Namaste!

Farewell Dinner

2009-07-29T00:01:00.006+07:00

So it is almost time to go...
Before all the sadness of leaving friends behind and realizing that it is over... I had an awesome and very festive farewell dinner!!
My friends from READ Nepal took me to a very cool restaurant with folk singing and dancing, sooooo interesting!!!
The restaurant is called Gandaki Dohari. Later I found out that dohari is the word for the kind of singing traditional in Nepal when a male and female talk to each other by singing. It is very beautiful and lively! (Parece um pouco com o Repente, mas é mais romantico e a plateia canta um refrão entre um desafio e outro)
Too bad I could not understand much of what they were saying (after two months, my nepali has not improved at all...one of the few things that did not happened as I have hoped...

The good thing is that we had the chance to dance, the bad thing is that it was really hard to learn how to dance Nepali style... But to be honest, I didn't care... I danced anyway, just feeling the music and enjoying that very special and unforgettable moment!

One thing I know is that Nepalese people know how to party and have fun! I only wish this had been my welcoming dinner... not a farewell dinner...

Thanks to all my friends that made the night unforgettable!!! I will keep practicing and maybe I will be better prepared for next time... :-)

Chetan and I

All of us dancing (or trying to..:-) )

Raju teaching me some moves... (my legs were sore for three days..)

Raju is a good teacher... unfortunately, I am not a fast learner... :-)

Sanjana and Pushpa

Changu Narayan

2009-07-27T16:58:00.006+07:00

Last Thursday, after visiting Bhaktapur, Lava took me to visit Changu Narayan temple. This temple sits on top of a hill and from the village surrounding it we can see the entire Kathmandu valley! It is breathtaking!

The Temple is very pretty and its origins and many of the stone sculptures around it date from the 4th century, during the Licchavi period. The Temple itself is from 1702, when it was reconstructed after a fire. The wood carvings are particularly amazing, it is different and very intricate.

Garuda statue dated from the 5th century

From Changu Narayan temple there is walking trail to Bhaktapur, which is only 4 miles to the south. Our guide in this visit, Lava's friend, was great and taught me a lot about Hindu images and culture.

I was very grateful to READ Nepal to have offered me this special treat, a visit to two amazing sites which I would probably have not had the chance to see if it wasn't for them!

Village of Changu Narayan

Bhaktapur

2009-07-26T12:03:00.011+07:00

Last Thursday, Lava, one of my colleagues at READ Nepal, took me to Bhaktapur, where he was born and raised and still lives to this day. Bhaktapur was another of the three kingdoms in the Kathmandu valley, before King Prithvi Narayan Shah unified Nepal in late 1700's.

So just as Kathmandu and Patan, it has its impressing Durbar Sq and Royal Palace and several incredibly beautiful temples and monuments. The entire old town has brick pavement, donated by Germany, which gives a very distinct appeal to the town, very, very pretty and charming.

Siddhi Lakshmi Temple, Chyasilin Mandap, King Bhupatindra Malla Statue and Vatsala Durga Temple at Durbar Square in Bhaktapur.

Golden Gate and 55 Window Palace, Durbar Square, Bhaktapur

Siddhi Lakshmi Temple

Shiva and Krishna Temples, Durbar Square, Bhaktapur

Some of the interesting sites to visit are the Pottery Squares, I visited two of them one in the east side and another, more famous and larger, south from Durbar square.

Pottery Square, on the east side of Bhaktapur

Pottery Square, south from Durbar Square, Bhaktapur

The impressive, and highest in the valley, Nyatapola Temple is breathtaking and the view from the top of its plataform is amazing!

View from the top of the Nyatapola Temple plataform, Taumadhi Tole, Bhaktapur.

My friend Lava, on an alley leading to Taumadhi Tole, where is the Nyatapola Temple, in Bhaktapur

Nyatapola Temple, Taumadhi Tole, Bhaktapur

Another attraction at Taumadhi Tole is the beautiful Bhairabnath Temple.

As if all these sights were not enough to make me fall in love with Bhaktapur, as we walked in one of the main streets of the old town, I came across a shop proudly showcasing the Brazilian soccer team uniform... that sealed the deal!

Officially, Bhaktapur rocks!!!

My little Nepalese friends

2009-07-23T10:06:00.003+07:00

These are my two little neighbors, Shraddaha and Sandhya. They also live here at READ office building.

They are really, really cute! The funny thing is that only since last weekend they became comfortable around me!

It is a shame that I am leaving next week...

Here they are with their mother, Gita.

This is Sandhya, she used to hide behind her mother every time I was around. Now she comes to my room, sits at a chair like a grown up and make beautiful drawings in my notebook.

This is Shraddaha, she was always more outgoing, but lately, we became really good friends, she teaches me Nepali words and I teach her English words. If I had been practicing like this since I arrived in KTM, I would probably be speaking a much better Nepali...

I will miss these two precious girls when I go home...

Another great week followed by great weekend...

2009-07-19T21:54:00.014+07:00

I had another great week working with READ Nepal. My project is going well and I am learning a lot with READ staff and volunteers. During the week I have been so busy that I have no time or energy at the end of the day to enjoy KTM. Lots of work and, the best, having fun with it! No doubt this has been a very special and rewarding experience. And time is going by really fast... specially now that my return is getting close...

READ Nepal Team

Over the weekend, I went to Basantapur with Chetan and Julie. Basantapur is the neighborhood where Julie lives, just south from Durbar Square. We first visited Kathe Simbu, one of my favorite stupas in Kathmandu, a relatively peaceful place between Thamel and Indra Chowk.

Kathe Simbu

From there we went to see the night market in Durbar Square and to a rooftop bar to see the sunset while drinking an Everest beer. After the beer and nice conversation, we met Julie's nepalese family and had dinner in a Newari restaurant close by. It was a great evening, not only because of the many KTM's attractions, but specially because I was in really great company!

Hanuman Dhoka and Basantapur Square

Julie and Chetan

Durbar Square and Basantapur Square, Kathmandu

Julie and I

Sunday, I went shopping, after all it is almost time to go home and it is now or never... so, following Sanjana's suggestion I went to the Bead Bazaar at Indra Chowk to buy bead necklaces. It is overwhelming, so many choices, all so beautiful, I was just like a kid in a candy store! After the necklaces, some pashminas and cute stuff for Raquel and my niece, Luiza.

(me fez lembrar os velhos tempos, indo na Feira da Av. Afonso Pena aos domingos para comprar bugingangas... bons tempos...)

Bead Bazaar, Indra Chowk

The streets were busy, as usual, and from time to time I had to stop and take pictures, hoping that they will help me never forget this amazing summer...

