Henriika and the break of day

My Nepal

2010-02-16T08:09:00.001+03:00

Big cities and small villages

The greenness of rice fields

Bus boys shouting

Mountains

Smells and tastes

The village of Khokana in the morning

Street dogs

Moments at work

Rubbish at the side of the roads

Stupas

Sounds

Traditions

Animals

Loo Niva

Symbols

People you meet

and who become your friends

Life without electricity

Guns around you all the time

Specific colors

Old and modern side by side

Countless new experiences and precious memories.

Fragments of experiences and thoughts

2010-02-09T20:06:00.000+03:00

When simplified, new experiences are things that happen in a way that we are not used to. In a new country, new experiences are things that are usually culturally different - the experience can deepen because our socialization doesn’t work, and we’re very aware of the new situation.

In a Nepali restaurant, you might get a spoon and a fork to eat with, but no knife. And when you look around, you notice that you are supposed to put the fork in your right hand and the spoon in your left one. Or if you visit a Nepali home, you might be expected to use only your hands for eating, which is actually quite a nice experience.

Sometimes I’ve triggered a new experience in the local people. When I hear music, it’s somewhat hard for me to stay still. I just have to dance, at least a bit, by nodding my head, or tapping my fingers or leg. This is funny for the locals; they stare and laugh. I suppose it is because girls are not encouraged to dance and perform, at least not in the public. Spread the joy, I say.

My love for dogs is also bit unfamiliar here. Most people don’t understand why I would want to scratch a fleabag, let alone share my food with them. I’m sure it is hard to understand, as for me it seems odd why a cow is the most sacred animal, and not a goat, for example.

I also usually decline the offered hot water and prefer cold. For Nepalese I probably seem very tough or foolish to be drinking cold during the cold winter months!

Sometimes you are faced with very different ideas than you are used to. For example, people think that you are rich, because of your skin color or the laptop you have. In a way this is true - In Finland, I probably do have more money per month than they do. However, the idea of being rich is almost funny, because as a student I’m part of the poorer population in Finland. And to be honest, I don’t even own my laptop.

Many times some locals seem to think that people in the west are happier because of money and possessions. Poor people have even said to me, that it’s better to be a dog in Finland than a child in Nepal. This kind of ideas lead poor people to give their children to adoption to the west - they hope that they’ll get better opportunities there. The parents here are usually ill- educated, they don’t know the proper channels, and children can end up in black markets.

The difference I’m faced often with is in the relationship between men and women. When I tell, that my parents would encourage me to date and live with someone before I consider marriage - if I even want to marry – Nepalese are amused. I wish I could have been amused, when I heard that a mother convinced her daughter to get married at the age of 16, because she was dating a boy. Huge contrast to the west, though it seems this kind of situations are not as common as before.

Maybe the biggest difference, that can be seen in this text as well, is the wealth of my country. Other differences are just habitual - differences in practicing religion, forming a family and so on. It makes me wonder, if wealth is the reason why I am here, assisting in development co-operation. Because of history, situations and so many other factors, my home country has been given the chance to develop it’s current political, economical and material situation. Does this make us responsible for others? Without going any deeper into economics, I do believe that we in the west are at least partly responsible for the economical structures that keep poor countries from developing and channels the biggest profits to the west. I do also believe that my ancestors didn’t do all the work and struggling just for me, so I could have education and freedom of choice. I don’t believe that they were so short-sighted that they would only wish people with same gene pool to profit. I think they were working for a better tomorrow for all, and I think we should carry on where they left off.

On volunteering

2010-02-03T15:51:00.000+03:00

Is volunteering helping, new form of tourism, a needed mark in your CV or something else?

For the local salesmen it is a form of tourism. For them anyone with pale skin is a tourist, with pockets full of money wanting to shop shop and shop. And while in the foreign country, sure I want to try to see some of the country, including some touristic places and perhaps buy few of those lovely pashminas. But at least for me, the travelling and what I want to see comes second, first comes my work. If I have the free time to travel and see things, great! But most of the days I’m working full workdays, and after the day you are too tired and it is too dark to play a tourist.

One of the reasons I applied for Loo Niva was that I could use my education. I felt, that if I could use my education while working on interesting issues I surely would be motivated. And I was right! Of course the mark in the CV is a nice bonus, but I doubt you would go through the possible illnesses, power cuts and boredomness in the long evenings just because of the mark.

I had my doubts about been able to help. This doubt was connected to my abilities, but also the abilities of the receiving organization willingness to use my abilities, and in the structure of the volunteering system: are volunteers just a link to the funding, and received solely for this purpose. I’m very glad my doubts were proven very wrong. Etvo chooses their partner organizations carefully, and top of it I got very lucky with my organization. I’ve been working with very interesting projects and Loo Niva has at least made me feel useful. In top of this, I feel I have learned a great deal about development co-operation and many other things.

So volunteering is many things and it depends on the volunteer which aspects are stronger than others. But who should volunteer? Anyone I guess, but I do recommend that you have the willingness to help and work, so you find the motivation even when tired and irritated. And the stereotypical openmindness is important, by this I mean the willingness to face new challenges and experiences and not to care if and when the work, the living, the life is not as you imagined it to be. Of course it’s good to have some strength at the same time, so you know how far you can bend before you crack. Also a high tolerance of loneliness is needed, probably you’d be spending a lot of time on your own, because your local friends are busy with their own life, it is not safe to go out after dark and there is no internet or electricity. You can also feel alone, even if people surround you all the time; in many cultures the Finnish personal space is non-existent. Lucky for me I’ve always enjoyed those liminal spaces: the feeling that you have left but not yet arrived, and in the meantime I’ve been able do something useful and interesting! Though the inevitable feeling of leaving sucks, because you will arrive at some point, though you would understand it only when saying goodbye.

I recommend opening your world a bit and learning about the world around you. Some boring nights, cold showers and few stomach bugs are a low price to pay for the wonderful experiences and life’s lessons!

Small, smaller.. minority

2010-01-27T13:16:00.000+03:00

I’ll write about something that stops me: the rights of minorities.

Nepal is a country where there are tens of ethnic groups, so we could ask who are the minorities? I would see minorities as groups that do not have as much power; political, economical or symbolical, and the group members are discriminated within the society. This still leaves as many groups. But based on my experience I would mention: low caste members, sexual minorities, women and children.

So what do I base my view of these groups as minorities that are discriminated?

Low caste members struggle with many issues. They are in a loop of poverty, they struggle to get their children educated, people in the society (themselves included) see them as plain stupid and this keeps them from getting many opportunities. Not only does the caste passes down also the poverty and place in the society passes on. It is quite unusual to see a low caste member in a high position in politics, in work market or in community. This means that high caste members have all the connections to high positions and others are left without.

