rice and lentils

pen pals needed!

2008-09-26T07:53:00.000-07:00

hi friends,

so it's been forever since i've written here and i apologize. been thick in book edits and wandering from bank to bank to see if they are giving out free lollipops before they shut down.

but i do want to put the shout out for new pen pals.

ask yourself these three questions, if you please:

*do i like things that come in envelopes with stamps on them?

*is it dreamy to dream of living in a far off land?

*who came up with the recipe for crystal light?

if you answered yes to either of the first two, then please contact me today to get a pen pal in nepal! they are awesome kids and they would LOVE to hear from you. read these blogs and look at the pictures to see what i'm talking about. will try to write again soooooooon.

be well,

abby

making sense of the new government

2008-04-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

hi friends,

truly need help on this one.

trying to read about the election results in nepal with an open mind and heart and i'm just so confused.

and humbled.

just a few months ago i was here going on about how the maoists are raping and pillaging, and now they may be writing the next constitution of nepal.

i also live in a country (usa) where we drag everybody's past before them and yell,

"look at this video of you talking to someone who used to once believe something that's not-so-nice that must mean that you're not-so-nice too in fact you're bad and dangerous!"

(i'm a little fed up with the accusations going back and forth in the american primaries right now)

so....electing the maoists - a party that has quite openly terrorized the country in the past but has now changed its course - is very risky to me, but also, i'm coming to see it shows a tremendous faith and trust in the human power to change.

i would love to know people's thoughts on this - hopefully we all live in a place where we get to vote at some point in our lives and how do we choose?

based on someone's past (or really, what we know of it and how it's been spun for us in the media...)?

on someone's present - who they are today, what they stand for, how they carry themselves through the campaign and reach out to a country in flux....(the maoists once picked up all the garbage in kathmandu to woo voters - no easy task either and a hands-on approach that i think is kind of brilliant)

or on a promised future - and here again, i am all for candidates laying out an approach to ending the war, to healing our polluted skies and underfinanced schools, recognizing that our dollar is laughable....but also the future is an unknown, so how much can we pretend to control it?

at the present moment, the maoists seem to have the majority. how they got this support and what they will do with it are both questions that no one can really answer. but i do want to say it is a compelling lesson in the human capacity for change and i wonder how often i truly judge someone for who s/he is right NOW.

please as always, thoughts are MUCH appreciated.

and if you are interested in the PEN PAL PROGRAM for grade school children in the Kathmandu Valley, please let me know.

be well,

abby

when are we more than girls or boys?

2008-03-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

i really hope the answer to that question is never.

yesterday i had an amazing experience talking about writing with eighth graders here in new york. they are so much cooler and hipper than i EVER was (or will be). it was astonishing. it also made me think about how Nepalese children grow into their adult selves.

recently i learned that some of the orphanages are separating the older children so it's all girls or all boys in each house. which i suppose makes sense.

but it also is deeply saddening for me.
when i was over there, i was awestruck at the way the older children took care of the younger ones. feeding, clothing, even rocking them to sleep. after supper, we played clapping games and once there was a circle of us playing "operation" - that game where a secret is passed from one ear to the next and the final person has to announce it to see how it's changed....we played in pigeon english/nepalese that made everyone confused and giddy. it was a circle of children ranging from 4 to 18. how many american 18 year olds do you know who would jump at the chance to play operation for an evening activity?

and the adoration the younger children have for their older "brothers and sisters" is phenomenal. they often begged to start the operation message, only to repeat the one that was sent before:
lakshmi is a beautiful princess

lakshmi is the pseudonym i'm giving to one of the girls at the orphanage. and she is a beautiful princess. a smile that warms the entire room. long, graceful limbs. but most of all because i watched her as the message was passed around again. she ahd no idea they were talkinga bout her again. she was too busy cradling one of the smallest boys, Ram in her arms because he was feeling left out.

keeping the peace

2008-03-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

hi friends,

so first of all, thanks for reading and please do send your comments, questions, koolaid recipes. i write with the hope of generating more interest in these children and hopefully finding a way to get more people over there, or at least find a way to help out from afar.

(plus, i'm a yammerer - given the chance i'll talk about these kids for years :-)

so, my friend lauren reminded me of something incredible this past weekend. something that i swore to myself walking the dust-paved roads to thamel that i would never forget - and then promptly did. and that is
the peace.
the calm.
the way days in kathmandu begin with recordings of om hari om and a single flame under a pot of tea. the way children are served their food and eat it sitting on the floor and passing a bottle of water with warm, soupy smiles. the way there is sweeping and dishes, then cutting the vegetables to soak for dinner. the schoolyards, the temples, the coconut stands each echoing a new lesson or prayer. after school tea and biscuits, tag, seesaw, and jigsaw puzzles. the way finding that straight edge for the top left corner of the puzzle feels like my entire purpose for living right now. homework. the sun sifting into pink, orange, milky blue then black. after supper, maybe clapping games, maybe tv. and i am in bed by 8:30, exhausted.

