Written Oct 6, 2006
A few weeks ago, two young women stopped by the store, they said they were missionaries and were selling some jewelry to raise money. I knew immediately that one was Nepali, the other Thai and also that they were from the unification church. After they got over their shock, we had an interesting discussion about Minnesota, the troubles in Nepal, and where they weren't staying ;-)
The unification church has always struck me as so incredibly opportunist, they are like a giant multi-national corporation, they take advantage of all they can. During the war in Angola, they converted a Portuguese soldier who was also a musician and brought him to Boston. The house I used to live in on Beacon Hill was very close to the Unification church's headquarters there which was also the residence at the time of the Korean Ballet and the Go World band. I suppose my friend from the Unification Church never tried to convert me because I too lived in a religious residence, although I was not religious.
Where I am right now is the closest I have felt to being "home" in over 23yrs.
In some ways I have a few previous lives, my family knows as do some of my close friends. The few people who I let into my house maybe have an inkling if they recognize the signs, but then maybe not.
September 23, 2006 CST US
10:50:02 AM s: morning
10:50:20 AM t: morning
10:51:19 AM s: a helicopter with wwf and other ngos went down in Nepal, I am just checking the passenger list
10:51:38 AM s: http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/sep/sep23/news07.php
10:53:53 AM s: looks okay if its accurate, only know of one of them maybe-its a common name.
10:54:09 AM t: hope it is someones else
10:54:15 AM s: okay for people in my life, not okay for the ones who maybe lost
10:54:33 AM s: I was looking to make sure not B or M
10:55:19 AM s: the ngo community is not that big in Nepal, nor is the journalist one
10:56:20 AM s: there is the funniest ad on nepalnews
10:57:23 AM s: "at 18 you came to America alone, now you are scared to fly through dehli" its for an airline LOL
10:57:34 AM t: lol
11:00:23 AM s: looks like world wildlife federation may have lost their top conservation people
11:00:51 AM sc: the directrs of uk and us were on that helicopter
11:01:17 AM t: helicopters do not allways kill people when they go down...
11:01:29 AM t: a lot depends on the skill of hte pilot
11:01:41 AM t: even if the engine quits, they can still auto rotate down
11:01:44 AM s: no, but its in a remote area in the mountains (ie real mountains)
11:01:59 AM s: the rescuers are having to walk in, also bad weather
11:04:08 AM s: I remember climbing mt Washington with B. and his asking where the mountain was when we got to the top, he said we hadn't even climbed a foothill!
11:04:31 AM s: foothills in Nepal are maybe 17000 ft
11:04:45 AM s: I hope they are all okay
11:05:42 AM t: won't know until they find them
During this conversation my mind was thinking, they are dead, they are all dead*.
Yesterday I was going through through my junk mail folder on my old email address which I have had for a long long time... I was moving emails from my dad and a certain sock to my inbox while glancing at the spam and deleting it.
For a fleeting moment before I deleted I saw an English first name with Nepali last name, I thought how interesting spam is now using Nepali names.
I was musing that the particular last name is of someone from an ethic group that is maybe 3% of Nepal's population, at most 300,000 people, when I realized it probably wasn't spam and dug it out of the trash. It wasn't spam, it was sent to many people which is why it ended up in the junk folder.
This was what it said:
"Dear respected friends, colleagues and family of my father,
As you have most likely heard by now, my father was on the helicopter that crashed in Taplejung on the 23rd of September. His funeral took place within the week, however, in accordance with Gurung tradition, a bigger and more important funeral ceremony – the "Arghun" is scheduled to take place on the 13th, 14th and 15th of October at his house in Dhapasi.
This ceremony is a three-day ritual. On the first day, the spirit of the departed is invited back, on the second, there are conversations with the spirit – accomplishments are recited and on the third day, the spirit is made to understand that although there are loved ones remaining, the ancestors are waiting and it is time for the spirit to leave. I doubt I have captured all of the significance but it is the most important ritual for Gurungs and unique to them as well.
You are all welcome to the ceremony and I'm sure my father would be very happy if you could attend. To those who need to fly across the globe I hope this email comes in time to purchase the ticket. There will be hotels listed and tariffs for your benefit (see below). We hope to have some sort of accommodation at the house but it will be limited."
It is strange reading names I haven't seen in a very long time mixed with a few with whom I am still in contact. A small world too, as some of the names I have known in separate ways from the others.
Another time, a very different, simpler life.
We all wanted to change the world, some of us did, some of us still can, 24* who did are gone now.
*They were all dead-this was another one of those times when I hate being right
Friday, October 6, 2006
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