In the evening, the 3 village girls that like to come by and give Tulshi a hard time, were here again, I was outside when they came by, so went and visited. Finally learned their names! Topu, who speaks some English, just turned 20 yesterday and her friends, Atoy and Nodi are 17. Annslie was being shy cause they kept asking for a selfie with her and like that’s the best way to Not befriend for her🤔 but these girls must’ve won her in some way cause she said she wanted to go to their house. We didn’t have anything else pressing and Lonnie was out and about doing his own thing so I called my big girls to join us. Having you to their home, seems to be the best thing for them, So they were delighted to guide us to their homes!
We traversed a flooded road on sand bags and made a detour thru a few people’s yards to avoid another low spot. These 3 Hindu girls are neighbors, but live in vastly different circumstances.
At Topu’s place they have a normal dirt yard with brick stepping stones for monsoon season. They have a nice sized yard, bigger than some. S e v e r a l cages of baby birds.. chickens, ducks, geese?, and Maddie saw turkey, Topu says they have 2 incubators that they hatch the eggs in. One place, but separated and shared with her uncles family. Topu says her family will be moving to a different place, bordering Tulshi’s, due to “financial problems”. It’ll be a year or 2 tho before they get their house built.. so the cows at the barn, 2 cows and a calf are Topu’s family’s and the other 2 cows and calf are her uncle’s. Their concrete home with dirt floor, 2 rooms for each, and out at their spacious covered kitchen area…2 separate places to cook over mud ovens on the floor. A walking straw pile delivered to the cows… Topu said that was her ma and we got to meet her a little later. She gave up her career as nurse to become a housewife.
On to Atoy’s home. A 3 level, concrete home with concrete floors! Atoy’s room was on the 2nd floor. A paper/plastic? floor covering that was s’pose to look like tile. But legit bedroom furniture.. a four post bed and dresser, her own adjoining bathroom with western toilet, shower head, vent fan,..
Right outside her room was a deep freeze and tucked back there was an honest to goodness kitchen! With sink, counter space, and 2-burner counter top cook stove! Outside, they still had the outdoor cooking area also with a table and chairs, fridge, mud oven on the floor that is fueled by poo sticks which Topu tells me are called Bori.
And then to Nodi’s home. 1st off, right there by the road/path is their cow shed with a couple cows and beginnings of a new house.. just the concrete foundation so far. Straight in is a guard’s shelter where her dad sleeps at night to guard their fish pond there. To the left of that is their cook house. And to the right is another building. As you enter, there is a wooden “couch” with a thin mat on the seat. I noticed hinges on front of it and they said, Yes, it opens up for a bed! Genius✨ Then it’s just this open room with a guest bed and another for Nodi and her mom. As we departed, I made a language goof up. We met Nodi’s dad at the cow shed and for small talk, I said the 1st thing that came to me… “ bhalo basha!” Which as one word means “love”🫣 Topu quickly explained, “Good house! Good house!”😅
When we were about back to the house, Topu tells me she will have to give me Bangali name because mine is too hard for Bangalis. And I’m thinking, I know what yer sayin’ girl. I have the same problem with so many of these Bangali names!!
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