It has taken me some time to reach a point upon which I can
reflect on all that I experienced from my time in Nepal and India. I have
wanted to write and to share but I have been waiting for the proper hindsight to be able to really reflect, understand and process my experience. I
don't know if I am wholly there yet, but perhaps if I begin to tell the
stories...
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Day
1
One of the strongest and enduring observations
Nepal left with me was the beauty of the people, how kind and welcoming they are
and how their culture works in their daily practices to sustain an extremely
wholesome way of living. I can remember back to my first day, to when I watched
the sun rise over the Himalayas and I saw that the beauty and the majesty of the
mountains is echoed in the daily workings and people of Nepal.
Excerpts from my Journal
Diary Entry 1:
 "Visiting Boudhanath Stupa (Buhdist Stupa: Kathmandhu) really imprinted Nepal’s peaceful tolerance on me, after flying over the Himalayas this morning and experiencing such a feeling of calm and serenity, I have no doubt that the spirit of Nepal is at work in me and whether you bear witness as a Buddhist, Christian, Hindu or otherwise, you cannot help but be moved by it" 
Travel Tip!
Boudnath Stupa at night fall
Watch the sun fall over
the Stupa and listen to the tantric beat of the drums and the holy sound, the
'Om mantra'
.  
First
day at the Buddhist Children’s Home (BCH)
Diary Entry 2:
"The kids are absolutely delightful!
The upbeat, playful way they are with you is just infectious and you can't help
but be excited in their home. This, I have to say was a strange sensation as I
had prepared myself to walk into an environment that I expected to have a
certain amount of anguish attached to it. But here at BCH I find instead one of
the most easy going, happy and warm atmospheres that many an Australian home
could envy. The children and carers here are so welcoming and hospitable,
I too feel at home"
 Sudip- an inspiration Diary Entry 3: "A wonderful day at the children’s home today, I have started to build some solid relationships with the kids, at the moment I am quite captivated by 17 year old Sudip. He is incredibly sincere, astoundingly clever and has a hilarious wit about him. He plays big brother and mentor to the children and myself and has an obvious sense of drive about him that, despite circumstance, will lead him on a sturdy and virtuous path. Sudip wants to fly; his dream is to travel to a bigger country to train as a pilot." 
Diary Entry 4:
"Oh my goodness!! This is the most heart-
stopping, breath taking, soul filling place I have ever laid eyes on. I can absolutely
see why people find God in these mountains; you couldn’t get any closer to heaven.
The bus ride up to Pokhara was an eight hour build up to what awaited atop this
majestic mountain and our arrival left nothing to be desired. I had lunch next
to a perfectly undisturbed lake, the mountains mirrored on its surface. We
trekked up against a spreading sunset and arrived at the peak of Sarankot, just in time to
see the ranges washed in a rich orange and red. Our hotel sits on the cliff
edge facing a glittering Pokhara below, and to the left are the awesome snow-capped
mountains."
 "For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move."
Robert Louis Stevenson
Pokhara
That’s right, I am a certified paraglider! And most likely certifiably insane for jumping off that mountain! 
Diary Entry 5: Back to
business
"Upon return to
the children’s home, I am filled with an overwhelming sense of purpose for what
I must do over the next two weeks. What are the practical ways for me to help
in the day to day and long term running of the work at BCH?"
How to sponsor a
child through school?
Example for a Year 6:
850rps per monthly school
fee
3000rps one off admission
fee
250rsp quarterly exam fee
Extras (school books,
shoes, uniform etc.) 1500rps per month.
Estimated sponsorship per
year = $307 US (fluctuation according to exchange rate)
Security and up keep of
their home:
Every
child has the right to a safe home. The devastating fact for these children,
and many others in poverty ridden and corrupt situations throughout the world,
is that this right has to be protected. At BCH there is 24 hour security posted
at the building to counter any attempts to break in and steal one of the kids,
for the purpose of trafficking them into the sex slave and labour industry. For
me, it is unfathomable to think about the danger outside their walls, their
safety is a right below that of having a roof over their heads and food on the
table, It should be a given for any child to feel safe and protected. The 24
hour security, of course, is a cost that quite heavily burdens Durga and the
running of BCH.
$200 US
per month is what it costs to keep the kids safe. Any contribution to this
expense would be a huge help and free up money to be able to pay for the extras
that children deserve, play equipment, blankets, school equipment etc. Again if
you would like to make a donation for any purpose towards the children’s home,
contact me via the blog for the information or visit the Buddhist Children’s
Home website at http://buddhistchildhome.org.np/index.php for
upcoming events, volunteer opportunities and contact details.
