Nature Journal 11

A Walk with Devi 

My time in the village Lingee Payong in the state of Sikkim, India was short but unforgettable. It took many hours of driving on bumpy, winding roads to get there. The vans were packed and sleep was impossible. As we drove to the border of Sikkim, the last independent state to join India, we were racing the clock. The borders close at 8:00 pm for people who have to register to enter. We arrived shortly after the they closed and our teachers were running around trying to find someone to help us with registration. During this time, we had no idea what was going on – half of us were trying to sleep and the other half was reading the signs at the border. “No persons allowed from Pakistan, China, or Myanmar.” All I could think was, “What were we doing here?” 

We finally arrived in Lingee Payong after staying a few days in the capital of Sikkim, Gangtok. I met my homestay family, the Gautum’s. They are farmers with four children who are all around my age. I spent most of my time with Devi. She stayed isolated in her room for a few days after my arrival because she was recovering from a multiple-day train journey from her university in the south of India. Once she was feeling better, we passed the days chatting around the fire in the kitchen and preparing meals. She was on a break from university, where she studies botany. One morning, she accompanied me on my walk to school, which was about 15-minute walk away from my homestay family’s house. My homestay father had walked with me the first few days and he didn’t speak any English, so I was looking forward to Devi’s company. 

As we walked, she told me about her university and her studies. The walk to the school house was heavily forested so as we walked, she pulled on different leaves and plants to show me. While I couldn’t possibly remember all of the things she told me, it was the effort to connect that stays fervently in my memories. I felt thankful to have such an intentional host who knew intimate details about the land around her. 

The view from the roof of my homestay.

One of the comedic moments of the trip also involves plant knowledge. In this region, cannabis plants grow wildly and my friend decided she wanted to take one as a souvenir. While we were waiting to get back into the vans she saw a tree on the side of the cliff. The leaf was just out of reach and we thought she was going to fall down the cliff. I took a picture of her attempt before I walked over to anchor her so she could reach far enough to grab it. I remember laughing wildly as she yelled at me to lean her further over the cliff…all for a leaf of weed. 

My friend Sagun reaching for a weed leaf.