Juxtaposition is a Funny Science - Life During Wartime

Heard of a van that is loaded with weapons,
Packed up and ready to go
Heard of some gravesites, out by the highway,
A place where nobody knows

You may or may not have heard about the recent attacks in KTM. The Maoists, apparently for the first time, coordinated nearly simultaneous attacks throughout the valley. At 7:15 pm on Saturday night, as I was dozing in my bed due to a stomach bug and reading Stephen Jay Gould and listening to classical music, I heard a loud bang. For about 5 minutes afterwards, I heard 4-5 pops that sounded like small arms fire.

The sound of gunfire, off in the distance,
I’m getting used to it now
Lived in a brownstore, lived in the ghetto,
I’ve lived all over this town

This was a small bomb at a municipal building here in Bouddha. Not within the stupa area itself, since Maoists usually only attack police outposts and government buildings. This was just off of the main road. We (my roommate and upstair's neighbor) initially suspected that the police station on the main road had been hit.

This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco,
This ain’t no fooling around
No time for dancing, or lovey dovey,
I ain’t got time for that now

Now, you might wonder why the hell I'm not extremely worred at this point, given my strict vow of cowardice (but I only strictly follow the One Commandment). During my stay here in the summer of 2004, I reckon I picked out that blasé expat attitude that most long-term residents here in KTM have. A Maoist blockade of the valley, riots following the senseless killing of Nepali workers in Iraq, and a shoot on sight curfew in which I walked (about 45 minutes to an hour) to the airport, has left me somewhat distanced from fear. Then again, I had some nervous moments walking back from the airport, especially since Ryan left me abruptly (long story, but thanks again Ryan!).

Transmit the message, to the receiver,
Hope for an answer some day
I got three passports, a couple of visas,
You don’t even know my real name

I haven't received any panicked emails yet from relatives, but I still need to email my birth mother. The funny thing is that I really was more nervous the times that I went to Times Square or any crowded area in Manhattan during 2002-2005. I hope, however, that the government doesn't decide to cut off communications from the outside world like after February 1st, 2005.

High on a hillside, the trucks are loading,
Everything’s ready to roll
I sleep in the daytime, I work in the nightime,
I might not ever get home

I know some people that have decided to leave. They should do what they need to do to feel safe, but I hope we see them back here soon. I hope I don't get pulled out by the U.S. government, but then, I'm much more invested in living and working here. I like KTM, and I always wanted to live here for a while, ever since I was about 19 or so. KTM has always been THE city of exotic allure for me, and it hasn't worn off yet.

This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco,
This ain’t no fooling around
This ain’t no Mudd club, or C.B.G.B.,
I ain’t got time for that now

No more late night pub crawls in Thamel for the near future. Apparently, there is a semi-official curfew from midnight to 4 a.m. (according to today's Himalayan). If I want that bombed out post-apocalpyse developing country drinking ambiance with trash fires burning to warm the beggers and military police carrying assault rifles at 2 a.m., I'll have to wait. Not that I've ever done that.

Heard about Houston? Heard about Detroit?
Heard about Pittsburgh, PA?
You oughta know not to stand by the window
Somebody might see you up there

I've heard gunfire quite a bit when I lived in Lowest Greenville in Dallas. (This, by the way, was the best neighborhood I've ever lived in. Just across the street was a Whole Foods, the best Thai restaurant ever and a whole host of other great things was in walking distance. It's too bad that Dallas in general is Black Line Big Hair Hell). So, gunfire itself doesn't worry me, stray bullets on the other hand, do cause me some concern. Then again, I didn't see someone get shot to death like my ex-girlfriend Tanya did in Dallas.

I got some groceries, some peanut butter,
To last a couple of days
But I ain’t got no speakers, ain’t got no
Heaphones, ain’t got no records to play

So we wait. It's bizarre that I was listening to viola da gamba solo music when this happened. A bit of the old Nero fiddlin' while Rome burns vibe, but I was ailing and trying to get my stomach right. At dinner on Friday night, Suzanne and I met some extremely long-term residents of KTM, and she asked their opinion of the situation. They shrugged and replied that they're stocking up. So are we. There is a natural gas shortage here, and the Maoists have declared a six day bandh. That's an extremely long time for a bandh, and unfortunately, the poor are the ones that suffer due to the shops being closed.

