Meet my host family!
I live with a five-member family in the heart of my village. My family has lived in this village for 20 years, but my host father was for the southern flatlands and my host mother was from the high mountains. The family is middle caste but certainly one of the wealthiest families in the area. My host father works at the school providing snacks for the teachers and and teaching the deaf students around twice a week.
My host mom in front of the store
My host mother works at the shop full time and she also runs the local women’s micro finance program. I’m very close to her and have a ton of respect for her outlook on life. She was dealt a bad hand in childhood, and now she is comitted to ensuring local girls don’t face the same challenges. I can tell that many women in the village look up her.
I also have two host sisters and one host brother. One host sister is studying in Kathmandu. She was the the valedictorian of the state and as such she has the opportunity to attend college and isn’t expected to get married until after she graduates (very rare here). My other host sister, who recently finished her education after 10th grade, works at the shop full time and also manages the family’s goats and chickens. She works incredibly hard, getting up at three am to start her chores by three thirty. My host brother is in 9th grade, and the plan is for him to leave school after 10th grade as well to help out more with farming the family’s plot of land and learn more about the bookkeeping aspect of the store.
My home
The family’s house was destroyed in the earthquake, so they started renting the current place. You’ll see in the video the outside cooking area, where my host father was cooking meat (a rare treat, and the only time he cooks), the family’s bedroom, where my host brother and sister were resting, and the sitting area for people eating dinner (although typically only women eat in there as the men prefer to eat outside) . The bathroom is down a narrow path behind the house.
Here are the videos- be sure to view in full-screen mode.
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