Final Post from Nepal

If I had to sum up Nepal in one word, it would be this: Beautiful. The landscape is beautiful, the people are beautiful, the culture is beautiful. Maybe it’s the highest mountain range in the world, or the abundant gold jewelry and colorful fabrics that decorate the women, but I think the real reason Nepal is so beautiful is because of the spirituality that guides every life here.

I once had a conversation about development with a student in Bastipur. He pointed out that developed places have so many good systems and facilities, but the people are too busy to be kind to each other. At first I was taken aback, but then I began to think. Not that Americans are exceptionally unkind, but when you witness a Nepalese person drop their cartload of rice patty to invite you in and fix tea, you can see his point. In the USA, we have great facilities that care for elderly, disabled, and impoverished individuals. In Nepal, these individuals are equally cared for, not by institutions, but by family and neighbors. I wonder whether we have stopped caring for our needy because we have institutions, or if we have institutions because we have stopped caring?

Any Nepalese person will tell you, Nepal is poor in money but rich in heart. It is true down to every last detail, but these are a few ways it stands out to me most:

-In Nepal, people address everyone, even strangers, as “brother” and “sister.” Of course this makes things difficult when you want to find who someone is. When you ask “Who is that?” (Is it your school friend? Your work friend? The new cook? Your father?) the response is always “Oh, he is my brother.” But still, they dont just say those words, they mean them. It demonstrates their care and connection with ALL people.
-The words “yes” and “no” don’t even appear in Nepali language. They only use negative and positive forms of verbs. So when you ask a question, you have to be prepared for an actual response, not a one-word answer. [To be fair, the words “please,” “sorry,” and “thank you” don’t appear, either! But that’s only because kind deeds are mutually expected, not thought of as a generous offer requiring acknowledgement.]
-They greet each other with “Namaste,” which means “the God in me recognizes the God in you.” If you ask me, that is a lot better than a simple “Hi.” Namaste means “bye” as well. And in the case of leaving Charikot, this farewell was accompanied by tika, flower garlands, and blessings for a fruitful life.


And if that one word (Beauty) isn’t enough, here are a few more words that explain why I love Nepal:

Squat toilets
My brothers
Hand washing clothes
Dal Baht Tarkari
Rooftops in Kathmandu
Spice tea
Nepali language
Baby goats
Riding on buffalos
Hindi music and movies (Krish, anyone?)
Women cutting grass in Sarees
Eating right out of the garden
Mountain views
Homemade raksi
Old ladies with gold bull rings in their noses
Nepali “doughnuts”
Eating with your hands
Riding on motorbikes
Squoosh (It’s a vegetable. It’s delicious. Trust me.)
And more and more and more.

On the other hand (perhaps to ease the sting of leaving), I have scraped up a list of EVERYTHING I dislike about this country. Here it goes:

The continuous hacking/spitting/vomiting of Nepalese people
Cold bucket-baths
Burning trash
Being asked to buy ganja everyday (Do I really look that grungy!?)
And that’s it.

Oh well it was worth a try.


So long Nepal!
While thoughts of friends, family, and Christmas trees cant even boost my mood right now, I’m sure after 30 hours of flying I’ll be ready to be home.
I leave in less than 12 hours. The next report of my Nepali adventures will be coming straight from my mouth!

Christmas in Charikot

I just escaped from being kidnapped by class 9 at The Rising Star School. They stole my bag and wouldn’t let me out of the door! They begged me not to leave. It took two Christmas songs, one English pop song, and one Arabian dance before I could finally leave. But to be honest, I wouldn’t have minded if they never let me go.
Yes, I’m still in Charikot. I was supposed to return to Kathmandu two days ago, but I refuse to leave until tomorrow. After all, I’d rather be here than anywhere else in the world. The only problem is the longer I stay, the harder it will be to leave.

I really didn’t expect the week to fly by as fast as it has. I actually thought it might go by slowly, since I didn’t have another volunteer to pass time with. But I am dealing with being alone really surprisingly well. I’ve hardly had to deal with it at all because being alone hasn’t made any difference!
Teaching alone has been no problem. It turns out I have more confidence than I thought: I can sing, dance, and act like a goof in front of a class of 15 year olds and it doesn’t phase me one bit.
When I sit alone at a tea shop (an activity I thought would make me feel a little awkward), I don’t even realize that I’m alone.
And I’m so comfortable with Auntie/Uncle/the boys that I don’t need an “escape” from them…they are my escape!

I’ve been busy the past week: Studying with the boys each morning and night. Doing “speed yoga” before breakfast. Walking with them to school. Teaching each day, which I love. Having tea with friends in Charikot and eating tiffin with various school principals. My favorite part of each day is sitting with my brothers around the fire each night as the rice is cooking. But after the rice cooks, we have to stay inside…two tigers have been seen in Charikot! And a few nights ago Dai thought he heard one on the property!

Last night I threw a small Christmas celebration for all the boys. I made gingerbread and (not to toot my own horn) it was really good! I wasn’t sure how it would turn out since I lacked an American supermarket and an oven, but it tasted pretty authentic and the boys (and Uncle!) LOVED it! So I was happy. I also made personalized Christmas cards for everyone, including the Dais. They were so cheesy, with my photo and lots of red and green cut paper, but everyone loved them still.

And in Christmas spirit, I got small presents for the boys. I bought sweaters for the five smallest boys, because it is getting really cold now and they didn’t have sweaters for school. Auntie/Uncle haven’t been able to afford to buy them any, so I was happy I could help. I also got new socks (two pairs each) for all of the boys, because they haven’t been able to afford socks since last year. I thought my gifts were small, but the boys’ and Uncle’s reactions said otherwise. Uncle told me, “Your gifts are big because we have no money to buy these things that you have provided.” And even the older boys, who didn’t receive sweaters, were so thankful that I purchased them for the younger boys. It was so sweet and is a perfect example of how amazing these boys are.
It still hasn’t hit me that I’ll be leaving Charikot tomorrow. It especially hasn’t hit me that I will be leaving Nepal the day after. Yikes! I’m not ready to believe that I’m actually leaving.


[*Edit: This blog is a day late! I am now back in Kathmandu. The electricity cut off as I finished this post in the Charikot cyber café yesterday.]

Happy to be Back

I'm so happy to be back in Chaikot!

The first thing I did when I got off the bus on Friday was go straight upstairs to Hob Nob for tea. My friend was gone (teaching, as I knew she would be ) but her husband was there and her adorable nephew, who gave me the biggest smile when I walked in! It felt like coming home.
Then I left Hob Nob to pick up a doughnut at the sweet shop. I didnt even have to ask! The man knew exactly what I wanted. [I love being a "regular" here!] He asked where I had been the past few weeks, and I told him about my time in Bastipur.

When I arrived at the home, Odaspi was waiting (with Sapkuda Dai) outside the gate for me! How sweet! Uncle said she insisted on sitting there all morning to wait for me.

The boys slowly trickled back from school in the afternoon. I loved watching their faces light up when they saw me sitting inside the gate. They didnt know I was coming! All of the boys (and the Dais, too!) seem so happy that I am back! Of course, I am a million times happier than they are. It feels like I am finally home!!!!!

Everything here is, as the Nepali say, "same, same, but different." Odaspi is a little bigger, and Shambu has a broken arm (thanks to Rajesh Hamal, who ran into him playing football the day before I arrived). But Samip is a wild as ever: he found a thick metal chain and has recently taken to tying Odaspi up with it and dragging her around like a prisoner.

The home hasn't received money from central office since Dashain, so now there is no money to buy gas to cook with. Instead the boys are busy collecting and cutting wood to fuel the fire that cooks their twice-a-day rice. I swear the boys look thinner, but maybe I am just the worried big sister.

The boys had a holiday yesterday, so I enjoyed spending all day with them! Mostly I sat around while they did their chores: washing clothes, cutting wood, doing homework. But I wasnt bored at all; I was so happy to be around them! And of course we did yoga, like always.

Spending time with the classes at school. Talking with Auntie and Uncle. Playing with my brothers. Visiting my friend in Charikot. There is too much I want to do and not enough time. If this post seems a little sporadic, its because Im rushing so I dont waste any more time here! Im off to enjoy my last few days in Charikot (and Nepal)...

