Heading to Eastern Nepal
After spending a bit of time at Patan Durbar Square, our Habitat team boarded a Yeti Airlines flight for the 45 minute flight to Jhapa, which is a district in the far east of the country on the border with India and just a short distance from Bhutan. Before arriving at the domestic airport, I expected it to be chaotic, but that was not the case. I was even more surprised when we were discreetly called forward by the airline agent so we were at the front of the line to board the plan. We left Kathmandu shortly before a significant thunder/rainstorm and fortunately our flight was not affected. In-flight service was very good, with some lessons for the short haul flights in Canada.
On the flight, we had been hoping for views of the Himalayas, but that was not to be due to the haze and overcast sky. There really wasn't much to see until we started to descend into the Chandragadhi airport, when we were able to get glimpses of the vast farm fields that are characteristic of this part of Nepal.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by a Habitat Nepal representative. Our luggage was loaded on top of a bus and we were taken to the Hotel Daniel in the city of Birtamod, which was to be our home for the next 10 nights. After settling into our rooms, we gathered for an orientation by our Habitat host and then for dinner. Part way through the orientation, a significant thunderstorm accompanied by strong wind hit the area. The storm hung around quite a bit of the night and we were treated with similar storms on a few occasions in the following days. Our work was rained out only for a bit one day.
First Impressions and Getting to Work
Soon after arriving in Jhapa, it was clear that farming is a major activity, both economically and as a source of food for one's family. Most people who live outside of cities in this part of the country have a plot of land and grow a mix of crops throughout the year (rice, corn, wheat and other grains). Most families also have some livestock - chickens, cattle and pigs. While there is some modern farm equipment, much of the work is done by hand with oxen being used for certain tasks. One of the other things that stood shortly after arriving in Jhapa is that a lot of tea is grown there.
With much anticipation, we were excited to head to the Habitat build site on our first morning in Jhapa. On the way, we made a stop to visit and have tea with people at a local NGO that Habitat partners with in this part of Nepal. At least one person from the partner agency was at the build site with us every day.
Once out of the city, our daily route took us through tea gardens and farming areas until we had to get off the bus and walk the last part of the trip. I very much enjoyed the part of the trip when we would leave the paved road and drive through the rural/farm areas and small villages. There always was something interesting and a constant barrage of photo opportunities. One of the highlights was being watched with much interest by local people along the way. Many people, especially the kids, would wave and smile.
As we arrived at the build site on the first morning, we learned the basic structure of the house was in place and that our tasks would involve completing it to the point of being habitable. All of the exterior and interior walls needed be completed with bamboo, so all of us worked in some way with bamboo for the first few days. This involved cleaning, trimming, sizing and weaving pieces of bamboo into the walls. It's a bit difficult to describe the weaving process, so check the pictures below to get an idea of the finished product.
The cleaning and trimming was done with a curved Nepalese knife called a kukri (also spelled khukri or khukuri). While it is used as a tool, it is a traditional weapon and the symbolic weapon of the famous Gurkha regiments. These are popular souvenirs and a few people on the team purchased one to take home. We quickly learned how to use the knives, but one of the biggest challenges was to keep them sharp. I took on this task most of the times as it's something I learned from my dad in the butcher shop.
After all the walls were in place, the next task was to mix plaster (sand, water and cement) by hand and then use trowels to put it on the walls. It took a while and bit of effort to get the knack of this and it's good there was a professional mason to do the finishing. Once the walls were plastered, the next major task was cementing the floors of the house. This involved arranging large beach rocks in each rooms, mixing the cement, carrying it in pans (see below), spreading and leveling the cement. The last big task was painting the walls with a whitewash type of paint on our final morning.
House when we arrived
On our next-to-last day, we went to a second build site to work with bamboo while the plaster set on the first house so it would be ready to paint the following day. At the second site, the house style was a bit different and consequently we worked with much longer pieces of bamboo. The bamboo wall panels were much larger and woven together on the ground. The finished panels were then lifted into place and secured to the framing of the house. Eight of us continued at this work on our last morning, while the other five went back to the first site to do the whitewashing.
Partner family at first house
House when we finished
Throughout the build, one of the highlights of many days was when the school aged children would come to the site. Most of them spoke at least some English and were very interested in engaging with us in conversation. Their smiles, questions and presence warmed our hearts. Sometimes several of them would stop on the way home from school dressed in the school uniforms. When not going to school, they would just show up. I should note that not all kids went to schools that required uniforms. In such a short time, it was difficult to gain a full understanding of the local social situation other than knowing there is a caste system of some type. While we would see some of them on the drive to and from the build site, we really didn't really know where most of them lived.
Weaving wall panels at second house
As each day passed, it seemed that there was increasing interest in what we among many adults of varying ages. At times, we had an audience that well exceeded 20 people. There were a few older men who sometimes helped us with the bamboo cleaning. Our team of 13 had 10 women and there seemed to be quite a bit of interest on the part of local women in the fact that the Canadian women were doing the same tasks as the men. I don't think any of the local adults spoke any English, so we didn't engage in conversation with them.
The wife from the partner family (first house) was at the site every day helping out when she was not busy with her regular daily duties. She didn't speak English, but communicated her appreciation through smiles and other gestures. Her husband had a job picking tea at a local tea garden, but was around the build site whenever possible.
On our last afternoon, there was a dedication ceremony with remarks from several people (HFH Nepal, the partner family, the partner NGO and me on behalf of our team). There was a ribbon cutting and all of us were presented with certificates and gifts that had been made locally. It was heartwarming and humbling. The thing that most touched me was to see the tears of the wife of the partner family. Since arriving home, I have learned that the family is now living in the house. They have painted all the inside walls, installed electrical wiring for lights and been able to purchase panels that will be used for doors and windows.
Break Day
Part way through the build, we took a break day and went by bus into the surrounding hills (mountains) to an area where they have large tea plantations. This was a nice break from the heat in the city because the air was clean and refreshing in the hills. We went as far as a small town called Fikkal, which is near the Darjeeling region of India. The hills were beautiful and it was fascinating to look out on tea plants as far as you could see.
After coming down from the hills, we drove to a town on the Nepal-India border and walked onto a bridge that links the two countries. For me, one of the truly fascinating things was the various means of transportation being used (see a couple of pictures below).
It was a very relaxing day and we were ready to go back to work the following day.
Final Thoughts
As with all Habitat builds, there were many things in the Jhapa build that had a positive impact on me and I'd like to mention just a few. One thing was the warm way in which we were welcomed in Nepal generally, most especially the people we encountered in/around the build. Another thing that I really appreciated about this build was the significant use of local materials. This is a principle that Habitat likes to follow where possible and the widespread use of bamboo is a great example.
Without a doubt, there is plenty of poverty in Nepal and we saw lots of it. At the same time, however, I was not left with an overwhelming negative feeling about this. While I don't live there and face the daily challenges of low income living and poverty, I was very impressed with the strong sense of community and family despite the lack of the material comforts we have in the "west." I know there is a risk in possibly romanticizing what would not be an easy life according to my standards, but I think this is one of those situations that Jean Vanier means when he says that village people in poor countries have a quality of life because they know how to live in families and communities. The people in the villages of Jhapa face many challenges, but I think we can learn a lot from people who live like they do.
Lastly, I want to say that I had a great team of people who worked hard and contributed in so many ways to making this such a positive experience. It was a very diverse team in many ways and truly a Canadian team with people representing six provinces from Newfoundland to British Columbia.
