Time in Gorsyang by Ming Tamang

The way to Gorsyang was one filled with excitement and a little bit of fear. The mountainous roads were winding and the driver drove like a boss along the roads. Along the way there, we helped to push a van stuck in mud as well as waited for excavators to clear the road blocked by a recent landslide. All these were not part of the plan and brought about a sense of uncertainty and unease.

When we eventually reached Gorsyang, we met up with another volunteer who had been in the village for the past 2 months and she told us briefly about the workings of the village such as when meal times were, where to get water and where the toilets were. The first night was very rough for us as we did not have time to shower after a long dusty journey to the village and there were too many flies which prevented us from sleeping.

Eventually, we found out about using mosquito coils the next morning and that solved our insect problem. We then found out that the shower was actually just a running water source by the side of the road and we were quite shocked by that. We also got to know more about the various projects the school was working on from the previous volunteer and one of the teachers at the school.

In spite of the sharp change in living conditions, the people of the village welcomed us very warmly, the kids especially. We played carom with the locals and this kabaddi game with the kids. Besides teaching some basic computer skills, we also taught in some of the classes when some of the teachers were not around. It was through all these small interactions with them which let us know them better. We tried to show them, through photos, some of our past travel experience in the process show them more about the world and they brought us into their world by playing with us and sharing some of their food with us. While the time we spent with them was very short, I hoped that what we did will inspire them to seek out the wider world.

The links we made with them, be they through facebook or email will also be invaluable after we leave the village and even after we leave the country.