a dinner invitation

so, i've been student teaching at bandana english medium school for a few days now with 2 other women from my tefl class. our mentor teacher, basant, invited us over for dal bhaat (local cuisine). such a sweet offer, so, of course we took her up on it! after school ended at 4, she led us on a 20 minute walk from the grounds through local streets. we collected stares the whole way...and lots of children squealing "helloooo" as we passed.  : )  we finally made it through a maze of apartment building alleyways and stairs to her flat. she welcomed us right in and gave us each a plate of green grapes and orange sections filleted so there were no seeds...brilliant! next, she made us some nepali tea, which tastes similar to a slightly bitter chai. she brought out about a dozen or so small packets of photos for us to peruse as she was in the kitchen. it was so interesting and personal to see her life through a lense...what an honor! she is a beautiful woman probably in her later 40s whose enlgish isn't very good, but good enough to land her the english teaching position  at this school for the past 5 years...and 3 foreign student teachers! she has been gracious since moment one exhibiting a very sweet and gentle disposition. after tea, she asked if we would like some dal bhaat...as if we had a choice here!  they won't take no for an answer... so, we sat down while she served us a wonderfully prepared, home cooked meal of fresh, mixed vegetables gently  sauteed with indian spices, cauliflower with some other yummy spices, dal bhaat (a lentil soupy mixture served over rice), fried egg, cooked spinach with chilis and raw, circular sliced carrots and radishes. wow! the food here is so tasty and all the ingredients are so fresh...really...and if you finished one portion of something, she would come back over with a heaping spoonful and try to load up your plate with another mound. i gave in to guilt a couple times when she would ask "you don't like it?" and got my dwindling portions replenished. but finally, stuffed to the gills, my only resource was to huddle over my plate, blocking her ladle with my arms, saying "nooooooo," while smiling, so she got the idea...i can't eat annnny mooooore!  she laughed and said "ok." then she cleaned up all the dishes and wouldn't let us lift a finger. so generous and hospitable. her sister-in-law came over and was doing her best to speak english with us. we made out some of what she said, but she, also, was very kind and she was laughing at my 'plate defense.' her mother came over, as well, (they all live in the same compound) to see us, but we couldn't communicate other than to smile and say "namaste." beautiful, warm, friendly, kind people. our host showed us her humble abode and then we took some photos before leaving for the evening. we will see basant tomorrow, but as we left, she kept saying "i'm so happy...thank you...i'm so very happy." if she only knew how happy i am for the experience; there is nothing more generous and beautiful than being invited into someone's home.  here are a few photos from the evening:

on the left, zubra (my classmate from slovenia); in the middle, basant (our coordinating teacher); and on the right, anjii (my classmate from nyc)

gargantuan, tan-hand woman, janice and lovely, teenie-tiny basant!

me again and basant's sister-in-law (don't know name) who, not only insisted on a picture with me, but grabbed me around the waist and pulled me close first...didn't want to impose my american photo ways...  

: )  have a great week!!  love, j

nepali textures and patterns...

here are some more photos...it's fun sharing some images i've taken over the last few weeks. anybody know how to use photobucket.com? i'm having a heck of a time creating separate albums and a slideshow.  anyone?!  i'm student teaching now and will have some more to say about that in the next day or two. i finish school on thursday!  love, j

pashupati temple--a hindu cremation site

monkeys are sacred and have the run of most temples here.  rice and marigolds are put down on different places as puja (offerings) and then the monkeys come and eat it all. this stone structure is called a shiva linga, which is a representation of the supreme being and how it has both masculine and feminine aspects.
here, along the bagmati river, people are cremated according to their castes. the families sit behind and watch as the body is prepared and then burned. ghee (clarified butter) is used to get the fire really hot. coins are placed in the deceased person's mouth as an offering.  across the river there are cement stadium like steps where audiences sit and watch, as well.
this bridge also acts as a viewing point.  the people on the bridge are looking at a pyre being built; i am taking the photo from the side where the fires are burning. notice how disgustingly dirty the river is.
after the bodies have burned down to ashes, they are swept into the holy river.  people come from all around to die in pashupati because it's considered such a holy site that you get extra blessings if you pass away there.  notice the people dredging the water to collect the coins that were placed in the mouths before burning.  after your remains go in the water, everything is fair game and you have received all of your blessings.  it was such a surreal place, to be honest. i couldn't quite get my head around what i was seeing.  the smoke was quite intense and you left with the fumes still on your clothes and in your hair for the rest of the day.  i was really moved by the experience of the entire grounds, not just these funeral pyres.  it's hard to do it justice with only a few pictures, but it was one of the most interesting places i've ever been. it has made me think a little more about how i'd like my remains to be handled...  lots of love, j

a few more children's faces...

