Namaste!!
The past couple days have been so packed full of joy that it's going to be very difficult for me to describe.
Saturday was the day we went to the movies and the amusement park with all 150 children. All of the kids got popcorn, soda, and candy to eat at the movie and they absolutely loved it!! The movie was bollywood- which automatically makes it a little strange, but this one was especially..... But the kids enjoyed it and that's all that matters, plus us volunteers have gotten quite a few running jokes out of it! After the movie we went to the amusement park, which definitely would never be permitted to run in the US haha but it was still a blast. I went on the Ferris wheel, the ship, and the merry go round with many of the kids and seeing the excitement and happiness on so many faces was one of the greatest experiences anyone can imagine. However many of them did get sick, because of the amount of sugar we packed them full of at the movies on top of the fact that so many of these children have had no exposure to much movement or g forces in their life - so much so that a good amount of them even got sick just on the bus rides. Despite the amount of puke through out the day the children were so ecstatic, happy, and most of all exhausted. It was a really rewarding and special day and I felt so privileged just to be a part of it. I can't wait to share pictures of the children's smiling faces (and the terrified ones as well!)
Sunday was a relaxing day, which was much needed from the eventful day before hand. After going into town, touring the monkey temple (not it's actual name but there are monkeys everywhere in there so that is what it has been nicknamed) which was beautiful even in the down pouring rain, and taking a new volunteer to the fabric shop and seamstress to get herself a Kurta made (mine should be ready tomorrow!!) A bunch of us went to Papas house where we got to have such a relaxing afternoon and evening with the children since they were still on break after exams and didn't have to study. We read them stories, had them read us stories, looked through there picture albums, played some games, told stories, and had a very fun yet intense game of basketball. It was so much fun and so great to be able to hang out with the children and be observe and be a part of their lives. I'm always so sad when leaving the houses as many of the children cling on to you and hug or hold your hand the entire walk out. I am amazed and humbled everyday by the love and affection coming from these children. Despite there difficult and sorrowful backgrounds, they are able to now enjoy life and embrace it in a way I can barely fathom.
This morning was a very interesting start to the day. Me, Kendra, Kayla, and Hillary got up at 4am to go to the Boudha Stupa - one of Buddhisms holiest places in the world - to meditate with the monks and worshipers. It was fascinating to watch the rituals and be able to observe and partake in such an interesting culture. However, since we were there during the worship time, as opposed to the time where it's mostly tourist coming to visit, we had no one to show us the way or have any instructions on what is ok and what is not ok for us to do and participate in. We may have offended some - but I desperately hope not..... it's a story that probably is much better having witnessed but i'm going to tell you anyways. A volunteer that had gone to the early morning rituals before explained to us the building that she went into to do the meditating, so after circling the stupa a few times (devout Buddhist actually have to circle it 100 some times) we went into the building that Meghan had described - after taking our shoes of and paying respect the monk at the door of course. We walked inside and took a seat next to a few monks on these cushions inside of a building with a church like setting with a massive golden buddha statue in the front. As the rest of the seats filled up and we continued to sit and listen and observe the meditating we quickly realized that not only were we the only white people sitting inside, but we were also the only women, and the only non monks.... We hadn't gotten too many odd stares from the rest of the monks so we figured it was probably ok, however the more and more worshipers who circled through to pay their respects we got more and more surprised and shocked stares. So after having been inside surrounded by only monks for about a half hour we finally decided we better get up, pay our respects and give a pretty decent donation so that we hopefully didn't upset too many people. We still are not sure if it was ok for us to be in there or not, but despite the anxiety the situation invoked it was a fantastic and extremely enjoyable and memorable experience.... and hopefully we didn't offend too many people...
After that adventure we went to one of the homes again to help them study and get ready for their first day back at school. It always amazes me when seeing how dedicated and intelligent these children are! I love being there to help and assist them in anyway possible. Also, helping them get ready for school and braiding their hair or putting it in pigtails or putting the bows in their hair is such an adorable time. I want to thank everyone again who donated towards this trip for giving me this amazing opportunity.
