Himalayan Quest

12-A Tale of Two Cities

Week of May 7

12-A Tale of Two Cities

The conference in Hong Kong was set to last a week, presenting a spectrum of topics all related to global communication and the role of trade in reducing tensions and promoting peace. Neither Ana nor Gabriel attended any of the same sessions. When they met in a hallway or lobby, they occasionally nodded, but just as often pretended not to notice each other, by agreement.

At some workshops, Ana learned some new techniques regarding how to better handle cultural misunderstandings, something useful in her work as a school counselor. She knew that several of the suggestions would be helpful in working with both her students and colleagues.

Gabriel spent more time networking than he did listening to lectures. He had lunch with his CIA counterparts from other Asian countries, sharing goals and strategies. His regional bosses had some ideas on how best to manipulate Nara, the king's brother, now that Gabriel had him hooked on heroin. They advised him on how he might clandestinely use that leverage to influence Nepal's monarch. Occasionally he met with agents he knew who worked for friendly embassies like Britain, plus some from other nations. His array of languages served him well. He had no specific agenda for such interactions. He was building contacts for future use.

The conference's daytime hours passed slowly for both Gabriel and Ana. No time for sightseeing. Too much else was scheduled. At lunches and dinners, they both networked further, tending to do so along gender lines. Despite being popular among their fellow attendees, both politely declined requests that they join their friends for bar-hopping or other nightclub action. Neither would explain why.

*****

"No," repeated Kailani to the new Peace Corps recruits. "The people here are not always happy. I can illustrate that with one more story from my time working in an isolated rural area in Western Nepal."

She had their full attention once more.

"I was sent to a small hut in a village during my first year, as will happen for most here today. You may have heard about the diet nearly all follow in Nepal. They eat rice with a lentil sauce twice a day. That's it."

Many looked surprised. Kailani raised her eyebrows to emphasize her point.

"I'm adaptable, but I admit that I'm an American who grew up eating a much wider variety of food. Most of the world eats some combination of grains and legumes, but I started to get tired of it."

The audience chuckled, but some looked worried. She could see that more than a few were reflecting on this, wondering if they could adapt.

"My folks had a garden on Maui, and I helped them some when I was younger. I decided to grow a few things here to augment my meals. I planted a variety of seeds, mostly vegetables, and gave them enough water. A while later a few sprouts broke through. Like Pavlov's dog, I began to salivate in anticipation."

She saw several smiles.

"One morning, I went outside to find my plot torn up. I didn't know who the culprit was but suspected it might be a local animal who was just a hungry pest. So I tried replanting, and this time surrounded my garden with a small fence. Problem solved, or so I thought."

Kailani took a sip of water as she made eye contact with one young woman, who nodded as if she was now ready for such challenges.

"When the new seedlings began to grow, I woke up another time to find the ground had been ransacked once more. I tried a third time. When the first sprouts broke through, I only pretended to go to sleep. When I heard noises, I walked outside with a flashlight. What do you think I saw?"