"In the daylight anywhere feels like home"
This last week has been amazing. Other than painting the inside of the classrooms I began painting national symbols outside the school as well. I made a rhododendron flower, cow, national bird, school symbol, Gurkha knife, and mountains.
My two favorites however were the Buddha and the goddess of education. I am not going to lie, I'm pretty impressed with myself.
Aatma and I took the motor bike down to buy the final set of supplies. In typical Aatma style he made sure to stop at his favorite little restaurant, if you can call it that, to eat an Indian dish as a snack. It is a delicious mix of corn, beans, crispies, white sauce, spicy sauce, and any other slop thrown on. It is delicious. Ever since getting back my family has been trying to feed me more and more.
For anyone who is expecting me to come home skinny after this trip, think again, if anything I was gaining weight from the giant globs of rice served at 7 am for breakfast. A big difference coming from so one who rarely eats breakfast, let alone three to four steady meals of dal Bhat. Believe me I am not complaining!
On the way back up the sky opened and poured. Fearless motorbike Aatma continued in the rain as I held on getting soak and peering through squinting eyes trying to make out the winding road. By the time we reached the turn off I was far from dry. I resembled someone who had just dragged the self out of a river. Oh well at least I got a shower, that's rare haha! We finally had to pull off and wait it out a little.
Once we returned home I dried off and Aatma, Meena, and Jeevans sister and I huddled in the bedroom. The thunder and light Jong started and was pretty intense. Storms at home made me nervous so you can imagine my terror as lightening was striking everywhere and we sitting under a tin roof . Meena urged us to out our feet up in fear that touching the ground would get us electrocuted.
Jeevans sister left when it calmed down slightly and in no less than a minute later a bolt struck very near the house with deafening thunder. She came screaming back and dove in the house. It was almost comical.
That night with no power, according to my brilliant host sister Nepal means Never Electrical Power Always Loadshedding, I laid in bed chatting with Amish and Aakash practicing my Nepali. The first thing I learned that evening wash don't like thunder. Malie chatang man pardina!
The rest of the week was spent at the house painting, teaching, and just being happy. I don't think words can really describe my time up there other than like I said earlier it feels like a second home. I'm not sure of I've become desensitized to the differences or that it wasn't as bad as I first expected. Maybe a little of both.
One evening Jeevans sister came and made a beautiful Bhendi tattoo on both sides of my left hand and both feet. She was so skilled and talented with the little bottle of henna. She weaves very intricate patterns. Of course Amish grabbed the bottle after and made a giant mess in his hand and proceeded to touch his keg smearing it all overthrew as well. He did give me a chance to do a design on him. After we out sugar water on and slept trying not to touch anything so it could sink in. In the morning we went to the water hose and cleaned off the dried bits and underneath was a beautiful organism design. I found out lager that it would slowly darken making it a nice chocolate brown. I love it!
From painting so often every evening I got a slight back pain. I did not say anything but Meena noticed I was stretching it out. She immediately instructed me to lay down and gave me the most amazing rub with some traditional heating oil from the village. Sometimes I forget that she is only 32. She is a mother and a sister to me. It's fun to see both sides.
Amita has been very ill and missed the last few days f school. Meena and Aatma comment every time they see new baby Damon how big he will grow to be. I didn't understand until one day she said how her kids are small and skinny. She had been saying this because of the difference in diet and nutrition. Although they eat tons of rice the diet really lacks protein. The food is fresh and healthy and all grown locally but getting meat is only a thing for special occasions due to cost.
It suddenly made sense why the kids do look much younger than they are. It still surprises me that aakash is in kindergarten. My kinders would eat him alive, both physically and emotionally. With that said however, the lack of other distractions has led to some of the kids becoming increasingly intelligent. Aakash for example can spell numbers up to 50!!!! Seriously !?! What?! I still can not get over that. This is all done through repetition but its still impressive. Socially he acts like a 2 year old crying and whining whenever he does not get his way. But when you look at his big eyes its hard to say no, so maybe that's why he is that way. He knows very well how darn cute he is.
It will be strange and sad to leave!
