Life in Nepal
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taking out the trash
The bulging files of yellowed, mildewed papers screamed for archival. So I sat to sift and sort through stuff that went back more than 15 years. The more I sorted, the more disgusted I became. Not with the dust and mildew, but with the trash I found. Resham and his wife Jumuna have been working Read more
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sleeping with the enemy
A few years ago and a few mountains east of us, Kathmandu University began felling trees. The first phase of a mammoth educational center to accommodate a kindergartener straight through medical school. While construction progressed, paperwork for the medical school crawled its way from one government office to another. In Nepal, it isn’t unusual for Read more
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dung and stars
Before moving to Nepal, I did my research. Lonely Planet, the Internet, and an uncle who had lived here. But my information sources obviously did not prepare me enough. As I stepped out of the airplane, the smell hit me, almost knocking me over—the warm, pungent combination of diesel fumes, animal dung, and human sweat. Read more
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what’s in a name?
His first day on the job, Roy’s CEO-eye, with years of experience in the for-profit industry, scanned this modest, not-at-all-for-profit, mission hospital, looking for its “assets.” There were old beds and even older equipment; crowded rooms with paint peeling off the walls; ledgers revealing an average 20% deficit every year. “Every place has something to Read more
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the price of worship
December 2001. Our first Christmas in Nepal was fast approaching. Having done our research, we knew what to expect. Nepal was the only official Hindu country in the world; therefore, Christians must remember: 1) Proselytizing will get you thrown in jail; 2) It is a crime for a Nepali to convert to Christianity. That’s why Read more
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life after death
She was a mother six times over. Six times she experienced the gut-wrenching pains of labor. Six times she hoped; but every time her hopes were shattered and her heart broken. After watching six babies die in her arms within 48 hours of birth, Maiya came to Scheer Memorial Hospital, discouraged and depressed, tired and Read more
SAYS FYL 