Hi Everybody,
I have a genuine problem (Is it?).
I am an American art student and will be spending a semester in Nepal,Lalitpur with a Nepali family learning Nepali woodwork.
I have heard from my male friends who went there earlier that in Nepal whenever female menstruates you become untouchable and is not considered appropriate to participate in social functions.
What should I do when I have mine?
Should I tell the host about it?
Stop doing my daily activity?
Keep mum?
I know this is weird but I would like to respect my host families culture.
I hope there are girls around here who can give me approptiate answer.
What would you do if I lived with you or your family in Nepa?
Thanks in advance.l

You are going to city area so I think you will not have to face that problem. But women are still considered untouchable when they have periods even in city area. Many families don't like to share their kitchen and religious and cultural functions with such women. But it depends mostly on the values of particular families. If it is OK within your host family, you don't have to tell anyone outside that you are having your periods.

Hi,

Why women are isolated from their children and other family members? I don't think I read it in a book specifically about this isolation process but, we all know blood comes out during mense and it is very highly contaminated with harmful bacteria. They are basically trying to save others from contamination. Back in the days they did not have any good thing that would absorb the blood very properly like tampons do today. Most of the women still do not have that privilage today in Nepal. That is why isolation is necessary. While in Mense it is better not to cook food for others. Try to reduce body contact. Try to stay clean.
I think it same in your case too. We know now that the process of isolation is just trying to keep everyone safe. If you think it is ok if you take care. Why don't you try to teach women in Nepal too? There is nothing better than educating and sharing information. Isn't it?
People in Nepal are very friendly, caring and loving. I wish you good luck. Hope you will enjoy.

Hi Laura, I see that you are going to Nepal for learning Nepali woodwork. Although I am a man, I do know the tradition since I lived with the family. Yes, your friends are right the tradition is you would be untouchable for four days. However, since things are modern thesedays and people don't mind a lot. Esp if you go to Kathmandu valley, but if you go out of the valley people are more conservative there and are kind of strict of the tradition. Even in Kathmandu valley like some few old folks do mind this, and for youngster don't care much. I remember my grandfather minding it and won't even let anyone in the room. But Uncles and others didn't mind it. HOWEVER, MANY PEOPLE WILL MIND IF YOU GO INSIDE THE PERMISE OF THE TEMPLE OR IN THE ROOM WHERE THERE ARE GODS DURING THAT FOUR DAYS, usually many families in Nepal has a small room where they have pictures of gods. Since different people has different opinion about this, I would advise you to check with your hosts families or friends in Nepal about the practice in their surroundings. Enjoy your trip to Nepal Laura.

Laura,
If there is a woman in the family, you could tell her, I am sure she will tell you what to do.

Good Luck !

Laura:

Looks like you are going to a Newar family and so they do not practice the culture of baring women during their periods. So you can be safe.

Also, it is not true that you will not be allowed to do anything, as far as i have seen, you will not be allowed to enter the kitchen area but you can do all other things and also work as normal.

Just ask the woman in the family. Many families like mine in the city no longer practice it. So hopefully you will be fine

Get Knocked off. Then you do not have to bother for 9 mnths. Just kidding.

The things you see from here is totally different. Most of the time only 5% is the factual and rest rumors. If you happen to go to KTm then these kinda stuffs are hardly in practice. But there are always some excetions. I do not think you will be afffected by these at all.

Talking about exception, they might just tie you with cows. HEHEHe.

Peace out and chill

YOu do not have to worry about it at all becasue in arban areas of nepal people do not care much about it at all nowadays.

The lady of the house will let you know what to do if they practice the monthy cycle things. But so many of them do not even practice anymore.

So just take it easy and I hope you will have a great time in nepal.

Good luck!!!!!!!

Well, Laura, the Supreme court has ordered the government to stamp out the practice even in less than 2% of the country (far western villages) where mentruating women were segregated for four days, often kept in a makeshift rooms adjoining cow sheds.
Here is the BBC news on today's court verdict:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4250506.stm
Well, in Ktm, I don't think you need to worry about it at all.
Wish you a nice trip and stay in Nepal.
Lonely#1

Laura, it is all depend on host family.I suggest you to ask female member of host family, that will be the best soluation for you. Anyway now a days nobody cares about it on city, So there wont be so much problem on it.

goodluck

Thank you everybody for your suggestions.
I still can't understand how half the population of that country can be sidelined just because of some natural process.
Anyway I will be there for a semester and would like to know more about the situation first hand.
Thank you again for the support.
I hope my trip won't be a disappointment as my parents,friends and US gov is predicting.
Namaste.

