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