Allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Tsering Choden.  It is a rather common name but the meaning is profound, which is possibly the reason most Rinpoches (reincarnate monks) choose the name for newborns.  Tsering means Long Life and Choden means The Devout One or Possessing the Dharma.  In the Tibetan culture, high lamas give names with no particular attention to family parentage, as is the case with other Asian communities where the surname indicates the family name.  However there are Tibetan families who tag their paternal family name to the name bestowed by the Rinpoche.

I come from a media background and have worked with Hits FM 91.2, a 24-hour music station, as a program presenter for over 10 years.  That is where I met Yanik through whom I had the pleasure of knowing Vidhea.  I accepted Vidhea’s offer to work at Passage and have been part of the team for over 6 months now.  From sorting out office files I moved on to marketing our programs.  Now begins a new chapter in my professional life along with a renewed perspective on what the city and country I live in can offer to the world.

Having studied in India, it was only after I graduated from college that I spent more time at home and in my city.  I live here but knew very little.  It has been just over a decade since I found my footing. I traveled a bit - Mustang, Manang, Pokhara, Lumbini, Kushinagar, Chitwan.  Besides self-discovery and coming back rejuvenated I began to get a sense of the extreme complexities, how ethnically diverse Nepal is as a country and the chaotic harmony that we find ourselves in. This diversity could come with a price.  With the advent of ‘New Nepal’ questions about caste, creed and ethnicity are being raised.  The oppressed have found a voice and are getting a fair share to fight for their rights.  Nepal is finally waking up from a deep slumber.  The majority in Nepal are positive about a brighter, better future - for us as well as our visitors. 

My personal journey in discovering Nepal has been heightened with my association with Passage International.  Now I see a lot of me in you while I still continue to discover, explore, search and understand.  The charm of an experiential education is that the journey does not have to be over and the destination is not always predictable.  You come to Nepal with your own expectations; you will leave with so much more.

My passage continues … it is time you begin yours.

With warm wishes,
Tsering Choden

Home Stay

A warm smile and good energy is your introduction to Tsering-la.  That is how Yanik describes her also adding that she is passionate, kind, genuine, hospitable, funny, friendly and extremely humble.  Also fondly called Ama-la, meaning mother, by students who live with her family, Tsering-la lives in Tusal, Boudha (the area around Boudha stupa is where most Tibetan refugees call home) with her husband Wang-la, her father-in-law Dhargyal-la and her two adorable children, daughter Dekyi and son Nawang. 

Wang-la and Dhargyal-la are both thangka painters who also teach interested students the art of thangka painting.  We have had the good fortune of having this Tibetan family as a home stay for our students for over 7 years.  Greg, Keenan, Mikaela, and Caitlyn are just a few of the students who have experienced the warmth and hospitality of Tsering-la’s family.

Personal Passage student in Nepal

Passage offers internships with some of Kathmandu’s best-known architects.  Katrina Orcino is currently interning with a young, up and coming professional and an interior designer whose portfolio includes a resort-farmhouse in Chitwan, several private residences, extensions at the Australian Embassy and a popular eatery Roadhouse Café.

He graduated in architecture from The Institute of Environmental Design in India and then started working with a leading architect in India.  The experience gave him an insight to innovative architectural designs with special emphasis on interior design to create an ambience for a living style in natural surroundings.  He later returned to Nepal to venture out on his own because there is such an abundant scope of design in ethnic architecture.  He designs modern buildings fusing them with an ethnic touch. He has a keen interest in stone and woodcarving for which Nepal is famous and he blends them into his designs.  He also has an interest in silver artwork and his projects lend a good scope for innovative design work.

“For the past two-and-a-half weeks, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help restore and preserve one of the last remaining traditional Sherpa homes in the Khumjung village of the Everest region.  I cleaned layers and layers of dust off of many of the home’s household goods, tools, and art, such as wall paintings, statues, and woodcarvings.  It was interesting to imagine how these items were used hundreds of years ago, and yet still retain their traditional charm.  It was an honor and privilege for me to work on this particular home because it belongs to the noted Sherpa mountaineer, Pertemba Sherpa, who summited Mt. Everest three times and has led numerous expeditions in the Himalayas.  With continued work on the house, Pertemba proposes to turn it into a center for preservation of Sherpa culture.  It will open to visitors as a museum and give locals a medium to gain insight into their own culture.  I had a really great time in Khumjung--living with my home stay family, working on the Sherpa Heritage House, going around the village and experiencing local culture--but the trek up and back was an equally great experience.  Although the trails were rough on my feet, passing through the most picturesque villages and meeting the friendliest people along the way was all worth it.

