Help Hard

Final Blog!

2010-02-05T17:04:00.000-08:00

In some ways, I feel like I’ve been gone forever. And in other ways, it seems like just yesterday that I arrived. But, the journey has been far more fulfilling that I ever expected and I head home in a few days a different person. Probably more hilarious. Actually, Dan told me this week that I lost my personality in Asia…so maybe less hilarious.

Anywho, since my blogs are glimpses into how I’m feeling each week, this blog reflects what I’m thinking about during my last few days – what I’ll miss and what I won’t.

Things I will not miss:

1. Emails like the one that I sent to my mom on Tuesday that said “Can you book me a doctor’s appointment when I get home? I think I might have a parasite. It’s not life threatening or a big deal at all but could become a problem if it goes undetected. Thanks!”
2. Thai, Nepali, Khmer and Hindi. Languages in Asia are not called romance languages for a reason. And yet, on every bus, they feel the need to blast the radio or even worse, play cheesy music videos. Clean it up.
3. Being stared at. For the love of god people, I’m white. With boobs. Get over it.
4. The Asian rumble.
5. American banks shutting down my accounts every five minutes because I’m completing transactions from a foreign country. Bank of America – for the 63rd time, please make a note that I am traveling in Asia for five months. You have become my primary relationship.
6. Realizing halfway through a meal what I’m eating. The other day, I ordered what I thought was chicken stir fry. After digging in, I realized it was chicken’s feet stir fry. Feet fry. I could see the toes. I’m really tired of this.
7. Cold showers. Bucket showers. Squat toilets. “Pillows”. “Beds”. Ants. Lizards. Stray dogs. Snakes. Mice. The fact that it makes sense to me that these are one point.
8. My backpack containing rocks and a dead body. Asian men suggesting that I ride on a motorbike with said backpack. Hey buddy, you want to pick this thing up before you drive 60 with me dangling off the back?!
9. People trying to rob you blind at every turn. It’s exhausting. I dream about price tags.
10. “Asian blunt”. I’m about as straightforward as they come. But here, they take it to a whole new level. Instead of saying “that’s cool that you are traveling solo” they say “Why isn’t your boyfriend in Cambodia? [snicker] You are in Cambodia alone. ALONE!” Or another classic, instead of “you look like you had a fun weekend!” they say “you look fatter”. My confidence is soaring.

Things I will miss:

1. The unmistakable feeling you get when you look around and realize you are truly living.
2. The food! (Sans India) This week, I ate crabs on the water with a nice, cold beer. It felt just like the crabfeast without the wiffle and BJ blacking out.
3. The beach. The mountains. The jungle. Summer in January. 1 day of rain in 5 months. Daylight savings, shmaylight savings.
4. Spending time with my cousin, Bekah. As I’ve mentioned, she is living in Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer and it’s been such an incredible gift to spend this time with her.
5. Care packages from home. Dan, Lilly, Mom and Dad – you don’t even know how happy airheads, Swedish fish, trashy magazines, and hand sanitizer have made me these past few months.
6. Markets. Crab Markets. Vegetable Markets. Russian Markets. Open Air Markets. Floating Markets. They beat the hell out of strip malls and grocery stores.
7. When foreign people don’t get the English quite right and make a hilarious sentence. But then again, my dear friend Christian Barr from England does this all the time. One time we were having a small wine tasting in Denver and he actually said out loud, “I’m getting wood…”
8. The smells. The sunsets.
9. Feeling your perspective change. It feels amazing.
10. When a moment is so poetic that you are moved to tears. Like when I was dancing with volunteers and street children in the slums of India. Or the Nepali Headmaster’s joy after we told him we’d help rebuild his school. After I saw the most precious 3 year old Thai girl with cerebral palsy ride her therapy horse with “no hands” and grin from ear to ear at her small victory. Each time I’m welcomed into someone’s home like it’s my own. I will miss those moments the most.

I think that the greatest gift of travel is it helps you truly appreciate what you have at home. And over the past five months, I’ve been inspired and humbled by the support and love from all of you. You have made me stronger. Finally, I'd like to say an especially big thanks to my family – I wouldn’t be here without you.

Thank you for reading! I’m out…

Much love,
E

10 more days!

2010-01-31T02:04:00.000-08:00

Wow. As I write that title, it feels surreal to think that there are just 10 days left of this trip. I wouldn't say that I have mixed emotions as I know it's time to head home and I couldn't be more excited to see everyone. I picture sitting on my parents' couch the first night that I'm home in sweats, curled up in a big blanket with a fire and a massive goblet of red wine. It makes me too excited to think about so I have to stop. But, as it's the end of a pretty significant chapter, I can't help but become a bit reflective over the last few months. I think I'll save my reflections for my closing blog next week so stay tuned.

This week, I traveled throughout Cambodia to visit a few rural communities and observe work that was being done in those areas. Rural is rural, whether it's Nepal, India, Thailand or Cambodia. People stare at you like you are a martian. Shower heads are a luxury if you're lucky to find them. And few people speak English. But on the other hand, you feel like you are REALLY here. Not just in the tourist areas buying the t-shirts and knick knacks that everyone buys, but seeing how people live. Seeing their struggles. Although I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss western toilets and proper showers and variety in what I eat, I'd trade it all to spend time in the heart of any country. It just changes you.

Cambodia is no exception. I saw, quite possibly, the most extreme poverty that I've seen thus far this week. Families living in shacks that can't afford food. Kids that run around on the dirt paths dirty and without clothes. But I also saw kindness and generosity that is unparalleled.

On Monday, we visited a village about 15km outside of Siem Reap. Although Siem Reap has become a booming tourist hot spot, home to Angkor Wat, the surrounding villages are some of the poorest. Many NGOs are working to help the people in these communities since the government, as seems to be standard in this part of the world, could care less. One NGO that I worked with focuses on domestic violence as it has become a serious problem over the years. They empower women in the communities as leaders who are charged to intervene when trouble arises. I got the opportunity, through a translator, to chat with a 52 year old woman who has been working with this NGO for over 20 years. She is one of the most fearless women I have ever met - she's willing to put her own safety in jeopardy for the safety of her community.

When she hears that a man is beating his wife, or his children, she immediately heads to the house to intervene. I asked her if it ever scared her to walk into a hostile situation like that. She said sure, the husband often threatens her and tells her to get out. But she doesn't. She calls the police, takes the verbal abuse, and waits until help arrives. She told me about a story less than a year ago when a husband had beaten his wife so badly that she lost consciousness. When she arrived on the scene, the woman was completely out of it and the man was fuming and screaming that she needed to mind her own business and get off of his property. She stood her ground. The police finally arrived and arrested the man. She called the other women in the village and nursed the victim back to health as she couldn't afford to go to a hospital. Now, she's doing well and with the help of another NGO, they have taught her vocational skills so she can stand on her own two feet. That incredible woman, modest as she was, saves lives in more ways than one.

We went to another village where people can't afford rice and have lost the land to farm it. There are a few village leaders that are trying to create community plans to help those less fortunate. They have created a rice bank where instead of money, people trade services for rice. They have created a landshare program where the wealthier members of the village let the poorer members farm their land during dry season since they wouldn't use it anyway. They have created a women's empowerment group to teach women marketable skills so that they contribute finacially within their family. I was humbled.

It's impossible not to come over here with your own ideas on how to help a country develop. Americans are so well educated and surely, we know how to make things better. But that day I realized that I actually know nothing. I don't know what it's like not to have food. Or a house. Or money. So how can I possibly know how to fix it? But they know how to help each other. The way a community pulls together to make sure that everyone is taken care of is, well, shocking. They all sat around the same table as me at the community meeting, leaders and poor, and were so thrilled to report their progress over the last year and their goals for the next one. There is no sense of throwing hands in the air in frustration - they just take it one day at a time.

I think it's taken me five months to realize that the best thing any volunteer can do is support a project. There is no such thing as going somewhere to try to change the world. While poverty and violence and oppression exists, so does community. Where corruption breeds, so does kindness. The best way to help a society progress is to help them move on the path towards development in more efficient way. It's not our place to tell them how to do it.

At the end of day, I still feel lucky every day to be an American. I can't wait to come home to my country. But I will also fight hard to bring back some of the invaluable life lessons that I've been taught over here. Because in order to change the world, we all have to take a look in the mirror.

I miss all of you and can't wait to see you soon.

Love,
Erin

March 4th. Boston Beer Works. Be There.

2010-01-23T03:03:00.000-08:00

Hello! I hope that everyone had a nice week! Since my guesthouse was 1km from the beach all week, I certainly did. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

I have to go on a brief paragraph tirade about how ridiculous dogs are in Asia. I know most of you out there are dog lovers. Hell, my friends in Colorado own 2 and a half each, but the situation here is out of hand. Practically all dogs are stray and they bark at you, they creepily follow you around, they poop on the beach, and half the time they have that crazy dangerous look in their eyes. Not surprisingly, this week I was minding my own business and window shopping a bit on my way to the beach when I felt something clamp over my calf. That would have been a STRAY DOG’S MOUTH. Even though I’ve been skeptical of the whole lot of them since back in September, I was still shocked that the thing actually bit me. And I was even more shocked when the stupid thing started following me down the road afterwards like we were pals. It didn’t break skin, luckily, so it spared me the ordeal of having to get 27 follow up rabies shots. But watch yourself travelers – these Asian dogs are no man’s best friend.

Other than that little episode and the tarantula like spider I saw in the middle of the night on my floor, things have been lovely in southern Thailand. (But seriously, this spider was like a robot. I threw my Thailand Lonely Planet at the thing full velocity and when I lifted it up, it crawled back into the crack in the wall. Sorry for bothering you tarantula hulk.) I’ve been in Bang Niang which is about 80km north of Phuket. It is one of the more touristy areas of stayed in which certainly has it pros and cons. Pro – I’ve been able to eat and drink what I want all week! Con – there are people constantly trying to get you to stop in their shop and buy something. Even when I’m walking on the beach and say no on my out, they act like they’ve never seen me before on the way back. Helllllooo.

