Woke to an ominous, leaden sky and typically I've left my umbrella at the school. Never mind - I've got my waterproofs so I'll wear my rucksack underneath and arrive there looking like Quasimodo.
Although I've never for a moment regretted coming here the first 2 weeks were fraught with health issues. Within days of arrival I developed a sinus and chest infection that felt as if it would never end. One of the senior monks tells me that when he first arrived from Tibet he felt exactly the same so we agree that it's probably just the adjustment to a different climate (although the pollution doesn't help). I managed to badly sprain my knees by overdoing things on my mountain hike but took my mind off that my falling down a flight of stairs and hurting my arm, derriere and pride. The inevitable squits set in and for days I had cramps and alternated between being feverish and freezing cold. That didn't last long though thank heavens. The ultimate finale was when I was returning to the house one evening and a dog, which I know and like but which can be temperamental, went for me and bit me. My mind went into overdrive trying to remember all the things I was told about animal bites here and I was shaking all over - not because of the bite but because of the fear of disease. I made it bleed as much as possible and then sprayed liberally with iodine. I could only go to the medical centre in the morning but they saw me first thing before I went to the school and quickly and efficiently gave me my rabies jab. The only thing the 'doctor' asked was how the dog was. He said to try and keep an eye on it and make sure it stays healthy. I know what he meant, that if it showed signs of being unwell it could mean it had rabies so then I'd have to get further help. Still though I couldn't help seeing the funny side and had the giggles all day every time I thought of it. Headline "Dog bites woman - dog dies". Happily both dog and I are still fine.
There are numerous dogs here, some in loving homes but others strays and some with the most terrible mange. Dog owners generally try to protect their dogs against disease and have them inoculated but Mando showed me her last vet bill and pointed out that the cost of the standard rabies/parvo virus/ lepto inoculation has gone up from Ns500 last year to Nr1300 this year. How can poor people possibly afford an increase like that? It's vital, for the sake of both the dogs and the people, to keep up annual inoculations but how if the income is so little?
Rubbish disposal is a problem too. There is a charge for rubbish removal and as many people as possible pay this and have it disposed of properly. Some people, however, just can't afford it and every day I see men and women carrying bags or bins down to the field behind the house and just emptying them there. I can't really blame them because if you have absolutely no disposable income then what do you do? I read in this week's newspaper though that there are plans to increase the cost of rubbish removal enormously and in proportion to the size of the premises producing the waste. That means that schools and hospitals will suffer the most and they just can't afford this increased cost. It's a bit of a catch 22 situation. Money is needed to get rid of the waste but a lot of people and businesses just can't afford to pay.
PM Bhattarai has flown off to Rio for the summit amidst a storm of protest and a show of black flags not only from the opposition but from his own party which seems set to split. A lot of international analysts say a split cannot work. The problem is that the assembly has been dissolved, there is no longer any constitution and a lot of people seem to view him more as a 'caretaker' in power and I think that's where the anger lies - that he has gone to Rio to represent the country. When I ask who could replace him no one can give me an answer. I really need to try to understand more.
Tomorrow the weekend begins and I'll probably go to Jamal and then wander into Thamel for the day to do some shopping, get a much needed slice of cake and post a letter. A lot of bookshops have a basket where you can put any letters that need posting and they organise it for you. Very handy. A visitor is arriving at the house in a couple of weeks, an elderly Japanese lady who comes to Nepal every year to celebrate her birthday. She used to be very active in the schools here and I think she rather sees this as a home from home. As she's in her 80s I've offered to let her have my room, which is near the bathroom, and move instead into a room up on the roof which at present is used for storing all the paraphernalia not needed by the household. I love the idea as it's higher up so has better view and is quite private. The only downside is that at night there will be no access to the bathroom at all. Mando and I have been highly amused thinking of solutions to that particular problem! I'll use Saturday cleaning it up and getting it ready and then I think it'll be quite cosy.
Although I've never for a moment regretted coming here the first 2 weeks were fraught with health issues. Within days of arrival I developed a sinus and chest infection that felt as if it would never end. One of the senior monks tells me that when he first arrived from Tibet he felt exactly the same so we agree that it's probably just the adjustment to a different climate (although the pollution doesn't help). I managed to badly sprain my knees by overdoing things on my mountain hike but took my mind off that my falling down a flight of stairs and hurting my arm, derriere and pride. The inevitable squits set in and for days I had cramps and alternated between being feverish and freezing cold. That didn't last long though thank heavens. The ultimate finale was when I was returning to the house one evening and a dog, which I know and like but which can be temperamental, went for me and bit me. My mind went into overdrive trying to remember all the things I was told about animal bites here and I was shaking all over - not because of the bite but because of the fear of disease. I made it bleed as much as possible and then sprayed liberally with iodine. I could only go to the medical centre in the morning but they saw me first thing before I went to the school and quickly and efficiently gave me my rabies jab. The only thing the 'doctor' asked was how the dog was. He said to try and keep an eye on it and make sure it stays healthy. I know what he meant, that if it showed signs of being unwell it could mean it had rabies so then I'd have to get further help. Still though I couldn't help seeing the funny side and had the giggles all day every time I thought of it. Headline "Dog bites woman - dog dies". Happily both dog and I are still fine.
There are numerous dogs here, some in loving homes but others strays and some with the most terrible mange. Dog owners generally try to protect their dogs against disease and have them inoculated but Mando showed me her last vet bill and pointed out that the cost of the standard rabies/parvo virus/ lepto inoculation has gone up from Ns500 last year to Nr1300 this year. How can poor people possibly afford an increase like that? It's vital, for the sake of both the dogs and the people, to keep up annual inoculations but how if the income is so little?
Rubbish disposal is a problem too. There is a charge for rubbish removal and as many people as possible pay this and have it disposed of properly. Some people, however, just can't afford it and every day I see men and women carrying bags or bins down to the field behind the house and just emptying them there. I can't really blame them because if you have absolutely no disposable income then what do you do? I read in this week's newspaper though that there are plans to increase the cost of rubbish removal enormously and in proportion to the size of the premises producing the waste. That means that schools and hospitals will suffer the most and they just can't afford this increased cost. It's a bit of a catch 22 situation. Money is needed to get rid of the waste but a lot of people and businesses just can't afford to pay.
PM Bhattarai has flown off to Rio for the summit amidst a storm of protest and a show of black flags not only from the opposition but from his own party which seems set to split. A lot of international analysts say a split cannot work. The problem is that the assembly has been dissolved, there is no longer any constitution and a lot of people seem to view him more as a 'caretaker' in power and I think that's where the anger lies - that he has gone to Rio to represent the country. When I ask who could replace him no one can give me an answer. I really need to try to understand more.
Tomorrow the weekend begins and I'll probably go to Jamal and then wander into Thamel for the day to do some shopping, get a much needed slice of cake and post a letter. A lot of bookshops have a basket where you can put any letters that need posting and they organise it for you. Very handy. A visitor is arriving at the house in a couple of weeks, an elderly Japanese lady who comes to Nepal every year to celebrate her birthday. She used to be very active in the schools here and I think she rather sees this as a home from home. As she's in her 80s I've offered to let her have my room, which is near the bathroom, and move instead into a room up on the roof which at present is used for storing all the paraphernalia not needed by the household. I love the idea as it's higher up so has better view and is quite private. The only downside is that at night there will be no access to the bathroom at all. Mando and I have been highly amused thinking of solutions to that particular problem! I'll use Saturday cleaning it up and getting it ready and then I think it'll be quite cosy.
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