Kathmandu Update

Its been a good few days in Kathmandu. Spending time with the other volunteers, exploiting all the western comforts in touristy Thamel district, eating more falafel than is good for me, and drinking lots of juice. I even went for a run this morning, which felt amazing! It's been a nice break after so many weeks in a dung house.

AND I just ate a bowl of chocolate cereal with dairy-free milk...why do I ever need to come home?!

Yesterday I spent the day volunteer with the young babies at Bal Mandir orphanage. It turns out that this Bal Mandir is the same Bal Mandir that is Central Office for the home in Charikot! The babies were so cute, but of course it is really sad to see the condition they are in. There are never enough diapers, there are no toys, they are rarely clean, and they have rashes that would make you cringe. The Didis (staff) are sweet and they try their best, but it is a hard life. Many of my brothers grew up at Central Office before being moved to Charikot, and it is amazing to imagine them in the same place as the babies I was helping with.

Today I went into town to renew my visa. It was quite a long experience because the motorbike (I LOVE riding motorbikes now, by the way) blew a tire and we had to get it fixed. I only needed an extra 7 days, but the man gave me 15 for the same price. I wish I could stay that long! I cant believe I leave in only 10 days.
And the next week is going to fly by because...

IM GOING TO CHARIKOT TOMORROW! I cant wait to see all of my brothers.

Be on the lookout for updates from Charikot. If I dont post any, dont worry! I'll be back to the states to tell you about it in person very soon!

A Portrait of Bastipur

I am finally back in Kathmandu. And I am sick. I think it mostly due to the garbage that was burned outside my window in Bastipur each morning at 3 am. Or it could bit some disease acquired from the rats that left poop on my bed every day. It may even been malnourishment from eating plain roti (bread), no protein or nutrients, and only horrible, overcooked, week-old vegetables once a day.
After a terrible 13 hour bus ride, Alicia and I went straight to Thamel for salad (real vegetables!), falafel, and, uh, coke… It was amazing!

Okay, it may not sound like it, but I really did enjoy time in Bastipur! Besides the smoke and the unappetizing vegetable curries, everything was really great. The family was wonderful, teaching was fun, but the coolest part was experiencing the true village life. It was even more real than the rural experience I had hoped for but never thought I would see! I have already mentioned some of this in my previous post, but here is a brief picture of Bastipur and my life while living there:

Bastipur is truly a rural village; there are more cows and buffalos than there are people! My family alone had three and they lived right outside my window. These creatures are useful because they are good for, well, everything! The houses are all made out of buffalo dung. The floors are buffalo dung. We cooked sitting (squatting, actually) on the dung floor, cooking over a dung fire pit, burning logs of dried dung. Buffalo, ox, and cows are also used for plowing, pulling carts, and even riding! I was lucky enough to ride a buffalo myself! It was certainly a unique experience.

If there is anything else as important to this village as cows, then it is rice! Rice to eat, rice to make flour, patty to feed animals, patty to make rugs, patty to make roofs. While I spent the mornings teaching, I spent each afternoon working in the rice patty. For the first few days I cut rice, and once that was finished we spent a few hours each day carrying the cut patty back to our home. It turns out, rice patty is heavier than you would think! It is also bulky and awkward, so carrying it on my head (which is the ONLY proper was to carry it!) was pretty challenging! I could only manage half as much as the Nepali women carry, but it was still exhausting. By the time we finished after dark, I was ready to make some roti (bread), eat, and go to sleep!

Bastipur is the most “backward” (I hate using that word) place I have ever experienced. The caste system still dominates the society. No one ever introduces themselves with out their caste, but it is visible even without their words: shaved heads, gold piercings, and tattoos make it pretty visible.

The lives of women are also pretty shocking. They do all the work (in the home, in the field), but the men get the credit. I’ve never seen such physically fit women. Even the grandmother at my home spent all day long in the field cutting and carrying rice. Young girls stay home from school to stay at home and work, then marry young, then move in with their mother-in-law to do more work. My home was actually a compound one big extended family: two grandmothers, their sons and their wives. My “neighbor” in the compound was the newest wife: an 18 year old Class 10 student (not that she attends school anymore…) with a new baby. To top it all off, the women do all of this work while wearing sarees! They cook, clean, cut rice, and even sleep in sarees. Seeing the women walk through the fields with their bright sarees over their head, carrying a baby in one hand and a sickle in the other, is just like the postcards. It is amazing!

To give a few more examples: One sister-in-law at the home had never heard of dinosaurs. And when money was stolen from the home, my family skipped the police and went straight to the “saru”- a medicine man/fortune teller- to help them solve the mystery.

I had fun experiencing village life, and I think the villagers enjoyed the presence of a foreiger just as much! I couldn't walk down the street without people coming out of their homes to watch me. I was even taken on a "tour" to a neighboring village so that I could sit in a chair and be watched (literally) by the locals! Yes, it was really uncomfortable, but what can you do? It was certainly neat to be somewhere so untouched by foreigners.


Of course, I haven’t forgotten about teaching. The school was tiny: a few rooms that are open to the outside, and about 180 students in nursery to class five. Teaching was difficult at times because the children, especially the younger ones, speak almost NO English. We also had few resources and supplies, but we did what we could. We had to draw our own world map, from memory, to teach geography; it wasn’t very accurate but at least it had the right number of continents, so it served its purpose! The students were sweet and I realized I really enjoy teaching.

In addition to the family, there were so many wonderful people in the village. Our last day there, some of our friends took us out for a picnic-the Nepali equivalent of a party- which was really special. We trekked 3 hours into the hillside then spent the day cooking chow chow and dal baht over a fire on the river bank. They even cooked chicken! [By the way, when Nepali people want chicken at a picnic, they bring a chicken. A REAL, LIVE CHICKEN. The whole walk there, I had NO idea we were carrying a chicken until one of the small boys pulled it out of small totebag, still flapping, and cut off its head right along the river bank. Woah.]


…So, I hope this gives a bit clearer picture of my time in Bastipur. If you are still curious, you can check out my photos in the link on the right margin of this page!

Wild, Wild West

Im in the far west of Nepal right now, only 30 minutes from the border of India...and it is seriously wild. I have never experienced anything like what I am experiencing now.

The landscape is so different from Charikot (mountains) or even Kathmandu (valley). Bastipur is a village in the terai, so everything is totally flat. There are rice patties everywhere and you can see for miles and miles and miles.
The climate is tropical, so much so that I keep forgetting I am in a landlocked country and not on some Caribbean island! There are papaya trees everywhere. And all the buildings have that 'weathered' look you only find in tropical places. And despite being winter, it is hot here!

The family I live with is amazing. So sweet and welcoming. But in reality I am living with about 4 families, because the whole extended family (grandmas, aunts, uncles, and cousins) all live together in one compound that opens up to a central (dung covered) patio.

Did I mention the home is made out of cow poo? Literally. And the best part is, when a baby makes a mess on the floor, they wash it off with water then put MORE poo on top of it.

Not only is there no shower here (I've gotten used to that, after all!) but there isn't even running water. Only a water pump outside used to fill up buckets and jugs. I have an outdoor squat toilet to use, but the family doesnt even use that! The field is good enough toilet for them...

My life here is awesome; unlike anything I've ever experienced. Teaching at the tiny run-down village school is great, but my favorite thing here is taking part in chores with the family. I've really been living village life here. In the morning and evenings I help make roti (chapati bread) for meal. We cook and eat on the floor! And during my free time I play with the three adorable kids.
I've even been cutting rice with all the women! It is wild: hours and hours of squatting in the field, cutting the rice patty by hand with a small sickle blade. I always attract an audience of villagers who come to see the foreigner working in the field. It is really fun, but it is also really, really tiring! But I am glad to be helping my family and experiencing their lifestyle, if only for a short while.

The village is wild. It has been so untouched by development. To give you a brief picture, these are some of the questions I have been asked since being here: 1.) Miss, what caste are you in? and 2.) How much milk does your buffalo in America give you?
Seriously. Wild.

Thats it for now, and I cant promise another entry soon. The nearest town (where I am right now) is over an hour-long walk from Bastipur!

Dont Worry, Be Happy

Just about every bar and restaurant in Kathmandu blasts “Three Little Birds” from their speakers. I used to think this was just to please the hippie-type tourists that pass by, but now I’m starting to believe it is simply because the “don’t worry, be happy” motto is true here in Nepal.


