Two weeks at the Ghyapesal village, what can I say? Nepal, its nature and people just are amazing, gives you memories and emotions, fills your soul, but sometimes just leaves you speechless.
Chance for Change classes conducted by my colleague Zelda and me, in Government school Dullav H.S.S and Evergreen boarding school. We had possibility to work with classes 5, 6, 7 and 8. Last time in December we had Art Attack in Government school and this time we had outdoor education spiced with creative methods. Thank you both schools, teacher, principals and all the students!!!!!
While preparing the classes at the house Zelda had time to teach art to our Tika Didi and neighbors who were working in the fields. For Didi it was the first time in her life to test water colors and oil pastels. Oh those moments of laughter and happiness! Tika Gurung is amazing woman!!
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| Meeting at the house |
While we had a meeting at the house during a free day from school, people from the village used only free day they have during a week for carrying compost to the fields. Work was done mainly women and children. In Europe we are used to see heavy machinery on fields, but here in Nepal people do all the work on the fields by themselves or sometimes by help of buffaloes.
Those millions of terrace fields and rice paddies have been made by many generations. Huge amount of hours by man labor in order to get food. No supermarkets, no money, if you want to eat - you work hard.
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| women carrying compost on their `dokos` |
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| Compost on the fields waiting to be spread by hands |
The moment in the schools when you feel you have made a rapport with children: priceless!!
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| In Nepal there are many dialects, smile is one language which connects them all |
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| Language of creativity |
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| Games, challenges, energizers, being together |
Ghyapesal is located on Masel V.D.C in Gorkha district and Gandaki zone. Chain of small villages lay on top of the long ridge. You can see rivers far down on jungle and it is an effort go down and do some fishing. It is rare moment at Bazaar when there is possible to buy some fish, especially big fish.
We had a wonderful evening at our Nepali colleague Sumans home eating some Daal Bat with fresh fish from Gorkha.
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| Our Nepali colleague Suman and a big fish at bazaar |
My conclusion of Nepali wedding season is: "Season is always!". We could here almost every night music which is played during Nepali weddings and saw many new happy couples.
Sadly my camera run out of battery and we had six days load shedding at the end of our journey, so I couldn't have pictures of our fried Rita`s sisters wedding and Didi`s grandsons fifth birthday. Anyway, pictures doesn't give reflect the sound, the looks, the smells, the tastes, the laughter, the real Nepal.
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| Wedding bus |
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| Wedding music |
On both Saturdays we had a possibility to meet and work with Chance for Change English lesson group. Youngster's aged 16 to 21had a taste of outdoor education with some questions to help us to plan the future `Pathfinders` training.
Within couple of months out of these 40 youngster will be selected 12 to the future training. Next Autumn those 12 trained `Pathfinders` will be working in many secondary schools in Gorkha district.
Outdoor education, experiential learning and creative methods, words not
heard so often in Nepal nor to experienced. While doing activities and discussions
together we realized how much culture and formal education defines our
ways of understanding and how much we still have to learn about the
country and its culture, norms, religions and family values before fully have the best result of our work.
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| What are you saying?? |
By living in traditional Nepali village house you will experience the weather and feel the closeness of nature in your home. Outdoor educators love nature.....
We were wondering where our bread is disappearing... well, anyway we knew already we had rats and mice in the house. Couple of rats had created evening system of taking their share of food. We were laughing few days but during the night rat had a little bit too loud parties and at the end we had to use stronger methods than laughter.
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| Stealing the bread |
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| Sorry!! |
Suddenly sun was behind the clouds and rain broke down. Three days of Spring rain and thunder. After the rain Manaslu and Ganesh Himal mountains looked like they are closer than ever, even the Annapurna and Machapucchre were clearly on horizon, early sing of future greenness was around us and air was full more livid songs by the birds.
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| After the rain moments, you can taste them! |
I will be back in Finland after three weeks, but Zelda will go back to beautiful Ghyampesal. Thank you Zelda for the wonderful two weeks together; working, talking, laughing, moping, sharing ideas and life stories, spending endless moments in candle light finding the ways to really successfully to work with Nepali children and youngsters. I was supposed to teach you and ended up learning a lot from you!
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