing I'm getting paid. Oh wait---
I teach 2 English classes, and one science class. It's difficult, because it's an English medium school (they supposedly learn in English), but if they are still learning English, how are they to learn science in a language they do not know? Malai thaha china (I don't know). It's quite a challenge. But, I have learned that I really enjoy teaching. Good thing, because otherwise I would jump out of the window sometimes.
12:30 - leave school, change clothes and head either to Mahandrepul or Lakeside where I type at people (such as now), and / or read at my local cafes. But, apparently I have plenty of time to read while waiting for new pages to load on these jurassic computrons. I just finished The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky (highly recommended), and am now reading the autobiography or "The Story of My Experiments with Truth" written by Ghandi. Interesting. I still plan on eating meat despite his experiments in dietics. Sorry, I have Kansas farming blood in me.
5:00ish - Leave aforementioned places and head to the home of the six boys I'm trying to give some older male influence to for the first time in their lives. Usually I have a little bit of reprimanding (since I am also their teacher), and then some physical reprimanding via wrestling, or help (and much encouragement) with their homework. More on this to follow.
8:30 - Eat evening daal bhat with Kamala Bahini and Varsa Didi (Pamela's friend, my connection to my accomodations). Maybe even watch Prushant Tamang win freaking Indian Idol. ps - he's Nepali, so we were all quite stoked when he beat the Indian fellow.
10:00 go to bed. Not much else to do. Sometimes I have an evening survey of the world, with Santosh, Kamala's brother, who also lives next to us.
So, that's how it is right now. This schedule will apply for the next two weeks until the Nepali "Christmas" happens for a month. Maybe it's more like summer break, I can't figure it out. ps- the students, and teachers for that matter, have to go to school 6 days a week. I'm considering writing the UN about this violation of human rights. pps- I have never seen so many UN vehicles in my life, as there are around here.
And friends, enjoy the picture below. I did. I took it at a cafe on the water in Lakeside (the tourist area I go to at least once a week for my "white fix").
Peace.
sorry. apparently pictures can't load on these computers. "you mean the files are in there?" -Zoolander. hopefully soon I'll get them up.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
pokhara, nepal
true. i have indeed made it to my destination. i will write about it soon. but first, this should actually be titled, "everything i've wanted to say for one month, but haven't been able to."
ps- if you're chinese, or have chinese friends, which you probably do, understand this has not to do with the specific people (for I did find some very helpful chinese people) but moreso the government etc.
okay. where to start.
i realized once that the chinese government is like a very bad father. he has too many kids to be able to take care of them properly, but insists on having more due to its drunken lust for power. because of this drive for power, it is afraid to afford any of its kids their own individuality. so, it forms a grid that everyone must exist in. what houses they can live in, what jobs they can have, etc. by the way, this is called communism (which it denies that it is). this father attempts 'freedom' by starting a voting election. it only goes so far, however, when there's only one political party. it's like when henry ford back in the day said, "people can pick any color for their new automobile. As long as its black." well, what you drive and who runs your country are on two slightly different levels. Because China has more people than it knows what to do with, and because they don't allow freedom in the market, they have to create jobs. These created jobs mean to do one thing, 5 people are necessary making any government practice (i.e. getting a visa), completely inefficient and last about 10 times longer than is necessary. Thanks China.
i was unable to see my blog for a whole month. china is very particular with what internet sites it lets its people see. china has shaky relations with "google," it doesn't want google, but realizes that it can't really do anything without them. this angers the bad father. but, even though my blogger is through google, china bans that. Sometimes when you're surfing the internet, a little pop-up window appears, and that means that the Chinese government is watching you at the very moment. If you're wondering more about this structure of government, try reading a novel titled 1984 by George Orwell. many times you cannot get onto the website that you want, because china is very afraid. You can't get a Lonely Planet (the most popular tourist guide in the world) of China or Tibet, because they say things that are true that China doesn't want people to know. Thanks China.
