Spending Christmas in Sri Aurobindo ashram

On Christmas holiday kids have organized different games-
here they stand in the line waiting for the beginning

I've decided to spend my Christmas days in Sri Aurobindo ashram outside Kathmandu. For those who did not know-ashram is a spiritual hermitage, where inhabitants spend a lot of time for spiritual and physical exercises, serving the world and fulfilling their duties. Don't confuse it with monastery-even though people don't marry and have very few material possessions here, they are much freerer than monks. They study in universities, dress casually, wear make ups and frequently go outside to the city.

This particular ashram is mostly a shelter for children-those abandoned or those, whose parents decided to send them to a spiritual place. Those children have a local school; although apart from that ashram practices integral teaching-apart from governmental syllabus kids are learning to dance, to sing, to paint and they have daily physical exercises. Each one of them, even those of 6-7 year old have their duties and usually the duty is performed in a group of younger and older children, so that elder ones can help smaller ones. Small kids can actually do a lot! For instance, to roll dough. Those children are still poor, but they get proper food, they have warm clothes and they have clean beds to sleep. Above all-they are happy. Have you ever been to orphanage? I haven't, I always thought I am too emotional to see those small kids who are missing real homes.

School activity-in this game kids learned different English words.
On the command they needed to perform something, e.g. smile

This is not the case here. Children are responsible, never alone or never crying. Another thing-they smile back and laugh a lot. I've noticed that here in Nepal children  are very shy and even though they would come close to you lead by curiosity, they would always turn away or hide if you smile or initiate contact. Here a child would give his wide happy smile at the very moment he sees some first drops of smile in your eyes.

My heart has melted.

The guru of the ashram, hugging the smallest ones

Children in the line for delicious food

Children in ashram develop their talents professionally-some of them start drawing amazing thangkas, some go for sewing, some play musical instruments, others go for college.

Old and young participate in the game for candies

The centre has naturopathy, where all the diseases are first treated with ayurveda. They also make pashmina and sell organic vegetables.

Everyone does according to his skills and wishes, and the whole community benefits from that. 

So many places in the world would try to build communism; and all of them would fail-at the end people's greed and will for power would beat all the good intentions. Not the case here, where spirituality would be interwoven in every action-not in the form of non-stop prays, but in the form of doing good, serving people and living for the divine.

At first this peace and tranquillity made me think I have nothing to do there; with time I got more and more attached to the simplicity and joy. Ever day I would think of staying here forever and every evening I would wish to run away. It was so bloody COLD! I though I got used to the cold Kathmandu, but that was incomparable! Having on me all the clothes in many layers it felt like even the blood in my veins is freezing. I could also not imagine any life after 9 o'clock, the cold made it impossible even to read in the bed-the book holding arm would scream to put it back under the blanket. So I went to sleep quiet early. I thought to work for my research in ashram-but didn't really happen. Either my fingers were too stiff either with the first warmth from sun I would just run outside and enjoy my muscles getting back to life. Although I have managed to solve my research related long lasting annoying problems. 

 

For me it is the place to return. I keep asking myself a question-why we people cannot live like that? Why can't we have organic food, natural medicine, be friendly and share with all what we have?

From tranquillity to 3-day ride back to Kathmandu

 Beautiful Falaichha is the place of deep valleys, high hills, forests, springs and waterfalls. Sometimes I would stay on the hill and look at the another. I would count houses.... and I could barely count more than 3-4 on the other side. It was hard to move around, because it was so steep and it became scary after sunset to go home. I was afraid from the animals, because all around is only forest and Sunil was afraid from people. Nepali people in general still have post-maoist fear and they would always exaggerate the risk.

How many houses do you see? This is the inhabited village.

In Falaichha I felt the most political tensions in the country. Unfortunately, I feel like predicting upcoming conflicts. Although the village is so peaceful and the biggest wish and responsibility of people, as they said, is to live in peace and help each other. Preserving culture and having the identity becomes so important, that some would go and fight for that.

   Political leader, is not cutting beard until the stable government comes to power. Beard would be also useful in case if he needs to fight for his ideas- then people would not recognize him                

                                                             

In some places of Nepal I have become highly dependent on nature, especially on sun. I wake up early to be able to catch as much day as possible and I go early to bed, because it is so cold, that I cannot even read a book-my hand is freezing. I know at which hour in which place it becomes warm and which places to avoid because of shade. Knowing east and west becomes crucial and adjusting for the shade makes it possible not to freeze and still be able to use the computer. After 17 it is already late for me and I try not to arrange anything after 4-it is too dark to move around, as  there is no street light. If I am lucky and there is a solar panel, I also learn at which hour the water is the warmest. This lifestyle becomes natural and the only problem is that it doesn't fit with my necessity to study. I rather feel like collecting leaves or cooking daal bhat.

