SPIN 2003 Day-to-Day Narrative
May 28. SPIN 2003 arrived in Kathmandu today after
the exhausting 2-day travel
from the States. We visited TriDevi Marg, a small square of three temples
in
the Thamel area of town, where students got their first lesson in Hindu
religion from our guide, Harsh Bandari. Afterwards, we walked through
Thamel,
the largest tourist bazaar in Nepal, so that we could get a feel for
Nepal in
an area that had some elements of the familiar. It was not a late evening
though, as we all needed the rest after our trip.
May 29. Today we travelled to two Newari villages
south of Kathmandu. In
Khokana, we got another taste of traditional Hinduism as well as a chance
to
see how oil is pressed from mustard seeds. Khokana maintains a more
traditional flavor than does the city of Kathmandu and is somewhat off
the
beaten path. Bungamati is just a few minutes walk away and contains
many of
the most skilled wood carvers in all of Nepal. It is more Bhuddist than
Khokana, but like Khokana is not visited by many tourists.
May 30. The day began with our first formal lessons
in Nepali, which the
students seemed almost to have had a head start studying! SPINsters
then
experienced, "one of the top 5 coolest things I have ever done,"
to quote one
of them, when we visited the White Monastery and had an audience with
the young
Rinpoche there. He exchanged views with us for almost an hour, giving
us a
glimps of the deeply philosophical teachings of Vajrayana Bhuddhism.
And, if
you don't think the world is small enough, we ran into a former Wake
student,
who joined us on our tour of the monastery grounds and the main sanctuary.
Afterwards we visited the largest stupa in Nepal, Boddhanath, where
we had
lunch and took the opportunity to see how thangka's (religious paintings)
are
made. We finished our day by visiting Pashupatinath, a shrine devoted
to the
worship of Shiva on the banks of the Bagmati River. This is where a
major
Hindu pilgrimage occurs every year and where devout Hindus cremate their
dead.
Students' Field Notes-From May 29 onward
From Dr. Folmar-Most of the entries below are from field notes
typed by the students, who have signed each one. I have edited them
minimally, leaving them basically in their original form so that readers
get a sense of the immediacy of them. So, forgive typos, grammatical
errors and even observations that are subject to change as they experience
more and more of this fascinating culture.
May 29 - today i learned that i am incapable of properly
spinning wool and that i am a sucker for kids trying to sell me things,
as i now have a purse and necklace that i never knew i needed. and i
know i am not the only one in either of these positions. our day started
by visiting a tibetan carpet factory, where every thing is done by hand.
the old women (and two old men) in the wool-spinning room where very
gracious and let us take their seats and try to spin the wool. they
also graciously waited until they thought we werent looking anymore
to undo all the wool-mess we had just made. after this, we walked through
two villages, went to a museum, and ended at a temple replicating the
one where Buddha was enlightened. it was here that we were discovered
by a hoarde of skilled saleswomen, aged about 8 to 15, who walked with
us for an hour, and to whom i think half of us gave in. mom & pop,
dont worry, i haven't spent ALL my money in this fashion. -heather
May 30 - So I had my first taste of real-life Buddhism
today... and it kind of had a orange Fanta-ish aftertaste, but that's
beside the point I suppose. We were eating lunch on the second floor
of a hotel overlooking the massive Boddhanath stupa, bright white in
the midday sun with hundreds of red, blue, and yellow prayer flags flapping
in the wind. A fly, of which there were a few too many for my humble
taste, landed in my glass of Fanta and was doing a rather pathetic looking
kick, kick, kick, rest-and-look-dead, kick, kick, rest. I was just watching
it float around carelessly when Harsh, our translator from Kathmandu,
walked over to my table with a spoon. He dipped it into the Fanta, retrieved
the fly, and laid the spoon gently down on his napkin. He simply muttered,
"It's alive" and went about his conversation. So this story
may not be terribly deep and philosophical, but it made a rather blunt
impression on me of this entirely new culture. -Daniel
May 31 - This morning we met for breakfast with Donald
Messerschmidt, an anthropologist who lives in Nepal. His spoke to us
about the Annapurna Conservation Region and about some changes that
have occurred due to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project. For example,
disposable plastic bottles (like the ones mineral water is bottled in)
are not allowed in some areas because they contribute to the already
present problem with litter and pollution. He spoke of Gurung culture
and how their occupations are changing to accomodate tourism in a move
away from traditional jobs such as farming and herding. He gave us an
idea of what to expect upon arriving in Ghandruk, so we were excited
to hear his advice and see what Ghandruk will be like! -Amber
June 1 - Yoga in the U.S. is used as a tool for exercise
especially as a newer popular form of exercise. Today, though we learned
about the several facets of yoga as used as a medicine for the body.