Shiva Temple, Indra Chowk

Seto Machhendranath Temple

Colorful and busy Indra Chowk

Asan Tole

From Asan Tole to Indra Chowk

Asan Tole

A visit to Patan

2009-07-13T10:30:00.020+07:00

This weekend I visited the city of Patan. Instead of taking a taxi, bus or tuk-tuk, I decided to walk. This way, besides the workout, I could also get to see some of the neighborhoods in Kathmandu I haven't had the chance yet, like Dilli and Bag Bazaar and Singha Durbar.

Walking around Kathmandu is always very interesting but my favorite day to walk is Saturday, because it is holiday there are few cars in the streets and less pollution.

The town of Patan is just south of Kathmandu, across the Bagmati River. It is the second largest town in the valley and it has amazing buildings and temples! My guidebook said more than 600 stupas and 185 bahals.. obviously I did not have the chance to see all them or check this information...:-)

I entered the town thru the footbridge at the Gaths of Sankhamul. Although it is a footbridge, animals, motorbikes and bikes take much of the space in this bridge, taking pictures and enjoying the scenery can be very dangerous...

Ghats of Sankhamul

From the footbridge to Durbar Square, I could see several stupas, temples and bahals. Among them the Northern Ashoka Stupa ( there 4 Ashoka stupas, one in each corner of the town) below. Ashoka was a famous Buddhist emperor, who ruled around 250 B.C.

Uma Maheshwar Temple

and Kumbeshwar Temple, one of the valley's three five storey temples. All of them very beautiful!

A little farther, I arrived at the impressive Durbar square. Truly beautiful!!!

Royal palace

Gorgeous wood carvings on Vishwanath Temple
Khrisna Mandir and its Garuda Statue (Garuda is the man bird that is Krishna's vehicle)

Entrance to Vishwanath Temple

I just loved the architecture and town of Patan, it is less crowded than Kathmandu and it has endless buildings and scenes to appreciate.

Naga Bahal, one of the many courtyards with hitis (water tanks) in Patan

Besides the fancy and famous temples, there are small and unpretentious temples everywhere I go... I love them and I like to observe how much they are a part of the Nepalese life.

Patan Dhoka (Gates of Patan)

On the way back, I crossed the Bagmati river on the main access Bridge, then I was back to the hectic traffic and crowded streets. This is what is fascinating about the Kathmandu valley, the scenery completely changes from one neighborhood to the next..

I walked past the National Stadium, Thundikel Parade Ground and Ratna Park arriving at the beautiful Rani Pokhari. To recharge the batteries I ate lunch in a nice Japanese restaurant in Sherpa Mall at Durbar Marg. I was so lucky that it only started drizzling when I was almost home, after a 17 km walk.

What a great way to spend the Saturday!

Ratna Park

Rani Pokhari

Another great experience

2009-07-08T20:53:00.010+07:00

Since I came back from the Regional Meeting in Nagarkot, I have been very busy with the preparation for the three day training I had planned to provide to READ Nepal staff and volunteers. The training was scheduled for July 6th, 7th and 8th. ( so yes, today was the last day!)

We discussed marketing, web and newsletter design, digital story telling, video and photo editing. It was very challenging to prepare a training so broad and encompassing so many different and interesting topics to be delivered in just three short days... It was hard on me and on the trainees, to endure long days and a lot of content in this July heat...I hope they were able to learn new skills that they can readily apply in their work.

I have learned much from this experience! And I am very grateful for the opportunity not only to share some of my knowledge and experience but also to learn from this very special group of people. I feel blessed!

Now it begins a new (and the last) phase of my IPSP. I am amazed as how fast time goes by, in 21 days I will be going back home...I know I will miss KTM and I am starting to feel the pressure to enjoy as much as I can while I can...

READ Regional Meeting

2009-07-04T10:22:00.010+07:00

This past weekend I participated in the first READ Regional Meeting. The meeting was in a hotel in Nagarkot, Nepal, and gathered staff members from READ Nepal, READ India, READ Bhutan and READ Global (the umbrella organization).
Nagarkot, located 32 km from Kathmandu, is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited and the Hotel Country Villa, where we stayed, is nestled in the mountains overlooking the Himalayas. Unfortunately, for the 3 days we were there, the entire region was filled with a heavy fog that prevented us from seen the mountain range in all its majesty.

The meeting was very productive and represented a great opportunity for READ members from different offices to get to know each other. Besides having workshop sessions from 9 am until around 6 pm everyday. There was also time for fun activities such as walk to a nearby village (coming back uphill to the Hotel we all got a ride on the back of a truck, it was such a great time!!!)

and a presentation of local Shamans.

I also had the opportunity to do a very brief Marketing presentation and share with the entire team some of the topics that I plan to discuss with READ Nepal next week.

After the sessions on Sunday we all came back to KTM for some sightseeing and a lovely farewell dinner, at Nepali Chulo ( Chulo is a traditional Nepali oven). During dinner, which in the traditional Newar style had several delicious courses, we enjoyed several folk dances, such as the peacock dance, and even a yeti "impersonator"... (kind of scary sometimes... but lots of fun!!!)

It was the perfect closure for a really great weekend! Who says work can not be fun!?!

Wish you were here

2009-06-23T23:15:00.018+07:00

Hoje, aparentemente sem motivo, me peguei cantando esta musica do Pink Floyd... Como não acredito em simples coincidencias ainda estou procurando entender as razões que me fizeram buscar esta musica no fundo do baú...

Talvez seja uma boa tradução para minha experiencia no Nepal... Tenho algumas teorias mas nenhuma parece completa ainda....varios significados em justaposição...

I will keep trying to fully comprehend it? In the meantime, I decided to add a link to an interesting live performance, for those that, like me, love Pink Floyd and can appreciate the meaning of this song..

I thought of putting a link to my favorite live Pink Floyd version... but then I thought it would be more Kathmanduesque to have Marillion (another of my favorite bands..) playing this Pink Floyd music and Steve Hogarth not really singing it because the audience does not need his help for that... :-) really cool YouTube video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHl4M2D6YUE

Wish you were here

"So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell,
Blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
Did you exchange a walk on part in the war, for a lead role in a cage?
How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl, Year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found, the same old fears.
Wish you were here"

And from there, I went straight to Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to heaven"...but that's another story...

A brief passage from a very interesting book...

2009-06-22T17:08:00.002+07:00

Today, while reading one of the books I bought yesterday I came across the following passage that seems very appropriate to what my classmates and I are currently experiencing:

"A journey, afterall, neither begins in the instant we set out, nor ends
when we have reached our doorstep once again. It starts much earlier and is
really never over, because the film of memory continues running on inside of us
long after we have come to a physical standstill. there exists something like a
contagion of travel, and the disease is essentially incurable."
(Ryszard Kapuscinski. "Travels with Herodotus")

Somehow, I feel that now, more than ever, I know exactly what he means and I am sure I am not alone in this understanding...

