Firefly hostel in Kathmandu was filled with the most
interesting characters around. I felt that I was the only genuine traveller
among all the other do gooders. Everyone seems to be working on some sort of
project or another or volunteering their time every now and then for the
Nepalese cause. I felt guilty the first day, that I was there in Nepal to enjoy
myself to travel and see Nepal hardship and the people who survives, the
authentic Nepal since all the other wuss tourist will not come back so soon.
The second day thou I did not feel so guilty anymore.
The people was interesting in character but looking closely
and listening to them talk all day about the holy aura and the spiritual
release from helping all these poor Nepalese victims makes me wonder whom are
they really helping. Themselves or the Nepalese victims.
Some were genuine and
I respect them for it but they are a dime a dozen. The few that actually makes
a different hides in the hostel where you could barely see them, waking up in
the early morning to get out and make a difference while the rest boast of
their good will achievement.
Into the Characters
No one could stand Leahcim. Leahcim from the USA – LA was an
alcoholic that seems to be an expert in anything. He works for the NASA, NSA,
CIA, a Finance expert, Engineer, Lawyer so and so. I have to say that he was a
good talker. A salesman of the highest quality if only he was not trying too
hard and making things up as he goes. One soon realized he was always beating
around the bushes around technical things beyond the TV knowledge. I avoided
speaking to him after 5 minutes.
Do you want money?
No ( My auto defence kicking in for it sounded like a start
of a con artist trick )
Why don’t you want money? Give me your money then I will use
it to save Nepal said Leahcim.
I pity the people who genuinely believe Leahcim, the damage
he will drag them into would take years to be repaired. The not so well
educated Nepalese workers in the hostel and some travellers from India was
mesmerized by him so much that they had sit down meetings and discussion during
the day about how to change the constitution of Nepal to save it.
Like someone once told me …. Some people should not be
allowed to own a passport.
Then there was the druggies. There was about three of them I
think but could have been more. Mickey, Drug-Mikial, and JD. Every evening I
did not go without the perfect scent of marijuana. My constant rolling of
cigarettes was mistaken as weed and people keep asking me for a hit only to be
disappointed when there was no weed in it. Soon I was left alone in my own
corner smoking and observing the zoo like character in the hostel.
Remember what I said about everyone seems to be
Volunteering? Everyday one could wake up in the morning and just decide to
Volunteer and the next maybe skip if one is too drunk for it. The hostel had a
system to send volunteer where they are needed. I thought it was a cool thing
to do till I found out what they were doing.
One fine day a lot of volunteer woke up in the morning and
was driven to a village to dig a big pit to make a swimming pool. I later found
out that the swimming pool would eventually belong to the hostel owner up and
coming guesthouse. If only one would think that a swimming pool is a luxury
item instead of something that is really needed by the village.
Another story I heard was told by Mickey. A group of them
got so high one night and decided that the next day they were going to go to a
school and help teach English. I thought they were just joking around but they
actually did woke up and went to the school and tried to teach English. Mickey
came back midday and was furious with the security guard that would not allow
him and any of the group to enter the school grounds.
Their lack of knowledge of how to speak the local language
Nepalese did not help with explanation to the guard. Mickey could not believe
that his folks were turned away, that these poor uneducated Nepalese kids in
school was not being taught properly. He was offended when the guard with his
lack of English language said to him
Go home, your help is not required.
How could our help be not required Mickey ranted in the
hostel. I felt that it was for the best that these kids learn from somebody
else. A 20+ spoilt brat from abroad that only commits one day to teach would do
more harm than good.
I considered volunteering many times even before I reached
Nepal. Being in Nepal made me realized that I don’t want to do it anytime soon.
To volunteer means requiring more sacrifice than just a few months of your
life. A commitment more scare than a marriage or a vow to god.
If one volunteer to feel good of oneself than it will do
more harm than good.
If one volunteer for he feels pity or remorse for others it
will do more harm than good.
For excessive help will only cause people to be dependent on
others. One can already see the side effects of the many volunteer and money
funded for the Nepalese victims. Do they need help??? Yes … the question is
will your help have a long lasting impact on their morals and way of living.
Nobody knows.
I am becoming heartless one could say. I feel no pity nor
pain in the suffering of others. I feel their loss but at the same time do not
feel the need to help them for I see there is no need to. Walking around
Kathmandu I saw all the ruins and fallen rubble and the local people banding
together to clear them up, tear them down and some even rebuilding.
The effort warms my heart for I see no volunteers among
them. One should built his own home and future with his own hands and not rely
on others. One Genuine Volunteer was Sahara from South Africa which was doing
clearing up works. She said that the local government do not allow any
volunteers to go into ruin buildings to tear them down for it is unsafe. Only
after the locals has bring it down do they allow the volunteers to sort out the
rubble. Make sense I thought. While I explain the danger to her about semi
fallen buildings and ways of demolishing it she realized it was more dangerous
than she initially thought. I do hope she does well.
She was one of the very few that was genuinely helping out
the locals. The crucial things that needed to be done before rebuilding, which
was brute hard physical labour of clearing the rubble. She did it every day,
waking up every morning for the last 3 months I think.
Some other projects are even more bizaar than the rest. If
you think about it why is it, that there is always a new hut build out of
bamboo and mud bricks everyday. Asanam was telling me of how they all went out
to the village and built the huts for them. Where did they sleep before you
came and built that hut? One will come to realized that not all of Nepal is in
ruins. The over excessive volunteer that flood the place after the earthquake
just prone the locals to abuse the goodwill by making these volunteers do
things that are not really crucial.
Do they really need it ??? Maybe not but how do you turn
down free help? Give them something to do I guess, make them feel wanted for
they are the few visitors now in Nepal after the earthquake with spending money
since the tourist are gone.
From my point of view … what these people really need is a
donation of jackhammers, excavators, dump trucks and portable generator. The
brute force labour of breaking concrete with a sledge hammer is just not
productive. Giving 10 hand of volunteer I think one jackhammer will make much
more progress than any time wasting activity.
The motto of Nepal now is “We will rise again” and I believe
they will with or without the help of volunteers.
