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.
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
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 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 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 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 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!
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 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 PariyarLove 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.
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.
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’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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
This is wonderful! I am sorry for plastering your blog with comments but I love reading about everything that you are doing. Plus that will make it easier to catch up when you get home!
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