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Nicole Doherty writes...

...about their experiences while volunteering in Nepal.

Indiana Jones: The Road to Narayanghat

OPENING SCENE BACKSTORY:

Nicole is transported from Khatmandu to Narayanghat (5 hour trip) after her 3 days of village training in Godawari. She is now speaking some Nepali,used to bathing outside under a small water spicket, eating two meals a day of dhal bhat (rice and lentils the national food), and washing her clothes on stones with a bar of soap.
Her legs are unshaven and she is very dirty, but also very content.

She is headed to Chitwan area of Nepal, the flatlands and lowest elevation area of Nepal. The marshlands, where its hot and sticky and buggy. She is being transported to her village, called Patihani, where she is 15 kilometers from the jungle, where Rhinos and tigers roam free.

Her house sits alone outside her village which is 1 square mile--two roads. It has a few tiny shops that sell food, water, batteries and Nepali magazines. She lives with her buba (father), aama (mother), bahini (younger sister) and bhai (younger brother).

SCENE ONE: Present day. Saturday October 26th.

Saturday. Nicole is sitting on top of a rusty roof, ducking branches, near misses with electrical wires strewn across the streets. She is headed for the closest town, a small distance of 1-1/2 hours to check her email and get some small supplies.

As Nicole sits on the top of the old, rickety, rusty bus as it bumps down the pothole-spoiled dirt road, she contemplates how she is going to tell everyone what she is experiencing. She understandsat this juncture what it must be like to be Indiana Jones. Watching native Nepalis jump on and off the roof while in transit to get off at their stops, banging on the side of the bus to let the driver know to stop. The inside of the bus is packed with people, sitting in chairs (sans cushions) with springs popping out in every direction. The height of the inside of the bus is a mere 5'2",so Nicole's head just scrapes the top. She feels as if she is (for once) a giant, in comparison to the Nepali folks.

SCENE TWO: Flashback: Two days prior. Nicole meets the principal of the school.

Nicole rides the bus to Gitanagar where her school to meet the principal to get her teaching schedule. The government school is one hour by bus.

Nicole is greeted by students and principal with flowers and "hello. it nice to meet you."(notice the broken English). She realizes how special this makes her feel and how very needed she is at the school. Nicole feels like a rockstar. The entire school of 1,000 have poked their heads out of their classrooms to view her. Nicole is given five classes a day to teach. Class 8, 9 and 10 not the equivalent of that in America.

SCENE THREE: Flashback: One day prior. Nicole becomes the village Yoga instructor. And Nicole bathes with an elephant!

Nicole sits at one of the local tea shops in the village as villagers surround her. They are trying to ask her in English (which only oneor two people actually are successful with) how she remains fit. Nicole explains to the villagers that she exercises and eats healthy food and that she is now a vegetarian. They don't believe she is 30 because the Nepali women of her age look 50 and weathered.
She tells them she does YOGA. The villagers want to learn and so she sets up Yoga classes and teaches 10 people for one hour a day how to do Yoga. The villagers love it and every morning she teaches.

After teaching Nicole heads to the jungle and watches the elephants get bathed in the River. Aside the village huts and very poor homes that she lives in, a short walk down the road liesa hotel that owns a herd of elephants. At 2pm they bathe in the river. Nicole leaps on to the back of a bathing elephant with its master and the elephant stands. The elephant sprays Nicole with water from its truck upon its Master's command. Nicole laughs and screams and plays in the River.

SCENE FOUR: Flashforward: A sadhu (a nomadic Hindu holyman that is dedicated to praying-like a Buddha in the Buddhist religion.) greets Nicole in the village. He tells Nicole her fortune as a Nepali man interprets to broken English.

The village holy man tells Nicole by looking at her palm that she has the 32 characteristics of a queen, such as: Beauty, health, wealth, happiness and a long life. He tells her very strongly thatshe will serve people and will have a great name. Her strength lies in alife of service. She will go on to study very long and receive high acclaim: a doctorate perhaps. He says that she is very social and will suffer to benefit others. That she will live a long life and build a house with a garden.

Nicole is very happy with her fortune and believes in it. She believes that great things lie ahead for her.

END OF OPENING SCENE SEQUENCES.

Meet the real Nicole:)

Hi, everyone!!! I am really happy here. Things are going quite well. It's really hard to imagine how primitive things are, how simple life is and the amount of poverty here.

The routine here is to wake up in the morning drink tea, walk around,talk, eat and that's about it. For the women in the village however, their day is spent on physical labor: harvesting the crops, taking care of the kids, cooking and cleaning.The men just sit around and talk.

Ideal perhaps for some of our American male friends!!

The weird thing is that even though there isn't much to do (when not teaching classes), I've been really busy. I haven't read any books because privacy is not an option here. Everyone wants your attention and your opinions on everything. I just wish that I could understand what they are asking and how to communicate my thoughts, but sign language is quite powerful!!!

Anyway, this is very long, and I need to get back.

Namaste,
Nicole