The sheep is looking at me, with eyes that are filled with sadness. I am staring back curious what’s gonna happen and a little bit frustrated that I had to leave the previous dream for this. The sheep starts to make this wining sounds, it kind of sounds as a strange exotic song of sorrow, repeating over and over again the same.
One more time and I am awake staring at some pictures of family and riends that I glued onto the wall of my room, no more dream, no more sheep but the sound is still there. To be more precise, it’s coming from a few meters away where someone dressed up in the yellow material of the Saddhu (holy men) is standing in front of my window with a bucket to receive gifts in front of him. My foot stretched against the window must have given him enough prove that there was someone inside, willing to make a small donation. When I look at my watch and see it is only 6 in the morning I forget for a second all the cultural differences and picture what kind of a donation I would like to give him. But no, that will definetely give my Kharma account the final blow, after having eaten so many cows in my life. Instead I get out of bed and wave to the figure outside, while smiling summing up all the curses I’ve learned in the last decade. So, another day has began for Katmandu.
After some cups of coffee (the only senseo in whole Nepal happens to be positioned in our kitchen) I can see the beauty of life again and get on my bicycle to head to the office. The Katmandu traffic is like an ocean, when you’re in it you’re part of it, getting into a slight trance in which move along with the waves of cars bikes and anything else that gathers on the packed streets. Suddenly we are at a big intersection and something is disturbing the ocean. In the middle stands a uniform with a big wistle and a bigger gun, angrily waving at the waves to stop. However, the waves can not completely stop and the uniform has only one face to look, everytime it looks in one of the three other ways my waves gets a little bigger and moves forward. The little dry spot of the intersection gets smaller and smaller and the wistling louder and louder. Then the wistle stops, and within seconds, a tsunami bursts out covering the whole intersection.
Fifteen minutes later I managed to squeeze my way through the ocean and cycle relaxed the last ten minutes to the office. Just before I get of a rickshaw cycles up besides me and friendly asks me if I need a ride. Slightly confused over this proposal, wondering if it looks like I really can’t cycle I walk up the stairs, let’s see what this day will bring.
Sitting already way too long on the office, having the many cups affecting my writing seriously,
Namaste
Jimi
Monday, April 23, 2007
Monday, April 9, 2007
A Nepalese eastern
Namaste
It already starts feeling normal to wake up in Katmandu, get out of bed and cycle to the office, dodging rickshaws, cows, and big holes in the road. First, let me start by making some corrections to things I was telling about this city before leaving Holland/Denmark. Starting with the cows, they should be divine and untouchable in this Hindu state, but reality shows a different picture. The other day I had to stop because a cow decided to take a nap in the middle of the road, this happens often and maybe is caused by the cow feeling lonely and claiming some attention in this way, I was convinced that people would accept this as a divine intervention and not move. However, from the other side came a rickshaw swinging around the corner, spotting the heavenly creature too late and bumping in to it. The cow jumped up and ran of into a little alley. But instead of a long painful that for the rickshaw driver, as I expected, everybody started their car and continued their path. Note to myself: cows are not that holy. Now that I notice this I also notice quite a lot of cows limping when walking, presumably from encounters with vehicles.
Ok, back to daily life, last weekend it was eastern, and me and a few others decided that it was nice to do something special for the children's house of Hamro Gaun. We boiled and painted around 45 eggs and made a letter about special spring eggs that by accident had been spread around near the children's house. Not calling it easter since we're here to help and not force western values on the kids (that's right missionaries, take the hint!). Anyways, the children left to visit a monastery on a nearby hill so we could take our time hiding the eggs around the house. After that I went up the hill to find them and take them back to the house. At one point I was standing with one leg on each side of a little creek, lifting the little ones over when the girl that just had been transported to the other side said 'sir, small is nice, yes?' A bit wondering where this was coming from I said, while having the next kid in my hands 'yes sure', after which the girl said with a big smile 'oh, so snake in the water is nice yes?'.....this almost caused me to improve the record of midget throwing, looking down in panic what was swimming in between my legs. It was a little one, probably as harmful as a little bunny but still I have to get used to that kind of stuff.