For the past few days, I have been working with a grassroots NGO that works to promote education, human rights, and the development of safe, working environment for Burmese people in Thailand. The isolationist regime in Burma has been stripping their civil rights for years and the living situation there is intolerable. According to the ILO, in 2006 an estimated 800,000 people were subject to forced labor in Burma. As a result, many Burmese people come to neighboring Thailand in hopes of a brighter future. The Thai government refuses to recognize Burmese migrants as Thai citizens so while better than the cruelty in Burma, life is extremely challenging here, as well.

On the whole, there are limited opportunities for Burmese children to receive an education since the Thai government refuses to recognize them as citizens, no matter how long they have lived in Thailand. There is no access to health care and little to no knowledge in the communities about personal health care – how to prevent infection, how to eat to stay healthy, and how to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. Since many Burmese migrants are uneducated, many of them are victims of human rights violations on a regular basis.

The NGO that I worked with works to combat all of these issues. They have migrant learning centers located near the rubber plantation fields since that’s where many Burmese families are forced to work and thereby, live. These migrant learning centers focus on teaching Burmese children skills so that might, one day, integrate into Thai schools. But, they are also very careful not to forget their origins in Burma when designing the curriculum, keeping classes in Burmese at the forefront. They have a public health team that makes regular trips into the community and the schools to perform medical checkups and share basic personal health information. Finally, they hold legal aid and legal rights training sessions for community leaders so they can better help their immediate communities with any legal aid issues they encounter.

In sum, they provide support to the Burmese migrant community since the Thai government won’t. They are doing a great job, but as is the case with many NGOs, struggle with funding. They really look to their volunteers to help them with projects because they just can’t afford to hire the help. One volunteer is teaching English in one of the migrant schools in the mornings. In the afternoons, she has organized a library for the older students that want to pursue further education. Another volunteer is designing a database so that they can track the medical information in a more efficient way than pen and paper. Another volunteer is educating the community about personal health and developing curriculum so the teachers can teach the young students about how to take care of themselves. And so on and so on. This is the type of place where volunteers really make a difference.

I fly to Cambodia tonight! I’ll be sleeping in the Singapore airport (don’t be jealous) but I hear the Singapore airport is one of the nicest airports in the world. Is it weird that I’m kind of excited to check it out? Just a few more weeks! I’m looking forward to the next 2 weeks in Cambodia and of course, to coming home.

PS – If you are in Boston, mark your calendar for Thursday, March 4th at 7p. We are holding a fundraising for the Nepal Building Project at Boston Beer Works on Canal Street. Evite to come!

E

BEACH!

2010-01-18T00:34:00.000-08:00

This week has been an action packed and full of overnight bus rides! But, I got to spend a few days with a cool art based volunteer organization in Northern Thailand, visit with my cousin in Bangkok over the weekend, and land 80 km north of Phuket today in Bang Niang. My guesthouse is 1km from one of the more beautiful beaches I’ve seen as of late so life is close to amazing.

The organization that I volunteered with in Chiang Mai has such a cool edge. The founders, one Irish woman and one American woman in their late 20s, were living in Chiang Mai for a few years doing odd jobs when they decided they wanted to start something that would contribute to the community in a meaningful way. They also had art backgrounds so decided to infuse art into development work. Two years later, they are running a very successful volunteer organization that matches volunteer’s skills to the relevant project in one of their ten or so local partner organizations so that they can impact the organization quickly and effectively. They also have art volunteers that host workshops 3-4 times per week for the members of those local partner organizations to strengthen the support even further.

I know it’s tough to picture so I’ll give you an example. Sarah from Canada is going to school for architecture but has decided to take a year off to decide if architecture is really for her. She has been an avid horse rider for years but never done much with it. One of the local partner NGOs is a center for children with cerebral palsy and they have a few horses that have been donated for animal therapy, but nobody to train them. Enter Sarah! She has spent the last several months working with the horses and getting them ready to ride. The other day, I watched her take several children with cerebral palsy around on the horses to help with their motor skills. One 6 year old girl who has just thrived under this therapy starting taking her hands off the horse to show off – no hands!

We were there because I was part of the art team (I don’t have a creative bone in my body but was willing to do whatever!) and we were holding a workshop for the children. We had bubbles and play dough and were paired up with the kids to help them make shapes, blow bubbles, and of course, have fun. Between their horse ride and their morning of art, the kids were engaged, excited, and learning. After hearing about where the kids were developmentally when they arrived at the home to where they are now, I was floored by the progress in such a short amount of time. It is clear of the direct impact of the creative ideas from the staff and volunteers on the children. The other local organizations worked with empowering single mothers, the gay and lesbian community, orphaned children, and Burmese refugees.

On Friday night, I took the overnight bus to Bangkok to meet up with Bekah who was in town for a Peace Corps mid-service session. Thanks to Dan and Lilly who gave me the AMAZING birthday gift of a night at a nice hotel during my trip, I cashed in big in Bangkok. My room had hot water, water pressure, clean sheets, clean towels, air conditioning, TV, a phone, complimentary shampoo and soap, and comfy pillows! It was Mecca. It also had a relaxing outdoor pool so Bekah and I divided our time between the lovely room and the lovely pool. We did venture away from the Royal River (doesn’t it just sound incredible?!) for a big Saturday night out. We went to Subway where I got the usual – a turkey and cheese foot long with extra, extra, extra pickles. It was a taste explosion. Then we returned back to our hotel to drink beers and watch The Office and The Hangover on the computer. If that’s not your perfect evening, I don’t know what is.

I took my final overnight bus from Bangkok to Bang Niang last night. When I arrived all tired and groggy from yet another night of freezing my butt off while trying to sleep, I felt sorry myself for the entire 11 minutes it took me to walk from my guesthouse to the coastline. As soon as I saw the little catamaran floating out in the ocean, I smiled from ear to ear. Nothing like a good dose of paradise to change your mood at 7.15a. Needless to say, I’m pretty excited for my morning walks on the beach for the next week!

The countdown has officially begun – just over 3 weeks left!

Miss you!
Erin

Tropical Thailand

2010-01-10T22:50:00.001-08:00

About 5 years ago, my parents "downsized" from our childhood house at 2219 Hearn Road to their new pimp riverfront pad in Old New Castle, DE. Of course, there were mixed emotions for all five of us in saying goodbye to the house that contained so many wonderful memories. However, the first time I sat with my mom on their new roofdeck with a big glass of wine overlooking the Delaware River, I mumbled "what old house?" My mom and I have enjoyed many glasses of wine on that roofdeck. We've chatted about life, love, success, failure, friendship... Some nights, after a few glasses of wine, I'm quite certain we've solved most of the world's problems.

This summer, I spent a few weeks with my parents before traveling to Asia and decided to investigate their marriage [note to self: get a life]. They are like the happiest couple I've ever met and I wanted to get to the bottom of it. Of course, they bicker and lose their temper with each other from time to time [blah, blah] but in general, they are each other's biggest fans. One night, after our lips started loosening up on the deck, I decided I was going to find the skeletons in my parents closet once and for all. Their marriage couldn't be this perfect. I asked my mom a series of questions but finally, when she wasn't giving me any dirt, I asked her if in 35 years of marriage, when things got tough, she ever thought about giving up. Hell, I've been on this trip for 4 months and I'd say I've thought about giving up at least once a day. Without hestiation, she simply said "No." That was it. No explanation. No dramatics. Just No.

I thought about it a lot afterwards because I believe her. I think that's the real secret of their marriage: once they said I do, 35 years ago today, they only looked forward. I just want to take this opportunity to wish them a very happy anniversary. While nobody is surprised that they reached this notable milestone, everyone is impressed by their loyalty to each other and commitment to the other's happiness. I hope to find in life what they treasure.

Now, back to Thailand. I thought this might be a good week to bring back the win/loss board. Let's get down to business.

Losses

Upon my arrival in tropical Thailand, my cousin told me that the Thai people are obsessed with comfort. Well, Bekah, then how to do explain my arctic 12 hour bus ride last night? The bus driver was either A. trying to recreate the current conditions in the Northeastern U.S. or B. drunk.
Another one for you BEKAH. I don't particularly find it comfortable sleeping on a wooden plank for a mattress every night. But that's just me.
Thai pronunciation. In Thai, tone means everything. You can have the same word spelled the same but pronounced 8 different ways (literally). Of course, most normal words have an awful, insulting word that is said the exact same way.
The word Farong. It means foreigner in Thai. "Hello Farong!" [giggle, giggle, giggle] I started giving my creepy smile again and saying "Hello Thai."
In that vein, the 9 year old girl that stared at me for 70 minutes straight on the local bus. I timed it. I tried everything. Smiling, rolling my eyes, looking away, staring back at her. Thai: 1, Farong: 0.
The fungi that was growing in Bekah's boyfriend's "street" pineapple [meaning we bought it on the street]. I want to eat fruit, I do. But that concerns me.
Technology. My computer crashed this week. It tells me that my C drive is full. I don't even know what's on my C drive so when I try to open it, it won't let me and then when I try to delete things off my C drive to create space, it tells me that I need space to delete programs. WELL HOW CAN I CREATE SPACE IF I NEED SPACE TO DELETE SOMETHING. And then it had a meltdown. As did I.

Wins

What the buses lack in temperature control, they do make up for with treats.
Building! This past weekend, I worked on building a library for an orphange made out of mud. It was awesome. There were about 4 volunteers and 20 local high school kids working together to put the finishing touches on the structure. Although we couldn't communicate with words, it was such a team effort to get everything finished. It made me VERY excited for the Nepal Building Project!
Despite my complaining, teaching. It's not for me - I've come to the conclusion that more than 5 kids at a time drive me nuts. But, the Thai kids [after they stop calling you a Farong] are just so well behaved that it has to be a win. They pay attention in class and even seemed to learn something!
Thai host families. Early in the week, I stayed with an 18 year old student and her younger brother. Their parents work and live in Bangkok, over 6 hours away by bus. When I walked into their home, she said "Please think of this as your home". At 18. Later in the week, I stayed with another family that were adorable. The parents, who had limited English, tried so hard to chat with me in the few English words that they knew. Hey - they know I like my coffee with milk and sugar.
Chiang Mai. It's my favorite part of Thailand [see last week's blog]. I arrived back here after my Arctic blast this morning and guess what?! The computer lady thinks she can fix my computer! Chiang Mai is a magical, magical place.
Jude + Paul's 35th Anniversary - PARTAY!

