Juni's Journey; From Chapagaun to Germany (Story of Transformation 22)

There she stepped on her dream land...
The journey of thousand miles begins with one step. And when she was there enjoying the views from the window seat in her first ever air travel, I was reminiscing that baby step we were making four years back.

When my messenger popped up with her message sharing that she has reached Germany safely, my eyes were watery but it didn't flood (haha). I had a sense of accomplishment and I was tapping my back. It seems it nearly took a year to process her land there on her dream world. But, reflecting back, the toil started a long time ago. Here, I would like to share the part of her journey from where I met her. I hope her journey of transformation would definitely inspire others.

Though I don't have all the photos of her journey, I hope to give a glimpse of some. 

First day of our class in 2013 when we had started our class
with painting our names on stones. We wanted us to be strong and colorful
as the name on that stiff stone to project that life is hard yet we need to shine.

There, she is with her name. :)

We realized that we were poor in English vocabularies, thus we started 'words chart'
where we would write the words that we would write the difficult words with their
meanings and paste it on the wall and read it everyday.

She has always loved dancing. This was her impromptu dance that
she performed during the farewell program of Elizabeth, a volunteer teacher.
I must acknowledge her performance. :)

Her first presentation in front of the mass. We had participated in a leadership program
organized by Gen-nep, a national youth initiative where students from different schools of all over Nepal
had participated. I remember Juni really being nervous for her presentation because we were the only ones who
were representing community school and she felt her English wasn't as good as other students. This was also the first timeshe was staying outside her home for the first time. We were there for three days and when we look back participating in this event build a sort of confidence in her. 

She was always in the front whenever it would be about the environmental issue. She had also formed a club to work for the environmental protection of her village and  used to organize different awareness programs. 

With in our few months of teaching, we were aware about the psychological problems our students were going through because of various problems that was in the village. Thus with the help of psychological counselor, a friend of Seetu (my co-fellow), we organized  a training and there was Juni brainstorming the issues they are facing with her classmates.

                                                                                                                                                                                               

Juni had always loved travelling. This was shot on our short hike they received as their reward for their good performance in their class. Juni was trying to plan how they were going to share the food they had brought from home. Juni in action...haha :D

During the group activity in one of our classes.

We used to have a lot of act outs in our class. After completing a story book students used to perform in the class. This was one moment when they were acting a story.

Juni, explaining about the cube she and her group had made to
Peter, the correspondent of 'The Guardian' on Math's Exhibition at her school. The event was organized to enhance the practical skills in Math and to make the students interact with other people confidently in English.

Juni had always loved anchoring. 

Addressing her friends about her goals on the day of farewell from school. She had topped her batch.

Juni was among one of the volunteers who worked hard to bring students
 from the rural village on an educational trip to Kathmandu under 'Big Brother Big Sister' project of Teach For Nepal.

That was how she kept busy on after her SLC.
She participated in different activities.
It was just after her performance in 'Miss Indigenous Heritage Nepal'.

This was the day when we had gone for the interview of UWC.

On her journey to Germany. Her first flight. :)

With her roomies. 

With her classmates at Robert Bosch College

Belonging to a lower class family, the journey she had covered throughout is amazing. Leading an independent life has always been her dream when her family was compelled to run through the hard earned money on foreign land. With all the hard work when she has finally achieved one of her goals of studying on a good college, I wish her a very bright future ahead. What I have is the trust that she would excel in whatever she would do.  I would love to write more about her good works even in the coming days. 

झुठ

Photo Credit: sobusygirls.com

हो, झुठ त मैले नि बोलेकै हो, 

तिमीलाई माया गर्छु भनेर

तर साँचो त तिमी नि कहाँ पो थियौ र ? 

मलाई थाहा छ 

न तिम्रो जून झार्ने वाचा साचो  थियो,

न मेरो तिमी संगै साथ जीउने कसम नै शही,

वर्षौ झुठ बोलिरप्हौ 

अनि हरेक दिन नाटक गरिरप्हौ

एक अर्काको अंगालोमा बाधिएर

अब त अति भो झुठलाई नि लाज लाग्यो रे 

त्यही भएर त नाटकीय माया नि टाढा भाग्यो रे 

के गर्ने समयले काचुली फेरी रहन्छ, 

कहिले झुठलाई नि आत्मसाथ गराउछ 

अनि कहिले त्यही झुठले मन भतभती जलाउछ । 

"RIP" Nepali Aama

As soon as I was in my twenties, my mom started nagging me for my marriage. The best tool of her persuasion is that she gives evidences of my friends who are happily married and are being supported by their husbands in their work as well. As you know, she hasn't yet become able to persuade me on this, now motherhood has become another weapon for her these day. My mom argues being a female, I have to beget a child which will be much difficult if I get older. I convince her that I still am not mature enough to start a conjugal relationship and begetting child is what I can't think of as of now even in my mid twenties.