Sexual minorities have a good status on paper, the court in Nepal has ruled, that non-heterosexuals including third gender persons should have the same rights as any other person. But in reality these issues are silenced and parents kick out and deny children that don’t behave in the “good-old-way”. Also this group faces a lot of violence and prejudice from the society. And because of the silence, there is no understanding; for example a former minister has stated, “Homosexuality is a product of capitalism. Under socialism this kind of problem does not exist!”

Nepal is a highly patriarchal society, and the position of the male is protected by traditions and religion. Nepal is also a very homosocial culture, by which I mean that males form tight inner groups, where there is no space for females. When trying to break these formations, one faces many problems. For example Loo Niva has tried to find more women for their board and other dimensions of their activities, but women with the needed experience usually have a family, which means that they are responsible all of the household works and with a job how could they manage the time for NGO work, even if they would be interested? Besides, the husband might oppose.

The status of women is seen allover the society: less women with education, lower literacy rate for women, women are poorer, women face more violence, there are less women in high posts etc etc. This is also a very difficult area, because traditions support the low status of women. For example during periods Hindu women are not allowed inside the temple. When I asked a local woman does she see this as a problem or as discrimination, the answer was: no. The same answer was given, when I asked does she see it as a problem that she is responsible for more domestic work than the males in her family. Nepal is honor based society, and one should always behave honorable way, so s/he would not bring disgrace on themselves let alone their families. And the honorable way of life is defined by the traditions. And females loose their honor easier than males.

Children have very little power over their own life. A child should do what the parent tells: go to school, work, do domestic work etc. And children should always respect their elders, otherwise (or with no clear reason at all) a teacher, a parent, an employer has the right to beat a child. Also children face a lot of sexual abuse, especially the child workers. It would seem that a child is seen as a less of a human than an adult. Therefore a child doesn’t seem to have the same human rights. Because some of the parents and schooling system treats children very badly, I don’t wonder why some choose rather to work than go to school: at work children can experience empowerment and get power through money. Then again many children would choose education if they could, but they can’t because of poverty (parents don’t have money to send them to school), gender (some think that there is no reason to educate girls, because all they have to learn is to be a good wife) or caste (they are not seen to have the capability to learn).

Sometimes faced with these problems I would like to scream. There seems to be so much to do, but the question what can you do stops you. And what is in your right to do, because you are not a part of this society and therefore can’t understand the meaning of traditions and the structures that run the society. In a way, I’m in good position. I can help by doing work, which is asked by the locals. There are many NGOs in Nepal, that work on children’s rights, women’s rights and human rights. Their work is important in this country, which is still in turmoil with its political past and current situation. Sometimes I fear that all the efforts for change will be stumbled by the political problems. Also people don’t trust the politicians and don’t believe in the change by politics; in current situation politicians don’t seem to be able to change things, policies don’t move directly to the grass root level and furthermore some people think that politicians are only after their own benefits and many of the politicians are from a high caste. Still I see a lot of potential in this country, people that want a change and believe in a change. It’s up to all of the Nepalese people including all the castes, men and women, children and old people to decide in what kind of society they want to live in and we can help them in their efforts.

Dogs, they run

2010-01-22T10:01:00.001+03:00

It’s hard to believe how many dogs there are around the Kathmandu valley. They sleep rolled up in the side of the roads, they howl at the moon at nights and they go around minding their own business, sometimes stopping to see if you would have some treat for them.

I find it sad, that most of them are scared of humans, always eying are you going to kick and keeping out of the way. Then there are the ones who get so happy, when you greet them or play with them a bit. One time this one dog saw me waiting for a bus across the road. He stopped, looked left and right, crossed the road, licked my hand and happily went on his way – I guess he thought I deserved a kiss.

Mostly the dogs have a life of their own. They have their routes and their lives. I meet many of the same dogs daily at certain times in certain places: the one, in the mornings who has hurt his leg, but still he runs with three legs happily alongside the bus going somewhere, the ones that come and check our yard at work, sometimes getting a nap in the sun, or the dogs who live on my street, always checking who is coming and going.

Most of the dogs are very clever; they look right and left before crossing the road. They know the best places to find lunch or dinner. But sometimes these Tramps get into accidents, like the one I saw lying bleeding beside the road- there was nothing to be done anymore. There are also the Ladys – the ones who have owners. Some of them live only inside the human homes, others get food and perhaps shelter from the people, but may come and go as they please. I’m not sure how lucky are the ones living inside of peoples homes, it seems that there is not a lot of awareness about dog treatment here, and the home-dogs don’t get out for exercise that often.

In Buddhism is believed, that someone who hurts animals in his or her human life, like a butcher, will be reborn as an animal. After several reborns as animals, they will be born as dogs and after the dog life there is opportunity to be humans again. Also in Hinduism there is space for the dog.: Kukur (dogs) are believed to guard the underworld. And during the festival Tihar also dogs get their blessings; they will get a tika on their head and flowers on their neck.

Though there is space in the religion for dogs, they are not respected animals in the Nepalese culture. I’m sure there are dog lovers, but for most the dog is a useless animal, because it doesn’t produce anything important: milk, eggs, meat. This also means that there are quite a lot of dogs in bad shape, with bruises, diseases, malnourishment… But nevertheless it makes me happy to see these creatures run around in their own lives, and I don’t mind the random kiss every now and then.

How's life

2010-01-18T11:38:00.001+03:00

I’ve started thinking how has my life changed from the beginning of my time in Nepal. And in a way not much. The chores and the life rhythm are pretty much the same as in beginning. I still go to work with the same buses, I still wash my laundry in the balcony, I still watch series or movies from my computer in the evening etc.

I’ve learned a lot though. I know my way around in Patan and in some extent in Kathmandu. I know where to find different kinds of shops, which bakery has the best croissants or where to find the right buses (most of the time). I understand how to behave in different kind of situations: how to greet, how to signal I want out of a bus, how to interpret peoples facial expressions and body language. Of course I don’t always get it right, but enough times to make my life easier.

In some ways life has gotten more demanding. The power cuts- or loadshedding as they are called here- are getting longer, now 9 hours a day. This means evenings in torch and candle light, without a computer because the battery doesn’t last long enough. This is a country in electricity crisis; not enough power plants and they run on water anyway and now is the dry season, a lot of people, and no money to buy electricity from abroad. The temperature drops near to zero in the nights, so without central heating the houses get very cold. I sleep with quite a lot of clothes on. Showers are no picnic either in the cold air, and my boiler can’t always decide wheatear to give me hot or cold water. And at times also the water runs out. The unstable political atmosphere also causes it’s own problems; maioists decide to have a strike which closes everything and stops all traffic, there is a demonstration, or there is a banda, which means that there is no traffic in or out of the valley.