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And so there was this long going back. After reaching Jhapa just within 10 hours in uncomfortable local jeep we stayed in the so called best hotel of town. Pretending to be luxury, it had AC, cable TV, couches and a sofa. Apart from that the bed sheets and towels were never washed in their long life, the shower would be stuck with hair and the toilet.... well, it was so disgusting that I am not going even to write it here, I guess you got my point. After long drive and being general quite dirty in those rural conditions I couldn't find the cleanest spot in the room even to sit, so I preferred to keep standing. Luckily I had a sleeping bag, so I could escape from touching the bed sheets and pretend to enjoy my sleep. That was not the case though. In the evening the group of Indians arrived in the hotel, so my doors and windows were frequently knocked and those many attempts to violently open my door made me quite nervous. In this moment I felt thankful for so much furniture, so that it could work as a blocking force-I have made a special mechanism in front of my door so that noone can open it too easily or too fast.
Luckily I was too tired so I felt asleep hoping to leave this awful place as soon as I can tomorrow morning.

Morning came with the continuous fog and extremely poor visibility. Airport staff confirmed my fears of cancelled flight. Going back to Jhapa? No, I rather WALK back to Kathmandu!!!!!
Long debates and discussions with people from the airport about renting a transport were not successful, so after wasting lots of time I was just crying not to stay in this horrible place any more longer and at least to hire a taxi to reach any closer point to Kathmandu before it gets dark.
And so we went to Biratnagar, hoping to be able to get seats in the next early morning bus, where all the seats were already sold. Lucky enough we got seats and I was sitting in the very front, sharing 1,5 seat with another passenger, kids, legs, backs and bags of other people. Being so squeezed was not the biggest problem-the window was broken (and at 5 in the morning the cold is intolerable, especially in the bus with the opened window!). The holes were also in front of me and on the bus floor, so actually I could have 3dimensional connection with the outside. I was happy for having big feet and not being afraid that they would fall in that hole.
Just 12 hours and we reached nighty Kathmandu. I managed to find accommodation quiet easy, although in the morning I needed to start my living place search again. But otherwise those were days of moving again, eating and sleeping. Finally having access to all the different food I couldn't stop filling my stomach and the exhaustion was too strong to leave my bed.

I pray for not having fog in the nearest future, when I go to East again....

Up and down in moods and hills on the way to Falaicchha

Reaching Falaichha (next destination) was not that easy. First we needed to go down, then up, then down, then up (read it 3 times again) until we entered one house, which was supposed to be our overnight stay. Usually my very friendly, talkative and soft (unable to say “no” to hundreds of tea invitations) assistant this time told me to speak by myself. Surprised I wore a mimic of a diligent student and said a primitive text in Nepali about who I am. Ehm, actually our hosts were English teacher in a secondary school+ English teacher and school principal! Great! Not at all, actually. My Nepali was so much better than their English so often I would find it much easier to use my poor vocabulary to explain what I need than to try to appeal to their English skills. I still wonder what an English teacher can teach if he even doesn’t know answer to the question “how old are you”…

Anyway, that was quite a horrible stay-we were charged really a lot and we both couldn’t stand the hosts urge of money. To make it worse-we were trying to plan our way up to Falaichha and a little bit drunk and a lot smelly driver promised to arrange everything and we would move tomorrow at 5.

Next morning he woke up after 6. You can imagine how angry I was for waking up and waiting for him in that early and extremely cold hour after exhausting walk previous day! The things got only worse-we drove for 4 hours to get to know that actually nothing is set and our way to the destination is blurry. So, annoyed up to the highest limit we skipped the drive and started to walk back and up.

Remembering now the walk to Kopchhe (just before Falaichha village), few things pop in my mind-lack of water for half a day (and in general I’m close to die if I don’t drink and walk a lot), a heavy bag, very slippery way and fear from darkness which reached us in the forest before we got any signs of humankind.

 But above all-the mysterious forest. Even Sunil, the graduate from forestry, would say this is very unusual forest, especially in those heights. I could swear to you-Avatar producers would be jealous if they saw those trees! They could speak and I am sure they could hug you or kill you.

A tree from a fairy tale

And only forest around

Let’s though go back to the darkness and the slippery way. Already exhausted and starving for water in twilight finally we saw a spring. Being so happy I filled my bottles but forced myself to wait for purification pills to work-the source was too low to trust it blindly.

