The Sticks.

What does this look like to you? A stream, right?

Wrong! This is the road. A part of the road that our jeep had to manoeuvre through as we went out to do community visits on Sunday. The journey was actually much easier than I expected and the roads far less scary. For the most part we had “black roads” (surfaced) and the roads were wide enough for two cars. Bonus.

Navigating what I have now titled 'River Road'

Once in the community it dawned on me just how rural and remote Lamjung is. I’m not going to pretend to know how to spell any of the places in my district, but I’ll give it a shot. There are 6 areas where my volunteers are placed: Duieiple, Rhambazaar, Samibhangyang, Suryabal, Sotibasal and Jitabesi. What a mouthful.

I’m in Duieiple (pronounced doo-ip-le-play) sharing a house with a couple, one of their mothers and my counterpart. I get my own room which is great, but it does mean I’ll be the sole victim if the spiders decide to get in. Swings and roundabouts.

Lamjung itself is absolutely beautiful. It was a gloriously sunny day when we arrived which probably helped, but set in a leafy valley with a mountainous backdrop the place was never going to not impress.

When we visited the host homes the difference in living conditions dawned on me, and due to a lack of sleep the night before I did begin to panic and think “what am I doing here?!”. I won’t lie to you, I was completely overwhelmed for a moment. One quick look from the balcony out over the valley was enough to calm these emotions and I’m sure I’ll adjust to it just as quickly as I did in Khujand (see also my own self declared importance of adaptation).

The host homes and schools are lovely and friendly, although with the language barrier it’d be hard to tell otherwise. We only went to two of the villages, so have many more places to visit tomorrow. One of the host homes has a gorgeous little baby girl who reminds me so much of Farzona, my host baby sister in Tajikistan. I’m a bit gutted to not have any young children in my host home this time round, they really do brighten the place up.

Life in rural Nepal is going to be so much different to anything I’ve ever experienced. Everything that I actually need is here, even if it is a basic version. The lack of completely unnecessary things that I would usually have in my life are not here and I am already feeling very content at the prospect leading a much simpler life. The people in this area of Nepal have managed to live this long without much western interference and I am glad to be living in an environment that is based on needs and not wants. There won’t be anyone here complaining that they don’t have an iPhone 6, that’s for sure.

Of course I say this now, but in a weeks time and I’m aching for a proper loo and am covered in mozzie bites (there’s no glass in the windows anywhere I’ve visited so far, KTM and Lamjung), I’ll probably be singing a different song. But for now, it’s refreshing and there isn’t a selfie stick in sight. Long may it stay that way.

Lizzie x