Nepal

In 1996, a group called the Taliban took control of the country. They banned television, music, and movies! Girls were not allowed to go to school. Luckily, the Taliban have been defeated here in Kabul thanks to the United States. I am so excited about going to school. But my mother is worried about what to do with her burka. A burka is a head-to-toe covering with a little hole to see through. When the Taliban was in power, all women had to wear one. Women are nownot required to wear them, but some think that it is part of their religion and will choose to continue wearing them.

This morning mama sent me to the market to buy a loaf of bread. We are very lucky to have any food. Afghanistan usually has plenty of foods growing in the mountains. Rhubarb, currants, gooseberries and all sorts of nuts used to be grown here, but there has been a horrible drought - the worst one in decades. 25,000 kids died of hunger last year. My baby brother died. It has been ages since I had a piece of fruit- what I wouldn't give for an orange right now!

At least we have some meat from my brother's sheep that died. My brother is a shepard, and he rarely comes home. Many people who live in my country are shepards. Whenever my brother comes home, he brings his three dogs with him. The kind of dogs he has are called kuchi. They help him take care of his animals. One of them is as big as a small mule. He told me to stay away from them, for they will attack a man at sight.

My brother may not be a shepard much longer. He is going to get married. When you get married, you are divided from your fiancé by a curtain. Then the groom and other men leave the room. The bride is bathed and dressed at the break of dawn. Finally, the bride is brought to her husband.

You might be thinking, "What kind of religion has all these weird rules?" It's called Islam and the people who practice it are called Muslims.

Muslims have many other rules that we use to protect ourselves against evil spirits. If you look at the moon the third night of the new moon, you are supposed to have bad luck. If your right hand itches, it means something to do with money. You should never walk in front of a black cat, and if a pregnant woman touches her stomach during an eclipse, the baby will have a mark on it. My mother doesn't believe in that - she touched her stomach during an eclipse, when she had my baby brother, and nothing happened.

There are five pillars that all Muslims must obey. Here they are:

1. I must say, "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is a prophet," at least once a day.

2. I have to pray five times a day- at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and after the sun has set. Before I pray, I must wash myself, cover my head, and take off my shoes. Then I must kneel on a carpet and face Mecca, which is the birthplace of Mohammed.

3. I must care for the needy.

4. I must fast during Ramadan, the ninth month in the Muslim calendar. During Ramadan, I may not eat while the sun is down.

5. I must try to travel to Mecca at least once in my lifetime.

As you can see, it's not too easy to be a Muslim, but it's also not too easy being an Afghan. I hope you enjoyed learning about my life and that you understand my people better.

Nepalese like load shedding as there is no other options than liking it and this has been a familiar affair since several years. It is not due to lack of available resources as there are numerous ever flowing rivers that can generate huge hydro power to lighten up the whole country, and still be spare. From the rivers of Nepal, it has been estimated that up to 83,000 MW of hydro electricity can be generated. Visualize such an enormous potential exists but in reality it is limited only in the imaginations of Nepalese people. How much revenue the spare electricity can produce by selling it to neighboring countries and how much it can aid to overall national economy are still the questions that has not been analyzed or answered yet.

To this date, Nepalese are entertaining 14 hours of load shedding each day and is supposed to increase more, that's great. That means, Nepalese still have to suffer 10 hours of electricity every day and that is also available in odd hours, so cool. However, it is not much of concern to our so called leaders, bureaucrats, and rich and big citizens as they can fancy themselves with massive power generators and inverters and stay bright.How much nation's money has gone ashtray in buying those generators is the question that is better to bypass this moment. Coming to the average middle class Nepalese, they are also capable of having luxury of small inverters hence abiding the habit of staying quiet and being patient, no matter what. So, the remaining percentages of Nepalese i.e. the poorest of the poor are the ones that are entertaining load shedding at its best. They are so thankful to the government and electricity corporation and they don't have any words to praise them, such gratitude ness.

In today's world of blooming information technology, electronic gadgets and mass industrial production, to what extent this load shedding is allowing a Nepalese to contribute should be the matter of concern for every Nepalese. Going back to dark ages with candles, lantern, and kerosene light and fire, what legacy will Nepalese leave behind for their coming generations, every Nepalese head should now think about???

Namaste!!!