Rajesh and his family. They're not unhappy, Nepali people often don't smile for pictures, despite the majority of them seeming to have pretty nice smiles.
Rajesh's house.
Rajesh and Saroj 'fishing' in a pond near his house that isn't much wider than that net they're using. They caught 10 fish, which I didn't eat. I told them I don't eat things that I've met when living, and still look the same when cooked (Nepali people prepare fish in a less-than-appetizing way sometimes).
Dodgeball! Pretty impressive game faces.
A realization that I've come to during my last few trips out of Gajuri is that I miss the village when I'm away, it's become home. I miss the guys, I miss my host family, I miss the kids, and I crave the chow mein at the 'hotel' (restaurant... sorta) we usually hit for kajaa, our afternoon, between daal bhat meal. I was especially ready to get back after the language training, as I'd been out of school for so long. On the Friday I returned we had an epic Green Club reformation meeting, where we officially reassembled the committees after the elections we'd held a month before. The kids told us at the meeting that the next day was the anniversary of the Green Club, and that they wanted to celebrate, so we set up a day of games. It went incredibly well. On a Saturday, the one day these kids don't have to be at school, over fifty of them showed up and stayed all day as we ran relay races, played dodgeball and volleyball, and did other activities. It was such a success because each and every student was completely involved and got the same chance to play every game, and that doesn't always happen.
After another week of classes, we learned that there was going to be another 10 days of exams. I was looking forward to some relaxation time at home, but Rajesh decided that he wanted to take Saroj and I to the village he was from. I wasn't extremely excited to go at that particular time, but I didn't know when I'd get another chance, so that Friday we set off. First was a 5-hour bus ride to Butwal, and then another, much more uncomfortable, 3-hour ride to a village in Gulmi, Rajesh's home district. From there, we walked another hour to Rajesh's home, finally arriving for a late daal bhat. While we sat in the kitchen, Rajesh's dad invited Saroj and I to share a 'hard drink' with him, and we went on to spend a few of my favorite hours in Nepal so far. For traditional respect reasons Rajesh was unable to drink with us, but it was very cool to spend time with an older Nepali who speaks capable English. Rajesh's father, a high school teacher, and a Brahmin (a high caste) talked about education and how lacking it is in Nepal, and about an organization he has set up that provides textbook for poorer and lower-caste (virtually one and the same) children. That evening alone was worth the trip, the return leg of which involved a 2-hour uphill walk (that Rajesh used to make every day for school... and you complain about your commute), a terrifying 20-min hitchhiked ride, and an 8-hour bus ride from a town called Ridi back to Gajuri.
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