Haiti and Nepal

First about Haiti. What can one say? And what to tell beside what we all hear in the news? Only this, on a personal note: our little Jean is fine, as is his mom Gladys and her 3 young brothers. No tremors north of PaP/Petionville, in Saint Marc, which is about 5hrs by car up the coast. But little water available and food is running out there as well. The streets around the local hospital are lined with injured, brought up from PaP. I just talked to Gladys when she had a few minutes to talk before the line was cut.
Our dear friends Nathaelf, Erlantz and Christina, with children and spouses, are ok and working around the clock. Nathaelf, phys, was in the hospital in Petionville, the hospital you all heard collapsed. We have not heard about the two people at the UN/UNESCO we had meetings with...

Now about Nepal.
We stayed for several days in a variety of places, for a variety of reasons/ purposes.
The flight there was looooong. From JFK to Hong Kong and from there to Kathmandu (via Bangladesh), all together, home to 'home', about 34 hours. Talk about 'well-done'! (as in food)

We spent 3 days in Bakhtapur, a 'suburb' of Kathmandu and a World Heritage site (the entire town). It is beautiful beyond description. Very old, gorgeous woodwork on every old building (most, therefore), the highest temple in Nepal - five stories high-, of the known Japanese pagoda style which is originally from Nepal to begin with. There are religious edifices on every street corner, courtyard, in between and more. Each are prayed to, bell(s) rung, flowers and red or yellow Tika paste added etc. In the beginning I was filled with wonder and admiration, but later in the trip I began to have difficulty with the animal worships and sacrifices. Still admire their religious sincerity which was, oddly enough, more prominent in the city than in the country-side or smaller towns. It is usually the opposite. The Hindu religious had touches of Buddhism, the Buddhism touches of Hindu and the Christianity an odd touch of both. Even the missionaries. Good to see mutual acceptance and respect. For a change.

The three things that caught our attention first and throughout our trip were the bells all day long, starting a 5am: little and large bells rung constantly by men and women during their short and longer acts of worhip. The second was, yes, hawking. This 'nose-suck-throat glob-spit went on everywhere and from the first to the last mjintue is was totally disgusting. Mostly in the city of Kathmandu and surroundings and we figured it was related to the horrendous pollution. Really something awful.
The third thing was the never-ending, sincere friendliness and kindness. Especially so to Amricans, we felt. That was refreshing. The people who are educated, something every family strives for and gives up what most of us never would, have children studying in every corner of the world, mostly the US and the UK. And I mean Johns Hopkins, Prinnceton etc. And certainly not all on scholarships. Truly admirable and amazing. Getting them back is another issue, and quite understandable.
On the other hand we saw signs familiar with Haiti. The country side, town to fields, are strewn with garbage everywhere you go. Less so in really, really rural ares, most along roadways and in cities. Appalling and unnecessary. Maybe something will change in the future. We tried to talk to many people, and one never knows. Making Beautiful Nepal More Beautiful sort-of-speech.

We became true and life-long friends with a number of people, especially including our hosts Indira and M.P. in Butwal. What marvelous, loving, hard-working and caring people they are. They will be in our heart forever. Their two sons, at Susquehanna U PA and U of Texas, are graduating next summer and we will see them here! We hope we can be as kind to them as they were to us!

In Butwal, one ot the two reasons for our trip, we delivered TWO excellent computers and an excellent, top quality LCD projector to a public school that has next to nothing. It is too bad I cannot let you hear the cheers and excitement of the students. I'd l;ove to go back there and volunteer English speaking classes to those kids. Anyone interested?? They need you! You need to walk through a bad part of town (dirty), over a dubious swing bridge and through rice paddies to get there, but once there you are filled with utter joy and met with everlasting love.
Butwal is boring and ugly as heck, but since were were inundated with friends, parties and friendships we don't really remember much of that. In total we visited 7 schools, all but two private, of high level and discipline, and huge reception activities and speeches to welcome us. And gifts of all sorts, always beginning with looooong lines of "Namaste" and clapping greetings and being presented with off-white shawls, handsful of flower heads, and flower garlands around our necks. So marvelous. Cultural dances were often included.
Our jaunt into the country, Begnas Tal, was a great, contrasting experience. We stayed in a hostel-type place, which wasn't too clean, noisy, but with the nicest people. So all was well there also. We met with the sweetest adults and children in towm, gave each of them a (brandnew) book, many donated by Highlights For Children, and a new pencil. They were beyond delighted.
We visited a really poor school in the mountains and are considering sponsoring the kitchen that needs to be built, pots and pans and all, that will provide a free lunch for the poorest of the poorest mountain children. Part of our OneBigBoost© project. (One item per unit/not individuals, one place, one time ) That sounds like a good option to consider. We have some money left in the kitty due to generous donations at the end or after our departure, and with our sale-profit added, we should do well for the next stage!
We made a little friend, 12-yr old Ghatha, who spoke with more eloquence in English than her age-counterparts in the US. Amazing intelligence also. We'll keep watching that incredible girl, who said" I am so deeply saddened that you are leaving. You will remain embedded into my soul for the rest of my life." When we invited her and her 11 yo friend Nisa for dinner, and they preferred to order 'dry food'. To our surprise this meant Lays potato chips. Hmm. Another experience.
We saw musicians play primitive instruments, people dance spontaneously and in folkloristic dances. Hear different languages and dialects and, above all, saw the Himalayan mountains.
In the morning the hills and mountains surrounding us would be covered in fog, each layer above the other as the morning mist rose from each valley. Then, suddeny, a little white mountaintop would appear above it all, above the clouds. Just a triangle. Then more, and another one, and the top of a range. All shining white in the morning sun. As the fog disappated, the range of craggy mountains would rise majestically in the background. It was like seeing music. In the evening they would turn a fiery pink and orange in the setting sun, yet another experience. We were never in or close to them (no roads, only trekking paths) but it made no difference.
There was a water shortage in the valleys, because the water in the mountains were frozen. The snow doesn't start until February, so everyone was careful not to lose a drop. Ah: we did have a shower once. The rest were sponge-baths IF there was some water heated up.
It was, generally, almost unbearbly cold during the nights. We often slept with 3-4 layers of clothing on (make that 5). coat included. In Patan (Kathmandu suburbs) they brought us hot water bottles, after we asked for heat. That was utter bliss.
Beth loved the food, I did not, except for the yoghert (can't remember the exact spelling - senior moment), named King Curd, their fresh fruit. coffee and various ways of fixing chicken and curried vegetables and 'milk-coffee'. I ate very little, as I always do, so I wasn't 'starving'.

