For the past few days my Aamaa in Kathmandu has been harvesting her many fields of wheat, with the help of a few other neighbor women and one man. I have gone into the fields to help cut the wheat a few times now, and have found it to be very hard work. At some points during the threshing process I was able to relax and reflect on my experiences here and the upcoming events that will take place in my life over the next year. At other points I watched the other women and wondered why my two days of experience did not make me as fast of a worker as them. At the end of the day, both my Aamaa and I were tired, our backs ached, our hands were callused, and our nails full of dirt. Miraculously, I was the only one with bugs bites. Yesterday I realized that although I would love to think that I could become a farmer and live off my own subsistence if I wanted to, I am just not cut out for the job. While I will continue to help my Aamaa as she prepares her fields to plant new crops, my farming career will stay in Nepal when I leave. When I "grow-up" a small pea-patch or backyard vegetable and herb garden will have to suffice.
While I have been in the physical fields, I have also been in the social fields. I am currently reading and attempting to setup interviews for my final project in Nepal (my language and culture class' finals were in Simigaau and that portion of my studies is now complete). I am hoping to conduct many interviews with government officials, former politicians, and everyday Nepali people about the evolution of the political parties in Nepal. I have about one month to conduct this project, and I am no where near being done, but I am constantly finding new interesting details about politics in Nepal. Nepal has a history of militia-led and social rebellions, and over the years many of these militant groups have transformed into legitimate political parties. The use of physical force in politics is what interests me most, especially because small mountainous countries like Nepal tend to be exhibit this type of political behavior. It is also interesting to watch how the Nepali government is changing. They are a new democracy and currently working on a new constitution, since the last constitution that was promulgated in 1990, was based on a constitutional monarchy, and there has been a major revolution since then. I must note that there are currently no political revolutions of violent acts going on that I am aware of. I feel safe!
All in all, I may be destined to be more on the research end of field work than the getting muddy version. However, I appreciate both and I am open to the idea that my life my take me to many other types of fields, before I settle on one.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Love, Marriage, and Alcohol
I spent the past two weeks living in a remote village nestled in the Himalayas called Simigaau. Simigaau means bean village, but ironically they do not grow any beans. Instead they grow wheat, millet, corn, potatoes, etc.. While I was there I ate potatoes everyday, watched my family harvest wheat, and help feed our nine cows. I lived with a 60 year-old mother, 55 year-old father, and three of their children. In total my parents had seven children, nine cows, three goats, thirteen chickens (on the first day I was there, there were 14 chickens, but one was eaten), and one odd dog. My siblings ranged from aged 13 to 30, and three had children of their own. Needless to say, there were always people around the house doing house and farm work or just hanging out.
Most of the families in Simigaau are of the Sherpa or Tamang ethnicity. The caste system in Nepal is still very prevalent, and certain castes are forbidden to drink, intermarry, divorce, etc. I have actually found many parallels between this system and the class system in the United States. However, in Nepal the lowest casts are considered and called "untouchable." The Sherpa and Tamang societies are more flexible then many other castes, and are considered drinking castes because they consume a lot of alcohol. Unlike the Chettri caste, which is the second highest caste in Nepal, the Sherpa and Tamang people are allowed to intermarry with other religions and ethnic groups, as well as divorce. The family with whom I have been living for the majority of my stay in Nepal is Chettri and they do not drink, and prefer arranged marriages to love marriages (which are now growing in popularity here). Although they are open to inter-religious marriages, they think that inter-caste marriages are very complicated and should not to be done (they do occasionally happen though).
