Off to the jungle!!!!

As if my trip couldn't be more amazing and unique, I now have another incredible journey ahead of me! On Sunday morning Adelaide and I will be leaving for a three day jungle safari in Chitwan National Park!!! One day is spent riding elephants! I cannot wait to touch and look into the eyes of these beautiful animals. There will be bugs galore, but I'm going to suck it up, and try not to be such a girl :) Can't wait to update my blog with my upcoming adventures and pictures!!!

reading groups

Everything has basically shut down because of the strikes, so the majority of my teaching has been at AmaGhar, rather than the school for the Little Sisters Fund, because I can't travel anywhere! I think I mentioned before that I have set up reading groups with all the children at AmaGhar. I'm also teaching computer programs, but the reading is more fun, and such a wonderful way to get to know the children individually. It's so exciting to see what books they will choose. Of course the pattern is that the boys read books related to football (soccer) or Spiderman, and the girls range between mystery and princesses. With the reading groups I am teaching better english as well as learning to read with punctuation in their voices.

When working on a word or sound, I laugh when I realize that not only are the children mimicking my voice, but my facial expressions as well! I have to remind them to copy the sound, not me! The hardest sounds are the combinaton of "sh" and "th." With the "th" combo I've taught them to stick their tongues thru their teeth to make the sound properly. "Stick your tongue out!" I repeat. I've been spit on (accidentally of course!) and shared a lot of laughter, but they are all working so hard. It warms my heart when those who are more advanced readers help their brothers and sisters, rather than make fun of them. There is so much love and respect between the children, which is such a large part of making AmaGhar feel like a real home. I am also part of the love and respect, and honestly feel as if I have been adopted by AmaGhar. The house mothers are so sweet and live to feed me until I am ready to burst. The children are full of endless questions, hugs, smiles, and laughter. And their voices are all so beautiful. They sing their prayers after dinner and even if I'm two floors down, and I can hear their sweet voices perfectly clear.

Yesterday afternoon I had also taken on the role of house doctor! Within two hours I bandaged SIX children in some way. I asked if they were purposely hurting themselves! I think it was just to get my trademark kiss on the forehead once the bandaging has been finished :) I asked Bonnie and she said it is very common for that many children to fall or trip, but they are coming to me for the attention and a new face. I don't mind one bit!!!

It's official?

So, word is that the strike (bandh) is now official. NOW official?! What has the past week been?! The difference in the "official" aspect is that now stores and most of the city is closed down, not just transportation. But, what doesn't make sense is that the children are going to school today, but haven't been going to school the past week. I have tried to stop making sense of all this! Strikes of all kinds are so common, that it doesn't seem to phase the Nepalese, just a part of life. What saddens me though is that all these countless strikes seem to be continuing the developing aspect of this country. Children are out of school for indefinite amounts of time. Businesses and banks are never certain when they can open. Transportation is either full-swing, or not allowed. How is a country supposed to progress if any sense of regularity is lacking?

Picture info

Just an FYI, if you want to look at all the pictures I've posted so far, or slower than the Flickr slideshow, just click on one of the pictures. This will take you to another screen and allow you to look at all the pictures individually.

Transportation Strike

And the strike continues.....I think this is day six. With the strike also comes blockades, so if you have private transportation, it still is dangerous to drive. The first strike was from students, wanting a discount on public transportation after the fare increase. The second strike was from actual gas stations, locking down their facilities. Regardless of a strike, the petrol (gas) situation is always chaos. People wait in their cars and bikes for hours just to get gas. Lines are usually two rows deep. I keep trying to imagine what would happen in the States if there was a gas shortage or transportation strike - unthinkable!!!

For five of these six days, the children have also been out of school. Needless to say, we are all feeling an awful case of cabin fever!!! I hope to be going into the city tomorrow to teach, but I won't know until the morning if I can travel. I am beginning to understand why the Nepalese never plan in advance - there is too much uncertainty in their lives!

I posted more pictures today!

Yay for earthquake survival food!

Bonnie was doing inventory of supplies for AmaGhar's earthquake survival kits. Most of the food was close to expiration, so she decided to cook it for lunch. When Bonnie came to our door asking if we wanted pasta and tomato sauce, Adelaide and I were running down the stairs!!! Oh the joy of eating something different!!! We both inhaled the pasta and were also treated with Tang! I felt like I was having a Thanksgiving feast! It was quite humorous though that few of the children shared our excitement about the meal. Most didn't like pasta, others wouldn't try it. Being typical teenage boys, I laughed as the boys mixed their pasta with Tang, hoping for a better taste! At least the kids know they don't share our passion for Italian food!

Rainy Days....

Now that it is officially Monsoon season, the rainy days are endless. Also pretty common are the kids not having to go to school because of yet another transportation strike. Having the combination today of both a rainy day and all the kids having school canceled made for great fun, but so tiring :) Thank goodness our new volunteer, Adelaide, is now here, so she was a great help!

In addition to drum lessons and building lincoln log houses, I also had my normal routine of computer lessons and reading groups. These have been great ways to get to know the children individually!

New pictures from today and the past week!