Family Village Trip: our 9-month-old, a hike, and a hospitable didi

I didn’t think we would take a village trip for a while since Eli was only 9 months old but it just happened. One day my husband proposed the idea and the next morning we were off–packed with diapers, a hiking backpack full of our most minimal items for an outdoor adventure, a baby carrier backpack, and some car snacks.

We left around 9:30 am and began the 2 hour drive past monkeys and through the hills. Eli quickly fell asleep in his carseat until we stopped for lunch at a little restaurant. All three of us enjoyed egg-fried rice. His silicone bib and travel mat came in handy as he sat in my husband’s lap and shoved bits of veggies, eggs, and rice in his little mouth.

After driving for a while longer, we stopped to talk to some friendly villagers, learn about the culture, and drink chai. We talked to two ladies who worked for the government as health activists in rural communities. Their job was to educate people on general health and wellness, check-ups during pregnancy, typhoid, distribute iron supplements at schools, and inform the government of any births, deaths, and unusual diseases in each village. I was simply fascinated with this and asked them several questions about their work.

It was way past Eli’s nap and I was trying everything I knew to help him go to sleep. He finally fell asleep on me and woke up about 20 or 30 minutes later– not ideal but better than nothing.

One of the ladies invited us to her home and we gladly accepted the invitation. People often call each other “big sister” if a woman is around your age or “aunty” if a woman is old than you. I called the lady who invited us in “big sister” or didi (dee-dee).

We drove a little further while Eli took another catnap. Next, we parked, packed up and hit the trail. It was an hour hike uphill on a stone and dirt path through the brush and the jungle. We passed a lady collecting wood in the forest and a lady carrying a heavy bundle of wheat on her back. I carried Eli and a few of his belongings and Robby carried a pack with supplies for camping and a few other items. We didn’t know if we would need to camp or if there would be spare rooms.

The path eventually led us past a row of pomegranate trees and a field of potatoes. We finally came to didi’s house. The outside of the beautiful three-story house was coated with mud. A well-kept concrete outhouse was next to it. A wood railing on the balcony overlooked the valley below complete with a backdrop of hills and a sliver of mountains. She made us fresh lemonade, which I reluctantly had to decline since unfiltered water might not settle well. She assumed I was declining because most nursing mothers don’t consume many cold drinks or foods.

I mashed up a banana for Eli and mixed it with water and dry baby oatmeal cereal. After he played on a mat on the balcony and ate, the eye-rubbing told us it was time for him to head to bed. Didi had an extra bedroom so we pilled up pillows and blankets to make a little rectangular barrier in the middle of the king-sized bed where we could put Eli so he couldn’t roll out. Thankfully he wasn’t crawling over pillows at that point. It took a while but he finally went to sleep.

An hour and a half later, we ate a delicious dinner upstairs in the kitchen where we sat on mats around the fire. Didi made a special bean and rice dish topped with warm high-quality ghee (clarified butter) that she poured out of a little metal tea kettle. We all had to take seconds 🙂

After we were done, she engaged in a ritual she does every time she or anyone else eats with her. She spread a thin layer of watered-down cow manure over the hardened mud floor where each person has eaten. She told us she believed this purified the area. Since cows are believed to be holy, cow manure was the choice mixture.

The night was definitely the roughest part of it all—the new environment and the heat caused Eli to wake up more.

The next morning, we enjoyed the beautiful valley view, ate some noodles, and joined didi as we all hiked down the hill. She was going to work and we were going to slowly make our way back home.

Even though it seem like it took about a week for our sweet boy to get back on track and recover from such a short village trip, it was worth it. What a blessing to be able to go as a family, learn from the people, and form relationships.