As everyone knows, my heart is very much attached to Nepal and at the same time... I know that I am supposed to be learning about Hindu culture and worship forms. It's kind-of felt like I have two worlds... One is Nepal and the work I'm connected with through EquipNepal, and the other is India, Varanasi and Hindu culture. I sometimes feel torn between the two.
Well, this has been an extremely exciting week for me... My good friends, Shilpa and Dhiraj came from Kathmandu for a week of SHS teaching. I've known Shilpa since 2001, when I spent about 6 weeks in Birganj, just near her house. She married Dhiraj 3 1/2 years ago, and I finally met him last February. They are both very musical and help lead worship, so I invited them to come to Varanasi for the week that we are learning about music. The week was excellent for all of us... learning several bhajans (Hindu devotional songs), learning to play Indian instruments, and learning about Bhakti (devotion). I wish I could express how much it blessed me to have Shilpa and Dhiraj here, to watch them get excited about their own culture, and find new dreams for the future.
As excited as I am to learn the things that I'm learning in SHS, always in the back of my mind there are thoughts like... "What about Nepal? This needs to happen there too!". So, finally, this week... those worlds collided. I got to see Nepalis embracing the things that I'm learning here, and we got to dream together about how these things might be applied in Nepal.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Dreams of Kathmandu
I made a rather last-minute trip to Nepal a couple weeks ago with my friends, Joel and Dana. Dana needed to renew her visa in Kathmandu and I jumped on the opportunity to go with them.
I didn't used to like Kathmandu. I've always preferred the areas of Nepal outside the Valley. This time was much different for me. I loved the City, and certainly Nepal as a whole, even more than ever. Each time I go there this feeling grows. The last 2 trips I made were very heart-breaking for me in a way... because I knew that I couldn't stay, but had to fly back to the other side of the world without knowing when I would return. This trip I could just enjoy and soak it in, rather than trying to distance my emotions to avoid heartbreak.
I was struck by the differences between Nepal and India. Admist all their similarities there are many distinctions, most too subtle to describe. Nepal, to me at least, seems cleaner. Life is much more simple and less chaotic (certainly less than Varanasi)and the food is usually milder. Although it's less "developed", it seems in many ways more Westernized.
I wish I could better describe the feeling that I have when I am in Nepal... perhaps "peace" would be an appropriate word. When I'm in Nepal, my soul feels more at peace... like I'm "home". Mixed with that feeling is a gushy excitement, like the smile you feel when you have a crush.
But... despite all this, I don't feel that now is the time. My love affair with Nepal won't begin just yet. For now, this is my place (Varanasi), and that's alright with me.
I didn't used to like Kathmandu. I've always preferred the areas of Nepal outside the Valley. This time was much different for me. I loved the City, and certainly Nepal as a whole, even more than ever. Each time I go there this feeling grows. The last 2 trips I made were very heart-breaking for me in a way... because I knew that I couldn't stay, but had to fly back to the other side of the world without knowing when I would return. This trip I could just enjoy and soak it in, rather than trying to distance my emotions to avoid heartbreak.
I was struck by the differences between Nepal and India. Admist all their similarities there are many distinctions, most too subtle to describe. Nepal, to me at least, seems cleaner. Life is much more simple and less chaotic (certainly less than Varanasi)and the food is usually milder. Although it's less "developed", it seems in many ways more Westernized.
I wish I could better describe the feeling that I have when I am in Nepal... perhaps "peace" would be an appropriate word. When I'm in Nepal, my soul feels more at peace... like I'm "home". Mixed with that feeling is a gushy excitement, like the smile you feel when you have a crush.
But... despite all this, I don't feel that now is the time. My love affair with Nepal won't begin just yet. For now, this is my place (Varanasi), and that's alright with me.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Misty Mussoorie path
This is the path I take to class each night. It's not usually quite as surreal as it is in this photo... the fog that's descended on the mountain has left us in a cloud the last couple days.
Vivek: "This weather is weird"
Sarah: "It's perfect! I love it!!"
Lijo: "It looks like Heaven!"
More photos are at: http://flickr.com/photos/sfjelseth/
Vivek: "This weather is weird"
Sarah: "It's perfect! I love it!!"
Lijo: "It looks like Heaven!"
More photos are at: http://flickr.com/photos/sfjelseth/
Friday, June 17, 2005
Greenland's Coastline
About half way through my 14 hour flight I lifted the window shade to this amazing view. If you look closely you can see the iceburgs off the coast.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Married Frogs
Indian village marries off toads in bid for rains - Yahoo! News
Two giants toads were married in a traditional Hindu ceremony in eastern India at the weekend by villagers hoping to propitiate the rain gods and end a dry spell.
Monday, May 23, 2005
"Christianity started out in Palestine as a fellowship; then it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; from there it went to Rome and became an institution; after that it went to Europe and became a government. Finally it came to America where we made it an enterprise."
Richard Halverson, Chaplain, U.S. Senate
Richard Halverson, Chaplain, U.S. Senate
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Varanasi
“[Varanasi] is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together.“
Mark Twain
Mark Twain
“Ancient” and “Intense” are the best words I have to describe Varanasi, but they come far short of capturing the feel of the place. It’s the most holy city for Hindus, their most important pilgrimage site, much like Mecca is to Muslims. Hindus often come to Varanasi to die and there are beliefs that those who die in Varanasi proceed straight to moksha (liberation from the cycle of reincarnation). Mark Twain’s quote describes one aspect of the city: the feel of antiquity. Much of India is removed from modernity, but Varanasi seems further removed. Walking along the Ganges you feel you’ve stepped back in time. I doubt the general appearance of the city, at least along the river, has changed in the last hundred years. There are now, of course, internet cafes and motorized vehicles, but cow-dung is still the fuel of choice and is formed into disks and left to dry on the side of buildings. Traffic consists of rickshaws, pedestrians, a few cars, a few cows, and more rickshaws. I’m not really sure why it feels so much older than other places in India and Nepal that I have been; perhaps it’s less touched by Western culture. Harder to explain is how I felt when I first arrived there. My travel companion said that my face lit up the moment our train pulled in. I was only there one week, half of it I spent whining because I had to leave. I know that when I return this feeling will fade. I will be bombarded by culture shock, frustrated that I can’t communicate effectively, and, worse, more keenly aware of the spiritual intensity and darkness that pervades the city. This is why I desperately need your thoughts and prayers. Some organizations require their workers to find 100 people to pray for them each day. I would love that kind of support and I know that I will need it. If you will, commit to pray daily or weekly… be as specific as you can… like, “I’ll pray every Tuesday at the prayer meeting” or “every day when I feed my gold fish”… whatever. I’ll be in touch through email and postings on this site.
For more about the city:
http://www.varanasionline.com/
