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Published: October 4th 2007
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I arrived in Nepal last Thursday. I have travelled to developing countries before so the whole primative airport experience didn't surprise me. A representative from the volunteer program greeted me right at the exit, along with 10 other Nepali boys, eager to assist me with my bags. Apparently they bombard every tourist in hopes of some tips. I was warned about this and was forced to waive them off. It was a very interesting ride from the airport to the hotel in the heart of Kathmandu. There are no side walks. All cars, tuk tuks, mopedes, micro-buses, rickshaws, people and cows must share the same road. All you hear are constant horns amongst the clouds of dirt. The program coordinator greeted me at the hotel and gave me and the another new volunteer a tour of the city. Then I met up with all the other volunteers doing the program and we got to enjoy the restaurants and bars of Kathmandu.
On Friday I was taken to a HIV clinic. I thought it was going to be really tough but all the children there have been receiving treatment so they seemed relatively healthy. It's sad though because HIV is still
taboo in Nepal. Some of the children's parents have died from AIDS and the families have disowned them because they think they are evil and will infect the rest of the family. The children were so sweet and playful that it's terrible to think they have no idea why they are all of a sudden orphans.
The next day a few of the volunteers and I went to Kathmandu's Durbar Square. Durbar meas 'palace'. This is where the city's kings were once crowned and legitimised, and from where they ruled. Most of the square dates from the 17th and 18th centuries and are very detailed. The Nepali people still go to give offerings to the gods.
Next we went to the great Buddhist temple of Swayambhunath, otherwise known as 'Monkey Temple' because of all the monkeys that guard the hill leading up to the temple. There are a total of 365 steps to the top, representing the total days in the year. Legends relate that the Kathmandu Valley was once a lake and that the hill on which Swayambhunath stands was 'self-arisen', much like a lotus leaf risen from the muddy waters of the lake. From its hilltop
setting, the temple offers amazing views of the city below.
On Sunday, I was brought over to my placement. It is in a typical Nepali family home. They are very poor so it's quite runned down. There are power outages everyday from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm and no hot water. But the family does everything they can to make you feel at home. And Seita, the cook, does an amazing job of filling us up with delicious, traditional Nepali cooking. This usually consists of daal bhaat tarkari or lentil soup, rice and curried vegetables. This is spiced up with a bowl of achar (pickels) and served with chapati (unleavened Indian bread). Basically, if you don't fancy Indian food, you'll starve here.
The other volunteers are very nice and all seem to be adventurous. We have many exciting plans for the upcoming weekends. Even my first day there they took me to two of the most popular temples. We first went to Bodhnath Stupa. This is considered the most amazing stupa in Nepal. It was likely also the first stupa built, some time after 600 AD. The stupa was said to have been built by a prince as
penance for unwittingly killing his father. Stupas were originally built to house holy relics. It is not certain if there is anything interred at Bodhnath but some believe there is a piece of bone that once belonged to the Buddha. Around the base of the stupa's circular mound are 108 small images of the Dhyani Buddha Amitabha. A brick wall around the stupa has 147 niches, each with four of five prayer wheels bearing the mantra 'om mani padme hum'. Tibetan pilgrams circumambulate the stupa, twirling the prayer wheels in a clockwise motion around the stupa. They do this while chanting in prayer. It is believed that doing this will maximize the power of their prayers. Of course I had to join in in twirling the prayer wheels, being careful not to get in anyone's way. It was truely an amazing thing to be a part of.
Next, we walked a short distance to Pashupatinath, Nepal's most important Hindu temple. It stands on the holy Bagmati River. It is also one of the most important Shiva temples on the subcontinent and draws devotees and sadhus (wandering Hindu holy men) from all over Indian. Every evening, a large group of
worshipers gather at the temple, singing and playing typical Nepali music, which we got to be a part of. This is also a typical cremation site for the Nepali people. While we were there we saw a body being cremated and being prepared to be spread into the Bagmati River. There were also two more bodies lined up. They were wraped up and placed by the river with their feet touching the water. The whole family comes out and takes place in the ceremony.
I then began my program on Monday. I am working at Nepal's Orthopaedic Hospital, which is is Nepal's only charitable orthopaedic treatment centre. The facilities are generally quite basic when compared to facilities in the west. I am placed in the nursing department. I feel the nurses already gave me the most useful information that I will acquire my entire time here. They said that nursing is a very honorable job in Nepal. Even though they only receive average pay, they are very passionate about their jobs because it comes from the heart. The whole purpose is to care for each patient's needs. This was very obvious as I followed them aound on their morning rounds. They do not rush around, they take their time treating each patient and chatting with them to make them feel more comfortable. The entire staff, as well as the patients, are so warm and friendly. It's also a much slower pace then in Western hospitals. This allows the patient's to get all the attention they need and want. Although patient's are encouraged to pay for their treatment, they don't have to if they are not able to. It's a very interesting process. They pay for everything separate. All the instruments and drugs that are used are first purchased by each patient. The doctor will write a prescription and send down an aid to pick up what the patient needs at the pharmacy within the hospital. Even the scaples have to be individually purchased...odd system. But the costs are made to be pretty reasonable.
So far, I am enjoying the program, although this week has been pretty slow. They told me that I will usually get to watch several operations but they were not allowed to operate this week. It turns out that before I arrived, a 13 year girl died during surgery. The family ended up hiring someone to kidnap the hospital director and threatened to burn him alive if he did not sign a deal to pay the family $50,000. He did sign the agreement but the hospital is trying to sort out the details because obviously it is not a legally binding agreement. Needlessly to say, the director is back in the hospital and things should be back to normal next week. Hmm...that's a great story, huh?
Anyway, so far I am loving Nepal. Every morning I walk an hour long walk to work with the other volunteers. We walk throug Pashupatinath and get breathtaking views of the Himalayas. The weather is starting to get nice and the clouds are clearing. Every morning the clouds dissappear more and more, as the snow-capped mountains start to emerge...amazing!
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Lorina
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Keep em coming!!!
Hey Taryn, Keep us all posted on the Director's situation.....Haven't heard anything in the news, but then again, we don't get much of that here....Enjoy your time in Nepal! Lorina