The Challenge of Sleeping
I didn't sleep very well last night - just a thin sleeping bag on the floor wasn't a great idea. Nonetheless, I know I managed to get some sleep because I recall being woken up by people shouting as the building vibrated at some point in the night. The vibrations turned out to be a 5.0 according to the current estimates (they have the habit of changing as more data analysis is done).
Overall, I am feeling good today though. When I woke up I washed a few pieces of laundry in the sink; it was the first laundry I have done this trip. They no longer smell awful and I feel a bit more in control of the situation by having done so. It's amazing how such a small act can make such a difference for piece of mind.
Unexpected Help
There was a great moment yesterday, near the end of the day, when a random (to me, at least) group of Nepali guys helped clear debris for a while. Ashim thought it was because they saw some random, white (i.e. non-Nepali) guy helping and couldn't help but feel like they should help too. I wonder if there might be some way to capitalize on this feeling to get more help. Maybe something like "help clean up Changunarayan by moving a shovel of dirt or a few bricks" or offer to let people take their picture with me in exchange for a small bit of effort like that. Have I mentioned that lots of people seem unexpectedly interested in having their picture taken with me? Sometimes it is as many as several dozen people a day - both soldiers and temple visitors alike.
Anyway, something like that would also require more organization for the means of disposing of the debris. Right now we are just piling it somewhere nearby which is out of the way of normal life but that space is rapidly running out of room. I worry that our space won't last long and think we should build a brick or stone wall around a space, use the debris to fill it in, and then tile the top so that it can be used as a space for tourists to relax and have a snack by the temple. If we could then clean up the junk wood pile (also debris which we have separated out from the brick, dirt, tile, and other waste) then that space would make a lovely addition to their café and guest house when it reopens.
Of course it is hard to know how well that would work since the existing guest house has to come down before a new one can be built. The current one is still entirely standing but it is leaning at an unnatural angle and the structure is clearly compromised beyond repair. Many of the villages I've seen have this same problem; after cleaning up the existing debris there are going to be many buildings that need to be demolished and that new debris removed before rebuilding can occur.
Good Schedule
Getting up early is surprisingly nice. I haven't gotten up this early since high school and during those years I was always getting to bed too late to feel anything but spite when waking up in the morning. Since college I've lived a daily schedule involving late nights followed by lethargic (and too late) mornings. Luckily my education and career have been able to accommodate that schedule but I have long worried about its effects on my health. Now, after a few weeks of early nights and early mornings, I am beginning to see what I've been missing; frankly, I don't miss my old schedule of late, tired nights at all. I'm going to have to try to continue this schedule once I am back in Seattle and whatever comes after.