Paradise Bowl!!!

Paradise Bowl a.k.aAlivein Land

As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I have been incredibly lucky to be placed in my permanent site along side with another volunteer, Alida Dean. Coming into the Peace Corps, I never imagined that I would be paired up with another volunteer. Alida is 23 years old and she comes from Martha’s Vineyard, an island near Boston. She graduated from Smith College with a major in English, class of 2012, just like me! Currently, there are 4 pairs of volunteers, 3 of them in my district of Baglung. I am nothing but thankful to have another volunteer in my permanent site because it brings many opportunities to have a greater impact within our community. Alida lives in the village called Masara where her house is next to this beautiful river that runs through Harichaur. I live in Khaoleni, a village up a hill with a beautiful view of the mountains surrounding it. It takes about 30 minutes to walk from her house up to my house, but the Harichaur Bazar is typically where we meet because it’s the middle ground of both our houses.

During PST, Alida and I got off to a great start. We get along so well and neither one of us ever would have imagined to be placed together. During the group’s trip to Pokhara for the holiday season, everyone who was in close proximity was given one name, a combination of both names, thus Alive was born because Marvin + Alida = ALIVEIN! Alida decided to call Harichaur“Alivein Land” because we live in it and I decided to call is “Paradise Bowl” because it’s so pretty, so we go back and forth. The Peace Corps has really brought us together as fellow volunteers, as friends but now as brother and sister. It’s great to have a friend who will be there whenever you need one. Whenever one of us feels down, we can call each other up and go to our favorite “pasal” (shop) in town and simply chat over a cup of tea. We have lived through so many experiences during these past two months and I can’t wait to see what new adventures await within the next two years.

Our lives consists of a never ending game of would you rather, funny experiences and random ideas that we would like to implement during our time in Peace Corps. Here are some examples of what Alivein comes up with.

THE ADVENTURES OF ALIVEIN

Alida’s BF

Alida and I had decided to go to Pokhara for the holiday season to meet up with the rest of the group on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, Harichaur is very far from Baglung’s district capital; it’s a 4-hour jeep ride on a windy road. I was the genius to take a FREE ride with the district health center staff who were in town conducting a family planning camp. Our original plan was to leave at 1pm from the neighboring city, but we ended up leaving at 4pm with the staff in a overly crowded jeep. The first half of the jeep ride was a ride from hell. Alida and I were so uncomfortable because we were in the most awkward position in the back of the seat. Now Alida gets very car sick so once we made it to the middle of the trip we got off to stretch our legs and Alida had made the decision that she was not going to get back in that jeep and there was nothing I could do to make her get back in. It was shocking because I have never seen Alida so determined and simply frustrated with a situation. She decided to walk the rest of the way to Baglung. I was confused because I thought she was kidding, but after her little “bitch fit”, I was convinced that she was walking. I didn’t know what to do so I decided to walk with her. I wasn't going to let her walk by herself even though she was insisting on me to take the jeep. I convinced the staff to drop off our bags with Eleanor, a volunteer who is placed in the district capital. After that agreement was made we took off with our water bottles, cell phones and the money I had in my wallet, Alida left her money in her backpack. We walked for about 2 hours asking people if we were on the right path towards the district capital. We came across a three-way fork and by then I was tired and kind of desperate. I told Alida that we couldn't go any further because I was super tired. Thankfully we came across two very nice Nepalis who helped us find a jeep that was going to Baglung. There were many detours because there were many cars that were blocking the road due to engine problems. Thankfully we were with nice and honest people because the people on the truck helped the cars that were blocking the way. After two or three stops we finally made it to Baglung where we meet up with other volunteers who were on the road which in fact we almost ran over. I do have to say that this has been one of the most spontaneous actions that I have ever done in my life. It was a trip, but it was worth it!

“Bisee” Donuts

There was this one day where I went to one of my mothers’ group meeting and it lasted a bit longer than usual. Alida, she went off on an adventure to find the roads to one of our fellow volunteers who is also placed in Baglung. Unfortunately, Alida got lost and she ended up in the middle of a forest on a steep edge. She fell a couple of times and I could tell that she had some battle scars. Anyways, we decided to meet up at our pasal because we both were starving. Sadly, the pasal had no more snacks; we were so hungry that we didn’t know what to do, so we got some tea. After a few minutes we noticed that there were some donuts packed in a bag. We asked our Didi (sister) if we could have one of those donuts and she looked at us with such a confused gaze and said no because they were not good and old. We insisted because we were pretty hungry and they our didi finally said that the reason that she wasn’t going to give it to us because they were old, thus they are meant for the bisee (buffalo). We were so hungry and pretty much we begged to have them. Our didi gave in and warmed two donuts for each of us. After trying to rip them apart we realized that they were very stale and no wonder they were meant for the bisee. I guess she saw that we were super hungry so she gave in. She offered to give us another one and we kindly said no, but she gave it to us anyways. Thankfully we didn't have to pay for them, I mean we were willing, but I’m sure she felt sorry for us so she only charged us for the tea. That’s why this is our favorite pasal.