I arrived in Kathmandu intending to stay and volunteer at an orphanage in the city. I had a place to stay with internet access and real showers, and I had already met the orphanage’s coordinators as well as a few volunteers. I unexpectedly ended up on a bus Charikot, and as you all know, it was the greatest thing I have ever done!

When I returned to Kathmandu on Sunday, I was sad and worried. I didn’t want to leave my brothers, and I didn’t know where I would go next and I was worried that I might not find another volunteer placement to be excited about Still, I felt as though I need to push myself and see a bit more of Nepal before I leave; something inside was urging me to do it. These were my thoughts:
I wanted to go to Bastipur or Bhaititti. I didn’t want to go alone. I wanted to spend time with my in Kathmandu, and I wanted to see another friend when she returns from Bastipur in a week.

When I arrived at the Volunteer House in Kathmandu, I immediately learned that my friend was heading to Bastipur the next morning. It was too perfect! I could go to Bastipur. Not only was I not alone, but I was with the friend I wanted to spend time with. When I arrive, I will be able to spend one night with my other friend before she leaves. And the best part is, after Bastipur, I am going back to Charikot for a week to visit my brothers before I fly home.

Don’t worry. Be happy.

So many of you have told me that I look so happy in my pictures. I love hearing that because I am so happy here. I wish someday everyone of you can visit Nepal and experience what I am experiencing.

So now I’m sitting on the roof drinking tea and eating the pumpkin pudding that I made as my private Thanksgiving. The warm sun, the cool breeze, and the expansive view of Kathmandu’s flat topped houses are hard to leave, but I should go back inside to begin packing my things. I leave early tomorrow morning for my 12 hour bus ride.


*[What to expect: Bastipur is a fairly traditional, small village in the Terai (western part of Nepal). My friend who is there right now describes it as being a hundred years back in time. I will be living with the family of a friend in Kathmandu. The family has three young children-maybe I can speak Nepali to them!-and they live 45 minutes away from the town. I will be busy teaching at one of three private schools, and possibly doing work at a local medical clinic. I have a feeling these next two weeks will go by very quickly. I cant wait for new experiences!]

My Home, My Family

MY SETTING

Gauri Shankar Boys Home is heaven on earth. It is a 30 minute walk from Charikot, which is a small bazaar containing everything you might need and nothing more: supermarket, cyber café, restaurants, tea shops, stationary stores, and schools. The gap between the bazaar and the home is a beautiful panorama of jungled hillsides floating below the giant, snow-covered Gauri Shankar Mountain which rests on the boarder of Tibet. The home sits close enough to easily access the bazaar, but far enough that it is so peaceful. The home sits on a huge plot of land which overlooks a valley and the beautiful hillsides. The home is bordered by a jungle where tigers live (yes, seriously, they have seen tigers there). While sitting at the home, it is easy to forget that anyone in the world exists besides you and your brothers.

MY DAILY SCHEDULE (this is the schedule during the month-long holiday)

The boys wake up at 5:30 and drink tea.
I always wake up by 6:00 because it is impossible to sleep though all the noise: boys running around playing football (yes, they play football at 6:00 in the morning), with the horrible hacking and coughing that Nepali people make to clear their lungs in the morning, and Auntie ringing bells to begin her morning puja.
Many days I go for a run in the morning. I love this time of day because I can watch the sun rise over the glorious Gauri Shankar Himal while running up the hill to the bazaar. I see the same folks everyday as I run, and we always greet each other the same way: I give them a smile and a head wobble to say, “Good morning. I know you think I’m crazy for running here,” and they respond with a smile and a head wobble to say, “Yes, you are crazy but we like you anyways, so good morning foreign sister!”
At 7:30 we do yoga with the boys. This is more fun than you could possibly imagine. Almost every posture has developed an accompanying sound effect, and it can get pretty wild. The boys wont let us skip a single day of yoga!
By 8:30 the boys take “lunch,” and I eat by 9:00. Always we eat dal (lentil soup), baht (rice), tarkari (vegetables), saag (green leaves), and achar (spicy pickle). It is the most delicious food ever, and they feed us so much. Always they are trying to refill our plates, as if the first giant mountain of rice wasn’t too much to begin with.
For part of the morning, the boys do chores and work in the garden. At 11:30 we usually play a trivia quiz game, which the boys absolutely love. They get so competitive, and they are all so smart that sometimes we have difficulties thinking of challenging questions! After quiz game we do some sort of art: drawing, painting, or pastels. The boys are such talented artists; I will upload some of their artwork on my photo account soon, so you should check it out. Sometimes we sing, too. [I swear, my brothers could form a boy band a sell a platinum record! I can hardly contain myself when they unexpectedly break out into “I Want It That Way” by the backstreet boys.]

Around 2:00 we all have tea and eat “tiffin,” which is the mid-day snack. Often this is beaten rice, sweet saffron rice, noodles, or dried corn.
Sometimes after tiffin we walk into the bazaar. We are careful walking along the one-lane, two-direction road. Buses frequently pass us, loaded with as many people (and goats) on TOP as there are inside. It is so entertaining to watch people’s faces as they see us go by: at first when we smile at them they stare blatantly, but as we walk past they follow us with their head and their stunned expression melts into a as well. When we walk up with the boys, they always laugh at how many double-takes we receive. We have friends in Charikot (and sometimes strangers) who are always inviting us in for tea and food.
Later in the afternoon we play football, which is always so, so, so fun! The boys are sweet to let me play with them even though I am terrible. They even pass me the ball although I wish they wouldn’t because I can never kick it to the right place! Still, my skills are improving a lot and if I’m no longer helping my team when I play, at least I am no longer hindering them!
The boys eat dinner around 5:00, and while they eat we often climb up on the roof to watch the sun go down behind the mountains. We usually eat around 6:00; more delicious dal baht, of course.
After dinner is TV time. Most of you know that I hate watching TV at home, but I LOVE watching it here with my brothers! Sometimes we watch Hindi music videos which are wild, or sometimes weird Bollywood movies which I have grown to love. My favorite things to watch are the English movies on Star Channel, especially the bad horror films. The boys also love ‘ghost movies’ and we all have so much fun pretending to be scared. The boys are so sweet while watching TV: always snuggled up with each other on the floor, lying on top of each other and sitting with their arms around each other. They are such brothers, and I love them so much!
8:00 is bedtime for the boys, but usually we sit up and talk for some time past 8. I love spending time in their hostel, sitting on their beds and discussing all sorts of things.
After the boys go to sleep we sit outside and look at the thousands of stars that are visible in the sky. Everything about this place is beautiful: the mountains, the sky, the culture, and especially the people.

After Tihar the boys had to return to school, and our schedule changed a bit. Instead of playing in the morning, the boys study from 6:00 until 8:00, and I tutor them or help with their homework. I walk them to school around 9:00, then I spend the morning teaching classes. In the afternoon, Meaghan and I visit with our Nepali friends in town, drink tea, and run errands. They boys finish school at 4:00 and we play until dinner at 5:00. From 6:00 until 8:00, the boys do more studying! The days are busy, but we still have fun.

MY BROTHERS

Ashok Tamang

Ashok smiles with his mouth wide open, and he laughs with his whole body but no noise. He is always reading the dictionary and asking me about new vocabulary words. He is an emotional boy, but usually that emotion is extreme happiness. He loves loves loves to sing.


Biraj Sunwar

Biraj has a smile that could win over even the coldest heart. He knows he is cute and I think someday he is going to use that smile to get his way. But he is so sweet and always loves to snuggle with me under my scarf in the TV room.

Birbal Bohara

He has such a cute personality. He is always looking for love and approval. And he always wants his picture taken! I love how much he loves to dance.

Birjung Roka

Birjung wins the prize for being Mr.Man. He is good at everything! He is a football star. He is a beautiful artist. He can do backflips, layouts, and all other sorts of gymnastics. His singing voice is enchanting. He is so smart and knows just about trivia fact and general knowledge question that exists. Not only that, but he takes care of all of his younger brothers. He is always helping them study or complete there chores. He is such a solid foundation. And he is always smiling with his beautiful teeth.

Dhirendra Sing Mohara

Dhire is such a sweet, sweet boy. He is calm and reliable, and also funny at times. He is great at football and drawing, too. It is hard to describe, but there is something so great about him.

