Cultural education

It's been a full week! I had my first 3 language lessons, each only 1 hour long, because of all our orientation activities. Besides spoken Nepali, I'm also learning to read and write, which requires learning their "alphabet" - also known as devanagari script. Thankfully there is a finite number of characters (probably about 40-50), and they are phonetic...much easier than Chinese, which has thousands of characters, and they are pictorial. It's slow going right now, but it shouldn't take long to be able to read. Understanding is another thing! I now know a few Nepali words and phrases, but that's it so far. But soon I'll go from 3 hours/week to 15 hours/week of classes, so that should get things going!

Most of the week has been spent learning about the history of Nepal and its culture. It is a fascinating country, for sure, and its political history is crazy-confusing, but very interesting once you start to figure it out. In its more recent history, there was an assassination of 8 members of the royal family in 2001, including the king - King Birendra. Nobody really knows who did it, but the most popular story is that it was the Crown Prince Dipendra. Theories about motives vary...from a desire for the throne, to his father's (and mother's) opposition towards the girl he wanted to marry. Unfortunately (?), the Prince also got shot in the process, but didn't die until 3 days later. During that time he was actually declared King of Nepal, even though he was in a coma. That was short-lived! King Gyanendra, the former King's brother, took the throne at that point, and he remained in power until a people's movement took over power and the king was deposed, sometime in 2006, I think (maybe 2005). He was actually forced to leave his palace, which is now a museum. And he is now considered a commoner. Now Nepal is a democracy, and is in the process of writing a constitution. It was to have been completed early 2011...then mid 2011...then Nov 30, 2011...and now they've decided to extend it by another 6 months. There are many political parties, and they all have their own interests, so getting this job done could be a challenge! But it seems like the Nepali people are hopeful that this will lead to a more peaceful, democratic country, than they've ever had before. Time will tell...

On a cultural note, I have learned things like:

1. Don't hand anything to anyone with your left hand - it's dirty

2. Don't sit in such a way that the soles of your feet face anyone (i.e. not with your legs straight out in front of you, or with one ankle crossed over the other knee) - it's extremely rude

3. If you've already eaten from your plate, nobody else can touch it - it's dirty (jutho). And don't touch any plate that anyone else has eaten from.

4. ALWAYS take your shoes off outside someone's home. Feet and shoes are considered very dirty, and should not touch anyone else's, or go anywhere clean

5. Don't shake hands with people...the proper greeting is to put your two hands together in front of you and give a slight bow. If your hands are full, you can simply bow your head a little bit.

On Thursday we had a little "field trip" to a few places, including the former king's palace. They made us leave our cameras in lockers at the entrance, so I don't have any photos. The rooms where the assassinations took place have been completely torn down, though the foundations are still there. There are signs showing where the royal family members were standing when they were shot. And you can see some bullet holes in the wall that is adjacent to the rest of the palace.

We also went to a square that houses the main large Hindu temples in Kathmandu. The first one we went to was the temple of the Kumari - the living goddess. Apparently there are multiple Kumaris in the area, but the most important one is this one. She is a girl, chosen around the age of 4, who matches something like 32 prescribed physical features, and then who proves that she is brave by being placed into a scary room and not getting scared. She then lives in the temple until either puberty or she has some sort of injury that causes bleeding. At that point, she ceases to be a goddess and becomes a commoner, and the search for a new Kumari begins. She apparently comes out a few times a year and is paraded around the city, but the rest of the time, she lives in this temple.

We saw many other temples and shrines as well. In the square was an interesting mix of locals (come to do their puja/acts of devotion...sacrifices, incense, ringing bells, chants, prayers), tourists (taking photos and gawking a bit), locals who really want to be your tour guide (and followed us around, even though we said we didn't want a tour guide, and interjected and told our guide that she was wrong multiple times!), street vendors (selling fruit, flowers for the puja, etc), and other vendors targetting tourists (selling flutes, necklaces, and various other things). It's quite the place!