I fly back to the U.S. one month from today! I'm very excited to see you guys soon :)

XOXO

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T17:45:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! I have a feeling that 2010 is going to be a wonderful year! I hope that everyone had a blast on New Year's Eve. I was fortunate enough to skype video call into Dan, Lilly, Reynolds and Sarah's NYE celebration...felt almost like I was back in Boston. And then I remembered that I was sweating in a t-shirt.

This week definitely ranked in the top 5 weeks of this trip. It started on Sunday when I took the bus for 15 hours from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Bangkok, Thailand. While a long day of travel, it was great to cover so much of the Cambodian (and Thai) countryside. The border was relatively painless but you realize that it's really only westerners crossing. The Cambodia bus drops you on one side and then you have to walk the 500 feet across and then a Thai picks you up an hour or so later on the Thai side.

On Monday, I took a bus from Bangkok headed north 5 hours to Phitsanulok, the city closest to where my cousin is stationed in the Peace Corps. I got emotional as soon as my cousin walked up at the bus station - it's just such a crazy juxtaposition to meet up with family in a rural area of Thailand. But a wonderful one. We had a great night of catching up, drinking beers on the river that flows through the city, eating legit Thai food since my cousin now speaks fluent Thai, and sharing funny travel stories.

The next day, we went to her site. She lives in Wat Bot, about an hour outside of P-Lok (as they call it). Her site is everything you picture rural Thailand to be - dirt roads throughs rice fields with palm trees sprinkled throughout. She lives in a very nice house - apparently, the mayor moved in with his mistress (also a common practice in Thailand) so his lovely house was open for renting. Bekah is on an education project for 2 years so she teaches in 2 schools, one in the mornings and one in the afternoon. She teaches English but she is encouraged to do more with both the schools and community at large so she leads an art club, tutors other teachers, and has initiated several public health projects.

I was fortunate enough to visit her primary school on "Soap Day". Since many of the students don't use soap, and they use water for the toilet rather than paper, they are constantly sick because of all the bacteria floating around. Bekah decided to teach them how to make bottles of liquid hand soap from scratch using local materials that are cheap and easy to find. The day that I arrived, the soap was finished and they were all putting labels and last touches on their work. For the rest of the day, the kids played games that revolved around the idea of cleanliness and, well, soap. It was a bacteria-free field day!

That evening, Bekah took me on a 40km bike ride through the neighboring villages. Even though I haven't exercised in months, and was a bit painful by the end, it was the most beautiful bike ride I've ever been on. As the sun began to set, you could see the reflections of the palm trees in the water that lay still in the rice fields. You could smell the fried garlic pouring out of the wooden Thai shacks that remind me of tree houses in the woods. And I soaked up the conversation as we biked along and the scenery each step of the way and reminded myself how lucky I am to be exactly here. That bike trip is something I’ve never been able to do as a tourist and like many other instances on this journey, it was an incredible view into a completely foreign world through a local’s eyes. This is the first time, however, that local is an American.

I’m so proud of my cousin for becoming just that – a local. She speaks Thai like she’s lived here her entire life, her neighbors adore her and were constantly inviting us over for their version of Korean BBQ, and the students in her schools are clearly learning English and beyond. I’ve been able to spend time this weekend with other Peace Corps volunteers and not everyone is enjoying their experience as much as her. There is the common frustration, as there is with many volunteer opportunities abroad, that the program lacks structure and it’s easy to coast without accomplishing much. Many of these volunteers, like my cousin, are fresh out of college without any real work experience. I give my cousin a lot of credit for finding blazing her own trail rather than waiting for one to be carved out for her. It’s what you have to do be successful in this type of unchartered territory. It’s inspiring.

In the middle of the week, we took the night bus up to Chiang Mai, one of the more popular and touristy areas of Northern Thailand. Bring on the tourists! Tourist areas mean western food and wine! I have been here just over 48 hours and have had a Starbucks latte, buffalo wings, brie cheese, many glasses of red wine, iceberg lettuce, tacos, waffles, and a late night burger with fries on NYE. When you write it down, it seems less healthy... Whatever.

New Year’s Eve was pretty cool here. Hanging out with 23 year olds for the last few days has put into glaring perspective how old I am. When they stayed out dancing until 5a and I snuck away at 12.15 to head to Mike’s Burgers, I knew I had officially left my 20s behind. Figures fatty… BUT, before my embarrassingly early departure, we helped light up the sky. Reynolds tells me that they do this in the movie The Beach, so if you’ve seen it you might know what I’m talking about, but the Thais send these lanterns up in the air for special occasions. Basically, it’s a square made out of thin paper, kind of like the Asian decorative lanterns that you can buy in the states, and you light a ring on the bottom and let it heat for a few minutes. The lantern becomes like a hot air balloon and takes flight, soaring up into the sky like a balloon gone free. Since thousands of people were buying these on the street, including us, the sky was painted with beautiful lanterns. At midnight, as we stood on the roof of a bar in the thick of the action, the fireworks erupted into the already lit sky. I felt like I was in a James Cameron movie. (PS - just saw Avatar yesterday…run as if on fire to see this movie – it’s awesome)

Now, I realize that when I write my blogs on a good week, everyone probably wants to punch me in the face. So, I thought I’d also send you a sonnet from mid-week that balances the vision of life on the road in Asia. After our amazing bike ride, Bekah and I went to her pseudo host family’s house for dinner. Mr. John cooked us a HUGE spread of 5 or 6 Thai dishes that looked beautiful and smelled even more incredible. In Thailand, meat is much more common and there were different types of unknown meats in each dish. You may know where this is headed. About halfway through dinner, my stomach made the Asian rumble. Now, based on the first set of stomach pains, you can generally determine how long you have before things get ugly. I waited about 10 minutes before I shared the situation with Bekah – talking about these things in this part of the world is like talking about the weather. We decided to head back to her house which is a bit more westernized, if you know what I mean, which only takes 7 minutes by bike. I was doing OK, not comfortable but OK, until about 5 minutes into the bike ride. About 5 minutes and 30 seconds into the bike ride, I went from OK to EMERGENCY status. Don’t pretend you don’t know what I mean. And, at about 6 minutes, and a few doors down from Bekah’s house, I christened her neighbor’s lawn because I physically could not make it any further. All that I have to say is thank god it was pitch black out.

Now folks, THAT is the real Asia. I’m not proud of this story, and can hardly believe I’m writing it on my blog, but if you visit this part of the world (as I would encourage all of you to do), it’s only fair to know both sides of the coin. I also thank god that Dan is taking a month off from blogging so there is no way this story can appear on WEEI.

Happy, Happy New Year! Happy birthday to Dean, CONGRATS to Abby + Chris on their recent engagement, and I look forward to catching up with most of you in a matter of weeks.

Love,
Erin

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-26T07:48:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! I hope that each of you had a fantastic holiday filled with family and loved ones. I had a nice Cambodian Christmas but certainly did miss being home for all of our Guttenplan traditions. I’m already looking forward to holiday season 2010!

I arrived in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, on Tuesday evening after a hellish day of travelling. I was thrilled when my luggage miraculously made it through three connections and I escaped the customs mania into the welcoming tropical breeze. There is just something about Southeast Asia – the climate, the smells, the vibe – it all came rushing back to me as soon as I stepped foot outside the airport. The last time I was in this part of the world was 2002 and there are moments where I feel like I’m 16 all over again.

While I did miss home this week, I was spared missing it too much because it feels like mid-July here. It is hot as hell. Earlier in the week, I reported 80s during the day but after walking around today during the heat of the afternoon, I’ll update that to 90s. It’s “winter” here so while I’m dripping sweat in shorts and a t-shirt, locals are jaunting around in sweaters and long pants. Today I caught myself mumbling under my breath that the people here are dressed inappropriately and it’s making me hot just to look at them.

There are many things about Cambodia that I love – primarily the food! It’s DE-licious! There is tons of seafood/meat/chicken/noodles/rice everywhere you turn that is cooked in the best sweet and sour sauces. The people here are quite friendly, the country is relatively clean for the developing world, and it’s easy to get around because of the volume of Western tourists. The negative, as always, is being hassled every 2 minutes to take a rickshaw or buy a ridiculous souvenir. I’ve lost what little patience I began this trip with and when, for literally the 67th time today someone said “lady, lady, lady…need a moto/rickshaw/ride?”, I again caught myself mumbling at an audible volume that there was no need to say lady three times, I’m not navigating with a map for my health, and if I needed a [inappropriate word] ride I would have asked for one. Note to self: apparently, traveling alone has turned me into Rain Man.

I’m headed on a 15 hour bus ride to Bangkok tomorrow! It’s hilarious how these things seem perfectly reasonable when you are halfway across the world but at home, I wouldn’t be caught dead on a bus traveling further than New York. I am meeting up with my cousin Bekah on Monday – she’s been in the Peace Corps in a small village a few hours north of Bangkok for almost a full year. We’re making mac and cheese to celebrate our reunion! We’re heading up to Chiang Mai, one of the northernmost cities in Thailand, to ring in the New Year with some of her friends. I’m so looking forward to seeing her and catching up – perhaps I’ll stop talking to myself…

I definitely miss you guys and did find myself a bit sad this week since I didn’t get to be with any of you. But as I started to wax sentimental, I also realized that I got to lay by a pool today while everyone else suffered in the freezing cold so told myself to suck it up. As many of you have reminded me throughout this trip, everything will be waiting for me when I get home and I have many years ahead of stockings, snow, and fires in the fireplace ahead. So, as we approach 2010 this week, I look forward to a year filled with loved ones, laughter, and adventure. Be safe and happy new year!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-21T00:40:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! And, I hope that everyone on the east coast is surviving the blizzards! It feels a bit bizarre that it’s in the 60s in Delhi and Christmas is just a few days away.

