After Kathmandu, I headed to the Conscious Impact campsite in Takure. I met up with four other volunteers at the bus station. The bus ride was kind of alarming but also interesting. It was about 4 hours of an up hill ride. At times, I could see the ledge just a few inches from bus tires.

The village is marked by a single tea shop that sells convenience store type products. We were greeted by the founder, Orion, his wife Marianna, and newborn, Camillo. We were shown the premises which include an open air kitchen, a lounge space, a tipi, a brick making station, a bamboo treatment station, a dorm, some compost toilets, a green house, a garden, an orchard, a cob oven, and 2 earthbag homes.

The first week was eventful. I arrived at the beginning of one of the most celebrated holidays here, Tihar. It is a 5 day holiday that includes blessing various animals then concluding with people blessing each other.

I was guided around the village by a man nicknamed “mama” (uncle). He showed us the various projects Conscious Impact had accomplished. He showed the volunteer group a bus stop made of bamboo, cob, and eco-bricks! I was happy to see that they advocate for eco-bricks here. We saw houses made of cob, earthbags, and earth bricks.

Coffee is a major crop that Conscious Impact has introduced to the area. The biggest contribution CI has made here though, was after the major 2015 earthquake. After, CI found a way to install individual water taps at each house. Prior to this, there were communal water taps spread around the village.

We saw the next town over, Nawalpur, which has a few more shops than Takure.

One day we took a straw weaving class. Another day we harvested rice, a major crop in the area.

Some days during this festival we would get carolers of kids singing for tips of food and money. One morning a man with a big horn came.

The final day of Tihar is called Bhai Tika. This is where women go to their family home and offer blessing of snacks, flowers, and forehead paints to their brothers. The brothers then offer money blessings to each of their sisters.

I feel so fortunate to have been invited to a local’s home to part take in this intimate family gathering! It was so nice to see the various generations of siblings offering blessings to each other. There is a kind of gentleness and love amongst siblings I see here that I don’t see in the US often. It’s heart warming.

The people here have enduring nick names for each other here like “brother” and “deedee” (aunt). Using this language creates a kind of friendliness in the culture. It’s easy to smile at and greet strangers here.