While in the village of Mudikuwa with Rishikesh Tiwari, we had many discussions about the current political situation in Nepal, as well as the history of both Nepal and America. Interestingly, we came to the conclusion that he is afraid his government does not know enough about its citizens, and I worry that my government tries to know too much.

In a land sandwiched between two countries that are rapidly developing, China and India, Nepal has lagged behind economically. Rishikesh blames this on an unstable government. Too often those in power were worried about how to keep it and not concentrating on issues such as education, agricultural reform, and healthcare.

In the media as well, there are many similarities and differences. In Nepal, being a journalist is a very well respected profession that pays relatively well. And yet, depending on whom I’ve asked, every paper has been described as both a rag and a mouthpiece of the government. During the people’s movement, the media was heavily censored, some journalists received money to report positively on the government, and blogging could make you known on a worldwide level.

According to a BBC poll, in the United States, the people’s trust in the media sits at 59%, lower than the 67% level of trust in the government (One of two countries polled, along with Britain, to have government trust higher than media). Recently, the New York Times came under fire for reporting the actions of the government. Last March Professor Dennis Dunleavy blogged about a May 2005 survey conducted at the University of Connecticut which showed that "only 14 percent of Americans named freedom of the press as a right in the First Amendment, while 22 percent felt that the government should be able to censor newspapers."

While the media in both countries face a somewhat skeptical public, and a government that does not always support its actions, it feels as though citizens in Nepal are optimistic that the government will finally right itself and the media will be free to report on the news. Also, everyone that I have spoken to is aware of the events going on in their country, and the history behind those events. In the United States, people are more concerned with the latest celebrity gossip than press freedom or world news. In an April talk to the Kansas Press Assn.'s 113th Annual Convention, Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein faulted the media for being motivated by profit and catering to an "idiot culture." Due to declining readership and advertising revenue for news media outlets in the United States, the press freedom and public interest that is so sought after in Nepal feels like a distant memory quickly erased by the latest Hollywood makeup/breakup.

yay.

I woke up today to the realization that I have but one week left in Nepal.

Looking back at my time, it feels like it has been a personal test more than anything else. Could I redouble my efforts in the face of unexpected adversity? Prior to my interest in photography and journalism, I am not sure that the answer would have been yes. And yet, here I am, one month and one week in later Nepal, my first trip outside of the United States, finishing up stories and looking for souvenirs to take back to friends and family.

Nepal feels far less foreign that it once did. I now know my way around its capital, Kathmandu, and am comfortable walking with motorbikes whizzing by, haggling with shop owners and making my way around cows on the sidewalk.

At times, Nepal has felt like such a wonderful place, and at others (they have been few) I wanted nothing more than to be back in Los Angeles. On the whole, the people of Nepal have been so kind and giving to me. The scenery, especially in the villages, has been some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Being American, though, and carrying US Dollars, I never feel quite at home…always a tourist waiting to be taken advantage of. Whether is has been being quoted a price triple that of what locals pay or being asked how I can help to get someone to America, I am aware that I am just visiting.

Has my stay in Nepal changed the way that I view the world? Of course, being here makes me appreciate the things that I had been taking for granted at home and inspires me to help deal with the problems that a country with such a wealth of resources, diversity and talent should not be having.

I was most intrigued by the view that the people of Nepal have of America. I am aware of America’s attraction as the land of opportunity, though I assumed that our recent foreign policy decisions would sour the image of America to many. It is difficult not to have an idealized view and want to go to a country where a former Member of Parliament can work in a department store and send back more money then he ever made in Nepal.

Does anyone know why my white background refuses to go all of the way down the whole page? I must have screwed it up during one of the many times I disconnected due to rain and power outtages while messing with my template.

The next stop in my visit to Nepal was to be Mudikawa village in Parbot District. Here I saw the work of Rishi Tiwari, who was working to empower the farmers in his village. I began my mini-excursion in Pokhara, in the company of Ashoka Fellows Rishi Tiwari and Lucky Chetri. We traveled by taxi for two hours from Pokhara to Kusma. Here we left our ride and began our trek on foot.


We descended down from the plateau on which Kusma sits until we reached the banks of the Modi River. After taking a rest in the forest, we continued on until reaching a suspension bridge.


After crossing the river we began our upward ascent to Mudikawa. The trail was narrow at times, the steps small, and the rocks slippery from the recent rains (all of these conditions apply only to me, as Rishi had no trouble whatsoever in making the trip).


