Home Sweet Home!!!

I'm back home at AmaGhar and couldn't be happier!!! From the minute I stepped in the doorway last week, I have been smothered with hugs and kisses from my brothers and sisters - I just can't get enough!!! I'm alternating nights of eating dinner with the boys and girls, and yep, always eating with my hands!

Already I have been a part of holiday celebrations. Last weekend was Father's Day, and all the AmaGhar children gave fruits, cards, and tikas (form of a blessing with red powder/liquid on the forehead) to their house fathers. It was so very sweet. I even made an attempt at giving my first tikas, and they of course ended up dripping into the poor men's eyes! I'll have to get a lesson on that later.

A few days later I was part of celebrating Teej (pronounced Tease), which is a holiday for all girls and women. The first step was getting fitted for the perfect bangle bracelets, my first ever! It was amazing to watch the girls choose their bracelets with such interest. After cutting my hand to pieces in the attempt to take the bangles on and off, I decided this will not be a normal occurance to wear them! I found out the hard way that the bangles are made of glass, not plastic!

The main celebration of Teej is around the temples of Durbar Square. I went into town with a few older girls, and two of the younger children. The beauty of all the red saris and glittering jewelry was stunning. I was fortunate to be dressed in Nepalese attire, so did my best to fit in. The women would gather in groups throughout the square to dance and sing, while drums pounded in the background. I was finally able to squeeze into a circle to get some pictures. One of the women grabbed my hand and pulled me into the dancing circle!!! Someone offered to hold my purse, the other took my camera and went crazy with taking pictures. I had no other option but to dance with the women, and pretend I knew what I was doing! The cheering got louder, and the crowd around us grew larger. Soon the woman who seemed to be of greatest importance wanted her turn with me! I didn't have a second to feel any embarrassment, but simply go with it! After every song I was pulled back up to dance :) It was such an indescribable feeling to be a part of such a special time with these women and their families.

I have pictures to post from this past week, and also from Thailand. But, with even more power limitations, my internet access is rare. Keep checking though!

Updates

Sawadee Khaa (spelled wrong, but means hello!)!!! I can't believe how quickly these several weeks have passed, and how much I have learned and experienced. Most importantly, I've realized how much the children of AmaGhar mean to me, and that I am not ready to leave the joy and fulfillment of working with them. After much thinking and planning, I have been able to register for part-time student status (working on my thesis), and return to AmaGhar this Saturday! I don't need to say how excited I am!!!

Volunteering in Thailand has been amazing as well. The children at the orphanage are so much fun, and so eager to learn! Their art is amazing - they will draw and paint for hours. I have great pictures, and hope to post them soon. They are all rescued street children, flourishing in their amazing home. They have all worked so hard to construct the buildings, literally built with their own hands, with pieces of plywood and tin. Clearly everything is very basic. All the kids contribute with chores and responsibilities. Their amazing personalities make the sweltering heat a bit more bearable! And, I love the fact that they have puppies!!!

I've also been teaching English with Jennryn at the resort, which we are so lucky to call home (beach, pool, a bunny farm, palm trees everywhere!). It's been so hard to get out of living in "survival mode" of Nepal, and relax with so many luxuries! We teach English to the restaurant staff and have had such a blast! Jennryn and I work amazing as a team, but also laugh endlessly, so there is never a dull moment. Yesterday we filmed our soap operas that we had our teams create - HILARIOUS!!! We had them write brief scripts in English, and then act them out, so they could see and hear themselves speak English. When Jennryn and I decided not only to direct, but also star in the dramas, it just added a whole new dimension!

Today we had a charade/scavenger hunt with English words. One of the descriptions was to "find red food." It wasn't until after the game was over that Jennryn and I realized one of my team members ate every piece of red food in the room, so the other team couldn't win!!! Such a smarty!!! He had apple cores and watermelon rinds all over the table!!

We ended class with an amazing round of "English Aerobics"! On the board we wrote hand, foot, up, down, left, right, turn around. Jennryn and I took turns leading the group in crazy actions using these words. We were lucky enough to have music and a camera!!! Hmmmm....maybe my calling isn't working with children....maybe it's acting as a soap opera actress and teaching aerobics!

Arrival in Thailand!!!

I've sadly left my family in AmaGhar and am now in Thailand. It is amazing to be at a beach resort, yet I can't help but miss Nepal :) I am staying with my friend Jennryn, so wonderful to see her! We are teaching english to the resort staff, and also working at a child development center for street children. I had such a great time yesterday getting to know the kids, playing Red Rover, running around in the dirt! And, to and from the development center, we took motorbike taxis!!!! A little frightening at first, but sooooo fun! The traffic is nowhere near comparable to Kathmandu, so it wasn't as scary as riding motorbikes in Nepal! I wish I had more time here! These two weeks are going to fly by....

back to the living!