Then, not in the square, but not too far away, is the shrine of the toothache god, where you go if you have a toothache. You hammer a nail into a coin on the shrine and it's supposed to help your toothache. Interestingly, a number of dentists have decided that this is a good area to set up shop, so there are also a lot of dentist offices around.

Finally, there was the temple where all I kept thinking was, "Feed the birds...tuppence a bag."

All-in-all, it was a very interesting, colourful, noisy, tiring day, but a good day. Good to get out and get a sense of the history and culture of the place you're living in, and to see how important religion is to their daily lives. These were just the big temples of the city. Everywhere you look, on just about every street, there are smaller ones, and there are shrines in pretty much every home. There are some Buddhist ones, as well (Tibetan influence, there), but I haven't seen as many of them yet.

Our intensive orientation activities continue until Wednesday, and then we focus on language after that. We have been given a bunch of reading to do, as well, about the culture and history of Nepal, so that learning will continue. Of course, the most important learning of culture and language will come from interacting with it, and that will happen with time. Right now it's a lot of head-knowledge, which is a good start. I will obviously never get to the point where I AM Nepali, but I pray that I will come to a point where the culture and its people are familiar to me and I can learn to live as part of it.

Settling in

It's amazing how much the little things can make a huge difference in one's sense of "settledness" in a place. I spent most of this weekend getting some items and setting up my apartment to make it feel more like home. I'm getting there. Still need to get a keyboard stand so I can set up my keyboard, but other than that, it's feeling like my space.

The first step of the process was realizing that I hadn't brought any face cloths or hand towels with me. So the day after I arrived, I went to the supermarket/department store that is very close to where I live (handy!), and got some. That made me happy. Next, I set up my toiletry hanging case that some girls in Mozambique had strongly suggested I get (thank you!) on the hook of the bathroom door. The bathroom is tiny, and there really is no shelving or storage space, so it's PERFECT.

Then I realized I wasn't feeling like I could wash my hands properly, and it was because all we had was this bar soap that I didn't like. I hadn't ever really thought about it till now, but I discovered that I MUCH prefer liquid soap, and that was also something I could get at the department store. So I got some, and that made me REALLY happy! I went twice, because first I only bought one for the bathroom, and then after awhile I realized I needed one in the kitchen, too. So back I went...glad it's not too far away. Setting up my bedroom, I realized that a bedside lamp would really help me, and so I found one - kind of a tacky one, but it does the job. And it made my bedroom SO much better. Finally, I got a mat to put outside the bathroom door. The shower area is not separate from the rest of the bathroom (that's the style in a lot of places), so the entire floor area gets wet. You keep a pair of flip flops outside the bathroom door to put on whenever you go in so your feet don't get wet. Anyways, I thought a mat would be nice so that getting out of the bathroom after a shower I could dry my feet.

Sorry if that's boring information...it's the little things that have helped to make this place feel like home. And it's the kind of thing you don't think about when everything is familiar to you and built and designed the way you're used to. So you have to think outside the box and figure out how to make something work for you. And I think I'm getting there.

Today was a beautiful, clear sunny day, and I got my first glimpse of the Himalayas, off in the distance, which was very exciting. Kathmandu is a big, busy, dirty, polluted city, and it's an interesting contrast to look off into the distance and see the mountains. They almost look fake...as if they've been Photoshopped into your view or something. But there they are. This is the view from my roof.

As I mentioned, today was warm and sunny (probably in the high teens or low 20s celcius) during the afternoon. But as evening hits, it gets chilly. I'm not sure how cold it actually is temperature-wise, but in my apartment I start bundling up as evening approaches, and usually by the time I'm ready for bed, I'm in thermals, a sweatshirt, my down jacket, a scarf, a hat, big warm booties, and I cuddle up to a hot water bottle and a little hand warmer thing. And it's going to get colder before it gets warmer...winter is still in early stages here. I don't think snow is a big thing, though. Here I am trying to stay warm:

Tomorrow is the beginning of a heavy week of orientation and my first few language lessons. I think I only have 3 one-hour lessons this week. Orientation will last about 10 days or so, and then after that it'll be 3-4 hours per day of language class (1-on-1 with a tutor), followed by an equivalent number of hours of self-study. So it'll be intense, but I'm glad I'm doing it. You can get by in Kathmandu without Nepali, but it's much easier if you speak it, and it'll be even more important once I get to Tansen. In June when I passed my surgical exams and said that I was done with studying, several of you told me that you very much doubted that I was really done with studying. Well, you were right, and it didn't take long! But it's all good.

