Family Dinners and Diarrhea

8/10/13-10/10/13

I am sitting in my room with my new little brother and sister, they are writing me messages in English and arguing.

I am trying to spend more time with them, since I have very limited time at home and feel like I get very little time with them, I would honestly rather spend the time by myself, but they are usually entertained looking at my old magazines, so it’s fine.

It’s been a crazy week-we have done three technical trainings in the past three days-each one at least 3 hours (which is on top of one or two language classes/day), and some as long at 6 or 7 hours.  I am exhausted.  We have one day of normal classes-with four hours of language classes (ughhh) and then we have a hub day the next day-when we find out where our permanent sites will be.  I am very nervous, although the fact that there are no places that I absolutely do not want to be makes me feel a little calmer.  There are some people who have pretty specific expectations and I feel like that’s a recipe for disaster. 

Other than that, things are pretty much the same every day.  Language class is getting a little better, but there is just so much material every day and I still feel like the worst person in my class, which, with the exception of math classes, I am not used to. 

I went back to my old family’s house for the first time, last night.  They were very happy to see me.  My hajur ama just kept patting my face and hair and saying things, of which I could understand nothing, because of her accent.  I had dinner with them, although I was the only one who had lentils and vegetables.  I wondered if they could no longer afford better food, since the PC was no longer paying them for me to stay there-a very sad thought. 

Then, the next day, we went back to install and improved cook stove, as our last technical training during PST.  The stoves are made of mud and handmade bricks.  It costs a family about 400 rupees and takes an afternoon-and can change their lives.  It improves the indoor air pollution from smoke, cooks faster and with less wood.  I was glad to be able to do that for my family, although PC didn’t tell them that were not going to be able to use if for nearly 3 weeks.  For families with more money, this would not be a problem, but I highly doubt that my family could afford to cook on gas for 3 weeks-I will be talking to PC about this, tomorrow, when we have hub day.

Today was a rough day-I came down with my first gastro-intestinal issue of my stay here-all day in bed, and in and out to the bathroom-it was not great.  By 5:30 I managed to drag myself out of bed in order to choke down some plain rice, which, if I could keep down, would be very good for my poor stomach.  OF COURSE, on the one day that I wanted rice, my family made roti (like naan), beans and meat-I choked down what I could and await my body’s decision about whether or not it’s going to stay with us.  I’ve gotta make it into Chautara, as tomorrow we find out where are permanent sites will be-plus, I am hoping that my first package from home will be waiting for me!

Xoxo,

Zoop