A Day off!

I didn't really expect to be so happy to be in Thamel, so soon after I was placed in my village. I just got there on Saturday, but have definitely had an adjustment period. The old volunteers say it is completely normal to feel worn-out and mentally drained, so that makes me feel better. I also think that last week's stay in the Hospital took more out of me than I ever want to admit.

We woke up this morning to Ba coming into our room and turning the light on at 6:30 a.m. He had been awake since 2 a.m., paying respects to his mother. She died on this day, many years ago, and it is some sort of Hindu ritual to pay respects. So, that is what P and I were hearing all throughout the night?! Ba's chanting and reminiscing caused us to wake with huge circles under our eyes. But 6:30 a.m.? Seriously Ba? I tried to pretend it just wasn't happening, but Ba really needed to get some sort of cooking pot that was stored underneathe P's bed. I immediately thought, thank goodness today is my day in Thamel! P and I laughed it off.

This morning, just like every morning, we were bombarded with Sita bringing us food and chiyaa. Its like they have a ticker on our eyes or something, that the millisecond we open them in the morning, they come in offering food. Can't we get a moment to ourselves??! Again, P and I just laugh with eachother because we know our family means the absolute best. And how can you get frustrated with being waited on hand and foot? I took ONE (not the 5 that they offered me) roti and a mini-banana and called that breakfast.

We went to the Home, around 7:30 a.m. (as soon as we can). As we exit the house, Sita always says "Leave slowly, come quickly". I think she really means it. When she heard I was taking a day off, she said (hopefully jokingly) that Ama was going to buy a string and attach it to my leg so that I could not leave again. All I can say to that is "Wow". As we approached the Home and were greeted with hellos, we noticed that most of the children were deep in thought, studying with the teacher that comes before school. They do study a lot- before school and after school in the evenings. I like this part of the structure. I stole a couple of the girls to get some physio in, and they told me they feel "Bohlio" (strong).

At 9:30 a.m., we walk the kids to school. What is cute about this walk is that before they leave, they line up in order of ascending height in the front yard. Only when the line is perfect do we leave. I walk toward the front, and P toward the back. Its about a 5 minute walk to school, dodging mudd puddles, speeding motorcycles, and fast-paced pedestrians. The children sort of fight to see who is going to hold my hand. I make them hold eachothers.

We dropped them off and started our trek to Thamel. Its an intense walk- lots of stairs and hills, but we call it our exercise for the day. We had a health talk meeting at noon, so we had a chance to catch up with the other volunteers that are in various placements around Kathmandu. The health talk was mostly on volunteer health- a very important topic. Its funny that we all feel so comfortable talking about our own bowel movements, etc. Its like an instantaneous bond we have. We are all going through our own issues, so we totally understand eachother.

I was feeling a little 'off' today, so I left the meeting as soon as it was over. I headed to indulge in a hour's massage. Probably the best decision I have made in recent memory. I paid 600 rupees (with 20% volunteer discount) and had a fabulous hour. The funny thing to note is that here in Nepal, you will never get a male masseuse if you are a female. That just wouldn't work in this culture!

Feeling rejuvinated, I went back to Hotel Tradition for my HOT SHOWER!! I felt like a new woman and came to use the internet and upload pics. Some of us are meeting at 7 p.m. for a little dinner in Thamel. Tomorrow, I will go to Bhaktapur for a little day trip with Christine and Latissa and anyone else who wants to go.

I am really thinking of taking about 3 days a traveling to Pokhra and having some solitude. More on this at a later date when I have more details.

Thanks again for reading and all the comments/emails. It makes me feel connected to home, knowing that people closest to me are keeping up with my travels.
Lots of love always,
J

The Children- I would take them all home with me if I could afford them!

I must first start off by stating a fact: VSN really discourages us from posting pictures of the children's faces and telling you exactly where this home is. I apologize, as if I were you I would want to see what they look like. But I must comply with VSN's request to keep the pictures that we post from a far away distance.
:)



There are 19 children ranging in age 6-14 living in this home, a 30 minute walk, west of Kathmandu. Many of them were saved from another home in which the conditions were so poor, they weren't fit for wild animals. The home is fairly 'new'. It has only been established for about 4 months now. P and I are the second set of volunteers to be working in the Home.
The Dai and Didi, house managers, really take on the mother and father role. This is so pleasant to see and not common among the other placements that VSN serves (so I hear). We are very lucky to be able to work with this particular Dai and Didi (who are married and run the house fairly structured and treat these children as their own).

