Days 24-25

Days 24-25 (March 24-25)

This morning we met with Sonam again. He was the one who introduced us to the interlock bricks. We had an interesting conversation with him and Aparna where we found out more about how “things work” in Nepal. Apparently, the beginning of the caste system was what you did for a living. I obviously do not understand much of this but blacksmiths ended up at the bottom or close to it. These castes are the so called “untouchables.” This subject came up when Sonam told us about the survey he had done in the village where he was working. Sonam was doing the survey to determine how many homes his NGO would help the villagers build. Sonam said that the blacksmiths in this village wanted to move to Kathmandu for a “new” start because they were tired of living in a community where their caste was at the bottom. Apparently, there is less caste awareness in the city.

When we talked to Aparna about the caste system, she said that those who work in agriculture are in the middle but she then gave us disturbing information about how these people live. Apparently, the women are tasked with both caring for their children and working in the fields. This causes a problem because the women are expected to return to the fields three days after giving birth. This means that the mothers carry their babies on their backs as they work in the fields. The mothers cannot be bothered with constantly attending to their babies as they work so they have learned that feeding them fermented rice and fermented corn keeps them quiet. Aparna says the babies look healthy because they are eating carbs but the babies are being drugged with alcohol, which has the effect of stunting their intellectual capacity. This is why those at the top have so many more options than those in the lower castes. Those in the lower castes are thought to be slower intellectually, and, of course, they are since they were continuously drugged during their formative years. The community center Aparna is building will provide child care to those working in the fields so the babies are not drugged from birth. Aparna would frequently tell us about castes where alcohol use is heavy and the norm. Now we know why. If you are fed alcohol from birth, it becomes a staple in your life. The more you
look for causes, you can see how cultural norms have unintended effects that are hurting many.

At 1 pm, our driver Suresh picked us up to go to another part of Kathmandu. A group of dentists had asked Aparna if we could come and teach about the healing prayer. We were in a room with a little over 10 dentists/dentist assistants and taught them what we know and had them practice. It was a nice and open group of people.

Then we had some time before our next engagement and Aparna suggested we drive to Thamel – a very touristy part of town. Here you get North Face and other major outdoor brands for very cheap. In Thamel we went to the oldest hotel in the city - the Kathmandu Guest House. It had been partially destroyed in the earthquake last year but was now fully functioning. We sat outside on the terrace and had some teas and coffees and enjoyed the calm and quiet. It was amazing how the outside noises and the hustle were turned off  in this inner courtyard.

At 4 pm we were invited to meet with a group of healing practitioners and librarians. Some of them we had seen a week or so ago. They wanted us to teach the Healing Prayer again. We spent 2 hours with them and were again amazed how open the people are and how spiritually aligned they are. It was such a pleasure working with them.

On day 25 we went to buy some toys for a little boy who lives at Aparna’s house. The mother does not have much money and the father left four years ago to make money in Saudi Arabia but so far has been unsuccessful. The boy is often unsupervised but is very curious and smart. His problem is that he has no outlet to entertain himself. We decided to get him some “open ended” toys to keep him occupied, since there are no other children of his age to play with. We then stopped and had a tea at one of the hotels and discussed further options for funding Aparna’s projects in ways that eliminate administrative bloat so the money goes directly into the projects.

As we were sitting there, Aparna got a phone call from Kumari, the mother who had lost her husband during the earthquake. Kumari was coming to visit. She is the one who also “lost” her children when she put them in a Christian school. When she wanted to visit her children, the school would not allow her to see them. She lives in a remote village where there was much earthquake damage. Aparna has decided to offer a home for some children at her home in Kathmandu – including Kumari’s children. This will permit the children to attend a different school. The mother, who wants to help those in her village, will now be able to see her children whenever she comes to the city and the children can return to their village during school breaks. Even though Kumari is only 24, she has to take care of others in her home and therefore cannot be with her children full time. This new arrangement will permit her to see her children and remain a part of their lives.

When we arrived back at Aparna’s home, Kumari was waiting. She is a very strong and determined woman who has endured much pain in her short life. But she is part of a woman group of about 35 who meet once a month and they are determined to introduce change to their country. The group has each woman bring 100 Rupis to the meeting and the funds are then used for micro loans to help other women. Kumari wants to be involved in the brick making. We did the healing prayer with her and could feel her suffering.

Later in the day, we returned to Pabitra’s home. Pabitra and the 16 children greeted us and had a wonderful surprise for us when the children performed a yoga dance. Wow!!! These kids are flexible! Quite impressive! When the children finished, Aparna got up and showed the children body tapping, which is a method to get your whole body energized and move out stagnated energy. I (Ute) next shared with the children full body shimmies and sound. We finished by singing the African call and response children’s song. I sang it with them last time and they wanted to learn it again. Pabitra has not found a new home for the children yet. They are finishing their exams soon and, after that, she will have to move as the government is tearing their home down. After a heartfelt good-bye, we went back home.