The Non-Complaining Nepali Citizen

In my previous blogpost, I was given a comment saying that we bloggers have started to complain too much on Parakhi.

So just to prove my reader wrong, I have decided to show the world how much of a non-complaining Nepali citizen I actually am. But are you ready for the real version of me?

Ahhem…the cold wind slaps me gently every morning, heavy trucks blowing misty fumes into my lungs. The sight of garbage piled high at every corner is a site I would not dare miss daily. Waiting in long lines at the telephone office or the electricity authority office to pay bills for the telephone services and electricity that we don’t get much of brings me to the sweet realization of how insignificant I am. I feel like a such a philanthrope whenever I realize I’ve bought the same pair of jeans at a shop at New Road at double the price my friend paid for them. Realizing that a supermarket sold me chocolates that have date expired last month gives me a sense of fulfillment – like I’m relieving the earth of its burdens by consuming something that has otherwise gone to waste.

I also feel a great sense of camaraderie with the motorcycle riders in Kathmandu who feel such an intense bond with me that they always want to ride close to me, to my right and to my left. I cannot tell you how protected it makes me feel. In summer, whenever it rains, and cars race through puddle ridden streets, I thank the heavens for giving me a cool swimming pool experience for free in the sweltering heat.

Okay, are you kidding me? I could build you a pyramid by piling up my complaints as a Nepali citizen living in a god forsaken city such as Kathmandu. I admit that Nepali people have a knack for using their vocal chords and mouths beyond any other body part. But at times I find it almost necessary to vent out my frustration, to whine and fuss and complain because most of the time, there is nothing else I can do to change things.

And yet I’ll tell you this. All the complaining about reality can keep me miserable and make me hate where I am unless I choose otherwise. I feel I have, like everyone else around me, learned to maneuver through the dirt and muck of Kathmandu, to wade through it all and look into the good bits. There’s always something worthwhile lurking behind the obvious gloom and grime. And happiness is a lotus that blooms in the scum filled city. So find it, pick it and let it fill your day.

Ms. Sumi teaches English to high school students. When she isn’t in the classroom, she likes to read novels, write poems, and spend time in the kitchen. She is also a great appreciator of wildlife and considers spiders, cockroaches and leeches as some of her favorite insects.

http://www.parakhi.com/blogs/2011/12/29/the-non-complaining-nepali-citizen