We started over there, in Kusma, crossed the river, and made our way to Mudikawa.
We were welcomed very warmly into Mudikawa.


Rishi took the time to show me around the village and I saw all of the work that they had accomplished. I spent my nights in Rishi’s father’s house. Just as I traveled from house to house, they too often received guests. I learned that each time you visited it was polite to stay for a while, have tea (I had a lot of tea), and catch up on what was going on in the village and elsewhere. At the Tiwari house, large amount of time was spent in socializing within the family. Whenever they were not in the field, they were sitting together, young and old, and talking. They do own a television and used it, but more often than not a visitor could find them sitting outside on the porch.


It seemed as though Rishi’s mother, Mina Kumari Tiwari, was always busy cooking meals or preparing tea and snacks.


I showered outside near the fields. I left after spending three days there and I hope to return again soon.

Pokhara feels a world away from Kathmandu, and is a welcome reprieve from the hustle and bustle found there. In Pokhara I am free to walk the streets without worrying about being honked at constantly or hit by the occasional stray side view mirror. It has rained each day that I have been here (as it had been in Kathmandu), though the rain in Pokhara elicits different feelings than in Kathmandu or back home in California.

In California, rain brings thoughts of overflowing storm drains and nets filled with trash along the LA “river.” In Kathmandu, rain means flooded streets, less than safe drinking water, and countless motorcycle riders patiently waiting under awnings and in shop doors for the rain to subside, a burden more than a pleasure. In Pokhara, right or wrong, rain reminds me of life and of the corn, beans, and rice I can see growing all around me. There is a great deal of peace to be had sitting on a balcony overlooking Phew Lake.

I had never before heard of the term “social entrepreneur” before getting in contact with Ashoka. With people increasingly disappointed by the lack of action taken by governments to solve problems, a growing citizen sector has emerged which seeks to enact change, often in unconventional ways. We in the field of journalism have seen the rise of citizen journalism in response to readers who have either lost faith in the credibility of the media or feel that they can better relay news, often at the community level.

As stated in David Bornstein’s book, “How to Change the World,” we often equate social change with an idea “whose time has come.” Environmental awareness, automobile safety, sustainable agriculture, etc. And yet, many great ideas go wasted, not because society doesn’t need them at the time, but because there is not a champion behind the cause.

Bornstein writes that social entrepreneurs are innovators, relentless in pursuit of their goal to help society. Their actions bring about “systematic change” shifting “behavior patterns and perceptions. What business entrepreneurs do for markets, raising productivity and yields, changing industry standards, etc, social entrepreneurs do for society.

I write about this not only because I have had the pleasure of meeting some of these social entrepreneurs during my trip, but also because, as photographers, we often hope to change the world in some way through our pictures. These people are changing the world, everyday, all over the world, through their actions.

While blogging about my time in Nepal, I happened to catch the attention of someone from an organization called Ashoka. I soon met with Sadhana Shrestha, country representative of Nepal for the Ashoka organization. She informed me of the history of the organization, its founding, its current state, and the plans for the future, both in Nepal and globally. I learned of the tireless work of William Drayton, and the many social entrepreneurs he has helped push to success (more on that later).

I now find myself in Pokhara, Nepal, meeting with three of the Ashoka fellows: Lucky Chetri, Mahabir Pun, and Rishi Tiwari.

Lucky runs a trekking agency that caters to female clients and offers female guides and porters. The women guides are given training in a variety of subjects including English, Nepali history & culture, flora and fauna, basic first aid, and computer skills among other things.

Mahabir has set up Internet access in 14 remote villages in Nepal. Using a series of relays he transmits signals through receivers tied on poles, trees, and housetops in order to help provide a wealth of resources to improve the ability of rural schools to teach their children. The villages are also connected to a hospital in Pokhara, allowing doctors to dispense advice to areas that would normally be inaccessible.

Rishi Tiwari works with local farmers to grow produce that has a value on the market as well as practice forms of crop rotation to maximize yields. He also works with those without land, encouraging them to collect dead plant life while herding their animals and then compost this material. This compost is then sold at markets in Pokhara.

I really had no intention of bringing up the Internship Nepal program again. However, I could not help but notice the redesigned website, especially when Mr. Nardev Pandey's last email told me that he would "post my part of the say in this matter in the Internship Nepal website shortly," and to "please keep watching."

