Photo essay: Dulal Village, Nepal

WITH ONLY A HANDFUL OF MUD BRICK houses and a government run school, Dulal Village doesn’t often catch the attention of curious travelers.

But not long into my stay in Dulal Village, it was evident what impact the village and its residents were having on me. My own mindset shifted toward the village’s Thoreau-like contentedness with simple living. Seven months down the track, back in the consumer driven throngs of Sydney’s North Shore, I am reminded even more of the lessons learned from my times in rural Nepal.

1

7am in Dulal Village, Nepal

Farmers let their livestock out to graze; essential morning Hindu rituals are complete.

2

An evening meal with my host family

The Dulal family (which shares its name with the village) consists of 9 members from 4 generations. Here, my host parents, Raju and Shova, stand with 3 of their delightful kids: Pushpa, Anjali, and Ayus. With my basic grasp of Nepali and their limited English skills, it proved to be an interesting first meeting.

3

Puspha and grandmother

Puspha Dulal looks on as her grandmother harvests the excess parts of the corn plant to be used as animal fodder.

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4

Gifts from the village kids

I celebrated my 22nd birthday whilst living in Dulal Village. Not only was I blessed enough to receive a full traditional Nepali / Hindu birthday celebration put on by the elders of the village, but I also received many beautiful hand made birthday cards and presents. Close friends will testify to my geeky love of home made, drawn, greeting cards. The kids, I have to say, pulled it off rather well.

5

Contractions and conjunctions

At Shree Mahankal Primary School, Susana and Manisha perfect their grammatical contraction skills in my English Class 4.

6

Making their way home

Woman in the village make the journey back to their respective houses after clearing out weeds and overgrown grass from their fields.

7

Monsoon

Nepal's monsoon is as routine as farming work for the residents of Dulal Village. Almost every day during the months of July, August, and September, Shree Mahankal Primary School's field receives a drenching.

8

Mito Cha!

Being left handed in Nepal poses a slight problem. Though seen as a sign of enormous good luck in some Nepali circles, among many Hindus, eating with the "impure" left hand is seen as an insult. With cutlery not commonly used outside of tourist restaurants, I took up the challenge and coerced myself slowly to eat only with my right hand. This particular endeavour involved a generous serving of Dal Bhat, Nepal's national meal, eaten twice daily. Prepared kindly by my host grandmother using locally sourced ingredients, it's rice, lentils and assorted curried vegetables -- and on festival nights, maybe chicken or goat, too.

9

My star pupil, Susana

For my teaching placement in the village, I was given the opportunity of teaching 7-, 8-, and 9-year-old local students English six days a week. Here, Susana practices grammar in front of the class.

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10

Corn harvest

The yearly corn harvest is in full swing in the Tukucha district.. The men of the village complete the daily harvest requirements, carrying more than 50kg of corn down in each basket from the family's upper fields. It is then either stored inside or added to an outside storage tower.

11

Kathmandu in the distance

Kathmandu, seen in the distance, past Dulal's corn fields, is approximately 2 hours away by bus. Many of the resources needed in the district are sourced here, as well as in neighbouring Bhaktapur and Banepa.

12

Goodbye

After almost 100 days of living and working in Dulal Village, it's time for a teary goodbye.