Was getting darker and darker, the road more and more slippery and around-only deep forest.

Finally one house appeared. Knowing that it was one and only before another long walk to any settlements, my lips, totally dry, were unable to pronounce anything logical, but eyes were so desperate… in this case language is not needed and the first words of the owner were – stay here, don’t go further. Stay with us and in the morning you continue your walk. Hearing this revealing melody I imagined myself as an old-time traveller, who would ask for shelter and water on the way.

Our hosts-quiet a bad picture, though

The smiles of those two people are still in my memory. Feel like after an exhausting physically or morally day I would always like to come to their fireplace and enjoy their simplicity and heart-brightness.

Unfortunately tiredness led to sneezing, crying and coughing all night and next day for me. Getting from this family some weird spicy berries and branches to chew against my cold we left this wonderful place, where I could spend all my life.

In couple of hours we reached a bazaar, where I could finally get warm tea. My throat was so sore and my eyes were so much crying that I wouldn’t like to talk or to even look at the curious crowd in the tight circle around me. Nevertheless my sick appearance would be so appealing to the young girl-owner of the “café”. She gave us some snacks and tea for free and sit nearby when I was in the “toilet” in which wood cracks would actually be bigger than wood. Moreover, she would constantly tell me how cute and nice I am and at the end would even give me bangles as souvenirs.

Well, life is never boring here. 

The warmth in the cold Nepali village

Beautiful Sidin

Martial arts for kids in local school

After a long drive in the uncomfortable minivan on actually very good road (for Nepali life-threatening standards, of course) my body popped out in front of Sidin (the village in Panchthar). I received my already very dirty bag (throughout the whole journey I felt that the smartest decision was to put my backpack in extra cover against dirt) and made a deep deep breath. In this unbelievably silent silence was only one disturbance-screams from martial trainings. Such a surprise!

The first place we went became our host-house for next few nights. In general, rural Nepali families are very hospitable, generous and welcoming. It would never be a problem to find an overnight stay or lunch in any of the houses we would pass. It always seemed crazy, that you could just go to the house on your way and ask for food. It is so sad, that nowadays in our society it is hard to come closer even to the house, big fences and aggressive dogs would not even let you inside the garden…

Making tea in the morning. Kitchen is the heart of the house,
and the source to survive in cold

We were immediately “taken” by local teachers, so willing to share all their knowledge, to help and to introduce with all their networks. We put hats, gloves, jackets and sit comfortably close to the fire in the kitchen. Warm, nice food and the proper sleep even in so cold conditions was what we needed.

The old proud man

Next day we were walking around and became honour guests in two events. Firstly I was invited to the marriage party. Actually it was not a wedding, but the party organized by the bride’s parents for her to be able to “enter” her in-law parents’ house. Since the couple have had love-marriage and not arranged marriage, that was a necessary procedure I was observer of. On that party many people would like to come to talk to me. Some of them would tell their sad stories, some would promise to arrange marriage for me, some would just come and would be proud to be 86 years old. As I mentioned before, I had a status of a married woman in the village, but many people would not believe me. That young look of mine!

Marriage party

Look at that special guest!

Another honoured position was in the games, which gathered several villages in neighbourhood. Events like that happen once a year and special guests would be invited to sit on the stage before the opening. And so was I. Without knowing and understanding what is going I was just sitting and letting people staring at me. Well, I starred at them too. Funny enough, one old lady couldn’t hold her curiosity and went down to my place to look at me closer.

What I’ve noticed is that children would be a combination of curiosity and shyness, which would never let them come closer. Although once my assistant left me shortly, the circle around me of young teenagers would become tighter and tighter and finally I would have no escape from almost physical contact with them and being forced to pose for many pictures for their phones. You might be surprised about their phones and so was I-but here having a phone is both a necessity and the fashion thing, so many would prefer having a better phone than better food.

Actually I was in more favourable position, because my assistant (who is Nepali, but still looks exotic enough for them, because he represents another ethnicity) was surrounded by local opinion leaders. I would call them usually “the smart men”. Wearing suits and sunglasses in the evening only with their whole look they would already say that they are smart and know everything better.

In these cases I would open my box of patience and would listen to their smart speeches waiting for the next day, which I would devote for talks with casual people.