This aspect is lost in the U.S.. We also learned about the daily yogic
rituals that include yoga positions and a morning nasal clensing with
salt water. I actually had the opportunity to participate in this ruitual.
After 4 hours of yoga we went to two walled cities. The first was Bhaktapur
and the second Changunarayan. These cities were very unique because
they were very old, approximately 500 years old. Bhaktapur was the capital
of Nepal until the 17th century and the architecture was from the midevel
times. The windows had beautiful carvings and the streets were quiet,
clean, and bricked. These towns were cool because the people really
seemed to be less touched by the city life. -ashley
June 2 - The horns are blaring as I walk through or
rather weave through people, cars, bikes and motorcycles. I am trying
to look in the shops, but if I stop or look too interested then the
shop keepers will ask me to come inside to "just have a look."
Once I do that, though, I am committed because after I am in the store
the shop keepers will start ripping things out of the cubbords to show
to me. I can be really direct and just leave but I hate being that rude.
Barganing becomes a huge task, then, because they see me as a rich american
who has tons of money to burn. Even so, I don't want to be ripped off.
It is hard to get out of the shop, and once I do I am bombarded by beggars
asking for money to feed themselves. I feel horrible because I am uncertain
of those who are really needy and those who will go and spend the money
I give them on boose and cigarettes. I can spend $10 on a necklace but
I can not spare $2 for this young girl and her child. Overall, I feel
like a huge, money spending target walking down the street. -ashley
June 3 - We are sitting at a small stand waiting to
have some local tea. We drove for quite a bit this morning through a
rural area to get to Dakshinkali. It was a beautiful drive up a winding
road. The view got better and better the higher up we went. I could
also feel the air getting cleaner - it felt good to drive away from
the pollution in Kathmandu. Dakshinkali is a place where they sacrifice
animals - by doing this,they provide offerings to the Deities. As we
were walking down to the sacrifice area, we saw a couple of headless
goats - I am not used to seeing this, so it was a little bit shocking.
In the actual area where they sacrificed the animals, the air felt heavy
- there was a lot of incense burning, a lot of blood, and people kept
offering flowers and rice as they were getting ready to offer their
animal. There was a really long line of people waiting to be next. This
is a ritual they do on Tuesdays and Saturdays mostly. It is part of
their lives which impacted me greatly. Back home someone else sacrifes
animals for all of us... I have never seen anything like it. - Maria
June 4 - Today we left Kathmandu by bus and arrived
in Pokhara this afternoon... We are staying at the Lakeview Resort on
Phewa Lake. The atmosphere is more laid back than our hotel in Kathmandu
and there is a show of Nepali music and dancing during dinner each night.
Maria and I took our bags to our room and started looking around, only
to find that our bathroom had no tub! Our shower consists of a shower
head in one corner of the room and a drain hole in the opposite corner
of the room. I suppose this will be good practice for our cold water
bucket showers in Ghandruk. From here, we have an amazing view of Macchupuchre
- a mountain in the Annapurna range and the lake is just across the
road. This place is perfect for us (and i could not be happier to have
a ceiling fan in my room). I am happy to be out of the city and in this
beautiful place. -Amber
June 5 - This morning I woke up and was in paradise.
You could see the Annapurna mountains, the huge lake, and the sun was
shining. It was wonderful!! We all went to see a Hindu temple on top
of the hill--I have to admit the best part about the temple was the
view of the mountains and valley. After that we went to Mahendra cave,
and Devi Falls, which was named after a European woman who had drowned.
We walked all the way down to the bottom and saw a beautiful waterfall
that went underneath the water. There is no way that people would be
allowed to see such a sight in the United States due to the safety issue
of crawling on your hands and knees down through tunnels. Needless to
say we made it down there and back--some of us just barely!!! We ate
lunch on the lake and then went for a canoe ride around the lake. Folmar
was all about the singing--the Nepali's must think that we were crazy,
all these Americans singing while on the lake. Being on the water reminds
me of home and all of the lakes--but instead of a canoe I would choose
a motorized boat!!! Pokhara is a beautiful place that is a must see!!