Then I went into town to the Habitat for Humanity of Nepal's office (UW's campus chapter that i am on the board of tithed to them last year and I was dieing to see how they are using the money and just to see how they run things over in Nepal) It was soooo amazing! This office of just 17 people have built 7,182 homes in just over 15 years and not only that - they are extremely eco-friendly. They use treated bamboo for the building materials and woven and pressed bamboo to make roofing tiles instead of using the clay ones. I was so overwhelmingly impressed with this staff and their dedication and passion for Habitat and their country. In 3 weeks, when I get back from a volunteer placement, they are actually going to take me to go see several finished homes, future sites of homes, and meet families that they are building for. I can't wait!!
Tomorrow morning I'm off for my volunteer placement outside of the city.... wayyy outside of the city. It is going to be a 7 or so hour bus ride topped off with a 10 hour hike up a mountain. I am going to the Bigu Monastery where I will be teaching English to the children and adult nuns as well as helping out and teaching at a nearby Sherpa school. Unfortunately many of the other orphanages and schools are closed down because they are doing exams or they have just finished so they are closed for a few weeks, or there are already volunteers or other guests staying in the homes. However, I'm very excited to be able to serve this much forgotten population and to have the experience of getting to know nuns ranging from very young ages to the elderly, as well as being able to closely observe the many Buddhist rituals and practices. I will be there for 3 weeks and sadly will not have access to a computer or internet so I will not be able to give any updates until I return to Kathmandu. I will desperately meet the children here but I can't wait to help in broader and such needed ways. It is going to be fantastic and I can't wait to tell you all about it!!
So long for a few weeks!
Kaela
Monday, July 26, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Back in Kathmandu
Namaste
I'm freshly back from Chitwan park - exhausted and dirty, but I had a blast! We got to see a show of Tharu dances (the native tribe of the Chitwan area) which was amazing and I actually got invited up to join one of the dances, so of course I had to. Then we went a long and beautiful walk through some of the park and saw some crocodiles and gurhials (Nepal's other version of a crocodile who are extremely endangered). The next morning we went for a a canoe ride where we saw lots more crocodiles, tons of beautiful birds, peacocks way up in the tops of trees (I had no idea they could fly that far), monkeys, and some wild boar. Then we walked for awhile again and it was just beautiful and so mystical looking (quite different then the amazon) and then it was my favorite part - Elephant bathing. They actually let you sit on the elephants back while he's going about bathing himself in the river (yes the same one with all of the crocodiles, but it was too fun to worry about that) The elephant was spraying us with water and dipping down under the water and roaming around the river. It was an amazing experience. After that We went on our elephant back safari which was also undescribably awesome. We got less than 10 feet away from a pair of Rhinos, they were so cool looking! we also saw some deer and lots of birds and other things. It was a blast!
Tomorrow is going to be a really great day as we have planned a special treat for the children! We are taking all 140 some kids to the cinema to see a Bollywood comedy and then going to Kathmandu's "amusement park" (it's in quotes because it has been described to me as comparable to the worst county fair you can imagine minus the safety regulations - so it should be interesting). I know the children will have a blast and it will be a great way to spend a lot of time with them and get to know them better. I'm so excited for them to have this opportunity of a day out on the town as almost all of them have never been to the cinema or amusement park.
There is lots more to tell but I'm still filthy from the 6 and a half hour bus ride (the dirtiest bus you could possibly imagine on top of the fact that there is no air conditioning - of course there's not any where- which means windows had to be open the whole, covering us with dust and soot and dirt) all on top of the mud we have all over us from birdwatching in the park this morning. What I'm trying to say is I desperately need a shower, so further details and stories will have to be saved for later!
Miss and love you all!
Kaela
I'm freshly back from Chitwan park - exhausted and dirty, but I had a blast! We got to see a show of Tharu dances (the native tribe of the Chitwan area) which was amazing and I actually got invited up to join one of the dances, so of course I had to. Then we went a long and beautiful walk through some of the park and saw some crocodiles and gurhials (Nepal's other version of a crocodile who are extremely endangered). The next morning we went for a a canoe ride where we saw lots more crocodiles, tons of beautiful birds, peacocks way up in the tops of trees (I had no idea they could fly that far), monkeys, and some wild boar. Then we walked for awhile again and it was just beautiful and so mystical looking (quite different then the amazon) and then it was my favorite part - Elephant bathing. They actually let you sit on the elephants back while he's going about bathing himself in the river (yes the same one with all of the crocodiles, but it was too fun to worry about that) The elephant was spraying us with water and dipping down under the water and roaming around the river. It was an amazing experience. After that We went on our elephant back safari which was also undescribably awesome. We got less than 10 feet away from a pair of Rhinos, they were so cool looking! we also saw some deer and lots of birds and other things. It was a blast!