Oh and the people were so nice. Many of them would ask me casual for researchers questions-why do I need that and why do they need to tell me their problems. But quite soon the first barrier would be gone and they would call me “naani” (a sweet word for cute daughter), would give me smiles, warm water and tea. I wish I could understand what they tell me! Even though I’ve learned some Nepali, Nepali here would be totally different and I was solely dependent on the translation of my assistant.

Pretty, lovely, warm, caring faces of rural Nepal

Nevertheless I was crying and laughing with them, admiring over and over again the inner and outer beauty of those people.

 

And so with the book of notes I needed to say good bye to this wonderful place and to move next morning to the north. “Come again, come again”, people would tell me. I hope I will.

Timeless tea gardens and How I shock people here

Tea gardens

Next few days I spent trying meeting some smart people, who would eventually help me to find out-which villages to choose for my research objectives? I even ended up at the local NGO meeting discussing issues of Lapcha (Lapcha is an ethnic tribe), of course, in Nepali.

Ilam bazaar welcoming gate

Saturday was the most challenging. It is a public holiday and everything is closed. It was striking and scary at the same time, this nothingness which appears when you don’t have friends around (Danish girls had left), computer, any public place to go and even understanding of the geographical structure of this place.

Those Limbu ornaments!

For several hours tea gardens became my shelter. Walking between bushes, sitting on the top and reading a boring methodological book, observing people walking around I was coming back over and over to the issue of spending time like that, realizing attachment to the social-media-informational space.

There would be few Nepali, trying to talk to me, though. Mostly couples of men (women would still be doing their homework during the holiday, while men would walk around killing their time). These were the moments when I realized three key methods to knock down any Nepali:

1) By saying where I am from. Most of the rural Nepali would associate any foreigner with America or Britain, therefore country like Latvia would leave them speechless for long time.

2) By telling my age. Looking young even for European standards, for Nepal I look like a kid and people would normally think of me being 16-17. 

3) By speaking Nepali. My skills in this language are yet too primitive to claim any sort of knowledge, although I am capable of expressing my basic needs and maintain kindergarden level conversation. In most of the cases Nepali would not filter anything coming out of my mouth as Nepali, so usually I would need to say that I am actually speaking Nepali now. There would be many cases later when the length of shock would be so long, that I would seek for the help of my assistant to calm a person down by starting translating my speech. I remember me asking in the shop “biscuits chha?” (do you have biscuits?) and receiving continuous answer “chhaina” (no, they don’t have), even though I could see biscuits clearly in front of me. Only after my assistant repeated the same phrase, I was actually given what I asked. Later discussing this demotivating issue with Sunil (my assistant), he was explaining that I should morally prepare people that I would talk to them in Nepali before I actually tell what I need. In the case of the shop I would need to say firstly that “I am hungry, I would like to eat something and to buy something from your shop [then-pause and wait for a person to acclimatize]. Do you have biscuits?”

Tea gardens

The investigative trip to begin!

Two days ago I returned from my first trip to Mechhi and I still feel like sleeping-eating-doing nothing. Not the trip itself was so exhausting, but the way back, which turned to be not a 40 min flight, but 3 day long drive in different vehicles, expanding my understanding of physical discomfort, and staying in very doubtful hotels.

But I start from the very beginning.

On 28^th of November I was in the middle of my room, getting desperate with all the things to sort; those, to leave, those, to take with me. On the day of my departure to Ilam I would also leave my wonderful apartment. Remembering preparations before the trip which were done last year together with I was surprised by how careless I am this time – no emergency letters, no planned route, no understanding who am I going to meet or where I am going to go. My research assistant was supposed to join me in 3 days in Ilam and then we would start our trip to….?

Being close to Himalayas

On the planned day fearless me equipped with trekking+research+living items, long earrings, necklace and bangles (the very necessary item describing my marital status; I went to villages as a married woman) passed through annoying check-in after having a small fight with those “please, leave some tips” and waited for the flight to Bhadrapur.  

In fact, I was not thinking of the high risk of getting crashed (happens quite often here), rather the possibility of getting motion sickness due to turbulence. Although none of these happened-the flight was smooth and breathtaking. Flying in parallel with Himalayas and seeing the highest peaks of our magnificent world… Well, you must see it to understand.

Arriving at local airport in Bhadrapur

The impression was killed during the 5 hour drive in jeep, feeling sick and praying for those road curves to be over. However, nothing lasts forever, even if it feels like. Ilam met me with finally clean air, friendly people and, most important, two Danish girls and their friends. It is not often I go to unknown place and someone meets me; but this time I enjoyed their hospitality fully. Maybe due to that reason Ilam still stays in my mind as a place to return.  

Centre of Ilam