Surviving Kathmandu and other Katastrophes

The pleasant guest house the fifteen of us new volunteers are staying in for some of the eight weeks of in-country-training is situated in the northern ‘burbs’ of Kathmandu – that is if there is actually any structure to this crazy city. Surviving Kathmandu is similar to surviving the cyclic patterns of the H & A Secretariat, unrealistic expectations and no changes to processes!!! Nevertheless, just like my fellow CO back home, we are all trying to ‘rise to the challenges’ here in Nepal.

I’m no longer resentful about the dear old lady who claimed my seat on the flight from Bangkok – you can’t see the mountains anyway as you fly into Kathmandu or as you walk around this scrambled city most of the time because of the pollution. I thought I’d seen ‘it all’ in Dhaka but I think I prefer the madness of the rickshaws to the peril of the motorcycles and taxis – I think there are jobs here for you Andy and Sir Geoffrey to teach these people how to safely ride motor cycles and drive cars and which side of the road they should drive on. And after you fix this smozzle, you could visit Paul, my Aussie friend who is posted to Bhubaneswar in India where he unfortunately had an unpleasant encounter with a truck – miraculously he survived with ‘only 3 staples and 16 stitches in the wound to his head’ (his words). As he is now the proud owner of a new Enfield he is re-writing the road rules for his area – if only he could find some current ones his task might be a tad easier!!

For those of you who have been to Kathmandu and luved it, I wish I could share your sentiments. The potential is evident - this city (and I’m sure this country) is a tourist gold mine (even more so than it is now) just waiting to explode and at least have some impact on the distressed economic situation here. However, mainly due to the political unrest, this city is strewn with piles of garbage, ferral dogs (yep my fear lives on ‘Arraine and Midgie), hazardous traffic and pollution that sticks to your eyeballs as well as your lungs – we could use a few of those new vaccies like yours WW to try and clean this place up.

Despite that bleak picture, the laundry is hung in order, and the people are incredible, getting about their business with no fuss and smiles we should be able to package and send to those security people at Bangkok airport and any other lemon-sucking people we unfortunately encounter in our lives. The poverty here is as desperate and heartbreaking as the Desh, but there is an entrenched acceptance of fatalism here that is mind-boggling. If I could adopt the same acceptance to learning a new language I could be the next most sought after worldwide multi-lingual expert. Again, I am in awe of those of you – Jordan, WW, Mon Ami, Dr Paul (engineering is another language isn’t it) and Mr Don’t Worry – who find learning a second language stress free.

I am clearly a student with special needs when it comes to learning a second language (OK, and IT Evahn) but is it not unfair that I also seem to be being punished for my lack of respect for those in authority by having very unpleasant experiences with language school principals - those of you who followed my time in the Desh will remember my ‘encounter’ there. Well now the guy who is ‘in charge’ of our in-country-training (well he was until we arrived); expressed some distasteful comments about Australians and Americans. My response almost had me sent home – and that’s no joking – I was told ‘return to class or we can have a return ticket arranged for you next week’ (which in hindsight might have been the better option). Because of my compliant nature (I hear you all in the Secretariat and if that’s my Poddies laughing the loudest, I’m shattered) I returned to suffer the consequences – the principal and I hugged and ‘made up’ and thus far he has not erred again. In actual fact we danced around each other for days and I still haven’t learned any more Nepali than I knew before I quit class, but I think he now knows a little Bangla and how to line-dance Aus style (special thanks to all my boot-scooting pals).

Most of this scene was played out in the more picturesque (but still seriously polluted and ferral dog bothered) countryside township of Banepa where the accommodation is a bed-bug infested prison like building that had more than just this menacing Aussie complaining. I hear some of you saying ‘complaining – what’s new?’ but let me be honest my amazing friends and share with you that being covered in bed- bug bights (yep that’s a lot of bites my Inspector friends) is right up there when it comes to unpleasant experiences. Fortunately we are in the hands of fabulous doctors (one of whom several of us would gladly suffer more medical conditions that required his attention) and I was dosed up with some ‘big-gun’ anti-histamines. To assist with my recovery – OK, my emotional state - I also joined some of the others at early morning yoga class and walked/shuffled (where were you Waltergator) the surrounding hillsides – not a patch on sessions with my HI friends (thank you all for your awesome messages) although we did go to the local tea-house after yoga – where it became even more apparent that I was the problem child of language class with all the others holding fluent conversations with the locals. I would have given my right arm to have been chatting with my GOWers just to prove that I am actually an articulate conversationalist (is that you saying bullshipper, Adrian.........).

As you will have realised, I have made some extraordinary friends and we are banding together to meet the challenges – admittedly some of the others much more competently than I am. We’ve cruised the shops in Thamel and done our bit for the local economy there, eaten exquisite food (not quite as exquisite as Cafe de Dawnie’s), explored Durbar Square (how I would luv to see that place as it appears in the postcards and not the sad run-down ruins that I see), made friends in the ‘hood – especially with the kids who play soccer on the cement patch below our balcony. Actually, I was almost deported after an incident there too!!!! Quite innocently, I gave them a new soccer ball because the one they were playing with had obviously seen better days. When the big kids took over and wouldn’t let the little ones play with the new ball the commotion in the street was pointed directly at the balcony. So down I went to see what Australia was being blamed for now - after a conversation (in English) with one of the older neighbourhood guys, situ easy fixed, now both groups have a ball, each labelled for their groups.........the early flight home postponed again (for now).

As I try to upload this to my blog, most of you will be aware of the current civil unrest here in Nepal. That issue is another whole blog, but I just want to reassure you that we are safely accommodated back in the more pleasant guest house in Kathmandu. Thank you all for your emails, sms (no more worrying M2), facebook chat, Skype etc – ekdam ramro.......................excellent and so appreciated.

I have been asked to keep the post to manageable size for those who are unable to work up flex time to take time out to read my blogs. I hope I have achieved that and for those of you who are bored to snores at this point – remember the care fact = zero (just kidding –the one thing I never want read out in my eulogy is that I bored you.........pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease just make up lots of illicit stuff).

I miss you all for you own special place in my chain of friendship and look forward to hearing all your news – just about to read yours now Lorraine......... Stay well and khub kushi my wonderful friends.

Namaste and hugs from Kathmandu
Marguerite

PS – Unedited because I am ‘racing’ with the power and may not be able to include any piccies but will post ASAP and will ask for some assistance with the layout!!!!

Postscript: GO RAIDERS!!!!!