It is one month to go, and then I have to be on a plane on my way to Finland. The things described above tell of things that makes returning easier; electricity all the time, working internet connections and phone lines, safe water on the taps and the water is cold or warm just as I wish, and warmth! Of course it’s also wonderful to see friends and family again. But there are more things that I’ll surely miss than what I wont. The people, the mountains, the colours, the laughter, the religious music from the streets, the positive attitude towards life, downstairs neighbor always wanting to chat, the dogs and other animals that are around you all the time, the beautiful architecture, coworkers shaking hands each morning they meet, momos…

Though it’s nice to go back to Finland, to the things you know and to a working infrastructure, there are so many things I wish I could take with me. But I’ll try to concentrate on the present, so life doesn’t feel too much of a countdown. And if my mind starts to travel I’ll concentrate on the idea of a evening with electricity and my friends in Finland (maybe with a bottle of cider also), so the rest of my time here doesn’t feel so bitter sweet.

Rice Feeding Ceremony

2010-01-13T07:10:00.001+03:00

When a Nepalese baby turns seven months it is time to start tasting solid foods. This is also a time for celebration, because now the child is ready to have rice! I was honored to take part in my co-workers child’s rice feeding celebration.

The center of the village of Khokana was separated for the party with colorful cloths. The celebration boy was receiving guests with his parents in the down stairs of the village’s temple. He was dressed in red and in a typical Nepalese way his eyes were lined with black. People gave presents and made a red tika on his forehead as a blessing.

It is very usual that all the small children have eyes lined with black, this is seen to make their eyes more beautiful. All the small children also wear jewelry, they have long hair and their clothing is not gendered – in Newar community at least. It is hard to tell weather a child is a boy or a girl, but I think they are on the right track with this one: does it actually matter which sex the child is and to whom does it matter? Though when the children are five years old, the boys' hair is cut and after this time they will not wear the jewelry anymore and the clothing starts to be gendered.

After greeting the child and parents quests continued for the feast. First starters, with some crab crackers, nuts and other dishes- and meat for the meat eaters, this was a Newar feast after all. Then the main course sitting outside. This contained naturally beaten rice and different kinds of bean dishes- and buffalo and other meats for the meat eaters in different forms. We were also served rice beer, and a traditional very bitter soup that is good for ones health and curd (yoghurt) for dessert.

For a Finn the celebration reminded a Christian christening in a way: the child is dressed in ceremonial clothes, people bring presents and bless the child. And then people eat together. But the rice feeding ceremony has more guests, because the idea of friends and family is wider, and so he also gets more presents. But as in Finland there are some traditional gifts given, in Nepal they are jewelry, clothes and the child is usually blessed with yoghurt and the child as well as the parents get duck eggs.

As the name tells us, this is the time the child tastes rice for the first time. This ceremony is a good example how important rice is in Nepal.

Being a tourist

2010-01-04T10:52:00.001+03:00

I have done few touristic trips during the last month, so I thought I could explain something about those trips, in case someone needs travel tips.

Last Resort

A resort near the border of Tibet. There are two resorts very close together, the Borderlands and Last Resort. They both offer very similar packages with rafting, benji jumping, trekking etc etc. I have no good reason why we chose The Last Resort, I guess someone recommended it and I don’t have a bad thing to say either.

We went to the resort for one night. The bus leaves from Thamel very early in the morning, so we had to take a taxi before the sunrise from Patan. Then over four hours in the bus with very nice views.

The resort is situated on the other side of a river from the main road to Tibet. It is inside of a forest with mountains looking down on it, and very peaceful. It has a bar, a restaurant, showers, a sauna (!!) and tents to sleep in. The atmosphere of the place is nice, though a bit touristic – but you get what you order.

We didn’t want to jump from the bridge, as 90 % of the tourists there: a very nice jumping place though, a high bridge over a river that’s runs in a canyon. We wanted to cycle to see the Tibetan border, so with a guide on to a bike and 15 km uphill to go. I loved the exercise! The uphill is not very steep, but not having dhal bhat for breakfast and without any lunch it was hard enough – people, eat well before the cycle! The road was somewhat challenging, at times sand and rocks, but most of the time a bit dull asphalt road. The children beside the road shouting hello, give me a rupee, was a bit irritating.. But the scenery was nice, though the border itself is nothing grand. And coming down was soooo much fun!

After the cycle we got a lunch and before the dinner we reserved the sauna, which was well built with a wooden stove. Though the temperature didn’t rise over 60 degrees – a proper sauna must be at least 80 degrees – it felt so good! And then dinner and drinks.

The next day before returning to Kathmandu, we went for a small hike in the surrounding hills. Very nice views with very little effort! All in all was a very relaxing and fun experience! The resort is beautiful, food was a bit dull, but I would say the trip was forth the about 40 €.

Chitwan- Tiger Camp

We wanted to have a different kind of Christmas, so towards the jungle it was!

Again a bus from the center, early in the morning and in the bus for 6 hours or so. We spent 2 nights in Chitwan riverside, our resorts name was Tiger Camp. There were not so many tourists around and many of them where local Nepalese tourist, which we were happy about.

On the first evening we were taken to a near by village of Tharus, which was actually very interesting, because it was very different from the Newari style villages I’ve used to. Tharus used to live deep in the jungle and some of their ways of life are still maintained. We also visited the Elephant Breeding Center. Where we naturally saw lots of elephants, elephant babies and elephant football was more interesting than the original thing!

The next day we took a canoe ride along the river, a walk in the jungle and an elephant ride in the jungle. The nature was beautiful and we saw many animals: crocodiles, monkeys, dears, birds, rhinos.. December starts to be a bit chilly especially in the evenings and mornings even in Chitwan, but on the other hand it meant, that not so many mosquitoes around.

The two day stay was very nice and eventful! We were treated very warmly at the resort. The jungle was a very different kind of Nepal we were used to and further showed how a complex and vivid country this is. And of course you are interested in the prize: 95 dollars.

Here are some other places I would recommend in Kathmandu valley:

The Buddhist monkey temple, Swayambhunath: A bit touristic, but beautiful, with monkeys.

Pashputinah, the big Hindu temple in Kathamndu: Interesting, beautiful, more monkeys, a bit expensive (500 rs) and irritating because of the guides and others after tourists’ money.

Patan, the city: nice atmosphere, beautiful city. (I live here)

Bhaktapur, the city, very beautiful, expensive to get in (750 rs). Similar architechture as in Patan but in bigger scale. Not so so many tourists around.

Khokana, Newari village 20 minutes bus ride from Patan. Very very nice village, though wouldn’t like it to turn too touristic. (The village where most of my co-workers live)

Places I haven’t found so interesting: Kathamandu Durbar Square (beautiful, but touristic, and the guides are very irritating), Boudha (beautiful, but basically a big white temple), Thamel (touristic touristic touristic, but a good place to shop), Pokhara I'm not sure about- it is beautiful with the lake and the mountains, but Lakeside felt like Thamel to me..

So those are the places I have enjoyed the most. Of course there is more to see than this, but I would also recommend trying to enjoy Nepal with not so much hurry of things to see. And I would strongly recommend getting out of Kathmandu to the rest of the valley at least! There is a whole world outside of Thamel! And it is nice! If you have the time, go trekking.

A great western New Year to all!!!