I’m officially wrapping up the Tour de India and will be flying to Cambodia early tomorrow morning. It’s been an educational few weeks – I think that India was everything that I expected and nothing like what I expected all at the same time.

This past week, I divided my time between Udaipur, in southern Rajasthan, and Delhi. I worked with a phenomenal organization in Udaipur called Seva Mandir. They’ve been doing development work in India for over 40 years and are a well-known NGO in India. They work with over 600 rural villages in Rajasthan to empower these communities to become more self sufficient. They have over 300 full time staff and many Indian and foreign volunteers that are working to ensure the success of their many ongoing efforts. Their projects are mostly long-term but I was able to participate in some local projects during my short stay.

On Thursday, I visited a slum for the first time. I’ve seen the slums, as they are literally everywhere you turn in India, and worked with slum children at different project sites, but this was my first experience actually stepping foot across the poverty line. As you approach the shoddy tents and makeshift “houses” built of whatever trash remnants are available, the smell overcomes you. You don’t even have to look down to understand that you are walking across piles of trash, human feces, and animal decay. It took everything within my power to keep a straight face as the community welcomed us. As I choked back my judgment, I had to quickly remind myself that this is somebody’s home. So I smiled.

I was visiting Seva’s Children’s Corner, a project designed to play with the slum children every morning to keep them from begging on the streets, with a few other Western volunteers. It’s not a school, not even educational, just a way to engage the kids in a productive way. As we crossed the threshold of the slum, I nervously anticipated how we’d be received.

As soon as we approached the first group of children, they ran towards us and began shaking our hands and jumping all over us, as any “normal” children would. Again, it took everything within my power not to pull out my hand sanitizer every 2 minutes. I’ve never seen kids that were more filthy – literal dirt covering them, many with clear infections on their bodies, and scratching their little lice ridden heads. I’ve realized that in these moments, what defines your experience is whether you give in or resist what’s happening around you. I wish I could say that I lead the charge but I looked around at the other volunteers to see how they were handling this culture shock. Despite our honest feelings that we shared afterwards, each person acted like they were walking into an American preschool, treating the kids like they were family. So, of course, I followed suit.

After putting my visceral reactions aside, I started having a blast. The kids, huge smiles on their faces, were pulling us in a million different directions to play this game or that. Within a half hour the adults, shy at first, started approaching the growing circle of activity. In no time, there was music playing an all out dance party had erupted. Indian women and girls were teaching us traditional folk dances and laughing with us when we inevitable doubled over because of our awkwardness. The children were so excited for all of the attention and were constantly climbing in our laps or fitting their small hands into ours to steal a few private moments. When we left, I surprised myself with how much fun I had.

Now, I’m not going to lie. We all lathered our hands and forearms in hand sanitizer as soon as we got on the bus. And, I went home and showered immediately. You can only give in so much. But it gave me a new appreciation for why street children stay as street children. Many have opportunities to be “rescued” – they could go to an orphanage or the children’s villages that I’ve visited. But, as I’ve learned time and time again, home is where your family is. Their families, while living in less than ideal conditions, are in the slums. And that’s all that matters.

I took the overnight train back up to Delhi on Thursday night. Contrary to what I’d heard, both of my overnight train rides were easy and relaxing. This weekend, I was incredibly lucky to meet up with a friend from Boston that is living in Delhi, an old EF colleague named Quinnen. It has been the most incredible 3 days and truly, my Christmas present. I nearly skipped through the door when I saw throw pillows and tapestries. Let me tell you a few of the novel things that I’ve done:

• Blow dry my hair (only downside was realizing that my 40 cent Nepali haircut wasn’t quite as good as I thought)
• Eat banana pancakes with….MIMOSAS!
• Watch Love Actually. And The Holiday. The Family Stone is coming tonight. It’s RomComalooza.
• Wash my clothes in a real, live washing machine. They smell like heaven.
• Eat pasta with red wine. Eat. Pasta. Love.

I did also pull myself away from the movies and the booze to take a look around Delhi, hard as that was. It’s a massive city and certainly impossible to see in a weekend but it’ s more livable than I thought. Old Delhi reminded me a lot of old school Kathmandu while New Delhi reminded me of Washington D.C. You can definitely see the results of British rule in New Delhi with the architecture and city layout – it’s beautiful.

While it’s been quite the adventure in India, I’m ready for Cambodia and the third leg of my journey. I have just over 7 weeks left before returning to the U.S. and I’m ready to soak up every minute. I will be thinking of all of you this week, especially Team Guttenplan, but know that I’m sending lots of love to you and your families for this holiday season.

Much love,
Erin

India - friend or enemy

2009-12-13T00:13:00.001-08:00

Do you want to know my favorite part of traveling through the developing world? Diarrhea. No, really. It's awesome to already miss all the luxuries of home like real toilets and hot showers but convince yourself you don't miss them. And it's even more awesome to loathe Indian food (like gag loathe) and convince yourself that "hey, the Indian food actually in India isn't so bad" so that you can be polite. You know what India - I convinced myself of all of this so I wouldn't be the stereotypical spoiled American and for what?! Diahrrhea. Incredible India nothing.

Let's move on.

Other than my digestive issues, this week was incredibly eye opening. I worked with an NGO in Jaipur called Vatsalya that has many focuses (foci?). Their original mission, simply put, was to provide a quality life to the most underprivildged children in India.

"India is a country of over one billion people and home to 400 million children. But the sad reality is that their number does not really reflect nation’s strength because 40% of India’s children live in extreme hardship; every second child in India has no access to primary education; over a 100 million children work as labor in industries to add to the family income; there is only one pre-primary school for every 8,000 children in India; we have 75 million children suffering from malnutrition; we have 400,000 children involved in prostitution; 1 in every 10 children is sexually abused at any point of time; more than 18 million children live on the streets of India; and the statistics gets worse and worse." - Jaimala Gupta, Co-Founder of Vatsalya

Now, they have expanded that mission to also help with health issues, empower women, and encourage community development. Vatsalya is the real deal. Their work is inspiring.

First, I volunteered with their HIV/AIDS awareness project. The Kavach project, The focus of the Kavach project, as it's called, is arresting the spread of HIV among truckers and associated high risk populations. Many long distance truckers, whether married or single, engage with female sex workers at one time or another and since they are a largely uneducated community, they do not practice safe sex. By working with the truckers, it reduces the vulnerability of the general Indian population to HIV and STDs.

As a volunteer, you help the full-time health educators casually engage the truckers into conversation by playing games, just walking along and chatting, or by an creative means possible. After chatting, the health educator starts probing about their current health and sexual activity living on the road to determine if they have any STD symptoms or potential to contract HIV/AIDS. If, after these questions, they want to see a doctor, there is one available on-site for free. The doctor was a great guy - perfect balance of a "real person" and knowledgeable for the truckers and he immediately gained their trust. If they did need medicine, there was a male nurse on-site to sell the medicine at 50% off the market price.

At first, I was skeptical about how this whole process would work. But, at the end of day, after the doctor had seen more patients than any American doctor sees in a day and had casually chatted with even more truckers about easy ways to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS, I was impressed. You have to start somewhere.

The other site where I volunteered was called Udayan, a children's village about 30 km outside of Jaipur. Children who live at Udayan have been picked up by Vatsalya directly from the streets through workers and volunteers, who find them begging or picking rags. Once at Udayan, they try to reunite the kids with their parents, if possible, but the reality in most situations is that either parents don't exist or cannot support the children. Some of these kids were picked up by Jaimala herself at ages like 4 or 5. I just cannot imagine an American 4 year old surviving, finding their own food and shelter, at 4 years old. These children are remarkable.

We attended a picnic held for the older kids on Friday afternoon to celebrate their academic succesess. Each of the 10 or so children being honored had to speak for 2 minutes about anything they wanted - their interests, their goals, whatever. One girl moved me to tears. In Hindi, she said that she used to want to become a certain job like a doctor. But now, she just wants to do her part to make other people's lives better. It doesn't matter what her job is, she just wants to help. She was 16. This girl has no parents, no traditional family, has endured more than most of us will in a lifetime and she stood up there, with a smile, and talked about giving back. There aren't words to describe the feeling of witnessing that...

While I was volunteering, I lived in Jaipur with four of the street children who were raised at Udayan and now, since they are older, they are living in Jaipur for vocational training. Aasma is 14, the most sensitive of the group, and was overjoyed when I gave her a small American flag for her birthday on Friday. Parveen, 15, came to me to bandage and treat her finger after she cut it with the needle she uses to sew all day. Chandni is the tough one, the maternal figure of the group, that giggles like she's at a slumber party each night before she falls asleep. Satyan is the lone male of the bunch! He didn't speak much throughout the week but when he had to speak for 2 minutes at the picnic, he thanked his closest friends in the group and said he was more comfortable singing than speaking and this shy kid belted out the most beautiful Hindi song. I was deeply touched by each of them in one short week.

So, in closing, the cold [back to bucket] showers, the mice and insects, being checked out by every Indian trucker just because I am female, and EVEN the diarrhea has been worth it. I don't know how you don't come back changed from an experience like this.

Just your average Saturday...

2009-12-06T19:39:00.000-08:00

At home, I spend most of my December Saturdays nursing hangovers from my December Fridays. After all, it's holiday season. This past Saturday, I traded my couch and SATC episodes that I've seen no fewer than 138 times each for the Taj Mahal. (But don't get me wrong, I'm still salivating over the thought of this activity next December.) Just your average Saturday at the Taj [freaking] Mahal...

It was beautiful, breathtaking, amazing - all the adjectives that I thought it would be. Agra, the city where it's located, could be described with some different adjectives. Dirty, awful, scary are a few that come to mind. It amazed me that the town that houses one of the wonders of the world hasn't figured out that if you build a nice city, you might be able to capitalize on all the tourists rather than sending them fleeing as if on fire. So if you are coming to India, spend one night in Agra MAX.

