More plans

I've just had a very reassuring conversation with the Canadian Coordinator for Info-Nepal, answering many of my questions, and fueling my excitement about this trip. The crunch of end-of-term academic stress is causing me day after day of migraines, and our departure date in April seems so far away (while the biostatistics quiz I might fail this Thursday is looming large). At least I had a moment to focus on another neglected part of my life last night as I chose three pieces to submit to the university Staff and Student Art Show - not like a show at the Met or anything, but my photography is something I do so little of these days, it was a nice distraction. I even got around to making a home-cooked meal yesterday - a new vegetarian chili recipe that I deemed good enough to put in the cookbook I'm writing - the first time I've worked on that since the summer (although it doesn't take that long to type up one recipe, that was still time I should have spent writing an essay, preparing a presentation, or trying to somehow comprehend statistics).

I've now been told that Nepalis will love to see us traveling with a little girl, and that Naomi will be warmly welcomed in school. I hadn't thought about it, but of course they wear school uniforms there - how adorable will she be, 4 years old in a Nepali school uniform with new friends? What an amazing experience - this will actually be her first school - although she goes to preschool 2 half-days a week now, she doesn't start kindergarden until after we get back.

I also will be doing health research while we're there, which I can get credit for towards my degree. I haven't quite worked out the details, but I was thinking of maybe looking at what brings villagers to a health clinic, what care they are able to receive there, and what happens if they require more specialized care - do they get it? I read that more Nepalis rely on traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine or even local 'witchdoctors' than Western-style medical care, which isn't uncommon in a developing country. I went to a brujo, or witchdoctor in rural Mexico, and it was awesome. We didn't speak the same language, I told him nothing about my history, and yet right away he pointed at my neck, where I suffered a severe injury many years ago that still gives me trouble, and many headaches. He chanted as he patted me all over with a bunch of damp, fragrant leaves, then enveloped me in the smoke of something or other, giving me a clay head idol on a string for future health. That was about 10 years ago - the head-on-string- hangs off my bed, although I'm not sure it has helped much, but I swear after I was 'treated' I felt great for several days - longer than I feel good for after a chiropractic visit!