Wedding days

2009-12-21T13:07:00.001+03:00

I was very happy to be invited to a wedding of my coworker and I thought I would share this happy occasion with you.

On the first day I put on my new kurta and headed with my friend on the side of Ringroad – road surrounding Kathmandu- to wait for a ride to the wedding. After a while of waiting came our ride, motorcycles riding ahead of the wedding car. The wedding car was decorated typically, with small flowers glued all around the car and a bigger flower piece in the front. And then we waited. The groom can’t come out of the car before the family of the bride gets him, and blesses him with flowers and other traditional ways.

And then we waited for the ceremony to start. The day was busy with many weddings - in Nepal it is the priest who sets the date and there usually is many other weddings on the same date. On this date there was also the wedding of the bride’s brother. Eventually the ritual started in the yard of the temple. First someone did some rituals, by putting rice on the shoulders of the bride and touching her forehead, then she sat down next to the priest in front of a kind of wedding altar, where was situated many ceremonial things: cups and pots and other artifacts. Then game the groom, who went through the same kind of rituals before sitting down beside the bride, who was covered in bright red sari and veil, from beneath you could see beautifully make upped face and jewels on her henna tattooed hands. The groom's outfit is not as traditional; nowadays usually a western looking suit, but with the traditional hat.

The priest talked and chanted something giving the couple things to apparently sacrifice to a bowl. They sacrificed some plants, nuts, money etc. At one point the couple’s heads where put together and at other times they rouse up and joined hands. All the time the perfume from an incense swirled in the air. Important moment was, when first the bride and then the groom placed garlands of grass looking things around each other’s necks. Also the bride got a necklace and a headset of flowers and they even exchanged rings. And in the end also a small ritual within the temple.

The groom was unlucky because the bride’s side won the small competition about his shoes- if the brides side is able to steal the grooms shoes when he takes them off before the ritual he has to pay to get them back. So after the wedding ritual there was a bargaining about the shoes, but eventually he got them back and we could move on to enjoy the wedding feast - first drinks and some snacks and then dhal bhat in a colorful wedding tent.

The next day was more of the groom’s party. For this occasion I tried on a sari, which was a fun experience. The outfit has a blouse, or a top and a petticoat, then a large long fabric – the sari – is rapped around the waist, then around your chest and of course a decoration for the forehead and some bangles for the wrists. The sari leaves your side visible, but when you get around that fact the outfit is actually quite comfortable. Though sitting on a motorcycle needed more concentration, to be able to sit only sideways.

The party was near the village of Khokana. First we were again served drinks and snacks and then dhal bhat and yoghurt and fruits for desert. People were chatting happily with each other. The party had around 100 quests. The day before, there had been several hundred people: an average wedding on the first day has around 400 quests. On this day we could also give presents for the couple and the bride gave few nuts as a return gift, which one is supposed to take home for good luck.

On this occasion we could also hit the dance floor! Again it was more the males who danced, but with time more and more of the females entered the dance floor. Was fun to dance after a long time and I could also try some of the more traditional Nepalese dancing styles, but most of the time it was Venga Boys or something similar on the background. We had a blast and I feel privileged to be invited to a such an interesting and a happy occasion.

Some training perhaps

2009-12-10T09:36:00.002+03:00

Welcome to the training of primary school teachers. Today’s theme is Child Friendly School. Why are these trainings needed, you might think. Well, the requirements for a teacher’s education to be able to teach at primary level are not huge in Nepal. The teacher has to finish high school, after this there is a three weeks training from the government, which ends to an exam. Not all get the opportunity to go to this training; there are not enough trainings for everyone. If you haven’t gone or passed this training you can still teach, but you are not a permanent teacher. So the teachers don’t get a very large education on child development, teaching methods or on much anything really. This doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t be good teachers, I’m sure that they learn a lot in the job. But at the same time the culture and personal beliefs can affect their teaching. It is a widely known fact that corporal punishment is still used in schools, and one of the most used teaching method is repeating what the teacher says, and there is a lot of prejudice towards low cast members. Loo Niva wants to change the atmosphere of the society to a more child friendly direction, but also offer children a chance to finish their studies.

The day starts with a ceremony, which introduces the trainers who are head teachers that have taken part in the training before. After this there is a game, where all of the participants, 28 of them, can introduce themselves. Then the day starts with child rights, the trainer goes through the idea of child rights, with information, practical examples and sometimes asking questions from the participants. This is an important issue, because in the culture children seem to be seen as something else that full humans. They are seen as little adults, with almost the same capacities, but less respect. The training tries to make the teachers see children as individuals, who have the same rights as adults and perhaps a bit more: they are the adults in making, and how we will treat them, will mold their thinking and them as a person. So it would seem that Loo Niva is changing the cultural picture of a child, towards something that is precious and to be protected and supported. Before the tea break we play a game.

The training is not like a lecture, where the trainer speaks and participants listen. But the day is full of speech, laughter, games, sharing ideas- kind of what the child friendly classroom should be like. The teachers are taught new methods, games that they can bring from the trainings to the classrooms. Their ideas are challenged – why do you need violence to get respect, in fact you are only creating fear. They are taught about equality and tolerance – gender or cast doesn’t define our skills or us. They are explained about child development and other very important things during the two-day training.

In the end of the training the teachers are asked for feedback and if they have learned something new. They all are very enthusiastic about the new ideas and say that they will use them in practice. They also hope for new trainings: they want to improve and be better teachers. And think how many children’s lives these trainings affect: on the public side, there can be more than 40 children per classroom and with around 30 teachers per training.. Well you do the math; you probably have been fortunate enough to get an education.

News

2009-11-24T08:21:00.000+03:00

Here are some news from today’s República, a local newspaper.

Schoolgirl abducted

A group of local youths abducted a schoolgirl, aged 18, on Monday while she was heading to her school. Police suspect that the girl was abducted after her parents refused a marriage proposal for her from a man residing in the same village.

Tourists told not to trek alone

Tourism entrepreneurs in Pokhara have urged tourists not to go on trekking alone, following a series of robberies in different trekking routes. “Mostly those tourists have been robbed who trekked alone”, said president of Trekking Agents’ Association of Nepal. In some cases, tourists have been robbed of their belongings by those who accompany them in disguise of guides.

Swine flu medicine

With Nepal Homeopathic Doctors’ Association claiming that the pandemic H1N1, can be treated with the Influenzinum-200, the medicine is selling like a hotcake in Biratnagar. Association’s president Dr Jeevan Prakash had few day ago claimed that three doses of the medicine can cure the disease in a single day. The medicine costs only Rs 5 per dose.

Lack of proper abattoir puts public health at risk in Bardiya

In the absence of proper slaughterhouse, meat markets remain the most unorganized in Gulariya, Basgadi, Sanoshree and Rajapur areas in Bardiya. This has led to environmental pollution and has also negatively affected human health. The district supplies a lot of goats, buffaloes and chicken to major cities of the country.