 
 Diary Entry 7:
Shusma's Story
 "Why was I chosen, blessed with my care-free, comfortable life at home? What is so different between me and the teenagers here that I don’t live and dream "empty dreams"? A five minute conversation with eighteen year old Shusma today made me ache to want to get her out and show her opportunity, safety, affluence. It made me hurt so much but I had to laugh and smile in admiration as she shrugs off her woes. "Sometimes I wonder why I was born here" she says. I can't think about how different her life could be, she can't even comprehend what we have and drops her jaw as I tell her about swimming in the sea, getting a fair salary, having the chance to marry for love and to be safe and supported in my decisions. Such simple things but I don't go a day here without counting my blessings for these simple, but precious gifts. She wants to leave Nepal but acknowledges, without protest, that it is a dream that will most likely go unfulfilled. I try to open her heart to such possibilities, I told her about some Nepali boys I work with just to prove that with the right circumstance and help, it is possible. But that is what Shusma has missed out on isn’t it? That helping hand to support her dreams. She doesn’t want to marry out of fear of marrying a man who will beat her, a violation not acknowledged as a crime here. I promise any one of these children that if ever the opportunity arise, I'll do my very best to welcome them into my home and my blessed life in Australia. How could I be so lucky, how can we live our care-free lives and not find a way to create that bridge for them, to extend our hand and help them across? I love Nepal and I accept that this is how it is here, and has been for a long time. But does that make it right and just? I'm not out to change a country or culture or in any way to say our way is right and theirs is wrong. We can learn a multitude of things from these tolerant and peaceful people; but when eighteen year old Shusma wants an escape, I have to hope for a change. There must be a balance that will allow the young people to love and adore their country and not have to question why she traps them here."
"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living"
Miriam Beard
Diary Entry 8:
Last day with the children, and how do you say goodbye? You go to a fun park of course!
  
"How could I even
begin to say goodbye to people with whom I have shared energy, love, thoughts
and care over such an intense period? How do you come down from that high
of playing with them and prepare for a sombre goodbye? Simple answer... you
can't, it doesn’t feel natural and it isn't how I wanted my time with these
wonderful children to end. So despite a few tears, I had a very happy good-bye
filled with hugs and promises of future times together. I am incredibly grateful
to have had just one of the days I have had with them. Thank you for welcoming
me so warmly into your family BCH. I am so blessed with the memories I have to
take away with me and my special "remembering book"*. I am proud of
who you all are and who you will grow to become. I pray for happy and healthy
times ahead for you all until I can see you again. And until then I leave you
with all my love, my darling brothers and sisters. I will miss you."
Love Lauren xxx
My special remembering book is a beautiful memoir from my time at BCH filled with messages, pictures, poems and love from the children. It's an extremly conforting gift to have when I miss my home there or when I need to be reminded of just how lucky I am with my home here.
 
A message from Sushila. Taken from the "Remembering Book"
"A journey is best measured in friends, rather than in miles"
Tim Cahill
Diary Entry 9:
A parting word
"Thank you Nepal! I will treasure the moments I’ve been blessed to have
with these wonderful children, volunteers and staff I've been working with.
From the terrifying traffic to the majestic mountains this country has never
failed to surprise and inspire me. The daily greeting past between friends and
strangers here sums it up for me. Namaste Nepal! I see the Divine in you!"
Ways you can help
If you are planning on visiting this
incredible country, I cannot stress enough the benefits of travelling in a way
that enables you to meet local people. Nepal is a country with rich sources of
culture, religion, spirituality and tolerance and examples of all of these
qualities are shown in their most beautiful and pure forms with the Nepali
people. Make the connections with people there to enrich you and open your
heart and mind, "a traveller without observation is a bird without
wings." For me, I made my local connection with the Buddhist Children's
home and if this particular group is something you would like to be a part of
then visit the Nepali Host Family Facebook page or get in touch with their
local contact Garret. I can whole-heartedly vouch for this small local group;
Garret will walk you through all of your preparation for working and travelling
in Nepal. This organisation has multiple connections throughout Kathmandu to
suit your personal talents and preferences.
