I found a roller coaster in Nepal: it has 4 wheels and is called a MICROBUS

The children are going on a morning walk every day at 5:45 a.m. Its the cutest thing ever. The first day was a couple days ago. I woke up, put on my shoes and rushed over- I did NOT want to be late for this! They were all lined up, in ascending height of course, waiting patiently for me. I could tell they were all excited that I was going on Morning Walk because they had a little extra pep in their 'Good Morning didi!!'. Seriously, they are all so cute when they make their line because dai makes them put their hands out in front of them and scooch backwards or forwards to have the perfect arms-length distance in between them. I situated myself toward the front so I could keep my eye on the smaller children. Immediately, Nabi grabbed my left hand with both of his as to tell me he really wanted to walk with me this day. I gladly accepted as he is one of the smaller, cuter and needier children!
Our walk consists of going clockwise around the base of the hilltop/mountain that the temple sits on. We pass other native Nepalis, with traditional clothing and then running shoes. There are also a few men actually running or jogging. This is the only place in Kathmandu that I have actually seen people exercise. You also have a few Monks going on their daily walks, a few beggars sitting and waiting for you to drop a rupee coin. How could I forget the monkeys that seem to have tripled in number since I got here, with their little babies attached to the mother's bellies and then learning to jump from tree to tree. Its kind of funny- the monkeys wait until the slightest break in people to cross the road and they totally lave us alone as we alk, skimming their tails.
Its a lovely sight to see- these kids getting their blood to flow so early in the morning. Onlookers see my hands in theirs and look with question and some, respect. Others may dismiss the latter and insert: indifference. One man even asked Anil if I was his Ama. He said 'No, mero Didi' and he smiled genuinely as we passed. I am not sure what others may think when they stare at me (labeled: TOURIST) with the children, who seem so comfortable with me- the foreigner, and quite frankly, I don't care. I am really beginning to get a grasp on that: living life, having confidence in your decision, and not letting others influence your decisions.
There is a little fish pond that we stop at and the kids go crazy. Its pretty cool- there are lots of fish that are all sorts of colors and sizes. This stop is a nice rest before the homestretch. I am looking forward to these daily morning walks with the children! Maybe one day we will pass Ama and Ba!

So, the other day I found a roller coaster in Nepal. ITs got 4 wheels and is called a microbus. Dai and I had some errands to run. Well, actually, I had some errands to run and Dai was nice enough to come with me. I would have had no idea where to go. We hopped in a bus from the base of the Temple and the driver would not leave until it was completely ful. this concept takes the American phrase "packed like Mexicans' to a whole new, unfathomable level. We even had people hanging on from the slideing door. the roller coaster analogy was so true, I tell you. From Swayambhu to the downtown part of KTM, there are so many pot holes, divets, and uneven terrain. I am so impressed we didn't have multiple flat tires and I can still feel my stomach dropping like I just got off the batman ride at Six Flags. :)

So, tomorrow I leave for Pohkra. I can hardly wait to visit another side of Nepal. I am going by myself and now that I really think about it I have never really done that before- taken a trip all by myself. I know no one, but have been put in contact with a couple people that are going to look after me- one being the owner of a Hotel that will pick me up from the bus stop. Stay tuned for more pics and blogs from this beautiful place they call POHKRA.

Love
J

Health Check and More

Every Saturday is the children's 'holy day'. They do not go to school and this day is full of bathing, washing clothes, beating mattresses and other various chores. I got to the Home bright and early, in time to witness their bathing regimen. As part of the health team, we are responsible for keeping tabs on their regular hygeine and I wanted to be able to report my findings. It was such a cute sight to see. All the kids, boys and girls, are in lines. There were about 4 lines of 5 kids, evenly spread like peanut butter and jelly. Dai has them to an exercises routine: jumping jacks, leg kicks, running in place, frog jumps. He says this will help them warm up before they wash with cold water from the tap. They have so much fun with this! And Dai is such a smiley man that laughs all the time, so I can tell he really has fun with this routine as well.
The children one by one come to the water supply and crouch down, like they are using the charpi. They do this so they can utilize all the water poured on their body. I helped scrub their heads and backs, and the children helped each other as well. I was impressed with their method of bathing, and utilizing all of their resources (not many) to make their weekly 'shower' worth it. The water supply is limited, especially around the Swayambhu area, so bathing only happens on Saturdays. Its the same with my host family.
The children are all laughing when the cold water hits their skin and they look intent when they are scrubbing themselves. They take bathing seriously and do a good job.
After that, the children washed their clothes, and did some random chores while we were waiting on the doctors to come for the health check.
We do a health check at every home once a month. We keep variables like height, weight, skin condition, eyes, GI problems, scabies, lice, worms, etc, documented and updated. The two doctors finally showed up, along with the rest of the Health Team. We took 2 kids at a time and the doctors performed their assessment, while P and I were coordinating and writing down. Some of the kids needed de-worming pills, eye checks, antibiotic creme for cuts, wart removal creme, anti-histamines for allergies, and ear drops. P and I documented all of this on a white erase board so that we can keep up with the 19 children for the rest of our time here. We are implementing multi-vitamins daily and vitamin B syrup at least every other day (we have a low supply of this, so we have to ration out until we can get more donations.) So, overall, our chilren were fairly healthy with only a few minor medical conditions. Probably the most significant one, is one of the disabled children and incontinence. This presents a major hygeine problem. But we are doing our best in physio and with the consultation of local physicians on how to make this better for everyone.
I am heading back to placement now after a day off yesterday in thamel. We had our weekly volunteer meeting and then went to dinner to eat 'real' food (pizza) and have some much needed adult beverages and social time. :)
I sort of miss my dal bhaat, though. I never thought I would say that out loud.
Love,
Jessi