I have literally been sick in bed for the past seven days. I caught a bacterial infection from poorly prepared food, not from AmaGhar, but from eating out in Kathmandu. I'll spare you the details of disgusting symptoms, but needless to say, it's been an awful week. Mid-week, after a continuous high fever, Bonnie took me to the doctor. We thought that from my loss of fluids I would need an IV, but I was glad to find out I was only partially dehydrated, so the IV wasn't needed. I was given rehydration salts (nasty taste!!!) to drink, and antibiotics.

I was just so relieved to find out it wasn't my appendix or something major. I have never felt such incredible pain in my stomach like that before. The entire house has been so sweet in taking such good care of me. Adelaide has been waiting on me night and day, always making sure I'm ok. There's even a drawing on my door from all the kids, saying they miss having fun with me, and hope I get better soon. The poor house mothers have been so upset, trying all their traditional medicines. The past few days I've been trying to go outside, do some laundry, or be active in some way. But, each time a house mother would walk me back inside, and insist I need more rest. After feeling like death for a week, I woke up this morning like a new person! The kids said it was like I was on a video game that suddenly added power to my body :) It felt so wonderful today to hang out with the kids, get back to my reading groups, and eat dinner with my hands again - I'm back!!! One of the girls just came in my room to say good night, and said she is so happy to see me smiling again. I love my AmaGhar family!!!!

Don't make me pull over!!!!

This morning on the micro, as I was making mental notes of amusing stories, I was transported back to thoughts of my childhood. There was an argument on the micro between the conductor and a passenger with a child on his lap. I couldn't understand what was going on (bit of a language barrier!), but I assumed the two were arguing about not paying for a child who doesn't use an actual seat. Suddenly, I felt as if I were on a family trip from my childhood. I smiled as I compared my arguing siblings, to the two men arguing with each other. At first I ignored the incident, but as the voices raised, so did the eyes of everyone on the micro. Then, the driver, chimed in. I could not understand how the driver heard anything, as the argument was on the back of the bus. It was as if my own parents had been transported to the front, having those "invisible eyes and ears" that always knew what was going on. I remembered how my parents would take turns saying, "Stop arguing! Don't make me stop this car and pull over!" And at that exact moment, the driver of the micro pulled over! I was waiting for the conductor to push the man out the door, but instead the rest of the bus chimed in to the argument. The passengers went from silent onlookers, to a competition as to whom could shout louder! I couldn't do anything but laugh at this moment. One man offered his own money for the arguing pair, but his hand was shoved aside. The driver shouted something that seemed very impressive, because after that point, the bus started moving again and nobody spoke a word. I was dying to ask someone what the argument was actually about, but I was afraid of making noise in the instantly silent bus :)

Fun facts continued!

9) There is no need for seatbelts on the micro because everyone is smashed into the bus like sardines.
10) When washing clothes, the best replacement for the spin cycle is stomping on your clothes in the soapy water.
11) Do not be startled by loud booming sounds, as they could be explosions of any kind - a tire blowng out, or a bomb!
12) Do not leave home without your surgical mask - it helps lessen the sting of the aromas of sewage and piles of garbage.
13) When in doubt, smile and laugh!
14) Toilet references are not #1 or #2, but instead short toilet and long toilet. No matter the age, a child and/or teenager will openly explain which will be happening, when asking to be excused from the room.
15) Cows, goats, dogs, chickens, and ducks have the right of way, not pedestrians.
16) Umbrellas are useless in a monsoon downpour.
17) Horns do not really mean get out of the way, but rather, ready or not here I come!
18) We are fortunate at AmaGhar to have a "neighborhood choir." Every night, promptly at 9, the frogs begin croaking, then the birds, ducks, chickens, and crickets chime in. The dogs start barking one by one, but then erupt into what sounds like hundreds. Our neighbor is friendly enough to chime in with about a half hour of hocking mucous outside the window. Not to be forgotten are the cows and goats, trying their best to be heard above the rest of the choir. Just in case we missed the nights' festivities and sweet melodies, the choir always provides an encore every morning, promptly at 5am. On special occassions, our neighbor not only hocks, but vomits as well.

P.S.

I just added new pictures from today. There are some of my kindergarten class, and then, two shots that Adelaide got of me on the micro! It's at the point when I was able to hang on the inside, so the pictures aren't at the point of insanity :)