Dilbar Buda

Dilbar is a comedian but not an attention-grabber like some boys his age. He loves to have fun and his expressions are so wonderful! He is an entertaining dancer and his moves are quite smooth. He is very responsible for himself in a way one would not expect from such a young boy.

Dilip KC

Dilip is a little different from the other boys. Sometimes he likes to keep to himself, but other times he has such a big personality, always talking and laughing. He works hard and strives to do so much. This is the boy who always runs special errands for Uncle.

Gokul Saduala

This boy is such a clown and I love him! After everything I say, he always asks “Joking? Joking? Are you lying? Are you joking? Joking?” over and over until I move on and say something else. When he plays football, he pulls his pants legs up all the way to his upper thigh, and his scrawny legs seem to flail and go on for miles. He told me a million times that I have to come back, and I don’t want to disappoint him.

Govinda Raj Thapa

My Govinda is a little hustler but I absolutely love him. He has the most charming, snaggle-tooth smile that you cant say ‘no’ to, and his bright hazel eyes are always shinning. He always has a look on his face as though he is planning something naughty, but in reality he is the sweetest most loving boy! He has a slightly scratchy voice which I adore, and he is always singing to himself as he walks along. He gave me tika during Tihar so he will always be special to me.

Jagat Bahadur Bhujel

Jagat is so charming and has the sweetest smile. When he smiles and greets me, my heart becomes so happy. He is always inviting us to sit on his bed and look at pictures or his school work. He is shy, a little bit naughty, and has such a good heart.

Kal Bahadur Khadka

This 13 year old boy has the oldest soul. Kal is so wise and is always taking care of me! He reminds me not to walk in the middle of the road and he is always guiding me so I wont get lost going to new places. We have had so many meaningful talks together, and I love him so much!

Keshab Karki

Keshab is my dear, dear, goofy little brother. He walks around with a permanently confused look on his face and his head tilted to the side. He always forgets and speaks to me in Nepali instead of English, then he gives me a confused look when I don’t respond. He always tells jokes but they never translate well from Nepali to English, so they don’t make any sense to me and he usually doesn’t understand them either! Still, we always get a laugh from them. He raises his voice impossibly high at the end of each sentence. And after everything he says to me (usually in Nepali), he says, “Hoina?” which means “No?” He also has begun addressing me as “D-Dear Dearest Dear Sister Ellen Sahthi (“friend”)” so now I call him my “Dear Dearest Brother.”

Krishna Bohara

Odaspi loves this boy so much and he is so sweet, always looking after her. He is the oldest in his class (Class 7), and also the smartest and most outgoing! When we did pantomiming in his class, he performed a near-comedy act and made us all die laughing.

Lalit Jung Hamal

Lalit such a pretty boy. He is quiet, a little shy, but also confident. He has this sweet, almost sly smile that spreads across his face, although he always innocent. His personality is a magnet that draws everyone to him.

Love Pariyar

Love is a suitable name for my brother. He has more love in him than anyone I have ever met. He is so considerate and lovely and sweet. He always calls me “Ellen Sister.” He always invites me to sit on his bed and talk. And he is fun; he was the only boy who swam with Meaghan and I when we took class 10 to Tamakoshi River.

Nil Prasad Roka

His grin takes up his whole face and sometimes he laughs like a goblin. He is such a joker and he is always making me laugh. I love playing soccer with Nil because we both like to get distracted and end up spinning around the field instead of kicking the ball. Sometimes when he is playing soccer he lies down in the tall grass so that he is totally hidden. After rolling around a bit he pops back up and it looks like he reappeared from thin air. It always makes me laugh. He reminds me of Annie Holmes in 11-year-old-boy form, which is totally a compliment to them both.

Prajaya Gole

This child is ADORABLE if you cant already tell from his picture. He arrived at the home only 5 days before I did, so he is very new. He doesn’t speak English but he always has the biggest smile and the most adorable giggle. The older boys are always snuggling with him or teaching him new things, and it is so sweet.

Prakash Jaishi

Prakash’s smile lights up the whole world! He is quiet but so, so, so, so sweet. He is calm and beautiful. Every time I see him, I cannot help but become happy.

Prakash Thami

He arrived from holiday only a week before I left, and he is quite quiet. He is a great artist and he designed the murals at the home.

Rajesh Hamal

For the first two weeks I was at GSBH, Rajesh hardly spoke at all. Then all of a sudden, he EXPLODED! He is absolutely hysterical. He is a crazy dancer and he tells the most outrageous jokes and stories. He is also an amazing artist and I promise someday his art will make him famous. He is not always a ‘good boy’, but when we caught him doing something bad it took him longer to forgive himself than for us to forgive him! One day, for some unclear reason, he shaved off his eyebrows! Despite being wild and sometimes naughty, Rajesh is so sweet and he loves us so much. He held my hand the whole way as we walked into town before I left on the bus, and it nearly broke my heart to see him tear up.

Ram Bahadur Thami

This little boy is so cute and so happy. Ram Bahadur is the perfect balance of energy and calm, of funny and sweetness. He arrived back from holiday only a week before I left, but I feel like I have known him for much longer.

Sabin Khadka

He is so friendly and fun. He also arrived back only a week before I left, but we had much fun at the home and at school when I visited his class.

Sambu Buda

This boy is so sweet and loving. After only a few days, he acted as though I had been his sister for so long. He is fun and full of energy like a 13 year old should be.

Simon Raut

He is so tiny and he is always wearing cropped pink shirts that make him look even tinier. But he is so sweet and his eyes show such a curiosity and excitement. When he dances, his skinny limbs go all over the place and he moves his hips like a mini-Michael Jackson.

Sitaram Gurung

He is quiet at first but open funny once you crack the service. He is also an amazing artist and very good at football. He is so sweet and nice to talk with.

Shyamu

Shyamu doesn’t live at the home; he stays at a boarding school in Bhaktapur, but he came back for the holidays. He is the friendliest, warmest, most outgoing boy. He always, always has the biggest smile on his face and always wants to hold your hand. He loves Odaspi and carries her around everywhere.

Rajendra Dai

Rajendra graduated from the home and now he works there and sleeps in the computer room. This man is a diet’s worst enemy. He is ALWAYS trying to make me take more food for dinner. He acts like a 60 year old man an awkward 13 year old boy at the same time. He has the funniest voice which makes me laugh everytime he speaks. He is such a sweet big brother to all of the boys and he has such a warm heart.

Harke Dai

Harke Dai never speaks English to us but I think he understands more than he lets on. He works so hard on maintaining the facilities at the home! Lately he has been cementing a new wall in the garden; he begins work before the sun rises, and he works by torchlight long after the sun has set! The boys love him and there is always at least one of them snuggling in his bed with him at night.

Lahl Dai

Lahl Dai is the sweetest man ever. Truly I would marry a man like him! He works so hard: waking up so early to make tea, water the gardens, and take care of chores around the home. At night he plays instruments in his bed and the beautiful sound fills up the whole home! He makes amazing homemade raksi which he shared with us during Tihar, and sometimes he is brings us delicious oranges from his home. He doesn’t speak any English, but he speaks to me in simple Nepali to check if I am feeling well and it makes us both happy. You can see his deep soul through his eyes.

Sapkuda Dai

Sapkuda Dai cooks the MOST amazing dal baht in Nepal. Although he doesn’t speak English, we have this way of understanding each other and we always make each other laugh! This poor man had to be rushed to the hospital one night after getting scalding oil in his eye, yet the next day he was back working hard as ever to feed us and the boys. I was so honored to be invited to his home to take part in puja; I will never forget that kind gesture.

Odaspi Kafle

Odaspi is Uncle and Auntie’s small daughter. She always wears a ridiculous Nepali bonnet. She never walks, she only struts and dances around. Her favorite trick is pleasing everyone by saying phrases in English; mostly she likes to say, “Good! Good! Very Good! Winner!” accompanied by a double thumbs-up. She calls me “Mero Ellen Sahthi” which means “My Ellen Friend.” When you ask her “Whose is Ellen?” she always yells “Mero! (mine!)” I speak with her in baby-Nepali and we have bonded a lot in that way. She is the luckiest girl in the world to have two amazing parents and 25 big brothers that love her so much.

