Heaven on Earth

Flooded Rice Fields

In a town, a quiet village...everyday, like the one before. Little town, full of little people waking up to say: J' Masee. Sun sai chai?

Well, this isn't exactly a small village in France where Belle is found daydreaming, but if Asia has a counterpart, this might be it. Kunchal is the second village I visited this week and it's everything you hoped it would be. I feel a bit like Anne of Green Gables when she starts rambling poetically about how amazing and romantic a place could be. I think there are dreams hidden in our hearts that we don't even know ourselves and this one was mine. To see the rice flooded fields in Asia, stair stepped glory.

Houses above the rice fields

Grandparents

In this village, there is a children's home. There are many orphans here. Some parents died during the earthquake, some died of natural causes and others just abandon their children because of poverty.

Kids from the Children's Home

We were in Kunchal (Coon-Chal) just one day. The previous two days, we were in Palung. Palung (Pa-loong)reminded me of Lubbock in a strange way. As we walked the dirt roads in between fields, listening to the crickets chirp at night, it felt like home. 

Fields in Palung. Cabbage, potatoes, and other roots

It's true: Everybody does have a water buffalo.

One of the nicer buildings in the area.

Women do the majority of the agricultural labor here.

Luckily, it's much cooler in the villages.

Girls coming home from school.

Baby Sandwich on the motorcycle.

My time in the villages was amazing. It was so beautiful! Much less chaotic. The people were incredibly friendly and generous. We stayed with Ama and Bua (Mom and Dad) of friends who work in the city. They are pastors in the village. They took me to meet many people in their church so that I could record testimonies of how people have been saved in Palung. Miraculous stories each one. 

I would really  like to return to the village and spend the rest of my time there speaking with the same families and going deeper into their stories. I really need to hire a translator who can go with me for a few weeks to the village. This has been the most challenging part of my trip is not feeling independent in my research. 

As for my health: my lungs and stomach seem to have finally adjusted to life in Nepal. Being in the village helped tremendously. Over the next few days, I have some papers to write for class this summer and some laundry to catch up on, in hopes of returning to the village.  I have had a tailor make me multiple Nepali styled outfits. 

Here is one of the outfits. Sorry this picture is so much smaller than the others.

Please be praying for a steady interpreter and deepening relationships with the locals. Please continue to pray for my health. With about 5 weeks left in this journey, we are officially at the halfway point. The rest of my time will go quickly. The villages were definitely a turning point in this adventure. I don't know that I would wish Kathmandu on my worst enemy, but the villages of Nepal (that I've seen) are worth every struggle thus far. 

I will talk with you more soon!