The “men” just left for Pokhara this morning, to renew our
visas. I have stayed behind to do some
work and to recover from my recent diarrheal illness. Now, it seems, I have some time for writing…
My eldest son says that I have been comparing everything to The Hunger Games (a book by Suzanne
Collins). I’m not sure that is true, but
I have come to realize something as we have been reading David Watters’ book At the Foot of the Snows. The condition of humans (one subset cruelly
using their power over a majority of others) is not some futuristic
possibility. It is real history in this
world; it is real history in Nepal. Read
both books, and see if you don’t find some of Nepal’s former leaders somewhat like
President Snow. Read both books and see
if you don’t find Nepal's police force not unlike the “Peacekeepers.” Okay, there have not been any “Hunger Games”
in Nepal, but I understand in Rome, at one time, Christians were fed to the
lions for sport. Ladies and gentlemen,
one of these books is fiction; the other is non-fiction. The real triumph in the non-fiction version
is the ability of the oppressed to stand their rightful ground and to
respectfully love those who persecuted them.
I know only one way for this to happen; they must have been following a
Leader, a Master, who also loved those who persecuted Him. There is no greater story on earth, and if
you are reading this, it is likely that you could read this great story; it’s
called the Bible. I challenge you to
read all three: The Hunger Games, At the Foot of the Snows, and the Bible. If you accept my challenge, please write me and tell me your
impressions.
I have been working on the Pediatric Ward lately (which I
really like doing). Still, it is the
place of heartbreak for me. There had
been a twin on our ward for about two weeks.
He was delivered at home, along with his other twin who did not make
it. He was brought to the hospital a few
days later for “not sucking at the breast.”
He was a little cold and weighed just over 3.5 pounds. He was not sick, just a little shell-shocked
at coming out too early. We placed a
small tube from his mouth to his stomach and began feeding him his mom’s
expressed breast milk. We also started “kangaroo
care” which entails binding the naked baby to the mom’s bare chest, so that by
skin-to-skin contact, he could be kept warm.
This technique is very simple, very effective, and keeps us from
depending upon electricity and faulty incubators to keep newborns warm. So, for some unclear reason, this little guy
was taking his time figuring out how to grow.
This did not worry the doctors at all; he just needed a tincture of time
to get the hang of the eating and growing rhythm. The mom was attended by the mother-in-law who
seemed loving and supportive in the journey they were on (sometimes she was the
mama “kangaroo”). On this little guy’s
nineteenth day of life, the dad came in and declared that it was time to give
up on this little guy; the husband needed his wife at home to care for their
two other children. After many attempts
to talk him into “a little more time,” the father got his way and we watched
them all leave, quite sure that this little guy would not survive the trip home
(Have you seen our video on Nepali roads?).
For lack of support, for lack of patience, and who knows what else,
another sweet little soul leaves this earth (I believe). We had two deaths on the Pediatric Ward last
week: one from encephalitis, one from pneumonia. We did everything we could to save their
lives; it wasn’t enough. So, we hurt and
mourn with their mothers and fathers.
Finally, I have always thought that malnutrition was not such a big deal
in Nepal; you know, not like those kids with bloated bellies that you see in
Africa. Now, as I watch so many kids
struggle for life against many illnesses that my children survive in the
comforts of our home, I am beginning to understand the toll of
malnutrition. The more I think of it,
the more I understand. How many of you
would thrive on two meals a day (one at 11am and the other at 8pm), always the
same food (rice, lentils and vegetables).
It is not that other items are unavailable, and it is not that other foods
are terribly expensive (although some might be); the bottom line: culture is
very resistant to change. So many kids
who start life this way simply lose the desire to eat, after enduring many days
of hunger between 11am and 8pm. What to
do?
Contrary to my sons’ occasional accusations, “He did it for
no reason,” people usually have underlying reasons for their behavior. And discerning that reason is a skill that
can be learned in the discipline of anthropology (Dave, are you smiling
now?). So, for years I have observed
Nepalis who wear shoes with laces and choose to wind the final bit of lace
around their ankles and make the tie behind the Achilles tendon. This has always looked terribly uncomfortable
to me and I have often wondered why they do it.
I have asked and often been told, “That’s how we do it.” The other day, I was chatting with a Nepali
medical Resident and he enlightened me.
He said that when he was little, and his parents would buy him shoes for
school, they would buy them quite large, so that they would last a long time
(shoes being an expensive investment).
The trouble came when he went outside to play, while at school; he loved
to play soccer, as many Nepali boys do, but when he made a big kick, his shoe
often went flying as far as the ball did.
This could be troublesome; the punishment could be severe if a boy
returned home from school without a shoe.
So, he learned to secure the shoes to his body by the above-described
tying style. Over time, that is what
felt comfortable to him, and to this day, he ties his shoes behind his Achilles
tendon. Anthropology offers a lifetime
of potential learning.
Thanks for listening,
Kimberly
Jake gets Mariner tickets (for July) for his birthday!
Ethan teaches Josh about collecting and drying butterflies!
The Beines (+Smith) take on Kathmandu!
My, Kathmandu has certainly changed!