23 April: Ghara, Nepal

23 April

Today I woke up early with a sniffly nose. The pace here is quite slow which is good when you are sick. There is no pressure we just get up when we do and go for breakfast. There was a warm shower waiting for me thanks to Peter. Today is a special day as it is the opening of the Teacher Training organised by LEARN – Lifting Education, Advancing Rural Nepal. The other is Rural Education and Environment Development (REED). Peter came up with LEARN which evolved out of REED. REED was working in eastern Nepal. Australian Himalayan Foundation took 2 years to secure funding – injecting $100,000, now they have accreditation, they are aiming for full accreditation with Ausaid acquiring $500,000. They will be able to help one district and hope to spread it.

There are 77 districts and approximately 123 languages of 125 caste or ethnic groups. Nepali is the main language, it is the official language. They make paper out Daphne bark, the bark of the bushes is turned into paper. Formal documents must be printed on Daphne, there are trade restrictions on which tribes produce Daphne paper (it is coarse appear), It appears power related. The Newari would be the dominant group in the government (business caste). They are typically in the banks. Caste has impacts east of where we are in Western Nepal, the Dalit’s are the lower caste barely allowed into the homes of the Brahman. They can’t give Dalit liquor, they observe the segregation of the levels. In urban areas if you want to change your car spot you wear higher caste clothes. In rural it is hard to move caste. Arranged marriages dominated in the past. Love marriages more common in the educated. There is the opportunity to move out of caste if a person converts to Buddhism.

Education is really about making choices. Education allows people to know there are alternative ways of living. Some would argue it is about mind control or social control and there is some truth in that in respect of conformity and socialisation in my view. However, in its truest form it is about freedom and expansion. In my own experience in education I learned that I didn’t know. So I saw my ignorance and learned critical thinking.  I learned economics and learned about the current system, this has helped me make sense of the current paradigm.

Myself, Pat, Peter and Gordon sat in on the opening ceremony and enjoyed receiving the red dot (smudge really) and the sash to welcome us. They spoke in their language to a group of around 40 people. Some teachers are walking many hours to get to the teacher training. I really loved the teaching materials that Krishna and Kailash have prepared and I could see they put so much work into it. I did try to help but I have been sick and I get up too late so I am not much help, I note they probably don’t need me as they are getting through it.

Throughout the day I tried to get my work done but it wasn’t happening. The computer I am on doesn’t have PowerPoint nor Word so I am having a few IT issues.

Myself, Pat and Gordon went for a walk to another part of the village. I had seen an old bloke the day before and encouraged him to have a go at balloon animals. Turns out this man was a retired Principal and his grandfather started the first school here. Pat wisely decided to interview him and Peter tried to film but his film ran out. Gordon filmed a little on his camera and thankfully I got my own camera and sought to film the rest of the interview. It was very interesting to learn about his boyhood and his own decision to learn how to read and put himself through education by his own volition and become a teacher for 30 years. The video is on YouTube refer Dr Pat Baines interview with Dil Bahandur Baruwal Chheti at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV7U_93i0HQ

After the recording of the interview myself Pat and Gordon then decided to set out again for our walk. We realised there were a few little shops with a variety of goods. Pat spoke to a shop keeper. We then walked on and met many children and waved saying ‘Namaste’ to the people. I found out later from Pat that we were walking through a lower caste part of the village, sometimes the children are chased away from other parts of the village that are higher caste. Apparently they can move around but there are psychological walls and discrimination. I find it so hard to believe but it is a reality here. I will make sure I teach the blue eyed exercise to the teachers to help them teach about discrimination. We noted the many houses and I was surprised to see it was a bigger village than I originally realised. We saw another perspective in the village of the magnificent mountains, many snow clad rising majestically higher behind the smaller hills.

Some children followed us and we taught them some whistles. We saw some boys on the basketball court playing volleyball, they were excellent players and I yelled to them ‘Olympics’. They are very athletic I noted. We saw a little creek and I absorbed the natural beauty of the place. I thought it really is a paradise here. They may have one toilet every three houses but there is wealth in living in clean air, no traffic and belonging in community. So for me, it is hard to see poverty even though I could understand Peter’s perspective of the poverty that concerns him. The World Health Organisation would be monitoring health in this area and there is poverty but hunger, I am told, is not common as most people have access to land to grow food. So if they are hungry, particularly the lower caste, they may be hungry but not for long given land. If they don’t have land which is an issue for some, they will have to find work to survive, hence the drift into cities. I feel climate change is an issue, it is a intuitive feeling I have.  We did note that some kids were dirty and we did give some biscuits out. An old lady took a few biscuits I can only assume she was hungry. We took random photos as we walked and the group of girls we encountered were thrilled to see themselves in photos.

We walked further and saw women working in their gardens or people sitting on their steps. A little boy offered us berries, the others didn’t take them but I took some berries and they were very bitter. We then walked further on and two little boys tailed us. I kept going ‘boo’ and they smiled. We then walked a little further and turned around. We came back and then met up with more kids and saw their version of hopscotch. We played one game as well and they were thrilled as well as us.  We walked on and returned to Regina Guest House. I reflected on the caste system here.

We sat around eating and having tea whilst waiting to depart for Paudwar. I had to put some of my things in storage as I didn’t need to take much to Paudwar. I tried to finish the blog but Peter insisted I shut down as the porters needed to know what they were taking and work it out. So I did and made sure I was organised.

I watched a holy man (rishi) sit down on the right hand side of the steps. He was around 30-40, in good health and had a wooden staff. He had a neat pack carefully folded and it told me that he slept wherever he slept. He was travelling.  He was handsome and kind looking. I felt a peacefulness in him. I stood around watching him without him noticing. I was fascinated by him. He sat patiently and I realised when he got up as our hostess of the guesthouse returned, he went to her. I am not sure what he was after, but he left without me noticing. I would have loved to have known him. To live in the heart of the mountains would be a spiritual experience, one way or another peace would prevail within you when you are trusting in the flow of life.

It was funny the kids all lined up across from us on benches. They sit together and just watch and smile. They are so peaceful and gorgeous. The children heard about a few balloons being distributed when we were practising balloon sculptures. I noticed one of the gentleman who was the friend of the interviewee Dil Bahadur Baruwal Chheti, I saw him throw stones at the children. Pat communicated non-verbally her concern at that action, I felt the same. It highlighted for me untouchables and discrimination, something for me to contemplate given the purpose of peace education is unity. The children were simply excited and really weren’t doing any harm. I had watched them patiently sit and wait for us. We realised they would mob us, so best to take the balloons away, it is not wise to give things out as all children want them. I felt for the children, it was very new and exciting. To be a child again, sometimes we adults can’t see through their eyes.  I would have loved to have made some and just given them out.