party ,party, party... the true village life!

This week has been a fun week, full of partying! Back in January we were told a group of English scouts were coming for the day and they would like us to be there. On Friday, school seemed to end early and there was a lot of running around to prepare for these people coming. We arrived at school on Saturday and the place was looking very tidy. All the children had proper uniforms, brushed hair and the girls all had ribbons. Clearly it was a big deal and they all looked very smart. Some of the girls were also in special scout uniforms and all the children had brought flowers and garlands to welcome them. It was very strange to be lining up to welcome these people like we had been welcomed but this time we had the flowers which made me feel very part of the community. There were around 20 visitors from England who were in Nepal for a two week tour with only some loose connection to the scouts. Despite this the school scouts performed their march routine, they were awarded some prizes and the younger boys played a football match. It felt very strange to have other English people commenting on the children we teach but it made me realise how integrated and at home I feel in the village. The guests only stayed for an hour which didn't seem much given how much effort had gone into their welcome but it was nice to chat to some of the other English people.

The following day at school we were told we had been invited to a wedding after school. To be a teacher in Nepal is very highly respected so they get invited to a lot of parties and weddings. It was a nice walk down the hill to the wedding and we took the opportunity to try and bond with the teachers by learning some Nepali. We learnt a number of phrases and words which they got very excited about and it broke down barriers. We arrived at the wedding which was held at the parents' house of the groom. It had amazing views of the surrounding hills and had a lovely atmosphere. They had pitched a tent but otherwise people were just sitting around eating food and chatting. There was a starter of some snack type food such as peanuts, potatoes and some prawn cracker type things which were all very tasty. We then had rice, cauliflower, potatoes, and other vegetables for the main course which were extremely spicy but still delicious. It was a lovely and relaxed afternoon.

We were told at the beginning of our trip that KK and his 22 'brothers' had funded a temple to be built and there would be a celebration to open it. In the days leading up to this lots of people seemed to be arriving and often we would come home after school to find a group of ladies sitting outside our house preparing candles or food. We are staying in their family's ancestors house so all the celebrations were to be held there. On the day of the opening the 'main' members of the family sat with the pundit the entire day at the temple whilst the rest enjoyed the food. After school we enjoyed several portions of the food which was extremely tasty. In the evening there was a dance which was similar to the dance at KK's house opening. With each dance we seem to gain more confidence and improve therefore enjoying it more. There was a lovely family atmosphere and it reminded me of my family gatherings back home. We danced what seemed like all night until they brought out the donations platter and had some speeches at midnight. Overall, we were very lucky to be able to join in another of the village festivities and it was a lot of fun.