-Deb
June 6 - Another beatiful morning here in Pokhara.
The lake looks beautiful - it's so calm. I woke up at 5:15 this morning
and walked up to the roof. The sight was breath-taking. The sky was
clear and the Annapurna mountains just stood there looking right at
me. The sun had not made it over the mountains yet and I could see its
rays reaching up towards the sky. I climbed up to the highest point
on the roof to take pictures both of the mountains and the lake. On
the lake there were two small boats slowly moving across it. I wish
I had been on one of them. I can't imagine what the view of the mountains
would be like from the lake... impressive I'm sure.
Today we are heading to Sirubari, a small Gurung village up in the mountains...
it's going to be a long drive up a bumpy and winding road. I'm a little
nervous - we are all staying at Gurnung homes... I'm not quite sure
what to expect, but I'm really looking forward to this experience. -
Maria
June 7 - What a change of pace today... we didn't
have dal-bhat! Instead, and to our delight, in our Gurung home in Sirubari,
Brian and I ate some exceedingly tasty chipati and dal. So it's really
not that big of change but knowing that we'll be eating nothing bu dal-bhat
for the next two weeks, we relished in the moment. It was quite a challenge
to keep up with the pace Babar Sing (our host father) set shoveling
handfuls of his lentils and rice but occasionally he'd give us a chance
to catch back up by laughing with his wife Sukma while he imitated my
eating style (i.e. dainty little handfuls to as not to get my rice everywhere
but in my mouth). Dinner was followed by an exciting evening of Nepali
music and and a good amount of nachni (dancing). After a few rhythmic
Nepali numbers sung in unison by the crowd of locals seating in front
of us, Babar Sing came over to me with my little guitar and asked for
a traditional American number. Despite the fact that Uncles Steve and
Sam knew every word to every oldie on the ride to Sirubari, the best
we could come up with was a killer rendition of "Please Please
Me" (with a painful high note now and then in a variety of keys)
and an animated version of "I've Been Workin' on the Railroad."
Needless to say the Nepalis were duly impressed with our moderate tone-deafness
and oddly wiggling dancing styles. Too much fun... - Daniel
June 8 - we all woke up this morning a bit nervous
because it rained during the night, which meant the sirubari highway
(thusly named because it is very high, not because it resembles a highway
at home. at all.) might not be accessible to jeeps, in which case we
would walk back to pokhara. we were all led to believe this would be
the case, much to the amusement of kesh and dr. folmar. however, we
were able to take the jeeps back. we left sirubari absolutely draped
in flowers and began the drive back to pokhara. the view is absolutely
gorgeous -- lush green terraced hillsides -- tempered by the fact that
you felt as though you might go tumbling into the scenery at any second.
made it back to pokhara in one piece, and just rested up for tomorrow...
-heather
June 9 - Well, we are getting ready to head out to
Ghandruk today. We'll be riding in the bus to Naya Pul, about one hour
out of Pokhara. From there we'll go one foot for a two day hike to Ghandruk
at the top of a hill. Hill!! If I were anywhere else I would call these
hills mountains. In Nepal you can distinguish mountains from hills by
the fact that mountains are snowcapped for a few 1000 feet and tower
over anything else around, like giants peeking over the clouds. Along
the way to Ghandruk we'll stop at a tekking lodge for the night. I'm
told that today will not be a hard hike but tonight I had better get
my rest because tomorrow will be the three to four hour climb from 3,000
feet to around 6,500 feet. This is the part of the trip that I've been
looking forward to most... -Brian
June 10 - you know how you feel kind of bad about
yourself when you are driving on the highway and an old person passes
you? it is way worse to be passed by an old nepalese woman while you
are trekking. nevertheless, the trek was really fun, although i felt
like i spent more time looking at the ground for loose stones and mule
patties than i did at the beautiful scenery all around me. perhaps the
worst part of the trek was when we passed under the "welcome to
the village of ghandruk" sign, only to discover that the village
is on a hillside, and the hotel milan, where we were staying, was quite
a ways up. nevertheless, we all made it. after a rest, we took a walk
around the village. the walkways are made largely of gray stone, and
the houses are generally two stories, white on top, mud-colored on the
bottom (thanks to a daily covering with cow dung), and have large front
porches. the houses are arranged somewhat in rows going up the hillside.
