Conference Call

Imagine Health Promotion students from Yellowknife to Toronto to Zambia to Nepal having a class through Skype conferencing… my last 3 hours were done in class, well virtual class across many time-zones… Skype is wonderful!

Time for bed now!

NFHP and FCHV (don't you love acronyms!)

Female Community Health Volunteers – a cornerstone of Nepal’s primary health care…
They are voluntary health educators/promoters, community mobilizers, referral agents and community-based service providers in areas of health as per the trainings received. They promote the utilization of available health services and the adoption of preventive health practices among community members. They also play a supportive role in linking the community with available PHC services and to continue to play an important role related to family planning, maternal/neonatal health, child health and select infectious diseases at the community level.

There are about 50 000 women who play this role all around Nepal. They are one of the main reasons that Nepal’s coverage for vitamin A and deworming is so very high (90% and 84% respectively). As per Nepal’s 2005 Millenium Development Goals report, if the present progress continues, it seems likely that Nepal will achieve the MDG target for 2015 (something quite surprising worldwide!). This is even though Nepal remains in the top 5 countries for child mortality rates in the WHO South East Asian Region. These great strides in improving child mortality are honestly quite dependent on FCHV.

Nepal Family Health Program, where I work, is a main leader in working with FCHV. As I met with the project manager for this work yesterday, I learned about the significant lobbying work that these strong women are doing at this present time to get greater compensation from their involvement in public health in Nepal. (some are even threatening fasts till death as a last resort to get their voices heard!)

It’s a fascinating time and I can’t help but be impressed with how various partners engineered such a successful strategy, and with the women themselves who are making their voices heard.

The Smirk

I was looking at some colourful cotton in the corner of a fabric shop. One of the staff told me the price per meter. I decided to purchase two meters. He brings the roll over to the other corner and hands it to another staff member, who asks how much he told me it cost. As he heard the amount, a knowing smirk flashed upon his face… Ahh… being gypped once again!

Benzene Scented Adventures with Emily

It’s a recurrent fact that when she’s around, things happen. It has always been this way. Together, we have run out of a bar as a generalized brawl started. We searched for tigers in the jungle by foot with only walking sticks and an awareness of the closest tree to assist us. We’ve jumped off a cliff paragliding in the Himalayas. We’ve been together for major transitions: abrupt moves, language learning and marriage. We’ve been strong together as we were preyed upon by an unstable peeping-tom after curfew time. So when Emily arrived to visit for a few days, I knew it would be exciting.

On Wednesday, Kathmandu came to a halt. The students declared a ‘bandh’, or generalized strike. They were protesting the oil price hikes and used all means necessary to prevent any vehicles from moving – e.g. the health-damaging tire burning. No cars running and shops were closed… all over the city… I had taken the day off to enjoy it with my friend… but our plans were hampered. After a hefty breakfast nearby, we decided to start walking just to see if anything was open. We walked and walked. The air was full of the fumes of burning tires – the smog was thick and covered the sky.

We finally arrived closer to Thamel (the tourist area – our only hope for a place to rest and shop) and the cycle-rickshaws were out. We hoped on one and kept our eyes peeled for trouble. Having both lived in Nepal during the war, we’re very used to keeping away from crowds protesting this or that… so when we saw youth gathered ahead, we directed the rickshaw to shift paths and take a smaller lane. As he progressed, something happened… we’re not sure what instigated the flood of young men to move from where they were, but they started streaming down behind us. I looked back through the little curtain and said – Ok, Emily get off NOW! We jumped off and ran perpendicular to the crowd coming in our direction into a covered construction site… It was like a haven of peace with the workers bewildered by these two foreigners, one with notable flaming blond hair and the other complaining in Nepali about how there are always problems… The crowds finally dispersed and our rickshaw was waiting for us to bring us to our destination – a tourist restaurant apparently closed, but not if you know the other entrance – where we shared a refreshing beer. We walked for 1½ hours to get home – with my scarf on my nose, as nausea from the tires set in. Even if too short, Emily’s visit was a complete success and faithful to our growing legacy.

