My first thought when I meet my host for the first time is
that she is really short – even by Nepali standards. As she gives me a welcome
hug she doesn’t even reach my shoulders. I feel like a towering giant beside
her, but I will soon learn that this 4 foot nothing humble little woman is a
force to be reckoned with. My second thought when I see her is she is
stunningly gorgeous. The thick wavy long black hair of Nepali women that I envy
so much and a glimmer in her deep brown eyes that hint at the fire that burns
inside of her. She is an exceptional woman and within hours of meeting her I am
already blown away by all she has achieved and continues to do for women in
Nepal, for her community and for her family. She amazes me.
I meet the rest of the team the next day. All of them are
incredible – and beautiful – young women with a passion and determination
rarely seen. Speaking of judging people by their physical appearance, I am all
the more impressed by Himalayan Adventure Girls because they don’t appear to be
the hardened and fearless adventurers, kayakers and guides that they are. For
the most part, they are lovely, modest and humble women who are always making
jokes (that I don’t understand) and laughing (come to think of it they remind
me of my amazing paddle buddy back home – miss you Catherine!) They are
easy-going and relaxed and I immediately feel comfortable here. I can’t wait to see them on the water, but I
am going to have to wait because it’s colder than I expected and there are some
schedule problems that will delay our river trip. I don’t mind because I have a
cold (the dust here is really getting to me) so I probably shouldn’t be playing
in the water just yet.
One thing that really surprises me is the relationship the
girls have with their male counterparts. I had expected that some of the men
kayakers and other rafting companies might resent the girls for encroaching on
their territory; however, it is quite the opposite. Several of Nepal’s most
established rafting companies have openly supported and encouraged the girls
from the start and have been hiring them after they complete their training.
Some of these companies were the first ones to take on the girls as guides in
training when the ladies kayak club was first formed in 2008. For the past
decade kayaking brothers from other companies have been reaching down to give
their brave sisters a hand up. I witnessed this first hand at the Himalayan
River Guides Association of Nepal (HRGAN) AGM where the girls were welcomed
among the other guides as sisters and equals. Of course, I miss out on a lot of
the dynamics and undercurrents because I don’t speak the language. But what I
saw was both encouraging and heart warming – from the moment we arrived the
girls and guys were teasing each other (friendly teasing) and joking around and
generally having a good time. However, when we arrived at Fishling, the meeting
location, I noticed that the guides were divided into groups: Kathmandu,
Pokhara and Trisuli guides. Since HAG is based in Kathmandu, the girls mostly
know and would joke with other Kathmandu guides. Later some friends told me
that there were still some tensions and some guides that didn’t want to see the
girls succeed, but I imagine that those are the ones that haven’t really had
the chance to work and paddle with the women. Nevertheless, the day was a
success and for the first time ever a woman was elected to HRGAN’s board. The
suggestion came from the outgoing president, a jovial and friendly man, who
said that the association should always have at least one woman representative
because women have different experiences and perspectives to bring to the
table. Although the meeting itself was mainly a lot of Nepali speeches that I
didn’t understand, I was glad to have had the opportunity to meet more
contacts, get to know more paddlers and make some friends.
I’ll be heading to Pokhara for the next few days to spend
Christmas there and meet up with an old friend from my last visit to Nepal.
Work on my thesis/paddling will have to wait until after the holidays. But I
feel like things are off to a good start.
No comments:
Post a Comment