| Username |
Post |
| jira |
Posted
on 20-Feb-03 12:54 PM
Tips for readjusting to nepali culture:
---------------------------------------------
1:) Do not start making negative comments as soon as you get off the plane, your appaling comment will only make the situiation worse. Some of these comments include;
a:) yasto phore ma kasari hidney - phore was there and it is just growing as par with
immense population.
b:) Nepal ko manchey kina dublo dublo? - We consume less fatty food compared to US.
Eating Beef is not part of our culture too so please do not expect to see Mc. donalds
in every corner.
c:) Yasto sanguro galli ma kaha kudawuni gaadi? - Streets are obviously narrow in Kathmandu and in other towns, we just can not demolish every building just to amuse you during your short visit. Try visiting places of interest during off peak hrs. Early morning is the best time to do so. Night is not recommended due to safety concerns.
D:) America ma ta yasto hudaina - Do not compare one of the poor developing countries with the country of full resource. Nepal can not be changed during your short stay only because you've choosen to change your citizenship.
2:) Do not expect to get a phone call when your neighbor wants to visit you especially after seeing you from kawusi/baranda . Expect sudden visit from your tolay/istamitra in your house. They may not necessarily wake you up in your bed.
3:) If you feel uncomfortable when somebody tries to put his/her hand in your shoulder, try to hide your real feelings for a while. They may not hold you for a long time and not necessarily ask you out. We do not have Gay/Lesbian town yet.
4:) Let your kids stay with their grannies. Do not send them for hiking only because their grannies do not speak english. Do not get excited by your children's accent. They are born and raised here. Nothing to be boastful.
5:) Please do not tell your children that Gaijatra is a copycat of halloween. It has its seperate meaning. If you forget what it is all about, ask somebodyelse so that they can explain meaningfully.
6:) Do not expect chirping and burping while eating/drinking because it is not customary to do so in nepali culture too.
7:) Do not start talking about John and Mike even they are your kid's bossom friends becuase nobody knows them back home.
8:) Nepalis are less likely to get accustomed with the words like equity, morgage rate, basement. So, do not try to explain as we never have to use these terms. If you forget, please ask your father/mother how they bought/made this house that you are staying during your short trip.
9:) Tell your kids that "Handee" can be used as popcorn popper so that they can use this concept while doing their inclass project. These little things can help pull their grades up.
10.) Do not force any Neta/chief/minister to stay in your house just to tell that they have come and visited you while they were in US. They have seperate allowance so that they could use nearby hotel/motel.
11.) Do not say that everything we get in Nepal is not real. Walmart/Ross/Payless Shoe and lots of other stores do not carry all real things.
12.) Please do not talk about Papa John's pizza/ Taco Bell/ Exxon Gas station in nepal, people are less likely to get spellbound when they hear the things thay can never imagine. Try imagining having mock conversation with your American neighbor: "Hamro Nepal ko sadak ma ta hatti hincha". They can not imagine what you are talking about.
The Unlucky 13.) If you have grown up kids, always expect kaley Jwain/Khairini bwari or vice versa. Please do not expect/force your kids geting tied up with Nepali student who come here for study. They will be more likely to be ended up in divorce or bad relationship. Let you kids enjoy their freedom and let other's kids choose their partners whether it be from their parents back home or even from themselves.
*****
There are tons of things like this that you can accept/avoid which will be pressing to know in advance so that you do not have to be embarrased. And all the more, it will make your trip even more pleasant than you expected. The most important of all, do not visualize the SAME Nepal that you can imagine going back to 10/20/30 years ago.
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| oys_chill |
Posted
on 20-Feb-03 01:08 PM
hahahahah! good one!
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| Adirondack |
Posted
on 20-Feb-03 01:10 PM
kasto american bhaisakya yaar yo jira ta..:)
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| starry night |
Posted
on 20-Feb-03 02:25 PM
lol...Im sure nepal 2000 would be "appalled'
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| PremPujari |
Posted
on 20-Feb-03 02:59 PM
LOL,
So true ni Jira jyu!!!
hehe!!
>>"we just can not demolish every building just to amuse you during your short visit"
kyaaa ghaat laagyo yo line chai!!!
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| Logical Sense |
Posted
on 20-Feb-03 03:52 PM
Ma bhandai chuni Naam Matrai 'jira' Kura Chainh 'Nau Paathi' auncha.
Very good points jiraji, I am 200% with you.