India has been...interesting. It's not what I expected to be and it is all at the same time. It's this bizarre hybrid of elements of the western world - big buildings, proper highways (with tolls), and more infrastructure than I've seen in the last few months. However, it's clear that this is still a developing country in many more ways. Like on said highways when there is a traffic jam because an old Indian man is herding 60-80 buffalos on the opposite side of the highway. A road that is equivalent to I95. Or after the traffic jam when someone on a motorbike is driving at you, head on, on the wrong side of the median until it's convenient for them to switch to the right side of the road. Sure. Whatever works.

The past few days have been great, despite some initial culture shock even though I was coming from Nepal. Friday, I got to spend the day with a volunteer project in Faridabad, about an hour outside of Delhi, teaching slum children in the park. Since the Indian government believes that the children of the slums do not deserve the right to education like everyone else, one amazing woman has taken it upon herself to start an outdoor school in the park to teach these kids. What started as a little learning group for 8 kids has blossomed into more formal education for hundreds of students spanning several parks in the area. The kids show up every day in their uniforms and from the smiles on their faces, you can just see how incredibly grateful they are for this opportunity. I taught them how to sing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Hey - it's December.

This weekend I tagged along with two volunteer that were headed to Agra and then to Jaipur. I was headed to Jaipur for some volunteer projects this week, anyway, so it worked out perfectly. We did a little sightseeing around Jaipur yesterday and this city is pretty awesome - much more what I pictured India to look like. It's called the Pink City because in the older areas, all of the buildings are made of pink cement and rock since the color is symbolic of happiness. There are open air markets EVERYWHERE with shimmering Indian fabrics in every color. To say it's picturesque is an understatement. Last night, we went to dinner in a little auto rickshaw and it was just cool to be out and about in such a vibrant city at night. I'll be here for at least the next few days and I'm excited to explore some more...

Happy birthday (belated) to Lilly [GUTTENPLAN] and Condon! I hope that both of you whooped it up this weekend! Miss all of you.

Love,
Erin

Goodbye Nepal...Hello India!

2009-11-29T02:35:00.000-08:00

This week, I officially hit the halfway point of my trip. Two and a half months down, two and a half months to go. In some ways, it is hard to believe that half of the trip is already over. In other ways, it feels like I have lived in Asia for years. If the next few months is as rewarding and educational as the first few months, I'll be one lucky girl.

For the last week, I've been chilling out in my Nepali home away from home, Pokhara. It's been a wonderful holiday week for me with some western luxuries - hot water, legit toilet (with paper!), my own room, coffee in the morning and wine + beer at night! I even got a U.S. survival kit from Dan + Lilly with some much needed supplies, including my favorite candy (Airheads) and my favorite reading (trashy celebrity mags). I feel spoiled but I'm taking full advantage as long as I can. Tomorrow, I leave Pokhara and head back to Kathmandu for a final 48 hours to wrap some things up before I conclude this portion of the journey in Nepal.

I'm tremendously excited for India, Cambodia, and Thailand but of course, a bit sad to leave the country that's become home since September. Nepal has been so great to me - whether going on a sick trek in the Annapurna range, using my limited Nepali to fight my way through the crazy Kathmandu streets, riding an elephant through the jungle in Chitwan, or learning about the culture through the ample teachers I've had in host families, colleagues and volunteers alike...it's been amazing every step of the way.

I fly to Delhi on Thursday morning and start over! I need to learn a new language, a new bus/train system, new cultural norms - but I'm ready. I'll be bouncing around the north of India, visiting Delhi, Jaipur, Dharamsala (home of the Dalai Lama), Jodhpur, and Udaipur before heading out just before Christmas. I have never been to India before, and head I'm in for quite the ride, so if you have been to any of those areas and have suggestions for me, please feel free to pass them along!

I hope that all of you had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I got as close to turkey as possible by cooking dinner for some friends complete with sauteed chicken legs and buttery mashed potatoes. I ate so much that at least it felt like a proper Thanksgiving. If I just had a little football, it would have been perfect. Go Eagles!

Happy 30th birthday to the soon-to-be-father Tom Reynolds and to Ms. Christine Pirani (soon-to-be-Hollenhorst)! I miss all of you and as I embark on the back half of this trip, I look forward to seeing each of soon as possible in 2010.

2009-11-22T23:20:00.000-08:00

The WWF

2009-11-14T20:29:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, my youngest brother BJ and I were chatting about my love life when, out of nowhere, he told me that he two requirements for his future brother-in-law. For a split second I thought that BJ had gone sensitive. Surely he wanted his future (and fictitious) brother-in-law to love me day in and day out (or other adjectives representing this idea). BJ, deadpan, told me that my future husband had to really love The Cable Guy [movie] and have a working knowledge of the WWF [World Wrestling Federation]. It's like he read my mind. Actually, it's the reason I'm still single. I mean, right when you find someone who quotes The Cable Guy regularly, he only has a BASIC knowledge of the WWF.

I was reminded of this story this week when I was volunteering at an orphanage in rural Nepal. In the orphange, you work with the kids before they go to school at 10a and after they get home at 4p. Since they don't have parents to help with their homework, you spend a great deal of time "teaching" and helping them truly understand content that they learned in class. We all know kids - the last thing they want to do at 8a is homework - so it can be challenging to keep their attention. After about the fifth time I posed the same question to the group of 8 Nepali boys about the story I had just read, 1 boy answered with "do you know about wrestling?". I had to smile, since both of my brothers [and occasionally my father when he was caught in the crossfire] thought our TV room was a wrestling ring for most of my childhood. Laughing, I said "actually, I do know wrestling. Both of my brothers love wrestling." The same kid immediately slammed a card on the table in the front of me. When I looked down, it was like a baseball card picturing three WWF wrestlers. The kid looked at me suspiciously and said, "which two are your brothers?" [Well, not The Undertaker.] I was laughing out loud at this point and explained that they were not actually professional wrestlers, they just enjoyed watching professional wrestlers. Of course, I followed it up by asking the group of 8-10 year olds if they'd ever seen The Cable Guy...

This week was a fantastic week - in all my time thus far in Nepal, it was my first real taste of rural, village life. I'm in Chitwan, the jungle area that lies northwest of Kathmandu. The first evening, when I was walking around the village at sunset with kids bicycling down dirt roads through ride paddy fields and families sitting outside on their mud porches sipping tea while buffalos and goat stroll by, I was struck by how much I felt like I was in the Jungle Book. And in 2009, it's real life here.

My family for the week was so welcoming and warm. My host mother spoke little English but smiled all the time and asked that I call her Aama meaning mother. There were two daughters, one 22 and one in her late teens. The father had passed away and in Nepal, it's quite rare for a family to stay together after the father dies since he provides the financial support. They are able to support themselves with their land - they allow neighbors to farm their land and receive half of the food they farm to support themselves. Living in the village is extremely basic - squat toilet in a shed behind the house, bucket shower system from a old fashioned water pump, and "stove" a wood burning fire in the mud kitchen. Since the power goes out every night for a few hours, we ate by candlelight on the floor. While I thought I would miss the things we take for granted in daily life, I adjusted really quickly. When you have no other choice, it's amazing how little you need. I'm not going to lie - this weekend I'm in more of a tourist area for 2 nights with a proper shower head and it feels amazing to be truly clean, but I could have survived just fine without it.

It is incredibly beautiful in this part of the country. The villages, with their rolling rice fields and lush green vegetatation set in front of the hills and snow-capped Himalaya mountains in the distance. I checked internet in the evening in the next village, about a 30 minute walk away down a windy dirt road, and I was in awe of the view my entire walk home. It's what you picture when you picture this part of the world. Stunning simplicity.

Of course, there were a few classic moments this week besides the WWF conversation. The first night, as I was reading in my sleeping bag in my room, I head something on the wooden roofbeam over my feet. When I looked up, I literally made eye contact with a mouse. Then, as if I wasn't there, it sauntered across the beam from one side of the ceiling to the other. I swallowed the scream that would have normally come out, attempted with all of my might not to have a panic attack, and casually walked out my room. I said to my host sister, "I just saw a mouse in my room - any way to scare it outside?" She laughed and said, "Oh no - this is a mouse house! They live here too!" Fabulous. So, every night I fell asleep to the sound of my mouse running back and forth across the roof beam.

I volunteered on a conservation project this weekend for a few days. It turns out that farming is HARD. I was more sore after digging and planting for a few hours then after trekking for a week. It amazes me that Nepali people, older people, do this day in and day out every single day. The particular conservation site where we worked is a community garden where they grow vegetables for the orphanage so that the kids have more than rice every day. They also give seeds to 150 local families so that they can grow a variety of vegetables themselves rather than having to buy them at an expensive price from vendors. Although exhausting, it felt good to get my hands dirty and inspired me to try to grow more of my own produce when I return home.

This weekend, I'm in the National Park doing the tourist thing. I rode an elephant yesterday - that never gets old. In a few hours, I'm headed back to the village for a few more days. I need to get one more shower in (albeit cold) before I take off!

It's hard to believe that it's mid-November already - happy birthday [today] to Mandy and Jeff! I miss you but look forward to catching up in a few short months!

Be safe and mouse free,
Erin

HA HA HA HA HA!

2009-11-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

For the last week, I am woken up every single morning around 6a by a man feeding the pigeons on his roof. He is chanting, at an even pace, "HA. HA. HA. HA. HA." I use periods for punctuation intentionally. He is not laughing. He does not sound jolly. He is literally just sounding out, at top volume, fake laughter. The first day, I was totally confused and asked one of the Nepali instructors that also lives at our hostel what the deal is. He smiled and said the guy decided that he wants to be a happier person so he begins every day by forcing himself to laugh out loud. I'll be honest, for the next day or two I thought it was totally wierd. But on the third day, I peered out of my window to see what he looked like. And for the last few days, I've just smiled in bed as I've heard the first "HA" erupt from the morning silence. Sure, it's bizarre, but I also find his determination to find the positives in life admirable. Refreshing. Don't worry, I'll keep my fake laughter limited to my phone calls with EF customers, but I'm certainly taking a life lesson from my new neighbor.

