The Nepalese Adventure: Day 10

Day 10

Namaste! 

(Thanks for spelling correction Jason!)

• Today I packed my suitcase!

• Rudely awoken by my "friend". This morning he sounded like he was right beside my bed (=sleeping bag on concrete!). I decided to try and reason with him so opened my window (no glass, just plywood which makes for great black out blinds and at a fraction of the price). Literally, right outside, there he was strutting up and down. We faced off to each other for a while but when I mentioned a boiling pot he just turned his back on me and walked off.

• I turned around and caught out of the corner of my eye… THE MOUSE!... just as he darted towards the corner of the room behind my suitcase and to where I keep my precious supply of toilet rolls! (3 left).  Perhaps he mistakenly thought that their presence indicated a lavatory facility?

Switzerland

• So I decided to clear everything away from the sides of the room. Packed everything back in my case. My several pairs of shoes (and here Sabine may well be justified in her criticism of my expansive luggage: Walking boots, casual boots, canvas shoes, trainers and flip flops) I put all except flip flops into my backpackers rucksack, in the process disturbing a spider about the size of Switzerland.

• Cleaned yesterday’s currants from the stairwell, went for breakfast and was at school by 10:00.

• Swept the floor of the newly painted classroom as this is to become the new staff room. Started transferring all the staff room furniture from the room next door. After a while, the rest of the teachers got the idea and started to help. Job done in 30 mins! Was interesting to see a half dozen large steel crates stamped with Save The Children. First hand evidence that fundraising from major charities does reach its destination.

• Lunch at 12:00.

• Very very busy in the village as 2 political parties turned up canvassing for votes. About 40 people in the backs of trucks, accompanied by a dozen or so motorcycles. 

Political party campaign - View from front of Home-stay

Political party campaign. View from home-stay to the left

• The political situation in Nepal makes current European and American politics look like a romance novel. This is an excerpt from a book I’m reading that describes political events in Nepal just 10 years ago:

"The king, declaring a return to democracy, had called for municipal elections in February 2006. But there was a catch: The elected leaders would be operating as puppets under the king’s absolute authority. The election was boycotted by every political party in Nepal and condemned by the international community. Protests ignited on the streets of Kathmandu. The police, under the king’s orders, donned bulletproof vests and carried automatic weapons, and set about arresting and beating the protesters, killing one. Citizens took to the streets. The king tried to contain them. Ahead of a widely publicized pro-democracy rally, the government cut off all mobile phone service and kept it off for a month. Still, word managed to get out. So the royal government called a curfew for the entire day of the scheduled rally. Those brave enough to show up were beaten.

Government agents began arresting student leaders, simply walking into their classrooms and taking them away. To add to the misery of the population, the Maoists called for a nationwide bandha, or strike, prohibiting all travel on the day of the election. Anyone caught going to a polling station would be attacked by Maoist sympathizers. 

Then things really got strange: The royal government was unable to convince citizens to risk life and limb to violate the bandha in order to vote in the farcical election. So the king took a different approach. If the citizens would not violate the bandha on their own free will, then he would force them to violate it. Overnight, the police impounded five hundred random cars in Kathmandu. An announcement was released to the news stations: owners of the vehicles must pick up their cars from the police compound on the first day of the bandha and drive them home. If they did not, they would forfeit their car forever. These unlucky citizens would be forced to put their lives and their vehicles—which represented a significant portion of their net worth—at risk. The announcement went on to imply that the government was not insensitive to the potential risks; they would offer insurance on all the vehicles in the (highly likely) event of damage to the car. The government also announced, as was quoted in the newspaper: “In case of death of driver, co-driver, or helper of vehicle plying during the strike, the government will give an additional percent amount besides insurance compensation.” 

The February elections were, by any measure, a complete failure. Public turnout measured about 2 percent. Most polling stations had more soldiers than voters. There were not even enough candidates to fill the positions; only about two thousand candidates offered their names for about four thousand seats. Maoists had threatened to murder candidates, and they succeeded in at least one case. A candidate was gunned down in the street; others had their houses bombed. The government, in response, offered free life insurance to anybody willing to run for office. The king declared the election a victory for democracy."

Well I found that interesting anyway!

• Things have improved since then but 6 political parties in power in last 6 years (I think I understood - though this may be inaccurate) means very little is achieved and as a result Nepal remains one of the poorest countries in the world.

• Back to school for 13:00 to prep for lessons. All those that mocked me and said I would be a teacher’s assistant… well eat your words! It’s my class! Of course I couldn’t manage without the teacher to assist me. With translation J

• Lessons today started with the basics of computer cleaning (needs to be done every day). Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, CPU, Speakers. Then it was turning on the power at the wall sockets (remembering many houses have no power or just a light). Then progressed to holding the mouse (revision!) and then the "Start" button, How to launch a program and then the fun began with a software package I'd installed for mouse control. Basic click and drag of shapes, letters, numbers, matching pairs and colouring pictures. They loved it. The first time ever to touch a computer for most of them!

• Keeping control on the class can be a little difficult as you keep having to shoo out other kids who just come in to watch. The other teachers who come in and just watch I allow to stay! It's like Piccadilly Circus! The goat that came in I drew a line at! I haven’t mentioned them before but they just wander around the village chomping on anything they can get to.

• Earlier I mentioned the value of the toilet rolls. Every couple of days you go to use the toilet to find the toilet roll (which is just on the floor) soaking wet. Right through! You hope that this is from over enthusiastic “flushing” of the toilet (done with a bucket) rather than anything else. Anyway,  today I created a toilet roll holder. (Penknife saw used to make clean cut of stick!) Hindou was most impressed. Not sure what anyone else here makes of it.

• Couldn't bring myself to paint after school today so sat in the restaurant and started to write blog. Couple of kids were playing some sort of very basic card game so I taught them to play Uno too. We played for an hour. Try as I might to lose, I won 8 out of 10 games. Left them to it.

• Went for a shower. Usual greetings of Namaste are being replaced by "Hi Chris" from the kids at school as i walk through the village. 

• Showers were deserted this evening so was able to thoroughly wash all the bits that only get fleeting attention when there’s an audience. Don’t want you to think I was luxuriating in the shower at all though. Still freezing cold. Still at the side of the road.

• We were supposed to be going to a neighbour's for dinner. Went round at 7 but no one in. Not sure if this was a communication error or just the relaxed Nepali attitude of go with the flow when plans change. Luckily Theresa (homestay mum) was able to rustle up some food. Dhal Bhat! (Rice & Dhal). Again.
• NB: Dahl can be (Dal, Dhal, Dahl or Daal!)

• Need to start making these blogs a bit shorter….

Bholi bhetaula!