India & Nepal: History & Culture Through Service Learning

And so it was.  The day the Nilganga English School received a new coat of paint from two Americans and a Brit, who were all the willing to give the classroom a revitalized energy.  Evidently the very lovely, very kind women who ran the school did not have much painting experience.  For when Ian and I opted to buy them new rollers in substitution for their dry, well-worn brushes, they looked in amazement in their words, that “such an instrument” existed.  We were officially the painting ambassadors to Nepal from the United States.

the wall before… the wall after

The staff and students of the school were so pleased that we were pledging our time to help their classroom look nicer.  Long after our time in Nepal that classroom will still be shining white, after being painted with love by a few volunteers.

Countless times we have been praised for our volunteering by the locals.  They say, and they are correct, that doing service work enables us to have a truly authentic experience, one that most tourists are not interested in having.  For traveling, as in life, is made by the people you spend it with. The best experiences on this trip have been when we have interacted and worked with other people, when we have strayed from the tourist trail and immersed ourselves in local culture.

After painting, we spent some time in the classrooms watching the children play and sing.  We bid a heartfelt farewell, having thoroughly enjoyed our day.  We left the classroom walls sparkling white, a stark contrast from what they had looked like when the school day began.

from left to right:  Ian, John, Anne (the british volunteer), Pramila and her friend

After school Pramila took us back to her office and finalized our bus ticket for tomorrow morning.  The plan is travel to her mother and fathers house tomorrow, stay with them two nights, before heading to Ajamvari Farm for one or two weeks.

Once we received our bus tickets, Pramila’s good friend (his name escapes me now) took us on a long, meandering walk through the narrow streets of Kathmandu to a government-run bookstore.  Our idea is to bring a load of book to our homestay, where a local group is in the process of starting a library.  This was completely our idea, one that has been received with smiles and encouragement by Pramila and her friends.  At the bookstore, the cashier gave us a huge discount for what he deemed, “Doing a very good thing.”

This could be the last communication for a little while, as it looks like internet is not readily available at the farm.  We have been told it is an hours drive away.  If you’re curious, the website for the farm is http://www.ajamvarifarm.org

Enjoy the pictures above, and the videos below.  I hope everyone is happy, healthy, and content.  Namaste.

Our day began with a meeting with Pramila Parajuli, who is arranging our homestay and volunteering at Ajamvari Farm.  Ajamvari means eternal in Nepali, so alas we are working on the eternal farm.

We now have our dates cemented, we leave tomorrow morning (Saturday) and shall stay at least a week, milking cows, plowing fields etc.  We sat in her office and chatted with her for about an hour, and one of her friends came in and gave us a description of the farm.  He said, “I think you will have a wonderful good time on the farm.  It is so beautiful there, everything is so green.  The mountains are green, the fields and grasses are green.  Even man and woman is green!”

In about an hour we have another meeting with Pramila, this time so she can give us a tour of the school she works at in Kathmandu.  Exciting!

On the taxi ride back from the stupa, Ian and I were involved in our first car accident while abroad.  Taking a right hand turn into traffic, a motorcyclist did not see us coming and slammed into the side of the car, shattering the side mirror and denting the drivers door.  As it was his fault, he sped away as fast as he could, and our taxi driver sped after him.  We were briefly involved in a high speed chase.  The motorcyclist took a quick turn down a dirt road and was out of sight, leaving our poor taxi driver to deal with the damage to his car.  Needless to say we paid him more than the agreed fare.  An eventful day,  more to come!

 

Much to report.  

Saturday was our day at the Taj Mahal, and might I say it lives up to any expectations that you've ever heard.  The craftsmanship and grandiosity ... [Continue reading this entry]

India is a big country.  After spending two days taking buses into the mountains, we realized in Manali that it was going to take about two days to get back out and ... [Continue reading this entry]

Lha, the Tibetan word for "our innate nature of fundamental goodness" serves as the resource center for McLeod Ganj, and the Tibetan community that resides there.  Lha ... [Continue reading this entry]

from journal: "Delhi was a cess-pit of dirt and grime, a melting pot of all that is unholy. Not fun."

Fortunately for us, we left Delhi in a hurry. On to Dharamsala... [Continue reading this entry]