Some observations from Nepal

So I always said I would revisit Nepali culture, but never really got around to it, now I will. One thing is: Nepal is very different from China or the States.

In Nepal, based on what someone said, the people are rich but the Government is poor. And at least in Kathmandu it appears to be that way. The houses are beautiful, spacious and big, while the electricity is turned off for most of the day and the roads are usually dirt. If they are paved, then the pavement is very old and in need of much repair with potholes everywhere. Which makes the driving even that more interesting, on top of already being a bit crazy.

While I was there I used public transportation to get around. Public transport in Nepal is different from America or China in a lot of ways. One, there aren't real buses. The "bus system" usually consists of 15 passenger vans owned by private individuals who simply run the route to make cash. There is the driver, then usually a smaller helper, the age of the "helper" can range from 7 to 27, but the helpers tend to be small slim boys. The helper is the one who opens and shut the door, collects the money, convinces people to get in "his" van and tells the driver where to stop.

Another thing about Nepal is the street dogs. They are everywhere! I know a popular thought in America is that its inhumane to kill dogs that no one wants, but after being in Nepal and seeing the dirty starving, bug infested dogs, I can't help but think that maybe its inhumane not to kill them. The street dogs keep on breeding, the only thing that keeps the numbers low is probably being hit by cars, starvation and sickness. Yes I know its sounds terrible, it wasn't meant to sound nice.

Another aspect is food. I am often asked if I like Indian food and my usual response is "Not in Nepal or India" (Nepali and India food have some similarities). The reason for this is because the common meal is rice and dahl. Dahl is a soup like substance that usually goes over your rice. If your lucky you might get some lentils or cilantro in your dahl, if your not lucky it'll be just another name for flavorless soup. It's not bad, but when you eat it for lunch and dinner for a week or more straight, believe me it gets old.

When you go to Nepal many senses go on overload, smell sight, sound, etc. But one thing that sticks out more than anything else is the kindness of the people. You smile and they smile back, you try and communicate with them and they try back (and most of the time, especially with the younger generation they can speak very good English)  I will be the first to confess that Kathmandu is not my favorite place, but Nepal is. If you get a chance to go, I definitely recommend it.

Tattoos in China

I got a new tattoo with my friend and it was interesting because of how its changed.  Two years ago I got a tattoo in this same city.  My friends and I searched high and low for a whole day before we found a reputable tattoo artist that I didn't think would pass on herpes.  Then we offered him a price and he took it.  Now two years later, the whole process has changed.  On one road, close to where we both live we found three really clean shops with talented artists and system of pricing.  The only reason we didn't stop at the fist shop was cuz the prices have gone up!

In America tattoo artists charge by time and usually have a $50 limit, no matter how small the tattoo may be.  What I found in China is, tattoo artists usually charge by size, centimeter to be exact, and some have a limit, it seemed 200 RMB was normal (about $30).  We were able to talk one guy down to 150 RMB each person (about $25) and mine is about 2in by 1in, not too big, but considering the new system of charge it was a deal!

Other differences are how the tattoo artist went about doing it.  This could strictly be his style, not necessarily a Chinese things, but first he drew the tattoo on my arm, himself, then outlined the words with an ink-less tool and eventually filled it all in with black ink.  This was so when the ink was wiped away (they wipe away the area every so often to clear the blood and ink) he would still know the basic outline.  He also seemed to take way longer than I though was necessary.  But there could be a number of factors that play into this, perhaps his tool was not as good as other ones that I've been tattooed with, or maybe its part of the thinking - if you take longer its better work.

All in all it was interesting to see this change in China.  To me is was a sign of how the country is changing and the people who were on the fringes are now being able to open a place of business with relative ease.  One last interesting thing I noticed was of all the tattoo artists I saw (four in total), only one had noticeable tattoos.  I just wanted to make note of it, because from the outset it would appear tattoos are becoming more culturally acceptable, but I wonder if within family circles they still may be considered an an object of shame.

"I Wish the Real World Would Just Stop Hassling Me"

Do you remember those lyrics?  I recently discovered them on my Ipod by accident while listening to it on shuffle.  It's the song "Real World" by Matchbox Twenty, released in 1996.  I was 6 years old when it came out (I know some of you are thinking "Wow! You're so young!"-I get that a lot).  I remember my mom blaring it on the radio or from a CD (maybe even a tape cuz those were still around then) while we were cruising on our boat on Washington Lake in the summer time.

