Now sitting in my room in Ilam listening to the frogs and insects buzzing outside...a bit of murmuring from the room downstairs...fighting off a persistent mozzie ...wondering if the rain will stop for long enough for the clothes to dry - especially after someone told me today that during the monsoon (summer) season in Ilam, white clothing turns to black with mold...eeeeeek! Hoping I can avoid THAT!
Finally feeling as though I can relax here and become a part of the community, although I think it's happening anyway..the guy in the restaurant up in the market knew exactly what I wanted when I was last there..."You want beer?" OF COURSE!! and the supermarket man keeps the 'special,good quality' toilet paper put aside for me... the vege stall guy says "Namaste" with a HUGE smile every time I pass him, a woman in the market always calls me over & tells me her veges are 'ramro' when I can see that they're far from it...and the walk to school every morning is a stream of "namaste"s or "good morning miss"es. (Hint: make sure both hands are free to avoid hitting yourself in the nose and chin with a bag with every greeting..not a good look & results in lots of giggling..)
The non-tourist visa experience was a trying period, with usual (and expected) bureacratic nuances, but also some unexpected information that's not freely available for applicants. But have recovered now and starting to settle in and making plans for the months ahead. It will be worth the investment of sweat, tears and dollars - I'm sure of it! The value of friendship was certainly reinforced during the whole process - nothing was too much trouble for some special Nepali friends and they kept me strong and positive. Also had an opportunity to experience some fabulous restaurants in KTM which was also a positive! AND found a hairdresser who knew exactly what was required...another plus!!!School is interesting at the moment..preparation for exams is underway and the kids don't seem to be phased by the looming deadline at all..so will see what the results bring in a couple of weeks from now.
Each morning during assembly one of the students gives a short 'speech' about Ilam...last week one of them was talking about the 'black' people in the market who drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes and generally behave badly.."so you need to be careful when you're in the market"..I felt reallly 'black' but luckily the feeling only lasted for a few seconds.. That night I had a few cigs and a beer!! (not sure about the bad behaviour).
Chalk dust is still a minor problem & sliding down the slippery road every morning is a challenge, but it was amazing on the way home this afternoon. Walking through the tall trees dripping with water, hearing the birds singing and stopping to look at the different shades of green overhead and all around .. so serene...and the valley with gleaming white rooftops was so vivid that I felt as if I could just reach out and touch it...how insignificant I felt..and rejuvenated...and fell in love all over again
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