From the You Say column – KFC, Pizza Hut

The entry of Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut in Nepal is a milestone in our nation’s journey towards globalization. Though we cannot stop such entries from taking place, we should take care to understand the value of our cultural foods and preserve traditions related with them and not let them allow to widen social division by encouraging a lifestyle that is alien to our society.

And some of my own news in short

I had visitors from Finland, a bunch of my college friends. They liked Nepal and I liked seeing them, I also got some salmiakki- a typical Finnish candy. Their visit was slightly disturbed by Maoists demonstrations and an embargo in the valley. We saw few demonstrations, more polices on the streets, but otherwise for us it was life as usual.

I have had a slight flu, but this hasn’t stopped me wondering around Katmandu and the valley. Found a nice village and a temple the other day and also a collection of Asian movies- movie marathon here I come. And no worries, it is not the piggy flu. But I do worry for the children. When the influenza starts spreading how will the malnourished children, or domestic workers, or others cope..

And I got my visa extension- they are not throwing me out yet. So normal life continues, work during the week and other adventures during the weekends. Oh and during the evenings the Bollywood marathons.

About differences and changes

2009-11-10T10:00:00.001+03:00

We had a good laugh at the office the other day. I told, that there is a country in Europe that is planning to make it illegal for two males to hold hands or hug in public. Why is this, I was asked. And I replied that I suppose it is, because they think that it is a bad influence for children see two men holding hands, I suppose they don’t want to see it them selves, I suppose they are so scared of homosexuality.. My coworkers were silent for a moment and then said: they should come and see Nepal!

Here men hold hands in the public, hug and touch each other more than in “the West”. And no, this doesn’t mean this would be a refugee for gay people, quite the contrary. Homosexuality in Nepal seems to be a taboo, not seen nor talked about. Here the heterosexual family is still in the center of the society. If someone doesn’t marry, this is seen as odd or even as a failure, for the unmarried individual and for the family. Homosexuality, or to be more exact, engaging in homosexual activity was a crime until 2007.

But things are changing! As said, homosexuality is no more a crime and a law allowing samesex marriages has been formed, though not approved. Maybe the attitudes towards homosexuality will follow, but as we know, change in the attitudes is always slower. But perhaps soon Europe will turn towards the East to learn about tolerance..

We continued about talking the handholding and my co-workers pointed out that in Nepal it’s the males and females who can’t hold hands in public. This would be seen as indecent, though sometimes I see young adults enjoying a moment hand in hand in the deserted streets. I still am pondering the idea, why a woman and a man holding hands is indecent? I understand this is a society relying on the traditional values, which take partly their power from religion, but rely strongly on the community. In the traditions and in religion sex is preserved between man and wife. And the woman is seen somewhat with the destructive power, for example in the Hinduism the god of destruction, Durga, is female. So as in every society, especially women’s sexuality is protected, maybe because the destructiveness of femaleness is connected to the sexuality. So sexuality or anything suggesting in that direction should not be seen in public, not even holding hands, let alone a kiss! But the males hold hands you might say, but you must see that there is nothing sexual about people who are the same sex touching in a country where homosexuality doesn’t exist.

Once I was enjoying a evening with my Finnish and Nepalese friends, all females. We were out listening to some music, when a Nepalese youngster, a young man, came and talked with us. He had had something to drink and was somewhat flirting. For a Finnish girl the situation was normal and after a short chitchat the guy went away. One of the Nepalese girls said out loud: I was so scared, how did you know what to say! In Nepal the situation was not normal and girls and boys should in many peoples opinion keep a bit of a distance. But then again, many younger people don’t choose their friends according to gender and their parents are ready to honor this view.

A lot is changing in Nepal. Recently I red from the newspaper how people are trying to change the law so that women would have the chance to inherit land and property. This is not possible now, only in the case when the woman doesn’t have a man to take care of her.

But only time will tell what changes, how things are molded by the traditions and what is denied all together. But I hope that the change doesn’t bring with it the fear of homosexuality, put the understanding. I hope that males continue showing their friendship on the streets, though this could be seen as a form of brotherhood, which makes it difficult for example the women to get their right to inheritance. But time will tell what changes and how.

A day with Didi

2009-10-22T10:32:00.002+03:00

Didi’ s real name is Kalpana, which means imagination. I know, all Nepalese have so beautiful names! At the office she is the one cleaning, cooking, serving beverages, always with a beautiful smile. I thought I would show you what her day is like.

Kalpana wakes up at 5 am. After bathing she cleans her house. And makes morning rituals by worshipping all the Hindu gods and goddesses. It is also a morning ritual for her to put the tika, the red dot, on her forehead, which tells that she is a married woman. Her parents arranged her marriage 18 years ago. Though love marriages have become popular nowadays, especially in the cities, arranged marriages are an option as well. Nepalese believe, that parents might be better in choosing a spouse for you, because of their life experience. Divorces are rare, and bit of a taboo.

Before Kalpana leaves to do some fieldwork, she makes tea for her family. She has one son and three daughters. Her son, the eldest, is seventeen-years-old and on his ninth grade. Her two daughters, aged seven and fourteen go also to school, but youngest is only four, so she stays at home. Kalpanas husband doesn’t have a job, so he looks after the youngest daughter during the day. Sometimes he might work at someone else’s field earning a bit of money. But most of the time he doesn’t do anything, because the community is quite old fashioned and thinks it’s the woman’s job to do the housework and work on the field.

Kalpana returns from the field around 8 am to prepare food for the family. After this she leaves for the office. Work starts at 9.30. She has been working for Loo Niva for almost a year now. She got to know Loo Niva and Loo Niva her because her son is one of the sponsor children of Loo Niva. Two of our office workers, Gyan and Krishna, visited her house and learned about her life. Short time after this Loo Niva needed a didi for the office and thought of Kalpana. She cried of joy when she heard the news and is very grateful and proud of her job. It is also a very important add to her family’s income.

At the office, she starts her day by cleaning. She dusts the desks, gets newspapers for us to read, and cleans the floor and yard. If I have left my desk in a messy state, when I left from work, my papers are in a nice pile when I come back. She goes around asking what would we like to drink: coffee, juice, tea, always with a smile on her face. Sometimes she comes to our room for a small chitchat, unfortunately we don’t have a joint language, and so I can only communicate with her through others. I would love to understand what she has to say! And then she cooks our lunch, noodles, beaten rice with sauce, roti-bread with sauce – depending on the day. And I think she is an excellent cook, I’m always waiting forward for the time of the day when she comes to my room saying “khaja khane”, meaning lunch.

Kalpana doesn’t eat with us. But serves us our lunch and is eager to put a bit of extra on our plates, so we surely have our bellies full. Sometimes she is sneaky about it and puts an extra portion on your plate when you are not looking, getting people to cry out “pugnu” – “it’s enough”! After we have finished she takes her lunch and cleans all the dishes. Then she serves us drinks again and it’s almost her time to go home, because it’s 3.30 pm.