Dai is an energetic man, who likes to laugh a lot, so we automatically have a connection. He walks around the streets of our village acknowledging more people than not, and he always wears the brightest smile. Everyone loves him in this village and he seems to be the pseudo mayor, helping people when he can, discussing issues, making a positive impact. He knows everyone, so I feel safe when I walk with him. He takes care of me, making sure I know where the internet is (he made the owner give me a good deal) and if I want to buy fruit, he brings me so that I don't get ripped off. A few days ago, he heard of an orphan boy living by himself inside the Swayambhu Temple. He asked me to walk there so that we may get a glimpse of this boy and somehow, someway bring him into his home. We had no luck together, but Dai was persistent. He went the next day and found the boy, interviewed him on his cell phone (poor quality), so that he would have proof and the cops would tell him it was okay. I pointed out to him that I respected this characteristic, the god-like one, and he told me it was the only way he knew how to live. He said he truly believed in karma, and that he wanted to have the most positive effect on people. His spirit is so unbelievably genuine- I aim to be more like him.

The children in this home are amazing. Really, I am so impressed with the air around them. When P and I walk inside the home, they immediately put their hands together and in unision, almost, yell "Namaste, Didi!!!". That is my favorite part of the day. Most of them are here because of their family's poor economic backgrounds- their parents just could not afford them. Some of their parents are dead, and others parents were so affected by the Maoist group, that they sent their kids here so they would be more safe.

You would think there would be hatred, negativity, or sadness in their eyes. But, its really just the opposite. For the most part, these children are completely 'normal'. They get excited when P or I bring a new (new means donated and probably about 10 years old, at least) book or game, they lean on us when they get a boo-boo, they are so cute when they read out loud and sing the ABC's in English, they look to us for reassurance when they are reading a new sentence, they smile when we give them affection, and they tuck their tail in between their legs when they know they just did something naughty, and we have to correct them. So, don't they sound pretty normal to you?

I am not sure what I was expecting. I think, maybe, the worst. Dai and Didi have done a good job of structure in this house. These children always get plenty of rice to eat (In some of the homes, the children are unsure of their next meal), they know to wash their hands with soap before meals, and they brush their teeth twice/day.

This home is not perfect, by any means. The biggest problem in this house is that there is a HUGE water shortage. Generally speaking in Nepal, there is a shortage of water, meaning most of the people here only shower once/week. But particularly in this home, the tap is unreliable. For now, they are saving whatever rain-water they can to wash their hands and clothes with. P and I are currently teaming up with VSN to figure out a solution to this problem

The children get mostly rice and just a little vegetable with their meals. It could definitely be worse, but this diet causes them to have many deficiences. P and I are implementing daily multi-vitamins and B complex supplements. (All donatable goods) This deficiency causes them to have sores on the outsides of their mouths- not aesthetically pleasing or comfortable to say the least.

One last thing- our initial take on the improvements of the house is the chores list. There isn't one. We feel that if the children have a list of chores (keep in mind their are 19 children and many things to do around the house) that this will help them stay organized and know who has what job on a particular day. Organization is key when attempting to keep structure for 22 people living in the house.

I do physio 1-2 times per day with three of the children. This is a daunting task due to the nature of their conditions. More on this topic later, as it is my goal to really re-vamp their current routine. The previous volunteers have done a really good job of getting it started, but I feel that with more research and learning and effort that the physio aspect could really blossom.

So- a long post already, and I could even write more. There will be more on the Home later. I hope you are enjoying the pics!!
Love,
Jess

My Home in Nepal....

It has four rooms: 3 bedrooms and a kitchen, although the kitchen is nothing like you would imagine. There is a tiny refridgerator (made in 1985) that is supposed to keep milk and veggies cold only for a day or so due to the load sharing (when the electricity gets cut out on scheduled days/times). There is a mini-table and mini-seats for us to eat our dal bhaat. When I eat, I eat in between my knees that are as high as my shoulders. Maybe I am too tall for this set up? I say mini because its sort of like eating on the floor the height is so low. The charpi (toilet) is outside, past the tap hooked to the fence. The back-yard is tiny, and there is even an area in which they throw trash like banana peels and apple cores. The monkeys tend to gravitate there, especially when P and I are 'showering' (quotations are used because its hardly a shower- the tap goes to our waist!). The best part of the house is the terrace. This is where my family lays their clothes to dry and where we can sit and enjoy the evening cool. The other neat thing about the terrace is the Children's Home has one, too. My house and the home are neighboring buildings so when I go on the terrace at home, I can see the children playing on theirs. They yell to me "Namaste Didi!!"