Laura, you do realize that if you don't announce your period, nobody's gonna know, correct? There are hardcore conservatives in Nepal who would definitely not come near you if they knew about your period. Not even a moderate conservative would wanna touch you. But, the people with whom you're going to live n *have* to be pretty open-minded. You know why? Because you're a White woman. Realize that there are many highly ignorant people in Nepal(most Brahmins and upper-castes), who wouldn't even come close to a White person. The caste system puts Whites just above untouchables. I'm not trying to scare you or anything, but just trying to give you a heads up. You'll face tons and tons of ignorant people. Mainly speaking, it's not your gender that's the problem, it's your skin color itself. Just be wary of these so-called upper-castes; they might treat you like crap.
For some people though, not touching a woman on her period is just a custom with no other implifications. My mom was brought up in the United States, and when she was in Nepal, she respected this tradition. You, however, don't have to. It's up to you anyways.

Just drop me an email if you have any other questions.

Thugged out is so off the wall; he really seems to be thugged out on something. Actually, whites would be respected more than anybody. It's not jaat (caste) when it comes to kuire (whites); it's the power structures in the current global system and Nepalese are not oblivious to it. I myself was in Nepal last year with four white friends, three males and one female; they stayed one and half months; I was with them for about two weeks, they went to several places (Pokahara, Chitwan, Palpa, Lumbini, and Annapurna range) and had no problem. When I took them to my house in Chitwan, my "conservative" neighbor wanted to offer them a dinner!!! At the end, they liked that everybody they talked to before going to Nepal was so wrong!!!!

Laura:

don think you are an american and don think you are an ART student at all !!

Laura: we write, lalitpur, Nepal and not the other way round.

your period has nothin to do with our culture, so u can have it as long as you want it .

your english is too naive, dull, and nepalized for an American !!!!

नेपालाँ चईनी केरे तरुनी केटीले पन्छिनी भएर डराम्न पर्दैन ।
बरु भएन भनी चईनी डराम्न पर्च, बात लाउनी भन्छन, सुहाम्दो केटालाई पोल्न पर्च, केटाले हैन भनो भनी
चईनी केरे पुलिसले जीउ मास्नी बेच्नी बेस्सेबिर्ती अर्नी भनेर जेल लान्च केरे तेस्तो पन्छिनी भएन भनी बरु।

Keep rolling...

I think in somewhat it is good that women are not allowed to work during the monthly cycle. As we all know that nepali women worked very hard in the village and they need some break so not allowing them to work during 3-4 days a month is a good thing. Also after the baby they are not aloow to touch any men or do some work it is also in somewhat good thing becasue they are already too tired from all those nine months and now they have a child to breat feed and take care so it is good thing that they can rest for 11 day or I am not sure how many days that they are still consider unclean.

Well, Laura, IF I were you I will not tell anyone about my period and just deal with it, Like I do at my parents home since they follow this tradition, even though they live in the city.

Here's a rough translation of Shree5's post for you...

In Nepal, a grown up girl need not worry when she has a period. But if she doesn't, she will need to explain why. First she will need to declare who the man is. If the man says it wasn't him, then you're in trouble with the law and police may send you to prison.

Kick,
do you think she is somebody "american" as (s)he claims?
if so, then why is s(h)e going to Nepal
>> to learn art as in
" I am an American art student and will be spending a semester in Nepal,Lalitpur with a Nepali family learning Nepali woodwork."

>> or to liberate Nepalse women as in
" still can't understand how half the population of that country can be sidelined just because of some natural process. "

A genuine American art student going to Nepal to learn woodwork would be the least f*ing concerned with his/her later saying.

And, if (s)he is still a real American art student, this is my suggestion to you dear
no nepalese is as uncivil and inhumane as a jusus-praying, Bush-worshipping looting-and-raping-bigtime-during-disasters, america-is-round-because-earth-is-round type of americans nobody gives you a shit whether you leak or not, its just your dirty business.

हाँसो ठट्टा गर्नी विषय पनि त एउटा सीमा हुन्छ नि यार, कुरीति, खराब चलान मन नपर्ने भए मन पर्दैन, कसरी हटाउन सकिन्छ भनेर पो सर-सल्लाहा गर्ने र, म मँगल ग्रहबाट आको, तेरो ग्रहमा पृथ्वीमा आईमाई कस्ता हुन्छन भन्ने पनि कुनै तरिका हो यार ?

And look at the legion of others dancing at his/her tune.