the first is of a boy spinning a prayer wheel on losar, which is the tibetan new year.  i didn't mean to catch him in the viewfinder, truth be told, but i like the image!  good mistake!  next is of  a boy who was playing with a couple others.  they were sliding down a cement ramp at a temple using cardboard as sleds.  the third one is of a girl who caught my eye at another temple.  she followed me around the whole afternoon, never once asking for money or anything...just watching.  when i'd meet her eyes and smile, catching her observing, she'd smile and bashfully look away.  i love the light she's emitting...beautiful little girl.  lastly is a girl i saw up on a balcony.  i asked her if i could take her photo and she smiled and nodded.  i love how soft she is.  enjoy...let me hear from you!!  i don't even know who all's checkin out my blog... love, j

a few nepali faces...

a boy playing with a yo-yo; a dog...and there are lots around; a buddhist monk admiring balloons at a festival; a group of kids who gathered for a photo and then huddled around me to see their image on the small display. i took a series of shots with them as subject matter and the boy on the far right kept his eyes closed the entire time! the next photo is of an older woman on a rooftop watching what's happening below.  and finally, a man who asked to have his photo taken and only wanted, in return, to see it on the display.  i think i got the better end of the deal...he was lovely and his face shows it.  i love these images and hope you enjoy them.  i have more to post in the future!  love, j

petrol shortage

well, since i've been here, there's been a shortage.  there are always long cues at the petrol stations and the cabbies have no problem explaining that's why they want to charge you higher prices.  now, however, the problem seems to be exacerbated.  the lines are hundreds long and there just is no petrol to be had.  apparently india gives us their leftovers and lately they've not had any.  that and other political reasons, i'm sure, but still, there are literally cars lined up all over the city.  parked.  the entire outside lane of traffic is just parked cars.  cabs that somehow still have petrol in their tanks are charging triple their price (which still isn't u.s. prices) and the roads are virtually empty.  christy's work is out of filtered water because the delivery trucks are out of gas. in the south, near the border of india, there are riots going on and there have been some fatalities.  not good.  word is, however, that india is going to bring some fuel through tomorrow and allow supplies to be replenished.  even our apartment building, which has partial power during the load shedding, has said they are going to cut the generators part of the time.  i can totally deal with that, but it's an indication of how dire the situation is.  the military has not been called in or anything, but if there's no fuel tomorrow, i can't imagine that won't happen soon.  imagine if the states didn't have fuel? the closest thing i can think of is when we had the black out a few years ago and there were fuel shortages for a couple of days. here, everything shuts down...the only good news is that the air pollution is temporarily better! i'll keep you posted!  

taxi ride 'du style

tefl class

"teaching english as a foreign language" is an international certificate i would like to attain as a feather in my cap.  i'm hoping it's like a huge, massive, gold plated peacock feather cause it's a little painful.  i mean, the content is review from my grad classes, which is good, but the instructor was hired 5 days before and ... well, ...teaches like it. : /  she's british and has only worked with adults.  the british part isn't bad, it's just that she has no experience with children and SHE CAN TALK THE EAR OFF AN ELEPHANT... i mean, shheeeeez.  oh well, i just have to get through 2 more weeks.  one of which, will include some observing in a nepali classroom and then, my final week will be student teaching.  apparently.  it's still being set up.  i've heard we could have up to 60 kids in a class.  uh-huh...60.  with minimal english skills.  blink blink. alright, i'll have some fun with it.  my approach is that they're like grandchildren...i can give'em back after the week!  so, more on my observations and student teaching later.  the tefl class isn't all bad however, as the pictures show.  we hang out on the 2nd uppermost balcony of the building and have class overlooking some suburbs.  one funny thing is that i have a weird sort of farmer's tan.  my hands are always out and are quite brown, but not so from the wrist up!  it looks like i have dirty hands...  sometimes during class we'll hear brass and drum bands for weddings playing, or cows mooing, or even maoist propaganda cars driving around through the neighborhood with their messages blaring from their amplified speakers mounted to the roof of their cars.   always, however, do we hear lots of car horns of different tunes and decibel levels off in the distance...that is a constant!  their are 6 people taking the class.  5 are american and 1 is slovenian; they're all very nice and live at the school.  i'm the only commuter. next week, christy and i are going to have them over for dinner...get'em out a bit. i remember in peace corps when the older couples would have us over, out of training,  for a home cooked meal...ahh, how times change.  it's nice to be able to turn a favor around like that!  hope you're having a great weekend; tell me what's going on in your world.  love, janice

oh yeeeah, she's a cutie!