My Ama is a thoroughbread Nepali woman. The lines on her face show her hard work from over the years. She speaks no English, but somehow we understand eachother. She is caring, genuine and loves to laugh at me trying to speak her language. When I was sick, she felt my head and thought I had a fever. She brought me lemon tea and a little snack she said would make me strong. She caters to everyone in her family and I love that about her.

My Ba is a smiley man. He insisted on walking P to Thamel a few days ago, and when I wasn't home by dark last night he went out looking for me. How cute is that? He makes sure I eat first when the meal is served. Ba walks an hour every morning with Ama. They always come back with fresh vegetables and fruit for the day. I think that is how the Nepali do it. Ba holds his little grandson and sings Hindu songs to him. He is very gentle.

The other great things about this house is the little baby "Jack"- I named him (4 months) and little girl, Dibya (3 years). Jack and I play airplane and tickle monster. I bounce him on my legs and I learned how to change a Nepali 'diaper'. The first day I was there, I asked if I could hold him. My sister said "he is your baby, too" . Wow, they really do consider us like family.

My Sita- bahini (Sita is her name) is the sister in the house who also teaches at the Children's Home. She speaks English (moderately) and if it weren't for her, the frustration level would reach a point of no return. The language barrier is frustrating, but we are getting by. Sita is very patient and has become the house translator. Yesterday, she was at work which posed for a bit of a challenge. All I wanted to do was have a little Jessi-time. So, I told Ama that I was going to go use the internet, and used my fingers to type on my imaginary keyboard. I thought that would be enough for her to understand. She gets her shoes and starts walking with me. I thought maybe she was going to walk me there and then maybe go to the market or something. Boy was I wrong. She definitely came with me to the internet cafe, sat behind me while I typed away emails. Oh, where was Sita when I needed her?!

The amount of genuine care that my Host family represents is unbelievable and I am so thankful for that. They really are catering to our every need. They believe in being true hosts. They have adopted us into their family. They are respectful and always want us to be happy. If we seem sad, or unwell, they will do whatever is in their power to make us feel better. That is such a neat thing to be a part of.

I have to run to a Health meeting. I will write more on the Children soon.

My Day........

I had an 8 a.m. wake up call. I woke up groggy, probably from the benedryl I have become addicted to at night here in Thamel. I was on a mission: drop my laundry off, find some breakfast my stomach could handle and checky my email (quickly) all before 9:30 a.m. when the Hotel car would be ready to take me for my follow-up appt at Norvic. It always excites me when I see an email from anyone back home and today I had a few! (Thanks!) I especially get excited when I see one from Max. They are usually long, descriptive, warm and they have a way of making me feel fuzzy inside. :)
Mission accomplished. I was back at the hotel by 9:20 a.m. and the car was pulling out at 9:30 a.m. SHARP. Off on our crazy journey to the hospital. Vishnu, my driver, spoke some English which is always nice. I have referenced before, but riding in any sort of moving vehicle in Kathmandu raises your blood pressure exponentially. It really is mayhem. Twice, no three times, Vishnu decided the Kia in front of us was not driving fast enough so he ventured outside his lane and into oncoming traffic (Um... heloooo?? Precious cargo, Vishnu!!) and then swiftly swerved back into the correct lane. I don't think an 'Oh Shit" handle big enough has been invented yet....
The other hurdle for me and Vishnu was the fact that Nepal's government is in wacky sorts right now and political demonstrations are common. Although intriguing, they are not conducive to any citizen trying to get somewhere on time because they (policical demonstrators)have not a care in the world except what they are 'demonstrating'. As a result, traffic stops, drivers get frustrated and turn off their cars, and passengers watch with meticulous eyes, somewhat helpless.
The sight was like one I have not ever seen in the U.S. Not as crazy as I imagine those hippie protestors against Vietnam, but most definitely worth writing about. Nepalese cops are everywhere, trying to maintain peace. Onlookers are watching cautiously and taking photographs to document the activity. Demonstrators are chanting and shouting and holding up flags, while some are getting arrested for performing an unjust or violent act. This goes on for about 20-30 minutes or so. And finally, the police take control, and traffic can resume. Like that- a flip of a switch. Weird!
Poor Vishnu. He was a stressful little driver. I could tell by his excessive (emphasis- EXCESSIVE) honking and grunting. He did kindly let me use his cell phone so I could call my doctor and update him on my lack of progress. Dr. Khadgi responded with a slight chuckle and "Welcome to Nepal, my dear. Take your time." because he knew he was not going anywhere either.
We made it! Nothing looked familiar to me about the area surrounding Norvic. I was scared Vishnu may have misunderstood me. We were right. But I realized I had no idea what to do. Do I have a formal appointment? How does this medical system work here? I went to the desk, they made me pay 2700 rupees to see the doctor. WHAT? Who am I seeing, the King? Only Gold and 19 bottles of top shelf tequilla cost 2700 rupees here. Just a joke. We get so used to spending such little money. I did not care. My doctor is worthy of my 30/40 USD. :)