We bought, pre-planned, a large amount of beautiful items from our own 'seed money' that we had brought along. OK-so we went over the limit usin credit cards. But it was worth it. Besides a few family/friend gifts, we spent it all on beautiful crafts, to be sold at 'Nepal Parties', during which incredible deals can be had, with ALL profit going to a new OneBigBoost cause.
We have gorgeous, various weight and widths Pashmina (comes only from Himalayan mountain goats, and then only the wool from under the chin - no matter what they tell you in the store about "100% Pashmina) and Pashmina/silk mix shawls, wood carvings, lovely silver jewelry, some with gemstones. At the last minute we found a blue striped Yak, hand-spun and dyed, wool shawl!I have only one...!
An amazing amount of hand-made paper products such as note books, stationary, calendars and photo albums and heart garlands. A great variety of teas from black to herbal. Also a variety of "odd" objects such as lovely paintings, clay sugar or insense bowls, yak -bone items with brass and silver inlay, hand-cast miniature brass objects, a game, woven mini and larger baggies and purses, and more. It was SO much fun to be able to shop freely with the goal to sell it all. No guilt! We'll let you know (if you ask) when we have one of our 3 'home parties' at our homes or Philly at Tjitske' where you can hear music, watch slides and a video of our experiences, and buy one of the great deals we are passing on to you. IF you want to spend money. Be welcome either way! ALL of the profits go back to OneBigBoost!!! Come and see us: you won't be sorry. And you can come to just have (Nepali) tea. As I said: we had a blast.

I will try to post some of our pictures, but it may be a few days before I can get to them. I'm pretty tired still now and have been mainly occupied with Haiti stuff today. But I promised I'd write so here it finally is and all in one big bundle. Electricity is scarce and rare - internet even more so.
Love you all and thank you for thinking of us while we flew over Alaska, North Pole, Russia, China, Mongolia and into Hong Kong, traveled around and back again. What an unforgettable journey!
And mostly a BIG thanks to those who were able and chose to support the important project to that school, where some students had no shoes but walked to school anyway.
It does make me think of fancy Nikes and such socially needed paraphernalia our kids are forced into.
Thanks for trying to read the blog before, and thank you for doing so now.
Do good things, be kind and accepting (I'm learning!) and feel good about this world. It isn't as bad as we believe. There is ALWAYS hope and grumbling doesn't do anyone any good.
Marianne

Kathmandu-Begnas Tal-Butwal

Yes-it has been very difficult to get online. Correction: it has been very hard to find a computer and nearly impossible to get one with internet...IF there is electricity! We don't know how we take lifew and all its small and large conveniences for granted.
At this moment I have VERY little time and am typing on an old-fashion Chinese script keyboard (no time for e\corrections) so please bear with me.

Nepal is wonderful and amazing and baffling and yseterious and...and...
I see similarities to Haiti, many, yet the sprit is so strong and positive. There is much poverty (no hunger at this time of year), terrible lack of education yet an enormous desire to do ANYTHING possible for parents to get their children to school. And of the many who succeed, their children can be found in the US, Australia, India, the UK..excellingat top universities. And now they need to come back. And that is the problem.
Roads, except for a fuw 2-lane (no markers) sure-highways, do not exist. There are half-finished houses everywhere and piles of rubble lining the roads. Garbage cans do not exist and throwing stuff out the wijdows is normal. No sewage to speak of.

The homes, small and one-room simple, as clean as a whistle. There are signs of deep religious belief and practice everywhere.
The old cars and taqxis have cloths neatly placed on the seats to keep vehicle and customers clean.
No shoes are worn in any home and slippers are waiting for you. The food is wonderful (although I have no hunger/appeite, as usuala) and the odor of spices permiates the air. Children walk long ways through rice paddies and u mountains, dressed to a 't' inn their uniforms,hair braided and tied up with red ribons.
Nature-indescribable. Beautiful hills/mountains - all is relative - with deep, deep valleys scethecd out with neat pencil lines into terraces. Colorful little houses are scattered throughout. The sky has a deep fog until the sun warms it up. And out up the upper layer of fog appear white, sunlit points, way high up in the sky. Way, way up. The fog clearws and as we watch, the mountains grow with unbeaqualled majesty.

We have to go to give a speach to chosen students of 5 area/mountain schools now about Interdependence and I have to run. Maybe there will be more internet later. They connected it for 4 days just for us@!

Love to all of you. Imagine those mountains, terraces smiling faces and I great you "Namaste' : I greet the Godlines ijn you.