On Monday we moved in with a local Nepali family to experience the customs, eat their food their way (using hands), squatty toilets and practise our language.
The family is a mother, father and two of their children 5 and 2 1/2 as well as a early teenaged daughter who is the daughter of the mothers sister. Her father has born 5 girls but really wants a boy (as most families do) and has made life so miserable for the girls they have been sent to live with other families.
The boys have more energy that I could fathom! They are up by six, don't sleep during the day and go to bed about 8.30pm. In the meantime they spend the whole time jumping, running etc. They don't sit still for a story to be read and all games you play with them involve running - in 30+deg!!! The teenage girl does all the cooking and I suspect the washing. The children have all gone to her family for a few days.
The father, Dinesh works in a not for profit group that aims to educate children that are low caste and wouldn't otherwise have education. They have schools all over the country so he is frequently travelling for work. He is also an elder of the local church and very very committed to his faith in Jesus. He is really really lovely and does a lot of cooking (very well I might add) even though this is really against normal customs.
The mother, Kamala is also very very lovely. She has trained as a nurse but can't get a job so is volunteering at the hospital on night shift - 8pm to 9am without a break!! She has applied for a job and has the interviews next week - there are 4 jobs and 1000 applicants for each job!! We are praying that she will get one of the jobs. During the day she works as a didi (home help) for another expat couple to earn some rupees. Yesterday she went to help her brother conduct a funeral and hasn't slept for three days! There is something in the dahl bhaat they eat that gives them a lot of energy that Mark and I feel we are missing out on.
Their hospitality is incredible - they insist we sit on stools while they sit on the floor, I got sternly told off yesterday for doing her washing (handwashed off course) as I wasn't busy and she is!! I have been sick today and so she bought me cornflakes (very expensive) as I need to eat my own countries food when I am sick!!! They have even given up their bedroom for us so the first night we were here there were 5 people sleeping on two single beds!!!
We have had some oppotunities to practise our language and they are incredibly patient with us!! We jsut pray that in some way we can be a blessing to them!
We will post a photo of them later but will wait till later in the week once the kids return.
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