Deep fissures carve their way into my heart from watching the aftermath of destruction in Nepal, as well as from exhuming my own past. Two years this week since Nepal’s devastating earthquakes, and so many people still living in dire conditions. The government...
A year since the Nepal earthquake, and I am finally feeling like myself again, feeling whole again. Healing is a slow process. At first I didn’t even realize how broken I was. My focus was entirely outward—on the safety and care of the clients I needed to...
In a time where my sadness seems to grow deeper by the day, what gives me the greatest hope in Nepal are its savvy youth, coming of age, coming together. After I reached Kathmandu, after I saw every last client safely on a flight home, my attention turned to a broader...
Every time I get into a taxi this week, the driver chats me up for a moment and then asks, "America is having its election? Who are you for?" Taxi drivers in every country I've ever been to seem to be the nexus of political discussion. When I answer Obama, each and...
And sometimes a day in Kathmandu looks like this: wake up, meditate, eat breakfast (same menu, different garden), walk out to the main street to catch a taxi and......where is the chaos?? People are walking around, but the street is empty. No trucks, no cars, no...
Springtime in Kathmandu is a life lived in flip-flops. The city is warm, dusty, and dry. Rain hasn't come in months but starts to appear in short showers that stir up the dust more than wet down the earth. I slip on my sandals the second morning and feel that not...
The conflict of interest inherent in international development is that donor dollars perpetuate (and even exacerbate) more social and political problems than they ameliorate. International donors (e.g., USAID, its British counterpart DFID, and a wide range of other...
Interested in Nepal? I'll be giving a lecture at the SF Asian Art Museum on Thursday, July 1 at 6:30pm... Democracy and Dissent: An Inside Look at Nepal's Political Struggle Nepal's transition from secluded kingdom to elected republic is a story of ethnic divisions,...
Nepal's nationwide shutdown, begun by the Maoists on May 1, aims to force the Prime Minister to resign and hand power back to the Maoists. With human rights observers and TV crews walking the streets, it feels more like a street festival than an angry protest. Groups...
Maoist trade unions are reshaping Nepal's manufacturing industries. Extortion, constant labor agitation, and personal threats are driving once-large factories to shut their doors. Remaining manufacturers are learning to adapt and circumvent using guerrilla factories....
I’m feeling downright optimistic about Nepal---for a change. I love the country and its people, so it has been heart-rending to witness the pervasive violence, economic deterioration, and political collapses of the past decade. With 42% unemployment, power outages up...