Week 5...

2009-06-21T22:04:00.003+07:00

... begins tomorrow...although it seems it began yesterday...
My past week was great, a lot of work, most of it productive.
All READ Nepal staff and volunteers are great! Unfortunately, due to the nature of my project I haven't interacted with them as much as I wanted. I hope this will change in the coming weeks when I will finally start the workshop sessions that I have been preparing. I think it will be a lot of fun and I am hoping they will get a lot out of it!
This next week is going to be a busy one, people from READ Global (from DC and Bangkok), from READ India and READ Bhutan will come to KTM for a Regional Meeting. Everybody is busy preparing for it and excited with the opportunity to share experiences and learn from each other.

Unfortunately this past weekend was not as good as usual... since Thursday I have been sick, with a cold (maybe it is the same "self diagnosed swine flu" that John and Emily got in South America...do you think that it could have been transmitted over twitter?). Sore throat, running nose, all the works.. I spent my Saturday in my room, what saved me was the herbal tea that Sanjana, my boss here in Nepal, gracefully offered me.. the tea was really good and by this morning I was already feeling better! So I decided to get out and walk out the cold...

I went to Thamel, bought three great books and a brazilian flag ( yes, you understood it right, here in KTM, the only problem is that it is Brazil with a Z and everybody knows that "meu Brasil é com S"..., but I couldn't pass the chance and bought it anyway..) then I had brunch a Pumpernickel Bakery ( ate a delicious Yak Cheese Sandwich).

On my way back home, I couldn't resist the wide selection of DVDs offered in KTM and bought a few for my night entertainment (I was resisting, until Todd bought The Shield, season 1.. so if he caved in, so did I... what to do? as they say here "Ke garne?" :-) )
With my backpack full of goodies, I made one more stop, to buy a "mala", a item on Flavio's wish list. For those who, like me, have no idea what a "mala" is (or might be thinking a luggage - mala is the portuguese word for luggage ) I will explain...

A mala is a string of 108 beads with one bead as the summit bead called a
'sumeru'.
It is a tool used to keep your mind on the meditation
practice. Malas are generally made from different materials such as tulsi
(basil) wood, sandal wood, rudraksh seeds or crystal. Each type of material
has certain properties which subtly affect the subconscious mind of the
practitioner.
(http://www.healthandyoga.com/HTML/product/malabeads.html)

In my case, Flavio asked for a rudraksh mala. I ended up buying two malas and making a new friend, Monu. He explained me a lot about the different types of rudraksh and invited me to have some dudhchiya with him ( as you know, I can't resist a dudhchiya).

This is Kathmandu, it is a place where people still take the time to chat and get to know each other, it is very refreshing!

After a nice walk through Lamzipat I arrived home and started reading one of the books I bought and I am loving it! It is from a polish journalist ( yes, Joanna, a very interesting fellow polish!), Ryszard Kapuscinski, the name of the books is "Travels with Herodotus". In it, he talks about his travels around the world while comparing to the writings of Herodotus 2500 years ago, beginning with India and China ( yes, Josh and Todd, I think you would enjoy the book...).

As you can see, I have been working, recovering from a cold, having fun, learning and thinking about (and following the blogs of) all my classmates around the world...

The only way it could get better was if Raquel and Flavio were here with me, specially when I was watching Hannah Montana: The Movie ( a terrible copy by the way...acho que as do Shopping Oi são melhores...) ...

It is all great here, but I can't wait "to find my way back to Tennessee"... :-)

Another weekend

2009-06-15T08:46:00.019+06:00

Now is early Monday morning and another work week begins, week #4 of my project with READ.
The weekend was very relaxing...

As it has become my routine, I took long walks through the streets of Kathmandu. I can't get enough! Even when I am taking familiar routes I still see new things and enjoy it from a new perspective... this is Kathmandu, a city full of surprises...

On Saturday, my main mission was to go to Indra Chowk to pick up my new Saree ( yes, it is true, I bought one! Not sure how to dress it or how I would look in it... but I definitely could not pass this opportunity...they are so beautiful!!!). I decided to take a different route and check the famous Durbar Marg.

Durbar Marg is the street (or avenue.. I never know here...) that leads from Ratna Park towards the south entry of Narayanhiti Palace. This is known as a fancy shopping and dinning area, where some of the more traditional hotels are also located.

On my way, I could once more see the HUGE lines to enter the Narayanhiti Palace. This palace was until last year the residence of the Royal family of Nepal ( and the place or the infamous massacre happened in 2001 when the crown prince of Nepal, Dipendra Shah, killed the entire royal family and then took his own life. This event created a serious succession problem and the a lot of intrigue, giving a big blow to legitimacy and strength of the Royal system in Nepal.

One of the side entries to the Palace

Long lines to visit the Museum

Main gate to the Narayanhiti Palace Museum

Since the end of the monarchy on May 2008, the royal family had to leave the palace and the government transformed it into a National Museum. Since its inauguration in, February 27th 2009, huge lines, of mostly Nepalese people, form in front of its gates every day.

No one that I have asked so far had yet visited the Museum, all want to go but think the lines are too big right now. Some people tell me that the issue is that only ten people are allowed in at a time!! That is not a recipe for shorter lines...

I would love to go, but I am not sure if I would stand for hours, in the heat, to see this palace... I will keep monitoring the line and try to find out the best time to try...

Durbar Marg is interesting... very different from other areas I had been in Kathmandu so far. A lot of western brands, nice restaurants, airline offices and hotels. It seems to represent the western dream of consumption and luxury...I will have to expand on that in some future post...

Back to my walk, I left Durbar Marg back to KTM, passing thru Jamal towards Asan Tole. Along the way, lots of traffics and noise, regular KTM lovely chaos and a very nice view of Rani Pokhari.

Rani Pokhari

Rani means Queen and Pokhari means small lake. This lake was built by King Pratap Malla, in 1667 to console his queen over the death of their son. According to my dear friend Chetan, this Shiva Temple only opens once a year, during the festival of Tihar, when all sisters offer puja in honor of their brothers.

Beautiful and peaceful place in the middle of all the chaos!! So interesting!!

From there to Indra Chowk passing through Asan Tole and enjoying the unique smell of spices... I wish I could describe it, but I think it is impossible... I can't help but think about all the spice caravans that always filled my imagination. I love the smell!! The big sacs full of seeds and the vendors in their colorful clothes and with their beautiful features just gives the finishing touch to the scene!