Tomorrow is going to be a really great day as we have planned a special treat for the children! We are taking all 140 some kids to the cinema to see a Bollywood comedy and then going to Kathmandu's "amusement park" (it's in quotes because it has been described to me as comparable to the worst county fair you can imagine minus the safety regulations - so it should be interesting). I know the children will have a blast and it will be a great way to spend a lot of time with them and get to know them better. I'm so excited for them to have this opportunity of a day out on the town as almost all of them have never been to the cinema or amusement park.
There is lots more to tell but I'm still filthy from the 6 and a half hour bus ride (the dirtiest bus you could possibly imagine on top of the fact that there is no air conditioning - of course there's not any where- which means windows had to be open the whole, covering us with dust and soot and dirt) all on top of the mud we have all over us from birdwatching in the park this morning. What I'm trying to say is I desperately need a shower, so further details and stories will have to be saved for later!
Miss and love you all!
Kaela
Monday, July 19, 2010
Love
Hello again,
So much has happened in the last couple days I'm not even sure where to begin. Since the last post, I have learned some Nepali, Helped many children with their studies, played many more games, was shown a traditional Nepali dance by one of the girls - which was extremely beautiful, Gone to a Buddhist Monastery that was unspeakably beautiful and serene and it was fascinating to see all the young monks (between about 5 - 12) running around and playing just like any other children, went out to eat with the other Volunteers, bettered my spelling by helping some of the girls prepare for their english spelling exam, took an hour bus ride and hour and a half jeep ride through extreme terrain up the mountains to go visit a school and hang out with the children for awhile, and then all the way back in the first bad rainstorm I've witnessed so far and it definitely lives up to it's name of the monsoon season, had a pigeon refuse to leave me alone while trying to use a restaurants squat toilet, went out with a bunch of volunteers because it was Jordan's last night (one of my favorites) - he just left a few minutes ago, played jump rope with the children which they loved, helped to make new benches to be put in the the orphanages, and some other things that I know I'm forgetting.
To answer some of my moms questions:
There are about 10 other volunteers in the volunteer house and a couple out on placements. The volunteer house is a 3 story building with a 4 girls rooms and 3 boys rooms - each room has 3 or 4 beds in it. There is a place to wash your clothes on the roof. I share a room with Hilary (a teacher from Connecticut) and Xinwa (a sixteen year old from Beijing) Almost everyone here has come alone - the only ones together are a brother and sister from Toronto
The orphanages here are nothing like the one in Peru,there is much more people, they have more privacy in that there are any where between 3 to 6 children in a room, and they have decorated their rooms to personalize them and they are beautiful, There is also a lot more love in all of these orphanages, not only between the Dai's and Didi's (daddy and mamas) and the children, but among the children as well. I've also noticed that these children are academically much more accomplished then the children were in Peru, they are extremely diligent and hard working.
I think I may have picked a placement - a Boys home about 2 hours out of the city up in the mountains. It's not completely for sure yet, but I would be leaving Monday if I do go.
Me and Hilary - the teacher from Connecticut that i'm sharing a room with - are going to Chitwan National Park together tomorrow and will be getting back Friday night. It's a perfect time to go because the Children will be finishing exams and there won't be all that much work for us to do.
I cannot wait to go and help and play with all of the children again today as well as learn some more Nepali and whatever other adventures Nepal has in store for me today.
Namaste
Kaela
So much has happened in the last couple days I'm not even sure where to begin. Since the last post, I have learned some Nepali, Helped many children with their studies, played many more games, was shown a traditional Nepali dance by one of the girls - which was extremely beautiful, Gone to a Buddhist Monastery that was unspeakably beautiful and serene and it was fascinating to see all the young monks (between about 5 - 12) running around and playing just like any other children, went out to eat with the other Volunteers, bettered my spelling by helping some of the girls prepare for their english spelling exam, took an hour bus ride and hour and a half jeep ride through extreme terrain up the mountains to go visit a school and hang out with the children for awhile, and then all the way back in the first bad rainstorm I've witnessed so far and it definitely lives up to it's name of the monsoon season, had a pigeon refuse to leave me alone while trying to use a restaurants squat toilet, went out with a bunch of volunteers because it was Jordan's last night (one of my favorites) - he just left a few minutes ago, played jump rope with the children which they loved, helped to make new benches to be put in the the orphanages, and some other things that I know I'm forgetting.
