Michelle writes: I met another travel companion, Lorraine, at Sadhana for yoga. Then we traveled to Lumbini together for the Vipassana (in silence). We met today in Kathmandu for lunch. Now I go to the farm and she travels to India, volunteering at Mother Theresa's in Calcutta. She ok'd sharing the post below. Another perspective of this amazing country!
Lorraine writes:
At my Homestay we have a Hen with 10 chicks. One of the goat's had a baby so apart from chicken shit there was also goat shit in the hallway as it was kept in the house after the birth for safety. Such is life! - our next neighbour across a small field has an elderly mother who frequently comes to the side of their house and lifts her skirts and pee's. She suddenly noticed me one day and from then on she just lifted her skirts a little less.
In my first week a crocodile attacked a 5 yr old, her sister and mother who came to rescue and finally Dad managed to prise its jaws but his hand was bitten in the process. They say it is unusual but you can imagine how I felt when Saraswoti suggested I wash my clothes in the river! Two weeks later I was washing my clothes in the river but a different canal from where the incident took place. I could not get down to it easily due to my knee so the first two times I got help from the girls who did the rinsing.
You do not see many cars here. They tend to be the Lodge Jeeps who pick up their guests and later will take them into the Jungle. The main motor transport is motorcycle. Many others have bikes and of course the oxen pulled carts do most of the heavy moving. The people here are indifferent to animal suffering and quite cruel. The motorbikes can be a nuisance as they kick up dust so my clothes are dust coated and sweaty everyday so they have to be washed every day. The dust gets in your nose and eyes. One day I left the school and there had been some sand on the road and the sheer volume of children leaving the school (about 450) kicked up that much dust it looked like a sandstorm so you have to have a handy cloth with you all the time protect your breathing.
Fortunately I packed two old muslin's that I had when Peter was a baby so they have been a life saver as sweat pours off me so I am constantly wiping my face. It isn't helped by the fact that Tharu people are into using a lot of chilli in their cooking and Saraswoti uses it a lot in the sauce that she cooks the river snails in that I am regularly served. Glad that bits over as occasionally I felt like wretching. They have given me chicken and pork but the latter was so fatty I found it difficult to digest so asked not to have it again.
A lot of children are brought to school on the panier rack on the back of Dad or mother's bike and there can be two of them brought this way. A few are brought by Dad on a motorbike and I have seen a Dad with one little one in front of him and three behind him!
Lorraine writes:
At my Homestay we have a Hen with 10 chicks. One of the goat's had a baby so apart from chicken shit there was also goat shit in the hallway as it was kept in the house after the birth for safety. Such is life! - our next neighbour across a small field has an elderly mother who frequently comes to the side of their house and lifts her skirts and pee's. She suddenly noticed me one day and from then on she just lifted her skirts a little less.
In my first week a crocodile attacked a 5 yr old, her sister and mother who came to rescue and finally Dad managed to prise its jaws but his hand was bitten in the process. They say it is unusual but you can imagine how I felt when Saraswoti suggested I wash my clothes in the river! Two weeks later I was washing my clothes in the river but a different canal from where the incident took place. I could not get down to it easily due to my knee so the first two times I got help from the girls who did the rinsing.
You do not see many cars here. They tend to be the Lodge Jeeps who pick up their guests and later will take them into the Jungle. The main motor transport is motorcycle. Many others have bikes and of course the oxen pulled carts do most of the heavy moving. The people here are indifferent to animal suffering and quite cruel. The motorbikes can be a nuisance as they kick up dust so my clothes are dust coated and sweaty everyday so they have to be washed every day. The dust gets in your nose and eyes. One day I left the school and there had been some sand on the road and the sheer volume of children leaving the school (about 450) kicked up that much dust it looked like a sandstorm so you have to have a handy cloth with you all the time protect your breathing.
Fortunately I packed two old muslin's that I had when Peter was a baby so they have been a life saver as sweat pours off me so I am constantly wiping my face. It isn't helped by the fact that Tharu people are into using a lot of chilli in their cooking and Saraswoti uses it a lot in the sauce that she cooks the river snails in that I am regularly served. Glad that bits over as occasionally I felt like wretching. They have given me chicken and pork but the latter was so fatty I found it difficult to digest so asked not to have it again.
A lot of children are brought to school on the panier rack on the back of Dad or mother's bike and there can be two of them brought this way. A few are brought by Dad on a motorbike and I have seen a Dad with one little one in front of him and three behind him!