My first response on seeing the redesign was that it was much cleaner and visually appealing. Mr. Pandey removed some of the items that current and past interns have found somewhat misleading. The program is no longer made up of professors, former interns, volunteers, senior journalists, and social workers. Instead, it was conceptualized by them. There isn't mention of monthly meetings with Nepali senior photographers and weekly progress reports (though at the time of my viewing, 8:26am PST on July 5th 2006, the programs section of the site was not working). The promise of cultural and language lessons, however, can still be found on the FAQ page. Hopefully he has rectified this by offering these courses.

I was not surprised to see Mr. Pandey's response to my blog posts. What I was surprised to see though, was that Mr. Pandey felt it necessary to share my passport information with visitors to the site. It seems that Mr. Pandey wants to portray my leaving as due to my personal unhappiness with my living conditions. I did indeed post that I greatly enjoyed my hot shower and flush toilet, but that was more at the relief of being away from Mr. Pandey, and not the actual physical comforts. I made sure to mention that I was only paying for two weeks of the program, having spent less than one week there and with the website listing a one month minimum. Nor did I express any disappointment at the selection of the Nepali Times as my placement for the internship, only the fact that it was not actually prearranged with the editors having knowledge of the program. The actual reason that I left the program, as stated before, was that Mr. Pandey felt it necessary to consistently lie to myself and Rene about anything from cell phone availability to aspects of the internship.

Sadly, Nardev Pandey never responded to my email when I asked him to address the truth behind many of his statements. Perhaps he was just upset or felt the need to discredit me after googling his name.

Fellow former Internship Nepal intern Rene Edde, a photography and journalism student at Columbia College in Chicago, has also put up her thoughts on living in Nepal. You can view her post here. And be sure to check out her flickr account as well.

Rewat Timilsina left his home at only seven years of age, dreams of fame and fortune filling his mind. Unfortunately, what awaited him was not acting stardom but a life on the street. It was this life though, that shaped Rewat into who his is today, the head of an NGO who works tirelessly to help those who find themselves in the position he was once in.


Growing up on the street, he turned to a non-governmental organization, much like the one he currently heads, for help. The program he visited supplied him with food, shelter, and money. He also received training in bicycle repair, and was put to work in a bicycle shop sponsored by the program, along with other street children. However, after three months, the program discontinued its support. The youths employed there could not make enough money, and they were forced to return to the streets. Back on the streets, no longer supported by a center, he dreamed of digging a hole to the United States and pleading with then President Bill Clinton to not give aid to these programs, which arent truly helping those in need.

Later in life, Rewat began working with programs that help street children, choosing a life of service over an acting career and hoping to be the positive difference that was not present when he was seeking help. While with these organizations, he realized that the amount of politics and buearacracy made it nearly impossible to do what really mattered, help the children on the street.

It was then that Rewat and some of his close friends decided to start their own program, run by ex-street children, with the needs of street children in mind. Rewat now runs Jagaran Forum Nepal, which shelters and feeds street, children, Prayas, which employs street children in garbage collecting throughout Lalitpur and other parts of Kathmandu, and he plans on starting a vocational training center for youths.

The Kathmandu Post has a more in-depth article detailing Rewat's life from a child on the streets to the head of an NGO. It is the fourth article from the top.

I have been fiddling again with the structure of this blog. For a while I had multiple headers, might put that back up. I added a new category system as found here. I have also added a js that lets me easily append technorati tags. I am still debating if this is better or worse than the last js which added del.ici.ous tags which are also recognized by technorati (or so I've come to think...).

If there was one word to sum up my experience of Kathmandu and Nepal to this point, it would simply be; unexpected. This doesn't just cover the fact that I am no longer with Internship Nepal and that I have found my own projects to work on. Kathmandu is definitely not the Kathmandu I expected from reading the Lonely Planet guidebook.

In preparing for my trip, I was expecting a culture that was completely different from my own. I packed long pants and extra toilet paper. I expected to see pollution everywhere and men and women keeping a safe distance from each other.

Instead, I was met with what at times feels like two cultures. While the traditional culture that I read about is present (and well accounted for due to an influx of rural residents to the city following uncertain conditions in the countryside due to Maoist activity), so is a growing "modern" culture that watches MTV India, Bollywood, wears miniskirts, buys the latest cell phones from Nokia, and displays affection in public.

The one thing that the Lonely Planet guidebook did prepare me for, but I have had a hard time dealing with anyways, has been the level of poverty. Even though I have been working with the JAFON center, it is still difficult to walk by a child on the street, too high to notice you after huffing on glue, or one who does notice you and begs for some form of money or food. There are more than a few organizations who deal with this problem and many others, though it is always a difficult task to try and change the current state of affairs.