Reverse Culture Shock

I'm surprised to find that coming home to America was much more of a cultural shock than going to Nepal had been. It was like I had lost the ability to function in American society. There were so many things and choices and I just couldn't keep it all straight or process the overload of information that I hadn't really noticed before. Just to learn to ignore things again was so difficult. I've been back about seven weeks now and I've remembered how to function (mostly), but some things about America still confuse me. 

I'm incredibly busy, with a job and various projects, so much so that I can avoid thinking about Nepal very much. When I slow down long enough to let thoughts of Nepal back into the forefront of my mind, I find it hard to breathe and get strange chest aches. I miss it too much to think of it often. I also avoid thinking of it since thinking of that world while living in this world is incredibly strenuous. The simple fact that both realities can exist at the same time just boggles my mind entirely. It's been really nice, and needed, to see my family and friends and also nice to indulge in things like baking a cake and going to the library and having central heating in my house but I'm sure that in another month I'll forget again that not having those luxuries is possible. 

All I know for sure is that 

1) I'm going to college in the fall to become more educated about how to change things, now that I have a better idea of what needs changing

and

2) I'm going back to Nepal at some point. I'm in love with that country and those people and there's no way I can stay away for long. 

If you've read this much, wow. I'm impressed. I hope you've enjoyed the chronicles of my adventure. If you ever have any questions on Nepal or volunteering or anything else, feel free to email me- tarynlindsay@gmail.com. And if you're looking to make donations to a charity that is entirely good-willed, reputable, will use all of the money for children in need and is trying to build a school for the 140 orphans already in its care, I suggest Nepal Orphans Home. http://nepalorphanshome.com/

Namaste!

Taryn

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The Last Two Weeks

Couple at the elderly ashram

The last two weeks spent in Kathmandu went by in a blur. I did a lot of things that I needed to do before I left Nepal, such as visiting the poplular tourist spot of Kopan monastery (beautiful!) and climbing a big hill we could see from the volunteer house roof and seeing my first Bollywood movie in the theatre.

Kopan Monastery

It's been a dream of mine to see a fullength Bollywood movie in the theatre for the past five years or so, so of course I had to see one before I left Nepal. I went to one of the two movie theatres in Nepal with three other volunteers and 3 Idiots was the only Hindi movie playing, so we bought our tickets for that (about 7 dollars for the four of us). The guy selling the tickets was baffled that we might want to see 3 idiots instead of 2012, the other movie playing, but we finally convinced him that we really wanted to. I was expecting a bright, colorful and overly dramatic movie with lots of coordinated dancing. It totally surpassed these expectations. There was perhaps a little more of said qualities in this movie than in the average Hollywood film, but it also had so much more. The acting was wonderful, the story line was complicated, intriguing, and surprising, it was funny and serious and heartwarming and tragic and the movie drew me in so completley I was stunned when it ended. It was over three hours long and all in Hindi with the occasional English word thrown in but I was mesmirized. Bollywood has a joke reputation in the US, but if you ever get the chance to see one take it. Especially if it has Aamir Khan.

View from on top of the big hill

I also spent time at Papa's House- something I hadn't done as much as I would have liked and I was really happy when my favorite group of girls including Sushmita (from my second or third blog entry) her sister Sangita and the two girls they roomed with (Sita and Yeshworda) asked me to sleep over one night. Michael(Papa) made us popcorn and we watched a Hindi movie about the trials and tribulations of a dyselxic boy in the Indian school system, and also Kung Fu Panda, and they enjoyed them both immensely. It was Sushmita's birthday so I made her a card and the following day at lunch there was a party for all the children who had a birthday that month. Emma, the new Volunteer Nepal employee and I helped to decorate the cake and everyone sang happy birthday and acted generally festive.

Sleepover at Papa's House with my girls

I also worked at Pashupatti, the elderly home again, since I just couldn't get it out of my head. Pretty much every day I worked I would help make the beds, and every day one of the old women would be sitting on her bed in the corner and everyday she would complain about the quality of my work through rapid Nepali, grunts, and hand gestures. I wasn't tucking the sheets tight enough or I wasn't drying the matresses well enough after I wiped them or I was doing something else wrong. On the very last day, the morning before I left for the airport, I looked up at her expecting more complaints but she just said "Ramro cha" which means "Very good" in Nepali. It was probably the highest compliment I have ever recieved.

Saying goodbye to Anita, Babita, Vinod and Sam

It was hard to say goodbye to everyone and everything but I was also looking forward to going home after such a long time away and to seeing my family again. And I don't think I realized how much I had adapted to Nepal over five months until I came home. But I'll leave that for the next (and last!) post.

Last glimpse of the Himalayas