Despite the very high temperatures around 3 or 4 in the morning it can be quite cold and I have to cover myself over with the duvet thing or a sarong.
Also they use a pressure cooker to cook the rice even though they are using wood fire to cook everything. The only seating is always outside and consists of a string day bed and two wood stools which I use as I can't easily get up from the day bed with those dodgey knees. My bed mattress was just a thin padded thing but on the fourth day my back ached so much I told them and they produced something a bit thicker but not great but at least my back felt better.
For the first three days I was given nothing to eat or drink in the morning before school but when the older girls came back they made me tea which is black a bit too sweet and spiced in the morning and in the afternoon. They make 'hooch' and sell it to locals as a source of income. Along with the pig meat and eventually the goat and sheep meat this will supplement their income. Nothing is wasted in this family and obviously having a pig helps to mop up any peelings etc. They peel potatoes with a small sickle but I did not offer to attempt this.
I met a teacher from a government school the day I lost my email at the Cyber cafe. He invited me to his home on Saturday which was great. It was cooler as it is brick/concrete and has a proper verandah. I stayed the day with his wife as he went off to do some Eco training after lunch. I had a lovely sleep on a good bed and it was cool. She put the fan on when the power came on and it was a very pleasant day. He collected me on his motorbike so I am now a fully trained pillion rider! They invited me again on Wednesday for dinner and I made Momo's with his wife - their names are Basu and Sarita. He also helps his local community by running a community bank where they pay in money and can take out loans.
I also met Rajan at the Festival the first week as he was sent over to tell me about the history and what was going on. We bumped into each other when I found out that the Eco Lodge has power all the time due to having solar panels and back up batteries. I can't do long emails on my Kindle but it was good to be able to go on line and do short emails and research stuff for school. Rajan took me to see a Homestay where he did some training on the back of his motorbike. They are set up in a eco-biodiversity area which is protected and intended for guests. It gave me the confidence to feed back to the organisation that placed me in Bardia that a few improvements should be done to my homestay.
A friend asked about bathing and maybe I slipped by that pump a little quickly in my last communication. We have one pump and everything is done there - personal washing, small amounts of clothes, vegetables are cleaned, all the dishes are washed there using ash from the fire, everyone rinses regularly due to the heat. With me it makes 6 of us sharing it and it is not private and one my bugs. Having said that pickup your dropped jaw as I am able to go the Jungle Lodge whenever I want (10 mins walk) to shower in one of the rooms and I did this every other day. If the pump had some screening I would have been happier!
For the first three days I was given nothing to eat or drink in the morning before school but when the older girls came back they made me tea which is black a bit too sweet and spiced in the morning and in the afternoon. They make 'hooch' and sell it to locals as a source of income. Along with the pig meat and eventually the goat and sheep meat this will supplement their income. Nothing is wasted in this family and obviously having a pig helps to mop up any peelings etc. They peel potatoes with a small sickle but I did not offer to attempt this.
I met a teacher from a government school the day I lost my email at the Cyber cafe. He invited me to his home on Saturday which was great. It was cooler as it is brick/concrete and has a proper verandah. I stayed the day with his wife as he went off to do some Eco training after lunch. I had a lovely sleep on a good bed and it was cool. She put the fan on when the power came on and it was a very pleasant day. He collected me on his motorbike so I am now a fully trained pillion rider! They invited me again on Wednesday for dinner and I made Momo's with his wife - their names are Basu and Sarita. He also helps his local community by running a community bank where they pay in money and can take out loans.
I also met Rajan at the Festival the first week as he was sent over to tell me about the history and what was going on. We bumped into each other when I found out that the Eco Lodge has power all the time due to having solar panels and back up batteries. I can't do long emails on my Kindle but it was good to be able to go on line and do short emails and research stuff for school. Rajan took me to see a Homestay where he did some training on the back of his motorbike. They are set up in a eco-biodiversity area which is protected and intended for guests. It gave me the confidence to feed back to the organisation that placed me in Bardia that a few improvements should be done to my homestay.
A friend asked about bathing and maybe I slipped by that pump a little quickly in my last communication. We have one pump and everything is done there - personal washing, small amounts of clothes, vegetables are cleaned, all the dishes are washed there using ash from the fire, everyone rinses regularly due to the heat. With me it makes 6 of us sharing it and it is not private and one my bugs. Having said that pickup your dropped jaw as I am able to go the Jungle Lodge whenever I want (10 mins walk) to shower in one of the rooms and I did this every other day. If the pump had some screening I would have been happier!
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