kathmandu

A short short story on opening a Nepali bank account

/ Neesha / 1 Comment
A woman in her late 30’s drinks lassi, no sugar, as the words of her companion prompt unexpected laughter.
Across the road Bank One sits with quiet menace. That is her mission for the afternoon, conquering that place, that building of glorified cash, to open her first Nepali bank account.

The “how to” rumours of dealing with the Nepali banking system vary from the typical red tape jumping of life to the downright ridiculous.

To get a Student Visa in Nepal you need to get a bank account, to get a bank account as a foreigner with Bank One you need a Student Visa or other resident visa status. Having a local guarantor makes no difference to the head of Customer Relations. Having documentation from your Government saying you have permission study doesn’t matter an iota. Explaining the contradictory manner of their policy which stops them having more foreign customers who want to bank with them, she gives not one tot.”No, it doesn’t and will not effect our business.”

A tautological discussion of this nature goes on for around 20 to 30 minutes. And after queuing for a good 30 minutes before this the woman is done. She kindly asks the Head Customer Service Officer one last time if there is a possible solution. “Yes, go, go to another Bank.”

The woman does. On the suggestion of another ex-pat the woman visit’s Bank Two and within 20 minutes has a bank account, a laugh with the staff taking her through the process and an assurance she will be looked after as other friends have said though they are a new bank they are okay.

All up just over two hours to open a bank account isn’t bad, actually it is down right good, but that conversation of circles with the Head of Customer Relations is telling of something amiss here.

But the woman doesn’t care, she has her bank account and is a step further in getting her visa to study arts for a few months. Leaving Bank Two she quietly wanders down the splashy humid streets to rejoin her companion.

Living on the moon – Melbourne vs Kathmandu.

/ Neesha / 1 Comment

Arriving in Australia to live ( abet temporarily) in one of the country’s most affluent suburbs after four months in Nepal is like moving to the moon.

In Toorak, one of the most wealthy suburbs of Melbourne ,Australian Tax Office figures (2010) indicate the average annual income hovers around $132252. In Nepal the average income, according to World Vision, sits around $200.  Rather astounding that on average one Toorak resident earns the same as 661 Nepali’s. This coincides with a huge disparity in population density. In Kathmandu 13,225 people live per square kilometer, urban Melbourne is light weight in comparison  with 2010 Australian Bureau of Statistics figures placing population density  at 530.

But this is nothing if you look at quality of life, various pollution indicators, working conditions, access to medical care and education. The comparisons are actually pointless. Toorak is alien to the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu and the political miasma that engulfs Nepal’s capital, that said Ted and his resignation shenanigans last night is a step in the right direction.

It can be challenging coming back into the developed world and seeing all the blatant abundance and people having far more than they actually need. Do you really need a car in Melbourne that can take on all terrains in siege conditions? If your children are at Geelong Grammar’s Toorak campus apparently you do. School pick up time is projectile money flung on asphalt.Is that much car necessary beyond the point you are shouting your wealth at everyone else on the road? Not only is that excessive in comparison to Nepal but also to the majority of Australian’s. Particularly in Victoria as the state officially entered recession this week.

But I am being judgmental.

There is something very nice staying in a  safe leafy suburb cushioned in comfort. I understand why people aspire to live like this. And I am very appreciative to the friend who has facilitated this time of luxury. It is a time out from the raw honesty of daily life in Nepal though vaguely surreal. A time to charge the batteries, no load shedding here.

But I say this knowing I will be back working and living in the Global South in two months. For me Toorak is the moon or Disneyland.This is not real life, is it?

Here I Am

/ Neesha / 2 Comments

I returned to Nepal late Monday evening after an epic 32 hours travelling  from Melbourne through Singapore and Delhi after a hectic few weeks  finishing up work,putting my life into boxes and selling off everything else. Since my arrival I have been feeling the upheaval that is intrinsic to selling up and relocating to another country. The things we do to follow our dreams…the emotional components of such a move cannot be underestimated. Suddenly I find myself exactly where I want to be, to do exactly what I want and the magnitude of it feels scary. Right but scary.

Therefore my first few days here have been slow, while my body recovers from the 3o plus odd hours of flying and transit, and while I emotionally get to grips with leaving behind the stability of conventional life in Australia. There have been some emotional moments, and while I mean to  predominantly write as a journalist and cover issues and stories I don’t feel my  personal experiences as part of some stories takes away from that premise.  I feel it adds to it. I am not a writer whom believes in the objective observer, in fact I vehemently deny it. What I experience and where I am adds to the fabric of the stories I will cover and what I discover here. But obviously alongside sound journalistic practice.