writing this entry with the advantage of hindsight, i realize that the
beauty of ghandruk isnt the sort that hits you on the initial stroll.
it sort of grows on you... -heather
June 11 - I have to admit that this morning I was
a bit nervous to leave the hotel and go into someones home for the next
2 1/2 weeks. We walked around the village this morning to look at where
everyone was staying in case we wanted to visit. Maria and I are staying
on the main path--so it is eay to get to our place!! OUr house has 2
parents and 2 little boys. The father and the boys speak a little english,
so they were teaching us some Nepali as we were struggling!! Later we
ended up playing volleyball with the boys and their friends, they are
actually pretty good and the love to spike the ball at Maria and I!!
Later we went into the kitchen and talked with the mother for awhile.
Whenever we order food at a restaurant we always wonder why it takes
so long, today I found out why. She sat on a small stool over a wood
burned fire and had one pot over the fire at a time. She was making
rice, vegetables, meat, and dal. It was amazing how she kept everything
cooking by alternating them. It was a style I had never seen. The cooking
was amazing, maria didnt like it much because she used chillies and
peppers, I on the other hand loved the spicy food. The nights here are
illuminated by the moon and the stars, something that we could not see
in Kathmandu. After spending time with the family I was more at ease
with the fact that we were spending the next few weeks there. I think
that the others are having a good experience as well. It is definately
something that is different than our lives in the states!! It should
be interesting.... -Deb
June 12 - We spent our first full day doing research
today, first visiting each of the houses the students are staying in,
then briefly touring several government and service offices, including
the primary/secondary school, the health post and the offices of the
Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP). ACAP is a non-governmental
organization involved in conservation and community development in the
district Ghandrung is in. I can feel the anticipation from the students
as they adjust to their new lives and scramble to start doing their
projects. I know they feel like the next 2 1/2 weeks seem like forever.
I am just as sure when we are done, they will think it all went by in
a flash. - Steve
June 13 - Today, students have started to split up
into smaller groups to pursue their own interests through interviewing
and participant observation. Heather, Ashley and Amber returned to the
ACAP offices and to the Community Health Post to collect formal information
on tourism, education and health. Daniel, Deb, Maria and Brian did a
little non-mechanized farming to get a closer look at village life from
the inside. In conversations I have had with a few locals, it is obvious
that they think that tourism is a good thing and tourists are mostly
good people. But tourism does bring problems to the area. For example,
some (most?) are blind to many aspects of Nepalese lifestyles and do
things the locals find distasteful, such as when women show their shoulders
or knees (or more) or when men go about without a shirt. Both these
things they feel are nakedness and immodest. They agreed with me that
tourists should learn more about the culture and respect it, but then
pointed out that their government, and they, themselves, share some
of the burden of the problem; they have a duty to educate tourists on
Nepali culture. - Steve
June 14 - We woke today to one of the most glorious
views of the Annapurna Himalayas. At dawn there was a cloudless, deep
blue sky, the mountains deeper blue and streaked in white making me
understand better the word "loom." As the sun came up, it
illuminated the peaks of the highest of them. I don't often pause to
watch the mountains anymore but I did today. Within an couple of hours
they were completely covered in clouds again. At dinner, later on, three
young Nepali women appeared, who, it turns out, were in Ghandrung to
star in a music video of all things! How things change. - Steve
June 15 - Today, I am thinking about nagas, metaphorical
serpants believed to dwell in the ground and to affect the lives of
people where they dwell, either positively or negatively, depending
on the naga and the behavior of the person. Nagas, then can be inherently
dangerous or can be angered by such things as "pissing at various
corners," in the words of my interpreter. Because of how great
their influence can be on people, most people consult a lama or a priest
before building a house, in order to divine what nagas dwell there and
take steps to appease them if need be. - Steve
June 16 - Nepal alwas challenges us with its constrasts.
One of the saddest of those is how the Dalit, or lower, castes live.
We have visited Naichi Tol, a hamlet of 10 houses or so, 2 or 3 times
each now and are struck by how difficult and spare their lives are.
Their poverty is obvious and the effects of it deep. In nearly every
house there is at least one person in need of medical care, for example.
