Blog One

What surprised you the most about Kathmandu?
~ ~ ~ I knew nothing about Nepal before arriving in Kathmandu. I hadn't even looked at pictures of the city once. I was surprised by a few urban development things. Something I noticed over time for example was how walkable the whole city was. Our first adventure to the National Museum seemed like a confusing walk that curved through neighborhoods and alleyways giving way to a few sweeping views of the nearby neighborhoods and communities. However, by the time I left Kathmandu, you could have dropped me in any location between Thamel and Kathmandu Dubar Square and I could have navigated you back to our hotel in 30 minutes or less. I also noticed all the rain barrels on top of the roofs all over the city and the solar panels that helped power street lamps. I noticed electric vehicles in the city as well but I was and still am curious about the electric grid infrastructure, as wires and all seemed in disarray and I never saw any electric vehicle chargers. There were mostly motorbikes on the road and oftentimes passengers didn't wear helmets which I found a little baffling but our tour guide explained to us, and I myself saw soon enough that the streets were crowded but fairly safe, I don't think I saw a single vehicle speed at all in Kathmandu.
How have you navigated having a gluten intolerance in this region?
~ ~ ~ I was curious and a little nervous about the gluten-free options in this region but I have found it pretty easy to navigate as a gluten-intolerant person who can handle cross-contamination. I was happy to find that dishes such as Idli and Dosas are naturally gluten-free and delicious! I also found that some packaged snacks included labels that indicated if they contained gluten. Most curries and meals are naturally gluten-free and wheat is not commonly used as a thickener in the cuisine in this region. In fact, we learned during a culinary lecture we attended on the 16th that wheat has existed as a crop in India for a long time dating back to the time of Mohenjo Daro. I did some light research and found that India is a major producer of wheat crops as well, which makes sense in their cuisine as things such as samosas, nann, and roti are all made of wheat flour. Yet I found that I wasn't missing out on much, except maybe Momos, a Nepalese dumpling that was a favorite among our dialogue group! Some of my favorite foods I have eaten during our trip include paneer, yogurt/mango curd, chatamari, barfi, and of course chickpea curries. We had the pleasure to have a unique experience with a chef who presented us with food crafted to reflect eth culinary history of India which was a dream come true! I enjoy watching a show on YouTube called Tasting History with Max Miller who crafts recipes based on ancient cookbooks and medieval manuscripts which was a similar process the chef underwent to prepare some of the meals we tasted on the 16th. I particularly enjoy the unique flavors of the sour, salty, and sweet blackberry sorbet, calm, nutty, poppyseed potatoes, and the sour punch of plum jam and mutton. I won't forget the experience of tasting so many delicious and historical dishes. I felt extremely thankful and genuinely enjoyed nearly every culinary item that was presented to me.
What was your most memorable experience on the trip so far?
In Kathmandu, we met students from the engineering college and got to know them during a day of lectures. We had so much fun with them that we stayed connected and decided to hang out the next day (our last full day in Kathmandu). Our friends wanted to take us to the monkey temple, otherwise known as Swayambhu, so we met up and walked around 30 minutes to the temple. The walk seemed to pass by quickly as we chatted about movies, music, school, and life. We turned a corner and reached the base of the stairs. I looked up to see a mountain of steps, and as we climbed the stairs statues and structures revealed themselves to us. When we reached the top the view of the entire city was stunning and jaw-dropping, and as the sun set, the city lit up and twinkled below us. We circled the Stupa and gawked at the charming monkeys playing and climbing all around the structure. It became late and we knew it was going to rain so we started the trek down the other side of the min. As we walked we came across a smaller stupa and a wishing well. We wished and tried to toss our coins into the small bucket in the middle of the pool and while I didn't make it, my friend did and he said that he had made a wish for us all. Then rain the clouds opened up and the heaviest most cathartic rain broke out. We ran down the street towards a temporary shelter, dancing, and jumping all the way. As we waited under cover for the taxis we called we huddled around singing songs from our favorite movies and thinking about the night we had. I won't forget such a night. It was the perfect, movie-like way to end my experience in Nepal. I only can hope to come back to Kathmandu one day and meet our friends again, the city and that night stole a piece of my heart forever.