The rest of the program went really well, although the story caused unpredicted questions as: 'Why does bunny need eggs?' 'No, he does not lay them, he collects them.' 'So bunny steals eggs from birds?' 'So bunny is bad animal yes?' After we recovered most of the eggs we made a big salad of them, finishing the day in style.
Ok, I guess that's about it for today, sorry for still not showing some pictures, my real fake sony decided to take a sabbatical. However, I'll borrow something else to make the side a bit more visual.
From a sunny Katmandu with the familiar feeling in my stomach that one gets when eating a little too much egg salad,
Namaste
It already starts feeling normal to wake up in Katmandu, get out of bed and cycle to the office, dodging rickshaws, cows, and big holes in the road. First, let me start by making some corrections to things I was telling about this city before leaving Holland/Denmark. Starting with the cows, they should be divine and untouchable in this Hindu state, but reality shows a different picture. The other day I had to stop because a cow decided to take a nap in the middle of the road, this happens often and maybe is caused by the cow feeling lonely and claiming some attention in this way, I was convinced that people would accept this as a divine intervention and not move. However, from the other side came a rickshaw swinging around the corner, spotting the heavenly creature too late and bumping in to it. The cow jumped up and ran of into a little alley. But instead of a long painful that for the rickshaw driver, as I expected, everybody started their car and continued their path. Note to myself: cows are not that holy. Now that I notice this I also notice quite a lot of cows limping when walking, presumably from encounters with vehicles.
Ok, back to daily life, last weekend it was eastern, and me and a few others decided that it was nice to do something special for the children's house of Hamro Gaun. We boiled and painted around 45 eggs and made a letter about special spring eggs that by accident had been spread around near the children's house. Not calling it easter since we're here to help and not force western values on the kids (that's right missionaries, take the hint!). Anyways, the children left to visit a monastery on a nearby hill so we could take our time hiding the eggs around the house. After that I went up the hill to find them and take them back to the house. At one point I was standing with one leg on each side of a little creek, lifting the little ones over when the girl that just had been transported to the other side said 'sir, small is nice, yes?' A bit wondering where this was coming from I said, while having the next kid in my hands 'yes sure', after which the girl said with a big smile 'oh, so snake in the water is nice yes?'.....this almost caused me to improve the record of midget throwing, looking down in panic what was swimming in between my legs. It was a little one, probably as harmful as a little bunny but still I have to get used to that kind of stuff.
The rest of the program went really well, although the story caused unpredicted questions as: 'Why does bunny need eggs?' 'No, he does not lay them, he collects them.' 'So bunny steals eggs from birds?' 'So bunny is bad animal yes?' After we recovered most of the eggs we made a big salad of them, finishing the day in style.
Ok, I guess that's about it for today, sorry for still not showing some pictures, my real fake sony decided to take a sabbatical. However, I'll borrow something else to make the side a bit more visual.
From a sunny Katmandu with the familiar feeling in my stomach that one gets when eating a little too much egg salad,
Namaste
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Coming back to Nepal
Last monday, I arrived in Katmandu, the first thing I noticed was that it was about 20 degrees warmer than I expected, it’s summer in the mountains! The first week was quite hectic, getting back in the work and figuring out what that work was all about. Also there were some urgent cases which had to be done right away. The first term of the INGO has ended a few months ago, at the moment, we are working hard to finish the five year plan for the coming years which has to be approved by the government so that our INGO status will be extended. However, as many of you know the organization has been working with one organization that went ‘bad’ using the money we sponsored not on the children’s house as agreed but on other stuff. This resulted in a big conflict between SV the Netherlands and this local NGO, which was also looked at by the evaluation commission that brings out a report before we can submit our plans for the coming years. This report turned out really one sided, and unfortunately not our side so we quickly had to prepare a defense for our presentation on the report last friday. After looking through all matters it was time to put on a suit and stand before the social welfare councel and the evaluation team, defending what we could with solid arguments and what we couldn’t with american like drama, the result was not brilliant but satisfactory so we could start the weekend with a good feeling. I will also keep writing what I am working on but maybe it is better to visit the website: http://www.stichting-veldwerk.org/ to see what the INGO is doing in Nepal.