Samip Kafle

Uncle’s son, Samip, is an absolute cartoon. When he uses the toilet, he leaves the door open and talks to himself in the most animated way.He thinks he is a ninja, and he is always beating things with sticks or swinging metal files around on a string. He has the highest pitched voice which slides up and down like a musical scale when he talks. He often tells me, “Ellen! I will blast you!” And he often demands, “Ellen, give me one bomb.” When he tries to karate-chop me, I fight back because I am a ninja too, and he LOVES it. Samip is a terror but we get along great and I love him.

Auntie and Uncle Kafle

Auntie is the most amazing woman. She is a devout Hindu, doing puja for one hour every morning and evening. I have never seen God so clearly in anyone else; He shows Himself through her each day. She is so good: always caring for those in need, giving clothes to the poor, worrying aand weeping for others. Many times she has begged Uncle to admit a boy into the home even though he doesn’t fit the requirements. She wants to open up a free English boarding school in Charikot for poor village girls.
Auntie makes me laugh more than anyone I’ve ever known. She is so funny in a sarcastic way that I have not seen in any other Nepali person. She doesn’t hesitate to tell me when I need to fix my clothes, my hair, or my eyebrows. She has helped me buy and wear a saree, cook momos and tomato achar, pierce my nose, and properly clean the Nepali way. She is also like my Nepali mother: when I am sick she worries so much, and when I am not smiling she wants to know what is wrong. She has truly, truly left a mark on my heart.

Uncle is an amazing man. He loves the boys and they love and respect him SO much. He has paid from his own pocket to support the boys when the org gave him no money. Because of him, the boys are so good! He is also so funny and I love sitting down and talking with him. He loves his wife so much it is almost unbearable. He is so proud of her and he love to show her off; when he talks about her, his face glows. He told me once, “If I could have the most beautiful piece of art in the world, I would rather have my wife.” Honestly if you ever doubt marriage, Auntie and Uncle will give you hope.

On a side note, I am plastered in filth and I havent even thought about shower. Since being in Charikot, I have forgotten that shower were ever even apart of my life! Give me a bucket and an outside faucet and I am clean for at least a week. Other things I havent thought about during my time in Charikot: toilet paper, washing my hands with soap, toilets that flush with a lever, food other than rice, wearing a new outft each day.
Gross? Maybe.
Nepali? Definitely.

Saying Goodbye

I am back in Kathmandu now and I am heartbroken. I love my brothers so much that it honestly physically hurts and now I am apart from them.
I had been in Charikot for TWICE as long a I had planned on staying. As much as I didn't want to leave Charikot, it was time for me to go. Gauri Shankar has become my home. I have become so comfortable there, too comfortable. I need to see new parts of Nepal and continue to push myself towards new experiences. Leaving was the right thing for me to do, but it was not the easy thing.
Saturday morning we walked into town to pick up a few things. Seeing that we had come before breakfast, our wonderful friend at Hob Nob restaurant demanded that we stay and let her cook us food. She fixed a beautiful meal (which of course she would not let us pay for), and we enjoyed being together one last time.

On Saturday night, my last night with the boys, we had a party: cake, coke, and balloons. Uncle also held a meeting where all of the boys expressed their feelings to Meaghan and I. I didn't cry but it was hard not to tear up when the boys' eyes got watery during their speeches. It was so sad but also joyful.
That night, so many of the boys sat outside with Meaghan and I much past their bedtime. It was nice just to talk and joke; no one wanted to go to bed and waste our last night together. When we would start to get sad, the boys were so sweet to comfort us. I have honestly never met such sweet, beautiful people.
Eventually Uncle made the boys go to bed, but sometime later, as we were packing, a few of the boys snuck out to knock on our window and tell us goodnight once again.

Sunday morning, Meaghan and I woke up early at 5:00 so we could tell the boys goodmorning as soon as they got up. The first boy up was Birjung, and we asked him what time he was going to school (usual class 10 starts at 6am). "I'm not going early today because I am staying to say goodbye to you," he said. It took everything inside of me to hold back my tears. I held them off for another hour, until Auntie started weeping and then I couldn't help myself. We just hugged and she gave me a beautiful journal. I never expected such a gift!
Uncle also told us that he was sad. He said, "I feel the way a father feels when his daughter gets married and leaves the home." I think that is one of the sweetest things ever.
Meaghan and I walked to the bus park in Charikot with all the boys who were walking to school. I walked the whole way holding hands with my brother. I never imagined that 15 year old boys were capable of such sweetness and love. I was talking and joking but also I was sad. All my brothers kept telling me, "Dont cry Ellen! If you cry then we will cry!" So I tried to stay strong.
Before getting on the bus, I gave them all such tight hugs and so many kisses. To add a bit of humor, a white foreign trekking couple had just gotten off of a bus an were watching us as though we were crazy for hugging and kissing so many Nepali boys.
When the bus started moving, I thought I was safe from the boys and I couldn't stop the tears. But I WASNT safe! The boys had followed the moving bus and the all caught me crying. They were all late for school but they refused to go until we were gone. They told me not to cry and they smiled and I laughed. We blew kisses. Then Auntie came up and told me not to be sad because this is the way life is. I love that woman. And I love my brothers.

It was SO hard to leave, but I knew that it was time for me to go. When I left this morning I had no idea what my plan would be for the rest of my time in Nepal, and not having a plan scared me. I wondered if I really should leave if I had no better thing waiting for me, but I have learned in Nepal that things happen the way they are supposed to happen. Indeed, already my plan is coming together.
In Kathmandu I learned that a friend of mine is headed to Bastipur tomorrow, a small Terai village that I was interested in visiting. I think I will be leaving to travel there in a few days, where I will be living with a village family and teaching at a private school. Until then, I will be working hard to upload my MANY photos and blog a bit more on my life-changing experience in Charikot.

Puja

Yesterday Sapkuda Dai (Nepali kitchen staff at the home) invited me to attend a puja at his home. The puja was for his father, who was breaking a four-month-long religious fast! As a Hindu, this fast is one of the most well respected things a man can do. I was so, so honored to be invited because this puja is a BIG deal!

The ceremony was beautiful. I was told that it is very similar to a Hindu marriage ceremony. There were flower garlands everywhere; multiple priests; offerings of water, rice, colored powder, and cil roti; so much fire, smoke, and incense; and so many guests dressed in their finest clothes and gold. And of course, there was tons of food.
I was treated like royalty at the puja because I was a guest. I received tika before the children, I was given mala (garland), I was given nice seats when others were standing, and I was invited into the kitchen to be served SO much special food (rice pudding, aloowa, achar, curry, cil roti). They kept giving me more and more! I never expected such treatment, and I was so grateful for being allowed to participate.
So many of the guests were so thrilled to see a white face at the puja; none of them were expecting it. Everyone was taking photos of me, and one man even took a video of me eating (which I find really weird, but what can you do?). Everyone wanted to speak to me but few of them spoke English so it ended up being a lot of staring. At times, I felt like I was getting more attention than the ceremony!
The puja lasts for days but we could only stay a few hours. Of course before our departure, Meaghan and I were asked to sing Deushi Bhailo for the guests. Why do the Nepali people love to watch foreigners sing Tihar games so much? We agreed and they were thrilled. Deushi Rae!

In the end, the puja was such an amazing experience. I felt so special to have been invited, and it was so interesting to witness. I am learning so much about Hindu and Nepali culture here and I love it.

Teaching

The past few days I have been teaching at two of the local schools.
At first I was nervous to teach, but it turns out that teaching is just as fun as playing with the boys!
When you walk into the room, they all stand and sing (yes, sing to a learned rhythm) "Good-Mor-ning-Miss!" and they wont sit until you ask them to. In class we play vocabulary games like Categories and Hangman, and practice speaking with debates and drama skits. We also do art, which is something they never get to do in school. Most of the children are perfect angels in class. Some of them are shy but many of them are curious and love to talk to us and ask questions about the West.
Most of the time teaching has been easy, but class 10 was difficult. There are 46 students in class 10, and they are all my age or a year or two younger! Ordinarily I would have been terrified to stand infront of a huge class of my peers, but teaching in Nepali has stretched my comfort zone by a mile! When class 10 requested that I sing the national anthem, I did so without hesitation. It may have been horrible, croaking, and out-of-key, but I wasnt shy and I wasnt embarassed. I even danced for the class and played Deushi Bhailo! The class was roudy and didn't want to listen, but I handled it and in the end, the class was enjoyable.
Class 10 was a challenge, but class 9, the second-oldest class, was possibly my favorite! We played "2 Truths and a Lie" to practice spoken English and to get to know the students. The kids LOVED it and shocked me with their humor, which many Nepali people dont have. Something else shocked me about class 9, too: two of the girls (14 or 15 in age) are married. This fact didn't come from our game, but rather from observing the line of red powder down their scalp which shows a married woman. I can't image being 15 and married!

