Helpful Notes: Index above is for quick access to letters by year and month. The index is "sticky" so will stay available as you scroll. The page is quite long, hopefully the index will enable you to return to your place if you leave the page and return.

There are quite a number of letters here. They give a wonderful description of what life was like in a small Nepali village and in Kathmandu. Reading straight through will greatly inform you. However in the index above, I have highlighted in yellow months with letters. Many of the letters have immediately following it pictures of things mentioned in the letter.

Letters written by Nancy and Doug to their parents are archived here: Archived Peace Corps Letters

A collection of pictures taken while in Nepal is available here: Doug and Nancy Hatch Nepal Photo Album

Nancy and Doug Hatch Peace Corps Service

Nancy Winter Hatch's Letters from Nepal

In 1966, Doug and Nancy Hatch joined the Peace Corps. Their assignment was Nepal. They did their training in Hilo, Hawaii. Following training they were assigned to Silghari, a small village in the hills below the Himalayas Mountains. Village was at latitude 29 degrees N, however it was at an altitude of 4300 ft. They arrived at the village on October 28, 1966. There was no electricity in the village. They used candles and kerosene lamps. There was a kerosene stove, however since kerosene was brought in by mules or donkeys, it was expensive, Nancy mostly cooked on a wood stove. Wood was purchased from village vendors. It could get very cold at night, so during the winter they would go to bed early, however this meant they woke up very early in the morning, not pleasant. There was no water in the house, a springfed pipe in the wall behind their house was their water source. All water had to be boiled. Iodine was added to any water that they used while away from home. They only ate fruit or vegetables they could peel or cook.

Nancy and Doug taught at the high school. Nancy teaching English and Doug, math.

Nancy and Doug left their post in Silgadhi two months early on June 9, 1968. They were offeredshort term assignments in Kathmandu, Doug helping to develop a math curriculum and Nancy working at Tribhuvan University under Shanti Mishra, who was to become with her husband, Narayan, lifelong friends. They first flew to Pokhara for a three day termination conference. Then on June 13 they flew Royal Nepal Airline to Kathmandu. Following arrival in Kathmandu and being introduced to their work and finding a home, they decided to stay an additional year.

There are a number of spellings of Silghari, the most prevalent one is Silgadhi. You will see both spellings below.

Nancy wrote letters regularly to her sister, Pat. Pat kept most of them and they are included below. To cover missing letters, especially during 1966 when they first arrive in Silgadhi, I have included letters Nancy and Doug wrote to their parents, Merle and Ruby Hatch, and Bob and Lois Winter. The presentation begins with several letter from Hawaii where they received their training and some maps and photographs that will introduce you to Nepal and to their village home.

The letters date from August 2, 1966 to April 24, 1972.