It is difficult for Dalits to make their situation understood by others
however, who seem to have something of a "pull-yourself-up-by-your-boostraps"
philosophy, even though they never had to do so themselves. Dalits are
remarkable for their persistence and for being able to retain positive
outlooks along side their feelings of fatalism and suffering. - Steve
June 17 - One of the big problems with not fully understanding
the language is that you wake up in the morning thinking you are going
to see a man get hit with a broom at a temple, and you end up watching
two goats get sacrificed, and then eating their blood mixed with butter
on a piece of bread. while i do not think prasad is going to be a serious
threat to the jelly industry in the states, it was not as bad as i expected,
and i got to wash it down with some rakshi poured directly down my throat.
apparently my facial expressions during all of this were rather telling;
I extremely pleased to be such a great source of amusement to the jharphuk
and the attending family members. to all of this, Dr. Folmar says "welcome
to anthropology."...Heather
June 18 - Today we made the huge trek to Chhomrong.
We started at 6500ft in Ghandruk and went down to 5200ft by the river
and then hiked up to 7700ft to our final destination. During the trek
there were definately parts were most of us thought we werent going
to make; however, with the thought of waking up seeing the mountains
right in front of us we trekked on. After we had gotten to our final
destination we were exhausted and took it easy the rest of the afternoon.
After dinner the local group came over to our hotel and performed some
Nepali dances. They even got us to atempt their way of dancing--we all
are BAD!!! It was a good celebration after such a long day of hiking.
I am beginning to think that everywhere in Nepal is gorgeous, at least
everywhere we have been was!! -Deb
June 19 - I woke up this morning to the best thing
on earth. The scene that fills my sight right now surpasses anything
that I have ever seen before in my life. Yesterday we hiked from Ghandruk
to Chhomrong. It was one hell of a hike - taking about four hours. Most
everyone were cussing the entire way because the hike was so rough.
But I don't hear anyone cussing now. Before us Annapurna South, Hunchuli,
GangaPurna, Annapurna III, and Machupucchre all tower above the tiny
village of Chhomrong. They are so close it seems that I could easily
reach out and touch them. Its hard not to just grab my things and start
hiking toward Annapurna Base Camp and the Sanctuary, which I'm told
is directing in the center of this ring of mountains. Everything that
I've done and every step I've taken to get here has been more than worth
it. - Brian
June 20 - Today we're back to our research and interviews
after a two day "break" walking to Chhomrong and back. The
walk there was difficult but well worth it. While there, we woke to
the best view of the mountains we've had in Nepal and a beautiful day
for the walk back. I am starting to realize that I am running out of
time in Nepal. In some ways I feel like I have been here forever, but
it also seems like just yesterday I was stepping off the plane at the
Kathmandu airport. Either way, I am having an amazing time and enjoying
every minute I have here. -Amber
June 21 - So Bir (Brian) and I were lounging around
in our host parents' home for the hour of raksi-drinking and exceedingly
simple and slow conversation. Our 16-year-old neighbor guy whom we always
felt was trying to get us to say inappropriate things was catching these
two-inch-long flying cockroaches, mangling their wings, and then throwing
them out the open door. What a sport. When Harikala (our host mother)
arrived a bit later we were asking her what the name of the bug was
in Nepali (an easy excuse for talking). She told us something that I
don't remember anymore and then we were telling her what it was in English.
Then to spice up the evening and because we often enjoy Spanish humor
with our token foreigner Maria, that girl from some tiny island off
the coast of Morocco, Bir decided to tell Harikala that cockroach in
Spanish was "cucaracha." Harikala replied "kukura chaina"
(Nepali for "there isn't a chicken"). We, not understanding
her,said again "cucaracha." She slowed down her speech and
said "kukura china" again... we finally realized that when
we were saying "cucaracha" we were actually saying "khukura
cha" ("there is a chicken") while pointing at the cockroach.