I wonder how my friends went through this.

I acknowledge their boldness, along with that I appreciate their caring and supporting family members as well. But still, I can't dare imagine myself in that place.

   

Recently, I watched a documentary "Birth in Nepal" made by Subina Shrestha, a Nepalese journalist and that gave me goose bumps.(To watch go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ76DB1NSfE ) It projects the pathetic condition Nepalese mothers have to go through, with their husbands working abroad, lack of nutritious food and no easy access to medical care during their labour period.

Yes, the documentary was heart wrenching. But, what really drifted my attention was the time it was broadcasted. The documentary was broadcasted on Al Jazeera English, a renowned international media on May, 2010. Six long years! Yes, it was six years ago. The gloomy reality is that even when the dangerous reality of birth in Nepal was brought into limelight half a decade back, the scenario is yet to change.

Reading this, you may call me defeatist when Nepal is considered as one of the countries where the global effort to improve pregnancy and delivery has several success stories. However, I don't see any improvement beyond what Subina has projected in her film.

The recent tragedy of Fishtail Air helicopter again made me go against the tide regarding the chant of development and transition of our country. The tragedy says a lot about our present miserable condition; not just about the topography and the infrastructure but also about the condition several Nepalese women are going through. Today, let me burst just on the teen mother who died in the tragedy. As everyone has given me the tag of being feminist.

The wreckage of Fishtail Air Helicopter that crashed in Nuwakot district
on August 8, 2016. Photo RSS

" Why only me? Everyone should be a feminist! "

Priti Gurung, the 5 day old nursing mother for whom the helicopter was chartered was reported 19. So, we can assume that she, got married at 18 or even before that (may be), was still in her teens. Several Medical Researches have proved that teen age pregnancy has higher risk of Pre-eclampsia, which is a dangerous medical condition that clinically manifests as a high blood pressure in a pregnant woman with excess protein in the urine, swelling of hands and face and organ damage which can be detrimental to both the mother and the child. According to the news, Priti was also having similar symptoms. I felt pathetic to know that even her husband wasn't with her in such a tender situation.

Anand sir, my Fiction professor warns ironically, "People don't like the ones who talk negative of those who are no more, our culture teaches us this" whenever we are being critical about some writers who are no more. Sorry, but let me be crueler and judge Nepalese mentality which sill prefers son.

What if Priti had given birth to a daughter, would her in-laws even think of spending money on chartering a helicopter? 

You may trash me for my rude remarks but I am not being able to let this question go out of my soul and thus, expressing here.

Photo Credit: etsy.com

This incident unleashes stories of many other Pritis who have to face the same tragedy, the  only difference is she passed away in a plane crash while others in goth (cow shed). She died in pursuit of getting treatment while many others die even not daring to imagine a sudeni (midwife). Sabina Shrestha in her five months of pregnancy vented out in search of reality and even exposed it but again women are not being able to receive proper treatment even in such an delicate situation, which is their basic right.

And here, when I am writing this, a woman, who cannot imagine of being a mother, am sure that nothing is going to change.

Another six years will go but no, nothing is going to change.

"Oh, sorry! Yes, you are right. Our GOVERNMENT. It's definitely going to change."

Let me frame my question in another way. 

What am I going to do?

What are you going to do?

... "Nothing..."

I will just be busy at my work. May be in a few more years, my mom will get another weapon of argument to persuade me for marriage. 

Umm...

You too will be busy at your work. Oh, no let me correct, we would find time to post "RIP" in our Facebook walls for other Pritis. Then, for another whole years Facebook will keep on reminding us that we had been through that gloomy feeling and we would again be busy on our another project. In the mean time some where in the corner a Nepali Aama would sacrifice her precious life in the name of Nepal Sarkar (Nepal Government) and we busy modern Nepali Jantas (citizens). And we again would post "RIP" and move on.