Orientation Week 3

“The work of domesticating the corporation can’t be accomplished with a single piece of legislation…it will involve the evolution of a clearer vision that rights are a human privilege, not an institutional one.” (Ted Nace)

This week our work really began. Starting on Sunday we had our thematic presentations. Each group (youth, women, education, and agriculture) presented material to the rest of the groups as well as the TBT and Nepali staff. The women’s group did a play which corresponded to a power point, the education group did a power point and played a video, the agriculture group did a power point and had build a full scale model of a green house on the roof, and the youth group (my group) played games, did a power point, and sang a song we wrote. It was really great to hear all sorts of interesting information but by the end of the day my brain hurt!

On Monday we went on a tour to see how the water system in Kathmandu works and why it is so polluted. We took a bus to Sundarijal (the same place I went canyoning with S and A!) and hiked up some of the way so we could see the clean water and huge waterfalls! After, we visited other places where we could see the water getting more and more dirty because people put all their garbage in the water. There is a lack of space for garbage in Kathmandu so people either burn their trash or it goes in the water. It was really hard to think about and really hard to see. However we did go to a beautiful village with an amazing view where we stopped at a temple (last day of Dassain) and stayed until it was time to go back to the house.

Tuesday and Wednesday we had tours of Kalimati (one of the places we work in and could be assigned to). On Tuesday we had a Nepali lesson in the vegetable market (we had to find out the names of different vegetables) and then we went to the house we would live at if we were placed there. We met the Nepali staff of Kalimati and explored the house (which is awesome), which is also a community center. This means that it is not just a house for the volunteers but it also acts as a place were education, youth, and women’s meetings take place. There will also be a day care at the house as well! After we had an amazing lunch of samosas ad momos and then headed off to the actual day care center. We learned a lot about what they do there and their schedule and what they teach the kids and got to meet some of the children as well (so adorable)! We also met one of the head women from the women’s group who told us a lot about herself and what she did in the group and how it helped her.

We got back around dinnertime and were really tired from the long day. However most of us dragged ourselves out to Thamel because it was E’s birthday. It ended up being the best night I have had here! We went to a bar and sat together in a big circle. We drank and talked and then danced! We pretty much started the party and got the whole bar dancing! When we got home we continued the party with dancing in the hallway upstairs and music and silliness. It was a night I will always smile at when I think about.

On Wednesday the tour continued and we went to one of the schools in Kalimati. We got to hear from the principal, some of the teachers, and some of the students who are in our youth group! They are amazing. They work hard and are so motivated to get through school and help make their country a better place for more kids. They had us play games and we laughed and enjoyed ourselves even though we were tired!  When we got back we had a lecture on Eritrea and the problems they are facing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eritrea). I’m not even going to lie, I had never even heard of a country called Eritrea, nevertheless all of the hardships they have faced. I sometimes think I am pretty well informed about the world, but this just goes to show that learning is something that will NEVER stop and I am glad for that.

Thursday was not my best day. We had Nepali class, two lessons, a lecture on indigenous groups in Nepal, and a community building session. It was too much information and I felt like I couldn’t focus or remember anything.  The lecture about indigenous people was not as interesting as I had hoped and the community session got me very frustrated. I feel like ever since I have been here I have been answering the same questions over and over (why did I come to Nepal/why did I want to be a part of TBT, what do I expect to get out of this experience, etc.). I am sick of having to answer the same things every few days. I am also not a fan of not having time to think. We do something or go somewhere, and then the activity right after is talking about it. I have no time to process. Plus, in the evening we watched a depressing documentary called “Life and Debt” about Jamaica’s financial troubles. It was tough enough to watch at all but to make it worse it made me feel bad personally. The movie showed tourists enjoying a vacation in Jamaica and then would switch to all the difficulties really going on that tourists were too oblivious to see. It was clearly made in the 90s, which made me think about the trip I took to Jamaica with my dad. I know he didn’t know and I was way too young to realize what was really happening, but it made me feel so bad knowing all of the horrible things the country was going through politically, economically, and socially, and we were there, acting like the stupid American tourists like the video. It was not a good night.

The weekend was much better though and put me in a good state of mind. We finally got divided into our village groups! I am in Kalimati with S, El, L, Ne, Ni, and C. It’s a strong group and everyone is close with at least two people. I am very happy about being in Kalimati and the people I will be with! After we got sorted Sh and I left for our first open weekend. We took a bus to Bhaktaour and from there to Nagarkot. We got a nice room and a quiet and relaxing night away from the house! The nest morning (Saturday) we woke up to see the sun rise! It was BEAUTIFUL! It was freezing and we were exhausted but it was worth it. We went back to sleep for a few hours after and then got lunch. Then we walked around until we had to leave. There is not much to do in Nagarkot but it is so incredibly beautiful and for a day just to get away it was perfect. We got back to Kathmandu late Saturday night, which concludes my third week of orientation!

Signed,

Better mood, better mind