Why stay in college? Why go to night school?
Gonna be different this time
Can’t write a letter, can’t send a postcard,
I can’t write nothing at all

Actually, I am now facing a hard deadline of March 1st for two draft chapters of my disseration. Teacher James has graciously agree to read and critique my dissertation proposal, and since he's a sharp guy, I should be getting excellent feedback. We're currently experiencing rolling blackouts due to the energy shortage here, so hopefully I'll have enough juice to get this done.

This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco,
This ain’t no fooling around
I’d like to kiss you, I’d love you hold you
I ain’t got no time for that now

Actually, civil war in a developing country is like a time-lapse war. Not for the poor souls suffering out in the countryside, but here in KTM, the only signs are more and more refugees pouring into the city, a massive building boom to try and accomodate them, and frenzied political rallies that I avoid at all costs. Fortunately, Bouddha is far away from most places that have rallies, except Chabahil up the main road a bit.

Trouble in transit, got through the roadblock,
We blended with the crowd
We got computer, we’re tapping phone lines,
I know that ain’t allowed

I hope, for the sake of the country and the people, that all of this resolves peacefully. I have the disturbing intuition that we're heading for some sort of climax, an intuition that most long-term residents here scoff at. I think they're inured to thinking any other way, given their commitments to living, working, and studying here. I also selfishly want to be able to go to Dolpo sometime this summer and visit Dawa at the village where he teaches. Shawn might make that trip with me, and we'll make it "Razor's Edge" style cuz that's how we do.

We dress like students, we dress like housewives,
Or in a suit and a tie
I changed my hairstyle, so many times now,
I don’t know what I look like!

Incidentally, I've been asked by three Nepalis, once quite confrontationally, if I am a Muslim. I suppose the beard does it. Amish-type beard must be THE major signifier for male Muslimness.

You make me shiver, I feel so tender,
We make a pretty good team
Don’t get exhausted, I’ll do some driving,
You ought to get some sleep

I suppose I'm be sleeping less once things start on January 20th with the enormous political rally that the seven major political parties are holding. Supposedly 500,000 people will be protesting. Needless to say, I'll be holed up here in Bouddha awaiting developments.

Get you instructions, follow directions,
Then you should change your address
Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day,
Whatever you think is best

With the election that the main political parties are boycotting on February 8th and the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the Maoist "people's war" on the 15th of February, I might be forced to change my residence. I wonder if the Fulbright folks will be take me all the way out or allow me to go to India. If I go to India, then I face the noisome burden of deciding where the hell I'll go and work. I think Suzanne is going to Dharamsala, which should be habitable by the end of February (it's cold up there right now). Sarnath is another choice, so is Bir, but damnit, I've got everything arranged here: good Sanskrit and Tibetan tutors, a great living situation, and research opportunities galore. It's petty of me to whine, but I hate to pack, and I enjoy observing Newton's 1st Law (The Law of Inertia): "Unless acted upon, a body at rest stays at rest, and a body in motion stays in motion." Always have, always will.

Burned all my notebooks, what good are
Notebooks? they won’t help me survive
My chest is aching, burns like a furnace,
The burning keeps me alive

So, here, finally, is a longish blog entry. I have plenty of ideas, and maybe I've have the impetus, the time, and the energy to keep up the pace in the coming days. It's sure to be exciting, and I wonder if there is a Tibetan proverb that parallels the pseudo-Chinese curse/proverb, "May you live in interesting times." More on Tibetan proverbs later, since they form a major part of my modern Tibetan lessons.

Try to stay healthy, physical fitness,
Don’t want to catch no disease
Try to be careful, don’t take no chances,
You better watch what you say

Well, I'm off to purchase some Azithromycin. Hopefully, that's unknot my stomach because the Ayurvedic remedies don't seem to be making a dent in whatever has taken up lodging in my stomach. If this entry seemed forced, well, that's the nature of art. Besides, you can blame Suzanne for encouraging me to blog more.