School, Home, Lakeside

This is Rashmila, a four year old in the nursery program at our school. Our roles at the school are ever-changing, from teaching three periods a day on our own to only observing during two, to sometimes spending the whole day playing with the nursery kids or writing a final exam for the class you've only just begun sitting in on. We are spending a lot more time thinking of and creating materials to leave behind when our time is up, and a few times a week we play some kind of game with all of the kids before they're lunch break begins and we head back to our home for the day. As we become more and more flexible with what our responsibility actually is, or isn't, our relationship with the teachers has been much more enjoyable.


Life at our home has been the highlight of the trip so far. Every weekend when we come down to Pokhara and have dinner with the other volunteers, we are constantly telling stories about our baa and ama and how hilarious our time with them is. Emily and I tagged along on one of the evening chores, where Baa and Ama gather leaves to feed the buffalo and goats. Baa climbs forty of fifty feet, probably higher, up into the tree, putting his full weight (all of 40 kilos) on branches no bigger than his wrist. Every time he looked down and saw me with the camera pointed up at him, he would crack a big smile and strike a pose. They are always teasing us about helping with the work around the house, but anytime we actually try to help they usually just laugh and tell us to sit down. There's a lot of laughing happening. Rarely are we sure what they're laughing at or whom, but we're fairly certain it's directed mostly at us.



Last weekend we hiked up to the World Peace Pogoda high up a hill above Pokhara. The day was nice, and we enjoyed a short paddle and the steep hike to reach the temple. We walked up the steps and around the stoupa, and enjoyed the views of the lake and city down below, and the mountains across the valley. It was an interesting feeling being at a peace temple in a country that only a few years ago came out of a ten year civil war. I know my country hasn't been able to enjoy a time of peace in about a decade or so, but here in a developing country it is easier to see how necessary it is in hoping to progress.

My new favorite hobby here when not in the village is to rent a boat and drift around the lake for a couple hours. It's been warm enough to enjoy the sun a little bit while on the water. The pace in the boat is not quick at all, so thankfully the lake isn't so large that it takes more than an hour or so to drift/paddle from one side to the other. There's a few holidays coming up that we're looking forward to celebrate. Planning the last few weeks here makes it feel like it's nearly time to come home. We'll only be at the village for another few weeks, then off to trekking for a week or so and see what other adventure beckons after that. India and the Taj Mahal? Maybe a meditation course at a monastery in Kathmandu? Or another trek? Only longer and more remote. We'll see.

A Whole Lot of Happenings

It's a month into the trip, and our third week in the village was the busiest yet. The week began with a gorgeous sunset then sunrise up at Sarangkot with the rest of the volunteers in our organization.




Tuesday was Parent's Day at school, which meant Monday we hung a few flags and watered the dirt to keep the dust down. After the celebration Tuesday morning, I boarded a bus with the rest of the men in the village and rode three hours to a marriage ceremony, not getting back to the village until 9 that night, 12 hours after we left. The women stay behind in the village and sing and dance the entire time the men are gone, the entire time, 12 hours.


Wednesday morning our Baa told us there was no school that day so we went on a little hike up to the top of a hill and sat beneath paragliders all afternoon. Then a bit of thunder prompted us to return home and enjoy the afternoon storm from the porch underneath our tin roof.


That same day, as our ama was sorting through the rice, our baa suggested Emily try on a bit of ama's clothes. When she said she wasn't sure how they were supposed to fit, he demonstrated for us. So funny.



A short school day Thursday and we were off to another wedding with baa and ama. The communication between us has only slightly improved, but we're really enjoying each other's company more and more as we grow more comfortable around each other. While they were dressed up for the wedding we took the chance for a family portrait, minus our sister who was at school. Somehow, appropriately, the tea was ready just in time to be included in the photo with us.

Paragliding over Pokhara

 

That's Emily with the rasta colored glider, green, yellow, and red. We were in the air for over an hour, and our pilots said it'd been one of the better days for flying they've had in a while. And why not believe them? What kind of guide would 'exaggerate' in order for their customers to have a better time? That said, it was fantastically clear, and we were definitely lucky to be up there yesterday, some days the skies are full of paragliders and the mountains are hidden in clouds. Today we're off to a temple on an island in the middle of Fewa Tal, the big lake nestling up to Pokhara. Then tomorrow all the volunteers in our program are spending the night up at Sarangkot, where the paragliders take off from, where the best sunset and sunrise views of the mountains are available.