Hello all...
Haven't written in a bit.... I went home to the Bay Area for a lovely, surreal three weeks. It was strange to be back...disorienting to say the least! But I had a great time and met up with many friends, former teachers, and mentors. It's like by having returned home to California I teleported through time and space back into the warm comforts and nostalgia of childhood... The three weeks whizzed by quicker than I could comprehend... and all of a sudden I was back in Nepal, sitting on my porch in my village homestay. I've been back now for roughly a month! Right back into the hard realities of living alone in a village and navigating the crazy situations I keep finding myself in.... It was wonderful to be in California... but difficult to so suddenly reintegrate into a consumerist culture.... It got me thinking a lot of how I'll process the lessons I've learned in Nepal and apply them to live in the West. How will I change my behavior now that I've had these experiences? Can I ever fully reintegrate into the Western way of life?
Since I last wrote to you all, I have written a blog for a global citizenship and ethical volunteering website. Please check it out if you have a chance! http://learningservice.info/an-ice-cream-shop-changed-my-gap-year/
It's titled "How an Ice Cream Shop Changed My Gap Year"....
I had quite possibly the worst flight experience I will ever have ! On my way back to Nepal.... My heart sunk low in my stomach as I hugged my parents goodbye at the SFO terminal. I had a mild rash on my face at the time but didn't think much of it. duh.. duh.. duh.... Throughout the 16 hour flight to Dubai my face swoll into an unrecognizable itchy mess. The flight attendants were very concerned for me, bringing me towels and anti-histamines, none of which worked. Once landed in Dubai they even coordinated for a gurney to take me to an emergency hospital clinic. I felt feverish, like I was in some grisly nightmare as a kind Filipino nurse comforted me and injected steroids into my hip and put me on an IV drip.... I faded in and out of sleep for a few hours and can't really recall what happened. But soon enough, I was back in Nepal, in my grandmother's home, snuggled in the comfort of my bed. The rash subsided in a few days and so did my panic.
Soon after my return I brought a friend from the UK (Though I had just met her a handful of times we instantly clicked) to my village. She's doing research for her masters about menstrual practices in Nepal and I persuaded her that my village would be a good case study. We hosted a workshop with the teenaged students (keep in mind the kids still think I'm 28 or so) and talked about menstruation and stigma. There is a common practice that women in Nepal face called "Chaupadi"... its the removing of a woman during her period from the house. Usually they live in a shed or barn and can't go to school/work. Thankfully, my village doesn't have much of this custom. Girls are sent to a family friend's house during their first period and during all periods forward they need to avoid kitchens, temples, and fruit trees. It was really interesting to talk to the girls and boys about their experiences with these customs. We talked about pads, reusable pads, hygiene, empowerment, and something they had never heard of - TAMPONS-... I will never forget the horror on my students faces as we showed them what tampons are! The most powerful moment was during the boys' workshop. We circled up and asked the boys to share how they could support their female counterparts during their periods. All but one boy, who ran away and hid in the bathroom, gave earnest, moving replies.
During my friend's wonderful one week stay in my village, we also went to a wedding and village exorcism. All within 12 hours! We did the honors of starting the dancing at the wedding... people took videos of the two white dancing tourists! The village exorcism was a touch more sinister, compromising of goat beheadings, huge bonfires, tantric dancing, muttering mantras, and "demon possesion"... It went on until 3 am... much more interesting than any party I've ever been to! Soon enough, though, my friend left and I was alone in my village again.
The usual initial terror that sets in as I arrive in my village wasn't here this time. Sometimes, it can feel a bit suffocating to be here so long... there is little to do and only so much to talk about with people. This time the slight panic and homesickness was replaced with pure energy and sheer joy of being back in this place I've come to love so much. I'm enjoying the peaceful slow pace of life here. Teaching was fun and exciting... I had new energy after having some distance and having been home.
Unfortunately, after just 3 weeks of teaching, the schools shut down. Due to Coronavirus (or more so Coronavirus hysteria in my opinion... there are no confirmed cases as of yet in Nepal... though maybe the virus is lurking out there) the Nepal government has expedited the final exams and shut down all schools. I had to rapidly prepare students for exams I thought we still had weeks to prepare for.... it was stressful to say the least!! Teaching is hard enough, but teaching three weeks of material in half a week is the worst... I hosted 6 hour study sessions at my homestay on the weekend with dance and snack breaks. Strangely, this crunch period brought to us by Coronavirus made us more productive than during the school year.
And now, with the exams taking place and all classes ended, I have no more duties in the village. But rather than returning home to grandmother's house, like my grandmother would prefer, I'm staying in the village for a few more weeks, just enjoying being in this space at this time. I'm planning on doing some interviews with people and recording more observations about village life, their customs, and challenges people here face. I've been walking to new parts of the village. Every walk reveals a new side of the village, expanding my mental map of this place. Last week, I discovered a leather factory using traditional methods to cure the skin... Maybe I'll buy some and have it fashioned into a bag! I'm also finally taking people up on their invitations and spending dinners and nights at friends' and students' houses. The fact that I have limited time has let me maximize everyday. To know that my time here is finite is quite freeing...
That's my update! I have a week and a half left in my village before I return to the city. My sister Anna will be joining me and we'll go on a tour of Mustang, one of the most beautiful areas of Nepal. After, I start my internship with PHASE Nepal, a rural development agency, in communications.
I plan on keeping a connection with this village long after my gap year.. but I know that all those future visits will not be able to recreate my time here now. I mourn who I am at this time in my life as I get ready to pack up and leave my village behind. But I'm excited for all to come and know that my experiences here have anchored me and created a lens through which I'll see the world.
Thank you for reading this far if you have.... I would drone on and on about what else I've experienced. It's honestly been a hard few weeks. My card playing friend commited suicide last week. There was a moment when I was cleaning the blood from the hair of a friend of mine who has a horrible drunkard husband.
This week has been especially hard to process.. especially with coronavirus headlines on my phone. The world seems to be falling apart! But alas, there is a power outtage in the village and my laptop is at a measly 9% so I'll end this post here.
All the best.. Please stay safe with all this coronavirus mess.....
<3 Manju
