[Before I go into the details, I'm visiting the villages to find out if the livelihood and nutrition interventions that Save the Children has carried out has made a difference in the lives of the children. I'll post more about this later....]
I thought I had seen Nepal and was so proud of myself when I did the 8-day trek to the Annapurna Base Camp. Obviously, not. Sure I heard that people had no food and water in the remote areas and lived in mud houses but what is it really like? Having lived in Nepal for 18 years, I had clearly not seen the REAL Nepal or let's say the majority of Nepal. I visited the villages of Banke yesterday (Phattepur, Gangapur & Narainapur) and saw what I had heard.
Yes, I am in culture shock and realize how much of a princess I am (and I don't even own a car). This is me: "omg my butt hurts from sitting on a motorbike for 7 hours" while touring the villages and we weren't even walking. So yes, the roads were all dirt roads and there were small communities or VDCs (village development committees) 15-20 minutes away from each other. We stopped at several VDCs and the first thing that the women there did was offer you water. So where did this water come from? It came from treadle pumps -sort of like stair-master. As you go up and down, the water is pumped out (i know right-what an awesome workout!) This is also where they shower and I need to stop complaining to my mom about how the pressure of the shower isn't enough.
 |
| Treadle Pump ...(not my picture) |
Anyways, I thought this was absolutely fascinating but besides my fascination for this water pump, I have so much appreciation for these villagers. My co-worker (who knew the villagers) were offered tea and these light crunchy snacks. These villagers lived in mud homes, worked in the scorching sun, took care of their children and survived on the little they had yet they treated us with such hospitality and gave us what they had -so kind, caring and selfless. Not only that but they (every women I met) even offered me a place to stay in their homes. I appreciated them even more because they seemed so happy and satisfied with what they had and offered what they could.
I usually saw the women working in the fields, taking care of the children, sitting with their friends and neighbors in the shade or taking that "luxurious" nap in their hammock-like bed outside in the patio. (I didn't get to take that many picture yesterday because I was busy with introductions but def later!) It was pretty hot in those villages (more than KTM) and there was no electricity either. I was sweating pretty badly and told myself to prepare because I'd be living here for 3-4 days. As cliche as it sounds, I am so lucky to have what I have right now (and I should cut some of the complaining).
I was worried a little about how I would do living in the villages with the villagers for a few days. All these questions and thoughts fluttered in my head: How would I adjust? I hope I don't offend anyone. What if I can't fall asleep because of the hot weather? Will I be safe?" So last night I was telling my friend from Vancouver who's visiting Nepal about all this and he gave me good advice: "people have been living in the homes for many years and they seem to be fine so know that you'll be okay as well." This really comforted me and assured myself that I would be able to do this especially with such warm and welcoming communities.
Aside from these villages, let's talk about Nepalgunj. I imagined that it would be like Kathmandu -lots of cars, big buildings, crowded but I was wrong. Lot of vehicles were bicycles, rikshaws and tangas (horse drawn vehicles -sort of like a carriage but not quite).
 |
| Tanga-which seem pretty scary because you could fall off if you're not holding on to something |
There are lots of open fields and small markets. Yeah, Nepalgunj isn't that interesting. It's just really hot and humid, there are ATMs, there's internet, I get my showers and nice bed to sleep on. Oh and I visited Rupaidiah, India which is half hour away from Nepalgunj on Riskshaw. Went shopping for kurtas :) It's like the seattle when I'm in Vancouver because shopping is cheaper.
 |
| Border of Rupaidiha,India and Nepalgunj, Nepal |
There's so much to write about but I guess I'd say these are the highlights for now. I shall update you after my stay in Banke villages.
XOXO
C
No comments:
Post a Comment