Home Sweet Home

I've been in Kathmandu for just over 48 hours now, and am starting to settle in and get my bearings. I'm thankful that I had the time in Thailand to help me get over jet lag before coming here, because the last few days have been somewhat intense. I always find that coming to a new place I'm totally disoriented for the first few days, and then suddenly something clicks and I feel more at home, and like I've started to figure things out. That's true even if I'm in a new hospital - let alone a brand new big city in another country where EVERYTHING is new. Today I started to feel a bit less lost, and hopefully by the time Monday rolls around and I've had one more walk to where I'm doing my language study I'll feel more oriented to at least a little part of Kathmandu.

I had a wonderful, restful time in Thailand. For anyone who is contemplating moving overseas, I would HIGHLY recommend having a transition time somewhere away from home, but not in your new place yet. Especially if you're diving right into things once you arrive in your new home. It makes such a difference to at least be over the jet lag, and to have had a chance for your mind to adjust to the idea of being away from home. At least I found it very helpful.

Met with the person coordinating my language and cultural orientation program yesterday, and then had the first day of orientation today. There are 3 of us who have just arrived and will be doing the full 5 months of study, so it's nice to have some "comrades" in the process. The actual language study is 1-on-1 with a tutor, but we'll be seeing a lot of each other, and there are orientation sessions and activities that we do together. There is a guy from the UK who is a social worker and will be doing peacebuilding work in rural Nepal when his language study is finished. He lived in Sri Lanka for 3 years prior to coming here. And the other person is a woman from the US (though she has spent 10 years in Pakistan, and was just home in the US for a year or two before coming here) who is a family doctor and will also be going to Tansen. Since we're starting language study at the same time, we'll also be arriving in Tansen at roughly the same time. So I will have had 5 months to get to know her before starting there, which is nice. She won't be on the surgical team, but it's still a good thing, I think.

So far we've had lots of introductions, and then today there was a safety and security talk. Apparently earthquakes are something that people worry about around here. They do have them (most not too big, but occasionally they are), though, and so we had some "earthquake training" today. And tomorrow there is a meeting that the Canadian embassy has organized for Canadians in Kathmandu to talk more about earthquake preparedness. So I guess it's something to take seriously. If you're praying for protection, you can add earthquakes to the list.

You can also add protection from road traffic, as it seems like you kind of take your life in your hands when you walk down the street, or especially when you cross the street. I think a lot of developing countries are like that, but it's definitely true here. The trick, where possible, is to find a Nepali person who is crossing and stay close to them. But it's a bit of a "bob and weave" kind of scenario, and it can be a bit alarming. Not to scare anyone...but yeah, prayer for safety is good :)

I'm living in a flat that's nicely equipped (for an apartment in Nepal) and that is starting to feel a bit like my home, now that I've started unpacking my things and settling in. It's in a sort of out-of-the-way place, down this little lane that seems to be leading you to the middle of nowhere. But the flat itself is quite nice. And there is a couple living upstairs who are roughly my age: she's Canadian and he's from New Zealand. They've been great in terms of helping me get oriented. The walk to the language study place is about 40 minutes, and it's along this busy road, where there is lots of honking and other noise. It's quite dirty and polluted, and so far I haven't seen any sign of mountains, though supposedly this is the time of year when you can see them. There is a bridge that you cross over just before turning off the main road to get to the school, and into that river goes everyone's garbage (I saw someone getting off her motorbike and throwing her garbage bag off the bridge into the river). It's kind of gross! Then you turn off that main road and come to the "Mary Poppins school," which is where I know to turn left and get to my school! I love these names!

