First day at work

Friday May 25
Rudra (thulo manche = big man = boss) had invited me for an introductory meeting at 10am. David came too, as his office is still locked. The charming Durga with his gentle smile greeted us; Rudra had gone home for ‘lunch’. Normal working hours are 10 – 5 and most people do not go to work until they have eaten the first daal bhat of the day. During the day many people came and went; Rudra returned; tea was brought (boiled with milk and sugar). Durga was teaching a group of headteachers, here for a one month training. Although we were unable to understand much of what was being said (the topic was ‘non-violent discipline’), the methods were good, with different activities, case studies, discussion and laughter. We introduced ourselves in Nepali. Our meeting started at 4:10pm. A tour of the building – 2 training room, 4 offices, toilets (such a relief after Ethiopia!), and a new 2 storey building under construction with a training room, library, laboratory and offices. Formal introductions were made. There are 4 trainers (Rudra, Durga, Umapati and Govind) one administrator (Anil – a talented musician) and 2 ‘peons’ – Bhakta and Lalmani (Dalits of course), who respond to bells on the trainers’ desks and fetch things, including tea and snacks. There’s also a brown dog. Lots of part-time staff too, mostly retired headteachers, who ‘come and go’. Most of the courses are for serving teachers who have had no training. They indicated the things they need help with – new training methods, follow up of training, action research, planning, report writing and computer skills.
After work Durga invited us to meet his family and eat. He has 3 daughters, Kabita the eldest recently married and about to go to London to join her husband who is studying accountancy there. A fascinating evening, sitting under the fan in the main bedroom (the coolest place). His daughters are bright, lively, confident and speak good English. His wife speaks no English and appeared smiling shyly from time to time. Sabita, age 18 had cooked the food – daal bhat with a variety of vegetable dishes, and watched attentively while we ate with Durga - guests and men always eat first in silence, and the women ate watching TV after we left. Amazing how in one generation so much has changed for women in urban areas.
Getting used to being permanently hot and damp.

The weekend was spent house hunting with Joseph and some of our new acquaintances, looking at a variety of apartments from miniature marble palaces to filthy cockroach infested rooms. Each evening we meet our new friend Dinesh from the cane furniture enterprise and walk the back streets to see places he has scouted for early in the morning. We arrive back hot, grubby and covered in mosquito bites. Meanwhile the Ratna hotel is comfortable and cool. We have taken a year’s membership of the swimming pool, and are now more mobile with our sturdy Indian bicycles. The ‘Friends’ Restaurant’ across the road from the hotel has become a firm favourite. There are plentiful supplies of very cold water, efficient fans, whole paper napkins, the food is tasty and cheap and it’s the only place we’ve found where our arms do not stick to the table. As an alternative, there are excellent masala dosas at the unfortunately named ‘Maakhanu Bhog’.

On my second day at work (Monday), having tried to find my way around the computer system in the morning I was asked (at 1:50) to do a session on the UK Education System. Start time 2pm. As it was Nepali time I was able to produce a brief powerpoint summary of what I thought they might be interested in, and introduced items in simple English with bits of Nepali when I could remember them. There was ‘hot discussion’ – a favourite expression from Ethiopia. And it was hot; the heat from the LCD projector (amazed that they had one and that I could get it to work) added to the stifling temperature in the room. Most of the men had removed their caps (traditional Nepali or baseball), the only woman fanned herself with the end of her sari while the men rolled up their trousers to the knee and their shirts to under their armpits, revealing their sparkling white vests.
On day 3 I based myself in Govind’s office, where there is a fan and the computer. It opens onto the training room so I can observe and listen. Govind was supposed to go to observe primary teachers in school today, but the government schools are still closed, so he went to sleep instead. I have found my way around the computer system and refreshed my rudimentary knowledge of Excel. Bhakta and Lalmani are very attentive; Bhakta brings me water and mango juice; Lalmani insists on unlocking my bike and wheeling it to the path at the end of the day.

Day 4 To my amazement, when I arrived at work, Rudra was at the computer inserting columns for collect data an gender and ethnic minorities on the spreadsheets – I talked with him about inclusion (big VSO priority here) yesterday. Umapati took me to his house to meet his wife – on the bed under the fan watching TV. She provided mangoes and lychees for my lunch. We have been invited to do some input to the headteacher session on Target Groups (girls, Dalits, different tribal groups and the disabled) on Thursday. In the afternoon it was so hot that the training moved downstairs. I enjoyed watching Bhakta in his vest and pants setting up the LCD projector. David’s office is still closed, but we met Arjun (DEO) last night for a chat. Meanwhile David continues house hunting and finding places to buy furniture. The bicycles are wonderful, and we are good at weaving in and out of the traffic and avoiding hazards. I wear my scarf sash style to prevent being throttled. The scarf is such a useful part of my kurta surwaal, for frequent mopping of brow, cleaning tables, chairs, computer screen, and drying hands.

Day 5 on Target Groups was fascinating, with lots of impassioned debate. DAGs (Disadvantaged Groups) make up 53% of the population in this area. We are now an accepted part of the group and are able to join in group discussion. Made a decision on our new home too – we will move into the marble floored flat next week. Having paid our deposit last night, we tried to find a mattress and had our first experience of night time cycling. No rickshaws or bikes have lights. Neither do ox carts, cows, dogs or goats. Most motorbikes do not use them. We did find a mattress and get home unscathed.

A very good day on Friday, involved in the headteacher training and typing up some observations and suggestions. It ends on Monday - I will miss them, and am delighted at how easily I have become accepted. Plans for the weekend are scuppered as we have been invited to the headteachers’ picnic tomorrow – departure time 7am, and on Sunday I have promised to go to their final presentations.

The picnic
7:30am pickup from the centre of town in a blue van left by the British c.1940. More than 20 of us crammed in the back on 3 rickety metal benches for the 8km journey along dirt tracks to a Science Park. More followed on motorbikes. The museum and planetarium were closed, but the heads – ranging in age from 30 to nearly 60, headed straight for the children’s playground where they played on the swings, a roundabout and a rusty slide. We joined in enthusiastically. Then breakfast – stacks of white bread, omelettes and channa masala. This was followed by tree climbing until they were exhausted and retired to a shelter where we sat in a circle, told jokes and stories and sang songs for 2 hours. We now have a repertoire of Nepali folk songs, but we were required to sing solos in English. Then Durga introduced a game that lasted until lunch. Lunch part one was fried chicken or sticky sweets for the vegetarians. After a rest under the trees, vast quantities of daal bhat were dished out from metal buckets. The journey back was even more exciting, as Govind’s motorbike broke down and we had to find room for him and the bike in the back of the van. Arrived back at 4:30, full, exhausted and filthy. Just in time to pick up our new table and chairs, hire a hand cart and take them to the flat.