I'm kinda giving myself a pat on the back as I write this, since I made it very easy on where to begin with a page very originally titled “In Flight Follies”. This marked the beginning of my journey to Kathmandu. While mentioning the flight to Nepal may seem like a waste of time when I have one blog post for my time in Kathmandu, I wanted to share two things from this flight. Why do you ask? Because this is my blog. Skip ahead if you want (it might bum me out tho).
Did we forget how to talk to the wind
I think I said that because I wanted to convince myself my whistling was me remembering the old language. The other little tidbit I wrote about is a bit long, so I won't force all of that on you, however it was truly the mark of goodluck before my trip in my mind. One row previous to mine, an older woman was looking at who I assumed was her grandson, with eyes just overflowing with love and passion. He doesn't even realize the warmth that he bathes in
The Soaltee hotel where we stayed in Kathmandu was, and still is, the nicest hotel I have ever had the pleasure to stay thus far. Lectures started just one or two days after landing in Nepal, which is where I started devouring every scrap of any information I could. I of course took notes as well as I could, but I do not mean in that sense. From every lecture, every conversation, something can be taken that has nothing to do with climate, policy, economics or any other topic. Words are special because no matter how concrete a statement may be, there will also always be room to morph those words into any conceivable thing. Professor Ganguly’s first lecture pertained to many things related to the dialogue; obvious things were covered, such as grading and schedule, while other topics like climate models, religion, and to my anguish, math and physics. However it was this lecture I chose to do something after a particular quote that I have never done before. On the small provided note paper I decided to divide my brain, and take personal notes on the lecture. All because Professor Ganguly made a half-joke regarding religion stating, “... God is a doorknob!”
It's funny to think about how this was something that pushed me to embrace learning. Not necessarily the notes I took on the topics of the dialogue, but the most pure learning one can experience, which is purely personal. I like to think of it as a version of that one popular quote from Ratatouille the Pixar movie, “Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artist *can* come from *anywhere*.” In this sense, it's not that everyone can have the same learning epiphany that I may have had from a silly little joke about a doorknob and religion, however, that epiphany can come from anything. There was one other thing the professor said in this lecture that stands out from my doodle ridden personal notes of this lecture. “By the time you think you are an expert, you no longer think to innovate.” I have always stood by a select few cardinal values and ideals like many, however one of which connected very well with what the Professor said. I am cemented in the fact that I will never grow up, never lose my inner child, never let go of my own immaturity. From this, almost like an accidental subsection, comes the idea that, in my mind, I will never grow up and therefore never stop growing. His words felt like the more professional version of what I had always held dear. I promptly also committed this to myself, again listening to the technical lecture, but honestly and truly craving pieces like this that will add to the amalgamation of ideas and thoughts that grows with me.
During another guest lecture at the Soaltee by Professor Ardeshir Contractor was when a mini perfect storm of ingredients combined that set a theme for this dialogue. First, I finally took my ADHD medication, something I haven't done in a long time due to shortages, and second, I started to write out the stupid little ideas that popped into my head instead of letting them dissipate like smoke never to be seen again. This was when idea number one was written, why can't we just make see-through solar panels and use them to make greenhouses or even cover large scale farms to save energy. I know nothing of the physical engineering of solar panels for the most part, but it would make a lot of sense if they couldn't be seen through. But, on this day it began.
Kathmandu was an amazing city that taught me many things, however there were two more important events that I think pertain to the selfish learning I loved, and embarked to find anywhere I could. The first was very simple. We spoke to the first Nepalese woman to climb K2, Maya Sherpa. I simply thought she was the coolest. Excuse my French, but one of, if not the most badass person I have met in person. I liked her quote from her book and lecture, where she stated that she is, “Living for existence”. I get called ditzy and airheaded, lost in the clouds and whatnot quite often, but I truly just love doing my best to observe whatever is around me, because no matter what it is it will be beautiful. I like the idea of living for existence because it encapsulates a part of me that I enjoy, and a habit of mine I actively try to increase in commonality. The second was a much larger jump forward in my personal learning. Something I am still so thankful we were able to do on this dialogue, which was visiting (I believe the best) University in Nepal. Here I met Mohit, or Momo (that is what his friends call him). People who know me might talk about how I make friends with a lot of people, which is something I truly love to do. I believe personal connections more than anything become my most powerful catalyst for growth. It is something that I adopted more recently, maybe in the past six or so months, and it is something I am happy I worked on. At the university Momo and I quickly became friends. We snuck out of the lecture for a bit and he showed me the University roof, and at lunch we ditched the main group and went on paddle boats in the city center. It was awesome. And it was also another push, another bit of fuel that I took and placed with my love of talking and meeting new people no matter where I might be. The stories, connections, emotions and information that is shared between people, especially new friends, is something special and something truly unique. It cannot be replicated. After becoming closer with Momo we swapped notebooks. I can't speak for him, but I atleast, copied a ton from his notebook. Mohit is an architect, a field which I have never stepped foot into. And with that, his notebook was like a condensed collection of new ways of thinking. While I copied some of the notes that he took from his classes, I was mainly doing so to remind myself later of that novel way of thinking in regards to my own ideas. It was here I got too absorbed in this idea, and let myself fall into my sketchbook. Less concrete things filled my mind, such as the idea of sketching different textures and ideas into a simple straight line. Adding corners, smoothness or rigidity. These may seem simple but it isn't something common that I have seen in regards to my schooling. Although not revolutionary, I wanted to explore design. The idea from the straight line of taking simple things and morphing them to my mind. This class I designed two chairs, and a bed. A trashcan, and I became very into the idea of designing new street lamps to limit both light pollution and moth predation, a topic the lab next door to mine last semester was working on. Momo is someone I cannot thank enough, for these ideas that were added to the way i can think, but also as a new friend who shared laughs with me.
While I was absorbed in my notebook, I still scribbled out a few personal notes from the lectures at the Nepal university. I found the ideas of the past much more appealing than I thought, such as the traditional town building schemes seen in Nepal that were sometimes based on astrology and our place in the solar system. The idea that future technologies can come about from imagining yourself as, say, a 5th century inventor trying to solve the same problem. I enjoyed absorbing these ideas, and relating them to one of my favorite things to say when I get stuck on a problem, keep it simple stupid. Sometimes revolutionary technology is needed to solve a problem, but sometimes you just need to think less. Embrace the stupid idea. Copy something, like nature. Go from there.