Trip to Nepal

Cousin Joanne likes to go trekking in exotic locations. I think she included Nepal in her journeys several years ago. She brings back hundreds of photos and talks about how the people lived and what they wore. Today I had my own trek there. I taught sewing to about 10 refugees from Nepal. Instead of traveling thousands of miles, I went to their apartment complex across town for an adventure. I am working for Iskashitaa, an agency that helps refugees with resettlement here. Sewing is one of the programs that they are trying to promote in addition to harvesting fruit and nuts. The group I worked with was great. They spoke little English so we communicated with gestures and by pointing. Their cultural differences were obvious. They had a strong sense of community and a hands-on approach to learning. I had the sewing machines set up and spaced a couple of feet apart from each other. They moved in much closer to each other. They immediately started touching the machines, but did follow me as I taught them how to thread them. The ones who had trouble got support from those around them while I was helping others. They were able to sew straight seams quite easily and even made a few mini-bags and doll-like clothes out of fabric scraps. We were able to start constructing bags out of old jeans. They apparently sell well and are easy to make. At the end of class, I was happy to see that everyone pitched in to clean up without having to be asked. All in all, it was a good trip. I'm planning on being a return visitor.