For the longest time, I convinced myself that my youngest host sister, Hasina, liked me. Or rather, I knew that she found me to be Adequate, and I convinced myself that was her highest rating. Other people–usually men–would get a grimace from her. I received no reaction at all. For the first eight months, the […]
On one side of a hill, lies a little village of Dalit (“Untouchables”) live. The earthquake flattened all the houses on that side of the hill. The Dalit families sleep in tents made of bamboo and tarp. The older members of that community always seem to be drunk, sitting around barefooted and chain-smoking. Their children […]
Note: In Nepali culture, once I touch a plate of food, I have to eat the whole thing. So if there is something that I don’t want to eat, I have to very carefully refuse to touch the plate. I was at a student’s house, sitting by the roaring fire in their kitchen. There was […]