Contact Garret @ nepalihostfamily@gmail.com
Visit their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/nepalihostfamily Or visit their blog: http://nepalihostfamily.org/blog/ If travelling though Nepal in a group or individually, try to practice responsible tourism. Simple daily habits such as using your own water bottle, rather than re buying plastic bottles or by visiting fair trade shops or stores that endorse local crafts and communities. For example, Pokhara and lakeside, being one of the most popular sites for tourist, also boasts home to the wonderful 'Women's Skills Development Organisation'. WSDO has been working in Nepal with economically disadvantaged, disabled, abused, widowed, divorced, single and out casted woman since 1975 and has an extraordinary scope of beautifully crafted bags, toys, cases, purses, footwear and house hold accessories. "We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open"
Jawaharial Nehru
... So above all, open your eyes.
Diary Entry 10:
"First day of the
tour today and I have kept myself away from the Hindu cremation site in
Kathmandu, Pashupati so as to enjoy it on the tour. And what a day to enjoy it!
We have arrived on a particularly holy day of celebration to bless the passing of
lives from this one to the next, as blessed and guarded by the garlands strung
from one side to the other by family members. The Pashupatinath temple is one
of the holiest temples of the world revered and worshipped both by Hindus and
by Buddhists. It has set a shining example of religious harmony."
Diary Entry 11: Chitwan National Park
  "Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe" Anatole France 
Diary Entry 12: Lumbini
"It continues
to astound me here when I witness the devotion the people have to their
religion or spiritual beliefs. Lumbini has only reinforced the self-sacrificing
way of life here, a practice that for the most part works to create a more
wholesome, caring and peaceful life. A lesson well worth learning to put into
perspective the stresses of my Australian life that here seem utterly
absurd."
   Diary Entry 13:
Welcome to India!
Farewell Nepal! You have been so good to me over the last 4 weeks, compelling me to question my inner and outer environments and allowing me to witness some of the most pure forms of human love and kindness at many a turn. But bring on this next chapter! I have been given a little anecdote from a Nepali guru I found in a winding backstreet in Bahtapur to prepare me for this next journey...
NEVER I'll
ENDING Never
PEACE And you know what they say about India... Do
AND It
LOVE Again
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"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things"
Henry Miller
Diary
Entry 14: Varanasi
"Varanasi
is a dizzying place to jump into and wander around, the old city buildings
tower over you as you wind your way through the maze-like back streets. What
brings this ancient city to life is the overwhelming devotion to this Hindu
holy site and the pilgrimage almost every Hindu in India will make to the
mother Ganges. The crowds, clutter, dust and pollution present an opportunity
to observe this pure spirituality at its most colourful and to witness the beauty
within in a most unlikely environment. It is hard to begin to comprehend
the belief in the sacred waters of the Ganges, however polluted she may be,
generations of families have entrusted the passing of their loved ones to the
waters. Just to think on how many ashes, bodies and lives have been committed
to these waters gives an astounding depth of history. And this history does not
only lie in the waters, the old cities architecture has succeeded in capturing
the life of the different eras, histories and cultures that have lived and
passed through these streets. Varanasi plays host to many a battle over her
holy waters and surrounding grounds and the buildings built, broken and
re-built atop one another must hold a wealth of stories trapped in their
walls."
"I
shrank at the sight of the Ghats on the bank of the river at the sight of the
crowds, traders, priests, food, smells, flowers and utter chaos that blocked
our path to the water. However once we were floating atop on a wooded boat, I
was dragged away from the suffocation of the banks and was able to feel the
generations of peaceful passing’s beneath us."
Diary Entry 14: (cont.)
"I am feeling a growing anticipation as we count down the days to Delhi, from what I have been told and the more I continue to find out, from the paper this morning for example, I worry that the cruelty many witness there will shadow any silver lining I try to find. (See excerpt of article below)"
THE TIMES OF INDIA
Friday, November 11, 2011Shabhan Saxena
India's invisible children: Swallowed by the streets
"The show begins at night. After the sun is swallowed by the smog and neon lights wash the city in yellow, Rahul and his gang emerge from under the flyover. They all look similar - grubby feet, frayed rags, scarred faces, red eyes and brassy hair. They are all under 11. Walking with the swagger of his favourite filmstar, the puny urchin produces a cigarette from his pocket, lights it and blows the smoke into the faces of six other kids who beg for a drag. But Rahul is high: one moment he is Dabangg; another, he is Romeo the kutta. Then he offers the fag to his buddies, but at a price. He punches one, yanks out Rs 5 from another's pocket, and then grabs Guddi, the only girl in the pack. She screams and giggles as he pulls her towards a dark corner. Then a boy shouts police' and the group vanishes into the dark garbage dump they call home. "
"These are India's invisible children who have fallen through the cracks. During the day, they sleep amid stinking waste and at night they collect plastic bottles, sell flowers, clean cars, beg or steal - all around a flyover in south Delhi. They all had a home once. They all have a story to tell, but they clamp up when asked about it. Rahul wants a dibba of "good boot polish" before talking. He eats it. "Otherwise, I can't sleep," says the 10-year-old who ran away from his home in Gwalior to escape an alcoholic father and a cruel stepmother. Others have similar tales: Guddi left home when her mother tried to push her into prostitution; Guddu's father beat him mercilessly; Raju was too scared of a teacher at school, and Pappu just got tired of hunger. They took a train to Delhi, got snuffed by gangs roaming the platforms and since then, it has been a story of rape, torture, drugs and starvation."
