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Thursday:
At last we have power and I am writing from the only computer in all of Khorbari, the small village I have been staying in since Friday. It is dark and the cool of the evening is refreshing after a long day walking the sunbaked dirt tracks that weave their way between earth and wood homes, goats, chickens, pigs and buffalo all clucking and mooing and squealing happily, their owners tending to their vegetable patches, ploughing their rice terraces and maize fields with buffalo, carrying water, sweating under heavy loads of wood gathered from up the hill, chopping firewood, washing clothes and chatting, while groups of men gather to solve the community's problems. They have been very accepting of the white girl joining in!
Neighbours (and my students at the school) Susil (amazing volleyball player), Tiliti (who became firm friends and wouldn't leave my side after I taught her how to whistle with a blade of grass!) and Jewan (talented artist!).
Goma and her sweet babu! We always grin at each other and he grabs my finger like a vice and pulls it into his mouth...
My stomach has been fine since taking antibiotics and I was ready to leave Pokhara on friday... the taxi I had ordered to get me to the bus station early that morning did not arrive for nearly an hour... memories of Uganda.... but quickly forgave the driver (Susil, a friend of Krishna's) when he explained he had been taking Krishna's wife Bishnu to the hospital to have her baby!! All the journey I was kept in suspense to hear how it had all gone, and when at last I heard in the evening all was well and they had a healthy little boy! (Just as I has wished and hoped!) They haven't named him yet. Apparently the little outfit I brought from home looks very sweet. I can't wait to meet him!
All the community have been overwhelmingly welcoming, and did their best to make me feel at home right from the beginning. When I hopped off the bus the whole school were waiting by the roadside to welcome me with handfuls and garlands of flowers and red paint to streak on my forehead as a tika! After all the introductions about a dozen teachers and CCODER staff came down to the home where I am staying with Chander "Baba" who is chairman of the CCODER community school and his wife Rupa "Ama" (Mother). They are a lovely, contented couple, always teasing and joking with each other and I love to see how Chander is happy to cook and even serve food to his wife. They seem more than happy to have me here for however long it will be. I share their loft with a sweet little mouse and thankfully no giant spiders like the five that camp out in the toilet shed every night.
Chander and Rupa's home
Looking across to Khorbari (far left) from Tansen - about 3/4 hours bus ride awayThe first couple of days were a little difficult not being able to communicate beyond a few words to anyone other than Tilak, one of the teachers at the community school - we get on really well and he was incredibly helpful even offering to take me into Tansen to arrange for a translator and to take an afternoon off teaching to translate in a women's meeting... I felt terrible taking up so much time and begged him not to - it has made such an incredible difference having a translator now to communicate three hours a day!
Women displaying some of their handicrafts at the women's meeting. (Rupa "Ama" in the middle)So the first couple of days I spent being showed around the village by various neighbours - seeing many of the enterprises CCODER has helped establish - mainly agriculture (maize, rice, buffalo, hens, pigs, goats) and also handicrafts (woven bags, shawls, mats, incense sticks, candles). The grandson of Ama and Baba and a friend took me down to the temple and across to the next village where we joined in with a game of volley ball. I felt incredibly privileged to be the first ever girl to join them! This is one thing I am happy to challenge in their culture - I hate it how men and women mostly do not know how to interact naturally, and also how women have little to do apart from their daily chores and staying at home looking after children and expectant husbands. For me it helps that they do not expect western women to be the same and no one hasn't appreciated a chat/mime or a laugh. It is a little embarrassing how much respect they have.
Good Morning Miss! CCODER community school
CCODER supported health post - I hope to link it with the district hosp and arrange a discounted fee for hosp treatment and transportation for those investing in health insurance.The last few days I have been working with CCODER staff and translator Dev to develop a baseline survey to gather info on all the enterprises in this area, how effective they are in increasing incomes and how they can be improved. Having seen what seems like a happy and contented community going about its daily business it was very eye opening to see the reality – many of the enterprises are actually not making a profit and some are even losing money – some lots – due to drought, lack of water facilities (in the summer the only water source is 1 ½ hours walk away) and disease wiping out whole chicken farms and litters of piglets. It is a huge privilege to be the first person to get data on this and I am excited to see what we can do… perhaps training on identifying the signs of disease and types of medicine and prevention, or even stopping the more risky enterprises and identifying more stable/profitable ones. It looks hopeful we can get govt funding to improve water access and irrigation systems and we will get some experts to assess the specific probs and discuss best ways to help – seems there are lots of opportunities and experts available – we just need to push a few doors! The villagers are so keen to be interviewed, news spread like bushfire and even before we were ready a small group were queuing up in the yard waiting for us! It’s also great how the staff have been so interested in helping develop and carry out the surveys and will implement them in all the other villages in the district if all goes well – so masses of scope!
Shanta and his dying hens - all their feathers are dropping out and apparently they are "filling with water..." I really feel for him - imagine having to rely on the health of your animals to be able to send your children to school and afford medical treatment...--
Here's friday's buffalo festival - all the local men hacking it into little pieces for everyone to enjoy on bananna leaves late into the night with drum and horn music and dancing.
On Saturday I joined 3 of the teachers and Tilaik's English tutor and fellow students for a "picnic" on a hill overlooking Tansen, down to India in the South and across to the Himalayas beyond Pokhara in the North. We cooked mounds of rice, mutton and spicy things over a fire on huge cauldrens they had carried up the hill! Someone plugged a huge amp into an overhead power line (!!!) and we had a mix of Nepali and English thumping to dance to and me to teach English dancing!
One of the many temples on the hill..
Goodbye everyone. "Big Man" tutor about to take the white girl back to her home on his motorbike.
I must print the final (hopefully!) version of the household survey before the power goes. Bye for now, and lots of love
Esther xxx
