Landing in Nepal

I made it to Kathmandu!  And boy, have the past two months been an adventure.  I can't wait to share more soon!

Hollywood Meets Washington

It has been a remarkable year for movies.  Life of Pi, Lincoln and Searching for Sugar Man were among my favorites, along with Argo and Buzkashi Boys. In recent days, these two latter films crept into my Washington quotidian in a special way.

I had the opportunity to attend a talk by one of the Americans whose dramatic escape from Iran inspired the movie Argo.  Kathleen Stafford was one of six U.S. Embassy staff who narrowly escaped hostage, and spent 80 days in hiding with Canadians.  Stafford managed to flee Iran posed as a Canadian film crew member.  She recounted her story--which was as nail biting as the movie--and shared details of the fulfilling life that followed, as an artist and in various countries with the Foreign Service.  Stafford amusingly told us how she, too, was holding her breath while watching Argo, hoping they would make it off of Tehran’s tarmac!

Last week, I also attended a special viewing of the Oscar-nominated Afghan short film, Buzkashi Boys.  It was an enchanting tale with talented young actors, as you will see in the trailer.

The main actors, Fawad Mohammadi and Jawanmard Paiz, are now 14 and 15-years-old, respectively.  I had the pleasure to hear them and Buzkashi Boys producer, Ariel Nasr, speak after our viewing of the movie at the Foreign Service Institute.  They toured the country and attended the Academy Awards, returning to Afghanistan the day after I saw them speak.

The boys charmed the audience with their warmth and witty replies to our questions.  Paiz (pictured in the middle) has at a young age already acted in five movies.  When asked how it felt to be on the Red Carpet, he said it was a lifelong dream come true, and playfully added that, "we have many red carpets at my home in Afghanistan!"

Mohammadi (second from left) had a more unusual path to stardom, that began on Kabul's Chicken Street.  This is where he would hang out after school and sell maps to help his family get by.  Through this experience he picked up English and French, and his charismatic personality warmed the hearts of locals and expats alike.  His reputation on Chicken Street was how he got his big break to star in Buzkashi Boys and travel to America.  The boys had a memorable experience in the United States, although they admitted they preferred Hollywood over Washington!

I am often inspired by the power of the human story, how individual lives go global as history and art intermingle.  Argo and Buzkashi Boys made waves well beyond the buzz of the box office.  The best stories always succeed in doing this.

Inauguration Weekend

Inauguration weekend in Washington, D.C. is a special time to celebrate U.S. history and revel in our country's diversity.  My weekend has been no exception.  It started off with an Inaugural and Vasilica Masquerade Party at the Macedonian Ambassador's residence, organized by the United Macedonian Diaspora.  I was not about the miss the opportunity to kick off Inaugural weekend alongside some of my favorite returned Peace Corps buddies!  The event was also a celebration of the Macedonian Orthodox New Year (according to the Julian calendar).  Party-goers wore masks in celebration of Vasilica, a 1,400-year-old tradition in Macedonia with Pagan and Christian influences.

The next day, when I heard the nearby drums of a pow-wow, I stumbled upon a truly unique event right outside my apartment building.  It turns out that the American Indian Society of D.C. organized an Inaugural reception, pow wow and craft fair, open to the public.  I was happy to not have missed this opportunity to participate and learn more about the special relationship American Indians have built with President Obama.  I was explained that Obama promised to strengthen ties with the American Indian community before his presidency began, and that as President he meets with tribal leaders annually.  In 2008, Obama was honorarily adopted by the Crow Nation and Black Eagle family, and given the name Awe Kooda bilaxpak Kuuxshish ("One Who Helps People Throughout the Land").  The above painting was created by Bunky Echohawk.

The next day I went to a Mongolian hair-cutting ceremony!  In Mongolian culture, a baby's first haircut is a unique rite of passage with spiritual significance. Here I am partaking in baby Landon's hair-cutting ceremony, or milaan.  The ceremony falls on an auspicious date in every Mongolian toddler's life, usually between the ages of 2 and 4 (the date is determined by the lunar calendar). Each guest cut a strand of Landon's hair using a pair of scissors wrapped in blue ribbon, and blessed Landon with wishes for his future.  I could not help but also capture a picture of the food, since Ugie had a sumptuous variety of Mongolian, Russian and other international delights waiting for guests!

This weekend was capped off with an unforgettable morning on the National Mall...

Inauguration and Martin Luther King Day is a time to reflect on our shared values, our progress as a nation, and the responsibilities that lie ahead.  President Obama's Inauguration speech was an inspiring call to action, and he ended it with moving words: "Let each of us now embrace, with solemn duty and awesome joy, what is our lasting birthright. With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history, and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom."

Getting ready for Kathmandu...

I have a great deal of catching up to do, but as some of you know, I will be moving out to Kathmandu, Nepal in July 2013.  This will be my first tour in the U.S. Foreign Service, and although I have never been to Nepal, I agree with the frequent chorus of voices that gush about how lucky I am to be heading to Nepal!  Currently I am intensively studying the Nepali language and learning about South Asia's rich cultural and religious diversity.

In this picture I am wearing a bakhu, a traditional silk wrap dress worn in the Himalayas.  Here are some more photos of the enriching educational journey that I embarked on last summer...

We recently visited a Hindu temple in Maryland, and were warmly received by Hindu community leaders and members.  I also learn about Buddhism: Siddhartha Gautama was born in present-day Nepal, and the religion plays a distinctly important role in the country.  On another prior field trip, we visited Washington's Islamic Center and also learned about Islam.  These three religions are all represented in Nepal (according to a 2001 census and the U.S. Government's World Factbook, Nepal's population is 80.6% Hindu, 10.7% Buddhist and 4.2% Muslim).  I have heard that Hindu and Buddhist traditions often intertwine in Nepal, and they play an important role in everyday life.

My classmates, teachers and I designed this display to share information about Nepal's Tihar festivities. Dashain and Tihar are two Hindu festivals that fall each year in Nepal in September or October.  Dashain is a 15-day long ceremony in Nepal, and the country's largest and most auspicious holiday.   Tihar, or Deepawali, is a five-day long ceremony in Nepal that falls shortly after Dashain.  Each day of Tihar has special significance: crows are worhsipped on day one, dogs on day two, cows on day three, prosperity on day four, and the brother-sister relationship on day five.  Each day of Tihar is marked with unique celebrations, which I will have the opportunity to witness first-hand later this year!

It has been a delight to learn to speak Nepali, since it is such a rich language and my teachers are excellent.  I devote eight hours daily to my language studies.  Back in September we started off learning to read and write the Devenagari script, which I admit at first was a challenge!  Now we are at a level where we can discuss and read a wide variety of work-related topics, pertaining to diplomacy, development, education, tourism and...you guessed it...mountain-climbing!  One of my favorite linguistic discoveries so far is that the literal translation for adventure tourism in Nepali, साहसिक पर्यटन, is courageous tourism!

No kidding!

Learning my seventh language, fortunately, is not as perilous as this trekking photo atop Everest appears to be (brought to us by Brad Jackson, My Shot, and National Geographic).