Since coming back from the trek, I have resumed my language classes with my teacher Manjul, as well as my architecture internship with my mentor Siddarth that I started a few days after I arrived in Nepal.  I'm learning so much from each of them.  I've been learning Nepali with Manjul one-on-one, which I think has really been beneficial for me as compared to the usual classroom setting I'm used to back in the U.S.  Manjul makes learning Nepali a lot of fun because he always has so many stories and life experiences to share and is very charismatic by nature.

With Siddarth, I'm learning about the architecture of Nepal in context with people's psychology.  We go on site visits, I make observations, we have in-depth discussions about why people in Nepal are the way they are and how it has affected local architecture and the urban landscape.  One would never think that something like a round-shaped soap or a rug with "low self-esteem" would have anything to do with architecture, but interestingly enough, things like that do.  It's an interesting aspect of environmental psychology that few people have explored, so I'm sure that what I'm learning will have many implications for whatever direction I decide to take with my career in the future.

Along with my language classes and internship, I am living with a home stay family in Kumaripati.  I really couldn't ask for a better family to not only live with, but also experience traditional Nepalese culture at home.  Fufu is a fantastic cook and takes such good care of me.  The kids Kavita and Krishna are always so much fun to be around, whether they're helping me with my Nepali or just hanging out with me and playing games.  I really do feel as if they are my second family because they have made me feel so at home.  So far everyone I've met here has been nothing but nice to me and for that I couldn't be more grateful.  I'm really enjoying myself here so I just hope the next five weeks don't fly by as fast as the first!  Either way, I definitely plan to come back.”

-          Katrina Orcino

Recent alumnus

Greg Ogden recently completed an 8-week Personal Passage.  His focus was on learning the Tibetan language.  He had daily classes and weekly tests.  According to his language instructor, Greg learned to speak colloquial Tibetan, read and write, and also some formal Tibetan.  Through his commitment and dedication Greg completed 104 hours.  Greg writes,

“I went into the whole experience with a bit of hesitation.  I had taken two years of French and two years of Spanish classes with mediocre results at best.  Outside the U.S. I had only been to France for a week or so and was accompanied by friends and teachers.  The hesitation quickly subsided when I met Yanik and Vidhea and immediately knew if I had any problems they would be there to take care of me.  My first encounter with my home stay family was another uplifting moment when I realized the next two months would be spent with a warm and happy family who all shared the same wonderful sense of humor.  Volunteering at Sewa Kendra's leprosy clinic and school was yet another one of the many rewarding experiences.  I only wish I had more time and energy to spend with the children and wonderful staff there.

I became good friends with Phuntsok, my Tibetan language teacher, which made it much easier to go to class. I came to find real joy in learning the language and speaking with new friends.  Kutztown University in Pennsylvania is granting me 12 credits in foreign language. This will be the last of my graduation requirements with a BA in philosophy and would like to pursue further studies in Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy.  I've caught the KTM bug and I'm sure I'll be back when circumstances allow.  I'm forever grateful to Passage Project and everyone that helped make this possible and thoroughly enjoyable. My fondest thoughts and wishes are with them all.”

Independent Study Project in Music

Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory (KJC) is a music institution where the student learns to appreciate and enjoy music. Lessons begin with Western classical training. The conservatory encourages classical training as it provides a strong foundation along with the confidence and dexterity to learn other instruments and styles of music.  It also offers classes in Indian classical music – vocals, sitar and flute.  Soon, a new program in audio engineering will also be included.

The faculty comprises of professional musicians and educators from Nepal, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway and the USA.  The curriculum is designed to hone students’ skills and instill in them the confidence and ability to compete with musicians from around the world.

Located in Jhamsikhel in the historic city of Patan, the Conservatory opened its doors in September 2007 and since then they have stuck to their objective of providing professional music education for students at all levels and enhanced the music scene in Kathmandu.

The founding member and director has himself been playing, recording and teaching music in Nepal for the past two years. It was during this time that he got a feel of the thriving music scene in Kathmandu, performed with extremely talented (mostly self-taught) musicians and realized that the city lacked an institution for formal music education with proper and adequate equipment or staff. KJC has managed to reach out and provide sound music education to able and interested students with the opportunity to learn all genres of music – from western classical to jazz.

To achieve its goals The Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory is continuously on the lookout for interested and able music teachers and/or advanced music students who love to teach. This is also an excellent chance to experience life and music in one of the most fascinating cities in the world. There is also the opportunity to play with different Nepali bands and learn eastern classical music from some of the best musicians in Nepal.

Qualification:

A BA in music is desirable; music majors in their senior year will also be considered.  However, experience in teaching and performing is necessary.

Curriculum

The curriculum is based on 3 semesters, January to April, May to August, and September to December.  Teaching hours will be 25 to 30 hours a week, Monday to Friday.

The Independent Study Project in Music that Passage International offers is a combined effort with KJC to create a blend of experiential education through music. While KJC contributes the resources to teach and learn music, Passage International will help create an overall program for interested participants that will include the class schedule, home stay plus a range of activities that you might be interested in during your stay in Nepal.

