Tuesday 11/10-2011

The Sun rang the morning bell and troughed its sparkle upon the Kathmandu valley for the 8th time, since we arrived.
It’s Tuesday and it’s cleaning day. Sumi, motherplatform, directs around her troops and make things fall into their right places.
I was sent to the garden and established acquaintance with the discipline, sweeping the grass. Not only did I regard it as futile work, so did the mosquitoes and we were all ambushed by a group of bloodsucking vampires, who drained of our blood and made especially Mathilde look like a case of ‘roedehunde’.
After lunch we discussed what defines, and who we regard as being social agents. In groups we came up with names such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, John Lennon etc. I couldn’t help feeling a little humble and holding these figures in awe.
Even though Rikke did her best to boost our self-confidence, it was difficult to find any similarities with King and co. – apart from not being black I’m also musically retarded.
After dinner Rikke took us to a local Bar where ‘krofar’ welcomed us with a bright smile and proudly showed his toothless gums. We all had a great time and on the way home the beer-happy Danes breathed a sigh of relief with the knowledge of where to find the nearest serving of beer - the smiles were like sewn to our faces.
The intoxication was in two parts, since it made me realize why I have chosen to be a volunteer. Going at the local bar showed, among other things, that it gives you the opportunity to dig into the culture and gain a deeper understanding of their beliefs and culture through social relations with local people – this gives you the chance of both spreading and receiving smiles in familiar and friendly surroundings.
That’s why the platform already now is a homely base in the hectic Kathmandu. Familiarity, safety and care are things we all depend on – these are the values we are going to fight for.