To answer some of my moms questions:
There are about 10 other volunteers in the volunteer house and a couple out on placements. The volunteer house is a 3 story building with a 4 girls rooms and 3 boys rooms - each room has 3 or 4 beds in it. There is a place to wash your clothes on the roof. I share a room with Hilary (a teacher from Connecticut) and Xinwa (a sixteen year old from Beijing) Almost everyone here has come alone - the only ones together are a brother and sister from Toronto
The orphanages here are nothing like the one in Peru,there is much more people, they have more privacy in that there are any where between 3 to 6 children in a room, and they have decorated their rooms to personalize them and they are beautiful, There is also a lot more love in all of these orphanages, not only between the Dai's and Didi's (daddy and mamas) and the children, but among the children as well. I've also noticed that these children are academically much more accomplished then the children were in Peru, they are extremely diligent and hard working.
I think I may have picked a placement - a Boys home about 2 hours out of the city up in the mountains. It's not completely for sure yet, but I would be leaving Monday if I do go.
Me and Hilary - the teacher from Connecticut that i'm sharing a room with - are going to Chitwan National Park together tomorrow and will be getting back Friday night. It's a perfect time to go because the Children will be finishing exams and there won't be all that much work for us to do.
I cannot wait to go and help and play with all of the children again today as well as learn some more Nepali and whatever other adventures Nepal has in store for me today.
Namaste
Kaela
Saturday, July 17, 2010
A recap of my first full day
Yesterday was amazing, plain and simple.
When I woke up I finally got a shower in (it had been much too long) AND it was even hot!! I was ecstatic, but it is a rare treat so hopefully I can get warm water again soon. It is only warm in the morning if it had been really sunny the day before, becuase the water is held up on the roof so not only does the sun warm it but they also have a small solar panel that helps to heat it as well. After that I met with some of the directors and head of different orphanages - they were all such nice and wonderful people. I then had a nice breakfast of rice and vegetables..... so odd, but they don't really eat lunch here so I guess they need a filling breakfast. (I'm not quite use to the long wait in between meals yet so I had to have some other volunteers take me to get a small lunch later in the day) After all that I went into town with 8 other volunteers to the Thamil district, where we shopped around for awhile (Mom that part of town reminded me a little of cusco, but still not quite - the rest of the town is Definitely Iquitos on steroids) There were so many beautiful crafts and scultptures art work and clothing and I wanted to buy it all haha but I resisted and only got my self 2 new books to read, since I finished my only one in the Delhi airport during my long wait. I also went in to talk to a trekking agency that Jesse - one of the other volunteers who has been here every summer for 5 years (he's fascinating) - told me to go through, he is good friends with the owners and says they are the most trustworthy around and are great people - which I could tell by talking to them. Another volunteer is going to be coming to Chitwan National park with me so i'm very excited but we don't know exactly when would be the best time to go yet. After being in town for a couple hours we went Papas house - one of the orphanages. The kids are having exams right now so they go to take them in shifts, so when we got there only half of them were there, but it was a blast. The children are unbelievably friendly and out going and I was so impressed at how much english they knew - even the little ones. I played basket ball with about 7 of them for a good hour, which was funny becaise I tower over even the older boys by at least 6 inches, some as much as a foot and a half. The Nepalese in general are very short. But it was a blast, It was kind of a make shift basketball hoop and a deflating ball, but I don't remember the last time I had that much playing basketball, One girl in particular was quite a little spitfire and was actually an extremely good basketball player - she couldn't have been more than 14, but she was better than all the boys. Once I got too hot and sweaty I went to another group of kids were I taught them thumb wars and rock paper scissors - They were having a ball and it was wonderful. Then I walked down to the school to pick up the rest of the children. It is a 500 person school and Nepal Orphans home supports at least 150 of them. When we got back to papas house it was study time and I was helping with english work, not that I really needed to, I was extremely impressed with their english as I said before. Then it was more basketball, puzzles, a little girl showed me all around her room and took pictures of absolutely everything in it with my camera, it was adorable and the girl stayed glued to my side untill we left around 7.