Anyways, overall all is well, and I'm glad to be here. And the orientation and language study sounds like it will be quite organized and comprehensive, which will give me a good start, I think. I've met some people, and I'm sure there will be some good friendship building over the next number of months, which is great. Now it's the weekend, and I plan to take it fairly easy - the first few days have been good, but tiring, with the newness of it all. And next week will be intense with more orientation and starting language study.

And so it begins...

Off to the races! Well, to the airport, anyways. I leave in about an hour to go to the airport, and the adventure begins.

It's been quite the last few weeks - a short stint in Moose Factory (which was great!), followed by 9 days of packing, last-minute errands, and good-byes. But here we are. I have 3 pieces of luggage, each weighing 70 lbs, which will result in plenty of excess luggage fees along the way, but that's how it goes when you're moving to Asia. I'm just praying for some good strong guys to find me along the way to help when needed!

My first stop is in Chiang Mai, Thailand, to visit some good friends I know from previous times in Asia. I'm looking forward to the 10 days with them, as well as the chance to get over jet lag, and let my heart transition a bit before I actually set foot in Nepal. I will arrive in Nepal November 16, and will start almost immediately into language study in Kathmandu, which will be my home until April.

So, after literally years of waiting and preparation, the day is finally here. Of course, at this time it feels a bit sad with all the goodbyes, and surreal, but I'm excited, too. And I'm looking forward to sharing the journey of the next 2 years (and beyond) with all of you.

Northern Sights

I know this blog is supposed to be about Nepal, but I wanted to post some pictures from Moose Factory. It's beautiful up here, and I'm having a great time so far. There were a few glitches getting here...the plane I was supposed to take from Timmins to Moosonee broke down, and I was going to have to hang out in the Timmins airport for 6 hours. But at the last minute they decided to take a few of us in a tiny 8-seater plane. So off I went, without my luggage, or even my carry-on roller suitcase. I "checked" my backpack, and that was all there was room for. But I arrived safely in Moosonee, and then took the hospital speedboat across the water to Moose Factory, a beautiful, 10-minute boatride. I had been warned that my luggage might not arrive, so I had packed some essentials in my carry-on. Unfortunately, since the carry-on also didn't arrive, I was without these essentials overnight. But I survived, and it came the next day. I've spent the last 5 days getting my bearings, and figuring out how things work around here. There is sure a lot of paperwork to do, and some of it's a bit confusing. But I've figured some of it out, and, more importantly, have figured out whom to ask if I don't know what I'm supposed to do.

Anyways, here are some pics I've taken so far. I'm really hoping to see the Northern Lights while I'm here, but for now, here are some Northern sights...

Weeneebayko General Hospital

The road with all the bumps on it is one of the main roads on the island. Also, if you look closely, you'll notice the teepee in the yard of the hospital. I haven't yet figured out what it's for, but I'm keeping my ears and eyes open. The weather has been beautiful the last few days, and they're calling for a lovely Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.

Moose Factory

Yes, there really is such a place! If you drive about 850 km north of Toronto, you'll find it. But you can't get there by road...you'll have to take either the water taxi, the helicopter, or the skidoo (depending on the season) to get across the water from Moosonee to Moose Factory, which is an island on James Bay. Apparently (according to Wikipedia) it was the first English-speaking settlement in Ontario, and the 2nd Hudson's Bay Trading post. At that time, trading posts were known as factories. So there you go!