my schedule changed regularly while i was there, but these were my guideposts. and while it feels so far from life in new york, it doesn't need to be. yes, i have to pay rent and buy ingredients for supper. the mta just raised prices and somehow i'm back on coffee once or twice a day. but as lauren said, the sun is still rising and setting, just like it does over kathmandu. i have work to do, but i also have choices. turning on the computer, the tv and the phone at the same time is bound to make me queasy. finding a patch of dust, or on a day like today, a rain puddle, could be much more productive.

so, thank you lauren.
thank you nepal for your sunrise.
and thank you, whomever is reading this, for giving me a chance to remember this gentler life, and hopefully, bring it back home to share.

be well,
abby

elections

2008-02-26T07:31:00.001-08:00

first of all, thank you so much to all those who signed up for pen pals!
to those who haven't yet, there are many names still on the list, so please feel free to join the program!

so, i wanted to talk about elections today, but i have to admit, the more i read about it, the more confused i get. american elections are confusing enough - superdelegates scare me and i'm still trying to figure out how huckabee plans to change the constitution. but it's thrilling to have such a fiery contest, and it's so exciting to watch college kids rallying around our candidates! (ugh, i feel a gray nose hair sprouting while i write the word 'kids').

anywho, nepali elections? just plain scary. it may happen on april 10. the nepali congress is the ruling party, the royal palace is empty, and the maoist insurgents tried to woo voters by picking up garbage on the streets of nepal (no easy feat, either, especially because the maoists are usually busy kidnapping and raping). but now according to the kathmandu post, the nepali congress is threatening to protest because they think the candidates were chosen unfairly. also, the united democratic madhesi forum is saying their needs are not being met, so one of their leaders tried to rewrite the election orders (by hand).

please forgive me - i know i'm not getting all the facts. my only excuse is that i get confused trying to catch up on the kathmandu post and i also don't think anyone has the full story. but i thought i'd share so we could all appreciate our election process, even if it gets frustrating sometimes (i.e. couldn't nader use that money in a more productive way for his cause???)

ok, please share your thoughts/comments and feel free to visit the kathmandu post or the himalayan times for more erudite coverage (and so you can teach me, please...)

be well! and as promised, new pics of the kids are added here.
xo,
abby

pen pal program

2008-02-18T06:32:00.000-08:00

hi friends,

who knew re-entry could be so challenging? especially since we have hot water and trash collection here. mostly, what i miss is those quiet moments after school with milk tea and devi showing me her test answers. or a sun-soaked balcony with ma'am, juna and lalli where we played beauty parlor.

so instead of whining about how much i miss them, i will be trying to add "remote" projects for the children of umbrella and next generation nepal. please PLEASE feel free to offer suggestions and share your experiences too.

my first idea is simple, i hope. i'm trying to set up a pen pal program for the kids. who doesn't love getting a letter in the mail, huh? i'll even send you the stamps if you like:-)

so, most of the children have a fair knowledge of english, and this will help them with that for sure. if you have a particular age or language level that you want to request, please do. otherwise, just let me know if you're interested and i'll give you a name and address! (i also will be making sure the exchange of information is approved by umbrella and next generation for safety standards).

be well!

abby

last entry before home!

2007-12-18T05:08:00.000-08:00

dear friends,
so sorry it's taken me a year to get back to the computer. time is so different here. i really am so in awe of this place, and i know i've only seen a breath of it. last week i got to go to a different school and speak with children about writing. i climbed the swayambhu stupa (also known as the monkey temple - man those guys are cute but fiesty) also saw a beautiful area called patan with incredible stupas, each devoted to a different hindu deity. most importantly i got to draw with soo, learn clapping games with bim and hari and watched all the children draw the world in chalk on the front steps of the orphanage.

the day is so different here....
people up before sunrise making fires in the fields to boil water.
roosters, dogs and cows roaming the streets.
there is a reason and a moment to pray every second.
the clocks are 15 minutes differnt from india to show their independence i believe.
word is there will be elections in the spring (which is the new year here) but not everyone believes that.
and 5:30 is usually when the electricity goes off for a few hours because most people turn their lights on then.

but the most humbling and heartbreaking lesson i'm learning (so slowly) from these amazing children is how unpredictable it all is. the future is so silly to plan on, and the past is so unknown.
i sat with a boy named sumba who showed me pictures that he had drawn - theya re all AMAZING drawers here and love to copy flowers and farms and birds out of their text books. sumba had drawn all of the zodiac signs as well and quite beautifully. he pointed to acquarius and said "this is me" to which i replied "oh! whenis your birthday."
"no," he said. "i don't know."

