Nepalgunj (Tuesday, February 19, 2008)

We arrived in Nepalgunj on Friday, February 15 and got to ride in the hefty UN vehicle with all our luggage. We checked out our new place (it was dark and appeared creepy at first) then stayed overnight at a local hotel run by an American woman (married a Nepali, she’s been here for 33 years). Saturday morning we talked a lot to the American woman/hotel manager (or should we say she talked to us). She is full of information, has lots of connections, made her “shopper” available for us when the shops open up here and I need to go buy some more things, and gave us some “American” dried herbs and some food from her garden. I’m hoping to make a weekly or other week visit to her place just for cake and a chat. She noticed my EMU shirt and asked if I was Mennonite . . . I’m the first Mennonite she’s ever met.

My first few rides through town were amazing – with only bicycles, rickshaws and pedestrians on the road, it was amazingly calm. We rode a rickshaw, which was great fun – man do those drivers have calf muscles! I’ve heard it’s dangerous to ride on them when you get around cars and motorcycles.

Settling in has consisted of trying to clean this place – which has been slow going. It is quite a nice place. We have the landlady above us and a shopkeeper and his family in the back – they have a shop outside of the gate so there is always someone around which makes me feel safe. There is a huge “patio” and large garden and side yard which is fabulous for Anusha (and me for that matter). The only shops open are food and vegetable stands. As soon as everything else opens up, I can go get some buckets, pillows, water purifier, shelves, baskets, that kind of thing to settle in.

Situation in Nepalgunj (Tuesday, February 19, 2008)
If anyone other than my mom is keeping up with the news in Nepalgunj, you’ll have read that it has actually been pretty tense here. One of the political parties has declared a “bandh” – which means all the stores have to be closed down, no vehicles are allowed on the road except for ambulances, UN vehicles and wedding processions. They have made several demands to the government and have declared this bandh until all their demands are met. (Nepali are really big on making demands and striking and making life inconvenient for others.) Anuraj monitored a demonstration on Saturday in which at least one person was killed (he was back home before that happened). There has been a curfew for the past two days – this means no one is supposed to leave their residence. Anuraj was home yesterday and has been home this morning so far. We went out to get some bottled water this morning during the 3 hour curfew break and saw a number of groups of police officers (some “armed” others unarmed with “riot gear” – a shield and a stick). When I’m in my house/compound, you really can’t tell that there is anything amiss.