Village Stay

So, I seem to have returned alive and well from my village visit. 5 nights visiting my good friend Bharat's and his wife's villages, both up in the hill country about an 7 hour bus ride from Kathmandu.

I was warmly welcomed, special food was cooked, and one of the chickens even met an unfortunate (but predictable) end for our sakes.

Leaving the city pollution, anonymity and busyness was very nice, and Bharat's family and I had lots of time to do some serious catching up after 10 years since my last visit.

I did have a few waves of culture shock, mind you, and fiercely missing my wife's presence didn't help. Culture shock: when your intestines are rebelling, you've eaten nothing but rice and lentils for several days, you barely speak the language, the only washing tap is visible for miles around, and everyone insists on spitting at least once every 5 minutes. But not so bad really.

Photos... check them out.

Note to Self....

Cuddling up to a hot water bottle may cause minor burns

Geographic Irony

In search of curtains and frames to make this home look good:

• I travelled all over the city,
• I got lost on a busy street in a traffic jam as the shops were closing... in the dark... and alone... with most taxis refusing to take me to my destination... Argh!
• I found that a day outside in KTM makes your nails and inside your eyes black. yuck!
• I realized walking around Kathmandu without good drinking water is a bad idea
• and I finally found everything I needed within a 5 minute walk from my place.

So... now our little 2 bedroom flat will look like a home for Clayton's return and for Emily's arrival.

As for Clayton, he's now in another little village with no electricity... and I think the dhal bhat twice a day (picture), everyday, is starting to take its tole. On Monday night, we'll be eating good australian food at a new 'posh' restaurant to help his culture shock.

Absence

As is evident in my last post, I have time on my hands and no English editor. Clayton is away for 5 days to Archalbot, a friend's village. On the phone, he tells me they will be killing a chicken in part in honor of his visit. He also warns me that there is only one very visible public tap of running water for the whole community... in the middle of the town... After 5 days, I'll be ready with a scrub and soap!

In his absence, I'm trying to prepare our place for Emily, from England, who will be passing through Kathmandu for work next week - a very fortunate coincidence. I'm also trying not to be too pathetic... being here has, in all humility, significantly increased my reliance on Clayton.
One happy event though is the safe arrival of Carol, here in a sari at our Bollywood party in Toronto. She will be working at Green Pastures Hospital for a year. She is here for a couple of days before she heads off to her new home in Pokhara.

It's great to see old friends in a strange place.

P.S. We will be putting up pics from our home etc... but we haven't been great at carrying the camera around... I'm sure Clayton will bring back fascinating pics from the village.

The Walk

As the kids are still responding in unison to their martial arts master nearby, my morning walk begins. My scarf is nicely placed over my head to keep my ears and neck warm. My hands are nestled in the end of my warm sweater. The terrain varies greatly. It ranges from dirt paths bordered by high brick walls with garbage here and there, to paved roads with higher density traffic involving large cars, motorcycles, loaded bikes and fellow pedestrians. One consistent characteristic is unevenness below my toes... wherever it is in Kathmandu, flexibility is a necessary trait for feet.

My head is usually looking down as I zigzag through this obstacle course, but not enough, mind you, to miss the interesting people I can meet on this path. Yesterday, I first came across Martin on his bike. He is a long-term INF staff, the mind behind many of INFs high quality promotional materials. A little later, I watch an elderly man with only one eye artfully manage the rocks and rubble with a worn stick. In a little shortcut, I see a young woman whom I recognize. I ask out loud: “Tapailai chinchu hoina?” (I know you right?)... well I was right, she was a certified medical assistant student in Ghorahi, who listened on to my lengthy rants about infection control on burn patients and giggled as I entertained sick patients and children with my (not so present) Nepali dancing skills. She was just visiting some friends for a couple of days, and there she was on my walk to work! As I come close to work, I pass by two little ganesha shrines... mothers, children, taxi drivers, business men all come and pay their respect with red powder as they head to their next planned activity, hoping for good luck.