I would just add:
'Walk Like Nepali while in Nepal and try to make most out of your short visit'
from my side
And there is nothing wrong in:
Telling people Raksi Jaand dherai Khanu Hunna, Don't drink alcohol when you are pregnant even though you are wealthy to have drinks, Don't teach your kids to consume alcohol before they are 21 ('America Ta Kahan Pugi Sakyo' - is no more than little knowledge about America) etc.
But, all good things can be told in very good manner, without ruffling any feathers. It is all about how you present it.
Again walk like Nepalese while in Nepal, but, you could very well teach how to walk like egyptian when appropriate, that is how Amercians could learn about Nepal and Nepalese will learn about Americans.
- iti
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 20-Feb-03 03:59 PM
Jiraji,
It was a good list. Sake arupani jaawos.
Biswo
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| aakash_ |
Posted
on 20-Feb-03 04:20 PM
Asti ko summer ma Manish Nepal farkeko thiyo.
Kathmandu ma pugera Manishe khub afulai khub mr. smooth rapper jasari hidthiyo. Khyachyakka khyachakka garea, to daura suruwal jasto baggy pant layera.
Jaba budi bajyai chahiley dekhecha 'amaaammaaamaaaaa' mero naati lai bokshi le choyo bhandai, Manishe lai Jhakri dekhauna lagyo. Ek dui jhadu khaye pachi Manishe bichara ke ko puff daddy ni hashyang fashyang daddy rey pachi danda kanda ma trekking gardai.
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| Adirondack |
Posted
on 20-Feb-03 04:49 PM
>> They may not hold you for a long time and not necessarily ask you out.
Lmao!
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| oys_chill |
Posted
on 20-Feb-03 08:11 PM
jira dai,
yo ni add garne ho ki
:) 13) Conserving water in Nepal is critical. So, don't be running those taps while u r brushing and dreaming about the chwanks u saw. And feel BLESSED IF U GET TO TAKE A SHOWER MORE THAN TWICE A WEEK!! and Nepalis don't like fake smell too much, so don't think you will be digged by the opposite sex just because you have poured out entire Ck perfume over you
re kya ajha last ma!!
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| oys_chill |
Posted
on 20-Feb-03 08:15 PM
oops ! 14 po raicha eheh 15 pani thapdim
:) 15. and of course , do not expect laundry and drying machines. The first thing when you reach nepal, get used to DALLA and PUJA SABUN. and be careful, be sure to get MAHAShAKTI SOAP KO PUJA, SARARA FEEZ AAUCHA! nakkali dekhi sabhadan eheh !
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| SITARA |
Posted
on 20-Feb-03 08:32 PM
Jira ji,
Very Original!!!!
-Don't forget to walk or drive on the left side of the streets!
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| Rusty |
Posted
on 20-Feb-03 08:52 PM
LOL
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| mack |
Posted
on 20-Feb-03 09:02 PM
I have been in sue for more than 8 years ...havent been back yet....never had strong desire ...i ask my self "i wonder why"
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| oys_chill |
Posted
on 20-Feb-03 09:04 PM
brain drain aroo k hunu? tyai ho us mack bro....chire pachi niskana garho, niske pachi chirna garho ;) ..stxc ko bldg taldimla ani kehi sudhar huncha ki hajur ko manpatas ma ;)
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| mack |
Posted
on 20-Feb-03 09:14 PM
true
brain drain drains brain to us
"chire pachi niskana garho, niske pachi chirna garho" ...not true in my case...i just never felt like going back probably cause most the stxc's are here so if i go back none to hang out with.
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| oys_chill |
Posted
on 20-Feb-03 09:44 PM
mack..........maybe its the same case for Nepalis...scared of RETURNING alone?? jus a thought! not to be taken otherwise hai mack bro........maile yeeso brain drain ko research garya ni eheh....!! aaba sabbai yetai chann bhanera pheri sabbai nepal nai yaha khada hola ni.....uta bharat le chilim parla!!
back to jira's posting.......arko kura ta birsi ra.....chiple ko kura pade pachi
expect twice a week loadshedding........and try to enjoy them :)
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| chipledhunga |
Posted
on 21-Feb-03 12:31 AM
Jira, gajjab lekheko chau hai.
Sitaraji, tyo driving kai kura garda remember that the turn signal is on your right and the wiper is on your left. When I was driving there, I often ended up turning on the wiper while I meant to give a turn signal.
Forget about "lining up." Hulmul garna parcha.