At 6 years old I had no idea what these words meant.  I didn't know where I was going in life and I didn't know that 16 years later I would feel the words of this song so deeply - "I wish the real world would just stop hassling me".

By nature I am a very adaptable person.  In fact, if I'm not adapting then I'm usually getting bored.  I need those random twists and turns in my life, which is probably why I thrive while living in China.  I love when opportunities come up and I have to make a yes or no decision right then-are we going to Thailand...YES!  Are we going to jump in the lake...YES!  Okay, sometimes I do say no, but to be honest without spontaneity I would wither up and die, it is my nectar of life and health.  Schedules, to do lists and societal norms all drag me down.

Obviously one reason you can't just say yes to every whim is money.  But that also means money is a good indicator of how badly you want it - are you going to work for it, or was it really not worth it?  I can honestly say money is a good problem to have, it helps you pace yourself, but societal norms don't help me.  Everyone always says, oh you can do whatever you want-your young, your single, you don't have kids.  But that's not true, especially in Western culture because I am expected by my peers and society to plan and commit.  I have to know the year before what I'm going to do, and when people don't have those plans laid out, because of their cultural upbringing they feel a bit like failures.

So, you might think I'm free within China because Asian society is a little more lax.  Not true.  Actually, in this regard Chinese society follows Western society a little more closely.  In China, plans and schedules and organization are all very important.  You go to school until your 22ish, by then you should have a boyfriend, shortly after that you should be married, within a year you should be pregnant, then working so your child can do the same.

My question is "Why?"  Why are we so stressed about the future, why are we so stressed abut our plans?  Why can't we just relax?  When I heard this song I remember enjoying the moment and loving life.  And that's what I want from my future.  Yes, I want to see good things happen in our world, I want to see the bad guy brought down and the hurt and broken risen up.  I want to enjoy the moments and love life and I want to help create a world where others can do the same.  So, why can't the "Real World just stops hassling me?"

A Little on Life

I still want to put up something on Nepali culture, but to tell ya the truth, I just haven't been in the mood.  Part of it might be I'm "back in school" now.  If you don't know what that means, it means I do part time classes online at Washington State University.  Even if I've mentioned it before, its easy to forget, and I guess who cares if you live in China, right?  That's way cooler.  I do love "going" to school though.  Right now I'm taking a class on writing and a class on World History, neither are my passion, but I am enjoying both of them.  But even part time school ends up being so time consuming! 

I just got done teaching a semester of English, that was also time consuming, and tiring.  Man working 9 to 5, who can do it! ;-)  I'm just joking, I think that might be another misconception about living abroad, sometimes people think its all fun and no work.  Your just out there drinking coffee with gifted money from back home, playing mazhong with your local friends and sleeping in all the between time.  I mean that's part of it, I think to have a good life in a foreign country and to make it really feel like home you have to have local friends.  Not just one or two, but circles of them.  In real life we have our close friends, our work friends, our acquaintances and so on.  Right now I don't have that, and it makes it harder.  In my last city, I did have that, which I'm thankful, I will be visiting soon!  But to get back to my original point, while I live in China, my life is going to look much different than America.  In both countries my time will be full and challenges will come my way, but it looks differently-and that's okay.

You know, everyone has the funny things that happen in life, for me that was rescuing a puppy!  I was out walking my dog in my xiaoqu (apartment complex) and my dog found a puppy under a car.  So I waited around to see if anyone would come back for her and no one did.  It took a lot of work to get her out, but I did.  I don't know what happened, she kind of looks like a Tibetan Mastiff, but shes way too small to be one.  So I wonder if someone bought her thinking she was, then when they found out she wasn't, they dumped her?  I don't know, but she's been abused, so shes scared of me.  But having the other dogs around has helped, because she warmed up to them much faster and she can see how I treat them.  I'm hoping once she becomes a bit normal I can take her to the park and sell her to a good family, having three dogs in our house would just be a tad excessive.

Well, I'm done teaching for awhile, so working on online school and some other things, rescued a pup and now that my life is slowing down I'm looking forward to making this city I live in home and working on some things I haven't had time for in awhile (like Chinese!).  In about a week I'm visiting Xian, it will be amazing to see old friends again.  Then in April I will be coming home for six weeks!  So get ready for a visit!