Alida’s Multiple Trips

Alida tends to trip a lot and at times she completely falls. One day that we were walking down from my village towards the bazar, we were walking past this boarding school and some pasals. There was a good amount of people who were staring at us, like always. Next thing you know, I see this tall girl just fall on her knees. It was so funny! She fell like in slow motion in front of me and I didn’t know what to do but laugh, I know mean. People were shocked and they too didn’t know what to do. It was such a mess, but good thing Alida just got up and continued walking like nothing ever happened.

A Search for DutChiyaa (Milk Tea)

One day during our normal meet ups for our daily snack, Alida and I literally walked our bazar back and forth about four times asking each pasal if they had dut chiyaa. Sadly, that day the entire bazar had ran out of milk. We were devastated because we really wanted dut chiyaa. We came to the point were we mistakenly asked a lady if her house was a store and she looked at us like we were idiots and said “hoina” (no)! We wouldn’t give up; therefore we went on a search for dut chiyaa. We came across a house, which looked like a pasal, and we asked if there was dutchiyaa and the lady confusedly said yes. It turns out that her house wasn’t a pasal, it was her home and we had invited ourselves into her house to drink tea. Thankfully, it was a lady who Alida knew so she was very sweet to us. Also, in her hosue we found this very cute little kitten and we asked the lady for its name, but it didn’t have one, thus Alida and I decided to name it Barbara. From then on we call the lady “Barbara Lady” due to her little kitten. Thank you Barbara Lady for the tea! To this day, Alida and I drink so much dutchiyaa where it came to the point that our tongues would get numb due to all that sugar in the tea. I blame myself because I was the one who got Alida to drink more than four cups a day. She now drinks about three in the morning and two or three during our breaks and some more once she gets home. I feel bad but it’s simply to good to put it down!

Chow-Chow DutChiyaa

One day we decided to go to Hatiya, the neighboring city to buy some fruit and such stuff. At the end of the day Alida decided to get a “curta” a Nepali shirt for girls due to the fact that one of my Female Community Health Volunteer is a tailor.  After buying the fabric we took it to our didi and of course we were offered tea. However, after the first sip, Alida and I look at each other with faces of death. This tea was awful, it had such an odd taste and after a couple of more sips we came to the conclusion that it had the taste of chow-chow (top rammen).  It took us a pretty long time to chug it down because the taste was too much to bare. Thankfully, our didi didn’t make the tea; a neighboring pasal gave it to us. Now we know never to go to that pasal. Chow-Chow tea is not our cup of tea.

Got caught watching “porn” (Black Swan)

Alida and I had been meaning to watch Balck Swan for some time since being in Harichaur, finally the opportunity came up when we ended our day early. Typically I go to Alida’s house to watch movies because I love drinking her mom’s dut tea, it’s really good! Sadly, she wasn’t there that day so we put Black Swan on and ate oranges. For those who have seen Black Swan know that there are some very erotic scnes in the film thus we were freaking out if someone came in. Next thing you know Alida’s mom comes in and we quickly pause the movie, but we pause it during the final ballerina scene but it was paused on someone’s upper body, which looked naked. Her mom was looking at us like if were doing something bad thus we deiced to continue the movie where her mom could also see it. She was so confused as she was looking at these ballerinas dance; thankfully we had passed the erotic scene. Afterwards, her nine-year-old son came in when there was a kissing scene and her mom completely freaked out and kicked her son out while covering his eyes! She sat back down and continued watching. Once I turned to her and saw her faced gazed into the film, I busted out laughing. I could not stop, it was too funny to see her mom so focused on Black Swan, I mean I found it very funny! After the film ended she left very confused while Alida was worried and I was still laughing. What a mess! lol

A Nepali Guide with an American Tourist

During the beginning of our time in Harichuar everyone was still confused who we were and what were we doing in their town? It was during the first week when Alida told them that her mom told her that people in town truly believed I was a Nepali guide. We were always together, I look Nepali, Alida is white and people didn’t know us yet, thus of course they all came to the conclusion that I had to be Alida’s Nepali guide. After a week or two and after introductions everyone knew that we were Peace Corps volunteers, thus the Nepali guide rumor finally ended.