My family in Simigaau was an inter-marriage between a Shepa and Tamang ethnicity, which meant that in the house both Sherpa and Tamang languages were spoken. The entire village is tri-lingual, but prefers Sherpa and Tamang to Nepali, so I had to try really hard to make conversations in our house to be in Nepali. Anyway, everyday my father would wake up and start drinking a drink called raksi, which is a wheat or millet-based liquor. Then he would go into the fields and prepare food for our cows and goats, come back and either drink more raksi or chang, which is a millet-based liquor. At first I was alarmed that he would drink all day and my mother would not only service him alcohol, but sometime make it for him. All the alcohols in Simigaau are made by hand, and I observed their different processes. I have grown up in a culture where drink all-day and every-day is considered alcoholism and a major problem. When I first found out my father drank everyday, I thought,"wow I would dump this guy if he were my husband," but then I would see my mother prepare the alcohol for him. In the end, I came to a few realizations about how in this culture alcohol is like tea and not as bad as what I have grown-up hearing about excessive drinking. Many people drink all the time in Simigaau, but do not show signs of alcoholism or alcohol abuse. Despite drinking, my father would do all the work that he needed to do in the fields, to help the family, and to help the town. The alcohol did not interfere with his relationship with me or the rest of his family, who did not drink. Although I do not endorse drinking all the time, I think that he was able to conduct his life and contribute to our family in a productive way, while drinking. And the love that I could see between my mother and father was very strong. The family also happened to have the most amazing smile, sense of humor, and this immense love for each other.
On another alcoholic note, yesterday I was talking with my actual mom on the phone and she asked me if I had been drinking beer. Although I celebrated my 21st birthday (which is a big deal for US citizens because it is the legal drinking age), I did not celebrate with a beer or any other alcoholic beverage. I did however get a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting... Anyway, to answer my actual mom's question in Nepal they have a beer called Everest Beer, with a picture of a man climbing Mt. Everest, which I think is pretty cool. While in Simigaau I did try raksi, chang, and thomba. At the end of my hike to the village I was greeted and welcomed into the house of one of our kitchen staff workers, who lives in Simigaau. In his house, all of the students and program staff were given raksi and potatoes to eat. I personally found raksi really hard to drink and every time I had a sip I made a funny face. However, it is impolite in Sherpa/Tamang culture to not try it when it is offered, so all the students finished a small glass of raksi. On another occasion I drank a warm mug of chang with my host father, but I had to put iodine in it and wait 20 minutes before it was okay for me to drink it. Many people call chang "Nepali beer," but I thought it tasted more like a cheep and warm glass of wine. Some of my friends agreed and other friends thought it tasted like yogurt. The third alcohol I tried in Simigaau, was thomba. Thomba tasted a lot like chang, but is prepared and drunk very differently. The entire thomba mug is filled with millet and a little bit of water, and then the water is drunk from a straw. Magically pouring warm water into the millet creates alcohol, and the mug can be filled three times before the alcohol is no longer strong. I was told that if I ate the millet I would become sick, so that is why everyone uses a straw to drink it.
Another interesting culture note that connects love, marriage, and alcohol is that when a man wants to get married in Simigaau, he and his family traditionally bring a large bottle or raksi to the women's house. If she does not drink the raksi then she is rejecting him.
Now that I am back in Kathmandu, I am back to just drinking my water... Don't worry Mom!
As a three-year-old Simigaau resident told me, "cheers!"
Most of the families in Simigaau are of the Sherpa or Tamang ethnicity. The caste system in Nepal is still very prevalent, and certain castes are forbidden to drink, intermarry, divorce, etc. I have actually found many parallels between this system and the class system in the United States. However, in Nepal the lowest casts are considered and called "untouchable." The Sherpa and Tamang societies are more flexible then many other castes, and are considered drinking castes because they consume a lot of alcohol. Unlike the Chettri caste, which is the second highest caste in Nepal, the Sherpa and Tamang people are allowed to intermarry with other religions and ethnic groups, as well as divorce. The family with whom I have been living for the majority of my stay in Nepal is Chettri and they do not drink, and prefer arranged marriages to love marriages (which are now growing in popularity here). Although they are open to inter-religious marriages, they think that inter-caste marriages are very complicated and should not to be done (they do occasionally happen though).
