Bandhas, Monkeys, Sacred Cows

I have no songs in my sleep here in Nepal. I sleep to a cacophony of dogs, and wake to a euphony of birds instead. Interesting.
The other day (April 25th) we were catching the bus home from Thamel (a busy shopping tourist district) and encountered a demonstration that blocked traffic. Subsequently, we had to walk home. I asked some Nepalis what it was all about, but they generally shrugged it off saying that these 'bandhas' happen all the time for various reasons and are almost always peaceful, rather annoying more than anything. Some have noted that they are rather counterproductive, as they generally stop trade, traffic, getting to work and so on, which is detrimental to the economy and often perpetuates the issues that they are protesting against. But one must try to make change somehow right?

There is so much to see just walking and driving through Nepal. There are cows all over the city, just walking about or hanging around. They are sacred here so get a free reign. There are monkeys hanging about also. People are sleeping in the street, and children are picking over garbage piles, goods are for sale everywhere.

Since we arrived there has been this chariot parked around the corner from our house in Patan. They have been fortifying this large pole set atop it and recently mounted some idols of gods upon it. It was quite an event watching the men climb this enormous pole with incredibly heavy objects. It appeared exceedingly dangerous, for the men and nearby spectators alike.This is a festival that sends a plea to Machendranath, a god who has great powers over rain, in order to have good rainfall in the coming monsoon season. The most exciting part happened last night however, where the people pull this massive chariot around town. We managed to catch this momentous occasion and it was quite exciting, accompanied by drums, shouting and cheers. Once it was off, the huge pole took to leaning to one side, again, seemingly very dangerous should the pole actually fall, which is very bad luck and portends a dry rainy season. I am sure there is a title rather than 'pole' but I do not know what it is. It appears from the morning paper, however, that the chariot managed it's destination without disaster. I have attempted to include a video of the beginning of the chariots journey, but it is taking way to long to upload. We did observe it bending a lamppost, however. Anyway, my health is still in order, aside from a cold, which they say is exacerbated by pollution and dust. I hope to recover from that soon, and avoid the dreaded irritable bowel. Nameste, and thanks for reading.

April 23 & 24
We took a bus ride through Kathmandu to visit my practice placement. Bus rides are a particularly thrilling adventure; drivers merge with traffic with seemingly little regard to other vehicles. Due to the sheer volume of traffic, this appears the necessary norm. People also drive recklessly fast, quite an adventure. After the bus ride we have a daredevil walk up a narrow busy street. One really must be aware of their surroundings and what the traffic is doing when moving from place to place here. At the nutrition centre, we met with our field guide who told us a great deal about the organization, The Friends of Needy Children (FNC) Nutritional Rehabilitation Home (NRH). The children are either referred from the hospital or from one one of the outreach endeavours that the organization performs, or people come in right off the street or upon recommendation from friends or acquaintances. The children come and stay with a caregiver, usually their mother. They are then put on a World Health Organization (WHO) specified diet to promote weight gain and full nutrition. This is incorporated with education for family that includes how full nutrition can be achieved with the foods that are locally available and affordable to them. I am told that many people are unaware that children need more than just milk and rice, so a little knowledge goes a long way. Once the children reach a specified weight percentile, they are discharged to home. After, follow up visits are made at 1, 3 and 6 months (if I recall correctly) to ensure that the children continue to thrive. Follow up is very important as this identifies a relapse situation prior to extreme malnourishment, and children can be readmitted. The relapse rate is approximately 15%, which is remarkable. When children are admitted they are usually quite listless and unhappy and obviously severely malnourished, but when they leave they are laughing and interactive. I am still unsure as to what my role will be there, but am excited to participate in whatever way I can.
The following day we went to the other students placements, the first an HIV/AIDS centre for children. There we had a blast taking pictures with the kids and they absolutely loved using the cameras themselves, we had difficulty convincing them to put them off so they could eat lunch. The centre is also an FNC organization, and is run in much the same way, except they lack the resources for follow up service. After we visited Hospice Nepal, the remaining two students placement. I understand that it is the first of its kind here in Nepal. They are implementing comprehensive palliative care measures similar to what we do back home, which incorporates the concept of 'the good death' and support and care for family as well. Family members participate in caring for dying relatives. One aspect of note that a physician who works there explained to us is that often family members will request to not inform loved ones of their diagnosis. Interestingly, the ailing member could be taken to hospitals and clinics that have 'cancer' written across the signage, undergo surgery and chemotherapy, amongst other treatments, and still request that you do not tell them they have cancer, as they do not know. As such, people entering palliative care might think that they are still undergoing treatment and still have a chance at cure and recovery. Perhaps this is part of the reason palliative care is not altogether popular here in Nepal. That's all for now, Nameste everyone.