I have a story to tell...

It was Sunday, the day I was going to Norvic to have my stint removed. I had been at the Home in the morning, giving medicine, vitamins, making sure they wash their hands, usual stuff. I came back home around 9:15 or so because God forbid I ever miss a meal at home. That is like the ultimate sin at my host family's house! If I don't finish all my food they think I am sick, or worse, hate their food (which also means them!). I ate my dal bhaat and there was even some roti (chapati) mixed in there. yum! I was outside by the well brushing my teeth while my didi was washing clothes. Scan below to see a visual- pics are in a previous post.
I walked faster than normal to the drain and before I knew it my body hit hard on the concrete floor. Toothbrush in hand, I fell down bracing myself with my forearms and skinned myself on each extremity. I fell so hard that Ama's look on her face was sheer fear- like someone had gotten run over by a car or something. My ego was the only thing shattered, and I quickly picked myself up. Immediately, Ba and Ama brought me into the house and checked me for broken bones, it seemed. Ba busted out the trusty tiger balm (go ahead a chuckle), and put it all over my visable wounds. They were so concerned and sad that I had fallen. I reassured them that I was totally okay. I could tell that this event was going to ruin their day and they were more concerned than I have seen an adult in a very long time.

Ama and I left for the bus stop on our trek for norvic.

One thing to note- Ama and I rode in a micro bus together and she would not let me pay for our bus fare. I thought it was only natural for me to pay, since she was just riding with me to make sure I knew how to go. When I reached my hand full of rupees to the driver for payment, Ama sternly yanked my hand away. In nepalese, she firmly stated "Are you my daughter, or are you not my daughter???!!!" and with my tail in between my legs I replied 'I am your daughter'.
We got out of the bus and Ama walked with a purpose to the hospital. Along the way she would make a couple statements in her native tongue and would laugh at my confused look, obviously understanding nothing she was saying. This communication is somehow working for us...haha.
Ama left me at Norvic only when she knew Bigyan was there. The hospital visit went well and Bigyan was patient enough to stay with me and take me to his house afterward (future blog).
The story I want to tell is about my return home the next day. I walked in the door and immediately noticed Ba looking so sweaty and fatigued. Did he just run up the Monkey Temple steps? Keep in mind Ba is 65 years young. He is in good shape because of the intensity of his daily duties. But something was different today. He had dirt stuck on the sweat in the creases of his neck. He was sipping cold water and wiping dust from his shirt. I asked him what had happened and he took my hand and led me outside. Tears came to my eyes from what I saw next....
The outside looked completely changed. Ba had slaved all day and all night on reconstructing the outside because of my scary fall. He took out the old well and filled it with cement and then brick. He (and another family member who traveld 45 minutes by bus) scraped and scraped and scraped all the dangerous grime near the tap. They could not stand the fact that I fell, and they worked so intensly on not letting anyone else have the potential to fall. The sight was amazing. Now, there is a brand new well pump firmly planted near the drain, so water does not have time to sit and get slippery. I could not believe my eyes. I could not believe that Ba thought to do this and in fact came through with it. The positive thing is, that this new well does allow water to come out more easily. I wish I had a picture to show you. I just wanted you to know that my family is the best host family ever.
I am so thankful to have the opportunity to get to know them and they make me want to be a better person. This is only one (well, maybe a big one) example of how they show their goodness. I will have more examples on future blogs! Can you believe this gesture?!
Love,
J

Day Bike Trek

Journal entry 8/15/2008:
I woke up this morning to Ba's chanting at 5:00 a.m. How does he stand to get up that early? (The Monkey Temple Marching Band was only in the background this time)I really want to sneak a peak and see what accompanies his grunting and shunting, but I am too scared! (And tired :) P and I were somewhat groggy, but I was amped for my bike ride with Emma later in the morning. We left for the children's home around 7:45 a.m. and hung out and played hangman with the kids. We are trying to help them as much as possible with their English, while at the same time picking up on more Nepali. When the language barrier takes its toll, I try and interact with them in a universal lanuage: "High fives (although they didn't really know what this was at first), 'Miss Mary Mac-mac-mac', airplane, tickle monster"- you know the usual. This always seems to get them smiling and wanting more interaction and gives us all a break in the challenges of real communication.
I only had time to eat two apples and a mini-banana for breakfast, which I was fearful would not be enough energy for a 4-5 hour bike ride. I was hoping I had a chance to eat some oats (per Max's advice:), but there was zero chance of that if I wanted to make our 10:30 departure time. I live about a 30-35 minute walk to Thamel, and I was already speed walking fearful of my potential tardiness.