My family in Simigaau was an inter-marriage between a Shepa and Tamang ethnicity, which meant that in the house both Sherpa and Tamang languages were spoken. The entire village is tri-lingual, but prefers Sherpa and Tamang to Nepali, so I had to try really hard to make conversations in our house to be in Nepali. Anyway, everyday my father would wake up and start drinking a drink called raksi, which is a wheat or millet-based liquor. Then he would go into the fields and prepare food for our cows and goats, come back and either drink more raksi or chang, which is a millet-based liquor. At first I was alarmed that he would drink all day and my mother would not only service him alcohol, but sometime make it for him. All the alcohols in Simigaau are made by hand, and I observed their different processes. I have grown up in a culture where drink all-day and every-day is considered alcoholism and a major problem. When I first found out my father drank everyday, I thought,"wow I would dump this guy if he were my husband," but then I would see my mother prepare the alcohol for him. In the end, I came to a few realizations about how in this culture alcohol is like tea and not as bad as what I have grown-up hearing about excessive drinking. Many people drink all the time in Simigaau, but do not show signs of alcoholism or alcohol abuse. Despite drinking, my father would do all the work that he needed to do in the fields, to help the family, and to help the town. The alcohol did not interfere with his relationship with me or the rest of his family, who did not drink. Although I do not endorse drinking all the time, I think that he was able to conduct his life and contribute to our family in a productive way, while drinking. And the love that I could see between my mother and father was very strong. The family also happened to have the most amazing smile, sense of humor, and this immense love for each other.
On another alcoholic note, yesterday I was talking with my actual mom on the phone and she asked me if I had been drinking beer. Although I celebrated my 21st birthday (which is a big deal for US citizens because it is the legal drinking age), I did not celebrate with a beer or any other alcoholic beverage. I did however get a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting... Anyway, to answer my actual mom's question in Nepal they have a beer called Everest Beer, with a picture of a man climbing Mt. Everest, which I think is pretty cool. While in Simigaau I did try raksi, chang, and thomba. At the end of my hike to the village I was greeted and welcomed into the house of one of our kitchen staff workers, who lives in Simigaau. In his house, all of the students and program staff were given raksi and potatoes to eat. I personally found raksi really hard to drink and every time I had a sip I made a funny face. However, it is impolite in Sherpa/Tamang culture to not try it when it is offered, so all the students finished a small glass of raksi. On another occasion I drank a warm mug of chang with my host father, but I had to put iodine in it and wait 20 minutes before it was okay for me to drink it. Many people call chang "Nepali beer," but I thought it tasted more like a cheep and warm glass of wine. Some of my friends agreed and other friends thought it tasted like yogurt. The third alcohol I tried in Simigaau, was thomba. Thomba tasted a lot like chang, but is prepared and drunk very differently. The entire thomba mug is filled with millet and a little bit of water, and then the water is drunk from a straw. Magically pouring warm water into the millet creates alcohol, and the mug can be filled three times before the alcohol is no longer strong. I was told that if I ate the millet I would become sick, so that is why everyone uses a straw to drink it.
Another interesting culture note that connects love, marriage, and alcohol is that when a man wants to get married in Simigaau, he and his family traditionally bring a large bottle or raksi to the women's house. If she does not drink the raksi then she is rejecting him.
Now that I am back in Kathmandu, I am back to just drinking my water... Don't worry Mom!
As a three-year-old Simigaau resident told me, "cheers!"
Potty Talk
** Warning: If you are uncomfortable with reading about poop and how I use a toilet in Nepal, then maybe you should skip this post...
When I lived at my host family’s house in Turkey they had what I like to call a squatty-toilet. This means there was a ceramic basin in the floor with a small hole in it, where I squatted over and did my toilet business. Before arriving in Turkey and using that toilet, I had not been given a proper orientation for how to use it. Although there was toilet paper on my first day, when it ran out I started to provide my own. I had no idea how to flush the toilet so everything stayed put inside the hole when I was done. Then when I moved into the dorm in Turkey I had the luxury of a western toilet (i.e. what you find in homes and public restrooms in the US and Europe).
My home in Nepal has the same type of toilet, and in fact most of the private and public toilets are squatty-toilets. This means that my thighs are becoming extra strong! On the first day of the program I was given an orientation of how to use toilets here. Here are the basic steps. (1) enter the charpi (toilet room) and if it is in a house put on the bathroom slippers provided (2) pull your pants down and hover over the basin (3) aim and (4) fire. In the charpi there is usually a small bucket of water, and plastic mug, and a spicket in case you go number two. If there is no water in the bucket then you use your right hand to turn on the spicket. This water is your toilet paper, and if there is no water then you are out of luck and either get creative or hold it. Toilet paper is highly not recommended because it can clog the toilets here. After going to the bathroom you use your right hand to poor water from the mug into your left hand and wipe with your left hand. You pour, wipe, pour, wipe, and repeat until you are all clean. To get dry, I like to either do a little dance or use my hand as a squeegee. To flush you fill a mug or as many mugs are needed and pour water into the basin, until you cannot see your excrement anymore. After everything is all done and your pants are back on, you leave the charpi by using your right hand to open the door. Then wash your hands at a sink by turning the faucet on with your right hand, using your right hand to get soapy, and then taking your soapy hand to wash your left hand, so that you do not make the soap impure. It sounds more complicated then it is.
