I choose to spend my first seven days in a home stay with a traditional Nepalese family. I choose this option for two main reasons; first, I wanted to experience the real Nepal and Nepalese lifestyle first hand, this was a great opportunity for me to understand the local culture, language, activities, and customs. Second, I knew the family was very poor and my contribution could help house and feed the entire family (which consists of a mom and her two teenage children).
The family survives off $2 US/per day. The family has no fridge, no electricity and no drinking water. They boil the water from the tap (which only comes out during certain peak hours and is an organish brown color) and boil it for consumption. They shower once a week, on Saturdays, and to do so the mom fills a pot with water, brings it to a boil, then they cleanse themselves out of the pot. They share one bedroom and once the sun sets they then use flashlights to get around, since there is no electricity. However, they typically retire around 730 in the evening, since there is not much else to do. They sleep early and rise early. The children start school at 9AM, but they spend the morning together chatting and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. It’s actually quite beautiful to watch. They all seem to be very happy even with the little that they have and how challenging minuscule tasks seem to be. These things that I take for granted such as brushing my teeth, using the toilet, and finding my way around my house after the sun is down, and so on.
I decided for my first week, while in the home stay, I would relax my diet just a bit to be able to live and eat like the typical Nepalese family do.
Normally, I am a bit of a health freak. I follow a firm vegan diet, based around my blood type and ayurvedic body type. I do not eat any animal products (meat, fish, milk, butter, or eggs) and I also do not eat gluten (wheat or white flour products). I avoid white sugar or anything packaged or with additives. I consume a vast array of colorful vegetables on a daily basis (greens being my favorite), and balanced proportions of fats, proteins, and grains, such as quinoa or brown rice. I do my best to eat the correct food combinations and I also take a daily supplement of B-12 and probiotics. I like to start my morning with hot water with bee pollen and also like to finish the day the same way. Some say I am a picky eater, I say I am a smart eater.
You are what you eat. =)
Having said that, my week has been far from my usual diet; I decided that I would write down everything I ate for the full seven days. The mother always made up my plate for me, so I always ate what was given to me.
Day 1 & 2- I was still quite ill, so I was only able to consume about a cup of plain white rice throughout the two days.
Day 3- Breakfast: ¼ c of dal (lentil) soup, 1 cup white rice, 1 tbsp spinach
Lunch: packaged noodles (top ramen)
Dinner: Slice of white bread with potatoes and rice
Day 4- Breakfast: Three slices of white bread, potatoes, dal and white rice
Lunch: One slice of white bread
Dinner: ¾ c soybeans and 1 cup white rice
Day 5- Breakfast: Two slices of white bread, 1 tbsp spinach, rice and dal
Lunch: I buckled and bought a bag of almonds in town and a banana
Dinner: 1 cup of white rice seasoned with turmeric
Day 6- Breakfast: dal and rice
Lunch: Tibetan soup (rice noodle soup)
Dinner: a few mushrooms with white rice
Day 7- Breakfast: 1 cup of white rice, dal, and potatoes
Lunch: two wheat chipatas filled with potatoes
Dinner: white bread
After 7 full days of eating this way, I am in shock (mentally and physically). My body is not happy with me, and I am going through immense culture shock for the first time in my life. I am in disbelief that people are able to eat just white bread, rice, potatoes, and lentils day after day after day. I feel that I am missing so many important nutrients. And I am realizing how unbelievably spoiled I am. I eat plates piled high with vegetables and fruit, and a wide variety of different beans, nuts, seeds, grains, and so on. I am leaving tomorrow for the mountain side and plan spending the following 7 days cleansing my body of all the gluten and additives I have consumed. I feel like such a brat even writing that because my home stay probably has no idea that I felt this way. But this has been a huge eye-opener for me. And another reminder not to take anything I am blessed with for granted. I am a very privileged woman growing up in the United States. I have drinkable tap water, showers (hot showers), fresh fruits and vegetables, electricity, transportation, and so on.
Wow, just wow.
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