After a long day at work, the walk home is different. The air is warmer and dirtier. As I close my teeth together, there comes the gritty sound of dust and dirt. My scarf is no longer around my head in a ‘Mary Magdalena’ type of pose, but over my mouth and nostrils to stop the larger dust particles from creating havoc in my lungs. No wonder Kathmandu is one of the most polluted cities around! There is honking from all sides. It seems to be a gesture to signify one’s motorized presence, but without any expectation of action. They beep, not because I’m in the way... but just because...

I walk pass many Hindu gods... Today, I noted a little shrine to Krishna, which had written upon it: Pollution causes Cancer. I wonder where that came from. School girls walking home in uniform, builders digging a foundation of a new house with a slightly off radio on, stray dogs all over who don’t seem to care about anything...

All of this is part of a 20 minute walk to and from work

Gender and social marketing

A billboard in the country side - representing the wide gender gap in Nepal.

It reads: "Will she be able to run with all those burdens, and still win the race?"

24 hours

24 hours later... it seems my husband is not a klutz after all! or else I have an iron stomach!
Either possibility is a good thing.

I may have poisoned my wife

You know the moment...

You're eating a lovely meal with your wife when you suddenly suspect that (by force of habit) you may have filled your water glasses with highly contaminated tap water instead of the filtered water? And then you glance at her half-empty glass and your still-full one? Sure you do.

Sigh... the next 24 hours will tell.

Blue Blooded Traffic

The sirens were clearly coming closer. As I looked over the back seat, I could see flashing lights coming from big black land-rovers. In the end of work traffic in Kathmandu, these three cars zigzagged to advance in traffic. A friend was artfully driving Clayton and I through maddening traffic to a communion service with fellow expats. As he saw this line of cars coming, his face became stern: “It’s the King’s son”. The cars approached and clearly wanted everyone to stop and make way for them. The traffic was so bad that they had to stop right beside up. At least 7 men ran out of the cars with ear pieces in place and pastel colored jackets on. Not the body building type – just the typical long body 30-year-old Nepalis. They were running around frantically trying to communicate to the army post ahead to make some space for this little convoy. The

middle car, a luxurious black car, had a young woman at the back messaging on her cell phone – I don’t know who she was… but evidently from the special blood line. As soon as the traffic started to move, their cars moved and the men ran to jump in to their vehicles. At that moment, the last land rover’s back door slammed into our car as it was opened… twice… Our friend started screaming: “Mero Gaadi (my car)! Mero Gaadi!” We were all flustered, but the convoy didn’t care.

As we kept on riding, our friend was still dealing with what happened, wondering if his car would have the scars from the royal encounter. He said that if it was anyone else, he would press charges, but he’s afraid of the Royal bunch. He also explained that he would have been much more lenient in his driving and would have made way if it had been the present governing bodies… but the royal family… that’s another matter…

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The royalty in Nepal have seen better days. The last decade could be seen as a real bloodline ship-wreck. In 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra (Clayton received a tikka from him in 1997!) shot 11 members of the royal family including the ruling King and Queen, who were well-loved. He then shot himself, but was declared King during his brief coma before he died. Following this, the present monarch, King Gyanendra (Picture), took the crown. In the last years, in the midst of the Maoist conflict, the King dissolved the government twice, the last time being right after my departure in February 2005. In the last year, the Maoist rebels have been integrated into the governing system. Only a few weeks ago, on Christmas Eve, all the governing parties and the Maoists agreed to abolish the monarchy… and instead of a Hindu Kingdom, Nepal will become a federal Republic later this year.

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All this to say… One drive in the busy streets of Kathmandu can be quite the insightful experience…

Romantic Kathmandu

He entered the room by the soft glow of emergency fluorescent lighting. The crushed Kleenex next to her pillow called him to bed. As he stripped off his long johns, his LED headlamp flashed over her face and his eyes flicked to her powder-blue heavy cotton pyjamas. She slowly removed her earrings and set them next the hot pink plastic bedside lamp.

