TRAVELMAN NEPAL: Merry Pharping Christmas!

In the days leading up to and on Christmas I taught at the Junkiri school, volunteered at the hospital, and explored Pharping and the surrounding area. -But not necessarily in that order.

On my second day at the Junkiri English School, I arrived with a plan. It was Christmas time, so I was going to teach them Christmas Carols! My plan was to have them singing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by the end of the 40 minute period.

****—-Baby goats on the grounds of Junkiri School. The Principal-Janitor’s office is up at the top corner of the buiding—-****

None of them had heard of the song. It was a trip for me to deconstruct Rudolph to a child that barely knew about Santa Claus. I had to explain to them the tradition of Christmas stockings, being naughty and nice, and getting cole in your stocking. Their reaction was somewhere between amusement and your date reacting to you telling her about your World of Warcraft hobby. “Uh-huh. So this is normal for you?”

****—-Morning bakery—-****

I don’t know why it was all so odd to them. I see nothing wrong with a fat man landing his magic flying reindeer on your roof then coming down your chimney enjoying your cookies and milk and leaving you gifts made by enslaved elves imprisoned inside a toy factory constructed in a nearly inhospitable geographical location... Even less weird is that parents warn their children that the reclusive fat man sees them when they’re sleeping. -Nothing creepy about that.

****—-Chicken man delivering live chickens to businesses in the morning—-****

The kids recited the lines as I doled them out. They dutifully wrote the lyrics (that I wrote on the dry erase board) into their notebooks. They were extremely concerned about the transcription.

****—-Three of the many dogs fighting for territory on the mean streets of Pharping—-****

I drew a reindeeer on the board and invited them to draw their own reindeer. The drawing was an effort to give the kids multiple avenues to succeed. If they weren’t picking up on writing the lyrics, I gave them extra praise for their drawings.

We finished the Rudolph lesson early (it will take them far in life), so I moved onto Frosty the Snowman. They didn’t know what a snowman was. Well, some of them didn’t. Two of the kids dutifully found a picture of a snowman in their textbook and showed it to me. They didn’t connect with Frosty as much as they had Rudolph, but they enjoyed drawing a snowman.

When I returned the next day one of the children ran up to me and presented me with a Christmas card (he was one of the Christian students). Another proudly presented me with a snowman drawing he had created for me. I was touched.

On the third day we played Hangman. They were horrible!

****—-You can see the Giant Buddha Statue at the top of the neighborhood in the distance.—-****

***—-Buddha in the upper right above monestary—-****

I was laughing to myself because I thought I’d chosen the easiest clue, the name of their school! They must have picked every letter that wasn’t in the name! I had to modify the rules- ...”Okay, so this hangman has a face that I must draw. ...Okay he also has hair. ...And a mustache. ...And shoes.” I was like c’mon!

****—-At the gates of the giant Buddha Monestary—-****

They finally got it. They had so much fun though. I was really happy an adorable, shy little girl with pigtails came out of her shell during the game. I had the kids standing around the board and taking turns guessing. When they got a correct letter we’d jump up and down and high five. The shy little girl was smiling and high-fiving, it made my week. She practically bounced out of the room.

I’d often take the bus and get back on it at the base of a neigborhood on a hill about halfway to the school. I liked the view on the walk. A giant Buddha statue sat in a monestary at the top of the neighborhood hill.

One day I walked from that stop to the school. As I walked past a store about 50 meters away from the school, three young men gave me the stink eye. They convened to talk with an old man in front of the store. The old man gave me the stink eye as well. The young men began to follow behind me. It was unlike my experience as of yet in Nepal. I began to wonder if they were going to jump me.

****—-The Junkiri School is down the hill a little bit from the monestary in the distance—-****

“Hey guy.” One of them called out from behind me.

I pretended he wasn’t talking to me.

“Hey guy. What’s wrong with you? What’s wrong with your clothes?”

I turned to the gentlemen. “Huh? Uh, nothing.” I said, confused.

“The old man thinks you are drunk. So do I.”

****—-Someone’s ducks, on the morning walk to the hospital—****

I looked at my clothes. The traffic on the road had been heavy that afternoon. It kicked up a lot of dust and debris. I looked like I’d slept in the ditch. I laughed a little bit, “No, I’m not drunk. I’m just going to teach the kids!”

This didn’t go over well.

****—-something that was being built, but now the pits sits dormant, on the way to hospital in the morning—-****

“I was walking on the road!” I said as I brushed myself off.

They shook their heads and split off to the other road. I made sure to pat as much of the dust as possible off my clothes before entering the school.

On another day, I decided to catch the bus from the main road near the school. I waited at the unmarked stop. A car with a middle-aged man slowed to a stop in front of me. He unlocked his door and waved me over. I approached the car. He said, “Are you going to Pharping?”

I said, “Yeah.”

He waved me to get in.

I’ve been given rides in this manner in the past while on this round the world trip. People have seen me and offered me a ride, it seemed normal. People in Nepal are friendly and helpful. I talked to the guy as we went down the road. I told him I was volunteering at the school. He said he had a son at that school. We talked a bit more about my time in Nepal. He asked me what I did back home. I told him I was a nurse. I asked him what he did for work. Taken aback, he said. “I’m a taxi driver. This is my taxi.”

The inside of the taxi became awkwardly silent. WTF! I was on a cab ride! Half of me felt foolish and the other half was pissed. Nothing on his car indicated taxi. Nobody in that area hails a cab from there to Pharping. I actually felt a bit swindled. We stopped in front of the Home-stay. I asked him how much. He said, “How much do you think you should pay?” I offered the fifty rupees I’d prepared in my grip. He wasn’t happy with that.

I said, “The bus costs fifteen. It wasn’t that far.” Sabin’s cousin (Sabin is the volunteer rep and son of the owner of the home-stay) was outside the car. The cabbie called him over. They exchanged some words. The cabbie said, “Okay, I take fifty.”

Damn, right you take fifty. I went to my room. Ten minutes later I came out to get something to eat. The Cabbie and Sabin’s cousin were still talking in front of the homestay. I went back in my room and hid- Not cuz I was embarrassed about not realizing I’d accidentally accepted a cab ride or anything! ...I just had lots of stuff to do in my room, important stuff that happened to last until a minute after the cabbie drove away.

****—-My home-stay, where I did no such thing as hide out of embarrassment. I did not—-****

Travelman log, day 195. Filling out the India E-vis application was a huge pain.
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