Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Maoists, mice, and amazing people







Visions of blogging every day have quickly evaporated, as I have realized how crazy busy I am here and how hard it is to get an internet connection. It has been a mind-blowing, eye opening adventure so far. Even more than I had expected. To summarize, here's what I've done so far:

Day 1: We spent the day wandering around Bakhtapur, an ancient city built by Hindu priests in the 10th to 14th century and still bustling with gritty modern Nepali life. As I sipped on chai in a cafe in the downtown square, a goat gave birth to a baby goat in the street below me, while a seemingly ancient man in a red gown and gold cap burned a candle and squatted to pray in a temple built 1,000 years ago. An unfathomably beautiful scene.

Day 2: Dusk in Banepa and 16 of us were crammed into a tiny Daihatsu van on the way back from the hospital. Our driver was lost and pulled over to get directions, leaving our van in the middle of the street where a fire was, unexplainably, burning in the grassy median. It was a fitting end to a fascinating day. Woman after woman had filed into Scheer Memorial Hospital, a seventh day adventist mission hospital in a smog-choked suburb of Kathmandu called Banepa. Clad in floor-length saris, gold earings and red smudges on their forehead (a nod to their Hindu faith) they quietly told of years - as many as 35 years - suffering with a painful, uncomfortable condition called uterine prolapse, in which the womb literally falls below the pelvic floor, interfering with walking, working, life in general. Most had never told their families, out of shame, and fear. Hinduism is a religion founded on a caste system, in which your lot in life is set at birth, a consequence of your actions in previous lives. Many women assume they somehow brought this problem upon themselves, so they remain silent. In reality, it is the patriarchal system here - which requires women to work from dawn til dusk, carrying water, wood, concrete, you name it - which contributes to the fact that it has more cases of Uterine Prolapse than most any country in the world. Two women had surgery while I watched. Hopefully it will be a new beginning for them.
Day 3: We pulled up to the village of Tamagat with a bus load of medical supplies and doctors and nurses to deliver them, and were greeted by 250-300 patients lined up outside the medical clinic anxiously awaiting. When we stepped off the bus they placed leis made of fresh marigolds around our necks and gave each of us a ceremonial red smudge between the eyes. I teared up. We were a bit nervous. The Maoists are striking in the streets of kathmandu and threatening to close the airport Nov. 10. But I have been assured over and over by Maoists I have interviewed that they will not threaten tourists. I hope they are telling the truth. Today, I walked a couple miles to a primary school with a dental hygienist from Minnesota, and an interpreter. She spent the afternoon going from class to class to teach the kids how to brush and hand out toothbrushes. They were mesmerized. On the way there, an old woman milking a cow invited us into her home for fresh papaya, grapefruit, and an insanely tart fruit I can't pronounce. We sat with her entire family and they laughed at the funny faces we made as we politely choked down the sour fruit. I love it here. Tomorrow, to Kathmandu....

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