I've realized that I'm going to keep posting a daily account of my trip here in Nepal. I just don't have the time or stamina to do it. Except for this entry, I will probably just summarize a week at a time from now on. This entry is for a very interesting day. The day Democracy fell in Nepal. A few days before I moved out of my host families house and into the school.
6:00 AM-My day doesn't start when my alarm goes off. Like millions of others around the globe the first thing my mind and body tell me to do when my I hear that buzzing is "Get Coffee!" I immediately turn on my electric cup which I had filled the night before, put a teaspoon of sugar and one of instant coffee (damn the wretched stuff) into my shiny tin cup. The water comes to a boil and I fill my cup to the brim and stir gently. After my first sip I instantly feel the affect. Now my day officially begins.
6:15 AM-I sit down to study some Nepali vocabulary. I am currently teaching english to children ages 11-16 in Kathmandu, Nepal. I've been in Nepal for 18 days, but only started teaching 3 days ago. Many of the kids already know a bit of english and can understand me as long as I speak slowly and use small words. They are all excited to learn. At the moment I can only speak and understand a little Nepali, but study every morning in hopes of at least being able to hold a simple conversation before I leave in April.
7:30 AM-The commute to school literally takes no time at all since I sleep here. I have a very comfortable bed and desk in a room next to the principal's office. From about 6:00 PM until the first teacher arrives in the morning, I am the only one in the school.
A fellow teacher named Jeteswor enters my room and I offer him a cup of coffee which he enthusiastically accepts. School doesn't start until 10:00 AM, but he arrives early to tudor kids who's parents have payed extra money to get more a more thorough education. We sit and I tell him how it can be day time on one half of the world and night on the other.
9:30 AM-The rest of the teachers and children arrive. In total there are about 200 students ranging from KG-8th grade. The playground consists of two swings, a makeshift ping-pong table with bricks substituted for the net, and about 1/4 acre of dirt ground being used for soccer, cricket, badminton (minus the net), volleyball (also minus the net), and all types of games being played with stones. I'm challenged by a fellow teacher to a game of ping-pong and lose 12-10.
10:00 AM-Morning Assembly. The children form up in the dirt courtyard and are run through a few military drills and stretching routines. A hindu prayer is recited aloud and then they sing Nepal's national anthem. Then, class by class they march off to their respective classrooms.
10:15 AM-Like the preceding days I have no idea what grade or subject I'll be teaching until the last minute. I came to the school to teach english, but over the past few days have taught english, science, and asian based social studies. Basically I'm a substitute teacher for the time being. Today I'm informed I will be teaching english to 3rd graders for 1st period.
10:45 AM-Following class I see the other teachers gathered around eachother talking and obviously bothered by something. I'm not able to understand what's being said, but can tell by their faces that something is wrong. One of them eventually comes over to tell me what has happened.
At 10:00 AM this morning, King Gyanendra declared the end of democratic rule in Nepal and the dismissal of the current Prime Minister and his cabinet. Nepal was suddenly in complete control of the same man rumored to be partly responsible for the massacre of 10 royal cabinet members back in 2001. Among the victims were the former King and Queen. Only a conspiracy theory, but one that many here seem to believe.
11:30 AM-The King declares a state of emergency in Kathmandu. All phone lines are cut and the airport is shutdown. School is cancelled for the remainder of the day and the kids are sent home. A few of the teachers remain at the school with me and we sit around listening to the radio. Most stations are continuously playing a public address by the King giving his reasons for the current development and his hopes for the future. According to him, Nepal is not ready for democratic rule and the political cabinet was full of corruption and greed. At least the latter part is true.
12:15 PM-Nothing new is being said on the radio so we go out to the empty playground and play a few matches of ping-pong. After the last couple of tense hours it was great to loosen up and have some fun. We were in the middle of our third match when a very symbolic reminder that fell from the sky brought us back to the reality of the day. Nepal was crying.
1:10 PM-We were sitting around listening to the radio and letting our clothes dry when the electricity was cut across most of the city. To pass the time we talked politics and drank warm milk. The two teachers who remained with me kept telling me not to worry about anything. To be honest, I wasn't concerned about my safety. I am a foreigner and could leave if I wanted to to once the airport was operating again. These two teachers along with 22 million other people were stuck here no matter what. There future was what I was worried about.
2:00 PM-The three of us decide to go for a walk to the nearby Hindu temple to relax. At first I was a bit hesitant to leave the school compound, but later realized there was nothing no reason to be. Activity on the streets was very normal. Especially considering the circumstances. It was strange how normal everything seemed to be. Democratic rule in Nepal was only 14 years old, so maybe people just didn't care. The temple was very beautiful and the setting very peaceful and calming. A complete contrast to the political structure of Nepal.
3:45 PM-I head back to the school. Padam, one of the teachers, invites me over for dinner. I agree to come over to this place around 6:00. When I get back to the school I suddenly feel exhausted and lie down to take a nap. The comforting normalcy of the streets allows me to forget briefly of the occurences of the day.
4:30 PM-I only stayed asleep for about 20 minutes but felt quite refreshed when I woke up. A young girl that lives up stairs (about sixteen) stops by and we talk about the days news. She speaks english remarkably well and gives me a much better translation of the days events than the teachers did. Instead of sugar coating everything, she speaks of the human rights being violated such as no freedom of speech or the press. Under the king's rule there will be complete censorship. She speaks emotionally about the injustice of the day.
6:00 PM-Dinner at Padam's. He is a great cook. In addition to the Nepali staple food daalbhat (rice mixed with a type of split pea soup) he fried up some chicken bits and steamed some saag(a spinach like veggie). Following the meal we relaxed and he told me a summary of his life story. Like most Nepali, growing up was hard and opportunities were extremely limited. He's managed to do quite well for himself though and it was great to hear how he did it.
8:30 PM-After I get back to the school I search around and find a radio. I spend some time searching through the stations for anything in english and find the BBC. The top story in the news is the end of democratic rule in Nepal. I immediately think of my family and friends at home worrying about me. After all, the news made Kathmandu sound like a warzone. I knew that tomorrow I would have to go to the US embassy to try and get in contact with someone back home and tell them that all is fine.
10:00 PM-I finish the night with a drop of Indian whiskey I bought a few days ago. Bagpiper its called and really doesn't taste too bad. It at least serves its purpose. Soon I am quite relaxed and this strange day in Nepal comes to an end. I say strange only because it was so normal.
|
