Day 65 - Chovar, Nepal

Day 65 – His

 

Today is a half day at the school and a payday before a festival. This might not seem so significant but what it means is everybody disappears pretty sharpish to make sure their wages have been paid in and to get some money to buy things for the festival. So come twelve the school was a ghost town – i swear you could hear the wind whistling between the buildings and I am certain I saw a tumble weed going across the playground.

This had a knock on effect that the little report I have been preparing needed finishing quickly so the powers that be could have it in time for their day off so they could read through it for the great meeting that is due on Sunday. I finished it – which i was mildly surprised about and handed the headmaster his copy which he promptly put in a drawer. He is clearly not one of those that takes his work home with him – good for him.

Everybody at the house had different plans for the afternoon – Steve was going off with the young boy of the house to buy some computer games, Patti was going with a gang of ‘girls’ clothes shopping and I was going to visit our host father’s factory. The guy casts bronze statues for temples. We are not talking little statues here. The things he makes are 6-8 feet tall.

This kind of threw Sanju – the guy from our volunteer organisation – he is sort of assigned to look after us and he is a bit of a mother hen. He’s a really nice guy but used to dealing with younger volunteers than us and he sort of flaps about everytime we are doing something, clearly worried that we are going to get ourselves into trouble. He really doesn’t like it when we all go in different directions as he is unsure what to do for best – bless him.

So we set off for the factory – which is in a small town only an hour’s walk or so and the ‘girls’ were following behind. The girls consisted of Patti, our host mother and one of her friends. They were walking the same way but a bit more slowly as they had brought our mother’s baby with them (he was strapped to our host mother’s back) and Sanju kept turning round to see if they were all right. Eventually we reached the factory which was quite small and had five guys sitting on the floor creating their newest sculpture in wax. Our host father proudly showed us round his operation and I have to say I was mildly jealous – I could just see what I could do with this set up in England – I wonder if Patti will go for our own copper smelting operation in our backyard – probably not but i can dream. After the Factory we set off into the town and had a coffee and walked back to the village by a different route. Sanju chattered all the time – almost endlessly, as the place is pretty hilly it was quite a challenge for him but he never stopped talking. When he was out of breath from climbing the hills he just stopped and took a rest – chatting all the time – It was amazing.

I finally got rid of him by ordering him off and went to his brother’s cafe for a quiet coffee and a little read before I was due back. This turned out to be impossible. The brother wanted to chat and we were joined by three nieces (about 10 years old) who sat in the small cafe and plaited plastic bags into ropes as they chatted in Nepali and English. After half an hour of this I left but not before the brother had given me three guava (a kind of small green fruit that looks like a lime and tastes like a cross between an apple and a banana – curious fruit) from his garden tree for a late lunch. I strolled around for a bit more as Patti wasn’t due back from her shopping trip for an hour or so and the house was locked. I finally ended up squatting outside the house and had no sooner pulled out my book than Patti arrived back.

 

Day 65 – Hers.

My lessons went well this morning – and I observed the maths teacher teach class 10 a lesson on Indices that would be difficult for the A level kids at Canterbury High.  He then asked me to take a lesson next week for him to observe.....daunting or what.....

As Rob mentioned, I had a very ‘girly’ afternoon – and an amazing cultural experience.  Camilla, her friend, the baby and I walked into Kirtipur to go to a dress shop owned by another friend.  I had admired one of Camilla’s tunic-like tops and wanted to buy one – not an overly blingy, sparkly one, just a printed fabric one that I might actually wear in England.  Well....things aren’t done that way here....  The shop was very small – shelves of fabrics and do-it-yourself sari kits from floor to ceiling along two walls, two women at sewing machines along the third – and 5 women already seated around on the floor, taking things from the shelves and spreading them out to look at the designs.  We drank a cup of milky tea and chatted for about 20 minutes before anyone mentioned why we had come – then another 8-10 do-it-yourself sari kits were taken down and spread out – all the women commenting on which would be most suitable for me.  It was a little overwhelming – and I had to be quite firm about ‘no sparkles’.  In the end we all agreed on a turquoise fabric with grey embroidery in a quite simple pattern.  I then discovered that you couldn’t get just the tunic top – you had to also have the co-ordinating trousers and scarf that came in the pack.  Okay – whatever.  They measured me from top to bottom and poked at my stomach, laughing because it seems they couldn’t believe I had children.  They then discussed what length this creation should be and what neckline, back shape and sleeve length would be best – and a few other details that passed me by.  I collect my outfit on Tuesday – I’m not at all certain what I have ended up with, but the experience was worth it!  We had another cup of tea and I entertained the baby while Camilla and her friend also ordered outfits for the festival.  Camilla’s friend bought two – one a very rich red with more gold beads than....well, a huge number of them in a swirling floral pattern.  I don’t know what that one must have cost....  Camilla was tempted by a second one – the first one they had suggested for me – tan with blue embroidery and little cubic zirconium sparkles scattered all over.  It was pretty – but I know she had spent her budget on the one she had already ordered.  I think she decided it wasn’t worth the argument when she got home!

We left the shop in high spirits and then went to a children’s ready-to-wear shop where Camilla’s friend bought a top for her daughter – and the baby wet himself (like China, no nappies here) so Camilla ended up borrowing money from her friend to buy the baby 3 pairs of underwear, a pair of trousers and a very cute jacket for winter.  (We then had to stop at Dad’s factory again on the way home so she could get money to pay back her friend.  Dad did not look pleased, but opened his wallet with a sigh and gave her the extra money.)  We went to a little cafe for momo – delicious: buffalo meat, I think – and stopped at a ‘supermarket’ for biscuits before making the long trek uphill home.  I was okay – Camilla and her friend, chatting all the way – Camilla with the baby on her back in a sling – struggled a bit, stopping to rest several times.  (Camilla asked me if I wanted to get a taxi.... I think she actually wanted one and to blame it on me – I think it would have been quite difficult to find one halfway between two tiny villages anyway...)

We then rested until dinner – I had an invigorating (cold) shower – no hot water here and we ate dal bhat with some particularly yummy vegetable dish, then did the washing up (Camilla looks wiped out this evening.) and retired to our room to read, write up the day and then crash....