Rory O'Reilly Hayes - Platform 2 Blog - Nepal (Sirutar)

Week Two

Shuva Bihani, Good Morning from Sirutar!

Since my last blog things have been going great and the work is progressing steadily. As I said, we're helping to construct a new a school and this past week has been spent building walls, leveling, and other stuff I'm not sure of the exact construction term for. It can be tough in the sun (sunburn on my neck is testament to that) but we get more than enough chances to rest.

We also had our first Global Issue Discussion, when Kweku, Jimmy & Thomas gave a presentation on Education in Nepal. Education here is very much hit and miss depending on your sex, wealth and caste. The caste grouping is a complex hierarchical system. People are ranked in 4 tiers, mainly to do with religion, occupation and certain other things. To be honest I already dislike it and I'm still struggling to get my head round it. It just seems like a fancy form of discrimination to me. Still, it is deeply engrained here and I will do my best to be sensitive to it.

Returning to education, I was shocked to discover that there is more than 65% illiteracy amongst women here, compared to less than 1% in the UK. A two tier system of education has also developed between private and government funded schools. Without wanting to sound clichéd, we really do take our education system in the UK for granted. We visited the old site of the school we are constructing a new building for, and to be frank, you wouldn't even keep cows in there in England!

Yet despite these statistics and conditions, the classes we visited were full and every kid seems to be straining to listen. My younger brother Prakrita is studying the same things I was at 13, but he's learning them in English! Amazing.

We're all steadily adjusting to Nepali life. Nepali's like to rise early, when me and James get up at 7, the family seems to have been up at least an hour. Tea and biscuits is served when we get up, followed by Dall Bhat at 8:30. A small lunch (Tiffin) is served at 1pm, followed again by Dall Bhat around 8pm.

Dall Bhat is a traditional dish of rice, potatoes and pickle. I don't mind it as I'm usually hungry first thing and after a hard day's work, but for some of the more fussy eaters, the onset of breakfast or dinner is met with a moan! There is some slight variation but most days this is what we are given.

We are the local 'attractions' in the village, and it can quite surreal walking to the site or office with all the locals staring at you! That said, up to now, every single Nepalese person I've met has been extremely welcoming.

Our host family is particularly caring. When my roommate James got sick, every single family member was asking after him and checking on him, offering him all sorts of help and medicine. Our Sirutar supervisor Khem is also always on hand.

I spend a lot of my time playing cards with my younger sister Princess, she is so cheeky but so cute at the same time. I've started calling her 'Jhelli' which means 'cheater' in Nepali haha. I also try to learn Nepali whenever I can with my older sisters, and this morning I had a bit of a bonding session with my father on the balcony. We chatted in broken English about my 'village' Liverpool and the workers in the fields opposite our sitting area.

All the striking green paddy fields around our home have been planted with rice and there seems to be (mostly female) workers in them for sunrise to sunset. The work looks backbreaking and they never stop no matter how hot or how wet it gets. I admire them so much for doing it, I can't imagine how hard it must be!

The aspects of Nepali life that have taken some getting used to are the attitudes towards animals and disciplining children. There are lots of stray dogs around, and you have to ignore people kicking or slapping them away. It is a completely different culture to our nation of dog lovers, here stray dogs are just vermin. I have also seen children slapped and pushed about like I haven't seen in years in Britain, but again, it's not my place to judge. Different culture, different ways. The flies at work also get to me a little bit, they seem to love me even when I'm coated in repellant!

But Nepal on the whole is a brilliant place to be! Until next time…

Love =)