By Alex Fitzhugh

I would like to start off by saying hello to my Mom and Dad since I haven’t been able to talk to them in a while.

I’d like to write about Agora. The road to Agora is a winding, one car gravel road with narrow passes overlooking steep cliffs. When the bus driver purposely shook the bus and asked Joesph if he wanted to drive I realized we were in for a treat.

Once off the bus everyone relaxed, but I wondered: How would a village react to all of these Americans? I thought it would be awkward and they would just stare at us. Instead, everyone was welcoming; we were greeted warmly by the oldest in the village down to the youngest, probably 1 years old. They knew very little English, but how much they knew still surprised me. Who had taught these young children English in this village 7000 feet up in the Himalayas?

Mr. Alter showed me the school right next to Suman’s house and told me that the kids who go there learn English as well as other subjects in their classrooms at a young age. They also learn the importance of jobs. Each family teaches their children about how their family grew through the generations and how to form tight bonds with other villagers.

Besides the school, Agora has many jobs such as the blacksmith. The blacksmith makes hoes, hatchets, small and long knives, scythes, and hammers. The blacksmith has to make all of the tools for all of the jobs around the village.

Many of the villagers farm. If they have excess crops, they can sell to other villagers. There are also builders who construct houses and sheds for the villagers and animals.

You might think that the one job is the only job the people have, but no. Each person has 2, 3, or even 4 jobs and collectively they support life in the village. You might wonder why they have so many jobs and if they change through the year. The answer is that it takes many hands working on different projects to keep the village healthy and functioning. And yes, the needs change throughout the seasons, so the work changes too. Our ten days in the village helped me see everything that makes up Agora, and I realized the importance of partnership and collaboration.

It takes a village to make a village!