the air quality here is far less than desirable and i gave in to vanity and chose the face mask approach vs the toxin/carcinogen/heavy fumes way of life.  i've been told that people develop a little cough after a while living here and my lungs are already compromised.  ...just not something i want, so if i'm out for any length of time, i strap it on...the mask, that is...or hold it to my face when i'm walking.  otherwise, you feel like you've been sitting too close to a bonfire where they've been burning plastic and styrofoam all night.  it's not so bad, really, especially sitting in the back of a taxi.  who cares?!  my only complaint with the face mask is that i can't wear my stylish sunglasses to counteract some of the un-coolness of the blue beast...it fogs up my glasses!!  : ) oh well, a little bit of suffering never hurt anyone...it makes me feel more buddhist...  as for the taxi rides themselves, i tried to download a video, but don't know how so the pic will have to suffice for now (help annie!).  but, just imagine 5 times as many trucks, cars, motorcycles, bikes, rikshaws, tuk-tuks (3-wheeled buses), buses, mini vans, pedestrians, cows, dogs and even the occasional chicken on the road, all vying for the same small piece of a lane.  there are very few lane markers here and if there are, no one pays attention to them anyways.  on a couple roads that i've seen, which would be comparable to a 6 lane road in the states, the government put up some sort of a median.  i've seen flower pots on iron posts and cement blocks to name a few and the reason is because people would literally drive all over the road.  they're supposed to stay on the left side, but where there are no medians in place, i've found myself all the way over on the right outside lane passing people.  crazy!!!! supposedly, after these were installed, there were many fatalities and where there are no medians?  ...anything goes.  all i can say is that i'm glad i'm not driving cause i don't think i could handle it!  the other day i was in a taxi coming back from school in rush hour.  all of a sudden my driver leaned over the passenger seat and started yelling out the window at a motorcyclist who yelled back.  i didn't see or hear anything that precipitated this occurrence, but they clearly were not happy with each other.  we pulled over, a cop got involved and there i sat for, oh, maybe 15 minutes while crowds of people gathered around the taxi and were all giving what sounded like their 2 rupees worth of opinion/advice. it was a little surreal...what in the world am i doooing here?!  but, once the incident was resolved, the cabbie got back in and finished his route with me as pleasantly as he had begun.  apparently they don't hold grudges here...  : )  let me hear from you!  xo, j 

wednesday evening tv

just so you don't feel too sorry for me, i'm sitting here watching american idol. yeah, it may be a day or two after you in america see it, but still.  not what i thought i'd be doing on a wednesday evening in nepal...to tell you the truth!  but then again, the other night, i was flipping through the channels and saw fred savage and the wonder years!  we have about 30 channels of which 1 is nepali. maybe 15 are indian soap opera based...and music videos.  if you didn't like bollywood and indian music before, it certainly grows on you!  otherwise, we get a few all english stations like bbc, cnn, aljazeera english, national geographic, an old (90s) hbo station, an indian version of vh1 and then a channel that shows some reruns of friends and seinfeld...and the wonder years!  not too bad, actually...cause we also have a dvd player and bootleg dvds are super cheap and current.  this is the first time i've ever lived overseas and been able to stay somewhat current with what's happening back home.  tv mostly aside, i can get movies and the news coverage is fantastic...international news rocks.  and the internet...well, what more is there to say about that?  i feel really fortunate!  i'm very happy with and thankful for all i have. what's up with all of you?!  love, j

my first trek!

