Written by Lorna Paradise
Twelve years old
Kathmandu, Nepal
August 13, 2017
Nepal has been awesome so far! The people, the food, the architecture – I love it all.
Some very unique un-Boulder-like things have been…
- Homeless cows wandering the streets relying on humans for 1) food, 2) kindness, 3) not getting hit by cars.
- Stray dogs. I guess stray dogs are not unique of Asia, but they are un-Boulder-like! They are new to me. Boulder has enough humane societies and dog-loving people to keep homeless dogs off the streets.
- Monkeys EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!! Eating bananas, fighting over oats, jumping from holy statue to other holy statue, steeling unsuspecting people’s lunches. I could go on and on.
- No-rules traffic.
- Air quality bad enough that you have to wear a mask to prevent breathing in mischievous exhaust particles. They look like surgical masks and everyone wears them. It looks funny with the saris.
- Kumari: a girl who is chosen by monks to be a ‘living goddess’ for a certain period of time. This girl is unable to leave the house where the Kumari lives except for during festivals. Modern day Kumaris are educated, unlike olden day Kumaris. It used to be that after a Kumari was no longer a Kumari, she was not allowed to go to school or get married. There are many rules when you are Kumari, and if you break those rules you are replaced. Kumari is said to be a reincarnation of the goddess Kumari. She looks out her window every hour for three seconds. She is not allowed to smile and she has lots of make up and lots of jewelry.
- Chai all day every day. In Boulder we had chai (of course!) but not like here. You wake up in the morning and you’re greeted with a hot cup of chai. You come to lunch, you are offered chai. You are told there is popcorn upstairs, and you are offered chai along with your popcorn.
- There are roof-level terraces on every house with railings around the edge and it’s my favorite place in the house.
Lorna practicing her viola on the rooftop terrace
- Boudhanath stupa. The largest stupa in the world. VERY SACRED!!!
Boudhanath Stupa!
I have loved Nepal so far and I know I will continue to!!
-Lorna
