A very merry Nepali Passover

Hello, faithful readers,

Wow, I can't believe it's already April! The weather is already super-warm, usually in the 80s during the day, but thankfully it's not too humid (yet) and still relatively cool at night for sleeping (for now)...and there aren't too many mosquitoes yet, either, so it's pretty pleasant.

So, besides the CI paper scramble this week - I'm actually in pretty good shape; I'm about half-done with an essay on Tibetan Buddhist medical psychiatry and Tamang shamanism versus Western psychotherapy, and it's been pretty interesting to write - we've done a few fun things. On Saturday Beth, Emily, Beki, Jessie and I went to Swayambou stupa, a.k.a. the monkey temple. It was awesome, and I have some excellent videos of monkeys doing funny things which, sadly, I'm not sure how to put on here without causing all of Nepal to lose power for a week. After a bit of shopping, it was so hot that we decided to head to Neerala's, a yummy fast-food place near the touristy Thamel section of Kathmandu, for ice cream. Don't tell Banu - apparently they use tap water to clean the ice-cream scoops, so she doesn't like it when we go...but nobody's gotten sick from it to my knowledge. *Shhh!*

On Sunday our roommates in sociology/anthropology had their first of five tests to complete year 1 of their Masters-level work. Basically, the Nepali education system is insane. There is only one huge test at the end of the year, for which you have to memorize a huge book's worth of essays, so basically it's possible to never go to class and still do well as long as you succeed on this one test. Needless to say, all the soc/anthro majors were flipping out; the test is four hours long with no break in the middle. Also, every soc/anthro major from every college in the area comes to take the exact same test, so it's literally thousands of people taking up buildings upon buildings in KTM. We figured they were really ready for a break and some food after that ordeal, so we all headed back to Angan, the Indian fast-food place I mentioned in my last entry, and ate lots of tasty food.

Last night was the first night of Passover, and thanks to Jessie and her mom (who sent an amazing package full of Passover and Easter paraphernalia) we shared a really fun Seder with our Nepali roommates and some of the staff. Jessie put a lot of work into it - she made haroset, the apple-honey mixture which represents the mortar the enslaved Jews had to put on the pyramids in Egypt; she iodized the "bitter greens" (parsley) so we wouldn't all die; she made awesome matzo balls from the mix her equally awesome mom sent, etc. Her package also had a Haggadah (the book of songs, prayers, and readings for the evening), so while leading the Seder she was able to go through and pick out her favorite parts to explain to and do with the Nepalis. Although this may have been the only Seder in history at which pizza was present (Jessie had matzo pizza instead), we still had the matzo balls and coconut macaroons and lots of wine. After several rousing rounds of "Deyeinu", we needed a rest from all that fun, so we watched "Troy" and put the now-ubiquitous Ayurvedic turmeric masks on each other (including Sky, good sport that he is).

Today after daal-bhaat I went with Banu, Babu, and Banu's cousin Laxmi (who is also Beki's translator for her PhD work) to visit my homestay family. Their village is called Sita Pailaa, and although it is technically within the limits of Kathmandu it's about 40 minutes from and a whole different ballgame than Kirtipur. It's very beautiful and quiet and there are lots of fields and trees. The road is a narrow dirt one, but it's only about a 20-minute walk to the Ring Road, one of the major routes around Kathmandu. I'm also maybe a 45-minute walk away from Jessie's homestay, so hopefully I'll get to see her periodically during the 15 or so days I'm living in Sita Pailaa.

The house has two rooms: the bedroom, which the mother and daughter share, what will be my bedroom, and the kitchen. The toilet is an outhouse underneath the stairs up to the house proper, and I will shower and wash my clothes with well water in a little enclosed area out back. I'll have to buy a lungi, a sort of loose skirt that can be pulled up under the arms, for bathing. Banu also had to explain to them about what I can and can't eat or drink - I can eat anything cooked, I should have boiled and iodized water, fresh vegetables are okay but I have to soak them in iodized water first, etc.

My host mom's name is Sangita, and her daughter, who's in Class 6 (12-13 years old, although she's tiny and looks maybe 8 by American standards), is called Arju. Sangita's husband, like many Nepalis, is currently abroad in Dubai because he can earn better money there. Both Sangita and Arju seem very nice, and I'm looking forward to spending more time with them.

Pheri bhetaulaa (I'll try to post at least once more before I leave for my homestay on Monday),
Rani

P.S. I'm totally stealing Dan's photo layout from now on, so any comments regarding the unbelievably beautiful new look of this blog should be directed to him. :oP

Photo #1: we had a great American cook night with a picnic theme last week. Here, everybody is checking out their options, which included deviled eggs, tuna or veg/hummus (finding tahini in Nepal was a trick and a half) sandwiches, chips and salsa, coleslaw, fried chicken or tofu, magic cookie bars, watermelon and pineapple, and grilled corn. Soon, Phebe, and Beth made a big (thanks to Soon pouring a quarter-can of gas on it, haha) bonfire outside, and we all sat around it to eat, wondering why on earth our grilled corn tasted faintly of petrol.
Photo #2: Swayambou stupa.
Photo #3: Emily (sans about 2 feet of hair and in her awesome new kurta), Papiya, and Emily's roommate Kussum contemplate our seemingly neverending masala dosa at Angan.