i was up and out of the apartment by 5:30 to head over to school for 6:00.  it was dark and there were no taxis, but a nice mini van driver who works for a travel agent was waiting for petrol...actually, waiting for the petrol station to open...at 8 (there's also a shortage of this...huge problem). so i asked a group in which this man was standing about taxis and he said wait 5 minutes.  5 seconds later he said ah, i take you...300 rupees.  what a steal considering the time of day and that i got to sit in the front of a nice mini van!  i got to the school and the gate was locked and since they were having their load shed time, there were no lights on at all. i couldn't even tell if anyone was up, to be honest.  i stood out in the cold until a kid from a neighboring home came out to practice his english with me.  finally, 20 minutes later, someone came out and let me into the grounds.  nepali time is similar to african time, by the way.  we jammed 7 good sized westerners into the small-in-stature, nepali 6 seater and were off to the mountains.  well, the foothills which are still mountains considering kathmandu is a mile high. we started our trek at 1800 meters and ended at 2500 with me suckin wind most of the way.  i can't blame it all on the altitude, either...i've only recently begun my 'get back in shape' campaign with the lure of spa services. the scenery was beautiful and the climb fairly intense single track shoots, although the descent was a wide switchback road?? heeeyyy...  we had tea and biscuits up at a nice campground, country restaurant place that was expecting us...but still had their gate locked... : ) our guide pointed out annapurna, pokhara and a haze covered everest, so i can't really say i've seen it. we came back to our starting point and were served daal bhaat (nepali staple of a heavy vegetable sauce with bhaat/rice). when we arrived back at school around 3, i caught another taxi home. we were a group of about 15 people and it was a beautiful day, yet chilly when in the shade.  i loved every second of it and can't wait to go on more treks!  ...even christy hasn't been on a trek yet here in nepal, so i think she was envious; but we're already planning out our travel time...it's coming!  i'm wiped out but very grateful for the chance to get out of the city.  hope your day's going well!  love, j

a typical day in the 'du

as i'm sure all of you do, i wake up at 6:30 to the sound of hindu holyman swababab chanting next door at the children's temple school.  he chants and the children respond and then there's a drummy/cymbally sounding instrument as accompaniment.  our apartment is on the quieter side of the building...a couple friends in this complex have front row seats...  i like it as long as he doesn't use the megaphone.  it's a gentle way to wake up to a brand new day!  next in order to fulfill a bet christy and i have, we work out at least 5 days a week so at the end of a consistent month, we can go to the sweet hyatt and get all day spa services as a reward.  i'm stickin to this one!!  we have breakfast and get ready before heading out into the madness.  i hail a cab and haggle my price to 'kalanki mandir' where my school is.  250 rupees ($4) is my maximum...they'll always try to get more from blondie for the half hour commute... : )  i do the class thing for around 5 hours (lunch prepared for us) and then fight the rush hour traffic home.  i intend to take video of the taxi ride...unbelievable.   i usually study or listen to the bbc while riding...all with my very stylish face mask strapped to my head cause of the air pollution.  people already stare, what's a little more reason gonna hurt?!!  i get home, eat dinner and then fill my evening with a variety of things: homework, indian tv, meeting up with people, shopping, internet and reading.  most of this depends on the revolving power shed schedule...there's a power shortage and every area of kathmandu goes without power for 2, 4 hour blocks a day with one day a week where you have full power all day.  it completely reminds me of namibia, except that was out even more.  i don't mind it as long as i'm prepared!  

even the valley is rolling and hilly-

here's a view of the city complete with 

prayer flags and a monkey!

I'm livin in Kathmandu!!!

...can't believe it's been over a week!  the internet's been a challenge and we finally just got wi-fi so hopefully i'll have more time online.  things are great!  i'm learning my way around and figuring out the system.  this is my first time in asia, so lots is really new, but so far i love it and am very happy!  getting here was utterly exhausting...26 hours en route.  detroit to new york, new york to abu dhabi-uae (12 hours), a 6 hour painful layover with no where to stow my electronically laden, heavy back pack and then finally a 4 hour flight to kathmandu.  as in most international flights, i had eaten enough for 4 days, but not slept enough for a cat nap.  crying babies abounded and cramped accommodations limited my comfort, but all-in-all i can't complain.  with a little help...from my friends'...seditives...i got by.  christy met me at the airport, but unfortunately my luggage, ...did not.  somehow, somewhere, it got left in airport la la land and i got to wear the same clothes for 3 days.  finally...sunday evening it arrived...battered and beat to heck, but in tact.  in the meantime, i was having a blast seeing some local sights and learning about my new digs.  kathmandu is such an interesting city and in the past week i've seen sooo much.  at the end of the day i'm exhausted from all of the stimuli; my brain's working triple time!  that's all for now; it's getting late and i'm just happy to have been able to set up this blog.  i'll continue tomorrow.  hope all's well and i'd love to hear from everyone!  love, j