From today's paper

Nepal? Beautiful. Nepali people? Beautiful. Nepal political system right now? Not so pretty.

Photos above not taken by me. I am in, my quiet and peaceful part of town, away from the craziness of protests, clashes, and vehicle burning these days.

Strikes Hit Life in the Valley, Elsewhere. May 27th, 12:35 pm.

KATHMANDU: Normal life has been affected in Kathmandu Valley due to the general strike called by various groups since early Friday morning.

No private and public vehicles are running due to the strike. Educational institutions and marketplaces and businesses have remained closed. Vehicles belonging to emergency services providers have however been allowed to ply on the road.

The strike has turned violent in several places, with the bandh enforcers vandalizing at least four vehicles in different locations including Sukedhara, Banasthali and Dilli Bazar of Kathmandu Valley.

Chure Bhawar Rastriya Ekta Party, Bishwo Hindu Mahasangh and others have enforced the bandh to press for non-extension of the Constituent Assembly (CA) term. The current mandate of CA is expiring tomorrow.

The strike enforcers have also asked to declare Nepal as a Hindu state and not to restructure state along ethnic lines, among other things.

Activists of Chure Bhawar Rastriya Ekta Party are scheduled to picket the CA building violating the prohibitory orders later this afternoon, protesting the CA’s failure to give the country a new statute.

Likewise, strikes called by the Brahmin Samaj and the Chhetri Samaj have affected normal life in most of the eastern districts including Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari and Dhankuta.

Thousands of passengers have been stranded on the road along highways due to the strikes in Dhading and Makawanpur districts.

Transition

After a harrowing day getting my things here to Kathmandu that I prefer to never relive (not even in writing), I am happily settling into life in the city again.

I have come off of my initial city high - overwhelmed for 4 full days with things like access to other foreigners to talk with, live music in the evenings, European bread, coffee, real chocolate, and the ability to stay out later than 8:30 in the evening if I choose.

While it's great to have this much choice, I am acutely aware in the moment of the pressure and decisions that this much choice also presents.

While living in Hetauda, I distinctly felt on so many occasions that the simple things I had were more than enough. I remember feeling no desire at all to accumulate anything, to spend any money that I didn't have, or to look for something better than what I had right in front of me. What I had was completely sufficient. And it was an amazingly freeing feeling to sense on a daily basis that - this is enough. I have everything that I need.

Kathmandu offers endless opportunities to meet with people and for creative learning and expression that I couldn't find in Hetauda, however. Excitement galore for me. So much so that I had to force myself to stay home the other night, because I didn't trust myself to be anything but totally weird in the company of others. I find myself so excited to talk to someone who knows what my experience is like that I just can't shut up. Embarassing. I need to adjust to all of this opportunity and choice a bit slowly.

Nepal is struggling with it's own transition now as strikes are called and enforced, strikes are called and then counter strikes enforced, strikes are called and then called off...

There is not much hope that the government will create a constitution by the May 28th deadline after having two years to do so. I have heard some starting to say they are nostalgic for the past when they had a king and were part of a Hindu kingdom instead of this current set up that is, if nothing else, completely unclear exactly what it is. And it is hard to know what will happen when the deadline is not met. Unrest is certain. Which kind, is not.

In the meantime I have recovered from my coffee and chocolate craze and have gone back to making my own roti (local flatbread) and vegetables.

And I am creating my new work plan for Kathmandu. I plan to be productive here- that much I know. The rest, we will see...

Goodbye (for now) Hetauda

At 7:30 Am tomorrow morning, I will be greeted by a truck that will take my favorite things from Hetauda to Kathmandu. I am moving to Kathmandu!!!

While I have mixed emotions about leaving (I love Hetauda and the people I know here), it's time for me to move on.

Here's a snapshot of what my last week has been like.

Sunday. I decided on an apartment in Kathmandu shared with another volunteer after some serious searching and thinking. Yeah! As we walk in to tell the landlord, however, a very tall German man presents himself as the now rightful owner of the studio space I was going to move into. Darn. But at least he's really nice.

Monday morning. Confirm at another apartment. This time it's a go! It's fabulous, spacious, has good light, a view of the forest, and birds that chirp in the morning. Check. Check. Check.

Tuesday. Back in Hetauda. Not sure for how many days. Madly start packing and saying goodbyes.

I did not realize how settled in here I was until I come to move my life from one place to another. Did I arrive in Nepal with two pieces of luggage and a handbasket really? Holy crap! In my defense, 90% of my things have been accumulated already by the 4 volunteers here before me.

This does not include the mental and emotional accumulation that I now need to sift through, however, that I can not pawn off on anyone else. Okay - got some work to do.

Thursday. Okay - office vehicle is getting ready to go to Kathmandu tomorrow. No wait, today. Actually - no, tomorrow really. Okay, Okay...I rally for whatever will happen. I need to be ready to throw as much as possible in.

I do this while also having fun baking and cooking, inviting people over for all of the times I wanted to, but didn't yet. There are a stream of people coming over - this is fabulous!

Friday. Strike. Nope, not going to Kathmandu today. Monday, I'll go Monday with a truck instead.

Monday. Today's the day! I'm moving! Wait...nope...truck isn't ready. Tuesday happens to be a much better day for the driver, he says. Apprently Hetauda isn't done with me either. Tuesday, I will leave Tuesday.

Monday evening. Burning ceremony in my back yard. I burn all of the papers and unnecessary things I've accumulated over the last year and a half - well, all that is fit for burning that is. It feels incredibly satisfying to be sitting with all of this as it goes up in flames. I feel lighter afterwards. Even though it's really no fun at all to be standing close to a hot fire in 95% weather as snot pores down my face from being so close to the smoke. Totally worth it. And probably very over due.

My day ends with a delectable meal and dancing in the living room at my friend Sushila's house.

Tuesday......I'm just positive that things will work out for tomorrow. Unless there's another strike. Let's see.

As requested by folks in the COSAN central office. And also so that I can catch up on the city arts and dancing scene. Yeah!

Peace, Environment, and Human Rights

Success!!!

35 women from Makwanpur (and one foreigner - me) had a fabulous 3 days together.

If I have had challenges this last year and a half in Nepal (well, yes, I've had quite a few), these three days made everything worth it for me. Absolutely everything.

We sang, danced, wrote poetry, acted, sat and talked about things we otherwise don't get to talk about, took facilitation and leadership risks, laughed, cried, created. Created new friendships, created new understanding, created learning around women's rights in Nepal.

Yep. This is what it's all about.

I wanted to post a video of Prenam ji (pictured above presenting), 21, starting off her first ever workshop. It was fabulous. Topic: emotions and leadership. She started of by sharing a poem she had written about social justice issues. But - my internet connection here is too slow to upload the video. So stay tuned.

Also above: women doing a role play about abortion. And two others doing a role play about girl trafficking in their villages.

And....do you want to know what they have to say to the world? What they want you to know?

Here is what they wanted you to know:

Nepal is the most beautiful place on earth. And they want to keep it that way. These women love the trees and rivers and mountains and plains that inhabit them in a way that amazes and inspires me. They are willing to fight to protect their environment.

I have seen a rhododendron flower bring more joy to somebody (over and over again) than anything that could ever be purchased with money.

They also love their traditions and their culture. While extremely interested in learning, they are not interested in becoming westernized. They are not interested in imported ideas that are not their own or that don't come from their own feelings and communities. They feel proud of who they are, and want to keep what is theirs: their language, their traditions, their culture.

And peace. They want peace. More than anything.

I feel honored to have had the chance to spend 3 days with 34 amazing, inspiring individuals. Thank you!