Got my Saree - beautiful!!!, bought some pashminas and scarves along the way (most of you probably already noticed that I love a scarves.. :-) I am having a hard time controlling my shopping impulses, and I think I am doing a fairly good job, after one month, it was my first scarf purchase... Are you proud, Flavio?...)

Happy with my new acquisitions, I wandered some more on the narrow streets between Durbar Square and Thamel and finally stopped at one of my favorite places to eat OR2K (again, more on favourite places to eat in a future post...) A nice and relaxing brunch, reading a good book and listening to very good music!

On my way back, I chose the route that crosses through Lamzipat, the area where most embassies and consulates are located. It is fascinating to walk and feel the different personalities and pace of each neighborhood.

Back home I took a nice cold shower and relaxed for the rest of the day, reading my classmates blogs (so funny and interesting!), news from around the world and doing some research and brainstorming for my project.

It was almost a perfect day... unfortunately Flavio and Raquel were in a farm with no Internet connection so I could not have my "daily Skype bliss" ( I am not sure what I would do here without Skype...)...

Well! I am looking forward to Monday when they will be back to the virtual world and only a Skype call away...

Working together towards prosperity

2009-06-13T09:19:00.008+06:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend the meeting of the NCLA - Nepal Community Libraries Association. Community library leaders from all over Nepal met at the World Trade Center in Kathmandu.

READ Nepal, the organization where I am working this summer, has built 45 libraries since its foundation in 1991. These libraries are built in partnership with the communities and they are located in the 5 different development regions of Nepal.

As I am learning from visiting some of them and reading about their history, these libraries are very diverse both regarding the size of the community as well as its proximity to other neighbooring communities. Some libraries are right along major highways while to reach others one needs to hike in the mountains for five days. In some ways they face very different challenges.

But they have more in common than might, at first, meet the eye. They all reflect the community commitment to education and development and they all became important institutions in their communities. In size, they sometimes look small (specially compared to the huge library system we have in the US) but their potential for promoting development in Nepal's striving society is immense!

An important step in moving forward towards realizing this potential is the creation of the NCLA. Together these libraries can find better solutions to their problems, learn from each other success and leverage their position in dealing with Nepali government, vendors and other non governmental associations.

I was very happy to be part of this important meeting and happier that between their nepali english, my little Nepali knowledge and lots of body language, I could understand more of what was going on than at first I expected. It was a very friendly, enjoyabel and serious meeting.

The future of this organization is very bright and I am looking forward to the great things yet to come from it!

Just another day in Kathmandu...

2009-06-10T20:26:00.010+06:00

Last Saturday I decided to continue my exploration of Kathmandu and its surroundings.
I left home around 11am and came back, exhausted, around 7pm. I spent most of the day walking and enjoying the beauty and magic as well as reflecting on the poverty and contrasts present at every corner.
I visited Boudhnath, one of the most important centers of Tibetan Budhism in Nepal and the world. The peace that emanates there is indescribable. The sound of the "om mani padme hum" mantra, that comes from the CD and souvenir shops around the stupa, complement the experience.
After walking around the stupa, turning the prayer wheels and observing all the tourists, monks and pilgrims, I decided to go to Pashupatinath, one of the most important Shiva temples in the world and the most important in Nepal. Pashupatinath is also very impressive, in its own distinct way. It is located along the Bagmati river, which is as important to nepali hindus as the Ganges is for the Indians. Along the river and in front of the temple complex, I could see the bodies of the deceased Hindus being cremated. Saturday is the weekly holiday in Nepal, so the temple area was very busy with people that came to cremate their dead, vendors and tourists like me.
On the way back, from Pashupatinath to Baluwatar, I observed the beautiful nepalese people and countless temples (that are everywhere in Kathmandu).

Clinton School

2009-06-07T20:04:00.004+06:00

Yesterday, as I was wandering in Kathmandu I came across a sign for the Clinton School...!!!????

Not the one of Public Service, but the "complete school" (as the sign says...)...

Dean Rutherford be aware of the competition!

In Kathmandu, you can find anything and everything!!!

It is unbelievable!!

Back to KTM

2009-06-07T09:07:00.009+06:00

After the trips to Pokhara and Chitwan, I am now back to Kathmandu. Now it's time to get some work done!
I wish I could visit more libraries, but I won't have time and I need to start working on my project. I am happy that I accomplished my goal of visiting at least 3 libraries. In fact, I went to 4 established libraries and to 1 in the building process. These first two weeks exceeded my expectations in every level!
Being back in Kathmandu also gives me the chance to resume my exploration of this fascinating city.
Starting with the bars... There is so much going on every night in Thamel, the main tourist area in Kathmandu, that I feel I could spend the rest of the year here and I would still have new places to discover.
Both Wednesday and Friday, I checked some of the bars featuring live bands.
Wednesday, Bob and I went to two different bars. First to a rooftop bar, which besides the rock band also offers a cigarette menu, and lots of smoke...

It gives a whole new meaning to the old Rush song, A Passage to Bangkok:

"Pulling into Kathmandu
Smoke rings fill the air
Perfumed by a Nepal night"

After a couple of Gorkha beers, we headed to a garden style bar, less smoke and still a nice band.The most popular style around seems to be rock but the repertoire ranges from James Brown to Jon Bon Jovi, from Collective Soul to Pink Floyd and everything in between. Friday, after eating a nice dinner at OR2K, Julie and I went to see a jazz band in a really cool place called Comfort Zone. Both places were very interesting in their own way, both good examples of the peace and quiet that you can find a staircase away from the busy and bustling streets of Thamel.

Over the weekend, I will continue my sightseeing, Bodhnath Stupa and Pashupatinath Temple are next on my list...

Rameshwor Community Library

2009-06-06T18:40:00.017+06:00

After completing the training in Jhuwani, our plan was to go back to Kathmandu early Monday morning but because of a "banda" in Kathmandu we had to change our plans and delay our return to Kathmandu to later on Monday afternoon.

A "banda" is the name Nepalese give to a strike. In this case, the strike was called by the Maoist to protest against the current political situation. Whenever a "banda" is declared, no store or business can be open and all means of transportation are also banned ( so no taxis, cars, buses or motorbikes on the streets). Usually it is a "peaceful" protest, it only turns violent when people disobey it and the Maoists activists try to enforce the "banda".

In Chitwan where I was, there was no "banda" so we could move from one village to the next and Pratima decided to take advantage of the opportunity and take me to visit yet another library.

In other words, I was lucky that there was a "banda" in Kathmandu!

So we woke up early, had our Daal-Bhat for breakfast, got a ride on the hotel car until the next village, Sauraha Chowk, and from there we took the bus to Narayangarh. We then took the rickshaw to the Rameshowr Community Library.