At home she might clean again or do the dishes, if her daughter hasn’t had the time to do so. She also has to cut some grass for the cow. And of course she needs to prepare dinner for her family. She doesn’t have a stove, so everything is made on the fire, which means that she also spends a lot of time collecting firewood. To make life a bit easier she buys some electricity from her neighbor, because there is no direct line of electricity to her house. The house is very simple one, with only one room, but they are thinking building other rooms for it as well. But there have been problems; her father-in-law owns the land the house is on, so her husband and brother-in-laws have a disagreement whether her family has the right to live there. This year also a storm took the roof of her house, but luckily some of her neighbors helped her and took her family in for a while.

When I try to ask what she does on her free time, she doesn’t understand the question. But she tells me, that during weekends, when she is not working at the office, she might work on some neighbor’s field, to earn a bit of extra money. It seems, that free time, just to kick back and lay around, doesn’t exist as such to this brave and positive 36-year-old woman.

Things that on my bad days irritate me and some on the good ones humor me

2009-10-14T10:44:00.000+03:00

Me first!

This applies in many places, for example in the que in the store almost every time someone at least tries to cut in line. Some times, if I’m in good mood, I just take step back and think well I wasn’t in hurry anyway, other times- oh if looks could kill..

It applies also in the traffic. In a traffic jam there is sure to be few cars and motorbikes who think they have the right and the hurry to drive past all others and try to be the first ones to get through the jam. I don’t even need to tell you what does this means to the driving culture, the traffic jams etc..

In buses not much hope for the elderly to be able to sit. It’s rare when I witness someone giving their seat to others. It’s also very hard to make way to others in the bus; you will not move from your seat even if next to you would be a free seat, if someone wants it, they have to crawl over you.

No, a penis doesn’t define me! In my opinion anyway.

When meeting new people, for example strangers on the bus, they usually want to know what are you doing in Nepal. After this they move to more important things:

- Do you have a husband?

- No.

- Well do you have a brother?

- No, if you don’t consider my parent’s dog as such… But I do have a human sister. (But this is not interesting to them.)

- What do your parents do? (Which actually means, what is your fathers occupation.)

I do find it frustrating how for example my own education doesn’t seem to define me, but the ideas of the men in my life does. But in all fairness, not all people ask these questions. And I’m known to complain about a similar thing in Finland, where one of the most important thing to know about a person, especially a woman, seems to be weather she is in a relationship or not…

You’re white so you must have big pockets!

I don’t like to go to any shops without fixed prices, because of my skin color and lack of language skills I’m usually asked a double or even triple price of things. The idea seems to be, that because you are a westerner you must have money. Which in a way is understandable, because the prizes here are low for a tourist, even if they would be charged a bit extra. But I find this idea of all westerner looking people frustrating, because not all of us have money and I’m tired of bargaining. I just hope that the extra prices I’ve paid have gone to supporting a family and not to something in vain.

The world is my garbage bin!

One can through their rubbish everywhere, beside the street, out of a car and what does recycling mean anyway?

Hey, lets get hit by a car!

People drive on the different side than Finland here, which is not a problem. Also on the side walks (where you can find one) it is usual walk on the left side, which is not a problem. But when you are walking beside the car road it is also preferable to walk on the left, which means that the passing cars come behind you and you don’t see them, so you can’t for example jump out of the way… Though my friend gave a good explanation for this: if you could see what is approaching you – all the interesting passes, the speeding etc – you would be too scared to walk at all…

Didn’t you mama tell you it’s rude to stare!

Yes, I’m not Nepalese it is quite clear, so how long do you have to stare. In my experience, usually half of the twenty minutes bus ride is enough. Also another fun thing is to check what I put in my basket in the supermarket!

You dog!

Lots of stray dogs around here. I love dogs and love to have them around me, but I don’t love the condition of many of them: injured, malnourished, sick dogs.. And then people take it to their right to beat and through rocks and these creatures. In a way understandable, especially because rabies is a problem here, I also would probably defend myself with a rock against a raving dog.

And just to be clear- this list tells more about my culture and me than about Nepal. It tells where my socialization is different than the one over here. And it’s not a list about things that are wrong or worse than in Finland, it’s a small list about differences.

And see how much goes on the buses!

Other things in short:

I moved to another room, one floor down. Now I have twice the space, a hot shower in the same floor and no more bugs! Well not the same ones at least..

I also got an Internet connection to my room!! Though it doesn’t work during power cuts, and sometimes after them, because the modem is in someone else’s flat, I can’t go and reboot it if there is a problem. But when it does work: an Internet connection at home, a luxury I would not have believed to come true! Woohoo!

Two of my co-workers visited Interpedia in Finland. I hear they had a great trip! At the office we have already amazed the cleanliness of Finland: no rubbish on the train trails and bathrooms are so clean you could sleep in one. Though the Finnish food didn’t impress, it doesn’t taste like anything- where’s the chili and add salt at least! And my co-workers couldn’t miss the Finnish silence; people are so silent in the metros and where is the chitchat? They also had a program with the sociology students at Helsinki University, which also went very well in the opinion of my co-workers and my friends at the university.

And I must tell you about the concert me and my friend went: Jazzmando at the Patan museum. A night with western jazz infused with traditional Nepalese music (or the other way around), also musical quests from Africa and South-America. Was a great night, listening to music outdoors in the historical venue in the darkening night. A power cut even made the atmosphere better: suddenly lights go out, but the musician don’t mind and continue in the darkness giving their best. After maybe five minutes the backup generator turns the lights back on and show continues.

And the winter time is beginning. Though during the day it might be warm, if the sun is shining, evenings and nights are starting to be quite chilly. And the darkness comes earlier, already at six..

Over the hills and far away

2009-10-06T12:40:00.000+03:00

The Dashain festival gave my friend and me the time to go trekking to Annapurna conservation area for five days. Because of the limited time we didn’t have the chance to trek a very long route, so we decided with help from my co-worker the following way: Nayapul – Hille – Ghorepani and Poon Hill – Tadapani – New Bridge – Nayapul. Though the loop from Tadapani to New Bridge was decided on the route.

So what would you like to hear? About the sweat, the never ending stairs, the five am wake ups, the slimy leeches, the muscle aches, the rains in the afternoon, or perhaps about the moon stones, or the flirting porters (and no we didin’t have a porter or a sherpa, we wanted to carry our own stuff and find our own way)..

Well here is something to share with you: one day the rain started earlier and we were exhausted by the altitude differences, the ups and downs, of that day. We were so happy to get to Tadapani and change to dry and warm clothes and just lay on the bed easing our tired muscles. That day we had descended for hours and then climbed the stairs back up again in a pouring rain. Though the coming up had been almost fun, because there where some porters climbing with us and cheering us up. After a bit of rest we went outside, where the darkness had already descended. The air was crisp and clear; no clouds in the sky so the stars had come out, and the almost full moon was so bright. There in the light of the stars and the moon in front of us stood the snow peaks, so glorious and beautiful against the navy blue sky. The sight made it feel as though the time had stopped and you were staring to eternity. The aching muscles, the tiredness and the cold were all forgotten.