Oh Baby...

Not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty proud of my Nepali language skills!
At this point, I only know baby words: animals, colors, foods, numbers, feelings, and a few adjectives. In fact my vocabulary is just about on-par with Auntie and Uncle's one-year-old daughter, Odaspi.

Odaspi and I have been having great conversations: What are you eating? The balloon is not tasty. What a beautiful orange flower? Where are you going? What is this? Are you happy? Are you hungry? Whose friend is this small, black goat? This small, black goat is my friend! etc.

You may think I'm joking, but I am quite proud of my baby-talk Nepali. I never knew I could enjoy conversing with a one-year-old so much!

Its That Time Again

Its that time again...my weekly visit to the cyber cafe and time for another short, inadequate update.

Im becoming so at home here. I know so many people in town now, and they are always offering me tea or a bed to stay the night in. A few days ago I attended my friend Sabina's birthday party! It was fun: balloons, cake, and everything. I didnt have much time to stay, but in Nepali style she forced me to sit down and eat a plate of food. I promise, you will never go hungry in Nepal!

We have started a new landscaping project at the home, so for the past few days we have been carrying stones from the jungle up to the garden to make a new wall! The boys love to see us girls carrying stones, and they are always exclaiming "wow ellen! such a biggggg stone," which makes things fun.

My Auntie pierced Meaghan's nose the other day, and she did it the old-school Nepali way. When one of the boys, Rajesh Hamal, brought us a cactus, we thought he was kidding! But Auntie took the thorn, and stuck it right into Meaghan's nose! It was crazy, but so cool. By the time it was over, more than six of the boys also had thorns in their ears!

Today was my first day teaching at Gauri Shankar school. I taught class two, three, and four. I was so much fun! And my brothers were so happy to see me teaching their class.

I dont have much time, but just a reminder: I LOVE MY BROTHERS!

Happy Tihar

Yesterday was the last day of Tihar, the four day long Hindu festival of lights.
The festival is absolutely magical. It is like the loveliest fusion of Halloween and Christmas. All of the town in covered in twinkle lights and each night we light hundreds of candles at the home which makes everything look so beautiful.
Every night there is so much singing and dancing. We bought a new drum for the festival and the boys are amazing musicians! When everyone is together, singing, dancing, and playing instruments, I feel like I am back at home at some wild drum circle! It is so much fun.
There are also lost of fire crackers, sparklers, and bottle rockets during this festival. And the boys, being boys, are ALWAYS exploding something. I love it.

Another important tradition of Tihar is playing Deushi, which is a game a bit like trick-or-treating: boys travel in groups to sing and dance at houses for money. It was so much fun! I spent over 4 hours dancing in my saree at various houses while the boys sang, played instruments, and clapped. The villagers absolutely loved seeing a white person in a saree; we collected an audience which followed us around watching all afternoon. In the end, we made over 5,000 rupees!

The second most important day of the festival is Laxmi Puja, the day of cow worship. Perhaps because I am the guest, or because I am the Didi (older sister) I had the honor of putting tikka on the cow! It was so cool. I stomped around the cow's stall wearing my saree, throwing blessed oil, flowers, and colored tikka powder all of the cow and her calf.

The MOST important day of the festival is Bai Tikka, which is the day when sisters worship their brothers. For me, this was the most special day of all. The boys at the home dont have any sisters. At least, they didnt before I came here! But because they have taken me in as their sister, we were able to celebrate a real Tihar.
The Bai Tikka ceremony was amazing and elaborate: sprinkling the boys with oil; throwing thousands of flower petals on everything and everyone (which was absolutely beautiful); adorning the boys with flower mala (garlands); giving them plates full of sweets, bananas, apples, oranges, spices, nuts, dates, raisens, and cil roti; most importantly, I put 7 colors of tikka on each boy's forehead.
At the end of the ceremony, the boys also put tikka on me!
The whole puja was so loving and so beautiful. I dont think I have ever felt the happiness that I felt at the end of the ceremony. I was glowing and floating on a cloud! It is hard to describe, but it is a bit like the best, best, best, most genuine, most beautiful Christmas morning ever.

*The local FM radio station reported a story about Tihar at the boys orphanage this year. A reported asked one of the boys what they usually do for Tihar, since they dont have any sisters. He replied "usually the staff gives of tikka and presents, but this year we have three sisters who we love and who are going to give us tikka!" All the boys were so excited for Tihar. It has been the most amazing, most heartwarming thing!

A Busy Time of Year

The past few weeks have been so busy here in Charikot!

JIRI
My trip to Jiri was amazing. To give you an idea of the geography, Jiri is a popular town to trek out of if you are heading to the Everest region. It is beautiful and as any Nepali local will proudly tell you, it is called "the Switzerland of Nepal." We rode over 3 hours on the top of the bus, singing with the Nepali locals the whole way there. In Jiri we explored the town, watched a football match, drank a lot of tea, and relaxed. When Sam dropped her camera into a river we were crossing, more than a dozen Nepali boys stripped down into their undies and splashed around in the freezing mountain water to help look for it!

HALLOWEEN
I thought I might miss out on Halloween this year, which made me a little sad. As it turns out, this was the BEST Halloween I have EVER had! We had so much fun with the boys: we made masks, bobbed for apples, played 'pin the nose on the witch', and did face painting while we watched Halloween II on the English channel after dinner. After the boys went to sleep, the other volunteers and I had our own Halloween fun.

TAMAKOSHE, Part II
We returned to the river again last week, this time with a dozen of the oldest boys in tow. We had fun all day, and we missed all the buses back to Charikot except for the night bus, so we were quite late returning. The boys all said it was one of the funnest days of their lives, and I absolutely believe it.

Another brief update: I'm still loving it here in Charikot.

I am living the real Nepali lifestyle here. Dal Baht (meal) twice a day, and tiffin (snack) in the afternoon. Lots of tea. Squat toilets. Walking everywhere. Handwashing clothes. No shower. I am even wearing Nepali style clothes and makeup. It is fantastic.

A few days ago, a new friend took me to a river village about three hours away. We spent the afternoon by the river then caught the bus back to the orphanage. The ride back was a crazy experience: In real Nepali style, we rode on the TOP of the bus. It was scared to death as the top heavy bus took the hairpin turns up the mountain, but it was so much fun. I passed the time speaking broken Nepali with the other men on the roof. And the full moon lighting up the clear, snowy peaks in the distance made for a beautiful ride.

The people here in Nepal are just so friendly. Today I met a man who hardly spoke any English, but he invited me to take the bus back to his village, and he also offered to drive me back to Kathmandu in a few weeks when I need to return! Everyone wants to you visit them and drink tea. Its amazing.

Also today I went shopping with my Nepali woman friend. She owns the restaurant/tea shop that Sam and I often visit. She took me to the tailor to get my very first Saree to wear for Tehar (festival)! Then she explained all the traditions of the festival that Sam and I will need to know. During the festival, sisters honor their brothers, which means I will get to honor all of my amazing brothers at the orphanage! I am so excited for the festival to start, but first there are many other fun things to look forward to: like taking the bus to visit Jihri with my Nepali friend, and celebrating Halloween with all the boys next week!

On a side note, I am practicing my Nepali language. I would give myself and A+. The boys are always helping me learn, and I get a lot of practice with the locals. I am no where near fluent, but I can definitely get by and even hold a basic conversation.

There are so many other things I cannot wait to share, but this is all I have time for right now!