(Have you noticed how many different types of transportation one can take in one hour in Nepal? It is never boring around here!)

The library is located in Narayangarh, a community in the outskirts of Bharatpur.

The first floor of the library building has a meeting hall that can be rented. The income from this hall provides funding to cover for the library operating costs.

The library area is located in the second floor.

It is a lovely and vibrant library. During the two hours we stayed there, people from all ages came and went, reading books, reading the newspapers and using the copy machine.

Specially interesting was to observe the kids using the toys, reading story books and doing their homework.

The librarian was attentive, always taking care of everything and making sure that all were behaving appropriately.

It is a warm and peaceful environment!

The president of the Library Management Committee (LMC) stopped by and we talked for a while about the library and the challenges they face. He told me that the greatest challenge was to be able to become truly self sustainable, expanding their income sources in order to obtain enough money to continuously improve the services offered by the library.

In the middle of the afternoon, we left the library and walked to the "bus area", along the way, we stopped for Buff Momos, totally delicious and spicy!!
In fact the word Momo is one of the few words that I can promptly read in Devanagari! This knowledge is very convenient when you are hungry!

We took a micro bus that made the 4 hour long journey on the winding road along the Seti River towards Kathmandu.

The micro bus experience was very interesting... I am glad I had it.

It is very easy, being a foreigner, to be isolated from the real way Nepalese people live.

Experiences like this, doing what the people do, are, without a doubt, the highlights of my trip. This is why I came and I am very gra

teful to have some glimpses of the real Nepal.

There was one stop along the way, for dinner, in a very interesting place. Too bad I had eaten too much Momos in Bharatpur and I could not eat any of the fried fish and potato-patties.

Maybe next time...

Leadership Training - Jhuwani Community Library

2009-06-06T09:33:00.019+06:00

When I arrived at Sauraha bus stop, a guide from the hotel was waiting for me.

He took me to the hotel where Pratima and Biwas were staying: Eden Jungle Resort.

A lovely hotel with a very well cared courtyard garden. I dropped my backpack in my room and went to meet Pratima at the library. I was looking forward to visiting another library and watching the training.

The hotel guide drove me to Jhuwani library and, along the way, I enjoyed the new scenery.

The Terai region is very diferent from the rest of Nepal.

It is unbelievably flat!

You can see a mountain range in the distance, but everything else is flat. Almost every piece of land is cultivated, mainly corn and rice.

The dwellings are also very different, and as the guide explained to me, this region is mainly occupied by Tharu people, one of the many ethnicities that make up nepalese society.

The Tharus are the older occupants of this area specially because they have a natural resistance to malaria. This area has always been infected by malaria and the Tharus were the only people that could survive here.

It was only after 1950's, when there was a special effort to erradicate malaria in the Terai, that other ethnicities were able to settle here.

At the library, I found a very lively and enthusiastic group of people, around 20, all involved in several activities and breakout sessions.

They were in the middle of the fourth day of training and it was a really hot day! But it seemed as if none of that mattered... Their participation and eagerness to learn were amazing.

All the training was in Nepali so, despite all my effort to follow what was being said, most of the time I just had no clue...

Some of the powerpoint slides and activities helped me have an idea of what was the topic being discussed, but that was it!

Once more I was really sad I did not speak the language.

The bright side of it is that it allowed me to focus all my attention on observing how each member of the community interacted with each other and how they were participating in the program.

Nepalese people are very dedicated and interested in learning!

They also work well in small groups.

Most of all they are a fun loving and vibrant people! At times I wasn't quite sure if I was in a training session or a party!

I really enjoyed the experience! Nepal and its people never cease to amaze me!!

Trip to Jhuwani Community Library

2009-06-04T11:36:00.000+06:00

It has been almost a week since I last posted anything in this blog.
No doubt it has been a busy and productive week, full of new experiences.
Last week, right after arriving back from Pokhara I started planning my next trip. My goal was to join Mrs. Pratima Sharma at the Jhuwani Library, where she was providing a 5 day long training in leadership and strategic planning to the members of the Library Management Committee.
Jhuwani library is located close to the entrance to the Chitwan National Park (previously named Royal Chitwan National Park), one of the main tourist attractions in Nepal. The park was created in 1973 to preserve the ecosystem and to protect several species from extinction, among them the one horned Indian rhino, elephants, royal Bengal tiger and gangetic dolphins. Chitwan was added to the Unesco World Heritage list in 1984
Due to the challenges of transportation in Nepal, I had to wait until Saturday when I could obtain a ticket in the daily tourist bus that goes from Kathmandu to Sauraha, the main gateway to Chitwan National Park. This tourist bus is the best, more comfortable and safer land transportation option from KTM to Chitwan.
The bus scheduled departure time was 7 am on Saturday and the departure location, was not a bus station but one of the centrally located streets in KTM. At first I was worried that it would be difficult to find the bus, considering that there was not a gate, spot or any other precise indication of where to catch the bus... what a western mindset!!
When I got to the specified block on Kanti Path ( the name of the street) I found a line of buses and before I decided to ask, someone came to me asked where I was going (they could easily see that I was a tourist trying to get somewhere...:-) ) and gave me very good directions to where I could find my bus. This is what is interesting about Nepal, at first things look chaotic and unorganized to our western eyes until you find out that they only have a different way to organize things and that, in the end, everything works very well they way they do it.
The bus departed on time and thankfully it wasn't full. By my side, sat an American from Seattle that has just come back from a 14 day long trekking in the Annapurna range. He would soon be going to China and Thailand. He was really nice and we had a good time exchanging our experiences in Nepal. He gave me the contact information of the company that organized his trekking trip and it might be a good information in case I decide to try a fun expedition before I go back to US...
It was good to have someone to talk to and kill some time. The 169 Km( 104.8 miles) from KTM to Sauraha takes 5 hours!!! Even though the roads, Prithvi Hwy until Mungling and then Mahendra Hwy, are two of the main roads in Nepal, they are narrow, winding and in a really bad shape... It is a miracle that there are not more accidents...
As usual the scenery is unbelievably beautiful!! As the road leaves the Kathmandu Valley it abruptly goes down the Mahabharath Mountain Range and follows the valley of the Seti River. Pretty, pretty, pretty!

There was one stop at 9am for breakfast, during that time I got into a conversation with a very nice Nepalese young man that was also on the bus going to Sauraha. He asked me where I was going, when I told him that was going to visit the Jhuwani Community Library he became all excited and told me that he was a member of the library! He told me how much the library has been helpful in his studies and exam preparations and how much he enjoyed visiting it.

I couldn't be happier, it made me feel very proud to be working for an organization that elicit this kind of reaction in people!

What an auspicious start for my journey!!!

