Conversations in Nepal

I have been sitting on a bench in Besong's house for two hours having said only about three words.  They are speaking a mixture of Sherpa and Nepali, neither of which I understand at all! The four men speak at least a little English, but the women in the room do not speak a word.  Nursong, Besong's three year old little boy, is playing a game with a ball and so that gives me some distraction. But over all I am bored and daydreaming about what my friends back home are doing right now.

Ive been in Nepal for two weeks.  This is not my first time abroad and not the first time I've sat in a room full of people I can not communicate with.  However, I just finished three months volunteering at summer camp for Rocky Mountain Village and have a new perspective. There, I made friends who have difficulty communicating due to a physical disability, others due to an intellectual disability and some due to the proximity of the conversation being held (i.e.; a person using a wheelchair trying to converse with a group of people standing up). My thought are of them as well. 

Dan is a friend who has physical difficulty with speech. His disability has not affected his ability to hear, listen, or comprehend. Before I was introduced to Dan, my friend the Welshman warned me not to dismiss him during a conversation or give a patronizing nod and smile if I did not actually understand what he was saying. "Ask questions, have him repeat himself as many time as you need, have him spell the word if you can not figure it out. But don't blow him off"  That is what is happening to me here in the remote Himalayan village where I am volunteering to teach English for one month.  I am being blown off! Sure it is difficult to communicate with someone who speaks differently; language, word use, accent, sign, talking through technology, or physical impediment. Don't get me wrong, I do not blame people in the village for blushing and turning away from me. They don't know how to deal with my complete ignorance of the Sherpa tongue. And so it is for Dan back home. 

I took the Welshman's advice and got to know Dan over the days that he hung out at camp and I am very grateful that I did. Dan has offered me insightful advice, showed me new way of being a friend, and has helped me become more patient and open minded when it comes to communication.  I am betting that having met Dan over the summer is going to help me over the next few weeks as I try to make my way and fit into this community of thirty-four households, tucked away in the Nepali countryside.