Real People | Real Stories

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Yesterday morning we got up at 5:00 to meet Nutan downstairs. We made our way to Gokarna via taxi. Gokarna is not all that far away. It lies on the edge of the Kathmandu Valley and I bet is only about 10 miles from here, but took almost 25 minutes due to bad roads. Crummy little Indian Suzuki (Maruti) taxis on roads full of holes–big holes–causes slow going. 

We arrived at Saru’s house first. They were up and, I am guessing, waiting for us. Saru lives with her mom, dad, two older sisters (another one is married and lives with her in-laws), three year old niece (not sure why) and an older brother. Aunts and cousins are her neighbors and they came by to visit as well.

We started the awkwardness of the morning by having tea in their kitchen which is on the top floor. We whipped out our video and still cameras immediately because, well, it seemed like they were waiting for us to do so and it felt like it was the least awkward thing to do. Then we funnily told them to just act as they normally would on a government holiday and to pretend as if the two white people are not five feet from their faces with huge cameras. Nutan kept laughing when we would ask her to translate this. “How can they do this?” she giggled at us. 

Saru’s Kitchen.

Saru grazing the goats. 

It was about this time we learned that there was also a translation glitch. Saru and her family speak Newari at home. A language unrelated to Nepali. Nutan says she does not speak a word of it. Saru’s cousin, Romeo (really his name and he looks like one too), helped us out by translating Newari to Nepali for Nutan and who’d then translate Nepali into English for us. Saru’s Nepali is strong enough for us to interview her and we hope to do so next week.

This girl is amazing. She loves her goats, buffalo and family. She is excited about us coming to photograph and video her. She gets us and is cultivating a sweet relationship with our lenses that we’re hoping will be mutual.

Then we went to visit Manju. Nutan had told us that one of the girls that we were visiting was really poor and I just assumed it was Saru after seeing the room that her whole family sleeps in together with a Buffalo directly underneath. I feel so naive. I felt like I knew enough about the world not to be shocked by poverty. Manju’s house is so small. So small. As big as two North American bathrooms on top of each other. The floors are mud. The house felt so tiny and fragile, Scott worried he would break the place (literally).

Manju has pictures of her sponsor, a girl from the United States her same age named Hannah, on 3 of the four walls. Manju is a good drawer. She had a book of art paper, sent to her by Hannah, full of pictures of houses, flowers, detailed diagrams of hearts and the phases of the moon. Manju is so shy and she received the ‘most disciplined’ student award in school. Her family also mainly speaks Newari. 

This kid is so sweet. So special.

Manju’s house is right on a busy road. I was afraid Scott was going to get run over taking this picture.

I am not sure what else to say about visiting Manju and her family. I felt sad afterwards. It feels too simple how I felt as we drove away. I felt sad, simply deep-down sad. It is just not right that the family of five lives like this and we live the way we do. We sure don’t know what to do about it, but that doesn’t stop it feeling wrong.

(Action point for our readers: If you happen to have your head around this whole social justice and poverty thing, kindly drop us a note, wouldja? We’d like to get our heads straight on it.)

Today was Letter Writing Day at LSF offices. All the girls with individuals sponsors write letters to them. It was pretty much the sweetest thing I have ever seen. Tons of girls stuffed into classrooms working hard on their best English printing ever.

We took moving and still pictures all day. They held my hand and nuzzled me and I worked so hard at learning their names–Atiti, Asmati, Rukshia, Miknashi, Punum, Shriesti, Sukla, Arpana, Anupama (They are way harder when you don’t get to read them.) It was a total high–a really fun day.

 Scott did an amazing job getting the girls to be themselves in front of the camera. 

[Scott here] Actually, they came in and left as themselves–we just had to press the shutter at the right time, when they weren’t busy responding to the weirdness of having us there. Or when they were, for that matter. 

It really was a couple of brilliant days for us. I hope we’ll get a chance to put up a few more pictures and impressions. Lots to think about.