August 24
Being in Nepal, I’ve realized that there are times when I
feel as if I am five-years old again.
I am relearning how to eat. It turns out eating rice with
your hands takes practice. I’ve mastered scooping the potato and green bean
curries into my mouth, but as hard as I try I can’t seem to coax the last few
grains of rice off my plate as gracefully as my other family members, including
my 7-year-old sister. I guess I’m still working on becoming a member of the
clean plate club. I also have to practice not making a 6-inch splash zone all
the way around my plate…
I have, however, enjoyed the phrase “finger-lickin’ good,” since
I’ve learned that to clean your hands after finishing is to give all your
fingers a good ol’ lick. Mmm mm.
I get to carry a lunch box again. More specifically, a
bright pink plastic one borrowed from Spandan. On the morning of my second day
of school, Anita called me into the kitchen and handed me my snack she had
packed in the cartoon-covered lunchbox. The other teachers have loved teasing
me about it almost as much as they love sharing the freshly made roti that’s
inside.
I play dress-up on a regular basis. Having an American in
the house has been a novelty not only for Spandan and Stuath but for the adults
as well, especially Aamaa and Shanti. In preparation for the upcoming woman’s
festival, Tij, Shanti raided her closet and has been coaching me on the proper
way to wear the crazy red hairpiece, green beaded necklaces and red tikka. The
next step: getting fitted for a red sari to wear for the occasion!
Being in a house of three teachers (in addition to Dai, my
aamaa and baa are both retired teachers), I’ve been getting a lot of Nepali
lessons. Aamaa has enjoyed teaching me Nepali children songs to help with my
vocabulary and I’m currently learning one about a tortoise and a hare (I think,
based on her accompanying hand motions!)
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