Passage Programs

Adult Passage Program – This program will offer adults the opportunity to visit Nepal as more than tourists, to have a more extensive experience of Nepali culture, customs, traditions and history.  Passage will offer them activities such as in-depth cultural tours, lectures, excursions and treks.  This program will also be ideal for students who have already been to Nepal through a Passage program in the past and would love to make the journey again, with a companion or family.  It will cater to people who want to take a break, travel and see our part of the world and not necessarily just visit ‘tourist’ spots.  With the resources, contacts and experience that Passage has acquired over the years, we can guarantee a dynamic program.  Do check our website periodically so you can update yourself on more information regarding the Adult Passage Program.

 Festival

Tihar, also called Diwali and Deepavali, is a festival of lights honoring Laxmi, the goddess of wealth and good fortune. The days also honor Yama, the Lord Of Death, and mark the end of the Nepal Era calendar for the Newars.

As practiced by the Nepalis, Tihar involves rituals and symbols surrounding the broadest definitions of life and death. It differs from Diwali as performed in India, running as extra two days and featuring homage to the animals of death--the crow, the dog--as well as to those of life, such as the cow and the bullock, and even one's own self.

The crow, the dog, the vulture and the jackal are all regarded as Yama's messengers because they eat carrion. Tihar's first day is dedicated to the crow.  Nepalis leave special leaf-trays of food for the crows just as the following day they prepare something extraordinary for the dogs. On this second day even the mangiest street pariahs are garlanded, given tika and a good meal.

On the third day Nepalis worship Laxmi, performing a cow puja in the morning in honor of her symbol and scrubbing the entrances to their homes for Laxmi's nocturnal visit. Families light small oil lamps or candles in their windows and doorways at dark. Children play with sparklers and firecrackers and the town and rural neighborhoods, already decorated for the Newar (Nepal Era) New Year, become a beautiful display of light. 

In the evening families worship Laxmi with a puja. Later on, groups of singers go door-to-door singing and dancing for traditional offerings. The first night it is the turn of the girls and children and the next night that of the boys and young men.

On the fourth day farmers worship their bullocks and farm implements in the morning. This day inaugurates a new year in the Newars' calendar, its era dating back to 880 AD. According to the story the King of Bhaktapur divined that sand taken from Lakh Tirtha in Kantipur would turn to gold if gathered at a certain hour. Accordingly he dispatched men to collect the sand, but a wily Kathmandu man named Sakhwal got suspicious and tricked them into leaving their sand at his home and picking up more, but by now worthless, sand later. When the sand duly turned to gold the startled Sakhwal performed a mha-puja--worship of one's self--and ran to inform the king that if he would start a new calendar era he, Sakhwal, would pay off every debt in the kingdom. Newars this night perform their own mha-puja, at home before mandalas they make for the occasion.

The last day of Tihar is Bhai Puja, wherein sisters honor and worship their brothers. They thereby emulate the girl Jamuna, who in the myth delayed Yama from taking away her brother by requesting permission to finish her worship of him. Jamuna drew out the ceremony so long that Yama eventually relented and granted a long life to her brother.

On this morning sisters paint a multi-colored tika on the brother's forehead, do a puja to him and garland him. They exchange gifts and partake of a feast. The rest of the day is spent on bamboo swings constructed for the week, or in gambling. In the evening oil lamps and fireworks, decorate the night sky one more time. 

Music in Kathmandu

- Barta and Binod with Kutumba

The word ‘Kutumba’ holds a special meaning in the Nepali language. It stands for a unique bond amongst community members. As their name suggests, Kutumba, the Nepali fusion band, is all about bringing together traditional folk tunes and instruments with new and improvised sounds and ideas. Along with the effort to preserve Nepali culture and art, this self-motivated and self-driven folk instrumental ensemble are also dedicated in introducing other young talents and are currently working with Barta Gandharva, a 28-year-old singer, composer, lyricist and sarangi player.

Their most recent performance together, along with Barta’s brother Binod, was at the Patan Museum on September 20, 2008. The concert was organized to help Barta and Binod set up a scholarship fund for their music education. The effort was successful in raising $1000 through ticket sales and contributions. 

Kutumba has always been successful in packing the audience and there was a good show of support this time around as well. Kutumba performed their original compositions from previous albums as well as, for the first time in Nepal, a few pieces that they have composed for an upcoming feature film God Lives In The Himalayas. Barta’s brand of folk music matched with her heart-wrenching vocals was highly appreciated and the audience was also very supportive of her brother Binod’s singing.

To get a feel of the concert listen to it in its entirety on the show On The Mic at www.motleymix.nepal123.com.