The whole trip was filled with these beautiful sceneries. It’s amazing how the nature around you changed from stony hills, to rain forests with small waterfalls, to fields, to northern scenery and all the time the tall mountains were staring down on you. But I must say it is rough, especially when your time line is limited, but you still want to see as much as you can. It’s all the time going up, descending and up again, with breaks of only few minutes to get your heart beat into a tolerable level. But it’s worth it for the scenery, but also for the feeling of outdoing yourself. Even though the monsoon time brings out the leeches in the forests and in some areas, mainly on the Jomsom route, there were so many tourists! Herds of Chinese walking in line. But then again it’s fun sometimes to chat with the other trekkers, but I do recommend try to avoid the trekking season, which hadn’t even started yet!

And no, there was not really moon stones, but a lot of shining silvery stones, because of some minerals. And the porters and sherpas, well many of them are great, know a lot and are social. But at the same time some of them are interpreting the western culture through their own culture and sadly through the Hollywood movies. So the western culture and two alone travelling unmarried women can come off in a bit distorted way. The route was fairly simple, so we didn’t really need a sherpa, though we got a bit lost twice. But I would recommend a guide if you stray from the most travelled parts – the maps we could find weren’t very detailed.

I can’t share with you all the beautiful scenaries, the funny moments, or the exhausting ones… I can just say that I would most definitely do it again, and I hope I have a chance to return to the area sometime in the future. Though the tourist area of Pokhara makes me want to think twice, but luckily you can try to escape the tourist atmosphere to the hills.

Celebrating Jatra at Khokana

2009-10-05T12:11:00.000+03:00

Many Nepalese have told me, that I am very lucky to be able to witness the Dashain festival, which is the biggest Hindu festival of the year. Dashain celebrates the triumph of good over evil. It is especially the festival of mother goddess Durgha, to whom thousands of animals are sacrificed during the festival. I didn’t actually celebrate Dashain, but I was honored to be invited to the village of Khokana, to celebrate Newari’s Jatra. Jatra is also a religious festival celebrated by the Newaris, which lasts for three days.

The whole village was in festival mood: people laughing, music playing and different kind of happenings around the village. On the first night, in the villages square there was set up a stage, where young people performed songs and dances. These weren’t very traditional ones, but more like performances which one could witness in any European country. I was quite surprised about the bold nature of many of the dances. Not that I would have found them too outrageous, but this is a country where for example public displays of affections between a man and a woman are frowned upon. And I was very pleased to see young men performing some dances. Also later on it was mainly the young men that might start a dance on the streets. The boys are more encouraged to dance I was told.

Some people stayed awake the whole night, we went to sleep at twelve, to be woken at three am, when the gods where meant to leave for the holy place called Sikali, a small hill 20 minutes walk from the village. An altar kind of thing, inside of which were statues symbolizing the gods, was carried around the central village three times, and after this it was carried to Sikali. After this smaller holy artifacts gathered from surrounding villages and temples to the villages center and were carried to Sikali as well.

The next morning the villagers gathered to the field, where the holy artifacts had been taken. There was a small temple and the atmosphere was festive, a bit like a carnival or a fare. Many had new clothes on, salesmen where selling treats and people where chatting to friends and family. Then the mangods appeared: the moment people had came to witness. Mangods are specific men from the village, who are said to become the gods they represent during the ritual. They represent different gods, there are 14 of them in colorful clothes, jeweler, masks and wigs. I didn’t recognize them all, but there seemed to be the elephant headed Ganesh and his parents, Shiva and Parvati, and the monkey faced god. The mangods came through an isle formed by the spectators jumping with the assistance of some villagers. After this they performed a ritual dance. During the ritual some boiled rice was thrown to the crowd, which people wanted to catch because eating this rice is said to bring good health. Along with the mangods travelled some holy men, dressed in white. Some of them carried a long horn and some other things. During all of this there where people playing the traditional Newari music, which meant a lot of percussion instruments.

After this people returned to the village. Met friends and dined. We also had some Newari delicacies, with beaten rice of course. Beaten rice is flat and dry rice, it’s not boiled, but seems to be somewhat raw. With it are some meat and bean and lentil dishes. And I could also try the quite good home made rice beer, which has a sweet taste. When the evening came the mangods returned to the village and danced some more. After this we strolled around the village and also visited the Buddhist monastry of the village, where we were invited to have breakfast.

After the breakfast the next morning, the villagers had again gathered to wait fore the mangods in center of the village. Again we could hear the traditional music, and first came the holy men in white, then the mangods again jumping. People, mainly women, took some offerings to the holy men and to the mangods. The mangods made their way to the square of the village, where they would perform rituals and stories by dancing. We could for example see the story how Ganesh got his elephant head. After the dances was the time of the animal sacrifice. A bull was to be killed on the square and some of the gods would drink its blood. I couldn’t see much of this, because everybody gathered so tightly around the bull and the mangods. But a bull was killed, and the gods got their blood.

I fully enjoyed the Jatra and the atmosphere of the Khokana village. Eventhough I couldn’t understand the meaning of the rituals, it was interesting to watch and see how alive and how practical forms religion can take. On the other hand these kinds of rituals and traditions tell you how much of an outsider you are, cause everything is so unfamiliar and in a way meaningless to you, cause you are not socialized to the traditions. But as said I enjoyed the Jatra on many levels, even though I could only understand parts of it.

A day with me

2009-09-14T13:23:00.000+03:00

How does my normal day go? Well, it start’s 5 am, when I’m woken up to this music down from the streets. I assume this is some kind of religious ritual that has something to do with the temple near by. This is the wake up call for some of the Nepalese, but not to me. So I continue sleeping, occasionally waking up to the noises of the city waking up: motorcycles honking, people talking and what I guess to be a corn salesman shouting, when he moves along the street. And then finally after seven, usually closer to eight I get up and start to get ready for work.

After breakfast and possible a cold morning shower I head towards the office, which is situated in a near by village. I get to begin my journey with extreme sports, which is called: crossing the road. Car roads seldom have zebra crossings, so you need to weave in between the cars and the motorcycles. Or this is what the locals do, I try to wait for a small break between the waves of cars. In this time at least one taxi stops in hope of to get some money from the westerner.

After few crossings I get to my bus stop, where I try to check from the bus boy: Wai wai? And on to the minibus, which is usually quite crowded, and hot. The bus takes me over the Ringroad, which is a big road forming a circle around Kathmandu. Time from time the bus boy, usually hanging partly out of the open door, shouts out the destinations of the bus to check if someone wants to get in, and also shouts the passing stop names, if someone would like to get out. It’s always fun, when someone from the backseat reaches their destination and pushes their way through the full bus. I like to look at the different houses on the way, some very new and fancy, most a bit run-down and there is even a small pine tree occurrence along the way. Usually after 20 minutes of the bumby ride I reach the office.