Another Volunteer here is interviewing each kid for a book he is going to be writing and some of the stories of these children are so heart breaking. A group of the boys were rescued from a different orphanage where the head was an alcoholic and would beat them multiple times a day with a stick, whether they misbehaved or not. A boy told me he had big ears, because the head of that orphanage would pull them so hard everyday. A lot of the girls used to be Kumlaris (slaves) they were sold at young ages and some of them worked for the same family for many years and some of them worked with over 14 families for 8 years. All of them mentioned being beaten, the worst I heard was that one girl had not finished washing the families clothes in time so they beat her badly, tied her to a tree and left her there for 2 days. These stories are heartbreaking, but so inspirational at the same time. It really shows you how wonderful and Crucial Nepal orphans home is for them. Many of the children had such wonderful and large aspirations - a boy wanted to be the first Nepali astronaut, he had even received a letter and a singed picture from NASA (after a volunteer wrote to them telling them about him), some want to be teachers, a little boy wants to a scientist, one boy, Vishnu, wants to be a Nurse, some of the girls want to be doctors, or teachers, or pilots,or Veterinarians. Seeing them now you would never guess the horrors that a lot of these children went through, and I'm so glad I can be a part of keeping their childhood alive and their future promising.
After many hours with the children I was sad to leave, but me and the other 2 volunteers that had been there stopped for ice cream on the walk home, and we had great talks about the children and how different there lives may have been and how wonderful they are. When we got back, we knew we had missed dinner because we played too long, but me Jake and Jordan went a couple doors down to the Momo place (where I had had my little lunch earlier in the day - steamed water buffalo MOmo's. They're like dumplings or pot stickers and you can have them steamed or fried with your choice of a bunch of different meats. They were delicious!) This time I got a snack portion of 'chicken fry' as it was called, but I don't even think it was fried - it reminded me of if you would have taken the little chunks of chicken out of a stir fry - it was delicious.
To finish off the night I went up onto the roof with Jake Jordan and Hillary, and just talked and listened to Jake play his uechalayli (still have no idea how to spell that) it was wonderful, and all of the lights of the city were beautiful. The volunteer hours is up on a hill called Dhapsai heights, like a 15 min taxi ride from the heart of down town so we have amazing views.
Now it is almost 8 in the morning and I'm about to have breakfast, then my first Nepali and cultural lesson and then I get to go visit some temples down town (I'm very excited) I'll learn more about all the different placements still and then I'll go back to papas house again for some more playing and studying.
So this is so long, and probably terribly spelled, This keyboard doesn't have any letters on it because it's so old, so i'm sure i'm making a lot of mistakes. Please bear with me!
When I woke up I finally got a shower in (it had been much too long) AND it was even hot!! I was ecstatic, but it is a rare treat so hopefully I can get warm water again soon. It is only warm in the morning if it had been really sunny the day before, becuase the water is held up on the roof so not only does the sun warm it but they also have a small solar panel that helps to heat it as well. After that I met with some of the directors and head of different orphanages - they were all such nice and wonderful people. I then had a nice breakfast of rice and vegetables..... so odd, but they don't really eat lunch here so I guess they need a filling breakfast. (I'm not quite use to the long wait in between meals yet so I had to have some other volunteers take me to get a small lunch later in the day) After all that I went into town with 8 other volunteers to the Thamil district, where we shopped around for awhile (Mom that part of town reminded me a little of cusco, but still not quite - the rest of the town is Definitely Iquitos on steroids) There were so many beautiful crafts and scultptures art work and clothing and I wanted to buy it all haha but I resisted and only got my self 2 new books to read, since I finished my only one in the Delhi airport during my long wait. I also went in to talk to a trekking agency that Jesse - one of the other volunteers who has been here every summer for 5 years (he's fascinating) - told me to go through, he is good friends with the owners and says they are the most trustworthy around and are great people - which I could tell by talking to them. Another volunteer is going to be coming to Chitwan National park with me so i'm very excited but we don't know exactly when would be the best time to go yet. After being in town for a couple hours we went Papas house - one of the orphanages. The kids are having exams right now so they go to take them in shifts, so when we got there only half of them were there, but it was a blast. The children are unbelievably friendly and out going and I was so impressed at how much english they knew - even the little ones. I played basket ball with about 7 of them for a good hour, which was funny becaise I tower over even the older boys by at least 6 inches, some as much as a foot and a half. The Nepalese in general are very short. But it was a blast, It was kind of a make shift basketball hoop and a deflating ball, but I don't remember the last time I had that much playing basketball, One girl in particular was quite a little spitfire and was actually an extremely good basketball player - she couldn't have been more than 14, but she was better than all the boys. Once I got too hot and sweaty I went to another group of kids were I taught them thumb wars and rock paper scissors - They were having a ball and it was wonderful. Then I walked down to the school to pick up the rest of the children. It is a 500 person school and Nepal Orphans home supports at least 150 of them. When we got back to papas house it was study time and I was helping with english work, not that I really needed to, I was extremely impressed with their english as I said before. Then it was more basketball, puzzles, a little girl showed me all around her room and took pictures of absolutely everything in it with my camera, it was adorable and the girl stayed glued to my side untill we left around 7.