North Korea. Ooh. China really hates this one. The school I stayed at in China is a front for projects that run in North Korea. In the school we couldn't talk out loud about North Korea, because people, Chinese government people, are listening. background: North Korea is probably the most oppressive situation in the world right now complete with concentration camps and actual brainwashing. i.e. If you have a house in North Korea, you must have a picture of the present leader, and his father, and if they are dirty or broken, you can be sent to one of these camps. So, people try to flee NK because it is bad. These are called refugees. If China catches a refugee, they will send them back to NK, where they and their family for 3 generations spread, will be sent to a camp. They do this because it is illegal for a NK citizen to be in China. (uhhh, that's why the UN acknowledges 'refugee' situations. China does not comply with this however, they are angry that these foreign people are in their country. China knows that if these NK refugees make it into a South Korea embassy in China, they will be freed from the tyranny by being given South Korea citizenship (South Korea is semi-reluctantly empathetic to the NK situation), but the Chinese prefer to catch them and send them back to NK. There is video of people running past guards (similar to capture the flag) at the South Korea embassy so that they can be freed, and the guards tackling them to arrest them. ps, the guards have no pre-knowledge they are NK refugees until they see them desparately trying to walk into the embassy. Why? Because China would rather establish their own national justice than allow people to experience freedom in a life or death situation. Power. Thanks China.
Tibet. Tibet used to be its own country. Until China decided that it would rather have it around 50 years ago. So, they went in with military force (which the Tibetans have little concept of modern military force since they are essentially a nearly indigenous people), so were easily taken over. Congratulations China, you're bigger, and have more people to 'take care of.' Good luck with that. Oh wait, you just make people's lives worse. For instance: China in vast majority has no concept of religion. But, they know they don't want Buddhism, so despite the fact that this religion has been deeply ingrained in the culture for centuries, China declares it illegal (not even with anything to replace it), and runs the Dalai Lama out of his home in Lhasa. Thanks China. Instead of preserving the beautiful land, China says, 'let's mine it, and trash it out.' Moreso, while all of Chinese culture was forced on the Tibetans, while they were stripped of theirs, Tibetans do not share the same privileges of the typical Chinese citizen. I met a Tibetan that had to sneak out of Tibet, spent time in Nepal and India, and when he tried to sneak back, he was thrown in prison for 2 years. Why? Because China does not allow Tibetans to enjoy the same priviledges as their 'other citizens.' So, my question is, 'Tibetans are forced into Chinese government, but aren't allowed any of the priviledges of Chinese government?" Interesting. Thanks China.
Then, the Chinese are on an fearful insecurity kick of tourists right now, because some people from our country (our bad) burned a Chinese flag and raised a 'Free Tibet' banner / flag at the Mount Everst base camp and streamed video of it before the Chinese could censor it. All to say, now you can't do anything as a tourist in Tibet outside of having a guide. This means that you can't travel with freedom as a tourist (which I suppose is a priviledge and not a right, fair enough), and has caused a monopoly in the guide industry which has skyrocketed prices. Further more, this enables China to establish what I call 'white tax.' This is the extra amount I have to pay for a normal service because I am foreign. For example, a jeep to the border of Nepal direct from Lhasa, which is the cheapest, legal way to do it, costs me 600 yuan, and my Chinese friends 500 yuan. Why? Because I am foreign. I suppose in my next job I should charge extra for any Chinese citizen for a typical service. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to travel all around Tibet in a jeep with some nice Chinese people I met. After investigation we found that there was no way I was allowed to legally travel Tibet with these people even though we told them we were friends. I could have seen all of Tibet for so cheap, but no dice. Thanks China. Hope all that power works out well for you.
