Little things that make us happy.

For this blog, we turn back to schools and, in particular, classrooms. After all, that is why we're here.

First, though, a quick update:

We had our first overnight (infact, overweek) guests when Tansy and her 3 friends Lavinia, James and Ben, came to stay. Tansy is the sister of Lorna who, regular Blog followers will know, is one of Mel's ex-students who, bravely, accompanied us on the overland journey to Nepal. The 4 intrepid travellers are going, entirely overland, from the UK to India, working on organic farms for a few months, then going overland back to the UK. They called here to recharge and remind themselves what cooking in a real kitchen is like. We put this last wish to good effect by graciously allowing them to cook several tasty meals for us! This caused shock and controversy amongst our Nepali friends because in Nepali culture you NEVER expect guests to cook. Our 4 visitors also got in some training for their organic farming by attempting to resuscitate Mel's ailing tomato plants. We enjoyed having guests, especially such ecologically aware ones, and wish them well with their onward journey.

Unfortunately, there are no photos to show you of the above, because we have lost our memory-stick which contained all of our digital photos. As you can imagine, this was a bit of a blow. Luckily, we have all the information backed up onto CDs but still lost all photos from the last couple of months. We even broadcast an appeal on the local radio station and offered a reward to the finder, but to no avail. Still, to keep this blog interesting, here is a photo taken by other recent guests to Mahendranagar, VSOs Miranda and Marri. It shows one of Mahendranagar's bustling streets:
On the subject of Mahendranagar, we should inform you that we no longer live there! Now we live in a town called 'Bhimdattnagar'. This happened a few weeks ago when the government decided that all towns that were named after the discredited ex-monarchy, such as King Mahendra, were to be re-named, with immediate effect. Bhim Datta was a martyr from the time of revolution against the royalty.

We have been busy visiting schools. We were hopeful that, with few festivals this month, we would be able to get a good routine going but, alas, exam week and sports week have come along to slow things down. Nonetheless, we have both been giving training to teachers, Mel in schools and Steve to a collection of science teachers and also to some 'informal' education teachers. These are teachers with an NGO called RUWDUC. This organisation works with ex-kamaiya (basically, freed slaves) and some of the teachers work with 'out of school' children and others work with adult women. Steve has visited several of these classes and was very pleased to see that some of his ideas were being used. It is always pleasing to see teachers who are dedicated , cheerful and try to do their best, even in the most difficult learning environments.

This brings us to the theme for this week. We decided to talk more about classrooms. We have each chosen 3 photos (of the ones that weren't lost) to illustrate some things which give us cheer in our professional work. First up, Mel's selection:

"I have chosen this photo because it was taken in a damp, concrete classroom with no doors and nothing, not even paint, on the walls. Despite this, the children in this nursery class still have alot of fun and learn, thanks to their dedicated and imaginative teachers. "

"This photo shows a teacher whose class I observed. After the lesson, she asked me for advice on how to teach the next lesson. One suggestion was to use real objects for language learning. The next day I was delighted to see that she tried everything that I'd suggested. I was even more happy when I met her some weeks later and she told me that the class had enjoyed the lesson and asked if she could teach that way all the time!"


"This picture shows a young boy playing contentedly with a broken toy. Up to this point he had been very upset because of the appearance of a (very strange) stranger (me). When I asked the nursery teacher whether there were any toys for the children, she brought out a broken letter abacus and started to try and fix it. I pointed out that the children could happily play with the broken pieces, as this young boy proved, after wiping away his tears."

And now for Steve's selection:

" I chose this photo because it shows the condition of some of the classrooms. Despite this, the students are engaged in their dialogue recital and the teacher stands supportively by."

"Even more basic, this photo shows a class of young children in their 'classroom'. Many schools, such as this one, don't have enough rooms for all the children. Despite that, they continuue to come and this class were happy to be here (even more so when they knew I was taking their photo!). When the sun is very hot, the class moves under the tree that you can see behind."

"Another shot of an outside class. It is often the nursery age children who end up outside as the rooms are given over to the older, 'more important' grades. These children don't care though. Who needs walls, blackboards and plastic toys when you can pretend to be a tree?"

That's all for this time. We hope you enjoyed our selection. No doubt there will be more on schools and children in future blogs. Don't forget to send any questions or comments.

Putting the cycle in Carbon-cycle.