You refuel your vehicle at a petrol pump, NOT at a gas station. Also remember that you are filling litres of petrol instead of gallons of gas and don't expect to buy non-petroleum commodities at the petrol pump. There are plenty of other retail stores to serve that purpose.
When you are visiting a restaurant, ask your waiter for the bill, not the check.
When making phone calls, you are more likely to receive an "engage tone" instead of a "busy signal." Also you make STD and ISD calls instead of long distance calls. Remember that if you see an STD sign outside a store, it is more likely to offer telephone service rather than treatment towards sexually transmitted diseases. Once an American friend of mine asked me why is STD such a big problem in Nepal.
When you first land in gauchar, do not expect to exit the aircraft via a jetway to the terminal. You will be using a staircase to descend to the tarmac.
Last but not least, you are more likely to find me trekking somewhere in the Annapurnas instead of posting messages at kurakani :)
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| Prem Charo |
Posted
on 21-Feb-03 01:31 AM
Jira,
Ma asti nepal janda ko kuro ho. Ghar maa jahile pani bihe gar bihe gar vanera hairaan. Lau ta vanera dui char KT haru pani heren. Ani lasta maa euta kt asaadhyi raamri laagi. Phone garera dui char palta resturant tira pani gaeym.
Ek din ko kura ho. Chabahil ko Radha Krishna Hall maa cinemaa herera pharkinda rati ko 9:30 jati vayeko thiyo. Gaadi maile haakera cheu maa hune wala shrimati lai raakhera mitha mitha guff gardai Ring road ghumaunlaa vanne thaaneko thiyen. yaso hal baata bahira ko ukalo (Ring Road niskane) maa ta yeutaa goru ho ki saandhe baseko rahecha. atamassa parera. Aba tyo goru lai nahatai kana mero gaadi nai najaane vayo. Ani maile tyo goru lai dhapaaunu paryo vanera yaso utreko ta goru ta ultai malai haanaulaa jasto garera ma tira aayo. Ani ma daudera jeep vitra basen.
Gaadi back garera. Lagvag 1 1/2 ghanta pachi eutaa taxi aayo ra driver le tyo goru lai vagaayo. Balla Talla tyahaa bata ma niskiyen.
Aba mero point : Nepal maa goru ko nagik jana hunna. :P
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| rajunpl |
Posted
on 21-Feb-03 04:29 AM
Babbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa........yesto.
Maile ta new york ma pan i( BALWAN CHHAAP) maldai hideko dekya thiye.Ma ta jupiter ko new york ma thiye kya kunni.........
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| rajunpl |
Posted
on 21-Feb-03 04:31 AM
Yo ta sarai bho JIRA..........
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| sajan |
Posted
on 21-Feb-03 04:56 AM
Hey jira jee,
Gorgeous suggestions !
Seems quite pragmatic...
Keep it up !
Sajan
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| thaag |
Posted
on 21-Feb-03 07:37 AM
Jira jee
Very good post....
and funny
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| rajunpl |
Posted
on 21-Feb-03 08:30 AM
OKAY JIRA NOW IS MY TURN WHEN YOU GO BACK TO THE US
Tips for nepalese who are visiting US first time or the next time
1.Do not think when women gives a smile to you means that she loves you.
2.why are amer..i..can ass are gettin bigger ? cos Mc donald is the cheap and good ffo in us likewise pizza and other supermarket fatty JUNK.
3.DON'T GET LOST WHEN YOU SEE THE CONCRETE JUNGLE AND the women micro-skirts.
4.Nepal ma ta yesto hudaina: Don't believe much of your nepalese friend they rely on the selfishness rather than the friendship.
5. Don't be surprise when your friend says I don't have the time to visit you cos he is the stenzy bastards.
6.Be careful when you go to toilet gays may be expecting that you are the next one.especially cocaine addicts.
7.Don't surprise when someone throws egg at you .Cos this is what they call you halloween day.
8.Do not get surprise when you enter the sex shop.
the most important one
9. WHEN AMERICAN LADY FALLS IN LOVE WITH YOU. NEVER EVER THINK THAT ITS GONNA LAST LIFE-LONG.
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| rajunpl |
Posted
on 21-Feb-03 08:32 AM
kASO KHURSANI..............
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| sally |
Posted
on 21-Feb-03 10:52 AM
"b:) Nepal ko manchey kina dublo dublo? - We consume less fatty food compared to US.
