That’s what life is about – meeting challenges – and we were challenged in a really fun way last Saturday when we were hosted by our friend Bob G. at the climbing wall at Kathmandu Mountaineering School. Bob is an American who owns a trekking company here in Nepal, and he’s also a bit of a freelance philanthropist – he’s heading to Ecuador in a few weeks to teach English in a remote jungle community for three months, now that trekking season is over for the winter.
Saturday’s outing was only open to older kids who had done their extracurricular English vocabulary homework, so we took 14 or so, along with Bonnie, Sarah (a volunteer from Seattle), Dick and myself. As a special treat, we were joined by Bindhu, one of our Ama Ghar graduates who is now a nurse at Patan Hospital. It was so exciting for us to see her again! We’ve known her since she was 14, and she’s such a fantastic girl – we’re very proud of her.
The climbing wall is as much a test of strategy as it is of endurance and strength. It was amazing to see the kids move up the wall so quickly – they love to climb. Climbing skills must be in those Nepali genes!
Once all the kids had a chance at the main wall, it was time for the adults to try. Bonnie Auntie didn’t fare too well, I managed to get halfway up – and then Bindhu challenged Dick Uncle to a race. He didn’t win the race, but he made it to the top – not bad for a 66-year-old! Bob G. said he was going to send photos to AARP – very funny. And, of course, our 30-something hiker Sarah made it up with no problem at all.
Then we moved to the advanced wall – too tough for all but the best: our big boy, Sajun, literally pulled himself up with his arms, and our tiny 13-year-old Srijana thought her way up (she also happens to be the Chess Champion of the house). Then Bob G. took us out for pizza and momos (Tibetan dumplings) and a good lunch was had by all.
As if that wasn’t enough action for one day, we continued on to Kopan Monastery, where Bob G. is living. We took a nice hike around the forested mountainside, fluttering with prayer flags, to see the views of several monasteries, before the Head Lama at Kopan gave us our private tour.
Kopan is as serene and lovely as any Hollywood fantasy of a monastery, with an intricately beautiful Tibetan chortan as the center of its lush garden. The kids rolled on the grass and played like puppies – then they ran around pushing the giant prayer wheel as fast as they could – laughing and shouting. This brought only benevolent smiles from the Lama, who believes that children should enjoy the monastery and not be intimidated by the accoutrements of their Buddhist faith.
And then, amid shouts of “Thank you, Bob Uncle!”, a tired but happy group descended to Ama Ghar and home.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thanksgiving Thoughts
Since Thanksgiving is coming up, we’ve been thinking about what it is that we're especially thankful for as temporary residents of Nepal. As I’m sitting here typing, Dick is teaching Assim (age 8) to play Blackjack – pretty soon he’ll be taking money from all the other kids! Oy… maybe we should be thankful for a 10 and a face card...
What We’re Thankful For:
* Hot water for my bucket bath
* Electricity
* A seat in the micro that doesn’t have a metal piece underneath to stick me in the bum
* Clear days when I can see the Himalayas
* A green salad with arugula at Fire & Ice in Kathmandu
* Delicious cardamom spice tea made by Pabitra
* Reading under the covers with a flashlight
* The wonderful teachers and social workers I’ve met here – especially, of course, my friend Bonnie
* Sewing tennis ball bags with the younger girls (who knew we needed them?)
* Going to the climbing wall with the big kids
* Thanksgiving dinner at Mike’s Breakfast
* My daily hugs from Aruneema
* Glowing rice fields and yellow meadows of mustard
* The beautiful faces of the children that we see every day
* Most importantly… our wonderful family and friends around the world
Thank you for your friendship – may you have a day full of joy and gratitude.
What We’re Thankful For:
* Hot water for my bucket bath
* Electricity
* A seat in the micro that doesn’t have a metal piece underneath to stick me in the bum
* Clear days when I can see the Himalayas
* A green salad with arugula at Fire & Ice in Kathmandu
* Delicious cardamom spice tea made by Pabitra
* Reading under the covers with a flashlight
* The wonderful teachers and social workers I’ve met here – especially, of course, my friend Bonnie
* Sewing tennis ball bags with the younger girls (who knew we needed them?)
* Going to the climbing wall with the big kids
* Thanksgiving dinner at Mike’s Breakfast
* My daily hugs from Aruneema
* Glowing rice fields and yellow meadows of mustard
* The beautiful faces of the children that we see every day
* Most importantly… our wonderful family and friends around the world
Thank you for your friendship – may you have a day full of joy and gratitude.
Monday, November 16, 2009
I'll never complain about an appliance again!
One of the interesting features of Third World living is the intermittent electricity, which requires us to always wear our “jewelry” (headlamp/flashlight) at night so we can find our way when the lights go out; and patience is required when we want to check email or dry our hair and the power goes out halfway through…
And then there’s the laundry. Nepal is a very dusty place, so clothes (and bodies) need to be washed regularly. The lack of electricity necessitates bucket baths and laundry washed in cold water… and to think I had the nerve to complain about the long cycle on our wonderful French washing machine!
But all is forgotten when playing with the kids. This weekend we had a tennis tournament on our mud court – which was viewed by an avid audience of pigs and goats, who were mostly interested in eating the ball if it came their way. After that, the net was raised to volleyball height and the older boys played an intense volleyball match (for money)against the boys from another children’s home. A multi-purpose sports court!
On Saturday we had a Sports Day for the younger kids – three legged races, spoon races, crab walks – with prizes for the winning team. These kids love to compete, which is a good thing, because there’s a wider world out there, the evils of which they are only too aware. They’ve been through experiences we can’t even imagine… but for today, it’s good to be a kid…
And then there’s the laundry. Nepal is a very dusty place, so clothes (and bodies) need to be washed regularly. The lack of electricity necessitates bucket baths and laundry washed in cold water… and to think I had the nerve to complain about the long cycle on our wonderful French washing machine!