Welcome once again from sunny Nepal,

You can guess, from our long absence from your computers, that we have had quite a busy month. Highlights have been;

Purnaji, our VSO manager, coming to Mahendranagar to talk to all the movers and shakers involved in our work here. We had a workshop at which the 'VSO vision' and our future working plans were explained and negotiated with the Education Office staff. Some interesting feedback came out of this and we hope that a stronger and more profitable working partnership will result.

Both of us dashing around, both far and near, to decide on potential schools for closer co-operation over the coming year and a half. We saw some examples of interesting and well run schools to act as good role-models, as well as quite a few schools that will benefit from being modelled to (more on this in an upcoming blog). The reason for dashing was:

Heading off to Kathmandu for a couple of weeks for language refresher classes, education workshops and a security workshop. It was good to catch up with the VSO staff and other volunteers after 4 months in placement. We were, however, very lucky to leave when we did as a day later the roads were swept away. For more on this and the reason why we chose to make the journey by bus instead of air, see below.

Dashain (Nepal's longest and most important festival) saw us making the most of the week-long closure of schools and offices by doing the 'tourist thing' and visiting Pokhara and Chitwan wildlife park on our way back. Here are some Dashain festivities in Pokhara:

More of the above in later postings I'm sure. For now, on with this blog's theme which is (and anyone who knows us will have suspected that this was coming!), the environment.

It has been a wet year. In Britain, we hear, there have been floods (again) and several people have died. In Nepal also, the monsoon has been getting longer and more intense than in the past. Two sets of rivers have burst their banks as a result. One river, in the east, made international news as it caused vast swathes of flooding in India as well as Nepal. The other set of rivers were here, in the far-west, and flooded our district. On the day after we left for Kathmandu, a 1km stretch of the main high-way was destroyed and several of the communities, where the schools we work in are located, were swamped. Unlike the floods in Britain, the floods in Nepal and India have resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of homeless. Many of the rice-paddies were covered in sand and made useless, which is now threatening famine.

As in Britain, much of the destruction could have been prevented if homes and farms had not been built on flood-plains and if much of the water-absorbing forest had not been cut down. Here, the problem has been made worse by the fact that the flood victims were amongst the poorest people, with little choice but to live on the riskiest land in the riskiest houses.

Another factor, though, is becoming more and more obvious - climate change. The world (and particularly the richer portions of it) continues to burn coal, oil and gas and to drive cars, fly in planes and buy plastic at a faster and faster rate. As a result, the world (and particularly the poorer portions of it) continues to suffer weather related disasters at a faster and faster rate. Asian and European floods, African and Australian drought and North American and Asian hurricanes are some of the visible results from the last month alone.

Although none of this should be new to you, what may be new is the Nepali answer. Although cars and motor-bikes are becoming more and more common, the traditional methods of using cycles (and other human powered vehicles) continues. Cycles are used instead of many larger, more expensive and more polluting vehicles in the 'west'. Here are some examples and there are more in the album:
Milk lorry:

Dust wagon:


School-bus:

Purnaji (our education programme manager mentioned above) has been going one step further and has launched a cycling promotion campaign in Kathmandu. His awareness raising, 'No Petrol-No Problem' T-shirts and cycle rides are starting the fight back against petrol. As you can guarantee, we (along with other VSOs) have been only too eager to help out. Here are Purna and Mel in a shot taken by a petrol attendant:

It is ironic that for decades, Nepal and other 'developing countries' have been trying to become more like the 'developed world'. It may yet come about that, with dwindling oil stocks and rampant climate-change, the wasteful western countries will need to copy Nepal and similar nations in order to develop. Here endeth the sermon!

Birthday boating in Bardia.

Hello again. You're going to think that we are on one long holiday here but this blog is in answer to some questions by Elise (Mel's Niece) and Sharon (Steve's sister) and will also serve as an update. But first, a question from Luca (Mel's oldest nephew):

How hot is it in Nepal?

Well, Nepal is varied. In some parts it is high mountain (where it is freezing) but where we live it is flat and hotter. At the moment it is summer and also the rainy season. This means that some days it is hot and reaches 40-45 degrees centigrade. Other days it is much cooler because of all the rain clouds (down to about 25 degrees). We are expecting the rains to finish in a week or so but then it will start to get cooler. We are told that the temperature drops to 10 degrees in December.

What did you do for your birthday?