A New Year’s Celebration

It’s great to have another volunteer around you because you can celebrate special holidays like New Years together. Alida and I have been planning this celebration for over a week and once the day finally came it was go time. We had a sleep over in her house where we ate so much food that her mom had made for the celebration. We bought, Oreos, peanut butter, apples and chocolate thinking that we would eat throughout the night. We also had a movie night where we watched “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Titanic”. I have to admit that it was hard staying up past ten because we are use to sleeping around nine. We ate some of the Oreos, none of the apples and peanut butter and all of the chocolates. The funny part of this celebration was that her host mom and little brother decided to join for the sleep over. It’s not culturally appropriate to have one make and female sleeping together in one room if they are not married, thus her host mother and brother slept on the floor with me and Alida on her bed. It was funny because by 11:30pm we were dying, we were so sleepy! I admit that I fell asleep for a bit but then Alida woke me up! One time during the night, Alida’s mom plays this ringtone from her phone, which sounded like Chucky laughing in the background, but it was so funny because her mom was busting out laughing. We were so confused and scared at the same time but thankfully she shut it off. Once it hit 12am we said happy new years and knocked out. For the sake of Alida’s little brother we shut Titanic off where Jack is getting ready to draw Rose because we know what comes next! Happy New Year!

 WOULD YOU RATHER…

Leave Nepal now, board Titanic, fall madly in love, survive the ship sinking and return to the states, but your lover dies OR stay in Nepal for your 2 years of service and return home safely by plane.

Be celibate for the rest of your life OR murder a cute little puppy (think of the party favors from “Bridesmaids”) on every birthday with a butter knife for the rest of your life.

ONLY eat sinkers for a week OR top roman/chow-chow for a week.

In a relationship, be the one who is more in love OR the one who is more loved.

Stay in Nepal for the rest of your life and bring your American family with you OR live with your Nepali family in the states and never see your American family for the rest of your life.

Be blasted by strawberries OR blasted with grapes both with a baseball pitching machine.

Walk up a hill for the rest of your life OR walk down a hill for the rest of your life.

Be a participant in Fear Factor OR Dancing with the Stars.

Be the joker in the “Dark Knight” OR be Voldemort in “Harry Potter”

Drink ONLY milk tea OR starbucks’ ginger bread latte for the rest of your life.

Travel backwards in time OR travel forwards in time.

Mary a 13-year-old boy who is sexually active or a 57-year-old man who has been celibate for the past 30 years.

Count stars for the rest of your life OR count grains of sand on a beach for the rest of your life.

Have 12 children OR no children.

Be married to the love of your life and have no children OR have three children, but be single.

Be a used car salesman in Detroit OR a doctor who only performs vasectomies in Nepal for the rest of your life.

Climb the Eiffel Tower or the Pyramids of Egypt.

“FUTURE PLANS”

*Such plans were made up during our random conversations and simply live in our imaginations.

Chow-Chow Demonstration

Nepal’s typical snack for kids is Chow-Chow, in other words they are instant noodles with packages of highly concentrated sodium seasoning. You can compare this type of snack to Top Roman to give you an idea. The kids love it though! The way you prepare it is by crushing the noodles into small pieces and then pouring the seasoning and there you go you eat it like finger food. One day when we were walking around and saw so many Chow-Chow rappers on the floor Alida and I thought about having a Chow-Chow demonstration. We would have a protest around the bazar where we would convince the kids of the unhealthiness of that snack and march around the bazar with signs stating “DOWN WITH CHOW-CHOW”. Only in a magical world right!

To-Go Boxes

In our town, there is no sense of to-go/take out due to the fact of the lack of to-go boxes. Typically, people in Nepal have the time to enjoy their snacks in the shop while chatting about their daily lives. It’s great to see that they have this lack of concern for time as many people in the states dwell on. One day when we were eating our daily snack in our favorite pasal we saw this little girl come out of school and clearly she was in a hurry. She came into the pasal and ordered two samosas and some chick peas “TO-GO”!!! We were confused because we have never seen anyone ask for their snacks to go! Next thing we know we see our didi put the samosas and chick peas in a plastic bag and off the little girl goes! It’s crazy because the chick peas are hot and imagine them swimming in a plastic bag with samosas, it’s pretty odd but funny as well. Therefore, Alida and I decided to implement the idea of “to-go” in a way implement the sense of take out if one is in a hurry. We would convince the stores to have take out boxes and thus the customers wouldn’t have to have their snack in a plastic bag and all mixed up. However, after much thinking we think that the sense of take out would destroy the Nepali’s sense of time and appreciation of sitting down and chatting about their daily lives because they would be so concerned about time that their whole routine of time would be messed up. Therefore, we’ll work on this idea a little bit more.