Football and Goat Slaughters

I have been in Cherikot for just over two weeks now. It is hard to describe how amazing it is; but I love it! Mostly I love the boys at the home: I have over 20 new brothers and the Auntie and Uncle at the home are like my family now too.
I hardly feel like I am working here. It the holiday season right now so the boys dont have school. All I do all day is play football, watch TV, do craft projects, and teach yoga and dance!
And because it is the holiday season, I am getting to witness some really cool religious and cultural traditions. We slaughtered two goats, played on a giant swing, and I got tikka (blessings) and presents from Auntie and Uncle as if I was their real daughter.
I dont have time to go into much detail, but I am having the most amazing experience of my life here. You will have to wait until I return to Kathmandu to hear the rest!

Sweet Charicott

Tomorrow morning I begin my journey to Charicott: a six hour bus ride then a short hike to the village.

I will be spending the next month there, living in and working at the government orphanage.
The orphanage has about 30 boys, ranging from very young to late teens. I have heard that they are simply amazing; the sweetest gentlemen that ever existed. Like the girls at Papa's House, most of these boys have been rescue from abusive families, slavery, or trafficking.

For the month of October the boys will be off of school for the festival of lights (Dashain). This means I will be spending most of my day hanging out with the boys: playing football, painting murals, flying kites, and celebrating the holiday! I may also be tutoring the boys, doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, and helping the orphanage any way I can. I absolutely cannot wait!

While in Charicott, I wont have much internet access so don't expect too many emails or blog updates. There is a semi-reliable internet cafe in town, about a 30 minute walk from the orphanage, but I wont be using it often.
Still, feel free to send me emails because I would love to read updates on your lives when I return to Kathmandu!

Pheri Bhetaunlah!
("until we meet again")

Nice to meet you, Sister.

I've just realized that I haven't said much about the work I am doing in Kathmandu. My days are mostly free as I wait to leave for my permanent volunteer placement, but I am so lucky to be spending a little of my time at Papa's House. As I said before, I'm not doing much, but I am doing something!

The girls at Papa's House orphanage are amazing. With all of their smiles and giggles, you would never know how hard their lives really are. Most of these girls have been rescued from sold-slavery, abusive households, or trafficking. Some of them have scars, burns, and one even has a blind eye. But they are all so beautiful.

The first time I visited the orphanage, I got a dozen hugs before anyone even asked my name. The girls are always excited to show off their western handshakes and say "nice to meet you, sister!" It is impossible not to feel welcome.

In the mornings, I walk over before breakfast to help braid their hair for school. Each girl wears identical braided pigtails to school, complete with matching yellow bows which I have learned how to tie in "bows," "butterflies," and the ever-challenging "flowers." I always go home covered in coconut hair oil, lice, and a lot of love.
In the evenings, I can help the girls complete their homework, or sometimes just talk and play.

On Saturdays there is no school, so all the children gather at Papa's House to play and spend time together. Last week I brought over a suitcase full of craft materials and nearly ten different projects ideas. As you can imagine, the day was messy, crazy, and wonderful. By the end of the day, every single thing (yes, even the scissors and paint brushes) was gone.
I spent that afternoon helping one of the beautiful older girls, Sangita, paint a mural. I promise I am not an artist, so I'm not quite sure how I ever got roped into helping. But I somehow managed to not ruin the wall, and it ended up being a fun afternoon.

The girls are sweeter than I can describe, so I wont try too hard. Trust me that they will let you into their hearts without question and they wont ever let you out!

Yak Yak Yak Yak Yak

Despite all of the advertised "yak cheese" I have still not seen a single yak. I got me wondering if it is all a bunch of, well, yakshit. (please, excuse the bad joke. it was too perfect to pass up!)

I was assured by many people that yaks do exist, but I wasn't convinced. I mean with all the yak cheese they sell here, you'd think they'd have yaks falling out onto the streets! Still, everyone thought my scepticism was ridiculous UNTIL...

I found out that I was right! "Yaks" in true form are very rare in Nepal. Most "yaks" here are actually a mix of yak/cow/buffalo. AND listen to this: "yak cheese" doesn't really exist! Only the male animals are called yaks, so "yak milk" is truly an oxymoron.

Nepali Lifestyle

I've been in Kathmandu for about a week now. I'm really enjoying my time but I must report that I haven't been doing much. Mostly I have been catching up with my email, touring the city, grocery shopping, EATNG, and spending time with other volunteers at the house.

But if you are dying for an update, here is a list of some of the more interesting things I have witnessed since I've been here:

-I walked past two goats on the way to the store. An hour later I walked back and saw only one goat. The other goat, I soon noticed, was on the ground next to it, decapitated and with its gut split open. You might think this would shock me, but its not the first time I've seen a goat head stare up at me from a roadside. In Nepal, meat is bought on the street, usually off of blankets or tables spread with goat and chicken carcasses. It seems a little gross to me, but then so does the idea of packaged meat, frozen and shipped across the country.

-I visited a Buddhist temple. A monk volunteered a brief explanation of the surrounding murals, and even gave me a blessing and put flower petals in my hair. Nice, right? Then he asked for 100 rupees. Not so nice. I think its sad that even religious figures pester tourists for money.

- I rode in a minivan with 29 people. No, that is not an exaggeration. I thought I must have made a mistake the first time so I counted again and there REALLY were 29 people in the car. I ended up hugging an old Nepali woman in my lap for half of the ride.

-I was followed down the street by a poor 7 year old boy begging for money. He was insanely high on glue (something common with street children), and it made me really sad. Stuff like that really brings you back to reality makes you want to help this area. I'm glad that my volunteering might save another young boy from that life.

- On Saturday, three volunteers got tattoos, two died their hair with henna, and one got a nose ring. Don't worry Mom: my body is still permanently un-altered.

PICTURES!

Pictures of trekking are finally up! Check the link to the right and prepare to be amazed by beautiful mountains.

Easy as ABC...

I am finally back from my trek to ABC (that's Annapurna Base Camp, for those of you who dont know). But how do I even begin to describe it? I struggled with this for the entire winding, seven hour taxi ride from Pokhara to Kathmanu. Nothing I can think of is adequate. They say "a picture is worth a thousand words," so you are going to get an earful once upload my pictures to the link on the right. In the mean time, I have tried my best to describe my experince with 26 leters (more or less): the ABCs of ABC. Perhaps these few memories can help piece together a larger picture of my past two weeks...

A is for Annapurna Base Camp. Annapurna is the 10th highest mountain in the world. Its base camp, at an elevation of over 13,5000 feet, was the destinatin and highlight of the trek.

B is for Black Tea. Or "khalo chia" in Nepali. This is the beverage of choice in Nepal and I probably drank five cups a day or more. Massala (spice) chia is a popular drink, but my favorite was tea with hot lemon and ginger.

C is for Clouds. There were a LOT of clouds on our trek. It rained every single day, sometimes all day. And it was the fourth day before we even saw a glimpse of blue sky. ("Nilo aca cushi bhoye" becme a favorite rare phrase, meaning "Yay blue sky!") But we were lucky to have several hours of clear sky at a few locations with spectacular views. My boots may have been wet for the whole two weeks, but at least I got to see some mountains!

D is for Dal Baht. Dal baht, the national dish of Nepal, consists of rice, lentil soup, vegetable curry, and spicy pickle. We at dal baht twice a day, almost everyday. It is delicious, and the best part is you get to eat with your hands! On our last day in Pokhara, a Nepali sister invited us to her home for a lesson on how to make dal baht. If you are nice to me, and I ever have 15 cups of green beans, nine hours of free time, and seven different woks, I MIGHT cook some for you..

E is for Environmentalism. In the mountains, there are no plastic water bottles, no chemical pesticides, no imported produce. Locals wont burn wood for fear f depleating the forests. These things are not done to "be green" but rather they are done out of necessity. It saves time and money to be self sufficient and local, rather than rely on slow, expensive porter services to bring foreign food, chemicals, and goods up and down the mountain. I learned a lot about how the locals interact with their environment.
[E is also for EPU-triangle-RU]

F is for Feminism. We hired our female guide through a women's empowerment organization, and Cora and I even hiked in -are you ready for this?- skirts! Skirts, or "lunghi" are the traditional dress for Nepali women and the locals got a kick out of seeing Cora and I hiking in them. A few days into the trip, we joined up with another all-women group of trekkers, guides, and porters. It was pretty cool to watch our mule-train of 15 women proceed up the mountain. Talk about "Girl Power."