Due to a day's festival, we were able to head off to Bardia National Park, which lies about 5 hours bus ride away. We stayed in little rooms that were built in the Tharu style, of mud and wood. Here is a traditional Tharu house, owned by our guide, Sitaram:

The Tharu are the original inhabitants of the therai (the flat part of Nepal where we live). 60 years ago, this area was composed of just swamp and jungle, in which the Tharu people lived in forest clearings. They are reportedly resistant to the dangerous form of Malaria that used to lurk here. In the recent past, however, the forests were logged, the swamps drained and the mosquitoes killed with DDT (a nasty chemical). As a result of this 'progress', other groups, from the hills and India, moved in and the Tharu now mostly work hard on other peoples' land. They are frequently exploited and poor.

The highpoint of the Bardia visit was a raft trip down the rain-swollen rivers into the heart of the park. We stopped at various points to climb watchtowers and observe nature at its grandest:

We saw lots of interesting birds, insects and deer but the highlights were this very rare Gharial crocodile basking on a mud-bank:

And this large, wild bull elephant with two youngsters in tow:

There are also wild rhinos and tigers here but we didn't see those. All four creatures, and more, used to live all over the terai but, due to the above mentioned 'progress' are now very rare outside of national parks. We were, in fact, filmed by the army (who were very excited to find us as we were the only tourists that weekend). They wanted to ask us about our opinions on security and anti-poaching methods in the park. Now that so many rare and endangered animals are concentrated in the park, poaching may lead them to extinction. Poachers are usually poor and these animals dead bodies are very valuable in some traditional medicines and as ivory. The army is doing its best to protect the animals but they also cause their own problems and we found mounds of rubbish near their old camps.

Did Steve make Mel a birthday cake?

Yes indeedy! It was supposed to be chocolate but that ran out so 'Bournvita' had to substitute. There was no room for the candles but the 'miracle oven' gave it a funky round shape:

What birthday traditions are there in Nepal?

Although the date of birth is very important to many hindus (due to the importance of horoscopes) there are no real birthday traditions, for adults, in this part of Nepal. One thing that often happens is that people take 'mithai' (sweets) into work or school to share. Mel tried this but the office was closed due to yet another 'bandh' (strike). We had to eat all the mithai ourselves, which was a real nuisance as you can imagine!

Anyway, apart from the above birthday news, the only interesting thing to report is that we were recently in a small earth tremor. We were having dinner at the time so didn't rush outside and it only lasted a few seconds.

Schools have started again and we're starting to get out and about for work again. No doubt, there will be more school related blogs soon (which will answer more of your questions).

Until next time, we hope enjoy the photos in the album.

Mel and Steve

'Mist' Opportunities

Hello again,

Blogging again so soon? Well we wanted to share a flavour of our recent short trip to Nainital, in India, with you. Before we tell you more about it, here’s a quick update.

Schools are still closed for the monsoon holidays but we’re finding work to do in the office including planning, data analysis, and drinking chiyah (sweet Nepali tea) with anyone who drops in to see us.

Back at home we have cut back the foliage a bit in the hope that the resident leeches will have fewer places to launch onto us from. The termites are being evicted after munching through some paper kites decorating our walls, and turning them to dust. We’re continuing to see beautiful wildlife in our garden including parakeets, hornbills and bee-eaters and wasps that feature in our album.

Nainital: A ‘mist’ opportunity?

After our surprise 6 day, 12 hours a day training and no weekend, everyone agreed that we deserved a break. Where to go in the monsoon though? This is the time when roads are most likely to be blocked and distant views are less than spectacular. The choice wasn’t too hard though, because we’d heard about a beautiful mountain lake in India, only 8 hours journey away.

We realized we’d made the right decision not spend our time in Nepal when we weren’t able to get a bus to the border due to a Banda (strike) on the day we left (which continued for several more days). So we hopped on a rickshaw, and off we went.

On the first day, we were laughing. Who says it's silly to come to see the Himalayas in the middle of the monsoon? Look at this beautiful weather:

And look at this lovely night time shot. We were really looking forward to our hill walk with snow peaked views the following day.

In the meantime we enjoyed the view from our hotel bedroom window from where we could watch the locals in their ‘branch offices’:

After a few hours walking we reached ‘Tiffin Top’ (does that ring a colonial bell to anyone?) After tiffin on Tiffin, the clouds cleared enough for us to get a bit of a view of the valley below.