Enough about that, what about Nepal? Well, after the peace treaty it became this idyllic little democracy in the mountains where the air is fresh and the life is good........Not! The big problem is now that since the oppression by the maoist and the government stopped to be officially present people discovered that they are actually not all similar, and suddenly everybody heavily connects with his or her ethnicity. Basically everybody wants to be better represented in the coming government and decided that the way to be sure is to block roads, protest and riot, first it was the people from the plains, than the people from the mountains, than the students, than the shopkeepers, than the students, that the business people, and probably tomorrow the union of angry house moms. It’s just a demonstration or roadblock everyday so you start to take it a little less heavy. Yesterday I was asking my colleague Ajay who it was going to be tomorrow, he said the beggars were so pissed of about not being represented that they go on strike and will not beg until their situation improves. The nasty thing about it all is that everything that comes into Nepal has to be transported over one highway from India, this highway is an attractive target so all incoming traffic is blocked. Therefore, there is almost no petrol or gas in Katmandu, together with the long periods without electricity it makes you feel like it was the beginning of the 19th century.
For the rest there have been some small changes in what I expected, the Nepalese lessons will start first next week and I moved into an appartment that I share with two other people, my boss Rene, and another colleague Verena, instead of having my own. This means a little less private space than expected but nice evenings on the balcony and cosy to have other people in the house, pics will follow. Ok, if you’re still with me by now Respect! I will finish with the wise words of my colleague Ramesh when I looked in amazement at the speed he was eating his lunch:
“Him who does not value his big belly, does probably not value anything at all!”
From my own little place in Kathmandu were soon the lights will go off for the next 7 hours,
Namaste
Jimi
Mobile: +9779851102251
Everest Postal Care
G.P.O. Box 8974
Jimi Oostrum
M/S. Stichting Veldwerk the Netherlands
C.P.C. No. 452
Katmandu
Nepal
Enough about that, what about Nepal? Well, after the peace treaty it became this idyllic little democracy in the mountains where the air is fresh and the life is good........Not! The big problem is now that since the oppression by the maoist and the government stopped to be officially present people discovered that they are actually not all similar, and suddenly everybody heavily connects with his or her ethnicity. Basically everybody wants to be better represented in the coming government and decided that the way to be sure is to block roads, protest and riot, first it was the people from the plains, than the people from the mountains, than the students, than the shopkeepers, than the students, that the business people, and probably tomorrow the union of angry house moms. It’s just a demonstration or roadblock everyday so you start to take it a little less heavy. Yesterday I was asking my colleague Ajay who it was going to be tomorrow, he said the beggars were so pissed of about not being represented that they go on strike and will not beg until their situation improves. The nasty thing about it all is that everything that comes into Nepal has to be transported over one highway from India, this highway is an attractive target so all incoming traffic is blocked. Therefore, there is almost no petrol or gas in Katmandu, together with the long periods without electricity it makes you feel like it was the beginning of the 19th century.
For the rest there have been some small changes in what I expected, the Nepalese lessons will start first next week and I moved into an appartment that I share with two other people, my boss Rene, and another colleague Verena, instead of having my own. This means a little less private space than expected but nice evenings on the balcony and cosy to have other people in the house, pics will follow. Ok, if you’re still with me by now Respect! I will finish with the wise words of my colleague Ramesh when I looked in amazement at the speed he was eating his lunch:
“Him who does not value his big belly, does probably not value anything at all!”
From my own little place in Kathmandu were soon the lights will go off for the next 7 hours,
Namaste
Jimi
Mobile: +9779851102251
Everest Postal Care
G.P.O. Box 8974
Jimi Oostrum
M/S. Stichting Veldwerk the Netherlands
C.P.C. No. 452
Katmandu
Nepal
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