G is for Goats. One day, Cora and I spent nearly half an hour scratching a wild goat's ears, and when we finally continued on the trail it stood there watching us with its sad eyes until we were out of sight. Who knew wild goats were so friendly? And dont get me started on baby goats. After holding a baby goat, less than a day old, it is undisputable that they are cuter than any puppy you will ever see.

H is for Hotels. Technically they are called "guesthouses," and they are quite a step up from camping in tents! Guesthouses are equipt with beds, electricity, running (often hot) water, and communal dinning halls where trekkers gather together. They also have:

I is for Internet, International Calls, and Imported Goods. Yep, all of these luxuries and more can be found at many guesthouses. Just because you are in a remote village at 10,000 feet doesnt mean you have to live without Snickers, Pringles, and Danish Beer.

J is for Jhinu Danda. In the village of Jhinu Danda, there is a hot sprin that will melt your heart. I spent hours in the hot pool, feeling the cool sprinkle of rain fall from the sky, and watchig the cold white water of the river rush by within arms reach. I bathed in a stream of hot water that poured from the rock, and it was the best shower I have ever had

K is for Koreans. There was a group of 245 Koreans hiking the ABC trail. That is not an exaggeration; it is a verified number from one of their guides. They hiked it in six days (it took us 11, and it wasn't eas). The women wore lipstik as they hiked. And then there is the time when I accidentally stuck my hand through the wall into a Korean's room, but that is one of those "you have to be there" stories. An anonymous man at one guesthouse correctly asserted, "If I was North Korea, I would invade South Korea today because there would be no one left in the country to put up a defense; they are all here."

L is for Leeches. Sure, ice climbing up the peak of Annapurna may have it's risks, but I think the leeches on the way to the base camp were a greater danger. The first night I made the mistake of identifying the creature on our floor as "a black inchworm! I've never seen a black inchworm!" I paid for that mistake the next morning when I found the bastard sucking on my nkle. Thanks to the nonstop rain, leeches were everywhere. Fun fact: the Nepali word for leech is nearly the same as the Nepali word for mustache.

M is for ...something special. So for the time being, I am putting the letter "M" at the end of the alphabet.

N is for Nepali Card Games. One of my favorite nights on the trail was spent crowded around a heater in the guesthouse dining hall with six Nepali men, playing a Nepali card game. Learning it was tough because the men didn't speak English, and I don't speak Nepali, but once I got the hang of it, I beat all of them! I felt pretty legit smacking my cards down on the table with all the locals. Cora and I played with other Nepali guides throughout the trek and I learned a few more games, too.

O is for Old Men with Oversized Loads. The local men who work as porters must be super human. Grandpas charge up the mountain in their plastic slip-on sandals, carrying bamboo baskets on their backs filled with 10 gallon kerosene tanks and all that importe beer I mentioned earlier. One day we saw, no, we were passed up the mountain by a man carrying three mattresses on his back. Mattresses! We even came across one porter who was carrying an actual person (a Korean, kid you not) up the mountain in his bamboo basket. All of us young, fit trekkers with our durable hiking boots and lightweight backpacks have to et their dust.

P is for Pancakes with Lemon and Sugar. Breakfast, 'nough said.

Q is for Quebecers. And all the other foreigners we met. We met friends from Canada, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Australia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Dubai, and of course, Korea. I even met someone else from North Carolina! Everyone was so different and so interesting in their own way, and everyone is willing to strike up an interesting conversation or join in a game of Uno.

R is for "Resam Filili." Our guide, Bhagwati, taught us the words to this song and it has been stuck in my head ever since then. This is also the song we danced to when Bhagwati a the other 3-Sisters Co. guides taught us how to Nepali dance; a night which was long, loud, and very, very fun.

S is for Steep Slippery Stone Steps. When ever I mention "trail," I actually mean stone stairway, because that is what the trail was the majority of the time. The trail was always wide and properly paved with large stones. But don't be fooled into thinking this made things easy; I would take bushwhacking up a ridgeline over descending tall, irregular, wet, and treacherusly slick steps any day (remember: it was raining every day). And for all of you who think the seven flights of stairs up to your dorm room are tough, consider this: from the bottom of the river to the village Chommrong, one must climb over 4,000 steps!

T is for Three-Sisters Adventure Trekking Company. I could praise 3-Sisters for days. I reccomend them as highly as I possibly can and then some. Our own guide, Bhagwati, was fantastic. She called us "bahini" (younger sister) and she truly was like our "didi" (older sister). A few days into the trek, we met up with another group of women trekking with 3-Sisters. All the female guides were so sweet; always cuddling, giggling, and showing affecton. By the end of the trek, we were all like one family. I was sad when the trek ended because I was sad to leave those amazing Nepali women.

U is for Universal Things. Even the undeveloped mountain villages are suprisngly modern. Here is an illustration: I looked ahead and saw a Nepali man, carrying a bamboo basket on his head, standing on a rock beside the trail overlooking the cloud-filled valley. I thought to myself, 'what a beautiful picture of this rural man enjoying the sacredness of the Himalayas.' When I walked by him I discovered that he did not pause to soak in nature's beauty as I had guessed, but rather to answer his cell phone. Even in a country which doesn't even have a single McDonalds, you cannot escape cellular service!

V is for Vegan Cake and Venerable Monks. This memory occured on my first day in Kathmandu, not on the trek itself. But it is one of my favorites so I couldn't leave it out: I was sitting with Cora in a little organic cafe, eating vegan chocolate cake. Yes,they actually had vegan chocolate cake, but it gets even better. As we were talking, an old monk came over and sat down at our table. He said he had been listening in on our conversaton and he wondered if he could sit ith us and practice his English. Duh. We were soon joined by his friend and the four of us sat, drank tea, and talked for hours. We did not only talk, but we laughed. And we laughed hard. I never thought I would laugh so hard with a monk, and it was awesome. At the end of the afternoon, the monk gave us his phone number and asked us to call if we ever visted his monastery!

W is for Water Buffalo. "Ohhhhh everybody's got a water buffalo. Mine is fat and yours is slow. Where'd we get them? I don't know! But everybody's got a water buffalooooo!" Larry the Cucumber was right for once; everyone here really does have a water buffalo, and they roam the streets like they own them. [And sorry to anyone who doesn't get the Veggie Tales reference.]

X is for Xmas. The night we spent at the base camp felt like the night before Christmas. We went to sleep filled with anticipation that we might wake up to find something amazing. You may think I'm making it up, but I'm not. Cora and I even recited the entire "Twas the Night Before Christmas" book before we got into bed.

Y is for Yaks. Yak milk. Yak wool. Yak cheese on everything. Everything. Yak cheese pizza yak cheese enchiladas, Gurung bread with yak cheese. And yet we never saw a single yak. Seriously, where are all the yaks?!
AND
Y is for Yahtzee. We played wth game almost every night at the guesthos. We even had a 'World Championship' with players from all corners of the earth. It got pretty competitive. And I got Yahtzee Bonus, no biggie.

Z is for Zion. "Zion: an imaginary place considered to be perfect or ideal." But Zion is not an imaginary place, it is the Annapurna Sanctuary.

And finally... M is for Mountains (and Moonbows). We spent our first six days hiking in clouds. A few lucky moments we would see glimpses of the snow-topped mountains between the clouds, but it was rare. We had our fingers crossed for a clear morning view at the base camp, but things didn't look too promising. As Cora and I got into bed at ABC, Bhagwati knocked on our door calling, "Bahini, are you asleep? The sky is clear!" And in a moment we were wrapped in our coats, standing outside, looking at the most magnificent thing I have ever seen in my life. It was too dark for pictures and words fail to describe the experience. The mountains were...perfect. Perfect is the only word I can think of that even comes close. They rose up out of nothingness, shining bright against the dark sky in the light of the almost-full moon. 360 degrees of huge, snowy, magical, perfect mountains surrounding the base camp. To top it all off, there was a perfect ROYGBV moonbow surrounding the moon (no lie). My face hurt from smilig but I couldnt stop. After about 30 minutes, the clouds began to rise up from the valley. In less than 60 seconds, I watched the giant Annapurna South disappear behind a veil, right before my eyes. It just vanished as though it didn't exist. I couldn't sleep that night; I was too excited and full of love. In the morning we had another clear view. We watched the sun rise above the range and shed light onto the peaks. It was beautiful, but it was nothing like seeing the Holy mountains for the first time. That was an experience I will never forget.