My Week So Far......

I returned home from Pokhara last Thursday night, a little later than I expected. The rafting trip was so cool. It was like we were rafting through the Amazon rain forrest, the view was so perfect. I have never seen anything like it, even in pictures. I so wish my camera was waterproof! We rafted down the Tisuli river, and apparently during monson season it is the best time to do so. What I didn't realize was WHERE we were rafting... all the way to Chitwan! So when we got off at the stopping point, we still had a 4-5 hour bus ride back to Kathmandu. Oops. And with the local bus diminished speed, a few traffic jams here and there and one too many stops along the way put our time of arrival back in KTM at 8:30 p.m., 6 hours later than I originally thought! Oh well, seeing those waterfalls and greenery were well worth it.
Friday was the day we took thethree disabled chidren to the specialty hospital for an assessment on their physical therapy regimen. Dai and took the 3 of them in a taxi and it was their first taxi ride EVER! That was so fun! I put Kami (He has CP) in my lap because he has very little control over his head and body and the roads in KTM are too bumpy for him to ride alone. He smiled the whole way!!
The all-day marathon therapy session was well worth it, in my opinion. I am anxious to get this therapy notebook under way for future volunteers working in the home. I felt we got to a very good start and was extremely happy with the assessment and exercise plan. yay!
That night was Christine and Latissa's last night in Thamel so we had a volunteer dinner planned to celebrate and say our good-byes. Earlier that week when I had told Sita of my plans to go to Thamel, I could see her face light up in excitement. I am not sure she ever gets to go to Thamel due to her difficulty in getting around and just the Nepali culture here- people tend not to venture off unless going to see family members. So, I invited her to come with me and her face got even brighter. I wasn't exactly sure how Sita would act around a bunch of foreigners, who tend to be a lot crazier than your traditional Nepali- but I didn't care. If I could take Sita to Thamel and make sure she had a good time, then it was all worth it to me. And she did and that is all she talked about for the next day or two. Mission accomplished. :) She even commented that 'Tonight, I am same like tourist' Hilarious!
The next day was Saturday, our favorite day with the children because its their 'holy day' and the day they bathe, clean, play, and nap. Its a lot of fun because we feel we don't have to be so focused on school stuff. The kids get a break from the normal stresses of school and we get to make crafts and play red rover and be kids again ourselves. This Saturday was a little special because it was the Saturday before a big Festival here in Nepal. Translation: a FANTASTIC day to make a day trip to the Market. Ama and Sita would not take no for an answer and invited us to the Market with them. P and I thought it was the small market around the corner, but no it sure wasn't. We hopped on a Tempo bus and traveled all the way to Durbar Square... oops. Four or Five hours later we were making our way back to the children, exhausted from a day of dodging people, bargaining, and enduring the heat. All well worth it though.
I made my way to Thamel on Sunday, the 31st because it was our monthly volunteer dinner. All the new volunteers are here for the start of the 1st of every month, so it is a good way to meet and greet and relax together outside of placement. I spent the night in Thamel Sunday night and went to the VSN office to do some work and pick up necessary materials and medication for the home. I had a very productive day and felt good about it.
That night I felt a nasty sickness come on full of vomitting and a horrific stomach ache. I have had it for 3 days now and all I want is to eat a meal and not picture what it would look like 3-4 hours later. Have no worries, Ama and Ba are waiting on me hand and foot. They even heard me get up at 3 and 4 a.m. this morning and woke up with me, held my hair, and then tucked me back into bed. Ama made me this really disgusting tea/medicine this morning that my stomach just couldn't handle. But at least she is trying to feed me homeopathic medicine!
Keep your fingers crossed for a full recovery sooner than later :)

I leave the home on the 14th and will have a couple days in Thamel before my flight to Tokyo. I am going to be extra sad to leave this place that I have genuinely been able to call home.

Love
J