2014 got
off to a lousy start. In early January, returning from Pokhara, Harvey’s
backpack with his Kindle, pocket camera, and six months of language notes was
stolen. A few days later, he got a terrible toothache. The dentist at Ampipal
said he needed a root canal so he rushed off to Kathmandu. A root canal was not
needed after all, but it was still a major drag. Then Harvey got the runs. Then
Malinda got the runs. (Too much information?) Then Harvey got a cold. Then
Malinda got a cold. Then Malinda got the runs again. Considering how healthy we
have been for our whole time here, these ills were long overdue
and we are glad they came as a package. As soon as the calendar flipped to
February, we resumed our usual good health and good luck.*****
We got some
discouraging news in January as well. Sangita Adhikari, a first grader in our
school, was born with club feet, misshapen hands, and knees that do not bend. She
is a sunny, delightful child who is clearly beloved by her family. We arranged for her to be seen by a pediatric
orthopedic surgeon in Kathmandu. The exam showed that while intervention is
possible, it would be prolonged, difficult, and very costly, with no assurance
of success. The family decided that they just do not have the resources to
pursue it. We are disappointed, but understand that it is really the only
decision they could make. Our deep thanks
to Dr. Deepak Mahara and his colleagues at the Tribhuvan University Teaching
Hospital for giving Sangita a thorough – and pro bono! – exam.
Sangita has two older sisters
who will one day get married and leave home. She herself will likely never
marry and when her parents die it is not clear who will care for her. Her
father wants to put aside $4,000 for her future care and is
considering working overseas to create a fund for her. We have seen the impact on families of men leaving for years at a time to work in the Gulf, and it is not good. Life here
can be fraught with painful choices.
 |
| Sangita (in gray) front and center |
*****
On a more positive
note, one of our projects has finally gotten traction. Since we first came here
in 2010, we have been intrigued by the ancient fortress and palace complex at
the top of our mountain, Liglig. It is historically important and
archaeologically rich, and the acres of ruins and mounds have never been mapped or fully
surveyed. With views along 150 kilometers of the Himalayan range, it is a
spectacular place. (For more on Liglig, go here.)
 |
| The southern end of Liglig Kot |
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| The northern end of Liglig Kot |
We are surprised that we have
gotten as far as we have with this, and we will continue pursuing it until
we hit a wall. It helps that all the players see the need for a
plan, although it may become clear as we get into it that there are different ideas on what that plan should be. We expect to be back in Nepal this fall working on the proposal, and
we’ll see what roles we may play on any project that emerges.
 |
| The king's palace |
 |
| The main fort |
 |
| Dharapani from Liglig Kot |
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| Looking north from Liglig Kot |
*****
UPDATES…. Our post on Sita’s wedding brought us many
(for us) emails. Sita has been shuttling
between Dharapani and Lamjung, and it’s not yet clear where she will settle.
Her husband returns to Abu Dhabi this month. Her friends say that she is happy,
but when we asked her she really didn’t want to talk about it.
The mill is
still going gangbusters. The women’s association put up a signboard that
proudly lists the members. Malinda's name comes first on the sign and in the photo she's the one in the middle. 
The project to
pump water throughout Dharapani is just about done. Mit is dragging his
feet on getting our house hooked up, in part because we already have an easy, reliable and free flow of water from the stream. He may be more inclined to
get connected when Harvey leaves and he takes over the job of filling the tanks. Meanwhile, the contractors built an
enclosure at the stream to keep animals from getting into the water supply. It
is hideous – the price, we suppose, of development.
*****
 |
| Dharapani and Himalchuli |
 |
| Our house (the white one) |
We
had considered staying another year – not teaching, but in some other role –
but ultimately decided it was time to move on. Thoreau explained his decision
to leave Walden by saying that he had gotten all he could from the experience.
“Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not
spare any more time for that one.” We
feel much the same. We are in our early 60s,
life seems short, and we can't keep our health and marbles forever.
Other
clues it is time to leave…. Our successive piles
of beer bottles next to the outhouse have become an embarrassment to the family
…. Harvey has played 3,095 (and counting) games of Solitaire, most of them
played while waiting for web pages and emails to open…. Malinda has gotten far
too attached to cats Seti and Tika…. Teaching has become a six-day-a-week job.…
Although Malinda's computer died last summer, she is still grieving for Photoshop.... When we ask each other what we will want to eat in the States, all we come up
with is dalbhat…. We are without health insurance and pushing our luck… We
have not seen the last two seasons of Breaking Bad and want to know how it
ends. (No spoilers, please!)…. We are down to our last stick of deodorant.
As for the future…. we arrive
in Boston at the end of March and will spend the next two months shoveling
three decades of occupation out of our house and getting it ready for sale. We
have elder son Jonah’s wedding in Reno in June, and then we will relocate to
Eugene, Oregon. Living in Nepal has clarified a lot for us, especially our
aversion to consumerism and frenzy, as well as our need for simplicity and
nature. Most of Malinda’s relatives are in Eugene, and we hope to find a place
in the country that can replicate our views here (not likely).
If we manage things well, we
will spend part of each year here in Nepal, perhaps up at Liglig, or perhaps
consulting, or perhaps writing. Or perhaps we’ll get drawn into something
completely different. We will see what turns up.
*****
Our
ability to stay here for nearly two years was possible only with the help of
wonderful people. Jonah handled our
finances and paid our bills. We assume we are still solvent…. Mikel Sidberry took care of the outside of
our house. Based on photos, the house looks better now than at any time during
the 28 years we lived there….. Ted Roland tended to the inside of the house and
kept the pipes from bursting (except once). While we were gone, Ted became a
master glass craftsman. That’s his joker bike man on the left; to see other creations,
go here …. Pete Jackson, Donna Dickerson, and Sarah Bachrach took care of our
plants….. Thanks to all.
We will keep this blog dormant
in case we have anything interesting to report in the future. Many thanks for
reading and we’ll see some of you soon.
