[ Monday ]
Monday was a day of intense work! I finished another city -- Darjeeling -- in one day! That means 3 out of 8 cities written! :)
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| This little gecko was in my room Monday night! I faced a very large moral dilemma with whether or not to let it live -- a dilemma that eventually resulted in setting out a dried cranberry for it and not being able to find it again... |
[ Tuesday ]
Tuesday was an absolutely wonderful day. I awoke at 5:15 am to meet Neha at Craftmandu (isn't that a creative name??), where we started our run! It was so amazing to be out running again; I didn't think I would miss it so much! Afterwards I had breakfast with Solene and Borris, the two new French people working with the organization that Laeti worked with. They are both so sweet and fun to talk with, especially after a week of lonely breakfasts! Mid-morning, I went to Dochaima Cafe with Olivia and Nick to interview Dipak Gyawali, the former Minister of Water for Nepal. It was incredibly interesting to speak with him as he has also studied these stone spouts! By the time we finished, it would have been too late to get lunch from ICIMOD, so we stayed and I enjoyed a BLT from this cafe! :) We arrived at ICIMOD in time to watch a presentation from Green Angels, a program that's part of the Himalayan Climate Initiative (HCI). Green Angels rescues trafficked sex workers and provides them with food and housing while training them in basic skills like sewing. They can then use these skills and, paid by HCI, create cotton bags to replace the plastic bags found throughout Kathmandu. It is such a great initiative as it works with both women empowerment and reducing pollution. Everyone who spoke was so passionate about what they were doing -- I would really love to work for a program like this, with people like them, someday. They even had a former Miss Nepal with them; she was a great speaker! All of the pictures and presentations were top notch, and senior members of ICIMOD were saying that this was one of the best presentations that they have seen. I agreed (even if I have only been to a few others! :)). If you would like to support their initiative, visit: http://www.hamribahini.net/. Tuesday evening I had dinner with Katrin and Ashok; they leave Friday for Germany, so we only had a few days left! Shanghai Knights (one of my favorite movies) was also on! :) That night I skyped with Mur and Michaela; it is always wonderful getting to talk with them! :)
It was really a great Tuesday. :)
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| It is a little picture-less up here, so please, feast thine eyes upon the glory that is STREET ART CAT. |
[ Wednesday ]
Wednesday, Neha and I went on another run past the zoo! We weren't able to catch a glimpse of anything, but I am really interested as to which animals Kathmanduites would put in a zoo! That day, Olivia, Nick, and I interviewed a man from Rotary Club who had been an engineer on the Melamchi Water Supply Project (this is a very multifaceted and interesting project to look into if you have the time!). He had helped to restore a stone spout, and he had a ginormous collection of photographs of hitis that he shared with us! At most interviews, women come in serving tea or food. I am always so worried about my immune system not holding up, but so far so good! :) Wednesday night I had dinner at Cafe Ghangri with Borris and Solene; they were so much fun to be with, and we were absolutely stuffed by the end! Right after, Borris and I went to play Futsal (right next door!). There were enough people for two teams and one substitution on each team, which meant an hour and a half of almost non-stop running! It was so tiring, especially after having just finished dinner! Nonetheless, I scored a goal that night! Nevermind the three that I let in as goalie...an official score isn't kept, though, so no worries (and I did not play goalie again!!).
[ Thursday ]
On Thursday we interviewed two people: the head of the Department of Archaeology and a researcher from ISET. The first interview was really helpful because it clarified the legal side of things for Nick! Both were highly intelligent and well-spoken women -- it was so great to see! :) Right after work I went to get a present for my hosts! Unfortunately, Dochaima Cafe was out of Katrin's favorite: chocolate cake. Thus, I went with the second best option: a slice of every single kind! I surprised Katrin and Ashok with the box of assorted heaven and they absolutely loved it. :) For dinner I went out with Neha and her friends (who were so inclusive and funny!) to Durbar Marg, or Kingsway. It is an anomaly in Kathmandu, with its well paved and open spaces surrounded by bright LED billboards and lighting. It was the first time in Kathmandu that I've seen any fast food places that you would also find in Iowa! It had...
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| A KFC! A Pizza Hut! |
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| And a Baskin Robbins! |
But we were not there for the fast food -- we went to a restaurant that served delicious thakali food (I'm not sure of the history but I think it is associated with a caste here). I had a thali set, which was a huge silver platter with a mound of rice in the middle, two small bowls of soup to go with it, and other little things around the outside!