When I needed a service from a Chinese service agent, as soon as they realized I could not speak much Chinese they would wave at me to go away. Thanks China. Sometimes there was someone nice enough around who spoken enough English to help me out which was amazing. So frustrating. Some people I talked with didn't have this problem. But, they were people who stayed in nice hotels, ate in nice restaurants, etc. I can't afford this luxury. Apparently courtesy can be bought at a price. Thanks China.
The Chinese constantly litter. In China it's perfectly normal to throw your bag or bottle out the bus or train window. And the benefits of this are clear. The benefits line the roadways and trainways, and heap up in the street. They constantly smoke, even indoors, even in cramped jeeps without bothering to roll down the window. Thanks China.
After being their just one month I was so ready to get out. To leave the constant oppression of the government at every corner, the tyranny, the inefficiency, etc. And I was there only one month. Imagine spending your whole life there. To those who constantly complain about America and all the injustice and bad things about America, please, relieve your misery and go spend a year in China.
I'm so glad to be out.
Namaste Nepal.
Farewell Big Red.
ps- if you're chinese, or have chinese friends, which you probably do, understand this has not to do with the specific people (for I did find some very helpful chinese people) but moreso the government etc.
okay. where to start.
i realized once that the chinese government is like a very bad father. he has too many kids to be able to take care of them properly, but insists on having more due to its drunken lust for power. because of this drive for power, it is afraid to afford any of its kids their own individuality. so, it forms a grid that everyone must exist in. what houses they can live in, what jobs they can have, etc. by the way, this is called communism (which it denies that it is). this father attempts 'freedom' by starting a voting election. it only goes so far, however, when there's only one political party. it's like when henry ford back in the day said, "people can pick any color for their new automobile. As long as its black." well, what you drive and who runs your country are on two slightly different levels. Because China has more people than it knows what to do with, and because they don't allow freedom in the market, they have to create jobs. These created jobs mean to do one thing, 5 people are necessary making any government practice (i.e. getting a visa), completely inefficient and last about 10 times longer than is necessary. Thanks China.
i was unable to see my blog for a whole month. china is very particular with what internet sites it lets its people see. china has shaky relations with "google," it doesn't want google, but realizes that it can't really do anything without them. this angers the bad father. but, even though my blogger is through google, china bans that. Sometimes when you're surfing the internet, a little pop-up window appears, and that means that the Chinese government is watching you at the very moment. If you're wondering more about this structure of government, try reading a novel titled 1984 by George Orwell. many times you cannot get onto the website that you want, because china is very afraid. You can't get a Lonely Planet (the most popular tourist guide in the world) of China or Tibet, because they say things that are true that China doesn't want people to know. Thanks China.
North Korea. Ooh. China really hates this one. The school I stayed at in China is a front for projects that run in North Korea. In the school we couldn't talk out loud about North Korea, because people, Chinese government people, are listening. background: North Korea is probably the most oppressive situation in the world right now complete with concentration camps and actual brainwashing. i.e. If you have a house in North Korea, you must have a picture of the present leader, and his father, and if they are dirty or broken, you can be sent to one of these camps. So, people try to flee NK because it is bad. These are called refugees. If China catches a refugee, they will send them back to NK, where they and their family for 3 generations spread, will be sent to a camp. They do this because it is illegal for a NK citizen to be in China. (uhhh, that's why the UN acknowledges 'refugee' situations. China does not comply with this however, they are angry that these foreign people are in their country. China knows that if these NK refugees make it into a South Korea embassy in China, they will be freed from the tyranny by being given South Korea citizenship (South Korea is semi-reluctantly empathetic to the NK situation), but the Chinese prefer to catch them and send them back to NK. There is video of people running past guards (similar to capture the flag) at the South Korea embassy so that they can be freed, and the guards tackling them to arrest them. ps, the guards have no pre-knowledge they are NK refugees until they see them desparately trying to walk into the embassy. Why? Because China would rather establish their own national justice than allow people to experience freedom in a life or death situation. Power. Thanks China.