Eating Beef is not part of our culture too so please do not expect to see Mc. donalds
in every corner."
Not just less fatty food; also more exercise, even in KTM. Sadly, this doesn't seem to make a trip to Nepal an effective weight-loss plan for folks living here! I used to think it would. Now I've come to the conclusion that it might work for tourists/trekkers, but if you're visiting family, that US-fed paunch will be well-maintained even in the land of "dublo dublo" and long walks ...
"c:) Yasto sanguro galli ma kaha kudawuni gaadi? - Streets are obviously narrow in Kathmandu and in other towns, we just can not demolish every building just to amuse you during your short visit."
But wouldn't it be wonderful if cars were banned from the historic sections of KTM? The environment, heritage (and tourism value) would be preserved--and KTM would be on its way to being a wonderful walking city, like Amsterdam. It really does have that potential. Sigh. Maybe some day.
"11.) Do not say that everything we get in Nepal is not real. Walmart/Ross/Payless Shoe and lots of other stores do not carry all real things."
Not quite true. To sew a fake Gucci tag on something in the US would be legally actionable. What Payless and so on carry is cheap knock-offs, which is a different thing than "not real." They're clearly marked with generic or store-brand names.
But of course it's all made in China ... here or there!
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| najar |
Posted
on 21-Feb-03 11:09 AM
Sally,
I wholeheartedly agree with your point C, ofcourse others too but more so C. That thought had crossed my mind several times. If vehicles (except cycles) are banned in kathmandu valley, it would be so so beautiful and we'd probably appreciate our heritage much more. If Interlaken could adapt that policy, i would think we can too. Alas...if only our policy makers would give a serious thought on it.
Instead of walking in a wonder lust in Florence for medieval architecture, we or tourists could be walking around in Bhaktapur, Patan and Kathmandu appreciating nepali heritage! may be some day...
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| sally |
Posted
on 21-Feb-03 12:08 PM
Yes, exactly.
And it ought to start with all the Darbar Squares. Designate them as historic districts and CLOSE THEM to traffic.
Inconvenience? So what? As if it wasn't an "inconvenience" to have all that load shedding ... but it was considered important by the Powers That Be, so it was done. If KTM's precious electricity needed to be saved, at a weekly inconvenience to a million people, how about saving its precious heritage with a minor, temporary inconvenience (until they get used to it) to a few people who want a shortcut?
And while I'm on the subject ... let's try to figure out the logic, here, of needing to have a big ol' traffic shortcut thru irreplaceable historic treasures, but NOT finding it necessary to have a shortcut to Bulku/Sanepa ... Ever notice how the Vikram tempos load up and then go all around Robin Hood's barn (or rather, all around Tundhikel), putt putt putt gasp gasp gasp, just to circle around and end up right back where they started, and then backtrack to Patan? Perhaps the routes have changed since I left (one can always hope), but I always used to wonder how many pollutants were released each day that way.
Pollutants, by the way, which weaken not only our lungs and life spans, but the life span of KTM's priceless architecture.
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| isolated freak |
Posted
on 21-Feb-03 12:35 PM
And it ought to start with all the Darbar Squares. Designate them as historic districts and CLOSE THEM to traffic.
This has already started Sally.
Now, not only the Durbar Squares are closed for heavy traffics, foregners have to pay $$$ to enter these sites. Not even durbar squares, these days you have to pay even to enter Bouddha/Swayambhu/HiranyaBarna Mahavir and many other temple sites.
Except for the city of Bhaktapur, none of the other two have used the TOURIST TICKET revenue for the improvement/renovation of the heritage sites.
Of course, Keshav Sthapit had plans to revive the glory of these heritage sites, but.. k garney, he is no longer our mayor.
Now, a better policy will be to demolish the modern concrete structures around these heritage sites.. no fast food restaurants in the area..no beer billboards and coca cola bottles...
yes: nepali style chiya pasal (has to be clean), trash cans every 100 ft. restroom facilities and entrance : 50 USD!!
aaniu, jira bro ko TIPS yad rakhna paryo.. rajnpl ko pani.. amrika ayio bhane rajnpl ji ko tips kaam lagne raicha ani nepal farkina parda jira ko tips.. hahah
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| sally |
Posted
on 21-Feb-03 01:10 PM
I'm so glad to hear that! It's nice to know that positive change does happen over time ... I haven't been back since '97 :-( so I know a lot of what I think may be outdated. In this case, happily so.