But all is forgotten when playing with the kids. This weekend we had a tennis tournament on our mud court – which was viewed by an avid audience of pigs and goats, who were mostly interested in eating the ball if it came their way. After that, the net was raised to volleyball height and the older boys played an intense volleyball match (for money)against the boys from another children’s home. A multi-purpose sports court!
On Saturday we had a Sports Day for the younger kids – three legged races, spoon races, crab walks – with prizes for the winning team. These kids love to compete, which is a good thing, because there’s a wider world out there, the evils of which they are only too aware. They’ve been through experiences we can’t even imagine… but for today, it’s good to be a kid…
Friday, November 13, 2009
Greetings from the Rooftop of the World!
Morning in the village of Thaukel… aromas of smoke and incense, ginger and garlic… first there are dogs, yipping and yowling… then pigeons, making their bird-brained cooing in the eaves under the thatched roofs… and finally the ladies doing their morning puja (prayers) ring bells and chant softly… open the curtains and a night of hard beds and cold water fades into insignificance as you gaze at the gleaming white rooftop of the world – the Himalayas.
We prepare for the day by boiling water for a bucket bath, drink our chai and eat biscuits, then head out for a fun day with four of the older girls. There is an International Womens Art Festival in town, with shows at several different venues, and we have promised four of our aspiring artists that we’ll take them for a viewing. So on this sunny Sunday afternoon, Dick and I set out for Patan Museum with Krishna (a mischievous and talented dancer and artist), Parbati (whose ever-ready smile belies her life in a daydream world), Samjana (a live wire whose unbounded energy creates some amazing art) and Srijana (a brilliant chess player and artist).
First we crush into a “micro” – the local bus. It’s hard for us Westerners to comprehend how many people can be packed into these Toyota vans – the concept of “personal space” is very different here! Forget the Western expectation of 3 in the front and 3 on each of the rear seats… the average number of passengers in each bus is 20 – and they don’t leave until the bus is full – which means some passengers ride standing up or squatting. The girls were thrilled because they could sit on each other’s laps and save me 10 rupees per person – you’re only charged for the actual butt space you use… (10 rupees is about 7 cents). There’s something comforting about being snuggled in together, and everyone is scrupulously polite as we bounce along the potholed streets.
We arrive in Patan and walk through the streets filled with shops selling everything from magnificent handcrafted bronze and wood carvings to cheap Chinese knockoff clothing… then to the beautifully restored Patan Durbar Square – all ancient temples and ponds in the Newari style - brick and carved sel wood – and we enter the museum through doors guarded by two ornately carved temple dogs.
The art is a bit sparse at this location, but the girls carefully inspect each piece, chatting softly to each other about the medium – what they like and dislike about each piece. They all agree that their favorite is an airbrushed goddess by a French artist, so Dick takes a souvenir photo of our four goddesses. The visit must have been inspirational, because on the way home in the micro there’s a lot of boisterous talk, as we drive past rice fields turned golden in the late afternoon light.
It’s such a pleasure to be with these girls – such promising young lives. When the Ama Ghar kids ask us how many children we have, we always reply “We have 38!”. It makes them laugh, but it fills us with hope that we might be able to help 38 kids have a good life – whether they will be artists, mothers, teachers, scientists, or leaders in a better world.
We prepare for the day by boiling water for a bucket bath, drink our chai and eat biscuits, then head out for a fun day with four of the older girls. There is an International Womens Art Festival in town, with shows at several different venues, and we have promised four of our aspiring artists that we’ll take them for a viewing. So on this sunny Sunday afternoon, Dick and I set out for Patan Museum with Krishna (a mischievous and talented dancer and artist), Parbati (whose ever-ready smile belies her life in a daydream world), Samjana (a live wire whose unbounded energy creates some amazing art) and Srijana (a brilliant chess player and artist).
First we crush into a “micro” – the local bus. It’s hard for us Westerners to comprehend how many people can be packed into these Toyota vans – the concept of “personal space” is very different here! Forget the Western expectation of 3 in the front and 3 on each of the rear seats… the average number of passengers in each bus is 20 – and they don’t leave until the bus is full – which means some passengers ride standing up or squatting. The girls were thrilled because they could sit on each other’s laps and save me 10 rupees per person – you’re only charged for the actual butt space you use… (10 rupees is about 7 cents). There’s something comforting about being snuggled in together, and everyone is scrupulously polite as we bounce along the potholed streets.
We arrive in Patan and walk through the streets filled with shops selling everything from magnificent handcrafted bronze and wood carvings to cheap Chinese knockoff clothing… then to the beautifully restored Patan Durbar Square – all ancient temples and ponds in the Newari style - brick and carved sel wood – and we enter the museum through doors guarded by two ornately carved temple dogs.
The art is a bit sparse at this location, but the girls carefully inspect each piece, chatting softly to each other about the medium – what they like and dislike about each piece. They all agree that their favorite is an airbrushed goddess by a French artist, so Dick takes a souvenir photo of our four goddesses. The visit must have been inspirational, because on the way home in the micro there’s a lot of boisterous talk, as we drive past rice fields turned golden in the late afternoon light.
It’s such a pleasure to be with these girls – such promising young lives. When the Ama Ghar kids ask us how many children we have, we always reply “We have 38!”. It makes them laugh, but it fills us with hope that we might be able to help 38 kids have a good life – whether they will be artists, mothers, teachers, scientists, or leaders in a better world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)