Not Himalayan snowpeaks but even so, by the time we reach the promised panorama of Land’s End (sounds all very British), the cloud will surely have cleared and those snowy peaks will surely be peeking out:

Well there’s always tomorrow. We can’t go wrong with a trip on the cable car to ‘Snow View’. Huh! ‘There’s No View’ more like!

While the views were sorely ‘mist’, walking in the clouds did give an extra special feel to our walks. It sometimes felt as though we were walking through fairyland with the ancient moss covered trees, occasional ruins and even a fantasy castle (well okay just a pretentious looking school). Here’s Steve away with the fairies:

There was lots of interesting wildlife to see including this eagle which occasionally emerged from the fog (eagle-ly awaited).

Critters

Hello once more from Mel and Steve.

It’s been a while since our school special posting, which is an indication of how busy we’ve been. This time, we’ll discuss some of the ‘critters’ that we have encountered so far here in Mahendranagar.

But first, a quick update on our adventures since last time:

Schools closed a couple of weeks ago for the rainy/rice planting season, although lots closed early because they have postponed end of semester exams (because of lack of textbooks, although since the exams are written by the teachers, we’re not quite sure how this works!).

Since then, we have been involved in a very intensive training schedule for some local ECD (Early Childhood Development - Nursery/Reception) teachers. Unfortunately, we didn't get any notice for this so couldn't plan what to do but, armed with a training schedule left behind by Robin and Eddie (former VSOs) and our own ideas, we cobbled through. The training was every day for 6 days from 7.30-5.00 so was very tiring, both for the trainees and us trainers. We were assisting Naranyji, the District ECD co-ordinator and song leader extraordinaire. We covered play related learning, simple maths and language demonstrations, stories and songs. Highlights included the building of some houses, complete with miniature furniture, by the trainees and the 'Hatti' (Elephant) song. Photos in the album.

We have also been visiting local NGOs (Non-Government Organisations) and putting up displays.

Outside of work, we have visited 'Jalangypul' which, depending on who you speak to, is either the largest or second largest suspension bridge in Asia. It was impressive and only a few kilometers from our house. Again, photos in the album. We have enjoyed being out and about in the local area. The frequent rainstorms keep it from getting too hot and everywhere is lovely and green. There is lots of natural history to observe, which brings us to:

Mahendranagar Critters, large and small.

The monsoon season has encouraged a huge growth in the plants as well as lots of temporary ponds and puddles. This has led to a big increase in the wildlife that has appeared, as if from nowhere. One of the most obvious and certainly the noisiest, has been the thousands of frogs. They are EVERYWHERE. It's like something out of the old testament! From a few weeks ago, the nights started to be filled with loud mating croaks (which kept us awake - now we know where the term 'frog chorus' comes from!) The tiny resulting froglets are now hopping about everywhere:

Also out and about in some numbers are the infamous Nepali leeches. These critters hide in the soil for most of the year and emerge now. They like nothing better than hiding next to our gate and trying to suck on as we pass. Mel has already been 'leeched' and is now on permanent watchout. Here is one looking harmless:

This giant earthworm was actually spotted in Kathmandu but its mates live here as well. Related to leeches but much friendlier.

Some other, very common houseguests are several species of ants and termites. We have lots of fun watching their ant-ics. Some termites have constructed some passages, tunnels and bridges, out of mud, along our corridor. They are like the 'Doozers' from 'Fraggle Rock'. If any food is left on a work surface for more than 10 seconds, it gets thieved. Like this bit of coconut:




Some other, perhaps more beautiful, insects are also around in numbers. Each evening our garden becomes the scene of something out of fantasy when hundreds of brightly coloured dragonflies descend and skim around. Apart from being beautiful, they also do us a favour by eating mosquitoes, which are also doing very well.

And this flower and beetle need no other introduction.
Some larger critters:
This is also a good season for snakes. Steve has seen one but it zoomed off before a photo could be taken. Here instead is another shot of our, less camera shy, garden lizard (in display colours):

The nearby 'Sukla Phanta' wildlife reserve is home to herds of deer, tigers, rhinos and elephants. Unfortunately, we haven't been there yet but soon intend to. In the meantime, here is a photo of another critter that often wanders past our office door:

And finally, we did get a shot of the elusive and crafty 'mango snatching' critter:That's all for now. Don't forget there are more photos in the album and we'll blog again soon.