I waited only 5 minutes to see the doctor (reason #2100 I love NEPAL!) and my visit went well. I felt good and so did he. I am on the way to 100% recovery!! yay :)

We had our monthly volunteer meeting today. It went well and now we are on the way to our volunteer dinner. I will write more about the meeting and my placement ASAP.
I am going to leave tomorrow and begin my life with the host family. I can't wait! Stay tuned for details!
Thanks so much for reading. I love it here and am so happy.

J with lots of smileys

Meeting the Children for the first time.

Today was the day we were all sent to our placements. There are about 6-7 Children's Homes that VSN works closely with to place volunteers in the Kathmandu Valley area. Since I wont be placed officially until I am well, I went along for the ride to meet the children and my host family. Purvi (England- we call her "P") and I are placed together in the Swayambu Temple area, 25 minutes walk to Thamel. There are 19 children living there and three of them are disabled needing 'physio' daily. I think this is why I was placed here because of my physio background.

The first thing I noticed about this home was it is anything but posh. Previously an abandoned building, it is old with only the bare essentials. The charpi (toilet) smells and the walls, once white, show rust and dirt stains all over. But, the first thing I noticed about my placement was the children. They were so bright and friendly when we showed up, waiting for us at the door. They immediately put their hands together and said with enthusiasm "namaste didi!' (Hello sister!). Every single one of them said this with a smile. What a warm initial meeting.

We were then walked to our family's home. P and I will share a room, totally do-able. The walls are sky blue! That made me smile. Our aamaa and baa welcomed us with smiles. They speak no English, so our Nepalese we know will definitely get better! We were instructed to sit in our room as the other family members brought us chiyaa and snacks. (cut up apples and bananas). Our family was very hospitable. I can tell the language barrier is going to definitely be a challenge. Thank goodness for our training book. P and I will definitely be referencing this pretty much anytime we want to communicate with them. I laugh at myself thinking of those initial moments. No one really knew what to say because we all knew we could not understand each other. Lots of awkward silences. The charpi is outside and its definitely a whole in the ground. P and I have schemed a way to utilize toilet paper and a brown paper bag. We just have to figure out where to hide it. :)
There are 6 others livin in the house: Mom, Dad, Sister, sister and 2 babies. One is 3 (Dibya) and one is 4 months. I promise not to steal them ;)

Our Dai (brother), who is the house manager, speaks fluent English. He wants to teach us Nepalese, so that comforted me and P. He seems so nice and helpful. I could not have asked for a better initial meeting. I can't wait to feel better and be able to spend my time with the children there. They impressed me with their glow.

I took a taxi back to Thamel. We have our monthly volunteer meeting tomorrow at the VSN office. I am so looking forward to the next weeks!

PS- Around the children's home, we have access to internet and phone. Not quite the 'village' experience I was hoping for, but a blessing in disguise. I really feel I can utilize my skills here and have comfort that I am not too far away from society.

much love
J

Norvic Hospital- not exactly the Nepal experience I was hoping for....