Journalistic objectivity rant over.

So here I am.

I arrived  from the airport to be greeted by my favourite Kathmandu dog, Baba, waiting in the alleyway for me. How did he know I would be arriving? But bloody lovely none the less.That wagging tail and bounding hello put such a smile on my face. Since Tuesday I have been drowning myself in sweet cups of dut chai ( milk tea) while scoffing veg momo’s with alarming amounts of achar ( pickle) between epic  naps and little wanders to meet up with friends and reconnect with this city I love.

The government’s road re-surfacing and widening campaign  – thanks to Chinese funds  – continues making certain parts of the city profoundly dusty with all my clothes taking on a shade which I am now calling infrastructure improvement brown. All the tourists this high season are wearing it so for once I am on point fashion wise. But the sky has been remarkably clear for this time of year and from my guesthouse rooftop I have sat and stared with barely contained glee as the moon rises over the Himalayas. A sight so beautiful it is hard to comprehend let alone express.

So yes, here I am. My life in Australia packed into one box,a bag and generously being looked after by friends back in Melbourne. And everything I need in a backpack.

I now carry my life….it is up to me.

Strike and you’re out

/ Neesha / Leave a comment

Today there is a bandh ( a general strike ) in the Lalitpur district to the south of Greater Kathmandu.Appointments have had to be cancelled and rescheduled twice over the last 24 hours as the bandh has been extended by another day and the people I was meeting are unable to leave the area. Anyone breaking bandh  can be dealt with severely – repercussions coming in the form of violence or other actions as deemed fit by supporters of whatever faction has declared the strike.

In bandh conditions all stores close, taxi’s cease to operate in affected areas ( as do private vehicles), tourist sites shut down and even hospitals can be closed – though those needing emergency care can sometimes get assistance if they manage to get an ambulance willing to break bandh conditions and those enforcing the strike to let them through. Curfews can also apply.

The current  bandh also effects the area’s of Pulchowk the home of the United Nations and a large number of INGO’s  and tourist attractions in Patan. The general strike has been declared to protest the re-settlement of  landless squatters from along the Bhagmati River to Sundarighat. Recently squatter tent homes along the Bhagmati River have been bulldozed by the government.

According to Nepal News;

 Normal life has been partially affected in Lalitpur district Sunday due to a shutdown enforced by enraged locals protesting against   the government’s plan to settle landless squatters at Sundarighat, Balkhu.
Demonstrators have enforced shutdowns in Lalitpur and clashing with the police since the past one month against the government plans to resettle the squatters evicted from encroached land in the Thapathali area at Sundarighat.

Arguing that settlement of evicted squatters in Sundarighat will have negative impact on its environment and tarnish its natural beauty, they have been demanding that the government shelve the settlement plan.

All shops and businesses in the main market center including educational institutions in Lalitpur remain closed since early morning today while both public and private vehicles stayed off the road due to fear of attacks by bandh organisers.

The government has started constructing 48 bamboo huts at Sundarighat for squatters who were evicted from Thapathali area two months ago to make way for an urban development project. Rs 2.2 million has already been released by the government for the purpose.

Private Higher Secondary Schools in the district also remained closed Sunday due to the bandh (strike) enforced by All Nepal National Independent Students Union- Revolutionary (ANNISU-R) demanding that foreign name of all private Higher secondary schools across the country should be replaced by Nepali one.

Bandh’s are particularly harmful to the local economy especially when prolonged and in the high season for tourism and volunteering. As it is Monsoon it is known as Volunteer season which deals with consistent but lower number of voluntourists. They also profoundly effect the ability to carry out the necessary functions of daily life in the developing nation such as access to food, services, medical care and clean water depending on location, season and availability. Freedom of movement  is also affected.

In the past bandh’s have been used to great effect by the Maoist movement. In 2009 the day before a general strike was called by the Maoist faction I witnessed 17 buses coming into Kathmandu from rural Nepal over a one hour period. It has been used as a mechanism to shut down huge swathes of Nepal until  political demands have been met by whatever party calls the strike.

In May the Far Western Region of Nepal was crippled by a 27 day bandh protesting the proposed division of Nepal provinces along ethnic lines as part of the new constitution. The constitution failed to be finalised  and currently Nepal is under a caretaker government with no confirmed election date.

Personally ,apart from the rescheduling of appointments and insane traffic  – as parts of the city’s transport system are unavailable- central Kathmandu at this stage is largely unaffected though that could change if the bandh becomes on-going or is extended across a larger part of the city.

But what to do, its Kathmandu, and bandh’s are part of life here.