Republic Day

2009-05-29T11:57:00.000+06:00

Today is a very special day in Nepal, the celebration of the first Republic Day.
It has been a year ago that the Monarchy was abolished and replaced by a Republican system. There are several events planned, among them, this morning the recently elected PM Madhav Kumar Nepal laid the foundation stone of the Republic monument, at Ratna Park in Kathmandu.

Nepal no O Globo

2009-05-29T09:11:00.000+06:00

Olha que legal! Saiu uma reportagem sobre o Nepal no jornal O Globo.
Interessante para quem quer saber mais sobre o país, a cultura e atual situação política.
http://oglobo.globo.com/viagem/mat/2009/05/28/alem-das-montanhas-religiao-cultura-historia-atraem-turistas-ao-nepal-756073290.asp
Enquanto isto estou super atarefada, cheguei de viagem na quarta e, provavelmente viajo novamente hoje e só volto na segunda. Estou indo para a região do Parque Nacional do Chitwan, visitar mais uma biblioteca, Jhuwani.
Tudo aqui é super interessante e diferente, está sendo uma experiência muito boa! As vezes indescritível...
Ontem jantei na casa da Sanjana, diretora da READ Nepal, ela é Newari, e nos ofereceu um delicioso jantar Newari. Newari é uma das etnias do Vale de Kathmandu. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newar_people Foi uma noite inesquecível, conversando sobre os hábitos e costumes do Nepal e saboreando comidas simplesmente deliciosas!! No jantar também estavam presentes o pai e o marido da Sanjana, Bob Reno, Diretor da READ Global na Asia e Toni Neubauer, fundadora da READ Global. Pena que fiquei tao entretida no evento que me esqueci de tirar fotos... mas a noite ficará gravada para sempre na minha memória...

More Pokhara...

2009-05-28T21:28:00.000+06:00

On my second day of work, I woke up early to go back to Pokhara where we would spend the following night. Going back on the same winding road, we had again the chance to enjoy the scenery and even stop for some wonderful pictures of the valley and Mt. Macchapuchhare.
Arriving in Pokhara, we checked in at Hotel Barahi, a wonderful hotel located a half block away from Phewa Lake, in the heart of the tourist district of Pokhara. Then, Indra and I stopped for a delicious lunch at a Thakali restaurant in downtown Pokhara According to http://www.visitnepal.com/nepal_information/people.php the origin of Thakali is Thok Khola, a high valley in central Nepal along the Muktinath region. They have Mongolian features, a fair complexion and narrow eyes. Thakalis are divided into four major groups: Gauchan, Tulachan, Sherchan and Bhattacan. Their religion is a mixture of Buddhism, Hinduism and Jhankrism. They are known for their hospitality, good salesmanship, and cleanliness. Some say that when it comes to daal-baat, no-one does it better that the Thakalis of lower Mustang. As traders between India and Tibet, the Thakalis adapted dishes and together with local favourites, created a culinary tradition of their own. And I have to agree, the food was awesome! (I guess I already mentioned that Daal baat is delicious, right? but I can't say it enough... it really is! :-)

After lunch, we hit the road again towards Syangja, a district south of Pokhara, to visit the Laxmi Memorial Community Library in Putali Bazzar.
The road was again unbelievably beautiful: mountains, valleys and small communities along the way.

The library and community center are very nice and located at the heart of the village.

As their sustainability project they have storefronts, some rooms to rent, a meeting hall and they are currently in the process of building a radio station that will serve the community and generate additional income to sustain the library and fund additional community projects. I believe this radio can become a great asset to the community!

Once a again Flat Stanley and I checked the books in English, Hindi and Nepali. Flat wanted to check out a English Nepali dictionary, he thought it might come very handy in our current predicament...

Now Flat Stanley also wants to learn Hindi so that he can read the newspaper covers that Josh's posts on his blog... as if Nepali wasn't enough.. :-)

The children section was also lovely, full of toys, books, games and an inviting video area. It really is a very conducive environment for learning while having fun! Again I was grateful for the opportunity to visit the library and meet members of the community. I only wish I could speak Nepali so that I could talk to them directly... Indra was very good in translating everything and helping me, but I would have loved to be able to understand them and tell them how happy I was to be there.

Back in Pokhara, we went for dinner, drinks and debriefing in the lovely Cafes, bars and restaurant along the main road in the central lakeside area.

It was another perfect day at work!

My first day at work

2009-05-27T20:01:00.000+06:00

After 6 days enjoying and exploring Kathmandu, on Monday my work with READ Nepal officially began. And what a way to start a project!

I woke up early to catch the first flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara for a three day tour of READ libraries in the area. I went with Indra Bahadur Bhujel, program officer for READ Nepal and Bob Reno, Asia Managing Director for READ Global.

Pokhara is only a 25 minutes flight away from Kathmandu and it is major tourist destination. The city is located around the Phewa Tal (Lake Fewa), there are lots of restaurants, bars, cafés and shops, as well as many attractions from the Peace Pagoda and Varahi Mandir to paragliding and boating on the lake. Pokhara is the starting point for the famous treks in the Annapurna Range, so all over town you can meet trekkers either coming or going to the mountains.

Unfortunately on Monday, we had little time to enjoy any of that, after all we were there for work, not tourism. As we landed in the small airport of Pokhara we were greeted by our driver for the next two days and headed to our first destination: Myagdi Community Library. Before hitting the road, we briefly stopped at the scenic Boomerang Restaurant and ate a delicious breakfast enjoying the peaceful view of Phewa Tal.

I strongly recommend a visit to Pokhara and I hope to go back in the future to enjoy more of this wonderful town!

After breakfast, we started our journey to Beni. From Pokhara to Beni it is 73 km of narrow and winding road, and the beauty takes your breath away in every turn. Along the way you can see Mt Machhapuchhare (Fish Tail Mt.), countless small pagodas, temples, prayer flags and terraced fields. The journey took almost three hours, in paved and rough unpaved roads.

Along the way, I also practiced my Nepali skills talking ( or at least trying to talk) to Indra and our driver. They were so patient with my endless questions! I have a long, long way to go before being able to understand what they say, but I am working hard and I hope at least to be able to minimally communicate before this project is over! Nepalese people are so nice that I feel sad to miss the opportunity to directly interact with them...

Arriving in Beni, we checked-in in our Hotel and went to see the Community Library. Beni is the starting point to an alternative trek that leads to Jomsom, so it is a small town but very busy due to the trekkers and mules caravans coming and going to Mustang region.

Visiting this library was a great experience that allowed me to know a little more about the work READ does in Nepal. Thanks to Bob and Indra, who patiently answered so many questions, I have learned a lot!