"These are India's invisible children who have fallen through the cracks. During the day, they sleep amid stinking waste and at night they collect plastic bottles, sell flowers, clean cars, beg or steal - all around a flyover in south Delhi. They all had a home once. They all have a story to tell, but they clamp up when asked about it. Rahul wants a dibba of "good boot polish" before talking. He eats it. "Otherwise, I can't sleep," says the 10-year-old who ran away from his home in Gwalior to escape an alcoholic father and a cruel stepmother. Others have similar tales: Guddi left home when her mother tried to push her into prostitution; Guddu's father beat him mercilessly; Raju was too scared of a teacher at school, and Pappu just got tired of hunger. They took a train to Delhi, got snuffed by gangs roaming the platforms and since then, it has been a story of rape, torture, drugs and starvation."
The Most Vulnerable More than 40 million children in India are denied education and are vulnerable to abuse
CHILD LABOUR: They work in factories, workshops, mines and in the service sector. They are exploited financially and physically abused
STREET CHILDREN: Children living on and off the streets, such as shoeshine boys, ragpickers and beggars. They live on pavements, at bus stations and railway platforms. They are at the mercy of urban predators and the police
BONDED CHILDREN: They have to work in private houses or fields, either in exchange for a small salary or to repay family debts. Many are abused and tortured
SEX SLAVES: Thousands of young girls and boys serve the sexual appetites of men from various social and economic backgrounds. Factories, workshops, street corners, railway stations, bus stops and homes where children work are common places where this happens
See the full article from 'The Times of India' at
"Once you have travelled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey"
Pat Conroy
Diary Entry 15: Overnight from Varanasi to Agra
Well this was an experience! My goodness I’ve never seen anything quite
like an Indian train station, it seems to be a place where no normal rules of etiquette,
time or physics apply. There was pushing and hustling, cows in the middle of an
island platform (how did they get there?!) and when boarding the train it’s a
run and jump with bags intact. Once having leapt aboard the conditions were surprisingly
comfortable for a three tiered bunk bed that provided a fairly un-interrupted night’s
sleep. Similarly to the train station in Varanasi I have never in my life seen
anything quite like the Taj Mahal... a true phenomenon! It is an awe inspiring
feeling walking through the gates and around the grounds while contemplating
how many people have taken those very steps. From the elephants and labourers
who laid the first stone, to the big names who have come to witness the glory
of the temple since. INCREDIBLE!
Diary Entry
16: Tordi Garth
"After 8 hours on the bumpiest
roads in Rajasthan and taking the pot-holes head on from the 'comfort' of our
jeep, I was beginning to wonder if this treacherous journey was worth it to
play tourist in this rural town. However despite my bumps and bruises I am extremely
thankful to have witnessed the rural life style of Tordi. Away from the hustle
and bustle of the metropolitan cities, Tordi offers spectacular views of the barren
desert landscape and an invaluable insight into some extremely contrasting and
confronting traditions and practices within Northern India. It is within this ridged
community that the social hierarchy of the caste system comes into full light
and the segregation within communities can be witnessed firsthand.
