Homesick During Tihar

5/11/13

It’s the last day of the holidays, here, and getting on to holiday time in the states, so I’m feeling a little homesick.   It might be the low-grade fever that I’ve had for the last 2 days, or the fact that all of the ritual of Tihar stresses me out, but I just want to be home, today.  It’s still cold and foggy out, but I’ll have to go downstairs to the water bucket to wash my hair, and run down to the pasal (store) to try and get some things for Dhai/Bhai puja-a ceremony where sisters offer food to their older and younger brothers.  All I really want to do is lay in bed until it gets hot out, then shower and do my laundry. 

The night before last, my Didi dragged me out of bed, had me put on my sari, and took me to a neighbor’s house to dance.  It was fun, since the other women approved of my dancing, but stressful, with all those women touching me and yelling in my face.  I felt bad making my Didi leave early, but I still have to get up for school at 5:30, every morning, even if the rest of the village has a holiday.  We have 18 days left until our final LPI test and (hopefully) 20 more days until we swear in and get to go to our permanent site.  I’m really hoping that the pessimist in me is wrong, and that we do actually get to swear in this month.  If we swear in on that date, I will be able to be home by Halloween, in two years.  You see, once you get to the end of your two years, you can leave a month early, without it counting as Early Termination.  So, if I swear in on Nov. 25^th, I can leave Oct. 25^th and be back in the states by Halloween of 2015!!  It’s these kinds of things that I try to keep in mind when the monotony and strangeness of it all is starting to get to me.  Well, off to get ready for Tihar.

Xoxo,

Zoop

P.S.

Our PC Medical Officer has warned us to refrain from drinking home-made alcohol, as it can be made with methanol, antifreeze, etc. and flavored with things like socks and used sanitary pads (!!!!).