School Daze

Hello once again,

We've now been in Mahendranagar for 4 weeks and it sometimes seems longer, sometimes much shorter. The heat is still very noticeable when the sun is out (In the upper 30s or 40s degrees C) but we have now moved into the beginning of the monsoon season and every day has a thunder storm and downpour, which cools things down nicely. We are expecting the amount of rain to increase next month and the rivers (and roads) to become much less passable.

We have now got the house into order (although fighting back the dust and mosquitoes is a never-ending task). The bananas in the garden are still not quite ripe.

The main thing that we have been doing over the last 2 weeks is work - we know you're still getting used to this idea and so are we. We have been been visiting schools, meeting and chatting with teachers and other Education staff in our room/office and visiting NGOs in the area(non government organisations usually doing work for the socially disadvantaged).

Since many people have asked and because it is our main concern here, this blog-post will briefly discuss the schools and education system that we have seen so far. No doubt, more information will be added in future.

Getting to school:

Almost all children in Nepal walk or cycle to school. Very few who go to private school go in a special bus or special cycle rickshaw. We wish we had a picture of one to show you because they do look very funny. They involve an adult cycling around with a big, enclosed tin box on the back of their bike (with holes for windows), containing a far too large number of small children for the size of the container (usually 8-15 are squished in).

School buildings:

These vary quite alot but usually the buildings are of brick or dried mud, with corrugated iron roofs. Some of the smaller, remote schools that we haven't seen yet are made of wood or thatch. There is often enough rooms for all the classes but sometimes not and classes have to share or be very cramped.

The only furniture in most class-rooms are some small, rickety wooden benches (table and seat built in) on which the children sit 2, 3, 4 or 5 on each. In some classes (usually the youngest children) there are no benches but a large mat on the floor. There is also, usually, a blackboard, painted directly onto the wall. Some rooms have paintings and alphabets but most are totally bare walled. This is the most noticeable thing when compared with classrooms in England. There is usually no glass in the windows but this is good as the weather is so hot.

Most schools have some toilet facilities although there can sometimes not be enough for the number of children. There is also, usually, one or more fresh-water hand-pumps and water access is not really a problem here. Nepal is apparently the second richest country, in terms of water resources, in the world.

Lessons

The most obvious difference with English schools is that, in Primary classes, the children do not have one teacher all of the time. They have different teachers for different subjects (like in Secondary School) and the teachers move between classrooms.

The number of children in each class can vary alot. Some classes, that we have seen, have 8 or 9 children. Some classes have 50 or 60 or even more. The children will have these lessons: Nepali, English, Maths, Science and Social Studies.

This whole class and the teacher were able to fit onto one small mat on the day we visited:

Lessons are usually less varied than in England and children mostly listen, answer questions and write individually. Unlike in Eritrea (where we did VSO before), it is very uncommon for children to be hit if they are naughty. Children are well behaved, especially since they are often cramped and don't get to move much. They are even usually well behaved when their teacher is absent and they have to look after themselves (their are no substitute or supply teachers here though other teachers help out when they can).

During each grade (like a year in England) the children have exams and at the end, if they have failed, they stay in the same grade and can't move up to the next one. This means that children in a class can be all different ages.

Sometimes, children even bring in their baby brothers and sisters (who they have to look after, otherwise they'd need to stay at home). It can be quite disconcerting to stand at the front of the classroom and see a 3 year old sitting amongst the class (of 10-13 year olds).

Holidays (official and otherwise!)

A big factor that we have encountered here is the number of school closing days. Of course, schools have nice holidays in England and Eritrea also but, since we have been here (1 month), schools have closed for the following:

2 days of festivals.

Two days of surprise government holiday, when the new assembly took power. We found out about this the day before.

Several days of school closure because there were no textbooks and students around the country had gone on the rampage (according to the press). The reason for no textbooks is because the printing press had been printing ballot papers and got behind. The closure was originally going to be for 2 weeks but the students protested again (because the schools were closed) and they only actually shut for 5 days or so. Again, we found out the day before.

2 days of school closure because the 'peons' (caretakers) in this region called a 'bandha' (strike). This was followed by a 1 day closure of our office because those peons had declared their own bandha. We found this out when we arrived at work.

After a further week, there will be 3 days of exams and then the schools will close for 6 weeks for summer vacation (this coincides with the heaviest monsoon). We haven't decided what we'll do in these 6 weeks yet but are likely to be less busy.