The Indian caste system:
The Indian caste system:
Since the Independence of India and the decision to have a democratic, socialist and secular country, there has been a division between religion and state making it illegal to discriminate against someone based on his or her caste. However, the upholding of traditional beliefs still sees the segregation between castes alive and in place within some parts of Modern India. It is within the rural areas that it is most prominently practiced as we witnessed in Tordi's village today; a beggar woman going from house to house and performing her daily duty of asking for food. Bowed head and eyes cast downwards she shows reverence and respect towards other residents from higher castes as they donate their left over scraps from the morning’s food preparation. The caste once known as 'untouchable', advocated for and re named the 'children of God' through the work of Mahatma Ghandi also refer to themselves as Dalit, meaning 'The Depressed'. I contemplated this word quite heavily after witnessing that social interaction between low and high caste. The very way she succumbed to her position within the village and in life, screamed out a situation that must birth low self-esteem, apathy and depression. It seems that the Dalit caste acknowledge the extremely personal issues that they bare through their position in society, shown in my opinion clearly through the title 'Depressed' and not solely 'Oppressed'. Being part of the Dalit caste on a day to day basis means performing the menial tasks in society such as cleaning away garbage and sweeping the streets. This caste is not permitted to enter the home of other, higher, castes or touch or prepare their food. Inter caste marriages are also traditionally prohibited but no longer illegal. It is impossible to ever promote beyond your born caste in a lifetime as your social standing, in Hindu belief, is based on your Karma from a previous life. Consequently, I ask where the responsibility is placed when bringing people into castes. The Dalit caste marry, have children and under the surety that that child will expect the same life style, discrimination and segregation for their whole life. Is it because of the belief in Karma that there is no personal responsibility for that child? But then where is the justice and upholding of liberties and where is the escape?
I am ever grateful to have witnessed the purity and truth of this village and to have really expanded my understanding to how the social hierarchies of both rural and metropolitan India have come to stand where they are.
"I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within"
Lillian Smith
Dairy
Entry 17: Jaipur...
Is an exhausting but beautiful place, the
pink city! The first planned city of the world is surrounded by architectural grandeur
with its four city gates. It most definitely has a rich historical atmosphere
to enjoy and explore amongst the old city and within the monuments such as the
Red Fort. Jaipur highlighted, not for the first time this trip, just how much I
underestimated India for its full and diverse history and how much has been so
well preserved for our present generations to experience. The mixture of Mughal,
Muslim, and Hindu architecture is particularly beautiful and intricate and one
of the many outstanding qualities of this region.
Diary
Entry 18: Delhi
The
final destination!
Well
I really don't know what all the pre-warnings I received were for. Granted, I didn’t
see much of the 12 million populated capital but the parts that I did see were
clean, attractive, no more crowded than other cities and far less overwhelming
then my beginnings in India. It was a short stay to bring my physical journey
to an end and my days there ended up being more about enjoying the gift of
shared experience with new friends (Emma <3). However 24 hours did give me
just long enough to get my fair share of Delhi Belly! Never-the-less I had a
wonderful reflective and relaxed last day.
Above
all I must reflect on my time here, well India what can I say? You have succeeded
in shocking me and have hugely extended my boundaries and tolerance of what I
have witnessed within your borders. I also feel overwhelming humbled to have
observed and been a part of the daily workings of city and rural life and to
have been gifted with the wealth of information that surrounds your deep
culture, nurturing beliefs and traditions. To have walked in a land that is
home to some of the most inspiring and revolutionary people and social changes
in history (Mahatma Ghandi and Indian Independence, His Holiness the Dali Lama)
leaves me awe struck and inspires hope in me that the sacred and precious
traditions, that have endured years in a constantly changing nation, will
continue to change and move with a new India. This is an aspect of this great
country that should be held high and proud for it is the first time I have seen
ancestry and history so beautifully preserved and transferred to next
generations. In my country I feel we are still desperately searching for that
balance between our ancient and sacred history and a modern Australia.
I
have witnessed wonders of the world and within their virtue, some very cruel
circumstances. I feel that the contrasting internal Indian and metropolitan
life styles depict a change occurring with the growth and strength of modern
India to help end some of the struggle of the people. I think there has been a
steady change occurring that will settle to bring more opportunity to people,
and I see this here more than in Nepal; the momentum to spur opportunity is severely
lacking there. What one must continue to think on is the time that change takes
and who are the people who get caught in the shift. For the children born into
lower castes, poor circumstance etc. they may bear witness to steady change but
quite possibly won't reap the rewards. It is imperative to remember them and
strive to help.
I
am waiting for the gift of hind sight, when I begin to adjust to what currently
seems my absurd life at home, to be able to feel my journey as a whole. It has
been so much to take in. I feel enriched and revived, inspired and captivated
and thankful to India for sharing her wealth of history, values and passion for
living.
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Mark Twain
Namaste!
