How to Pick up a Package at the Kathmandu Post Office

1) Go to the post office with a form declaring you have a package

2) Go to the main desk and get told to go to room 32 (rooms 1-30 don’t exist)

3) Walk up to the crowded desk in room 32 and get told a copy of your passport is needed (I don’t have one).

4) Go outside to a copy machine shop to find the electricity is out so the machine doesn’t work

5) Find a working machine. Make a copy.

6) Go back to the first desk in room 32 and get told to take the paper work to room 31.

7) Go to room 31 and pay money for a form. Fill out the form.

8) Go back to room 32 with the form and passport copy to have the package opened, searched, have something scribbled on a form, and be told to go back to room 31 (without the package).

9) In room 31 go to a different desk and pay a customs fee.

10) Still in room 31, go back to the original desk to have a form stamped.

11) Feel relieved when you see Nepalis rolling their eyes at the process.

12) Wait for the workers to find the misplaced stamp. They don’t find the stamp. Get waved in the general direction of room 32. Remain confused as to how this all works if you don’t get any stamps or signatures.

13) Go back to room 32 to present the ‘finished’ paperwork.

14) Receive package.

15) Vent frustration by eating delicious homemade brownies.

16) Thanks, Mom!

17) On the way to lunch have your credit card eaten by an ATM.

18) Happy New Years!

Students Don't Need Teachers

Attendance is a major issue at my school. Both students and teachers are frequently late or completely absent from classes. As a result, whole classes are sometimes left to fend for themselves. Sometimes it is obvious when a teacher is absent from the noise coming out of a classroom but some classes are clever and sit quietly with the door closed and have the hour to themselves. One morning a I filled in for an absent teacher in the third grade. I gave five students pieces of chalk and no directions about what to do. I sat back and observed what unfolded.

The students at the board are drawing flowers (their own idea). Some of the pictures were quite intricate (see the following picture). The amazing part about this image though, is that the five students at the board independently drew lines on the board between their own work spaces. They organized themselves into an orderly line.

The presence of the root system in the plant on the right surprised me.

Students 'reading' The Economist in the courtyard during some free time. Pictures of airplanes are especially popular.

I can only conclude from these observations that students can manage themselves in an environment that is lacking teachers and educational resources. Check out this TED Talk from Sugata Mitra about how kids can teach themselves when they have access to the right tools.

The Weaving Industry

Nepal has a large and thriving weaving industry. Strewn around my house and school are dozens of small-scale weavers. Many houses have looms on the ground level and the sounds of the metal and wood scratching together can be heard at almost any time of day. Below are some images from a pair of looms just down the street from my school.

Two men work the looms.

This weaver is partly blind but has amazing control of his machine.

After a few strokes he got into his rhythm.

The looms are individually human-powered.

The raw material before processing.

The room was barebones but each loom can put out 2-3 meters of cloth per day.

Give the Gift of Light

In Nepal, those without access to electricity generally rely on kerosene wick lamps (in 2.4 million households). This form of lighting is neither cost-effective nor environment-friendly. Fumes from the kerosene lamps affect the eyes and lungs and contribute to global warming due to the release of greenhouse gases. The quality of light is inferior and there is a high risk of accidental fire. Additionally, since kerosene has to be imported the government has to spend its limited foreign currency.

I am working with Nepali energy firms and NGO's that are developing these small household solar lamps. One group working on this issue is ECCA Nepal. This group has been very successful in distributing the technological know-how and awareness of these lamps across rural areas of Nepal. Microfinance mechanisms are in place for villagers to buy the lamps and solar panels on monthly installments increasing the amount of people able to purchase clean light.

Students studying at night with the help of the Solar Tuki.

The Solar Tuki and its solar panel. Two lamps and a solar panel cost the equivalent of about 50 USD.

ECCA works to train independent manufacturers and service technicians so that the Solar Tuki success story can be spread across Nepal. Even just a small amount of money can go a very long way to providing light to someone in need. During this holiday season give the gift of light.

Donations are accepted through Global Giving (click HERE to donate).

These lights are made in an impressively small 'factory.' Below are some images from the assembly point in Kathmandu.

A pile of partially assembled LED lights.

The manager of the warehouse, Rajan.

When You Just Can’t Say No

Well, sometimes you literally cannot say, “No.” Nepali has no directly translated word for the English equivalent of ‘no.’ There are at least three words that portray some sort of negation or non-affirmative response: chhaina, hoina, and chhahudaina (Romanized spellings vary). These three words all sort of mean ‘no’ but also don’t entirely get the idea across. So, as a result you have to use a verb in the negative form to say no.

There are some interesting consequences of a culture where you can’t simply say no. For one, everyone always knows how to get everywhere even if they don’t. There are also lots of ways of saying and using body language to say ‘maybe.’ The sub-continent head wobble that is so popular is a good example. In my experience, receiving a head wobble as an answer to a question without any verbal assistance means one of four things: 1) Yes, 2) Maybe 3) I have no idea what you just said, or 4) I need a second to make something up because I can’t say no.

I have fully adopted the use of the head wobble (I recommend using it if you’ve never tried). Just don’t rely on it for directions.