I'm leaving for Moose Factory on Monday and will be spending 3 weeks up there as "the" surgeon at Weeneebayko General Hospital - the most remote hospital in all of Ontario. They need a surgeon up there who can do C-sections, because otherwise all their pregnant women need to go hang out in Timmins from 36 weeks onwards, in case they need an emergency C-section. That gets pretty expensive for the hospital and the government. Most general surgeons graduating these days don't get trained in C-sections, and so can't work up there, but thankfully I did have an opportunity to learn how to do them in preparation for Nepal. So God has been preparing the way. There is one surgeon who spends 7-8 months a year up there in 6-8 week stints, and then he looks for people to cover for him for a few weeks while he takes a break. So that's what I'm doing. The opportunity came to my attention about 6 months ago, and it's all come together. I'm looking forward to being away. Sounds like it will be a good balance between surgical experience and also getting a bit of a break. I've been doing so much running around the last while that a break is sounding really good! There's not too much running around that can be done on a little island that isn't accessible by road, and on which I'm on call for the hospital 24-7. I'll be back on October 24, and then will have 10 days before I'm off to Nepal. Moving right along...

I'm now fully moved out of my apartment, and have disposed of most of my earthly possessions, though I've still managed to pack several boxes which will be stored in my parents' basement while I'm overseas. I'm so thankful that that job is done. Moving from one home to another locally is one thing, but when you have to go through everything you own and decide whether you're going to get rid of it (and if so, how), store it, or take it with you, it's a bit of a daunting task! For all of you who helped in the process...packing, moving heavy furniture and boxes, driving, cleaning, encouraging, taking "stuff" off my hands, praying...thank you very much! I couldn't have done it without you.

Preparations

I can't believe tomorrow is September 1st! Just over 2 months until departure. It may seem like I still have lots of time, but given how quickly July and August flew by, it won't be long at all. Plus, I'll be in northern Ontario doing a stint as a surgeon for most of October, so that really just leaves me with September for most of my preparations.

I've been doing a lot of shopping lately. Thanks to my friend Maggie, who gave me expert advice on what to buy, I put down a large wad of cash at Mountain Equipment Coop the other day - lots of warm stuff (down sleeping bag, thermals) in preparation for the cold winter I'll be arriving into in Nepal. What else? Shoes, towels, a water filter, a camping headlight (not to be confused with my surgical headlamp), a down jacket, etc. Fortunately, it sounds like I can get a lot of toiletry items in Kathmandu, so I'm not too worried about that. Anti-perspirant is apparently hard to come by, though. Pharma Plus to the rescue...this week I found my favourite anti-perspirant in jumbo size on sale for $2.50 each (normally about $5.99). So I scooped up all the ones they had...at 4 different stores! I should be covered in that department now :)

I've actually packed one of my suitcases for Nepal, and will be sending it with someone going there next week. That makes me pretty happy, both because it makes it feel that much more real, and because it will really help me out since I'm sure I'll still be well over my luggage allowance when I head over. So to send a 20 kg suitcase with someone else is a huge blessing. I did make a list for myself of everything in there - I don't trust my brain enough these days to remember.

Packing tip: in case you find yourself traveling overseas in the future, especially for an extended period of time: pack things inside plastic containers and/or Ziplock bags - the more the better! They're light, and they're like gold when you're overseas. I also decided that a light large duffle bag on wheels is a better option than my giant suitcase...gives a lot more wiggle room for those weight restrictions that you can exceed so easily. (P.S. if anyone else has any packing tips for me, send 'em along!)

I've also started packing up my apartment, and it's amazing to me how much STUFF I have! It's a bit overwhelming, actually, since I was planning to store whatever stuff I'm keeping in my parents' basement. They have space, but the thought of how much I have is making me a bit nauseous. I'm purging a lot, but there's still a lot, especially books! I guess that's a family trait, since my dad has probably about 20 bookshelves full of books, himself. I'm a bit overwhelmed by it all at the moment, but I do have a month to take care of it all, and if I do it little by little I'll get there eventually.

I'm still doing some orthopedics, and that's going well. I'm really glad I'm doing it - I'm kind of starting from scratch, and there's a lot to learn, so I'm thankful for a head start. I'm also getting a smattering of other experiences...some obstetrics and gynecology, plastic surgery, ENT, etc, all of which will serve me well.

Smattering: "A small amount of something" (thanks, Google).