It is like a mini buffet; the waiters come and refill anything you would like more of (except for the specialty soup!). We also tried the traditional salted butter tea. It is indeed salty, but we all agreed it wasn't nearly as bad as we had expected. :) To top it off, we actually went to Baskin Robbins for ice-cream! The flavor 'Belgium Bliss' is appropriately named. :)
[ Friday ]
Friday included another run, but instead of heading to the office afterwards, I was picked up to go to the field! We had a translator, Raju, who was so friendly and even asked great questions that weren't part of the interview! The first interview was with a manager of Sundhara Hiti (known for its golden spouts).
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| In one of the interviews, Raju translated that "the frog had begun crying again." He explained that that was how the women was describing the spout pictured here once it had water again! |
As we were sitting and listening in the courtyard, a dog would run in and another man would chase it out, repeatedly! Eventually, the dog just peaked in and as the man stood it would turn and scurry off.
Of course that wasn't the most interesting part, but it was really humorous to watch! :)
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| From left to right: Nick, Me, Raju, Olivia, and then the two men we interviewed! |
We conducted three other interviews with users. The first was with a woman who no longer used the spout because she could afford other sources of water. The second was with a group of grandmothers who were absolutely adorable!!!
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| Pictures for proof! :) |
They joked around with each other and Raju, telling us about the legends, history, gossip, and playful jesting that occur at the stone spouts. I wanted to stay with them all day. :) Finally, we interviewed a shop-owner who also rented apartments! Each interview provided a very unique perspective on water supply and the hitis -- it made for an incredibly productive morning! I made it back to ICIMOD in time for lunch and remained there for the rest of the work day! After I was dropped off @Home, I went to Cafe Soma with Neha and exprienced THE Browniccino. It is the house special (as denoted by parenthesis in the menu). It is also the most delicious drink I have ever had the pleasure of drinking. Let me break this down for you: they start with a shot of espresso, add two cups of ice, and a brownie. They then blend it into what would already be an incredible treat, but why stop there? The Browniccino is topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, making it the most chocolatey, icy, and sugary drink ever. It is euphoric. I also tried some of the chocolate thickshake, and it almost rivals the Browniccino. They are both beautiful creations. For dinner, Prabesh and I went to Patan to a restaurant overlooking the square! It was really beautiful! :) We talked extensively on the political beliefs of Americans -- did you know that Nixon had made an agreement with the Nepalese King in 1973 to ban cannabis in Nepal? Some of the older generation must remember, but I had never heard that and found it incredible -- especially as states begin to legalize it! As Prabesh put it, America made Nepal more backwards and then became more forwards.
[ Saturday ]
Saturday we went to even more hitis! A different translator, Gyan, was with us today; he was so energetic and enthusiastic the entire time! Before translating he would start with, "wow, this is very interesting!" In the morning we met with the leader of Nagbahal Hiti.
***I was very shutter happy Saturday, so there are many pictures!***
They have a very well thought out system set up, and the community even has activities so that they can provide for themselves economically. The leader was so knowledgeable; we ended up spending three hours with him! The only reason we ended was because another interview was lined up for 11am with the leaders of Amrit Hiti. They showed us a few of the spouts that they run, including Washa Hiti, which is revered for providing medicinal water.
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| Amrit Hiti |
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| The sign above Amrit Hiti. (Basically saying "UN was here") |
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| Washa Hiti |
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| An abandoned hiti :( I think its name is Buincha (grasshopper). |
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| Dathu Hiti |
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| We took this spiral staircase to the office of the hiti managers. It is gated so that they can turn on and off the supply of water! |
The reoccurring theme with these men was that they had come from a low caste and were very uneducated, but that they felt in their hearts that they must provide for the community. Thus, they stayed when many others left and have taken care of the hitis (mostly through unpaid labor). They also worked very hard to get into office jobs, where it is easier to protect and fight for the conservation of the hitis. Each hiti has had a very different form of management so far, but they all stress how important the community is. After this interview we rejoined with the man from Nagbahal Hiti and he showed us some of the important spouts and tanks for their system. We also got to see some of Patan's sights!
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| My camera could barely handle how bright it was! It was an absolutely gorgeous day. :) |
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| There are small taps along this wall so residents can obtain water closer to home! |
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| I found this scene really interesting; even around shrines that are motionless and centuries old, children are playing the energetic and modern game of futbol! |
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| Nepali graffiti! It seems everywhere people feel the need to stake their claim with their name. |
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| What?! A waterfall? What is this doing here?? |
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| We also went in the back way to the Golden Temple! |
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| This mandala is above the entrance. |
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| I thought this was hilarious! The different advertising methods, along with the language, are really funny. :) |
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| If I understood correctly, this stone gave Lalitpur its name? (I probably didn't understand correctly) |
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| BAM! Banglamuti Temple! (The next few pictures are within its premise!) |
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| Nepali followers, help please. Why are they burning the plates? |
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| We also passed by a wood carving store that was really neat! |
That is all I have for you so far! See you on the flip side. :)
Peace and love,
Abby
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