This week was great! I'm working with a new project in a different part of Kathmandu - I've moved from north of the city to southeast of the city. New bus routes to learn, new vendors to haggle with...but fun to explore another area of town. In this project, all volunteers stay in a hostel that's owned by the organization. There are huge upsides - I've been sharing a room with a German woman and another American who have become fast friends. It feels like camp! But there are also plenty of downsides:

I retract my earlier statement about cold showers. They are not refreshing. They are torturous when it's winter and cold in the morning. You actually get a brain freeze.
I'm pretty sure the sheets haven't been washed since '92. Cleanliness has become relative.
Our hostel cook, while a nice guy, thinks that westerners like pasta for every meal. He typically mixes the pasta with either mayonnaise or ketchup. Try not to be too jealous.
Our cook also loves to blare Nepali club music at 7a through breakfast. Nothing like oatmeal and a little bump and grind.
While my roomates are awesome, some other volunteers are clearly here for the wrong reasons and I'm tired of hearing them complain about all of the above 24 hours a day. It's funny to acknowledge and joke about but it's toxic to have people around that constantly harp on the negative and how much they miss the western world [when they have been here for all of 2 weeks]. Volunteering in Nepal is not romantic. It's educational, humbling, challenging, and incredibly rewarding on a daily basis. But if you are looking for romantic, go back to Paris.

This week, I spent one night in a village with a Nepali family to get a better understanding of "real" village life. It is MUCH different than city life, as in the U.S. In the villages, it is quiet and picturesque. Life moves much more slowly and most extended families live together - grandparents, parents, siblings, and children. The men work in the fields and the women take care of the home by cooking and cleaning. I had tea about 5 times a day, went for a beautiful hike with views of the himalayas, and read for hours. Not too bad! Amenities are basic, of course - no heat, no hot water, fire "stove" to cook, squat toilet (if a toilet at all). But the relaxing pace of life and the amount of time they spend with their loved ones makes you stop to think what's really important. I loved it.

Tomorrow, I'm off to the jungle for 2 weeks to work on a variety of different village projects. Chitwan [the jungle part of Nepal], is much more rural and there are quite a few construction, conservation, and education projects currently underway. After a month in Kathmandu, I'm ready to take a break from the pollution, noise, and pollution. I hope to have internet access sometime in those 2 weeks but if not, I'll write an extra long blog around Thanksgiving time.

I do miss all of you much and think of you often! Happy birthday today to Avery (two shout outs!) and to Mandy + Rahilly next week!

2009-11-02T19:21:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is November already! I miss MANY things about home but I do not miss daylight savings time. Luckily, we do not turn back the clocks in Nepal so still getting dark around 5.30 - 6p.

Last weekend I wrapped up teaching at the government school. It was a great learning experience for me after living with a teacher my entire life [Jude], working with teachers for the last few years at EF, but never actually entering the classroom. I now understand why teachers get summers off - so they stay sane. I also understand why it's equally as rewarding as it is frustrating and why, even with the most troublesome kids, teachers are teachers for life.

My first period class was the dream class. The kids listen to me like I was a Western prophet, hung on my every word, and EVERY student did their homework each night. On my last day, after I taught them the National Anthem (yes, I sang - it was like there were angels in the classroom), each student came up to the front with a handful of flowers, small gifts and cards. Of course, I teared up - so touched by their kindness for a teacher that had been there less than 2 weeks. And, bear in mind these students are kids that come from nothing. That moment was the reason why I traveled halfway across the world - the pursuit of any volunteer.

On the other hand, there was my 4th period class. These little monsters refused to shut their mouths all class, making me lose my cool about every 30 seconds. We all know how patient I am to begin with - this class actually made me question if I'd join in with the Nepali norm of hitting students. I didn't...but...I thought about it. The last day, when I yelled "Be Quiet!" for the 172nd time, only to hear a chorus of little Nepali "be quiet"s as I walked towards the front the of classroom, I told every student to put their head on their desk and think about why they come to school every day. These kids are freaking 10 years old - they probably thought "hey crazy American lady - I come here because my parents tell me to". I lectured them on the value of education, how hard their teachers work, and how they need to pay attention if they want more opportunities in life. Needless to say, after my Barack Obama speech, they all cheered when the bell rang and ran out of the classroom as if on fire. I'm just trying to make a difference, one delinquent at a time. :)

Albeit a brief teaching stint, I did learn a great deal about the Nepali education system and the joys and challenges that volunteers face working within that framework. I also have a tremendous appreciation for all of you teachers out there - you might just have the toughest job around. As I mentioned before, I befriended the English Department Head at my school and two of the afternoons, during our free periods, he took me to other government schools so I could have a more complete understanding of public schools.

One school, in the middle of constructing a second wing, lost their funding from the government. Kids are literally playing at recess in piles of construction equipment. They are craving help from volunteers, not only to raise the level of English in their schools, but to help finish projects that have already been started. Or, to begin projects that have only been written on paper. Projects like building more toilets, setting up drinking water supplies, building science labs so their students can practice what they've learned - resources that we take for granted on a daily basis. The government here isn't interested in supporting education. It's sad, but not changing anytime soon. These schools truly need volunteers to help them provide the basic educational support to their students that's necessary for them to succeed in today's global economy.

Now, to step off my soapbox...

This weekend, I took a little "Erin" time to visit Nagarkot, an amazing town at the top of the Kathmandu Valley. Although it takes 2 buses, 3-4 hours, crowds of people in enclosed spaces that nobody should be comfortable with to go only 25km, the journey was worth it. From this point, you can see the entire span of the Himalaya range. It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to. After hiking on Sunday for an hour or two, I could even see Everest! The views were spectacular, but drinking red wine and eating meals that did not include rice might have topped the surroundings. Of course, since my body loves to reject even the western version of Nepal, I got sick on Sunday night. Never a dull moment... Good think I'm teaching myself how to become a nurse.

Today I'm starting my next phase of Nepal - bouncing around the country this month to work on a few different types of volunteer projects. I'll be in Kathmandu for one more week, off to Chitwan (the jungle) for 2 weeks, and finishing off the trip where it began in Pokhara for one more week. It'll be nice to be in my Nepali version of home before I'm off to India.

Happy November and happy early bday to Avery!

Are you married?

2009-10-25T03:50:00.000-07:00

This was my first week of teaching and it was filled with highs, times of frustration, and of course, many laugh out loud moments. The first happened on my first full day during tiffin (lunch time). I had been invited by 3 male colleagues to the bench [a literal bench which is their version of a cafeteria] and based on my experiences with most men in Nepal, I should have anticipated what was to come. I'm going to transcribe the "get to know you" chat starting with the first word:

Nepali 1: Are you married?
Erin: [laughs] No, I'm not married.
Nepali 2: How old are you?
Erin: I'm 31.
Nepali 1: That's old not to be married. Why aren't you married?
Erin: [Because underneath my clothes, my entire body is made of scales.] Well, [if you must know] marriage hasn't been at the top of my list of things to do over the last few years.
Nepali 3: Do you want to marry a Nepali person? [as he lowers his eyes to my chest, which is well concealed]
Erin: No.
Nepali 3: Do you have a boyfriend?
Erin: Yes. [like I would say no to you vultures]
Nepali 2: Well then, you are single like us. We're single too.
Erin: You don't say.

Besides the daily chats about my love life, teaching is pretty amazing. There are three types of school in Nepal - government schools, private schools and boarding schools. Boarding schools are for the elite and they are different than boarding schools in the U.S. as most students don't board. The private schools are probably more like suburban public schools at home, like the schools I attended. They do cost a nominal amount here which is the primary difference, but they have good resources and good teachers. The government schools, like the school I'm teaching in, are tough.

In the government schools, there are anywhere from 50 -70 kids per class. Most of the kids come from extremely poor families and some kids are even orphans cared for at local orphanages. The resources are appalling and after having several conversations with different teachers, the staff is paid next to nothing. Every teacher that I've spoken with, even the ones that are well educated and have excellent English, are thrilled to have native English speaking volunteers helping in the schools. I thought there might be a little resentment, a little "we don't need your help" - but not at all. Even the department heads realize that their English is far from perfect and that they are limited by their surroundings. They welcome the help. The principal told me that in an ideal world, they'd have 5 or 6 volunteers at a time.

The English department head, who I've befriended, did tell me that they'd love to have teachers volunteer for 2 months or more to truly be effective. Unfortunately, I'm only there for one more week before moving onto my next project, but I see his point. It's impossible to really get through to the students in 1-2 weeks because of class size alone. And, the kids that need the most help are buried under the brighter students that are always raising their hands and shouting out the answers. In some of my classes, I'm the primary teacher. But in other classes, I'm there as an aide so that we can divide and conquer.

The biggest problem in Nepal in the government schools (as in certain schools in the U.S.) is that many of the teachers are inadequately educated or trained. Teachers here rely almost solely on the textbooks, which are VERY basic. They teach kids to memorize and imitate - not to think. It's easier to teach out of the textbook, word by word, than come up with creative lesson plans. The kids just light up when they get to do something fun or new.

There are a few major adjustments in the schools here. The toughest for me is that teachers hit students in the classroom when they are misbehaving. I was in class on Friday when a kid just dropped his book on the ground and the teacher came over and grabbed him by his hair, pulling hard. The teacher actually grinned at me, while he pulled the kid's hair, and said "you'd get in trouble if you did this in America. Well, not here". And then he hit him on the back just for effect. I was speechless and I'm sure the look on my face was sheer horror. I asked Rajesh about it and he said it's quite common, although in more progressive schools the administrators are trying to make efforts to reduce the practice. One other big one is 6 day school weeks - only Saturdays off. No Sunday funday in Nepal...

