Musings

21/12/13

Well, we’re well into the Holiday season, now.  I’m being having some sad days, wishing I were home, or at least in a country that celebrated Xmas.  However, we are going to go to Traveller’s Village and have Candy make us a delicious dinner.  I can’t wait to just sit in the room, drink wine and watch hours and hours of Xmas movies-I just wanna go right now!

In other news, I have finally met my counterpart.  As a person, he’s not my favorite, but I’m trying to just think of him as a good resource, and I don’t think I’ll have to see him more than one week per month.  I sat in on our local farmer’s group meeting where he discussed nursery production, improved seeds and other ag-related things.  The meeting started one hour and 45 minutes late, as is usual in Nepal, so it was a bit tough just sitting in our courtyard, in the cold, waiting, and not being able to participate in the gossip, which, I’m sure, was being discussed.

Yesterday my counterpart gave a training on mushroom production.  We left the house at 9:30 and didn’t get back until nearly 6-it was a vey long, hard day.  Mushrooms are very nutritious and, once they are in their bags, easy to maintain, but the preparation for making them is ridiculous.  I still have to decide if it’s something that I want to promote (especially since I don’t really like mushrooms and there’s always the risk that if my family starts growing them, I’ll have to eat them…).  However, I feel like the women that I work with me are warming up-I always make a point to participate in the work and get dirty, which is nice. 

Peace Corps tells us to make friends with people in the village, but it’s hard when all the women my age are either married with children and running a farm, or off in a big city in school.  Plus, I can’t really be friends with men my age, here.  It’s just another way that men in PC have it easier than women!

Today is another foggy, chilly day, which makes the prospect of going outside to do laundry unappealing, but I will just try to think of it as one step in my preparation for going away for a little vacation, soon. 

I’m going to make some “American” food for my family, today.  Since I haven’t gotten into town, my idea to make pasta fell through.  I am, however, going to make tomato, tuna and cauliflower sauce with potato pancakes to dip; toasted nuts; apple cider and roti with peanut butter and nutella to dip-I hope it turns out! 

Starting in January I’ll be teaching an English class at my house (yikes!) and starting work on a composting system for my family-I’ve just gotta keep hacking away at projects to not start going crazy!

Wishing you all a very joyous Holiday Season!

Xoxox

Zoop

P.S.  Funny things in Nepal:

- A goat down the street that, every time I pass it, has its two front legs perched up on a railing.

-The fashion (or maybe it’s for practicalities’ sake) of men here wearing the detachable hood of a rain jacket by itself, as a hat.