Michelle's Reflections | iwencanada.com

Dearest.... Well I am presently in Bangalore.  The Bangalore conference is an annual event, which gathers all the persons responsible for the hundreds of Neo-Catechumenal parish communities throughout Nepal, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.  I will be returning to Kathmandu to fly back to Canada on August 27th. Today is May 31st and the community's spiritual itinerant conference starts June 1st..  I left KTM with a lot of apprehension since attending this conference may shift the direction of my life somewhat... God only knows and the devil ain't sure.... as I am not sure where these 10 days of retreat will lead me.... but I have missed this meeting for the past 2 years due to health reasons... so now I am here and doing my best to be open... the Serenity Prayer is what I am saying.... courage to make the changes that I can....  Since March 16th I have been in Kathmandu.  Much has happened and yet the most important thing has not happened. I left KTM in a very sad state of affairs... the Nepalese Constitution was supposed to be promulgated on May 27th.  The Constitution has been 4 years in the making and has cost millions.Unfortunately this didn't happen due to the political parties not coming to any agreement.  May has been the month of constant strikes and demonstrations and the Western end of Nepal was shut down for more than 2 weeks resulting in many deaths because the sick could not reach hospitals. KTM was a mess with demonstrations, some car burning etc...etc...  I cannot believe how tolerant Nepalese are in general... while many were holding "Harmony Rallies" others were closing off roads in protest since their demands of ethnic states were not being fulfilled.  The Tharu in the south mid west want their own state... This is the community we work with in Lamahi Dang... All of this political upheaval is due to a few hundred years of repression where power resided comfortably in KTM... However my heart aches when I see how the common man and woman is affected...As I said many times the only predicable thing about Nepal is its unpredictability.   When I see how the common people suffer due to these strikes I would love that these politicians take the place of the food venders for a week!   As far as the IWEN work went all is well... The classroom build was a success with the volunteers being well pleased.  I caught giardia, a naughty little parasite while in Dang but 8 huge yellow pills zap it right out of my body.  Besides that just catching up with friends, attending my spiritual community meetings and having a cold half beer once in awhile has kept me very busy.  Nura's wedding my almost adopted daughter was in April as well. Hindu weddings last about a week long so there were many obligations that needed fulfilling... but it was worth it to see her so happy with her husband, a long time high school sweet heart. I could write probably another 5 pages... my senses this time around have been literally assaulted... KTM has started a road expansion project... Most roads are lanes... and the gov't has requested all home owners to tear down their brick walls which of course were built on city land... so there isn't a road in KTM that there aren't huge piles of bricks and dirt over which we drive.... quite interesting in the end... so with that note I leave for my retreat... please say a prayer... The full moons have been beautiful and I have thought of you muchly even if this is a group email.... I just seem to run out of time... I surely will be late for my own funeral....  do take care.. and I will write soon ... michelle