Well, we'll leave this blog here but there will no doubt be more about education in Nepal in future postings.

Mahendranagar Madness

Hi folks,

Sorry for the delay but our arrival in our new home town has kept us very busy for the past 10 days. Believe it or not, we've even had to do some work, although today is a last-minute holiday to celebrate the 'New Nepal'. As you may have seen or heard in the International news, this has been a historic week for Nepal with the abolition of the monarchy and the signing in of a new Constituent Assembly.

So, what have we been up to? Well, to start with we left Kathmandu quicker than expected when our Indian visas came through. Despite us stating a wish to travel by road, VSO decided that we would be safest travelling by plane. When we got to the airport and saw the size of it, Mel wasn't so sure.

But we did arrive safely with our fellow 15 passengers and crew.

Our journey from the airport gave us a taster of the surrounding scenery. This area of Nepal is very flat, although we can see the Himalayan foothills in the background. Much of the area is covered by jungle and a very large part of the district is a protected wildlife reserve. More about that later when we have been for a visit we hope.

The weather here varies between hot and very hot with an occasional thunderstorm and violent rain/hailstorm to remind us of Britain! Despite this, it's definitely not as hot and humid as Massawa in Eritrea although rumour has it that it may get hotter. There's lots more water and greenery which is very nice but means that there are loads more mosquitoes. They do give us plenty of exercise and help us to get rid of our pent up aggression especially with our fantastic electric mozzy zapping racquet

Our house is very large as it used to house 3 single people, and has quite a big garden. We are already doing well with our New Year's 'Growing-things-to-eat' resolution, as we've already got a bunch of bananas growing in our front yard!

Our house was really filthy when we arrived as no-one had been living there for 6 months and this is a very dusty, spidery place. The house is full of volunteers old 'chiz biz' (stuff) going back about 10 years. But thanks to the help of a cleaner and gardener and our angelic teenage neighbour Anu, who loves 'arranging' rooms, we have finally sorted the place out and it's starting to feel like home. We've even started doing some cooking, although after 3 months out of the kitchen it needs a bit of work on the flavour.

We've been to work and have been off to an active start, visiting several schools and heads meetings in different areas of our District, Kanchanpur. We've got lots of ideas for things to do, in fact too many. All the people we've met have been really friendly both at work and around town.

As you may know, we're only 6km from India here and we've even made a journey there already, taking a lovely walk along an irrigation canal and over the Mahakali river which marks the border.

We've got the old bicycles, that were left in the house, up and running, and so we're hoping to explore further afield in the coming weeks.

A Taste of Village Life

Hello all,

This time we combine some information on tastes of Nepal, with news of our most recent adventure, the week long village stay.

First though, we received a question:

- 'After buying the fabric in the lovely fabric shop (see last blog), was Mel measured up for a dress or did she get out her sewing kit herself?' (Ailsa Massey)

Mel chose and bought her fabric at that shop and then took it to a tailor's shop to make the 'Kurta Surwal' (local dress, other than saris). The tailor did measure Mel and she could choose from a catalogue of styles (type of neckline, bagginess of trousers etc.). Mel now has 2 new, complete outfits (comprising 'Kurta' top, 'Surwal' trousers and shawl). She reports that they are very comfy and most importantly cool, especially the baggy trousers, which is very important when we get to our placement and 40+ degrees Celsius temperatures. Here is our favourite:


In the Village

We spent the whole of last week in a small village called Chaukot. This village is on the edge of the Kathmandu Valley (about 2 hours by bus) and the reasons for going were: to immerse ourselves in the language, to learn and observe Nepali culture outside of the city, and, to contribute to village life.

Each volunteer lived with a local family, eating, sleeping and working with them (we were both placed in separate families) and we also had language classes (the teachers having travelled out with us). On the last full day, we all took part in a community project.

Arriving was very exciting as we met our new families. They were told about us and our strange, foreign ways. For example, that our stomachs are 'very weak and small' so we have to drink our own water and only a small amount of Daal Bhaat.