Another Volunteer here is interviewing each kid for a book he is going to be writing and some of the stories of these children are so heart breaking. A group of the boys were rescued from a different orphanage where the head was an alcoholic and would beat them multiple times a day with a stick, whether they misbehaved or not. A boy told me he had big ears, because the head of that orphanage would pull them so hard everyday. A lot of the girls used to be Kumlaris (slaves) they were sold at young ages and some of them worked for the same family for many years and some of them worked with over 14 families for 8 years. All of them mentioned being beaten, the worst I heard was that one girl had not finished washing the families clothes in time so they beat her badly, tied her to a tree and left her there for 2 days. These stories are heartbreaking, but so inspirational at the same time. It really shows you how wonderful and Crucial Nepal orphans home is for them. Many of the children had such wonderful and large aspirations - a boy wanted to be the first Nepali astronaut, he had even received a letter and a singed picture from NASA (after a volunteer wrote to them telling them about him), some want to be teachers, a little boy wants to a scientist, one boy, Vishnu, wants to be a Nurse, some of the girls want to be doctors, or teachers, or pilots,or Veterinarians. Seeing them now you would never guess the horrors that a lot of these children went through, and I'm so glad I can be a part of keeping their childhood alive and their future promising.
After many hours with the children I was sad to leave, but me and the other 2 volunteers that had been there stopped for ice cream on the walk home, and we had great talks about the children and how different there lives may have been and how wonderful they are. When we got back, we knew we had missed dinner because we played too long, but me Jake and Jordan went a couple doors down to the Momo place (where I had had my little lunch earlier in the day - steamed water buffalo MOmo's. They're like dumplings or pot stickers and you can have them steamed or fried with your choice of a bunch of different meats. They were delicious!) This time I got a snack portion of 'chicken fry' as it was called, but I don't even think it was fried - it reminded me of if you would have taken the little chunks of chicken out of a stir fry - it was delicious.
To finish off the night I went up onto the roof with Jake Jordan and Hillary, and just talked and listened to Jake play his uechalayli (still have no idea how to spell that) it was wonderful, and all of the lights of the city were beautiful. The volunteer hours is up on a hill called Dhapsai heights, like a 15 min taxi ride from the heart of down town so we have amazing views.
Now it is almost 8 in the morning and I'm about to have breakfast, then my first Nepali and cultural lesson and then I get to go visit some temples down town (I'm very excited) I'll learn more about all the different placements still and then I'll go back to papas house again for some more playing and studying.
So this is so long, and probably terribly spelled, This keyboard doesn't have any letters on it because it's so old, so i'm sure i'm making a lot of mistakes. Please bear with me!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Greetings from Nepal
After almost 48 hours of travel time, I finally made it to Kathmandu and the volunteer house.
side note: another volunteer is sitting right next to me playing the uechalayli (no clue how to spell that) and can tell how wonderful of an experience this is going to be.
