sleeping in the village

Because we were far off the beaten path there were times when my team and I had to stay in National friend’s homes. These village homes are small and quaint. Often there are only two rooms (one being the kitchen) and the entire family piles in. As guest we were treated like royalty and were usually given the only bed in the house. All that to say even though our accommodations were “meek” they were highly appreciate.

After spending the day teaching in the villages the team and I all went to a friend’s house for dinner. After drinking tea for an hour we were finally given dinner and then ended the night with another round of tea. The guys were going to sleep at the house that we were currently at but us girls had to hike down to another house.

After putting on our boots and headlamps we headed out into the pitch-dark village. Our journey led us through a river, down a hill, up a hill and through a cornfield until finally we reached the home we were to sleep at. Due to the late hour we were ready to crash. We were given an apology for the bed bugs and then directed to the outhouse for one last bathroom break before sleeping.

My Nepali friend Sunga was my bathroom buddy. As we made our way down to the outhouse my first response was “um..Sunga, I think this is a chicken house.” The wooden structure I was looking at was raised off the ground and had a small opening…an opening so small only chickens could get through. Sunga peered around my shoulder, looked into the opening and said, “that’s the outhouse”. I then proceeded to try to get my 5’8 body into the small opening without falling. After a few minutes of my futile efforts I called out to Sunga (by this time she had moved off into the shadows) “I can’t do it…I can’t get inside…IM TOO BIG”. Sunga's response was “I just went while you were trying all that.” (you know it's bad when a Nepali won't even use it) With a heavy sigh, I hiked into the cornfield, did my business; all the while praying that leaches did not attached themselves to my exposed fanny.

It had been a long day and I was ready for sleep.  My bed (a plank of wood) was indeed full of bead bugs. It was a long night of tossing, turning, and scratching. The next morning after waking up Sunga got a glimpse of my belly as I was stretching with my arms in the air

Sunga, in a surprised tone “what happened to your stomach!” I then looked down to see that my belly was covered in red spots. After further inspection I realized my arms and legs were covered as well.

When the women we were staying with realized that we were awake they brought down a big plate of grilled corn on the cob and tea. After eating 3 things of corn we said our goodbyes and were off to the next adventure for the day. 

My years living as a comfortable American have made it difficult for me to adapt to village life. Between the bed bugs, food, and outhouses I often wake up feeling cranky. Then I open the window and see the mist blanketing the Himalayan Mountains and I’m reminded of the adventure that I’m on.