I am pretty lucky to have two charpi's in my house, so I do not have to leave at night to go to the bathroom. A lot of other girls on the program have bedpans that they must empty in the morning and have to walk outside to go to the bathroom. The reason why they have bedpans is that there are wild dogs that run around at night, so this allows them to stay safe at home. I stayed with a family for three nights in a remote mountain village named Tangting. In Tangting my toilet was outside my dung-made home, so I would have to walk outside at night, but there where never any dogs. Tangting does not have load-shedding because they have their own hydro-power plant, which means that there is constent electricity. So there were also lights on the 10-foot path to the toilet, so I could check for animals before I went.
On another note, I leave on April 28th for a two-week village stay in Simigaau. Simigau is a remote village nestled in the foothills of the Himalaya's so I will not have any email or phone access. I am very excited to go and learn about Sherpa and Tamang culture. I will also have my last two weeks of language classes and final exams there. When I get back I will be starting my month-long research project on the political parties of Nepal.
Hope you are all doing well!
Happy Nepali New Years!
When I lived at my host family’s house in Turkey they had what I like to call a squatty-toilet. This means there was a ceramic basin in the floor with a small hole in it, where I squatted over and did my toilet business. Before arriving in Turkey and using that toilet, I had not been given a proper orientation for how to use it. Although there was toilet paper on my first day, when it ran out I started to provide my own. I had no idea how to flush the toilet so everything stayed put inside the hole when I was done. Then when I moved into the dorm in Turkey I had the luxury of a western toilet (i.e. what you find in homes and public restrooms in the US and Europe).
My home in Nepal has the same type of toilet, and in fact most of the private and public toilets are squatty-toilets. This means that my thighs are becoming extra strong! On the first day of the program I was given an orientation of how to use toilets here. Here are the basic steps. (1) enter the charpi (toilet room) and if it is in a house put on the bathroom slippers provided (2) pull your pants down and hover over the basin (3) aim and (4) fire. In the charpi there is usually a small bucket of water, and plastic mug, and a spicket in case you go number two. If there is no water in the bucket then you use your right hand to turn on the spicket. This water is your toilet paper, and if there is no water then you are out of luck and either get creative or hold it. Toilet paper is highly not recommended because it can clog the toilets here. After going to the bathroom you use your right hand to poor water from the mug into your left hand and wipe with your left hand. You pour, wipe, pour, wipe, and repeat until you are all clean. To get dry, I like to either do a little dance or use my hand as a squeegee. To flush you fill a mug or as many mugs are needed and pour water into the basin, until you cannot see your excrement anymore. After everything is all done and your pants are back on, you leave the charpi by using your right hand to open the door. Then wash your hands at a sink by turning the faucet on with your right hand, using your right hand to get soapy, and then taking your soapy hand to wash your left hand, so that you do not make the soap impure. It sounds more complicated then it is.
I am pretty lucky to have two charpi's in my house, so I do not have to leave at night to go to the bathroom. A lot of other girls on the program have bedpans that they must empty in the morning and have to walk outside to go to the bathroom. The reason why they have bedpans is that there are wild dogs that run around at night, so this allows them to stay safe at home. I stayed with a family for three nights in a remote mountain village named Tangting. In Tangting my toilet was outside my dung-made home, so I would have to walk outside at night, but there where never any dogs. Tangting does not have load-shedding because they have their own hydro-power plant, which means that there is constent electricity. So there were also lights on the 10-foot path to the toilet, so I could check for animals before I went.
On another note, I leave on April 28th for a two-week village stay in Simigaau. Simigau is a remote village nestled in the foothills of the Himalaya's so I will not have any email or phone access. I am very excited to go and learn about Sherpa and Tamang culture. I will also have my last two weeks of language classes and final exams there. When I get back I will be starting my month-long research project on the political parties of Nepal.
Hope you are all doing well!
Happy Nepali New Years!
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