Thaiba and family living

Family living in Nepal is great, if rather slow moving, with many slightly awkward moments as I adapt to Nepali customs and try to understand the special language that is Nepali English! ("Pardon" and "I don't understand" are two very important phrases for me at the moment!) I have been trying to get to grips with some Nepali but I'm not getting on so well thus far ...

Muna, the eldest daughter (22) has adopted me, and is always telling me to "come" whether it be to her room, or to sit and watch her prepare dinner. That in itself is an interesting experience! We eat rice and various different curries for both breakfast and dinner, and for lunch we have some type of dry flakes (they almost look like flaked almonds) with curried chickpeas. (I think this delight is called ghram?) To start with, the spices and garlic are all crushed together, using a small stone against a big stone which is on the floor. Everything is then mixed together in a pan and somehow comes out tasting delicious, if rather spicy! On the first day I was slightly worried about how my stomach would cope with the food, especially the pickles which aren't cooked and use normal water ... All seems to be ok so far though!

Meal times aren't quite what I was expecting ... (only based on what I've read in my trusty "Rough Guide") A LOT of preparation goes into the meals but they are finished within 5 minutes as everyone literally shovels their food into their mouths with their fingers. I have started to get the hang of this suprisingly difficult technique. The key seems to be to mix everything together on your plate, make a wee ball in your fingers and quickly push it into your mouth with your thumb! I've not yet mastered the art of doing this in a neat fashion, with every mouthful involving various bits falling from my mouth, and me looking a complete mess! At this, I am rewarded with a knowing smile from the deaf grandfather, and a look of amusement from the three girls! When each person is finished, they get up and leave to do other things (usually involving riding their new bike round the garden). So far, I have been the last at every meal although at home, I am always finished first!

Yesterday was my first day "in the office", although I ended up spending most of it in my room because the laptop run out of battery, and there was no electricity during the day. The family, however, has a generator so I was able to go back there to try and do some internet based work. Talking to Krishna, it seems that he is very keen for me to do a lot of networking based work. My main aim is to try and raise awarness of our work in the UK, to help establish a regular flow of volunteers, and to try and make some commerical connections with shops and businesses who might like to import some of the knitted products. Raising money is of course another concern. The current aim is to raise the equivalent of 5000 pounds sterling, in order to build a guesthouse which would allow tourists to visit the projects through an eco-tourism programme. By setting this up, SHEWD will be able to raise much needed funds for their other micro-credit and healthcare projects! (If anyone has any ideas about any of these, please please let me know, as any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!)

After a few days in the village, I have come back to Bhaktapur for the week-end to see Sarah and Nathalie. Its nice just to be able to relax totally, not constantly worrying about what I should do and what to say! I will return to Thaiba tomorrow evening, and I hope that I will go to see some of the villages on Monday. Let the real fun and hopefully amazing insights begin!

Until next time,

ElsieXXxx