Monthly Archives: December 2011

One Man’s Story

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“Change, 200 yen.”

“Thanks.” I grabbed a mint from next to the register. Good Indian food was hard to come by in Japan but this restaurant impressed. My friends weren’t finished bringing the car around so I decided to make small talk.

“Are you from India?”

“No, Nepal.” The car horn sounded and I quickly thanked the cashier before stepping out the door.

That was back in early 2007, so shortly after the monarchy relinquished control of the government to a Maoist/democracy group alliance. At the time I knew next to nothing of the news from Nepal and so the cashier didn’t make much of an impression, but now I can’t stop wondering why this Nepalese man was serving curry in Japan. The-glass-is-half-full side of my imagination likes to think he worked days at the used car import businesses down by the dock and came here at night just for supplementary income. Maybe he met a lovely Japanese woman on holiday, got married and opened the restaurant to make full use of his talents. The more realistic explanation is that he is one of the hundreds of thousands of Nepalese displaced by the civil war. Now I wonder what his story would have been. Was he a former Maoist guerrilla that wasn’t incorporated into the Army because of caste discrimination? Did he give information to the Army about Maoist activity and faced retribution once the rebel fighters came back through? A loyal Monarchist who wanted to leave Nepal now that the king was deposed? I missed my chance to ask questions and hear a story that night but now with this trip I have a chance to redeem myself by listening and learning about people’s experiences and inspirational ways they’ve made it through the war.

What Lies Beneath

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For those of us who know little about Nepal, typically, Mount Everest is what first comes to mind when thinking of the small country.  Before I began really researching Nepal the only reference point I had of the country was the Everest. Now, as I learn more about Nepal and it its history, including its brutal 10 year conflict, I find myself eager to uncover what really lies beneath the snow capped Himalayas.

Maybe it is idealistic of me to say and think, but I do believe that in every country there is beauty around each corner, even during the most brutal of conflicts and worst of poverty.  The funny thing to me about beauty, however, is its ability to mask, or allow us to gloss over, what is really taking place in an area.  While I love to always seek out the beauty of every situation, person, or country, it is important for us to uncover the reality of where we are as well.  I know when we finally get to Nepal the beauty of the country will overwhelm me with, especially as someone who loves mountains as I do, but I wonder what not so beautiful sights lie ahead?

As I read various articles and watch powerful documentaries that begin to prepare me for what I will see and experience in the field, I can’t help but wonder if what I will feel in Nepal will be similar to the feeling of the end of winter, before spring fully blooms.  Anyone who has lived in an area where snow falls probably understands what I am talking about.  When the snow begins to melt and the beauty and mystique of winter begins to wither away exposing again the dirt, muddy pavement, and dead trees that slept covered up all winter under the snow.  It is an interesting time of year, a transition period for seasons; rather like Nepal’s current political state.  It is almost as if with the rise of conflict in the late 1990s into the 2000s the ‘snow’ melted away to reveal a darker, dreary, dirtier side of the country.  A side where human rights violations were being committed, poverty was being worsened from conflict, people were being killed around the country, and where a kingdom seemingly loved by its people usurped too much power for its own good.

I wonder though, is spring coming for Nepal? Yes, the conflict has been over for 5 or so years now, technically, but has life gotten better for its people? According to many readings I’ve done and documentaries I’ve seen there is still much work to do in rebuilding and restrengthening this country.  There are many roadblocks ahead for little Nepal.  In this period of preparation and anticipation for our trip, there is this burning curiosity rising within me to know what really lies beneath the snow  and what Nepal’s spring will look like…when it comes.