This is something new. This is something different. This is Darjeeling. It’s about as far from Birganj as I could go without leaving the subcontinent.
It’s India, but Nepali is the language, even as saturated with English and Hindi as it is. I’m starting to understand why people from Quebec call themselves French-Canadians. Here, people might [...]
Another night in a hotel room and I’m suddenly missing my flat in Birganj.
I’ve been in Kathmandu (Thamel, actually, which is the tourist district) for four nights. I’ll be away from Birganj for almost a week more before I get back to teaching and facing the devils who are my students.
Two weeks ago in Birganj [...]
In Birganj there’s a sizeable Sikh population, especially in my neighborhood. Sikhism is a religion sprouting from Hinduism, reflecting some Island, in a brief (and debatable) synopsis. I knew Sikhism by two things: knives and hair. Sikhs carry a knife (a kirpan that they carry with them.
The knife is symbolic of the warrior heritage of [...]
A few days ago I received my Begin to Learn Nepali Language booklet and audio cassette. I’ve realized quite suddenly that I’m going to be learning a foreign-foreign language. Perhaps it should be renamed, Learn to Speak Nepali in Your Wildest Dreams.
There’s some handy phrases in book (apparently to be used), such as:
Are there poisonous [...]
