A letter to my friends

Dear friends in Seattle, Alaska, California, Germany, Kenya, Uganda, India, the UK, Holland, South Africa, the Philippines and especially Portland (because it is home) from talking circles and dancing circles and facilitation circles and at MFS, those who have sent me letters and care packages and emails and notes and stories from your lives and your thoughts:

in the midst of busy-ness and things to do and calendars and schedules and deadlines and reports and papers and work and family and love and play

I send you some peace and space and freedom from the middle of the jungle of Nepal

from the base of a tree where the local population say they have found the new Buddha: Ram Bahadur Bomjom

a young man from the Tamang group

though he will disagree (about being the new Buddha, that is)

this is where he often meditates

sometimes for 3 days without eating, drinking, or moving a muscle

maybe more

I know why he chose this place

it must be one of the most magical places on earth

even though I am far, I think of you all the time

you have helped support my spirit and work and will and courage during this time in Nepal

and have helped me choose this journey

I want you to know how grateful I am

I wouldn't be here without you

Love, Tiffany

Wedding ceremony

A couple of months ago I attended my landlord's family wedding ceremony. I have lived with this family for 6 weeks in the same home, so they feel like - in a way - my Nepali family here. One of them, at least.

A multi-day affair of which I got a window into two of the most important (public) days: the bride's side family party, and then the passing of the bride from one family to another the day after.

The family is Newari, an indigenous group from Nepal. They have quite distinct traditions that feel very different from Hindu (India-origin) families I know.

I can't remember a time I've been to a wedding quite so luxurious, nor beautiful - both visually, but also ceremonially. The two days were a reflection of all of the emotions that intertwine at such a huge life event: excitement, release, anticipation, sorrow, seriousness, closeness and absolute familiarity, strangeness and unfamiliarity, worry and child-like play.

Photos above:

(1) Bride-to-be friends tending to their sister
(2) The bride-to-be at her last party with her mother's family
(3) One of my new friends...
(4) 2nd day: marking the groom's arrival
(5) Celebration after the exchange of the neck garlands - our equivalent of the exchanging of the rings
(6) Salpana, who helps with the work at home
(7) Bride flanked by the women from her family
(8) Father spending a serious moment with his daughter before he helps give her away
(9) The official giving away of the bride...her mother pours water over the bride and groom's hands, her father's hands
(10) Covering of the new wife's face

Girls in nepal: short video

While Nepal is one of the (the?) most diverse countries in the world (in terms of languages, culture, ethnicity, geography) the Hindu religion is imbedded in the every day of almost all parts of Nepal. And as it is religion that helps create our world view, Hinduism creates some strong ties between people and places in Nepal.

This means that even though a girl growing up in the Everest region of Nepal is hundreds of kilometers (distance) and meters (height) away from a girl living in the district where I am working (Makwanpur), their experience is - at least in some ways - extremely similar.

These days I am now working one day a week at the VSO office on gender related work. I love, love, love it. It complements the work I do "in the field" with COSAN. This week, for instance, I am continuing some research about gender and education in Nepal, meeting with the Muslim Women's Organization (the only organization in Nepal run by Muslim Women), and exploring some ideas with fellow volunteers about how VSO can play a stronger role in bringing about increased awareness of gender issues into our partner organizations and schools.

I want to share this video with you. While not an organization that I have any personal experience with, it does a decent job of showing a window into the life of girls in Nepal. It's about 4 and a half minutes long.

I am hopelessly impatient with technology (hence my very short career as a documentary maker) and can't figure out how to hyperlink this (that sounds cool, right?) so you'll have to cut and paste this link.

http://vimeo.com/21243728


Picture above: My 4 year-old neighbor from Hetauda, Smarika. Candid shot - not posed. She would come and "clean" my apartment, sometimes for up to an hours as play. And to be able to hang out with me.

I love Namo Buddha