A Classful Of Gods And Goddesses In Nepal – Ruth Higbie

RUTH HIGBIE arrived in Nepal as a Peace Corps Volunteer assigned to teach science to Nepali-speaking students in a village in which gods and demons were everywhere and controlled everything. It was easy to love the warm, goodlooking Nepalis, but to understand them to really see things as they did was quite another matter.
In her efforts to narrow the cultural gap between herself and her pupils, teaching colleagues, and neighbors in the village of Banepa, east of Kathmandu, she sought understanding through involvement in the daily life of her village. She enjoyed picnics in the countryside with her pupils, ceremonial visits with them to flower-decked shrines, observing and participating in many festivals, and in strenuous trekking into the magnificent mountains. The frustrations of being adrift in a strange world were offset by its enchanting beauty. And in the end she found Nepal “intriguing, difficult, disgusting, fascinating, beautifuleverything but dull.
Anyone who has lived or worked far from home in a new and strange culture will enjoy Ruth Higbie’s perceptions and insights. Those who have visited Nepal or plan to go there should set aside picture books of the breathtaking scenery long enough to read this charming book.
A Classful Of Gods And Goddesses In Nepal (Old And Rare) – Ruth Higbie