My Damji Friends

Norbu Choden

Kencho Lhamo

Yeshi Dema and Ugyen Lhamo

Woke up late today and did all the washing first thing in the morning because we are having some water shortage problems. The water supply was cut off even before I was finished with breakfast and I heard my neighbor friends complain about how they can’t get a thing done on Sundays because of that. Even I was a bit upset because I had just put Lhenkay’s school bags in the laundry. Its right after seven in the evening now and we only just got the water back.

After breakfast, Ugyen Lhamo, who works as a teacher in Bjishong MSS, and I went into the forest right above the class PP block to get some top soil for our flower pots. When we initially came to Damji in 2007, that place was filled with wonderful, rich top soil but today, after almost six years we had difficulty even filling two sacks each. The forest is also so much thinner now and I guess that is the impact or rather a sacrifice that we have to make for development to take place.

After we filled our sacks, we rolled, kicked and carried them back home in the scorching sun. It’s funny how when you stay inside it feels so cold and when you are working outside the sun suddenly seems too harsh. We labored in the sun some more, emptying the flower pots and filling them up with new soil. And since the soil that we had initially brought wasn’t enough we went back for more. After that I gave Lhenkay a bath, then took bath myself and cleaned the house.

Later we went for tea at Norbu Choden’s place with Yeshi(both of them are teachers in the same school also). We like to think that we talked about world peace, politics or the environment but we actually talked about our kids, their health, who’s eating and who’s not, who’s pooping and who’s constipated, who’s due for their health checkup, etc., etc., etc. And when we were bored with that, we went for a walk till the shop where we hoping to get some chili chops only to be disappointed. It was a typical Sunday in an ordinary person living in an ordinary place with extraordinary friends of which only Kencho Lhamo, again teacher, was missing because she was being a responsible woman and working on a Sunday afternoon. Hopefully, she will not abandon us next Sunday.

So this is a thank you for Norbu Choden, Ugyen Lhamo. Kencho Lhamo and Yeshi Dema. You guys are the only reason why being in Damji without Sonam is so bearable. Thank you for being such good friends.