At the office after greeting co-workers I head to my office room, which I share with two others. If it would be a field day, now someone would come and ask if I would like to go along, sometimes I even know before hand. If it is a day at the office I write some reports or search for information or do what ever you do at an office. Didi ("sister"), brings us juice and when it’s lunchtime, she comes to tell us that lunch is ready. We usually just exchange smiles, cause she doesn’t speak English and my Nepalese is quite restricted. Lunch can be noodles, soup, or beaten rice with some vegetables. And usually the foods are a bit spicy, cause the Newaris like it hot. Sometimes I go and bother Tej, our office assistant, with some questions. And in late afternoon it’s time to head home.

So the bus again and back to Patan or I should say to Jawakhel. Sometimes I curve to the Supermarket on my way home. After a hot day I cannot resist the idea of a soda. At the time I get home, or bit after it, starts the power cut, which usually lasts 1 to 3 hours. At home I might read or watch series on my computer or write emails to be sent tomorrow from work. Yes, it’s all excitement here! The darkness comes so early, so there is no point going out. Sometimes I socialize with Ronjon, a boy from down stairs who takes care of the flat I live in. I have a room to myself and a shared kitchen and a semi shared bathroom, with a cold water shower and a balcony, where we do the laundry. From the balcony you can watch a near by building to be built, or women working in a small patch of field or children playing. Because the big festival is coming, the Dashain, many of the children are flying kites, this is apparently the thing to do over Dashain. Around nine I start the bugwatch. These nice little friends of mine usually come out around this time. There are nowadays just few of them, and then we have a confrontation. Yes I know: poor little western girl, can’t take a few bugs. But I rather keep my eyes open a bit, than become an all you can eat buffet during the night. When the city has quieted down the dogs start their choir. I like to listen to their howling from near and far while I start looking for some dreams.

Loo Niva

2009-09-07T09:50:00.000+03:00

Loo Niva means the dawn or the break of day. It is a NGO (non governmental organization) working in the field of children’s holistic development. The story of Loo Niva dates back in mid nineties, when a group of students started a library for children with support from CWIN. Their vision is a nation where children can enjoy their rights in a friendly environment. To reach this goal, they have numerous programs and grass root activities in order to raise awareness of children’s rights, to prevent exploitation and marginalization of underprivileged children, and to promote high quality education. They work with the surrounding communities and schools. They also give education support and have sponsor children, who probably would drop out of school without Loo Niva’s help. And the library is still working! Loo Niva has also Finnish partners: ETVO and Interpedia, and they also get funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

I have now worked with Loo Niva for a week and what a week it has been! The office consists of nine full time employees and four part time employees and a huge group of local volunteers. All of the staff is motivated and all of them have been eager to make me feel welcome. I was also happy to learn how many sociology students I have around me! The week has been busy with getting used to a new environment and orientating to the new job, I also had few field trips and we celebrated the National Children’s Day with a big event, wherein Loo Niva published a DVD with children’s songs.

On my second day at work I was asked if I would like to take part on a field trip to nearby schools, in order to take invitations for a celebration and publication of children’s music DVD and to take reports to be filled about the sponsor children. So in a few minutes I was sitting on a motorcycle and we were leaving the noise and pollution of the city behind and driving towards breathtaking views of the countryside and mountains. I like travelling by motorcycle; you can enjoy the scenery, the ventilation works and many of the places would be impossible to get to with a car. You also get to witness the goats beside the roads and women carrying their heavy loads in huge baskets on their backs. It is also usual to see a lot of dogs lying around. I saw one puppy so thin and sick that it probably had only few days to live and still it was wagging its tail. Of course this is normal life in places with a lot of stray dogs, but for an animal lover these aren’t very pleasant sights.

During the field trip it came obvious that Loo Niva is a respected partner with the schools. The schools are eager to co-operate and want to change the attitudes towards child friendly atmosphere. For example in one of the school’s, there was someone visiting at the same time from another NGO, and the vice principal told her about Loo Niva with praise. Children are also excited to see visitors and got wild when I took out my camera. Unfortunately we were in a bit of a hurry to get to visit all the areas schools within a day, so we didn’t have time to see the sponsored children. We met with the principals, vice principals and head teachers who told us about their ongoing programs with Loo Niva and the sponsor children. In one of the schools, we were asked to meet with two of the sponsor children because they were failing some of their classes. The honesty of the children amazed me. One of the girls had just moved to the area so the new school might feel a bit unfamiliar still, but she also helped her parents to earn money by making carpets with them, which keeps her away from school from time to time. The other child told that she can’t always come to school or do her assignments because of family violence, caused by her fathers unemployment and alcohol problem. Loo Niva had already counseled the family, but sadly the ways to help children in her situation are limited, especially if they don’t have other family members to live with. Luckily there are some clubs after school where she can stay and have her own space to study.

Another day I took part in a field day in a near by village, where the theme of the day was the importance of children's education for the village’s women. Even though the communication was in Nepalese I enjoyed the day thoroughly. The day consisted of information and conversation and some games for the women. Even though I had many people around me kind enough to translate, I was sad not to understand everything that the women were saying, because I’m sure I could have learned a lot from them.

Lets see what kind of challenges Loo Niva has in store for me for the months to come! If you want to learn more about Loo Niva Child Concern Group, you can visit their own web site, or the sites of ETVO and Interpedia.

Namastee

2009-08-30T10:55:00.000+03:00

So what is a Finnish sociology student doing in Patan, Nepal. This is the question I asked myself while flying over India. I had forgotten this during the last hectic months in Finland. But the answer started to dawn on me when I saw the beautiful mountains surrounding Kathmandu.

Let me explain how I got to be in Nepal. Last fall I saw a mail promoting volunter places through an organization called ETVO. I decided that now is the time to act on my dream to live and work somewhere else, somewhere different, and to learn through new experiences. I red through the available places and set my heart on Nepal. After the application process I was happy to hear that I would be working with Loo Niva Child Concern Group in Khokana, Nepal.

After only few days in Nepal I have only vague impressions to give to you. But here are some thoughts. The city feels alive and noisy in a good way. For example during my first night in Nepal, very early in the morning I woke up to music coming from the streets below. It sounded like cheerfull marching music which slowly fainted away. People I have met are very nice and helpful. I also got to taste delicious Nepalese cuisine when my co-workers took me to a lovely welcome dinner. I also got to have my first peek at the heartbeat of the city from the backseat of a motorcycle.

My flat, with a bamboo closet and pink curtains and a view to the mountains and to a temple of some sort is situated in the Patan area, near Khokana where I'll be working. Patan was described to me by someone as the Espoo of Nepal.. So everything has gone very well. Only one incident with my bed: on the first night I found it already taken by little creatures with more legs than me. I decided to occupy the floor instead for that night. The next day I insisted they would move, I hope they did.

Here it begins, my experience in Nepal.