Tibet. Tibet used to be its own country. Until China decided that it would rather have it around 50 years ago. So, they went in with military force (which the Tibetans have little concept of modern military force since they are essentially a nearly indigenous people), so were easily taken over. Congratulations China, you're bigger, and have more people to 'take care of.' Good luck with that. Oh wait, you just make people's lives worse. For instance: China in vast majority has no concept of religion. But, they know they don't want Buddhism, so despite the fact that this religion has been deeply ingrained in the culture for centuries, China declares it illegal (not even with anything to replace it), and runs the Dalai Lama out of his home in Lhasa. Thanks China. Instead of preserving the beautiful land, China says, 'let's mine it, and trash it out.' Moreso, while all of Chinese culture was forced on the Tibetans, while they were stripped of theirs, Tibetans do not share the same privileges of the typical Chinese citizen. I met a Tibetan that had to sneak out of Tibet, spent time in Nepal and India, and when he tried to sneak back, he was thrown in prison for 2 years. Why? Because China does not allow Tibetans to enjoy the same priviledges as their 'other citizens.' So, my question is, 'Tibetans are forced into Chinese government, but aren't allowed any of the priviledges of Chinese government?" Interesting. Thanks China.
Then, the Chinese are on an fearful insecurity kick of tourists right now, because some people from our country (our bad) burned a Chinese flag and raised a 'Free Tibet' banner / flag at the Mount Everst base camp and streamed video of it before the Chinese could censor it. All to say, now you can't do anything as a tourist in Tibet outside of having a guide. This means that you can't travel with freedom as a tourist (which I suppose is a priviledge and not a right, fair enough), and has caused a monopoly in the guide industry which has skyrocketed prices. Further more, this enables China to establish what I call 'white tax.' This is the extra amount I have to pay for a normal service because I am foreign. For example, a jeep to the border of Nepal direct from Lhasa, which is the cheapest, legal way to do it, costs me 600 yuan, and my Chinese friends 500 yuan. Why? Because I am foreign. I suppose in my next job I should charge extra for any Chinese citizen for a typical service. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to travel all around Tibet in a jeep with some nice Chinese people I met. After investigation we found that there was no way I was allowed to legally travel Tibet with these people even though we told them we were friends. I could have seen all of Tibet for so cheap, but no dice. Thanks China. Hope all that power works out well for you.
When I needed a service from a Chinese service agent, as soon as they realized I could not speak much Chinese they would wave at me to go away. Thanks China. Sometimes there was someone nice enough around who spoken enough English to help me out which was amazing. So frustrating. Some people I talked with didn't have this problem. But, they were people who stayed in nice hotels, ate in nice restaurants, etc. I can't afford this luxury. Apparently courtesy can be bought at a price. Thanks China.
The Chinese constantly litter. In China it's perfectly normal to throw your bag or bottle out the bus or train window. And the benefits of this are clear. The benefits line the roadways and trainways, and heap up in the street. They constantly smoke, even indoors, even in cramped jeeps without bothering to roll down the window. Thanks China.
After being their just one month I was so ready to get out. To leave the constant oppression of the government at every corner, the tyranny, the inefficiency, etc. And I was there only one month. Imagine spending your whole life there. To those who constantly complain about America and all the injustice and bad things about America, please, relieve your misery and go spend a year in China.
I'm so glad to be out.
Namaste Nepal.
Farewell Big Red.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
lhasa, tibet, china
different from beijing, being stuck in lhasa is a good thing.
