Little Victories

There was an interesting article in the paper last week entitled “Defying Darkness.”  It discussed a group of 9 blind people who live and work together as street musicians around popular areas of KTM, as this is the only way for them to make (somewhat of) a living.  Some days they make 300 Rupees each (which converts to $3 USD), and some days they don’t make anything.  They discuss the trials and tribulations of being ostracized from their families because of their blindness, as well as the difficulty they have in crossing streets and navigating the city.  This makes me feel a little better knowing that it’s not just me having a hard time getting around here, but then it makes me feel worse because this is their country, and they have a right, and a need, to have accessibility and independence.  According to the article, there are more than 95,000 blind and visually impaired people in Nepal, and only 386 of them are gainfully employed.  386!  That’s only 0.4% (the employment rate in the United States among this population is 36.8% – still a low number)!  There are no government programs, such as vocational training, available for them, and access to education is lacking, as only around 1000 of these individuals have received secondary education.  It makes me glad for the support people with disabilities DO have in the United States, but even our system still has a long way to go.  While there are many, many issues that need to be addressed in Nepal by the government, I sincerely hope that they will keep people with disabilities on their radar and begin fixing some of these major discrepancies and inequalities.

After reading this article, I decided I had been here long enough that it was time for me to become more independent, so last Monday I did something huge.  I left the volunteer house, turned left and walked the 20 yards down the alley to Yogesh’s shop on the corner…alone.  Yes, any 3 year old could probably have done this, but as I have said before, I don’t go anywhere by myself here.  The road conditions, the insane traffic, and my lack of confidence have all kept me in the safety zone of always being with someone else (and always someone who knows I need a little extra help).  I was meeting my friend Leiben there, but he runs on Nepali time (always late), so I was a little nervous going by myself, primarily because it has been hard to articulate to some of our other Nepali friends the extent of my visual impairment.  So all I could think about was if Leibs isn’t there yet and I go by myself, what if some of our other friends are there and I walk by them or don’t say hi because I don’t see them?  And then they think I’m being rude or weird, but they don’t understand why?  And actually, let’s talk about the alley for a minute.  It is above a sewer, has about seven random, uneven concrete slabs which are separated by giant cracks/holes, and at the end is a ramp which, if you don’t make it all the way up and if you turn too quickly, you will basically fall off the edge of a very steep step.  And just at the top of the ramp is a pole to the right (where I have to turn to get to Yogesh’s), so if I didn’t already know it was there, I could run smack into it.  Luckily, Leibs was there waiting for me outside at the end of the alley (he understands about my blindness, but he couldn’t come up to the house to get me because we have been told not to bring our Nepali guy friends around, even though they all know where we live since they are all friends with Yogesh), so it was fine, and we had a lovely time together, as usual.  Once again, I stressed myself out over the short jaunt for no reason, but it really was a big deal to finally go somewhere by myself here.  It felt so liberating!  Ever since, I have had no qualms about heading to Yogesh’s by myself, although I usually go after dinner when it is dark out and I can see better. 

A few days after that, I made the first trip to Thamel sans Devon, Bijaya or Santos.  I was with Liz, Shree, and Andrea, none of whom I had walked with before (without Devon).  Even though it’s pretty rare for Devon and I to go anywhere without each other (don’t worry, she met us at the restaurant we were headed to, so we weren’t separated for too long), it was another step forward in my independence here in KTM.  The next night, I walked with just Shree and Andrea to the Funky Buddha in Thamel, where neither of them had been before, and I was able to direct us there easily, which was super exciting to know that I am able to finally use my awesome directional skills in some parts of this crazily confusing city!

By Saturday, I got brave enough to walk with a Nepali friend (one with limited English and limited understanding of my vision) from Thamel to Yogesh’s…in the daylight, when it is especially difficult for me to see, and it went perfectly fine.  I’m sure a huge reason is the fact that after almost 2 months of walking back and forth along this same stretch, I am pretty familiar with the route, I know where the more treacherous parts of the street are and I know when we get to the quieter part of our street, where I feel pretty safe and confident.

These little victories might sound incredibly minute, but for me, they were encouraging and empowering.  In a city that I have come to love, despite feeling limited and sometimes helpless, these few incidents have helped show me that I will be able to make anything work, no matter where I am, and no matter who I am with (or without).