For more information on Barta and Binod you can visit www.kutumba.com.np/barta

For more information on Kutumba: www.kutumba.com.np

- Kathmandu Blues Festival

Kathmandu is turning out to be a hub for music lovers and along with the annually held Kathmandu Jazz Festival we can now boast of a Kathmandu Blues Festival.  This year it took place from October 15 – 19 and featured homegrown talents like Looza and Jocose along with international acts Puglsey Buzzard Duo (Australia), Jonno Zilber (Australia), Owen Campbell (Australia), Kenn Lending Blues Band (Denmark), Christopher Schreiner Project (USA).

Listen to the visiting musicians and local artists on Talking Kathmandu at www.motleymix.nepal123.com.

For more information on the festival you can log on to www.rockmandu.com.

- Kathmandu Jazz Festival

Held from October 22 – 27 the Kathmandu Jazz Festival, or popularly known as “Jazzmandu”, recently concluded its six-day musical extravaganza where musicians from around the world came together in Nepal, uniting for peace.

Cultural interaction among people of different nations can take many forms, and the Kathmandu Jazz Festival is one exceptional and unique opportunity that brings together diverse talents and energies of musicians. Over the years, musicians from the USA, Canada, Holland, England, Benin, France, Norway, Germany, Australia, Israel, Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil, Honduras and India have participated.

The Kathmandu Jazz Festival has successfully promoted Jazz in Nepal and brought world-class musicians to audiences in Kathmandu and in its initial years even Pokhara. The festival promotes creativity, encourages the sharing of international sounds and ideas, and nurtures the talents of Nepali musicians.  Jazzmandu strives to make music accessible to as many people as possible and actively works to include free shows, educational school programs, and workshops, as well as low-cost shows to attract the general public and those who may not be able to attend the larger shows.

The visiting musicians have had positive experiences in Nepal, and are often eager to spread the word to other musicians about the festival and Nepal itself – many have requested to come and perform again! The cultural interaction has a boundless impact and influence on everyone involved: musicians, volunteers, fans, students, audiences, and the country as a whole.

Festivals, such as this, also shows that Nepal has much to offer to people with diverse interests, tastes, and budgets – including music fans. The festival exposes many to the warmth and hospitality of the Nepali people, the cultural and religious treasures, and the awe-inspiring natural beauty. All this combined with a world class music festival that promotes not only the country’s traditional music but sounds from other countries, helps to bring Nepal to the attention of communities that might not otherwise be aware of all that Nepal has to offer.

Listen to the visiting musicians and local artists on Talking Kathmandu at www.motleymix.nepal123.com.

For more information on the festival you can log on to www.jazzmandu.com

- International Folk Festival

Organized by Nepal Music Centre, the International Folk Festival aims to bring folk artistes from all over the world to perform together, serving as a cultural melting pot where these artists get an opportunity to introduce their music on a common platform and get to know music from other countries as well.

This year also marks the 100^th year of music recording in Nepal and 25 years for Music Nepal, a company that has been dedicated to promoting music and has diversified into organizing events and established a non-profit music school Nepal Sangeet Vidhyalaya or Nepal Music Centre thus continuing its activities in the field of music and culture. It was in 1907 AD when a Nepali singer Setu Ram recorded the first-ever Nepali song making 2008 a landmark year, a century of recording of Nepali song and music. However it was only after the establishment of Music Nepal, Nepal’s first-ever private recording studio and music publishing house in 1983 that Nepali music industry progressed in leaps and bounds.

The festival was held in some of the historic places of Kathmandu Valley - Patan Durbar Square, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Swayambhunath, Lumbini, Boudhnath, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, among others. Participants included musicians from countries like Norway, Malawi, Palestine, South Africa, India and Nepal.

For more information on the festival log on to www.intfolkfestival.com.

Testimonial

We just will never be able to thank you for the "kindness of strangers." You will forever hold a special place in our hearts and we will keep in touch. There really are no words to express my amazement and gratitude for the things you are doing on behalf of Keenan and her memory. 

We know that Keenan, most of all, feels the love and caring that all of you have given her. You were all her home away from home, her family away from family, and she loved all of you with all her heart – which was the only way that Keenan knew how to love.

Through the Passage Program our daughter grew in ways she never would have. She experienced the tutelage of a learned doctor, lived in the home of a nurturing Tibetan family, and was wrapped in the arms of the spiritual Nepalese people. The program also provided a reflective environment, away from the Western culture, where she had the opportunity to find her inner balance. The Personal Passage is a wonderful experience.
-Maureen & Frank Fernandez

PASSAGE INTERNATIONAL

We are now registered formally as Passage International, a Nepal-based private limited company. Our URL will change from www.passageproject.org to www.passageinternational.org.  Our new website will be uploaded by the end of November 2008.

We are very grateful to Gita and Dan Dawson for managing the US office and their invaluable help in the last two years.  Thank you for all your support and we look forward to continuing our services as Passage International.

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