I need to upload photos, but for the time being I just can't be bothered.
to fill you in, lhasa is at just under 12,000 ft. of altitude. it's in a valley in between two small ranges that are part of the himalayas. the valley has the lhasa river that rolls through it. unfortunately, there's a lot of chinese influence in lhasa, since they took over 50 years ago. The irony is that had china not taken over i wouldn't be here, along with all of my fellow travellers in this great city. i think the trick is to get out of lhasa and see the real tibetan countryside. unfortunately, about 5 months ago, some passionate Western protestors (probably similar to that of a typical Boulderite) decided it would be a good idea to set fire to chinese flags for their own personal 'free tibet' campaign. Not only did they fail to 'free tibet' from chinese rule (surprisingly china didn't have compassion for their cause), but they imprisoned foreigners from being able to travel tibet freely. I met some rad chinese people who wanted me to accompany them all the way around tibet in their jeep, seeing everything tibet has to offer, for dirt cheap (splitting gas and accomodation), but we discovered that it is 100% impossible for a foreigner to travel outside of lhasa without a certified guide. certified guide = mucho denero, which of course the prices sky-rocketed ever since the protestors caused a monopoly in the market for tibetan guides. i mean, perhaps they carried a good message, but a poor method. maybe they should get a degree in communications from an accredited texan university. but i digress.
yesterday i did a hike of one of the local mountains. I have never had so much trouble and exhaustion form a mountain. I was actually unable to peak the summit I was attempting, because of altitude and how much effort it took me to get to it (there are no trails, just some random cow trails). In the distance I saw some Tibetan 'cattle ranchers' gathering their cattle and driving them down into town. Walking around the Himalayas directing their cattle at 17,000 ft. with long sticks apparently is just another day at the office. Needless to say, I established my gaper status in the Himalayas, and am mentally and emotionally recovering from my first failed summit ever. The conditions were perfect, I just couldn't hang with going probably 3 or 4,000 feet than I have ever gone before. Fair enough.
I will leave for Kathmandu, Nepal soon. I cannot wait. Wu ai lhasa, and I hope to return someday- maybe when i have more money to pay someone who will drive me all around tibet.
peace friends.
I need to upload photos, but for the time being I just can't be bothered.
to fill you in, lhasa is at just under 12,000 ft. of altitude. it's in a valley in between two small ranges that are part of the himalayas. the valley has the lhasa river that rolls through it. unfortunately, there's a lot of chinese influence in lhasa, since they took over 50 years ago. The irony is that had china not taken over i wouldn't be here, along with all of my fellow travellers in this great city. i think the trick is to get out of lhasa and see the real tibetan countryside. unfortunately, about 5 months ago, some passionate Western protestors (probably similar to that of a typical Boulderite) decided it would be a good idea to set fire to chinese flags for their own personal 'free tibet' campaign. Not only did they fail to 'free tibet' from chinese rule (surprisingly china didn't have compassion for their cause), but they imprisoned foreigners from being able to travel tibet freely. I met some rad chinese people who wanted me to accompany them all the way around tibet in their jeep, seeing everything tibet has to offer, for dirt cheap (splitting gas and accomodation), but we discovered that it is 100% impossible for a foreigner to travel outside of lhasa without a certified guide. certified guide = mucho denero, which of course the prices sky-rocketed ever since the protestors caused a monopoly in the market for tibetan guides. i mean, perhaps they carried a good message, but a poor method. maybe they should get a degree in communications from an accredited texan university. but i digress.
yesterday i did a hike of one of the local mountains. I have never had so much trouble and exhaustion form a mountain. I was actually unable to peak the summit I was attempting, because of altitude and how much effort it took me to get to it (there are no trails, just some random cow trails). In the distance I saw some Tibetan 'cattle ranchers' gathering their cattle and driving them down into town. Walking around the Himalayas directing their cattle at 17,000 ft. with long sticks apparently is just another day at the office. Needless to say, I established my gaper status in the Himalayas, and am mentally and emotionally recovering from my first failed summit ever. The conditions were perfect, I just couldn't hang with going probably 3 or 4,000 feet than I have ever gone before. Fair enough.
I will leave for Kathmandu, Nepal soon. I cannot wait. Wu ai lhasa, and I hope to return someday- maybe when i have more money to pay someone who will drive me all around tibet.
peace friends.
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