text and images britt-arnhild
"I will give you a very special gourmet tour", were among the first words he said to me. The Norwegian doctor at United Mission Hospital had arranged for me a guide, a man born in Tansen 58 years ago, actually the very first baby delivered by midwife Ingeborg. Madhav speaks English perfectly well, and he knows Tansen as his own pocket.
"What do you want to see?" Madhav asked, "Where do you want me to take you?"
I already had a list, a very short one, so it was easy to answer.
"I want to follow Ingeborg´s steps......and if there is more time I want to buy some spices, I´d like to find some postcards and I need an ATM"
"That is an easy list to fulfill" Madhav smiled. And off we went.
I did not bring the book about Ingeborg with me. I wanted to travel light, and anywhere my suitcase was filled with babyhats. But as I sit here writing this, I know the first thing I will do when I come home is to reread the book. Or at least parts of the book. Especially the part when she first arrived in Tansen. A land, a people, a town, a language she knew nothing about. She walked the path which was made ready for her, and she knew this was her way.
At one point Madhav stopped. "Can you see the narrow path down there? You know, since Ingeborg lived here the roads have changed, and this path is the one she used when she walked to and from the hospital. One late night when she was on her way home, with only a small lantern to give her light, she suddenly met a leopard right there. They both, Ingeborg and the leopard stopped dead. Then after a while the leopard turned and ran away"
So I am not the only one who have met an angel in Tansen, there must have been at least one there for Ingeborg too.........
Tansen is a steep city. Terrible streep. The houses are built like they are flowing down a hill. Following a fit guide who has spent his entire life running up and down this hills was a challenge. A challenge I cheerished every single minute of.
It is amazing how people women manage to carry their burdens up and down these hills.......but then I had already heard from the hospital that many of them suffers from their hard lives.
After a few hours of my gourmet guiding, Madhav had a real gourmet surprise for me. "Listen Britt, my wife has invited you to our home for a meal. Do you want to come?"
You can all guess my answer, can´t you :-)
After we ate another wonderful thing happened.
But that´s a tale for another day.........
.....may be.
Recent Comments