Life Section

On our third and final day in the field we visited a region called Agra. This time we were a bigger group because Rita, Tearfund’s new shelter advisor, joined us. It was another journey down a narrow, bumpy, and curvy road. On our way there we drove into a cloud. While we walked around the sun would occasionally find its way through, but for most of our visit we remained inside the fog. At times it gave an eery feeling to the surroundings, especially when we came upon the ruins of a house. Once again we were welcomed by the people we met. The people kept wanting us to go further to see more houses, and eventually I think half the village were following us down the hillside!

Photo by Ben Keenan

We left early from the field because the wind started to pick up and the fog was getting wet. It was possible that rain could create bad road conditions. Getting back to Palung early afforded us some time to develop the list of drawings we thought needed to be included in the manual. It was a challenge to stay within our original scope so that we could accomplish the work in the week we had left!

Photo by Ben Keenan

New experiences:

– I ate a peach and pieces of pear (naspati: it tasted like a cross between an apple and a pear) that were offered to us by some of the villagers. Even though I knew I might regret it later, I decided to accept and eat them. Lo and behold I had some indigestion later on as a result.

– I learned how to say thank you in Napali, which is “Dahn-ya-bahd”. The group quickly came across a great way to remember how to say it: “Dan ya bad”. Dan wasn’t such a fan of this discovery and we would jokingly remind him of it for the rest of the trip!

The following day we headed out to Tistung, another region where Tearfund has beneficiaries. This region was a bit more out of the way and we needed to take a narrow dirt road that wound up the foothills. In some areas the houses showed significant cracking and so even though they were still standing, people were not living in them since another earthquake could bring them down. In other areas the houses were completely collapsed, probably because the forces of the earthquake were greater in those areas. The people we met were very welcoming and eager to show us their homes and share their stories. We found out that the earthquake actually happened during the day on a Saturday which was probably the best possible time since most people were not in their homes. We began taking note of common characteristics across the traditional houses that would inform the training guide. On our way back to Palung we stopped to see a waterfall and a small footbridge that were near the road. We encountered a woman shepherding a herd of goats across the bridge.

All of the houses are built on the hillside

Proof that the guys were working very hard! On this house the outside wythe delaminated from the inside, something that through stones would help to prevent

An image that shows how life goes on in the midst of calamity

Photo by Ben Keenan

Early in the morning on our second day we left Kathmandu and drove three hours south-west to a town called Palung. After getting out of the bad Kathmandu air the drive was very nice. The road curved out of the valley and twisted and turned through the foothills offering amazing views of the tree-covered hills and stepped farm terraces. On the way there we stopped at a cluster of houses on the roadside to begin our task of studying how they were originally designed, how they failed structurally, and what peoples’ plans are for rebuilding. The destruction was hard to see. We learned quickly that people are fearful of rebuilding with stone. It is unfortunate since stone homes can be earthquake resistant if built properly. Stone is also a free material, people have a large amount of experience building with it, and it is also suitable to the Nepal climate. People are considering building out of timber and corrugated metal sheets for the roof and walls, but it would do little to protect against the elements and would probably only last a year or two. Tearfund has quite the task ahead of educating the builders and homeowners about the improvements that can be made to stone masonry construction. The goal for our team will be to make the manual as comprehensive as possible and communicate the key elements of the building that need be addressed.

House that second story was being rebuilt out of wood

New experiences:

– I came across a gigantic cockroach in my hotel room.

– In Palung we had the traditional Napali cuisine of rice and dal (lentil soup). It was delicious and very spicy!

Rice and dal

View of Palung from the Shankar Hotel

I can hardly believe that I am writing this post from Nepal. I arrived late Saturday night after a long flight with stopovers in Chicago and Abu Dhabi. If you asked me a month ago what I would be doing in mid-July, this would not have been my guess. The opportunity came last-minute when I received an e-mail from Engineering Ministries International (EMI), an organization I have worked with in the past, calling for volunteers for a Disaster Response (DR) trip to Nepal. I was on the DR e-mail list because I did DR training at EMI’s ACDP Conference (Association for Christian Design Professionals) back in 2012. Since I had finished school, I decided to respond with my availability. I flew out two weeks after finding out I would be going on the trip. During those two weeks I did a lot of research into stone masonry construction. I am in a team with a project leader and structural engineer to propose improved construction methods for a housing rebuilding project that is being implemented by an organization called Tearfund. The issue that we are addressing is that people are already starting to rebuild their homes, but are often using the same methods as before. We intend to propose very simple solutions that work with their current methods to make their homes more earthquake resistant. We will develop a manual that will be provided in training to local builders and homeowners.

We spent Sunday in Kathmandu at the Tearfund headquarters. We went to an international church in the morning (apparently Nepali Christians worship on Saturday) and then met in the afternoon with the Tearfund representatives to plan out the next several days. On Monday morning we drove three hours to the Makwanpur region where we are spending a few days to study materials, costs, current building methods, and where the houses failed. Please continue to pray for safe travels, good health, and effective work and interactions. I pray that even though we are doing very physical work and won’t have time to develop deep relationships, that through our actions people will experience God’s grace. I look forward to updating you on how the trip goes! If you are interested in learning more about EMI or supporting them, check out their disaster response page on their main website.

View of Kathmandu on the drive out of the city