Despite having to teach today, I went out with some other Americans and westerners last night - my first night out in a month! It was VERY exciting. We went to a book reading in the Cambridge of Kathmandu, Patan, and out to a swanky swank place afterwards. I didn't even know swank existed in this city. It was fun to have a night where I felt like I was at home for a few hours and to enjoy conversation with people my own age. But, it was also ironically wonderful to wake up to the sound of arguing kids at 6a this morning.

Miss y'all lots - happy early birthday to Sarah! 32 is the new 22. (and that y'all is my present)

E

Happy Tihar!

2009-10-19T01:38:00.000-07:00

Last night was quite possibly my best night in Nepal thus far. This weekend is the Hindu festival of Tihar celebrating the goddess of light, Laxmi. It is an AWESOME holiday since the idea is to eat as many sweets as possible and light up the city through candles and crazy fireworks. It's kind of like Christmukkah. It lasts for 4 days and has a lot of different elements so I'll quickly lay them out -

Saturday morning - worship the dog. The dog wears a flower necklace, eats like a king, and is "worshipped" all morning.
Saturday evening - 1st big night! Put candles in literally every corner of the house, decorate each doorway with malas (flowers strung together), say some prayers, and then in our family the tradition is to drive through downtown Kathmandu to see the beautiful lights everywhere and mahem in the streets. I loved every minute.
Sunday morning - worship the cow. Obviously.
Sunday evening - Mha Puja (the day to celebrate oneself). Rajesh created elaborate mandalas on the floor (different symbols for each person, the size of a serving plate, made with yellow, red and white colored powder that lay in front of us - it took him HOURS) and Bondana (host mom) created a feast of food. We had an incredible ceremony that involved lighting a candle in the middle of our mandala, eating an egg that was boiled then fried, having flowers dumped on our heads three times, praying and then destroying all of the mandalas in a few quick brushes of the broom. The idea is to symbolize how temporary our state in this world is...
Monday morning - the finale: Bha Tikka. This is the day where sisters celebrate their brothers by giving them chocolates, nuts and other sweets. My three year old brother, Bibor, was like a Nepali emperor. Similar ceremonies as last night and then the biggest feast yet. If I thought I was going to lost weight in Nepal, I was wrong. Bondana dressed me up in a Sari - pics to follow soon.

Last night, after our huge celebration, some teenage carolers stopped by to sing traditional Nepali folk songs. Within a few minutes, it was a full blown dance party on the front lawn. I definitely stopped myself at one point to look around and soak it all up - a pinch myself moment, for sure. It's pretty amazing to feel like I am truly a part of their family and cultural traditions - this volunteer experience is allowing me the opportunity to see this country through a totally unique lens.

Besides the cool festival, this week was pretty much a "win" week all around! My training is finished and I even had two days to observe in the classrooms. I even taught two classes! I taught second and third graders to sing row row row your boat and good morning (a Jude classic). The kids are such smushes - completely engaged and thirsting to learn English. Schools start again on Wednesday and I'll be teaching at a local public school for the next two weeks.

It's crazy how quickly you begin to feel at home. I remember when I first arrived two weeks ago, everything seemed so foreign - living with strangers, wierd foods (which still persist but I've adjusted to), and completely new routines. But just a few weeks later, it's "normal". I did actually laugh this week when I noticed a few of the things that had become normal and started jotting a list for blog fodder. Here are just a few -

Cold Showers
I never thought I'd say this, but they're actually refreshing. What?!
Eating dinner at 9a
We seriously have a huge rice meal for breakfast. Dan would love it here...you can eat your weight in rice.
Eating with your right hand
No forks in Nepal people. At first, it was tough to shovel little grains of rice into my mouth with my fist but now, I'm clean plate club in under 10.
Losing electricity for 2 hours a day
It's really wierd when you find yourself organizing your day around a 2 hour power loss and the government doesn't find it necessary to tell you when. Details.
Bells
Bells are ringing all the time. In my house. In other houses. At first I thought it was my family's polite way of telling me to get up at 6.30a. But really, it's how they communicate with god when praying. Bells, bells, bells.
Using water instead of toilet paper
I'll let you ponder that one. No forks, no breakfast, no TP. Thank god I found pickles this week at a western grocery store.
Rahksi
In December of 2006, EF had a holiday party that many of you have heard about. There was an article in Boston magazine last winter referencing said party that basically compared EF to a frat. I believe the final tally was 10 ambulances on the night. It took place at a club in Boston called The Roxy so naturally, we dubbed the party Rumble at the Roxy. In Nepal, the local wine is called Rahksi. Wine is a loose term. This stuff tastes more like rubbing alcohol. I've dubbed it Rumble from the Rahski.
Eating the wierdest "food" ever.
I ate bone marrow this week because it was a local specialty. I'm a goat's foot away from becoming veg.

Miss you guys!

Win, Loss or Tie?

2009-10-10T02:30:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Alexandra and I have a little tradition. After a particularly debaucherous evening out, we'll email each other a list the following morning. The list contains wins - hilarious things that happened, cool people we met...you catch the drift. Losses, often times, are mostly bullet points from late in the evening and all of the repercussions that you need to face the following day. I've just created the tie category because sometimes a girl just needs a half. Here is my week in review:

Wins

My birthday.
I thought I might be a little lonely celebrating my bday so far from home, since I've been fortunate to celebrate it with family and friends all of my life. But it was actually fantastic. I got so much love in messages from home and, my Nepali family totally spoiled me. They threw me a traditional Nepali birthday celebration last night - they gave me a tikka on my head, a blessing, and a sacred dish of a boiled then fried egg, a small smoked fish, and garlic (disgustingly, all things that were delicious). They gave me a hand made purse that's stunning and the kids drew a card...smushes. But the finale was an AMERICAN bday cake! Perfection.
Buddhist Meditation.
On my bday, I replaced happy hour with mediation hour. I thought I might have the shakes (and did nearly cry last night when I had to pass the wall of wine at the "supermarket") but mediation was really cool. The facilitator was this hilarious Spaniard...I might have to give it a second try.
My Nepali host family.
I'm not going to lie, when I arrived a week ago and spent my first night with a family that wasn't mine, it was wierd. How can it not be?!? But within literally 48 hours, it started to feel like home. They are so welcoming - they let me help cook dinner, share their life stories, and just treat me like a member of their crew. I feel really lucky...

Losses

My face.
Don't worry. I haven't gone all desperate for compliments. My face literally exploded on the bus ride from Pokhara to Kathmandu. I hadn't seen a mirror until I got to my family's house and I'm not even exaggerating, I have 6 or 7 dime sized lesions on my face. Bigger loss - my family probably thinks I'm HIV positive.
Visit to International Health Clinics
I don't like going to the doctor in the cushy US of A. So it took me 5 days, and 2 of the dime sized lesions growing to quarter size lesions, to visit the good old travel clinic. But I did. And lucky me - I have a skin infection and for an added bonus, [sorry male readers] a UTI. AWESOME. Thank god for antibiotics.
Henna
My host mother used henna to color her hair early in the week and it turned a lovely shade of black with auburn undertones. I complimented her on the look and she said, "we should do your hair!" I'm no stranger to coloring my hair, and let's be honest - who's judging me over here - half my face is missing. So, we did it. And an hour later when my hair was done, I took off the towel to clown orange hair. This isn't my prettiest month. And you won't be seeing pictures on facebook anytime soon.

Ties

Motorbikes
Motorbikes are hip. They're cool. They help you get from A to B more quickly because you can swerve in and out between the cars. Rajesh, my host dad, sped me to the clinic on our lunch break on his motorbike and while eternally grateful to be seeking medical attention, I wondered at what cost. I wear a helmet to ski so was a little shocked when I jumped on the back, bare skull, and we took off. Kathmandu has about the craziest Asian traffic I've ever seen - there are cars, bikes, cows, buses - it's mahem. Rajesh screamed at one point during the ride, "are you comfortable?". Oh, sorry - I was just imagining who would speak at my funeral.
Collecting Trash
I love the environment as much as the next person. Yay Green. But today, when we took a fabulous hike up a mountain and decided to collect trash on the way down, I was a bit skeptical. Forgive me, after the week of the infection, for not wanting to touch every stranger's trash that has been living in the forest for god knows how long. With my bare hands. I'm buying stock in hand sanitizer when I get home.
Kids
I know. This is a controversial one. Many of you have kids, are expecting, are trying to have kids soon. And don't get me wrong - I hope to have a slew of kids someday. But as adorable as my host kids are at 7 and 3, when they are waking me up at 6a or telling me for the 467th time how many bags of trash they collected, there's a little part of me that wants to put them in a sleeper hold. Little part.

Thanks again for all the emails and notes! I promise to respond as soon as I can! Miss you all tons.

xoxo

Volunteering begins...

2009-10-01T23:05:00.000-07:00

Happy October! It’s hard to believe that it’s already October…this year, the past few months in particular, have just flown by. I arrived in Nepal three weeks ago today – in some ways, it feels like just yesterday, and in other ways, it feels like I’ve been here forever. It’s funny when I step off the sidewalk on the street to let a water buffalo pass me by and that begins to feel normal.

It’s my last day of holiday in Pokhara. I head back to Kathmandu first thing tomorrow morning to kick off the volunteering! It’s only about 200km, equivalent to 120 miles, from Pokhara to Kathmandu but since there aren’t highways (at least highways by our western standards) or really developed roads here, the trip takes anywhere from 6-8 hours by bus. It’s a beautiful drive through the mountains on windy roads…looking forward to the scenery. I’ll be taking the “tourist” but don’t be confused by the name – it isn’t luxurious by any stretch. It basically means that instead of just stopping on the side of the road to pee, you actually stop at a restaurant where you can use a squat toilet hole in the ground. I know because I took the local bus back from rafting…it was quite the experience.

There are certainly wonderful things about Nepal – the friendly people, the stunning mountain views, and the community feel everywhere you go – just to name a few. But it does amaze me how far behind the country is relative to the western world. Nepal doesn’t know how to recycle so you just see piles of trash everywhere you go. They have no waste management systems in place – everything just feeds into rivers and streams which circles back into drinking water. And most people resist technology because they fear that if certain systems become more efficient (washing machines, dishwashers, and computers), people will lose their jobs.

