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Pasang means Friday, or in the Sherpa world, a person was born on Friday. That’s why it was important to get the middle name Geljen because it’s one way not to be confused with the many Sherpas who were born on Friday. Pasang’s village was on our way, and it was significant because we got a lot of information about Sherpa’s life and customs. It is not the same if your guide is a Sherpa or any other representative of one of the 32 peoples of Nepal. Sherpas live modestly; they are practically vegetarians and only eat meat during certain festivals. They are loyal to their family and the village where they live. We can compare their life today with the way of life in the Serbian village several decades ago. There is a lot of joint work, which is voluntary because that’s the only way they can survive in the harsh environment, regardless of whether the harvest or wood for the winter is being gathered. Although they live modestly, they take care of all aspects of their everyday life, so believe it or not, they have a communal service that they pay for, which is one of the reasons why everything is clean, although tourists often do the opposite. Ecology is essential because, thanks to its understanding, they survive and thrive even in these difficult years. The new campaign in which tourists carry garbage from Namche Bazaar to Lukla is another proof of the good ideas they have adopted. However, what is most important about Pasang are his two children, who received scholarships thanks to their excellent studies. The daughter is a famous Tribhuvan Medical Faculty student, and the son just moved to Kathmandu after school in Namche. We learned many things from Pasang, and his calmness certainly contributed to the trekking ending properly because he was always with part of our group who needed help. Although I lived in a Sherpa village, I imagine that after everything, I will go to Pasang’s place as a guest. I wake up under the hills of the Himalayas, drink a glass of hot water, lemon and ginger tea with honey and chapati with one egg sunny side up, and then, like someone with my grandfather in the countryside, I go with Pasang and do the same as he did and remember all that what life is.

♥

Pasang znači Petko ili u svetu Šerpasa da se osoba rodila u petak. Zbog toga je važno bilo da dobijemo i srednje ime Geljen jer je to jedni način da se ne pomeša sa mnogim Šerpama koji su se rodili u petak. Pasangovo selo je bilo na našem putu, i to je bilo značajno jer smo dobili mnogo informacija o životu i običajima Šerpi. Definitvno nije svejedno da li vam je vodič Šerpa ili bilo koji drugi predstavnik jednog od 32 naroda Nepala. Šerpe žive skromno, praktično su vegetarijanci, a meso jedu samo prilikom nekih svetkovina. Odani su porodici i selu u kome žive. Njihov život danas možemo da uporedimo sa načinom života u srpskom selu od pre nekoliko decenija. Ima tu dosta zajedničkog rada, koji je na dobrovoljnoj bazi, jer samo tako mogu da opstanu u surovoj sredini bez obzira da li se skuplja letina ili drva za zimu. Iako žive skromno vode računa o svim aspektima zajedničkog života, tako da verovali ili ne imaju komunalnu službu koju plaćaju, što jedan od razloga zašto je sve čisto, iako turisti često čine suprotno. Ekologija je od izuzetne važnosti, jer zahvaljujući njenom razumevanju opstaju i napreduju čak i u ovim teškim godinama. Nova akcija u kojoj turisti nose đurbe od Namče Bazara do Lukle je još jedan dokaz dobrih ideja koje su prihvatili. Međutim, ono što je najvažnije kod Pasanga su njegovo dvoje dece, koji su zahvaljujući dobrom učenju dobili stipendije pa je ćerka student na poznatom Tribuvan Medicinskom fakultetu, a sin upravo nakon školovanja u Namčeu prelazi u Katmandu. Mnoge stvari smo naučili od Pasanga, a njegova smirenost je svakako doprinela da se treking završi kako treba, jer je uvek bio sa jednim delom naše grupe kojoj je trebala pomoć. Iako sam živeo u Šerpa selu, zamišljam nakon svega da jednom odem kod Pasanga u goste. Probudim se pod obroncima Himalaja, popijem čašu tople vode, čaj od limuna i đumbira sa medom i čapati sa jednim jajem na oko, a da onda kao neka sa dedom na selu, odem sa Pasangom i radim isto što i on i setim se svega onoga što život jeste.