Flag day with new inspiration.
This week in Nepal: Recently, the principal of our school, Mr. Pradip Pokherel, was named “Principal of the Year” for Bagmati Province–Nepal’s second-largest jurisdiction. He’s certainly a good recipient for the award; from the day we met in Kathmandu I could readily see his boundless energy and ever-expanding ideas. We’re about the same age and he runs a good school. I’ve loved every minute I’ve spent here and Mr. Pokherel’s recognition cemented my appreciation for the shared work we all undertake here. Congratulations, sir!
This week’s cheers: I presented Mr. Pradip with a Peace Corps flag on my arrival. I explained that I hoped it signaled a bond between the school and the two volunteers assigned here. I figured he would hang it in his office, which is often used as a conference room.
You can’t imagine my surprise when, in the span of one school day, a new flag pole had been found, a hole dug, the pole erected, and the flag waved among the row of school house flags and the unique flag of Nepal. “We are a Peace Corps school and we are proud,” he told me before morning assembly, which always begins with the Nepali national anthem (I’m slowly learning).
I don’t pay much attention to Flag Day in the U.S. (it’s today, June 14, by the way). Perhaps my typical inattention to the flag points to our broader national problems. Yet, I am very proud to see the Peace Corps flag wave in the breeze every time I pass it and, as I’m often reminded I am a “representative of the government and people of the United States,” it’s rather good, I think, to regularly demonstrate that pride while I’m here.
When I was a two-year PCV in Morocco, I often commented that there was no shortage of Moroccan flags flying, which is not the case here in Nepal. I once said to my host that I thought “Moroccans must be more patriotic than Americans with so many more flags.”
“No,” he responded tersely. “Americans don’t need to be reminded of their loyalty with flags.” And he left it at that.
This week’s tears: Days still surpass 90℉. They say this is the hottest season, and I’m hopeful that the soon-to-arrive monsoon rains will cool us down. Much of southeast Asia has endured hotter temperatures, and a Nepal PCV south of here (he can see the India flag waving at the border from his house) keep sweltering over 100℉ daily.
I feel foolish to look around and see my complaints are just the heat and a scratchy uniform, but do know I’m only in the warm foothills, not the snowy Himalayas. Fortunately, we do occasionally enjoy a nice breeze, which helps the flags fly a bit.
Student question of the week: “Where is your wife?” That’s a great question for so many reasons! They drop their jaws when I tell them I can’t afford a wife. Then I insert the Nepali word “jiskeko” which means “it’s a joke” and I try to explain that in the U.S. you can (generally) live the life you want–and I don’t want a life with a woman. This week, however, the new flag has enabled me to redirect attention from wedding questions.
The week ahead: I have one more task to attend to in Kathmandu this weekend. I really just want to be able to stay here in the village for a good stretch without interruptions. Hopefully this is the last interruption for a while.
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The Peace Corps is recruiting for the next group of Nepal Volunteers. Application deadline is July 1 for a January 2025 departure. I’ll still be here, so come say hi, I’ll show you the new flag!