Mel was right at home in a family dominated in number by teachers and women! Apart from parents (Sanukaji and Maiya) there are 6 children and relatives ranging in age from 4 to 22. Many of the family speak good English but conversation, during the stay, was almost all in Nepali. Staying in the family was brilliant fun and there was plenty of silliness with lots of chatting, games and dancing, as well as the more serious business of cooking and field work (most people in Chaukot have or work in fields, to supplement income and food). Here is Mel's 'new' family (plus a neighbour). More photos of the village stay in the album:
Steve was placed in a smaller family of 3. His new 'dai' (big brother) is called Parushottam and is a local health worker by trade. His wife (Steve's new sister-in-law), Shoba, works (as is most common in Chaukot) very hard as a house-wife. Their 22 year old son Ishwor, is an electrician and student. All were, again, very welcoming and conversation was entirely in Nepali. Our main use of time, outside lessons and work, was, again in the field as well as wandering around the village helping to make important decisions (such as where the new water pipe is to go):
Twice a day at about 8.30am and 7.30pm, we both ate 'Daal Bhaat' the main Nepali food (more about this, below) and supplemented this with 'khaajaa' (snacks) and lots of tea.

When not engaged in more important learning or other family matters, we went for walks and admired the gorgeous scenery (usually accompanied by members of our families):

On the final 2 days, we, along with the villagers, decided upon, planned and conducted a community project. This was in two main areas. Firstly, we gave 'cultural exchange talks'. These consisted of presentations and 'Question & Answer' sessions on life in the UK (and Phillipines and Ireland). We both did a session together, for which we received a round of applause for, amongst other things, sharing cooking and other house-work and for answering questions in Nepali (although the teachers were on hand for occasional translation). Some of the health volunteers also gave a 'women's health' session which was also well attended.

The other part of our project was in the local school. We helped design, make and demonstrate lots of resources such as; large, outdoor 'Snakes and Ladders' game, puppets and flash-cards. We also spent our allowance (from VSO) on simple sports equipment and stationery for the poorest students (who otherwise must pay themselves). Steve spent most of the time reorganising the school library (which was in a bit of a mess) and sorting out all the teaching resources that already existed there, such as 'big books' and multiple class-copies. Mel helped make flashcards and demonstrated puppets and new songs to teachers and students. Overall, our efforts seemed to be well received and we all had great fun.
On the final evening, we were entertained by dancing and drumming, and the volunteers put on a short 'comedy skit' and song for the host families:
On the final morning, we had a fantastic send-off by the host families, which included lots of garlands, 'tikka' (red marks on the forehead) and fruit.
There were mixed feelings from the group about leaving the village and returning to Kathmandu but both of us were very sorry to leave. Our good health, the peace and quiet, beauty and, above all, friendliness and generosity of the villagers will be pleasant memories for us, for a long time to come. We are both hoping to return and visit our 'families' within the next 2 years.

A Taste of Things to Come

Continuing our series of 'Senses' of Kathmandu, we come to the subject of taste.

In Kathmandu, there are many restaurants, with a wide variety of tastes. When we focus on 'authentic Nepali tastes' however, one dish above others deserves mention. This is 'Daal Bhaat'. Daal Bhaat is the staple food of the vast majority of Nepalis and consists of rice (Bhaat) and lentils (daal).
You may think that this gets boring twice a day, every day (as we had in Chaukot) but there are different varieties of rice and lentils and Daal Bhaat is often served with a large variety of 'tarkari' (seasonal vegetables) such as 'alloo' (potatoes), 'saag' (greens), 'piyaaj' (onions) , 'brinjaal' (aubergine) and 'cawli' (cauliflower) as well as various delicious spices and levels of 'piro' (chilli), 'achaar' (pickled veg) and sometimes 'massu' (meat). Also, the rice is often supplemented with 'roti' (flat bread) or 'naan' (bigger flat bread). Here Mel is making Roti in the cowshed in Chaukot:
There is a good deal of skill involved in cooking a tasty 'Daal bhaat' and for this reason it's important to let the cook know that it's 'mitho' (tasty). There is also some skill in eating it the Nepali way (with the right hand, sitting on the floor). Apart from in the village, we have eaten 'Daal Bhaat' in restaurants and regularly at the VSO office, where some of the staff have been on cooking courses:
As well as 'Daal bhaat', other local tastes worth mentioning are the fresh fruits that we often buy, such as 'suntala' (oranges/tangarines), 'keraa' (bananas) and 'aap' (mangoes) often loaded and displayed carefully on bicycles:
Drinks include 'chiyaa' (local tea) which we mentioned last time, fruit juice and 'raksi' (locally brewed alcohol) which we haven't tried. We also like 'lassi' (a sweet yoghurt drink).