NEPAL: Where relationships and time have a different pace!
29th April 2010
Janet Campbell recently made the long journey to Bajhang in the far west of Nepal, where the United Mission to Nepal (UMN) has a small cluster team working, and found that life is lived at a different pace there.
One of the purposes of her trip was to visit the UMN staff team based there and, in particular, to see the only expatriate family living in Bajhang. This family moved there just a few months ago and face many challenges as they adjust to life in this remote location.
Reflecting on her time in Bajhang and the realities of life for one local lady, Janet has this to say:
"It takes three days to reach Bajhang from Kathmandu by air and road.
The journey takes one from city life along narrow mountain roads to a life which is only slowly changing from what it has been for centuries.
Women have the burden of work. Often there is no work for the men or they think that they can earn more money overseas, so the women are left on their own with the children.
A fellow UMN staff member and I sat and talked with this lady[see photo above] and her niece at her flourmill. She sits by the watermill as it slowly grinds the wheat and waits for the flour to gather at the base of the grinding stone. She then brushes up the ground flour into a bag.
The mill is driven by water diverted from a stream, which is brought to the mill along a channel in a hewn out log.
After we had chatted for a while she asked me for my bead bracelet because it matched her outfit! She also asks us to come to her home for some chia, Nepali tea. Sadly we didn’t have time for this.
Relationships and time have a different pace in Nepal, one of the aspects of life here Joe and I have come to value and enjoy!"
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