Well my friends, who ever said that international traveling did not come with a few bumps in the road? I will make this blog short and sweet because I am feeling I need to go in my hotel and take a nap.
For those of you who do not already know, I was admitted into the hospital here in Kathmandu on Saturday night. It started with a bad stomach ache whose intensity I can equate to birthing the 15lb baby I hope to never have. (naturally) My good friend Christine (Australia) and I got into a cab during the pouring rain at about 1:30 a.m. The cab driver knew we were going to Norvic Hospital so he kept his flashers on the whole time and did not 'take any prisoners' (Jack Prahl reference :) on his way to our destination. I was the only patient in the ER. It took all of the energy I had left after vomitting my life away earlier in the evening to explain my situation to the Resident on call, so thank god for Christine. My clinical evaluation was appendicitis, but after US and CT scan that diagnosis changed. I had an impacted kidney stone that left my right kidney infected and it (the stone) had to be removed laproscopically. The surgery was kind of cool. They numbed me from the waist down, so I could be awake during the surgery. The urologist (Dr. Sanjay Khagdi) expained every detail of the procedure to me while he was performing. I had a front row view from the Sony TV right next to me. I was appreciative of that gesture, but apparently I endured a lot of trauma and had a lot of infection. I then was taken to recovery, where I had to lay flat for 24 hours. I am leaving out some pertinent/graphic details of this story, so that I do not offend people that may be reading this blog in which I do not know very well.... :)
I then was taken to the deluxe room, most likely because they knew my insurance would pay for it. (Thanks Chubb Travelers Insurance!) And boy was that a dream! The room was big, had a TV with HBO I might add, a mini-fridge and a western toilet. This girl was more than impressed. Better than my room at Hotel Tradition! I couldn't really enjoy it for the first couple days, because all I did was sleep to overcome the fevers. But it was nice.

I have to add, that I could not have gone through this without the help of my fellow volunteer Jessica, who is a nurse in D.C. She was with me as much as she possible could and basically waited on me hand and foot. She phoned my Mom with every update. She was my angel.

I am out of the hospital and feeling better. Norvic hospital in Kathmandu is the only private, international hospital here. I felt I received the best possible care! The Sisters were all very nice and attentive. I have nothing but positive remarks about this place.

Sorry to drag the story out, but its really the only thing that has happened to me this week. I wish I could be talking about the village and various other fun Nepali things...
More to come later.
Thanks for all the well wishes!
Hugs!
Jessi

Orientation has begun!

The volunteers and Kevin (our health team leader) met in the lobby of our hotel and walked the 12 minutes it takes to get to the VSN office. (Volunteer Service Nepal Office in Thamel). There are 9 of us, 5 from the US, 2 from the UK, 1 France and 1 Australia. We then sat on pillows in the volunteer room anxiously awaiting our training to start.
We received our training materials, including a language guide, that was ample but not overwhelming. The morning consisted of policies/procedures, conduct code, and general information and introductions. At 10:30 a.m. sharp, we broke for tea (chiyaa). More brief discussions and before we knew it, we were gathering our things to walk across the street for lunch. Emma (the volunteer coordinator here in Nepal) wanted us to experience firsthand the type of meal we will be eating at our host families house: Dhal Bhaad. We sat on pillows and enjoyed our food from a low table.
The best (okay, you will see... second best) part of the meal was being able to eat with our hand. (Right hand of course, left is considered dirty because we utilize the toilet with our left). Dhal Bhaad is a meal consisting of rice, curry, tofu, spinach, egg plant or really whatever the cook prepares. Mainly rice and the Dhal is this sauce to put on the rice. The lunch basically consisted of breaking every single cotillon rule I know to be true. Eating with out hands, cleaning our plates with our fingers and then licking them, and the best part BURPING is actually acceptable. My brother would fit in so well here.

The afternoon consisted of our first Nepalese language lesson taught by Gaurdi. We learned phrases like "What is your name?" "What is your mother's name" "My name is" "Please", "Thank you", etc. We all performed "Raamba"= good and are anxious to learn more! :)

It was sort of information overload today and this will continue tomorrow. Our plan now is to soak this up over some adult cocktails.

Lessons from Nepal:
1) Mocktails are cocktails without alcohol- do not be fooled by this menu choice.
2) You mix every single item on your plate together when you eat- have fun with this!
3) On the streets in Thamel, it is common for someone to whisper to you "smoke hash?" (especialy if you are a man) referring to this illegal drug. Kindly deny as this drug is very illegal here!