It is late here and like lunch at home. Acclimation to my current environment must not be complete. Acclimation to the world...always a game...
Today was a good day, like yesterday and tomorrow. I played tourist-not like typical tourist, but tourist like tour the city, get a better feel of the culture, and develop a better understanding of the people...like who may be at the hospital in need of help.
Today was a good day, like yesterday and tomorrow. I played tourist-not like typical tourist, but tourist like tour the city, get a better feel of the culture, and develop a better understanding of the people...like who may be at the hospital in need of help.
So the picture...this is Kathmandu from a higher view, the street level to come. Today we headed out to see the city with Santi (she is like the guide for those who live at the house). It was great to get out and see some of the city. There is something awesome about hitting the streets and seeing everyday life. Another thing that is becoming more and more awesome is travel by automobile. Holy S#!t. All I can say is IRT Deadliest roads seems crazy, but will not give you any insight to how the infrastructure works. I am honest when I say think of the craziest amusement park ride you have ever been on, you know one that gets your adrenaline pumping, and then multiply it by 2344534564364345. Seriously, it is the ride of a lifetime. We rode a bus and we rode a cab. Both were similar but yet different, like big crazy ride and smaller crazy ride. I may be slowly becoming a junkie for the Kathmandu Street Ride. One cool thing about the bus ride, was the chance to get packed in beside some kid who wanted to share his MP3 player (hey...you want listen?)...sure something to help calm the nerves that are present about me being ready to die when this bus hits the motorcycle, slides into the rickshaw, takes out the people, runs into the telephone pole, and then lands in the ditch...I love music...so me and dude rocked (note: each sharing one earbud) some 3 Doors Down I'm here without you baby and some Flo Rida...haha good times...probably for everyone on the bus who got to see a Nepali kid and an American dude failing at signing the songs out loud...
We made our way to Swayambhunath and it is so beautiful. It is really neat to see how people pursue their inner spiritual being. When you realize that all religions are the same and one or some are not better than another, you can really see the true spirituality of life...
This is Marisa (she is also a volunteer) and me at the beginning of Swayambhunath. It is such an awesome complex of Buddhist architecture, spirituality, colors, mantras, monkeys (it is known as the monkey temple), dogs, people, prayer wheels, nature, and peace. It is also a trek to remember. You pretty much climb a mountain as you start at the bottom (where the Chinese Buddha, Nepali Buddha, and Hindi Buddha are and and work your way to the top...
The trek is physically demanding, but all of the beauty you see along the way makes it worthwhile. Once you reach the top you realize why Buddha's eyes are at the top...
The above pictures are at the top of the trek and below is the Kathmandu Valley. (I can't upload anymore pictures right now, the internet is slow and it is late) From the top the only place to go is the bottom so we went back down and at the bottom, we walked through some neighborhoods, saw a lot of people, and dodged a lot of things with motors and wheels. Everyone has to go to Thamel...it is like Time Square, but Katmandu. All of the hopping around through a very unique and beautiful (unfortunately poor) city was a such a unique experience. There are a ton of pictures....if you want to see them all there will have to be a date set when I get back....
All of the sight seeing was great. Eating momo and drinking banana lasi, can't beat it. But the best thing about today was connecting with people and having conversation. After our journey, we met up with some NPO directors and talked about current needs and current plans about the projects that they are involved in. One of the most important things that I took from this is that humanitarian aid is a game. Are we ever going to fix the need for aid? Highly doubtful, if not impossible. What seems to be happening is the dependency for aid. People get aid and then live off of the aid. The game is not going to change. What can really help out is teaching people how to play the game. Educate people in need of how to obtain aid (English, Computers, Word/Excel, Phones, Social Networks, Email, Communication). People need to seek help and know how to turn their ideas for solutions to social problems into reality. There is a lot of pain in the world and there is the need for people (um like Westerners) to become part of the pain...give up your "perfect" life, become part of the pain (give up a holiday, spend some money, go out of your comfort zone) and help empower people to plan and properly manage the help the community needs. It is a difficult step for people who were born with everything (you think you are poor in America...haha...no you would be pretty well off in Kathmandu), but the step is well worth it. Humans are social. Part of this is working to make society better...and this includes everyone!
Great discussion. Great food (again). It turned into movie night, haha, I am severely out-numbered 5 girls 1 Trevor (ha, every guys dream...relax) I just join in and hang as part of the girls...I am house dad I guess...there is house mom (girl who has been in the house the longest and becomes pretty much a senior firefighter) and a house dad (the guy who has been in the house the longest) who kind of lock up and stuff...we are like Real World Kathmandu...minus drama
Tomorrow I am off to the hospital. I am going to rest...I have already lived the 12 and a half hours you are about to have creeps...guess what, they are great...you have to make it happen, things don't happen for a reason, you are the reason....Shuva raatri rascals
