As I sit here in California, halfway across the world from Nepal, I reflect on my recent summer trip, which can only be described as “intimate yet chaotic.” When friends and family ask me about my two and a half month trip, how do I respond? (Not to mention that these friends and family range from those who confuse Nepal with Naples, Italy or those who only know of Nepal as being near Mount Everest.) All I can muster up is: “It was awesome! I will have to show you my pictures.” After all, every picture tells a story.
Intimate yet [very] chaotic Kathmandu
As far as my research project is concerned, the results of my fieldwork were often more complicated than I previously imagined. I first came to Nepal thinking that I would have time to tackle the entire issue of water management, including all of the stakeholders and politics that came with it. But in reality, I ended up focusing only on three aspects of water management (which was complicated enough!) Not to mention that the supply aspect of water is a whole other issue. Nevertheless, I hope to use my summer research as a stepping-stone for my Master’s thesis in hopes of one day continuing what I started in Nepal.
What did I learn the most this summer from living abroad and doing fieldwork? “Nothing is as it seems.” Kathmandu may seem chaotic, but it is also quite orderly and intimate at the same time. While it seems that water management and supply issues have obvious solutions, they are, in reality, complicated and influenced by backdoor politics and international donors.
As illustrated above, the theme of "nothing is as it seems," was first discovered with my friend Cecilia when she ordered chocolate covered fruit, only to discover a chocolate covered tomato! [Gross!]
In all seriousness, I have grown, both as a person, and academically. In order to make a difference in this world, I hope to be "out in the field" instead of behind a desk. I hope to find the words to describe Nepal articulately to my family and friends in a way that they too fall in love with this country as we all have.
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