Farming rice is a huge part of Nepal tradition. Almost everyone over the age of 30 grew up farming rice. Since most of them eat rice twice a day and it’s the main staple food source it’s an extremely important skill to know the process of rice. Most of the aunties who live at the Kopila house take time off every year to go farm their families rice. It’s an important job that takes many people.
We have a few rice patties at the new land where the new school will be located. Our goal at the new land is to not only grow and harvest rice but to be completely self sustainable on the land. We also want to teach the kids how to tend the farm. Many of them will need to know these skills to survive living in Nepal.
A few weeks ago the kids went out and planted all the rice. Yesterday, we went and picked all the weeds out of the rice patties in the rain. There is some knowledge involved in knowing what is rice and what is grass. I shortly figured it out. The kids helped with the process of weeding and also the processes of having fun. It wasn’t long before they were throwing mud balls at eachother. I guess that’s what kids do.
As we were standing in the middle of the rice patties I must admit I was mostly worried about leaches & water snakes, less about the wedding, but to my luck none were found.
Not sure I will ever enter a rice patty again, but who knows. It was a fun experience. I’m so glad that we are raising these kids to understand where their food comes from and to appreciate the skill of farming.
Being Big in Nepal 
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