August 24, 2002

Dear Friends,

Our first month in Nepal is already coming to a close. Our orientation and our Nepali language study are in full swing. We don’t have permanent housing yet, but hope to within the next two weeks. We did learn a few things during the past three weeks in Nepal and want to share them with you.

First, the good news is that we found the missing bags and all the contents were in the bags. Exactly one week after our arrival we received a message from Air France in Delhi, India, that one of the three bags was on its way to Nepal. There was still no information on the remaining two bags. When we went to the airport to retrieve the bag, we were asked whether the other bags were also plastic containers like the one we received. The manager said that we may have two more in the customs warehouse. It turns out the other two were sitting in the customs warehouse waiting for us. They arrived five days earlier via Bangkok with no accompanying paperwork. We just did not know that they were there, and wasted much physical and emotional energy searching for them. We did the search in most the efficient and effective manner and sought information from the people who should have all the information for our search, Air France. Our logic failed us. The bags were right here in Kathmandu while we were desperately talking with people in Delhi and Paris. When we went to retrieve the bag, we saw several rooms full of bags simply abandoned. How much wasted energy and anxiety they represent! We now know that in many other areas in our lives we go through the same experience, searching frantically while the answer is already next to us waiting to be claimed.

With the bags secured, we moved on to the search for housing. Typically UMN (United Mission to Nepal) missionaries rent an apartment in a house in which the owner’s family lives downstairs. We wanted respite from the noise and dust of Kathmandu and the houses we were shown were too dark, too noisy, or too dusty. We were proud to find some unique solutions. The Norwegian school in Kathmandu was experiencing a reduction in enrollment and wanted to return one of its buildings to the owner. We were offered a couple of classrooms that can be converted to an apartment. It was an opportunity to demonstrate our designer talent, and we came up with a design that we thought was quite good and the owner was pleased to accept. We were told that the conversion will take six weeks.

We were very happy to find a place that will be quiet at least during the night, and that has a convenient layout. When we presented our decision to the housing department at UMN, we were gently discouraged from going ahead with the plan.

We learned that the more realistic time frame is six months rather than six weeks, that we will be responsible for one half of the renovation costs, and that the rent will be based on the market value of the "renovated" apartment. Our logical protest against the double payment, renovation costs, and the higher rent was ignored under the "local custom."

Having learned that our one good idea was not really a good one, we enlisted help of Korean friends who have been in Nepal for several years and know the language and local practices. We asked at shops and spoke with acquaintances and saw several apartments. Some were way beyond our budget, some were uninviting, some were both. Finally we found one very clean apartment at a reasonable rent that we could move into immediately. We knew the apartment would rent quickly, so the next day we went to the housing office first thing in the morning and told them about the treasure we found. That afternoon, the UMN securities office rejected the choice because the owner turned out to be a high-ranking official in the police department. Normally that would be a good security feature, but at present the Maoist rebels are targeting government officials, and especially police officers, for pressure-cooker bomb attacks. UMN missionaries are not allowed to travel with government officials, let alone live with them.

Once we resigned to the fact that there is no quiet and clean place in Kathmandu within our budget ($110 per month), the very first house we saw (and rejected, due to noise, a small kitchen, and having only one bathroom) seemed a much better prospect than before. We decided to accept that place as our home for the next three years. We did go over our budget and settled on the best $133 per month apartment we could find. We consoled ourselves that home is what we make in a house. We hope the last minute repairs will be finished on time allowing us a "home" ground by the end of August. Once again, we learned that when God offers the best solution to us we are not able to see it because of our own priorities and the baggage we carry from our past.

Since we arrived with only four bags, we need to buy everything to set up a home. Well, that is a quick way to learn about the city and practice the phrase we know in a dozen languages. How much is it? (Kati parchha?) immediately followed by "too much!" (Mahango chha!). Almost everything is available in Kathmandu, and we will be able to set up home that would look familiar to the local folks.

We have also visited several churches, all on Sundays. Nepali Christians worship on Saturdays since most of them have to go to work on Sundays. English- and Korean-speaking churches meet on Sundays, and we are making second round of visits to find our spiritual home while in Nepal. Workwise, we are still in the first of a five-month orientation and language training program. Every week we have lectures and field trips to appreciate the culture and Christian life here.

We have learned about some very clear etiquette issues in Nepal. All the etiquette, however, seems to go out the window when riding in a crowded mini-bus. We ride these buses most of the time—converted vans which can comfortably sit 11 persons, but sometimes carry 21 during rush hours. It is hard to complain when each ride costs only 6 rupees (7 cents). Passenger cars are extremely expensive, however, due to the 155 percent import duty. We shopped for a car and were shocked to learn that a 1991 Toyota Corolla costs $20,000. The salesman’s repeated explanation that it is a fully equipped car did not lessen the shock. We are seriously considering a mini-mini-van from India with an 800cc (37 horsepower) engine which sells for $10,000 dollars, new! Of course this car does not have luxury options like heater, or rear seat belts, passenger side key holes and the like. Lack of air-conditioning means we need to keep windows closed in hot weather or wear gas masks!

We will let you know next month how things worked out. We wanted to tell you that our bags are with us, that we are adjusting to life in Nepal and are learning a bit more each day . Our language skills do not allow conversations, but we can greet people. Simon’s first attempt to say "How are you?" came out as "You don’t need it!" But the guard simply smiled and greeted us politely. Haejung reminded Simon that we can make mistakes even in our mother tongue; like when Simon was preaching in Korean and had the words "sex" and "spirit" mixed up.

We are once again realizing how much we depend on the help and goodwill of others to live each day. One major difference we notice is that we feel much less ashamed and stressed than when we first got to Congo. We must have grown quite a bit to accept the situations where we do not have control and cannot function on our own. Hope this is a sign that we are maturing as missionaries and our ability to understand the Nepali people who do not have much control over their lives even in their own country. We pray that we would live out the compassion of Jesus, and ask for your prayers.

Namaste!

Haejung & Simon