Being in Chitwan National Park is pretty awesome, I’m not going to lie. There is a part of me that wants to say, “But Analis, after doing all the things you’ve done, and seeing all the things you’ve seen you know you don’t really need a hot shower, or a real toilet”, but there is another part of me that speaks more loudly which says, “THANK GOD-A REAL TOILET.” I’d like to call that part of me the ‘less-logical, American-privilege-influenced’ side.
I guess I never really took notice of how much of a luxury it is to be able to bathe in warm water, and buy toilet paper from a grocery store. In any case, this part of the trip has been far more tourist-oriented than the previous parts.
We rode on elephants today on the most brilliant safari through the park, it was a little cold and kind of foggy, which probably didn’t help us spot the animals any better. However, we did see rhinos, deer, and peacocks, and quite possibly a sloth bear, which quite frankly is one of the coolest looking animals on earth.
Later on in the day, we went to visit the school in the village nearby. We got to go on a tour of their library and classrooms, and we were welcomed once again with flowers and thikas. Madison made a deal with one of the students that if they sang for us, I would sing for them. At first, I didn’t really want to sing for them (since he’d offered up my services without consulting me first, and I’m always a little self-conscious when put on the spot like that) but if I’m honest, the trade off was pretty rewarding.
Once our initial deal had been carried out, it started a chain of back and forth singing between our students and their students, and it was almost like a dream. The kids were so open and friendly, and one of them even put a necklace made of flowers around my neck in the middle of a song. I found out later that they were on holiday, and weren’t even supposed to be at school.
Hearing that was really quite beautiful because it made me realize that children in America would very likely rather stay at home on holiday, than come to see some foreigners that they knew nothing about. The list of cultural differences just seems to keep growing.
~Analis