I fully enjoyed every moment of it. Flat Stanley visited the library with me and enjoyed seeing the kids playing at the Children's Area, he tried to read some books, but like me, he still has a long way to go before understanding Nepali and

being able to read a book in Devanagari... :-)

We ended our day at the hotel, eating Daal Baat and sipping some Apple Brandy (produced in the mustang region), talking about READ work, learning nepali and nepalese culture and planning the activities of the following day. This is how work should be, hard and enjoyable! It was an awesome start!

I fell asleep listening to the sound of the Kali Gandaki river, right outside my window. I had to pinch myself to check if I wasn't dreaming... but then I realised that this was, in fact, a dream come true! I only wish I can come back some day to trek all the way to Jomsom and beyond...

Swayambhunath

2009-05-24T22:52:00.000+06:00

Mais um dia de passeios e muita caminhada. Esta stupa é muito bonita e vale a pena subir os 219 degraus para chegar nela. ( será que são só 219.. me pareceu mais...)

Sightseeing in Kathmandu

2009-05-23T23:13:00.000+06:00

I have been in Kathmandu for almost a week now. I love going to Thamel and Durbar Square and every place in between. The city is always full of people and in every alley and corner there is something unexpected. The contrasts are huge! This is a very unique city!

I put together some of the pictures I took in these past few days, they do not tell the whole story but they give an idea of what Kathmandu is... to experience the smells and sounds you would have to be here!

Namaste

Delicious food

2009-05-21T20:28:00.000+06:00

Food in Kathmandu is very, very tasty!
Mitho chha as I have just learned in my Nepali language lessons.

Nepalese people eat Daal-baat (translation:lentil-rice) twice a day, lunch and dinner.

The Nepali Thali has been my favorite choice for lunch and momo's for dinner. Nepali Thali is basically Daal-baat with the option of meat or additional vegetable. I have already tried

Nepali Thali with chicken and mutton and both were delicious!

Momo's are tibetan dumplings and you can also choose the filling, I have tried chicken and buffalo (they call it, buff momo). Both delicious!

Flat stanley is also enjoying all these meals with me and if it goes on like that he will not be flat for long... :-)!

These pictures were taken at Trendy Cafe, a restaurant just around the corner from READ.

Traffic in Kathmandu

2009-05-20T10:15:00.000+06:00

It is a miracle that things work so well as far as traffic goes here in Kathmandu. The streets are really narrow, they are almost always two-ways, there is almost no sidewalks and no traffic lights. And there are lots of people, animals and vehicles of all kinds in the streets.
All they have are horns, practice, skills and, most of all in my opinion, a lot of luck.

Nepalese drivers are very good and space seems to have different properties here in Kathmandu.
From my ride from the airport to the office yesterday I was amazed by the traffic. There are lots of motorcycles, and I can't blame them for that, it is for sure the best means of transportation here.
In the afternoon I decided to walk around the neighborhood. What an adventure! Then I could see traffic issues from a different perspective.

The amazing thing is that everything works! And after a while you get used to walk in the middle of the street with all vehicles horning at you and it becomes such a great and fascinating experience! There are always a lot of people walking and nobody seems to care about all the cars, motorbikes, tuktuks and bikes and the lack of sidewalks. After 10 minutes I also got used and found walking around a very rich experience!
This morning, as I was reading the news a found this article, it explains a lot.. and I can't wait to travel next week and experience it first hand!
http://www.nepalitimes.com.np/2009/05/20/220

Aproveitando Kathmandu

2009-05-20T08:46:00.000+06:00

Até agora está indo tudo muito bem.
O dificil é nao falar e nem entender nada do que eles falam... nem ler dá, pois é tudo em Devanagari... estou uma completa analfabeta...
Hoje começo minhas aulas de Nepali, pelo menos um básico já iria me ajudar bastante...
Estou morando na casa onde é também o escritório da READ ( estou trabalhando de casa ou morando no trabalho, ainda não sei...). O quarto é ótimo, tem geladeira e microondas, mas com tantas opções de restaurantes e lanchonetes em volta, acho que nem vou usar eles muito.
Aqui também na casa, tem uma moça que mora com as duas filhas, uma de 2 e outra de 4 anos. Pena que ela só fala nepali, então nossa comunicação é bem precária ... (isto porque sou otimista :-) ) Mas ela me trouxe jantar ontem e chá hoje de manha. Ela é muito simpática, estou doida para poder conversar um pouco com ela.
O meu jantar ontem foi uma comida tipica, chamada momo (nao tenho a menor idéia de como se escreve, mas é assim que fala). É uma delicia! Parece Gyosa. Se não estivesse tão cansada teria tido a idéia de tirar uma foto para mandar para vcs.
No almoço, o pessoal aqui do escritório me convidou para ir comer com eles em un restaurante, comi Nepali Thali de frango. Thali é o nome que eles dão para refeição. Vem uma travessinha de arroz branco, uma travessinha de frango com curry, uma travessinha de verdura refogada, uma travessinha de molho de lentilha e uma saladinha. (dever ter a versão prato feito tb, ainda nao sei..) É muita comida e dá para dois, ainda bem que o povo aqui não faz cerimonia e o que nao consegui comer eles comeram. Estava uma delícia!! Ainda bem que o restaurante, chamado Trendy Café (nada nepalés não é mesmo, a vantagem é que dá para eu ler e entender o nome! e o cardapio não é em devanagari), é na esquina, posso repetir sempre que quiser.
A tarde também saí para uma volta e como falei (na entrada em ingles, abaixo) a experiência merece um blog exclusivo... aguardem...
As flores que estão nas fotos que inclui abaixo são do jardim da casa e eles me deram em um bouquet como boas vindas assim que cheguei. Nepaleses sao de forma geral muito simpáticos, prestativos e calorosos!

Flying to Kathmandu...

2009-05-20T06:09:00.000+06:00

This is how my journey begins...
At the Little Rock airport, I requested that my checked luggage be sent directly to Kathmandu but was informed that it could not be done because I was flying in two different airlines…
After heartbreaking farewells, I embarked on my first flight from Little Rock to Houston. Arriving in Houston, I found out that my checked luggage was missing… not a good start…
Fortunately, I am always positive and I chose to interpret it as sign that what had to go wrong had already gone wrong, so from that point on no more problems would come up…
After registering the missing item complaint and having tons of trouble explaining how addresses in Nepal work, I concluded that the best way to retrieve my luggage as soon as it would get to KTM was to go to the airport and pick it up myself…
Being persistent, I decided to wait a little longer and see if my luggage would come on the following flight from Little Rock, the Continental attendant discouraged me saying that the system indicated that my luggage had been load to the flight that I had come in. I decided that the inconvenience of waiting some additional 30 min at Baggage Claim area far outweighed the benefits of having clothes to wear while in Kathmandu. My persistency paid of and to my relief and great joy, my luggage has finally arrived. I was late for my check in at Qatar Airways but very, very happy!