April 22
Hi everyone,
The plane ride to Hong Kong was extremely long, but a lovely flight. By the time we got on the plane to Kathmandu, I had only slept a couple of hours in a period of something like 40 hours, so subsequently fell asleep really really deeply for about 2 hours, and woke with a terribly kinked neck. We arrived in Kathmandu at 930 at night and were picked up by our real estate agent after a bombardment of people offering to carry our bags and give us a ride.
The house in Patan is about 15 minutes away from the airport, which we were thankful for. The house is beautiful and surpasses our expectations. I think I managed to score the best room in the house, with a double bed, private bathroom with shower and balcony overlooking a soccer field where school children are now having a soccer tournament. I felt a bit guilty about the room, but was told that someone had to have it, so why not me?
After a good nights sleep, we went for an early morning walk and breakfast. The city is incredibly busy, which is difficult to describe or capture on camera. Traffic runs mostly on the left side of the road, but this is not a hard and fast rule, and there are certainly no lanes defining the parameters a vehicle can drive within. People use their horns constantly, sometimes seemingly just let others know they are on the road and driving. Watch out! The smells are something like sewage, garbage, dog, yummy curry, incense, exhaust and dirt all mixed together. It is hot hot, but doable.
Whilst we were sitting at breakfast I was looking over my classmates shoulders at the busy busy intersection out the window and saw an elephant walk by carrying all sorts of branches. I jumped up to run outside to take a photo and the staff, understanding my purpose, pointed my way out the door, smiling. I managed to catch his tail end (as above). One of the highlights of the day thus far. The restaurant was a lovely little bakery that employs only deaf people, which I thought was fantastic.
Later in the day we went for a walk to Patan durbar. Durbar means palace. There we saw some amazing ancient buildings, walked around inside and were bombarded with people selling awesome goods. I haven't bought anything yet. We also went grocery shopping. One can buy $40 canadian dollars worth of fruit and veggies for about $6 here. And it is good looking produce too.
The most intense thing right now is the traffic and crossing the road. There are no real rules for driving and it is chaotic, plus there are few real side walks as well, and people drive fast. Having said that, my skill at navigating these trecherous obstacles is improving already. At first I was completely overwhelmed by the roads and alleys and twists and turns, but am orienting to the neighbourhood quickly, thanks to my excellent sense of direction.
The people here are incredibly accepting and pleasant and welcoming. I cannot wait to meet more people. Walking down the street I was joking and laughing with people and am generally feeling comfortable, but not too much so. This has been an incredible beginning to our journey, and I am very happy to be here.

So, every night I have a theme song to my dream which plays over and over, and although I often do not remember the dream, I almost always remember the song. Last night was ‘Uncle Remus’ by Frank Zappa….
“I’ll take a drive to Beverly Hills, just before dawn, and knock the little jockeys off the rich peoples lawns, and before they get up, I’ll be gone….” What significance does the theme hold? I’ll leave it to individual interpretation.
I have procrastinated under pressure to start this blog, so here it begins. At 2:45 in the morning I am flying to Hong Kong with six colleagues, waiting for twelve hours, and then flying to Kathmandu. There we will venture on to our nursing practicums, which I am positive will be an enriching and exciting experience. I am trying to think hard about what my mindset and life is about now, so that I can reflect on how it has been shaped and changed on my return. Preparations otherwise have been limited to packing and unease about the long flight.
This journey would not have been possible for me without the love and support of my family, and I am ever grateful to them. My beautiful Denman Island community has also been overwhelmingly supportive, and I feel privileged to be a part of it. I am sure that I will have more interesting bits to write about later, but for now, this is just to get started. I wonder what sort of theme songs I will have in Nepal…..