Visa Woes and Becoming a Tabla Master

Nepal's tourist visa policy only allows me to stay in the country for five months in a calendar year on the tourist visa. MCC's registration with the government hasn't yielded any more non-tourist visas for me so we had to find an alternative for the other seven months per year. The original plan was for me to take Nepali classes at a university here but we later learned that the time required for the classes wouldn't allow me to also work in an office.

I was then told that I could either study fine arts or music. I am a great appreciator of both art and music but not a producer of either one so this is all a little intimidating, though also exciting. I decided that I wanted to take sitar classes but Kathmandu University currently doesn't have a sitar teacher so I went for the tabla. I've now had three lessons and am really enjoying them. Getting out to the lessons is an adventure in itself but I have a good teacher who has a good balance of making fun of us and encouraging us.

Recently I learned a new grammar structure in my Nepali class that allows me to express what I or someone else will do after something. My Nepali teacher asked me what I will do after I learn tabla. I thought she was talking about my lesson for the following day but she said, "no, just in general." So I told her that after I learn tabla, I will be a tabla master. She just laughed at me.

Teej

In Nepali culture, children live with their families until they get married. At her wedding a girl says goodbye to her family and goes to live with her husband's family for the rest of her life. Each year she is able to return to her parents' home for one day a year on the festival of Teej. During this festival women get to spend time with their own friends and family and get a break from the normal routine of taking care of their families. This year I got to go visit my friend, Chase, who is living just outside of Kathmandu and celebrate Teej with his host family. Women fast and pray for their husbands--for long life, good health and happiness. Those who are not married also fast and pray that they will find a good husband.

The festivities started the night before I arrived with a meal of delicious treats before the fast began. The next day is spent mostly in the temple where lots of dancing and singing takes place. In the evening we gathered again at someone's house for more dancing and singing. Unfortunately for all of the people of Chapagau, they had me show my moves off to the village, too. The next morning lots of female relatives gathered at Chase's host family's house where they brought in a priest who performed a puja (worship) ceremony.

My friends told me that I too should fast and pray for a good husband but I got hungry so I ate daal bhaat (rice and lentils) with Chase instead. Oh well, maybe next year.

Photo by Chase

गाईजात्रा -- The festival of the cows

A few weeks ago we celebrated Gaijatra (gai = cow, jatra = festival) here in Kathmandu. Gaijatra is observed by people who have lost a loved one in the past year. The festival was started when King Pratap Malla lost his son and tried to come up with a way to cheer up his grieving wife. Each family who has lost a loved one is supposed to parade a cow through Kathmandu Durbar Square or if a cow isn't available then they have their boys dress up as cows or as Hindu holy men. Cows are considered the incarnation of the goddess Laxmi so they're revered and worshiped and thought to ease the journey to heaven. The families also have to pass out 365 sweets to those parading and often give them offerings of milk. I got to go to Kathmandu Durbar Square with my language teacher and some of the Nepal MCCers. As foreign as these festivals sometimes feel, there's something really beautiful and important in a culture that honors death and grieving as part of normal life instead of something that interrupts normal life.

Boys dressed up as cows

Receiving offerings of milk

A family remembering and celebrating life and death

Honoring their father/brother/uncle/son

Token tourist picture (L -> R Lynn, Parmeswari, me, John, Chase)

Warming up the house and celebrating birthdays

Since returning to Nepal, I've moved into a pretty sweet new apartment. It's right around the corner from my office and has a snazzy south-facing balcony.

My roommate and I decided to have a house-warming party on my birthday. Unfortunately load shedding started right as people arrived but the candles made it very romantic. Because we had a lot of people in a small room, it really warmed the place up and thus our goal of housewarming was met.

A morning birthday call with the fam.

Warming up the new house.

Caroline and I pretty excited about cake. We were born the same day in the same year and the same time zone.