Btw how is "heavy traffic" being defined? Just trucks, or all cars/tempos etc?
OK, so now we can move on to your plan (get rid of concrete eyesores around the squares) and then ... close the narrow streets of the historic downtown to heavy traffic, too! Wouldn't it be great to designate a "pedestrian and cycle rickshaw circuit"?
Yeah, I remember Keshav Sthapit's plans. I sympathized with him, but I remember how one plan really backfired. He kicked out the tarkari vendors from around a bunch of temples--which was silly and misguided, cuz the vendors aren't just making a living, they DO add to the "scenery" from a tourist perspective--and then, of course, it didn't end up recapturing any glory, it just resulted in the pavement around the temples becoming parking lots for motorcycles. It was pretty gross. Of course, that was a long time ago ...
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| ashu |
Posted
on 21-Feb-03 08:42 PM
Recently, I was talking to a gentleman who is one of the senior officers at a US-government-sponsored scholarship agency in Kathmandu, and his lament was: Over the years, almost all Nepalis sent, over the years, to the US to do graduate work on urban planing and related disciplines have ended up staying there and not coming back to Nepal.
His fear was that the longer they stayed away, the harder it would be for them to
come back, make appropriate professional connections, and -- if I can add -- live up
to the dreams of their own application essays.
Interesting, isn't it?
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
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| Adirondack |
Posted
on 21-Feb-03 10:18 PM
>> if I can add -- live up
to the dreams of their own application essays.
:-0
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| ashu |
Posted
on 21-Feb-03 11:39 PM
Then again, plans change.
Contexts change.
People change, and
dreams start to recede further and further.
Often without explanations and even understanding, and that's life.
Moreover, what was once a topic of burning passion to [use, say, urban planning to
do this and that) ends up becomes a minor part of a routine, uninspiring job, day in
and day out, in some small town . . . and, hey, that's life too.
Could be the masala for a tender, sympathetic yet deceptively simple movie, the kind that Abbas Kiarostami, the Iranian film director, makes.
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
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| rajunpl |
Posted
on 22-Feb-03 03:54 AM
Jira's perspective sounds he is bit like AMERICAN-NEPALI and also sounds like lost his culture in the middle of nowhere and think that he already mixed his culture with the americans.
It is good to live in the civilized world with the civilized fashion but that doesn't mean that you have to follow their culture and forget your own.Where you bought up.
I remember onething friend of mine went to america to become pilot but end up taxi-driver in the new york city and that has been happen to the many thousand of nepalese.
when nepalese reach america they are even in the worse condition than in nepal for the first few years.New york,london,paris,california are big big cities that doesn't mean you are in the same fashion like one american or the other british.......(nepali lai BALWAAN CHHAAP le chod daina.)
ADAPTATION :
Whereever you go,what country you go.There are always something different.Even if you go LA it is totally different from the CHICAGO. Or if you go to the POKHARA it is different from the KTM.Not only the weather is different but the environment is also different.
It takes time to adjust in any new environment.You cannot live with SUKUTI when you are addicted to the Mc Donald ir the PIZZA.But you can be okay with the RAKSHI or the CHHYANG.Even if you don't get the BUDWISER or the JACOB'S CREEK.
You don't have to have in mind that nepali friend will be surprise when you go back to nepal and then come back. There are tousand like this these days.Even i do sometime but i always feel the same.
SAALY, seems to be bit of a lost ....if you don't mind.
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| sajan |
Posted
on 22-Feb-03 04:17 AM
I too agreed with Isolated Freak. Tourist need to pay entrance fees for many of the touristic destinations in Kathmandu.
1."Do not think when women gives a smile to you means that she loves you.:-RAJUNPL"
>>>In some extent, you can claim as you have said but in exten of majority I am compel to dissent with it. I mean to say, Nepalese girls normally don't smile with stranger. Once they smile that mean there is something behind i.e "love".
6."Be careful when you go to toilet gays may be expecting that you are the next one.especially cocaine addicts.":-RAJUNPL
>>> I would agree with you in this regard but I am sorry to say it has too minority hasn't it ?
9. "WHEN AMERICAN LADY FALLS IN LOVE WITH YOU. NEVER EVER THINK THAT ITS GONNA LAST LIFE-LONG.:-RAJUPNL"
>>>> I am 100% agreed with you about this in terms of western lady. This is an exemplary exam. of majority.
Many thanks guys !
Sajan
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