Any way I did have quite interesting experiences on the way here - anything from the person next to me refusing to let me sleep by somehow managing to talk the entire 8 and half hours to Delhi and when I did fall asleep, he'd let me be for a few minutes before loudly saying, "hey" right into my ear and waking me up, to the lady in Germany misreading her info sheet and telling me I couldn't fly to India from there because I didn't have a visa - giving me a near heart attack and panic attack until she finally realizes her mistake a ways later, to making friends with some Nepalese people about my age who go to school in the states and were on there way home to visit family, to meeting a psychologist from Cleveland who seems to travel at least 9 months out of the year and was extremely fascinating, to having a man from New zealand make a scene for me in the Nepali airport because he insisted they were ripping me off asking for a 100 dollar visa fee because he had been there a month before and it was only 50 dollars - untill he found out that I was staying for 6 weeks embarrassed he stated that is was the correct amount, to already being use to squat toilets, to seeing cows just hanging out in between highways and even in the middle of the road in the middle of such a huge and busy city, and everything in between! It has been fantastic. I've already completely fallen in love with the city - it only took me about 2 minutes after leaving the airport parking lot.
Anyways, there are volunteers here from all over - Toronto, California, New York, Australia, Beijing, and some I can't even remember. Tomorrow I get up early to help the children with there studies before they head to school and then I start my 'orientation' and tour of the city. I can't wait!
There is so much more to tell but this is already too long and I'm going to go watch a movie with some of the other volunteers - I'll be writing again soon!
Kaela
side note: another volunteer is sitting right next to me playing the uechalayli (no clue how to spell that) and can tell how wonderful of an experience this is going to be.
Any way I did have quite interesting experiences on the way here - anything from the person next to me refusing to let me sleep by somehow managing to talk the entire 8 and half hours to Delhi and when I did fall asleep, he'd let me be for a few minutes before loudly saying, "hey" right into my ear and waking me up, to the lady in Germany misreading her info sheet and telling me I couldn't fly to India from there because I didn't have a visa - giving me a near heart attack and panic attack until she finally realizes her mistake a ways later, to making friends with some Nepalese people about my age who go to school in the states and were on there way home to visit family, to meeting a psychologist from Cleveland who seems to travel at least 9 months out of the year and was extremely fascinating, to having a man from New zealand make a scene for me in the Nepali airport because he insisted they were ripping me off asking for a 100 dollar visa fee because he had been there a month before and it was only 50 dollars - untill he found out that I was staying for 6 weeks embarrassed he stated that is was the correct amount, to already being use to squat toilets, to seeing cows just hanging out in between highways and even in the middle of the road in the middle of such a huge and busy city, and everything in between! It has been fantastic. I've already completely fallen in love with the city - it only took me about 2 minutes after leaving the airport parking lot.
Anyways, there are volunteers here from all over - Toronto, California, New York, Australia, Beijing, and some I can't even remember. Tomorrow I get up early to help the children with there studies before they head to school and then I start my 'orientation' and tour of the city. I can't wait!
There is so much more to tell but this is already too long and I'm going to go watch a movie with some of the other volunteers - I'll be writing again soon!
Kaela
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
I'm off
Hey again,
I'm all packed up and ready to go! I leave from Chicago in a few hours and will be arriving in Kathmandu on Friday!! (It's a lot of travel time..) Hopefully all of my flights and lay overs go smoothly - but i'm sure I'll be reporting back with some kind of airport drama. My first few days there will be orientation and then I'll get to head to my specefic orphanage that i'll be working in - I'm still not sure which one it will be. I can't believe the day is finally here, it's going to be amazing.
Kaela
I'm all packed up and ready to go! I leave from Chicago in a few hours and will be arriving in Kathmandu on Friday!! (It's a lot of travel time..) Hopefully all of my flights and lay overs go smoothly - but i'm sure I'll be reporting back with some kind of airport drama. My first few days there will be orientation and then I'll get to head to my specefic orphanage that i'll be working in - I'm still not sure which one it will be. I can't believe the day is finally here, it's going to be amazing.
Kaela
Sunday, June 27, 2010
2 and a half weeks away!
Hey! I'm leaving in just 2 and a half weeks! I can't explain how excited I am!!! I managed to raise over 2400 dollars which is amazing and I can't thank everyone enough. Your love and support means the world to me.
Check back soon!
Kaela
Check back soon!
Kaela
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