Boy,did we look intelligent. -Daniel (Toilet Bahadur)
June 22 - The daily events of interviewing are far
more interesting than I ever expected, but I must say that the evenings
with the host families have produced some of my fondest memories. I
am in a host family with Heather (Hari Maya), and Amber (Ambika), and
our trio really proves to be quite amusing. One night, though, I was
the source of entertainment for my host mother, Pyari. The rain was
pelting down, as it seems to do every night now, and I was doing my
daily apres-dinner evening ritual of washing my face, brushing my teeth
and using the toilet, or should I say porcelin hole. I had to pee pretty
badly, but because of the rain I was arranging my duties in order of
importance, or so I thought. I had it all prepared. I would begin to
brush my teeth in my room, then, just before I had to spit, I would
dash to the "spitting place," then the bathroom. The plan
was going well until it was time to spit. I had accidentally left my
flashlight up in the room, but I was pretty sure I knew where all the
steps were, so I went for it. Well, needless to say, my memory of the
exact location of all the stairs was a bit different. I took my first
step, and I planted right in Pyari's flower garden, twisting my ankle
and letting out a small yelp through my toothpaste and toothbrush filled
mouth. I immediately began to laugh uncontrollably hobbling over to
the "spitting place" getting drenched by the pelting rain.
Pyari came running outside yelling my 'given' name, "Assa?!...Assa?!,"
presuming I had just fallen down the other staircase. I still had a
mouth full of toothpaste, therefore, I was incapable of speaking, so
I tried to wave my hands in the 'I'm ok motion.' Apparantly that signal
is not international because Pyari had a look of extreme panic on her
face. I quickly spat out my toothpaste to show her I was laughing hysterically,
not hurting. So, I stood in the rain with Pyari getting soaking wet,
laughing. That is international. - Assa (ashley)
June 23 - This morning we did a little walking down
to a place called Kimche. There is a Kami (low caste) hotel which Dr.
Folmar wanted to take a look at. We were lucky that the weather was
good - it has been raining for the past couple of days. The hike down
the hill was easy. When we got there Dr. Folmar interviewed the owner.
At one point he talked about how many people didn't agree with him having
a hotel - it is not the occupation a low caste person should have. He
told us a story about how 4 years ago some people ransacked his hotel.
It's frustrating to hear stories like these. I guess I don't quite understand
why someone who works hard, and manages to open up a hotel, would not
be allowed to do it because he is of a lower caste. - Maria
June 24 - Today it rained heavily (just like it had
been for the last few days) so we were not that motivated to get out
into the field for a long time to talk to people. In the afternoon when
it finally cleared some of us went down to ACAP to get a view of the
village. It was an amazing view of the village as well as the valley.
We were above most of the clouds, Maria had the idea to jump into the
clouds (we told her she could go first and we would follow!!) Then while
we were taking pictures of the views Daniel told us of his fetish for
pictures of people jumping, we obliged and jumped for a picture (it
should be an interesting turnout). Later Maria and I learned a Nepali
card game from the boys we were staying with, we lost many times. It
will be so hard to leave this village and the family that we have become
so accustomed to living with. -Deb
June 25 - from an interview (my project is based on
health and health care): me: "so, where do you go when you get
the chills?" interviewee: "nowhere, we have a home treatment
for that." me: "and what is that?" interviewee: "drink
raksi (homemade grain spirits)." -heather
June 26 - I really don't want to leave this place.
For the past two weeks Ghandruk has been my home, but today we are heading
down to Syauli Bazar then Naya Pul, and then off to Pokhara. Our visit
to Nepal is almost over. I've finally gotten used to the language and
even come to appreciate the slow pace. I'll miss the chyaa, the raksi,
and yes, even the daal bhat. I'll miss watching the kids in the village
coming to "Aamaa Gurung's" doorstep every morning to buy an
armload of her delicious plums for just a few rupees, and I'll miss
watching the older kids sneaking behind her house when she's not around
to fill their own pockets with her plums. I'll miss sitting down at
7:30 every evening with my host father and a glass of warm raksi and
(trying to) chat. I'll miss the mountains and the fresh air, and especially
sitting on the porch in the early morning with my hot cup of chyaa and
watching the sun rise over the Himals. Good Bye Ghandruk. - Brian
June 27 - After an easy 2-hour downhill walk and an
hour and a half bus ride, we are back in Pokhara today. Everyone was
glad to get a hot shower after our village stays and to get a chance
to watch a movie, "Good Fellows", at a local restaurant. The
afternoon was spent shopping and relaxing. - Steve
June 28 - This has been such a successful trip. I feel
very satisfied that all the students had the chance to learn about Nepali
life from the inside, by staying with our very generous hosts from Ghandruk.
I think they feel a deeper sense of appreciation for the culture now
and certainly gathered alot of very interesting information. Our trip
back to Kathmandu was uneventful and we are now preparing to return
home. This, then is our final journal entry. From Nepal, "namaste"
to all of you. - Steve
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