We left for our trek in the middle of Thamel. That was a little crazy to say the least. Dodging cars, people, motorcycles and more people for the first 20 minutes definitely challenged our technical ability on two wheels. We then headed North, and out of Kathmandu. The streets began to become less and less busy and we immediately felt it easier to breathe! More greenery appeared that we had only seen from afar- in the hilltop region. That was really nice. We stopped for tea (typical) about one hour into the ride. This little tea shop was really cute and it was literally a shack filled with only bare essentials in the middle of no-where. Apparently, our guide Padam, is some semi-pro cyclist in Nepal and met a few cycling buddies at this stop. One of them rode with us the rest of the way for part of his training. We kept going North, and stopped for lunch in Thoka. Our off-roading was difficult and draining. Emma and I kept compimenting our decision to do this trek. It was such a good way for us to see some beautiful sights and get some hard core exercise in. We were back in Thamel by 3 p.m. and I made it back to placement in time for physio session in the afternoon.
I can't wait to come back here and go for 2 or 3 day trek with Max!

Hope you can see the pics above.

Love,
J

Bhaktupur- Quite the Adventure

The trek started from Hotel Tradition around 10:30 a.m. We were supposed to leave at 10 a.m., but you have to factor in 'nepali time', which always adds an extra 20-30 minutes. We walked to Ratna Park, where the 'bus station' lives, We walked out of Thamel and a little South past where Bigyan works at the Bank. (About 25 minutes).
The buses are all labeled in Nepali script, so of course we do not understand a lick. Um, how the heck are we supposed to find our destination? This is so crazy! There is so much yelling, and traffic, and people going everywhere and jumping in and out of buses- nothing like I have ever seen before. So, we just ask around to the drivers and find the one that nods 'yes' to Bhaktupur.
The 5 of us jump in and our first bus ended up not getting us very far. the roads in Nepal are less than reliable and for the first 100 yards I felt I was on the bumper cars ride at Six Flags. My stomach literally dropped to the floor the pits in the road were so deep. Well, we sort of got the picture when the bus driver turned off the engine and all the pasengers left the vehicle :)
On attempt #2, we found another bus in the midst of all the chaos (people yelling destinations, and trying to get you on their bus, passengers hectically attempting to get to their destinations- lots of honking- its pretty stressful!!). The 20 rupee ride tooke a little over an hour. We were definitely winging it because none of us (Michael, Christine, Latissa, Emma and I ) had ever been here... We finally made it!
We saw the signs and followed the way to the entrance. A man stopped us. What? 750 rupees tourist tax to enter? Are you kidding me? No way we were doing that. 750 rupees = two night stay in our favorite hotel in Thamel... We used the charpi there and said "No thank you" and ventured on our way to a different back entrance (My apologies, Nepalese govt). We walked out the same road, hooked a left and found a smaller path seemingly headed to the right destination. We were right! We totally skeemed our way into Bhaktupur Durbar Square! Not that we were totally proud of that or anything, but we do stand strong to not be ripped off yet another time....
(I have heard people say that there are 3 religions in Nepal :Buddhism, Hinduism and TOURISM) Go figure- it doesn't surprise me at all.

The area was nice and much cleaner and less crowded than typical Kathmandu. The roads were stoned and the buildings looked totaly historic- similar to Kathmandu Durbar Square in that regard. I definitely got some good pics.
We ate on the terrace of a restaurant- some local hotel- and the view was amazing. I ordered veggie chow mein for 60 rupees and a banana laggi (could have done without the later).
In Nepal, it always takes FOREVER to get your food at a restaurant. If you get your food within 30-45 minutes, you are doing good. So by the time our food came, precicesly 53 minutes later, we were satiated.
The whole time we were in Bhaktupur, we were on the look out for men in uniform looking for our tax-paid ticket. If they demanded this, we definitely would have been screwed.
I wonder how long this 'secret entrance' will go unnoticed? It wasn't like it was easy to find- we definitely had some meticulous eyes in our group. They definitely do not take our volunteer card here! ha!
I was sitting on the bus and noticed something worthwhile about Nepali people. They definitely do not have a complex about what Americans would consider rude: staring. People uncontrolably stare at you for minutes upon minutes to the point that they will not look away, even if you stare back. That was an amazing and uncomfortable discovery....
People are also riding on the roof of our bus.... In America, I am pretty much sure that is very illegal, but the Nepalis consider it custom (and its free, so why not!!?)

I will write about my mountain bike trek and more about my host family and children in the home ASAP!

Love,
J

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