Off I went to the Qatar terminal and without any more problems safely boarded my flight from Houston to Doha, Qatar.
The 15+ hour flight was really good, besides an excellent service, it was only half full, so I had extra seats to stretch and comfortably sleep.
The lay over at Doha airport was also uneventful, although for some reason the internet connection was less reliable that I hoped for. Doha Airport is nice and spacious and with many amneties.

From Doha to Kathmandhu the flighted was packed, not one seat empty. Thankfully this flight was much shorter and I was seated beside a 24 year old nepalese that attends college in Minnesota. So I took the opportunity to learn more about nepalese culture and history. It was a very good and interesting conversation. The food was again great, although by that point I wasn't sure if it was breakfast, lunch or dinner... three different time zones can really be confusing..

The descent in KTM is so, so beautiful!! The mountains, the fields the buildings is a very pretty combination.

At the airport, I was scanned and interviewed by health officials, thankfully I had no fever and they only asked me to get in touch in case I developed any sintomes while in Nepal.

Pushpa, from READ, was waiting me at the airport and we took a taxi to go home. I will be staying at READ office. So I am working from home! :-)

Traffic in Nepal is crazy and I hope to blog about it in the future... it was a fun trip home.

READ office is very pretty and my room is very confortable with two windows for a really pretty garden.

Life is really good!

I am missing Raquel and Flavio in every step of the way, it is the first time that stay more than three days away from Raquel and when I think about her I have a really hard time figuring out how I am going to manage this aspect of an otherwise very exciting endeavor.

Last days in Little Rock

2009-05-17T21:04:00.000+06:00

Namaste!
It has been a crazy week... lots of fun and lots of work! Exciting times, enjoying my family and getting ready for Nepal.

On mother's day, Raquel had a ballet recital, what a wonderful mother's day gift!

During the week, Raquel and I colored Flat Stanleys, read books together and watched all the videos of Flat Stanley around the world (posted by my awesome classmates). It was so much fun!

On Thursday, it was Raquel's graduation. Flavio and I were so proud!! Time really goes fast!

Now it is packing time...
It is finally sinking in... and with a vegeance.... Did I really think it through when I signed up for this?!?
I am excited about the summer but so, so, soooo sad to leave Flavio and Raquel behind.... I wish they could come with me....Life is full of tough choices and I only hope I made the right one...
I am leaving Little Rock today at 3pm, Houston at 8:30pm, stopover in Doha, Qatar for 51/2 hours (lots of time to read and study my Nepali phrasebook :-) ) finally arriving in Kathmandu at 8:30 am May 19th.
Kathmandu time is 10hrs and 45 min ahead of Central daylight savings time and 8 hrs and 45 min ahead of "hora de Brasilia".
I will write again from KTM!

School is over...

2009-05-08T20:38:00.000+06:00

... , at least for now, and all my attention is now on my IPSP in Nepal!
10 days and counting and there is still a lot to be done!
But before jumping to the next phase it is time to be thankful for the great experiences at the Clinton School this past year! I will surely miss all my classmates, classes and professors. The lessons learned will be with me wherever I go...

It is very exciting to see all of us going to different and exciting places. Our pictures in the map look really cool. I wish all lost of luck and success!
Namaste!

Mudando o nome...

2009-05-06T22:09:00.000+06:00

Em homenagem a todos os emails e comentários recebidos, resolvi mudar o nome do blog - "Namaste!" é sem duvida mais interessante e significativo do que "Viviane in Nepal". Vcs nao acham?
Para que todos se beneficiem das contribuições do Marco e do Julio vou incluir parte das contribuições deles.

Namaste, se a Globo estiver certa, significa: “O Deus que habita em mim
saúda o Deus que habita em você”. (agradecimentos ao Marco Tulio com
assistencia da Globo)
Namastê ou namasté (em sânscrito: नमस्ते, [nʌmʌsˈteː]) é um cumprimento ou saudação falada, bastante comum no Sul da Ásia. Namaskar é considerado uma forma ligeiramente mais formal, mas ambas as expressões expressam um grande sentimento de respeito.
Utiliza-se na India e no Nepal por hindus, sikhs, jainistas e budistas. Nas culturas indianas e nepalesas, a palavra é dita no início de uma comunicação verbal ou escrita.
Contudo, o gesto feito com as mãos dobradas é feito sem ser acompanhado de palavras quando se despede. Na ioga, namaste é algo que se dirá ao instrutor e que, nessa situação, significa “sou o seu humilde criado”.
Literalmente significa "curvo-me perante ti"; a palavra provém do sânscrito namas, "curvar-se", "fazer uma saudação reverencial", e (te), "te". ( agradecimentos ao Julio com assistencia da Wikipedia http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namaste)
Os dois estão oficialmente contratados como meus acessores na publicação do Blog e demais assuntos referentes ao meu projeto no Nepal. Namaste!

Changing the name

2009-05-06T21:34:00.000+06:00

Following a lot of curiosity and interesting discussions triggered by a recent salutation I used on one of my emails to my family, I decided to change the name of my blog for the first time... ( I am wondering if this will be the last...)
Namaste is a very beautiful word and the common salutation used in Nepal ( and south Asia in general). Although its origin and meaning have religious significance, coming from Hindu and Buddhist traditions, it is widely used with a more secular undertone.
From http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/namaste/ I found this definition:

Namaste is a composite of the two Sanskrit words, nama, and te. Te means you,
and nama has the following connotations:
To bend
To bow
To sink
To incline
To stoop
...
Hence by performing namaste before an individual we recognize the divine
spark in him. Further by facilitating our partaking of these divine qualities,
namaste makes us aware of these very characteristics residing within our own
selves. Simply put, namaste intimates the following:
"The God in me greets the God in you
The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you"
In other words, it recognizes the equality of all, and pays honor to the
sacredness of all.
This is a great theme and inspiration for my experience in Nepal, it appropriately describes the attitude that we all should have towards life and all people we meet along the way. It is a powerful reminder of all that unites us and all the possibilities present in each encounter in our lives.
I truly hope to incorporate these values and attitude not only in the next three months but in everything I do.
Namaste!

The beggining...

2009-05-05T09:03:00.000+06:00

Today I begin my blog... not much to post yet because I am still in Little Rock and not even sure if the situation in Nepal will allow me to go...
But I am trying to be positive... in 2 weeks I will be arriving in Kathmandu! I can't wait!
In the meantime, I have yet to finish my final projects..