The Peace of Kathmandu
Serendipitously I arrived into Kathmandu on Peace Day-- a celebration day declared by the government on the heels of the 8-pt Peace Agreement signed between the Maoist group and the 7-party alliance. The organization I am collaborating with, Youth Action Nepal (YOAC), is being catapulted further along their virtuous mission by this long-awaited breakthrough. All hope to move beyond the 10-year period of violence that has cost the lives of over 13,000.
Given the brevity of my time here (3 months), I carry a constant mental monitor that maintains my focus on my primary goals at this point: to thoughtfully engage in a cultural inquiry that will guide my thoughts and actions in a new land, and to develop a niche in which my talents can best meet the needs of the organization that has so graciously welcomed me in.
Friday I was privileged to be a part of a critical planning meeting for the upcoming Nepal Youth Social Forum that Youth Action Nepal is initiating. Leaders from several youth organizations came together sitting on square colorful pillows circled around the floor of one of the meeting rooms. They were speaking in Nepali, which I am slowly attempting to learn, so I was only generally aware of the basics of the discussion. Many times English words randomly glitter their sentences, giving me some further insight. All speak some English to some extent, which I am grateful for...
But I can't express deep enough how inspiring this movement of young people is... this December 30-31, they aim to bring together 300-500 youth from around the country, and have as priority incorporating all marginalized groups in an effort to ensure their voice in the new Constitution to be written next year. Their way of interacting with such respect and integrity, the passion and dedication with which they work, and the inclusiveness and breadth of their vision, all bring to forefront several questions-- what is the essence of this movement? What factors align to contribute to this hopeful energy? The sacredness that pulses here, or the large number of Nepali that are pushed to migrate in search of employment and are thereby exposed to new and different perspectives... what is it about here and now?
I have been gifted an immediate sustenance with which to live and breathe these questions. My new Nepali family consists of Rupa, a 24-year old young woman who is a strong and daring social activist, and her two sweet brothers, Nirmal (22), and Manish (19). Also just down the dirt road is Arun, Rupa's best friend and secretary of YOAC, and Tom, an Israeli youth also interning with YOAC. They nourish me by answering my infinite spiral of questions and filling me with plenty of rice, lentils, curry, chai tea, pickle, and all the small surprises uncovered in the immersion experience. We live in two rooms on the 3rd floor of a neighborhood in central Kathmandu. It is a simple existence, although we have several amenities (such as a solar water heater on the roof that allows for a warm shower during several corresponding hours of the day) that most others do not enjoy. It is insightful that the family I live with is Brahman caste, the highest of them, yet nonetheless have to strategically limit their purchase of fruit, for example...
You can imagine their are endless more stories as I move into my 5th day in Nepal, but my fingers tire on this old keyboard at a cyberspace that I use for 10 rupee an hour-- that's 14 cents. Not limited by money, clearly, but the mystery outside calls for me to move out and discover.
Namaste.
Given the brevity of my time here (3 months), I carry a constant mental monitor that maintains my focus on my primary goals at this point: to thoughtfully engage in a cultural inquiry that will guide my thoughts and actions in a new land, and to develop a niche in which my talents can best meet the needs of the organization that has so graciously welcomed me in.
Friday I was privileged to be a part of a critical planning meeting for the upcoming Nepal Youth Social Forum that Youth Action Nepal is initiating. Leaders from several youth organizations came together sitting on square colorful pillows circled around the floor of one of the meeting rooms. They were speaking in Nepali, which I am slowly attempting to learn, so I was only generally aware of the basics of the discussion. Many times English words randomly glitter their sentences, giving me some further insight. All speak some English to some extent, which I am grateful for...
But I can't express deep enough how inspiring this movement of young people is... this December 30-31, they aim to bring together 300-500 youth from around the country, and have as priority incorporating all marginalized groups in an effort to ensure their voice in the new Constitution to be written next year. Their way of interacting with such respect and integrity, the passion and dedication with which they work, and the inclusiveness and breadth of their vision, all bring to forefront several questions-- what is the essence of this movement? What factors align to contribute to this hopeful energy? The sacredness that pulses here, or the large number of Nepali that are pushed to migrate in search of employment and are thereby exposed to new and different perspectives... what is it about here and now?
I have been gifted an immediate sustenance with which to live and breathe these questions. My new Nepali family consists of Rupa, a 24-year old young woman who is a strong and daring social activist, and her two sweet brothers, Nirmal (22), and Manish (19). Also just down the dirt road is Arun, Rupa's best friend and secretary of YOAC, and Tom, an Israeli youth also interning with YOAC. They nourish me by answering my infinite spiral of questions and filling me with plenty of rice, lentils, curry, chai tea, pickle, and all the small surprises uncovered in the immersion experience. We live in two rooms on the 3rd floor of a neighborhood in central Kathmandu. It is a simple existence, although we have several amenities (such as a solar water heater on the roof that allows for a warm shower during several corresponding hours of the day) that most others do not enjoy. It is insightful that the family I live with is Brahman caste, the highest of them, yet nonetheless have to strategically limit their purchase of fruit, for example...
You can imagine their are endless more stories as I move into my 5th day in Nepal, but my fingers tire on this old keyboard at a cyberspace that I use for 10 rupee an hour-- that's 14 cents. Not limited by money, clearly, but the mystery outside calls for me to move out and discover.
Namaste.
posted by Amanda Joy at 7:42 PM
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