I know that it has been over a year since I wrote anything about our lives in Nepal. Some highlights include that I got a job at the Embassy that keeps me extremely busy. Yes, after five years of being a mostly full-time stay-at home mom, I joined the workforce. Not just any job but one that includes helping wayward Americans in Nepal find their way. I also help Americans to get passports made, make new American citizens and take lots of fingerprints of Nepali's who would like to visit the United States ( I have no idea what this skill set will help in my future career choices but in seventh grade every survey I took said I would make a great veterinarian or podiatrist).
We also decided to raise our own urban flock of chickens with one rooster. Chiclet was born on January 1st of 2010 and continues to rule the roost. Chicky was born the day before and her demise can be blamed on our overzealous, fun-loving dog Gertie. We tried a couple more egg hatching, chick raising education opportunities to no avail, so on Mother's day I decided to get two hens. Our driver Shree said that there was no market for hens but I said let's drive around and look for a flock of birds. We finally found one and I told Shree to ask the owners how much for two hens. The lady came back and said 600 rupees for the younger hens and 1200 for an older hen. She said in Nepali of course that these were Nepali birds and worth more. I bought two younger hens and Ethan and I held them on their trip to our house. We took many days to name them and finally settled on Laverne and Shirley (Shirley has black legs and Laverne yellow).
It took many months but Shirley started to lay delicious eggs (of course they were tiny and it took 2 of her eggs to equal one large egg but they were very good). the photo above is her first egg. After about one week of laying she became broody (wanting to sit on her nest until her eggs hatch). She only had one egg and an old antique glass egg to sit on but she was a wonderful sitter and took her job very seriously) On the seventeenth day she left the nest and the single egg was dirty and crawling with little bugs (not good). I cleaned the egg and brought it inside to see if it might hatch. Shirley then became ill and died a couple of days later, her sister Laverne died this morning. R.I.P. Laverne & Shirley.
The monsoon had started and the rice planting began. I asked my co-worker and very good friend Saraswati if I could go rice planting. She looked at me like I was crazy or as they say in Nepali, "pagull". I said that I have never been rice planting and as they say while in Nepal do what the Nepali's do. Saraswati's family owns some farmland that they plant rice, corn and other crops. The rains never came at the right time to plant at her paddy so she asked her cousin-brother (first cousin) if we could plant at his paddies. He agreed. Saraswati had never planted rice before. Normally, she would serve the food and chang (rice alcohol) to the workers but this year, she said she would plant rice with me. I was excited. Mike said he could come along to take photos. I love to have my own personal paparazzi.
Rice planting is one of those things you just dive into or rather step into. There are typically about 3 inches of water on top of the mud and you sink about 5 inches into the earth after you step in. You get a bundle if rice seedlings and plant about three stalks of rice every 5 inches. Every once in a while you feel some creepy crawly on your foot but I chalked it up to experience and kept on working. I had a lot of gawkers that wanted to know "what was the white lady doing in the rice-paddy." It was hot, humid and the next day back hurting but I have to say it was a memorable experience that I will never forget.
This summer Ethan spent the entire summer in the United States, with both sets of his grandparents. Ethan had and is having a wonderful time. Last year he was so bored in Nepal that we thought the U.S. would be great for him and it was. He is spending the last couple of weeks there until Mike comes and picks him up.
Mike and I re-discovered each other and had a wonderful time but we also missed Ethan to no end. We look forward to the reunion.