Blog Two

I have been forced through this experience to learn much about myself, just as I have every time I take on a new experience or challenge. First of all no matter how much I like the people and energy of a city, I feel more purely happy in nature. Moving from Delhi to Leh, Ladakh felt like I was holding my breath and suddenly I was able to breathe again. The mountain air, the views, the peace, everything brought me back into a focused and prepared mindset. Reflecting on my habits I realized I tend to seek natural spaces when feeling stressed or thoughtful and it got me thinking about infrastructure. Why is there such a strong architectural divide between city spaces and more rural natural spaces, is it accommodating to density needs, poor urban planning to create such isolating building design? One lecture at TU in Kathmandu explained the hazards of globalization and standardization of architecture. Many western building techniques that were introduced to the region didn't serve the communities well, for example the addition of windows to buildings in Nepal doesn't really make sense for their climate, instead carved latticed openings did a much better job and allowed the elements to help cool and heat the buildings. The entire concept of creating of creating indoor environments was challenged. Unfortunately building techniques than stray from western standards are seen as 'undeveloped', a result of colonialism. At our hotel in Leh we have had a few leaking issues with our roofs. Each room we are staying in is made to be built as a typical Ladakhi home, meaning the roofs are flat and the walls and everything are inspired by local construction. While in Leh we have had a lot of rain which is apparently uncommon which has brought up the question, how do you retrofit a flat roof fror heavy rainfall? Buildings in Ladakh are prepared to deal with dry climates with heavy snowfall in the winters. The walls are built of a mud and clay mix and the ceilings of wood and this clay and mud mixture. When the snow falls heavy, at night it freezes into ice and homeowners shovel it off their roofs. Some slightly slanted aluminum roofs exist but there is so much snowfall the fear is that the slants would create more dangerous situations which the quickly dropping temperatures causing ice chunks to slide off. With the heavy rains that have been hitting these flat roofs there have been leaking issues and the roads which are all made of dry silt cannot hold water and flood much too easily. The rainfall may not be attributable to climate change but we do know that glacial melt will significantly impact this area. As we drove around Leh and surrounding villages on the 21st we passed through flooded rivers overflowing through roads. On the morning of the 22nd it was found that much of the downtown market in Leh was heavily flooded. Two parked cars were pushed into each other by the water. The Chokhang Vihara temple is flooded as well in the main square. Later that evening when visiting the walkways were covered in mud and there was various work being done with some of the infrastructure in the main walkway but it has recovered fairly quickly since the state of it in the morning. Whether or not this was an extreme weather event that can be traced back to climate change, it is possible that uncommon weather events like this could increase with time. The typical Ladakhi home is somewhat self sustaining. Each home may have a cow or two, an apple tree, an apricot tree, and some crops, both wheat and barley grow well here. During the winter most food is preserved but increasingly greenhouse like structures are offering the ability to grow more and more vegetables during the winter into just leafy greens. Living with the crops and livestock kept at the home is a key part of many Ladakhi homesteads. We visited a Ladakhi home on the 24th and there we tasted many different local foods like mo-mos, thukpa, and homemade yogurt. With many homes reliant on their own land there is a lot of potential for implementation of adaptation measures that are local and easily deployable. Things like greenhouses, changing crops, and retrofitting buildings to deal with differing weather patterns are all measures that can support this community.

August 23^rd 2023
Professor Auroop Ganguly
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During our travels to Leh, Ladakh and Kathmandu, Nepal we came across references to Tibetan culture from religion, to food, and architecture. In fact, as we drove through the neighboring regions of Leh I would see bumper stickers proclaiming, “Free Tibet.” The storied history of the Tibetan region is speckled with different powers, principally China, seeking to control it. This history goes back to the 800s, but China exerted their influence significantly in the Qing dynasty, when Tibet was occupied in 1970 following an ousting of the Mongols (BBC Tibet Profile). Much of the disputes over the region in the late 1700s were driven by nations seeking control over the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. The Dalai Lama thus was a major reason for further disputes between Britain, Russia, and China through the 1800s, which concluded in Britain and Russia acknowledging China’s control of Tibet. Tibet regained Independence in 1913 just to lose it around 1951 when Tibet was coerced to sign the “Seventeen Point Agreement” which established administrative and military Chinese occupation. On an international stage the Dalai Lama has been a key advocate for the liberation of Tibet. Major powers have not been incredibly vocal on a world stage about Tibetan sovereignty. Many factors including the current growing economic and political power of China disincentivize other world powers to weigh in on the territorial dispute. The United States has conceded to China’s claims to Tibet to hold some diplomatic favor with China. Around 2019-2020 some strides towards recognizing Tibet’s autonomy were made, mostly in the passage of H.R.4331 the Tibetan Policy and Support Act (Dolma, 2021). While this policy strengthens United States soft power and non-profit and human rights support in Tibet it does not directly challenge China’s authority. The United Kingdom has historically and remains to hold a firm anti-Tibetan Independence stance (China- Country of Concern). Although Russia has history in the Tibetan region, Russia has consistently increased relations with China and has barred the Dalai Lama from visiting majority Buddhist regions in Russia (Could Russia’s Buddhist Republics Complicate Relations With China?). India, a neighbor of China and the Tibetan region has carefully diplomatically toed the line between supporting or denying Tibet sovereignty. India’s neutral stance reflects their overall international position. The Central Tibetan Administration has proposed the Middle-Way Policy, named in part as a nod to the Buddhist concept of the Middle-Way referring to the balance between indulgence and asceticism (The Middle-Way Policy). The Middle-Way Policy aims to provide autonomy to the three regions of Tibet giving them control over domestic issues while China controls international relations and matters of national security. This policy however has not gained any significant international headway due to the influence of China. It is my personal belief that while the Tibetan people deserve autonomy due to their cultural importance rather than their economic importance there is not enough of an incentive for major powers to push China on the issue further and neutrality better serves their interests.
References
Dolma, K. (2021, May 25). Biden Is Continuing the Trump Administration’s Revised Stance on Tibet. Foreign Policy. https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/05/25/biden-trump-tibet-china-policy-human-rights/
China—Country of Concern. (n.d.). GOV.UK. Retrieved August 23, 2023, from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/china-country-of-concern--2/china-country-of-concern
‍Could Russia’s Buddhist Republics Complicate Relations With China? (n.d.). Retrieved August 23, 2023, from https://thediplomat.com/2021/10/could-russias-buddhist-republics-complicate-relations-with-china/
Tibet profile—Timeline. (2012, February 15). BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-17046222
The Middle-Way Policy. (n.d.). Central Tibetan Administration. Retrieved August 23, 2023, from https://tibet.net/important-issues/the-middle-way-policy/
Rep. McGovern, J. P. [D-M.-2. (2020, January 30). H.R.4331 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2019 (2019-09-13) [Legislation]. http://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/4331

Diane Grant

Computer Science | Political Science | Environmental Science

Climate Science, Data, and Policy Dialogue 2023

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