As he climbed into bed, a whiff of volatile organic chemicals streaming from a newly purchased hot water bottle still off-gassing stole from beneath the layers of mismatched comforters. “My you smell nice”, he remarked. A dog barked alluringly in the distance as a two-stroke engine puttered by. Another romantic night in Kathmandu had begun...

ZZZZZZ

3 am... body says awake! Clayton is also in and out of that needed land of sleep. ARGH

Contrasting Nepali lives

Dogs are presently having barking matches in our backyard, car honking streams into our windows from all sides, and traveling fruit/veggie vendors call out at our corrugated metal entry way... As in all aspects of life, living in KTM is a whirlwind of sounds... When Clayton noted that he heard the Hindi ritual of 'internal cleansing' (better known as forced retching) this morning, I reminisced about from my time in Ghorahi and I honestly felt the pang of missing that very different land.

Kathmandu is SO very different from the rural Nepali life. As my boss says, KTM is a world apart from anywhere else in Nepal. Ghorahi had at most three residents who owned cars, whereas here people spend their whole salary on the purchase of a car. Ghorahi had strict rules for women's dress (favoring traditional dress of a certain length), whereas only a handful of my colleagues here wear kurta suruwal or saris. Nepali pronouns are used differently in KTM, where more intimate versions are used more readily.

On a professional note, it is fascinating to see 'real life' public health. My team is presently working towards engaging the needed stakeholders for our project on the private health sector... NFHP is so proactive at identifying and promoting buy-in from all sectors. Their linkages with the government are impressive. I was amazed that NFHP ensures appropriate channels for the education of parliamentarians, as a way of preventing devastating public health decisions from lack of information. First impressions being what they are, I am really impressed. Although my work appears well beyond my present capabilities (maybe understandable after 4hr night of sleep), I know that I will learn tons.

Circadian dysfunction and frickin' cold

So at 2:15am, both of us randomly woke up and haven't returned to dreamland since. Unless you count my day of dreaming of indoor temperatures that move into the double digits.

Concrete has an astonishing heat capacity, which means that even though it peaked at 25 C outside, I'm still typing this in my jacket. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Oh well.

I picked up a UPS today so that I can keep internet even during power cuts and also tasted the best samosa ever, so the day actually turned out pretty decently. It's my job now to keep C-A awake for the next 2.5 hours before we're permitted to sleep. Brr.

"Load Shedding"

n. sing. - cheerful euphemism for the power cuts that occur daily in Nepal, especially in Kathmandu. Lasts from 20 minutes to 10 hours. Necesitates generators in restaurants, or anywhere else that pitch blackness is not conducive to business. Ke garne?

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Jetlag successfully avoided, or almost. Kathmandu polluted and bustling with taxis, motorcycles, vendors, and stray dogs. Home is nice and even has hardwood floors in part, which is appreciated when the indoor temperature goes below 5 degrees. Cable tv and phone - unexpected bonuses. Internet at dial-up speed, for T1 prices.

First day of work for C-A - computer is set up and Nepali counterpart, Indu, is very nice. Not quite sure what my work will look like... but it seems I will be in the field sometimes!!! YEAH!!!

Clayton surprised me with my comfort drink after a day's work - a brisk gin & tonic! Cheers!

Leaving in 26 hours!

So Clayton and I will be bloggers... This all seems quite geeky. I guess birds of a feather do flock together. We are presently drinking a good bottle of red wine, not knowing whether our tastes will match Nepal's wine imports. I definitely want to stay away from "local wine"...

So we hope to keep you all updated on our life in Nepal through this blog! Hopefully, the internet will cooperate... caus' if it doesn't we will be very sad campers!
So here are two pics from our previous Nepali life... 11 years ago for Clayton and 4 for me!

My only comment is that some of us have changed more than others!