The Nepalese people are often described as the most kind and generous people you will meet.
With good reason.
I am constantly baffled by the ability of people here to give and give and give, despite having next to nothing for themselves.
Last night was my co-worker and good friend Michelle's final evening in Pokhara. She's been here for two months, providing support to the counsellors at Nepal House - teaching them about report writing, confidentiality and a plethora of other therapy-related skills.
In order to celebrate the end of her time here, our family at the coffee house where we go pretty much every day decided to have us all over for dinner. Imagine the world's smallest coffee house (there's four tables in total - max of 10 customers at a time), with the smallest kitchen. At the back of the kitchen are the two tiny rooms that the family lives in - the one bedroom is piled high with clothes, baby paraphenelia, jewellery, blankets , towels and all the other necessities of daily life.
When I arrived, the 22-year-old daughter Sabina gave me a big smile and informed me that I was to borrow one of her saris to wear for the evening. It was gorgeous. There is no piece of clothing more flattering than a sari, I am convinced.
After decking myself and Michelle out in her clothing, bangles and hair clips (Sabina and her sister even had to dress us - you try figuring out how to wrap yourself up in that piece of cloth), we had a photo shoot and sat down to the most incredible vegetarian meal ever. All eight of us.
Between the food, the colourful clothing and the fantastic company you might have thought we were in a five star hotel. Until you looked around and remembered how little these people have.
And yet they give and give, with an open-heartedness and ease which puts our Western concepts of generosity to shame.
That dinner was not the first act of kindness I have experienced here, and I'm sure it will not be the last. And every time I've tried to reject the Nepali kindness for fear of decimating their meager wealth, they smile and say
"you are family here. If I am in Canada, you would do the same for me."
....would we?
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