these children are astounding. they have no idea about their pasts. they have a faint thought of the future. but what they know is now. this moment. today they got new socks. today sasku's hair is standing up straight and that is a reason to laugh and right now, it is a privilege to be able to have this experience and to share it with you in what i hope is a relatively coherent dribble. i will be home soon, which thrills me, but already my heart is weepy missing these amazing moments.

i'll be in a yoga center for the next two days and then on a plane for a few more but i hope to add to this blog and get a lot of pictures on my website when i get home. if i don't talk to you before then, merry and happy and love to all!

xoxooxo,
a

gab - names changed because there are still factons terrorizing the villages and kidnapping and the children are under close watch

ram sopana daiknoos

2007-12-09T23:03:00.000-08:00

i know i'm spelling that wrong but it means have sweet dreams.
i also say kasta cho and tik cho which means how are you i am fine.
and yesterday the older girls called me over and painted my eyes and nails coal black.
i wish i could describe how beautiful they all are.
p (trying not to name names because i heard it wasn't wise for their safety) breaks my heart with his wide eyes and his eyelashes that stretch to the moon. he is a bit slow so he needs help putting on socks and all i want is a smile from his tiny stubs of teeth.
s is exquisite and so kind to her younger brothers and sisters. the other day we got to take some of them to a party at the british school (a huge country club like place with armed guards) and the children were given guacamole and salami sandwiches, cake and chips and they all reached for the fruit first!
then i got an amazing trip to boudinath on a motorbike - which is about 99% of the time going into oncomig traffic - no lights of course and at night very little electricity. boudinath has an incredible stupa (temple) where there are prayer wheels and people make ceremonial circles around the stupa and turn the prayer wheels. then there was a special candle lighting ceremony in the center of the square. they spelled out "prosperity for peace" and lots of words in nepali on the ground using candles made of ghee (clarified butter). at least 1000 candles. little children lighting the ones in the middle so they could be airlifted by the older men. one ittle boy wore a sweatshirt that said "bitch" in big bright letters. then after all the candles are lit we just watched them and smelled the incredible rich hope in the middle of this crazy city - piles of buirning garbage and starving children and dogs and yaks on the streets and on the motorcycle ride home there are no lights except the random lantern, people still outside, selling sunglasses, sweatshirts, lighters and potatoes, swatting away the dust.

thank you again for all your comments - rebecca i will definitely tell them you say hi! so great you have these pictures. i am reloading my camera as soon as i get off this keyboard
anna - left hand is for washing/wiping after the toilet ..nuff said
aunt laurel - please tell jenny to take it easy on plank and do it with bent knees. also ask her if it's tendinitis in the wrist or elbow please :-)

off to the next adventure! hope to include pictures next time! xoxooxoxoo,
a

simi, susila and indirika say namaste!

2007-12-06T22:14:00.000-08:00

namaste!

and thank you uncle dan for the great text - my phone seems to work at odd moments.
right now i'm in an internet spot ...hope the electricity stays on :-)

hope everyone is well. so sorry i can't respond individually - it's taken about an hour to get the hang of this computer. but thank you thank you for the comments and all boots have made it safely.

i met the kids yesterday - i'm at the house called sagamartha house which is in the soyambhu region near thamel. so far i remember the names mani, vim, durga, simi, buddha, susila, indirika, lela and norama.

there are 38 kids in my house and i want to know them all. mani already beat me at basket ball. the house manager and susila and i went on a walk into town and susila got her picture taken at a shop. i'm not sure if it was for school. she says she wants to be a social worker, a flight attendant or a model. the best part was on the walk back she held my arm. i ate dinner with all of them last night - daal bat - which is rice and lentils and curry vegetables. we eat it on the floor (yay!) in tin plates and the didis (aunties) cook it for breakfast and dinner.

after dinner we play a bit more and maybe watch bollywood videos. by 6:30 i was so tired i could barely talk.

so far, i think i go to the house in the morning (staying down the road with the other volunteers), help the kids with daal bat and walk them to school. then have 10-3 to explore. then i pick them up from school, we go back, have snack and play, do homework, daal bat again, maybe a little tv, and i'm home around 7.

met a few other volunteers but haven't met the leaders yet! also had to buy toilet paper because i'm not into the left hand thing. and i drank the unfilered water by mistake, so i'm trying to be really careful from now on. from here i'm going to thamel to try to find a cafe and maybe a scarf.

hope you are well and love to all!
(ps - they think that i am lying when i tell them i'm 34 and i think it may be a big big sin that jay is only 29)

xo,
a

2007-12-04T12:38:00.000-08:00

hi friends! this is my blog from nepal....once i get there!
i'll be in planes and airports for the next thirty hours but can't wait to send you pictures of Qatar's vending machines.

be well!
i miss you already bird.
gabra i lost your boots on the train.
xo,
abby