It’s interesting to be part of this world for more than a few weeks…it can be tremendously frustrating at times, but eye opening nonetheless. It certainly makes me appreciate the comforts of home…

I am excited and a bit nervous to enter the “real” Nepal tomorrow, living with a host family and teaching in a local school. I’m just not quite sure what to expect. But I’m ready! It’s why I’m here…the good, the bad, and the ugly. I start my training week on Monday with a few other volunteers and after a week, I’m headed to the classroom. I am most excited about connecting with the kids – there is truly a thirst for English, especially among the younger generations, and it’ll be amazing to contribute to their language development. Yesterday I was sitting next to a teenage boy on the local bus and he spent the entire time asking me questions and engaging me in conversation to practice his English. It was pretty cool.

I miss all of you a lot and think of you often! Happy 30th birthday to Sulli – expect reports on the celebration out of Denver!

Have a great week – Pokhara, I’m out.

E

Most Wanted: Nepal

2009-09-27T01:06:00.000-07:00

I’m heading to Kathmandu in a few days and I can’t wait to kick off the volunteering part of the trip! Last night, I had drinks with a friend from Denver, Elise, who I helped connect with her project outside of Kathmandu in the small village of Thimi. It was extremely interesting to hear all about her experience – from living with a host family to teaching English in her school – all the good and the bad. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to the adventure!

As all of you know, my brother Dan blogs for WEEI every weekday about New England sports. And if you haven’t checked out his site, http://thanksforplaying.weei.com/, you should – he’s hilarious. He launched an idea a few months back called The Most Wanted List where he dissects sports figures and regular joes alike that wronged him over the last week. I’m going to completely steal his format, which I did clear by him, and launch The Most Wanted List: Nepal.

1. Ukrainian women.
Now, I don’t usually like to stereotype an entire nation from meeting 1 or 2 people from that country. But when you are traveling, you are just as much representing your country as yourself so you know what – screw it. Ukrainian women, you are #1 on the hit list. This week, I went white water rafting and while the rapids were fantastic, the company was not. It is no secret that in Nepal women dress much more modestly. Read any Lonely Planet, talk to any local guide – it’s just obvious. No short skirts, no cleavage, no skimpy bathing suits – all are offensive to the locals. Well, Ms. Ukraine 2009 shows up to white water rafting, prancing everywhere in her teeny bikini. Then she spends most of the day yelling at our guide – she needs to MAKE SURE her bag doesn’t get wet on the boat, her plate isn’t dry enough, and the camping arrangements aren’t up to her Ukrainian standards. Sweetheart, board the next plane and head back to the U.S.S.R.

2. Ukrainian men.
I thought about lumping them together, but they each deserve their own bullet point. Ms. Ukraine was traveling with her fan club, three dorky Ukrainian men that clearly worshipped the ground she walked on. They were equally as rude as their goddess and barely touched the water when specifically asked to paddle "with more power" by our diplomatic guide. Hey boys, break a sweat. As much as I couldn’t stand Tatiana’s offensive boob display for two full days, I think they might have been worse in their weenie benders flailing about. Europeans – please stop wearing speedos. Especially when straddling boats. They look ridiculous. You look ridiculous.

3. Goats.
If you had asked me two weeks ago if I would eat goat, water buffalo, and a chicken I just met, I would have told you hell no. Well, I was wrong. I’d be lying if I said that I ate those things just to be polite – I am a bit curious about what goat tastes like. And because this week is Nepal’s biggest festival of the year, and the goat is the sacrificial offering to the Hindu gods, there are goats everywhere to sample.
Well yesterday, the goats got me back. After rafting, we waited for three hours, in the blazing heat, on the side of the dusty highway as bus after bus after bus whizzed by, too full to pick us up. Now I’m sure you’re thinking those buses were full of HUMANS. Nope – those suckers were full of goats. And those goats were grinning at me from their comfy, cozy seat ON THE BUS. Excuse me? Are those goats paying for those seats? Well goats, you won’t be grinning for long. What?!

4. Nepal’s attitude towards dangerous animals.
I hate snakes. I have always hated snakes. I will always hate snakes. I have bad dreams about them. If someone asked me if we should eradicate all snakes from the world, I would answer without hesitation – YES. Since arriving here a few weeks ago, I have seen multiple snakes. And every time I have a panic attack, someone tells me – don’t worry, they’re not poisonous. Then they laugh at me for worrying about a silly 10 foot snake. Well Nepal, let me be clear, I DON’T CARE IF THEY ARE POISONOUS. I don’t want a snake swimming in the water next to me, joining us on a trek – I don’t care if they invite me out for a cocktail. They are SNAKES.

5. People that think just because you’re foreign, you’re "special".
Guess what Spanish people, when you are speaking 100 miles a minute and say “Americana”, glance in my direction, and giggle – I know you are talking about me. Nepalese friends, your language may be impossible to follow but you clearly don’t know how to control your eyes and body language because when you crack a joke with your buddies, glance in my direction, and giggle – I know you are talking about me. I have decided that the best tactic with these fools is to just start at them until they are uncomfortable. And then stare some more. And then flash them the creepiest smile possible.

Happy birthday to Maria and hope that everyone is having a great fall…

E

Trekking

2009-09-19T22:37:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Nepal safe and sound and had a great first week. Last night, I returned from a 5 day, 4 night trek of the Annapurna circuit, one of the more beautiful treks in Nepal. For those not as familiar with trekking (as I most certainly was not before coming here last fall), it’s simply hiking for consecutive days. Mountaineering and climbing requires technical skill and fancy equipment – trekking is really just walking. BUT, that being said, it is over the river and through the woods, up and down, and hiking anywhere from 5-7 hours per day – it’s definitely tough, especially by the end. My legs feel like they did in high school after a week at field hockey camp. Sadly, I haven’t seen any icy hot floating around.

The coolest part about trekking in Nepal is that the government, recognizing foreign interest in their world-class “trails”, has made it possible to trek for weeks without setting up a tent. There are guesthouses along every route that provide a roof over your head and a warm meal at the end of each day. Now, when I say guesthouse, do not picture a bed and breakfast. I’d picture a log cabin in the woods, without heat, where you sleep in your sleeping bag on a wooden board. I will say that most of these guesthouses do try hard to appeal to tourists – most offer hot water during a window of time where they heat the water in the tank by wood burning fire, some have the luxury of a western toilet, and all offer nice cold beers at the end of a long day.

The cost to trek is super reasonable. I think that I spent, on average, around 1,000 rupees a day for lodging, food, and drink which equates to around $13. Not bad. If you hire a guide, which most people do, that’s about another $20/day but still a small price to pay for completely personal service. They tell you about the intricacies of Nepali culture, share some personal stories about life here, and make you feel incredibly welcome in their country. You can also opt to hire a porter but for short treks, if you pack lightly, it’s easy enough to carry your own bag. You end up wearning the same clothes every day but you don’t even care because they are just going to get sweaty all over again within 10 minutes of walking. Turns out, nobody cares if you smell in the mountains.

Lucky for me, my friend Binod was guiding a couple from Europe – Manuel from Spain and Elina from Finland, so I got to tag along this past week. I’m always reminded, almost instantly, that one of my favorite things about traveling is connecting with people from all around the world. These two are great and every night, after we landed at our guesthouse, we’d chat, play heated games of cards, and share a few drinks. It’s bizarre and wonderful how you can be in such a foreign place, about as far away as possible, and still feel the comforts of home (don't worry Mom...not moving to Nepal anytime soon :)

This weekend, I’m just kicking around Pokhara – my tentative home base for the next two weeks. I always say that it’s the Nepali version of Breckenridge. I just did laundry by hand for the first time ever - we really are spoiled in the U.S. This week, I’m going white water rafting for 2 days, 1 night and doing some local day hikes. I head back to Kathmandu – about a 6 hour bus ride – at the beginning of October. I’ll move in with my host family and after a week of training, begin teaching in a local school. While this time to play is fantastic, I’m really looking forward to volunteering and kicking off that part of my trip.

Happy Rosh Hashanah to those back home and I hope that everyone is enjoying the beginning of fall. Miss you!

En route

2009-09-10T17:50:00.000-07:00

My trip is officially underway! I am currently stealing some wireless in the Bangkok airport at a Starbucks - the more things change, they stay the same. This airport is pretty sweet - I was here in 2002 and don't remember it being so clean and pristine. I've been traveling now for going on 30 hours after an all day layover in Athens, Greece and now, Bangkok. I'm here for about 2 more hours then a quick 2 or 3 hour flight to Kathmandu and I'll FINALLY be there! I cannot wait to get vertical and take a hot shower. I even had my doctor prescribe sleeping meds for the plane - apparently not strong enough. Note to self: test next time before trip.

A few notes so far. US Airways is a racket. They don't even serve free booze on international flights?!? WTF. The flight attendants were like 105 and rude and you had to pay for headsets. And they only showed 1 awful movie, on shared screens, for the whole 8 hour flight. Thai Airways, on the other hand, is a gift from god. TVs on every seat with an incredible movie selection, the nicest flight attendants in the world that pump you with wine, water, OJ - whatever, pretty good food for a plane, and seats that recline so you can at least rest. Final observation before I have to board - Greek people have no sense of personal space or how to line up. Just saying.

Have to run!

My first blog!

2009-09-01T07:08:00.000-07:00

I am, as we say at EF, 8 dpd [days prior to departure] for my trip to Asia. I'm as ready as I'm going to be! This week, the big struggle is figuring out exactly what to pack since I am taking one big backpack and one day pack for five months. When volunteering, I need to look professional so it's hard to pack appropriately for fun and work.

This week, I need to find small gifts to bring to my host families. Maryland crabs? I'm a bit concerned about being away from pickles for so long but I'm sure I'll find an eastern equivalent.

I'm actually not as nervous as I thought I would be at this point. Of course, I'll miss everyone...but with the busy travel and volunteer schedule, I have a feeling that mid-February will be here before I know it.