I like rice pudding and I'm full - GapBreak Nepal.

Molai kheer man parcha ra molai pugyo! ie, I like rice pudding and I'm full.

These phrases have become only too familiar over the past few weeks, as festivals and friendly invitations have combined to result in an awful lot of food - parents, have no fears about us being underfed! To put this into perspective, we've managed to consume between the thirteen of us an entire washing tub of rice pudding in one sitting, and many of us have fondly named our 'food babies' which seem to be ever present.

We left you last blog on the brink of attending a football match in Kathmandu - Nepal vs India. We're happy to report that Nepal was victorious, most likely due to the extra screams and cheers that we provided. Celebrations carried on to 'kick off' the start of Teej, the women's festival, which had been much anticipated across the entire country. We could by now recite the Teej dress-up mantra of 'sari, tikka, lipstick, churra' after listening to our sisters excitedly prepare for the month preceding, but as the day finally came around we also learnt more about the origins of the festival, and what it means for Nepali women in their lives. Essentially, the day of dressing up, worship and fasting is designed to ensure women will end up in a successful marriage with a husband who will live a long and fruitful life. Although this was perhaps not as relevant to us, we happily took part in the celebrations to better understand the vibrant culture that surrounds us. The festival began with a night of Nepali music, singing and wild dancing, before a scrumptious midnight feast including an array of Indian sweets, (melted) ice cream, fruit and (you guessed it) kheer - our favourite combination of rice, coconut, fruit and milk. We gorged ourselves silly, aware of the long day of fasting that would follow. Hannah, Milly, Claire, Amanda and Ellie's house especially went for thirds of pudding to the point of lunacy, and waddled off to bed in a considerable amount of pain.

This strategy proved to be the best method of attack, as the food just managed to sustain us through the long day of fasting (however, we wisely decided not to partake in the fasting from water as well). Our sisters delighted in wrapping us up in their vibrantly coloured saris, traditionally the dress of married women, and we were equally as excited to share this special ritual. Before long our faces were hidden by makeup and our stomachs oddly exposed by the short sari blouses, meaning we were ready for a day of singing and dancing with our extended Nepali families. Or, in the case of Ruby and Roo, we donned specially bought and especially comfortable kurta suras, which are again a traditional outfit and come complete with matching scarves, which we were embarrassingly excited about. To be so comfortably included in the circles of singing and dancing women was such an honour, and being able to dance with not just our Nepali sisters but mothers and Aunties as well was not just beautiful but a lot of fun. Even Nat and Gabe joined in the festivities, dancing with the younger boys among the swirls of saris and twists of wrists. That day definitely improved our Nepali dancing by a long shot, although admittedly we had to retire to our rooms to cope with our hunger as the afternoon wore on. The first mouthful of rice and dal that night was something we'll never forget.

The festival fully wrapped up two days later with Rishi Panchami, a day of significance for women with communal ritual washing. The tradition denotes washing each part of the body 365 times with not just water but mud, cow poo and a variety of plants. With the younger generations however this has become less strict, and the day is more of an excuse for a communal splash in the major rivers. Some of us were lucky enough to venture beyond the village to relatives houses for this day, and take part in the washing ceremony with an extended collection of Aunts at a nearby river. The sight of hundreds of Nepali women dressed in red petticoats for bathing, standing ankle deep in the glistening water, spraying their wet hair in arcs and laughing at the freezing temperature was unreal it seemed, and to be allowed to take part was something special indeed.

These festivals laced with tradition were accompanied by some more modern celebrations as the whole village celebrated Claire and Ellie's 19th birthdays in the following week, as well as a party to celebrate the leaving of our much loved Nepali cousin April, going to complete his masters in Germany. A delicious cake was shared by all and the presents we had struggled to plan in secret were finally given.

We weren't given a chance to recover from our late night dancing however, as in the past week our fundraising ideas and plans have been fulfilled. We were just about to head off to school on Monday when we received a call from Kabita summoning us to Saraswati school to paint. Excitedly we set off down the path, looking forward to a day spent all together as much as finally making a visible and obvious difference to the school. Our spirits deflated somewhat as we discovered the school was slightly unprepared for our bulk labour, with only three paintbrushes spare. Not to be discouraged, we all managed to make ourselves useful clearing the classrooms and the garden, before a more appropriate number of paintbrushes met us the next day. Over the next week, the transformation of Saraswati was so dramatic is has become almost impossible to recognise the classrooms from the inside - what were once dark, concrete rooms filled with debris are now bright, colourful and comfortable learning spaces, and the children are delighted with this gift they can all share. Construction if a gate also began at Sarawati on Monday, Durbar painting is well underway (with even fewer brushes than Saraswati), and the laptop,
Projector and cupboards have arrived for Jitpur Secondary School. These will be presented next week during out 'cultural program', where all three school will combine to exchange songs and dances. We can all agree that it is wonderful to finally see the fruits of our fundraising efforts, and to be able to share these with the communities who have given so much to us.

In particular, we have been overwhelmed by the hospitality of the teachers at our respective schools, each group being invited into their homes multiple times. We have all been so grateful for the chance to share a meal and meet the families behind the people we have learnt south from. As well as that, they have all proved to be incredible cooks! A favourite of everyone's is Principal Bimla's rice pudding, but we have also been lucky enough to try other Nepali dishes such as quarti, a nine bean curry, gundruk, the slightly bitter dried leaf that is nepal's traditional dish, halua, a corn flour pudding reminiscent of polenta, deep fried flatbread, and the usual daily favourites of tomato and cucumber aatcha (pickle). Many a time we have found ourselves regretting we weren't firmer when seconds were offered - and by offered we mean hovering over our plates in the spoons of ever enthusiastic Nepalese, who are determined that if we go back fat our mothers will be delighted.

In other news, Jess, Ama, Bre and Usha have been extremely excited to welcome a newborn calf into the family, bringing not only and endless supply of delicious milk and the chance to milk the cow themselves, but also the honour of naming the baby calf. After much deliberation Socrates was named, and we all wish him a long, happy and productive life (if you didn't know, the cow is Nepal's national animal! Moo!).

It is with great sadness that we realise we have under a week left with our families. It's impossible to articulate how grateful we are for the hospitality, generosity and live that we have receive fro these people, and the day of parting us one no one is looking forward too. However in saying that, it is not without excitement that we think of our next adventure, the orphanage, which will undoubtedly be another unique and insightful experience into Nepali life.

Bre and Ellie