Not much happening here in Chhap lately, just wrapping up PST and getting prepared to leave for Kathmandu in a couple days! I did spent the majority of my Saturday night with my head inside my shower bucket however, throwing up everything in my stomach. It was miserable. Thank god I even had a bucket cause there was no way in hell I was making it out of room and outside. Anyways, the next day my family thought I was literally dying because they brought a traditional healer to my room 3 different times. The first time I was dragged out of my room and onto a cushion on the freezing cold stone floor and was made to sit there for 15 minutes while I got smoke waved around my head and turmeric thrown all around me. After spending my night puking up everything in my system, having smoke waved around my head was not something I was ok with. Then the man tried to feed me water with turmeric and salt added. I refused. Then I almost started crying because the 5 women around me starting yelling saying it was good but I was not about to drink turmeric water as I guessed that there was a 500% chance it would come right back up. The next 2 times I straight up told my mom that I didnt need a healer. SO, I spent the rest of my day in bed with a fever watching Harry Potter. My sisters kept trying to feed me food (which I denied repeatedly) and would periodically come check on me and tuck my blankets in. It was actually really sweet. Although one time I woke up and my sister was outside on the 4 inch wide ledge outside my window peering in, because apparently I didnt hear the knock on my door. She had climbed out of her window and shimmied along the ledge until she reached mine. Even 2 days later I still dont have a huge appetite but I think my family has accepted that I am not in fact dying and are just excited that I am eating again. THey have a very interesting concept of what is good to eat when you are throwing up however. They kept telling me the bananas that I was eating were bad for my stomach and that daal bhhat was good. It just sucks that I had to be sick for 2 of my last couple days left in Chhap! It definitely seems like 3 months in is a time when a fair amount of volunteers get sick however, as I was not the only one this week using a bucket for purposes other than showering...
The day after my lovely little illnees, us volunteers in Chhap completed our community projects. I think I mentioned it in an earlier blog but we showed our community how to permagarden. It was actually really successful and I only hope they continue to maintain the garden so it produces visible results. I felt a bit useless for the whole training though; since I hadnt eaten anything the day before I mostly sat around and gave directions because I was so exhausted. We managed though. After permagardening my sister showed me how to make roti and then I took out my jar of peanut butter and some bananas and we spread it on the roti. They thought it was the most delicious thing, it was hilarious. Glad I can make roti now because peanut butter/banana sandwiches are one of my favorites at home.
So today is our last group training day and then tomorrow we have a Thanksgiving celebration in our villages! Well sort of. Seeing as we dont have a turkey or any of the associated items that one eats for Thanksgiving dinner, the volunteers in Chhap and I decided to put on a little "going away tea party" for our families instead. We're having our local tea shop "cater" the milk tea and samosas and were going to make roti with peanut butter and have apples and oranges as snacks. I bought my families a gift of ceramic tea cups in town today, so I think I'll give them my gift that night as well. I'm going to be an absolute wreck when we leave on Friday...I really dont want to leave Chhap. I feel like the past couple months have been "camp" and that now the "real" Peace Corps is starting. Ready or not, we're getting kicked out of the nest and being set loose in Nepal for the next 2 years. Only slightly terrifying. I'm really glad Christmas falls about 3 weeks after we start at permanent site, because it will be good to see other volunteers after we have spent a couple weeks all aloney and have had time to process our strange new surroundings.
So the expat/Returned Peace Corps Volunteer community in Kathmandu sent up a Thanksgiving feast for us today!!!!!! They sent up 3 pans of stuffing, 2 apple pies, cranberry sauce, rice krispie treats, corn casserole, and mashed potatoes. It was amazing...we all ate so much.
Bye for now, will blog from Kathmandu before I leave for permanent site!!
-Alex
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