Here I am in Katmandu, I was finally placed here by the American Jewish World Service. I am volunteering at the Centre of Alternative Treatment and the Peoples Participation and Development Centre. The AJWS sent me here mostly to teach massage and facilitate alternative healthcare. I think my roles may switch a little now and I will help with some proposals for future projects with the PPDC. I might get to start a few of the projects rolling. I may also volunteer at some hospital births. I would like to teach the maternity ward staff some nurturing labor support. The laboring women aren't allowed to have anyone with them. I don't think I would be able to change this policy singlehandedly but just putting some new ideas into the hospital directors heads will hopefully start a wave of change.
My host and director of both centers, Nita, wrote the book "Sex, Pregnancy and Birth" in Nepali. It is the only book like this published in Nepali. The first printing of 10,000 copies have all sold out. She has no funds to reprint it and she wants to revise it. I am trying to find her some funds for this. I have written to the Hesperian Foundation. Maybe they will be able to help or know of another organization who will.
Teaching massage here has been a lot of fun. One problem is the societal rules of gender and sex. So we have to hold separate classes for the male and female students. Right now I have a barber and his 15 year old son as students. They are very sweet. The students soak up the new age style massage ideas.
The religions of Nepal are pervasive in all parts of life. My host family are strict Brahmans. They don't eat any meat or eggs. They also don't eat garlic or onions. I usually eat one or two of my meals with them a day. The food is really good. Nita is very into healthy eating so we get variety which is rare for here. Hinduism is an exclusive religion, a non-Hindu can not convert. Non-Hindus cannot go it the temples. This is frustrating. It makes me think about Judaism and how we are traditionally exclusive also. I am feeling the similarity between all religions strongly here. One glaring difference between Judaism and Hindu and Buddhism is the temples and shrines. When I see the beauty of the temples, the huge stupas, the golden Buddhas.... I feel my religion has missed the boat somehow. Then I start to think of the reasons our shrines and temples remain undecorated and I am proud and love Judaism. I like to go to the religious spots on Shabbat. Of course Saturday is the holy day for the Hindus and the Buddhists so there are always lots of things going on. I forgot Israel wasn't the only place you could go to the bank, post office, etc. on Sunday.
The poverty of the people is around me every day but the inequality of the women is the hardest thing for me to deal with. It's not just the sexism but also the classism that I am upset by. The caste system is still deeply rooted in Nepali culture. Everyone is put on a different step of the ladder in Nepali society. The way the men interact with me is between absolute respect and aggression. I haven't had much in the middle of those. It is frustrating and I am feeling the oppression personally. I feel my teenage rebel want to break lose, shock people, question authority..... Now as an adult I can control myself but I am wondering where to draw the line. I have to speak out in a quiet way and that is new for me. I spend time with young women and they are so curious about my way of life. I find myself wanting to instill revolution in their minds. I feel myself falling back to the idealist belief that change can only occur with "out and out" revolution.
I feel so incredibly blessed to have to opportunity to come to a place as amazing as this to do the work that I am doing. Even with the overall feeling of blessing I still at times feel that I could be "healing the world" in my own community. I am very homesick as I always am spending more than a week away from the Mendocino Coast. I know though with every moment more spent away from home I will appreciate home even more than I do now. I have Headwaters posters on my wall. I am not sure if this makes it easier or harder to be away. I also have my slightly tacky commercial giveaway Hebrew calendar on the wall. That doesn't make me more homesick.
Copyright Yarrow Sprinkling 1998
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Last updated 02/13/98 (RGE)