Happy Holidays

       Desain, Nepal's greatest holiday, has finally arrived. We've had plenty of other holidays mixed in with our school days, but Desain brings new traditions with our families and a fifteen day break in which our students will be treated to new clothing and sweets. My days leading up to Desain have been filled with lovely walks with my four year old sister and my Bauju and lots of evening splitting open peas and peeling garlic for our dinner. I've been learning to make nearly all of the Nepali dishes that we set our table with, and have been completely inspired to make all of more of my food by hand when I return to the United States (why in the world do we make everything from jars and boxes when it tastes so much better handmade?).

       The coming of Desain also means the climate changing from "garmi" (hot) to "sital" (cool). We've had lots of rain storms and the clouds are slowly clearing to give me the beautiful view of the mountains that the teachers have been promising.

A glimpse of the mountains from my rooftop

            The last day of school before the holiday was filled with lots of singing and dancing. I never find out about these things until the last minute, but we even had a dance competition instead of class for the last half the the day. It started to pour down rain, but many of the students didn't mind, continuing to dance as the drops fell, smiles still plastered on their faces. 

       

        Emily and Ellen, the other two ETAs in Gorkha, and I hopped on a microbus the next morning for a smooth, easy ride to Kathmandu. We came in to spend a few days of the holiday with the other ETAs in Lalitipur and to say goodbye to Caitlin, an ETA who will be returning home early in a few days. She had the misfortune to contract some unknown Nepali disease that kept her in the hospital for fourteen days. Though she is feeling much better, she will continue fully recovering back in the United States. We'll miss her a bunch and are happy to get one last weekend with her. 

        The weekend has been a mix of shopping, errand running, American food eating, and birthday celebrating. Though we were about a week late of the actual date, we surprised Alanna with a chocolate birthday cake and enjoyed a nice lunch on a balcony in Patan. The best thing about the weekend has been enjoying each other's company again, after a month at our individual placements, and having a little bit of freedom - something we often lack living with our protective Nepali families. That, and indulging on American breakfasts - muffins, yogurt, omelettes, coffee, waffles - It's become our new rule that when you return to Kathmandu you eat anything but Dahl Baht (though I am still a huge fan of my families cooking). 

            Here is our last picture with us altogether. I feel extremely grateful for all of these girls. For their understanding, and for the fact that we take care of one another, sing together, joke together, and make hilarious attempts at cooking together. Though the experience at times is a very individual one, I've also made some of the closest friends of my life. Can't wait to continue sharing the journey with them. Here's to some more American food (pasta anyone?) before returning back to my wonderful Nepali home.