Weeks 5, 6, and Dashain

 It's been a busy few weeks.  First there was a three day training on permagardening, taught by a specialist imported from Ethiopia.  He made a video from all our work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAIsQPR6A60&feature=youtu.be

Friday afternoon some of us went to my sister's school to watch a dance program.  A group of girls approached me at one point and started chatting.  "Do you like friendship?" they asked.  What are you supposed to say to that?  "Yes," I replied.  The next thing you know...

I let them talk me into getting up in front of everyone and dance.  We eventually got everyone on the stage to join in.  It was a lot of fun.

That night we got to fix a Nepali meal.  I even went shopping on my own.  My family was great about telling me what to do, then letting me do it.  It turned out well enough that they said I could fix dinner every day.

Monday we got to go on a field trip to Bhaktapur, one of Nepal's most ancient cities.  It was fun being a tourist for a day, but i have to admit that I missed being the only white person around.

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Last week Dashain, Nepal's biggest holiday, began.  I don't understand or remember all the religious significance behind the festival, but it included lots of "pudja-ing" (that's not a real Nepali word, just incase you were wondering) or worshiping.  Sometimes this meant going to the temple and making offerings of fruits and flowers.

 

 Sometimes it meant sanctifying personal property, like my family's mill,  In this case pudja included cleaning up a bit, painting religious symbols on the machinery, burning incest... and sacrificing a goat.

 "Pinging" (or swinging) is also a traditional activity during Dashain.  This is done standing up and requires far more muscle and skill than you would think.  The older women and young girls tended to be the best pingers of all.

 The last day of Dashain involves the giving of tikas and money.

It was fun hanging out with my whole family.