Strikes, steep hills, sprained ankles and knittin sessions!

Namaste from Jorpati!

The monsoon season is just around the corner and storms of thunder, lightening and buckets of rain fall on a daily basis. I have learned how to handwash my own laundry and I think the monsoon storms give my clothes an extra rinse.

My volunteerism in Kathmandu has fallen into a regular pattern now. I wake, have breakfast a cup of coffee, read the English Kathmandu Post paper, then head to the DRC. Nepal is experiencing a nation-wide teacher's strike currently and over 7.6 million children aren't going to school. (The private teachers have been receiving a very low salary, even lower than the government school teacher's salary and from what I understand, the school owners are pocketing much of the tuition. Since there is no government mandated minimum wage, the private school teachers are being exploited. So, all of the teachers are striking.) A strike means that all of the kids at the DRC are "home" and selfishly, I love it. I know the kids should be getting an education, but I like that they are all at the DRC on a constant basis, as I get to spend more time with them.

A few days ago, I went to pick up the custom made yak leather shoes, purchase 50 pairs of white socks and run some other errands. Surindra, one of the oldest children at the DRC, came along with us. Not only is he a bright, happy, enthusiastic boy, but his English is excellent and he is on the best bargainers I've ever met. Erik, the other DRC volunteer, came with us to help carry the heavy shoes and to buy 2 new custom tailored suits. Surindra, was bargaining up a storm in his beautiful Nepalese. He's only 14, but has the fire in his belly of an old man and is such a delight to be around. We took him to lunch at the Boddnath to thank him for all of his efforts. I also offered to buy him something, anything that he wanted. After some thought, he asked for also a new pair of shoes. Apparently, he got a new pair of school shoes last month, but due to his age, experienced a growth spurt and they were already too small. I happily obliged and then thought about this purchase. Asking any 14-year-old teenager "what would you like?" would respond in buying a new video game, candy, maybe sport equipment, comic books, etc. Surindra, knew that he needed new school shoes and that's what he chose. These kids never cease to amaze me.

We took the shoes back to all of them and it was a fun and exciting process to hand out the new shoes and socks to the little and big ones. They were very thankful and the shoes look beautiful! After the shoe dispensing, they all wanted to go for a walk. So, over 15 kids, with 5 wheelchairs and many crutches set off. They wanted to go to the top of the hill that looks out over the DRC and the holy river, to see the Gumba monastery. I had gone up this same hill a few days before on the back of a motorcycle and was amazed at the steepness of these hills. So, now, here we are a big group of children with two adults on a trek up this super steep, not entirely paved road. All of the children that are capable, always help push (or in some cases pull) the wheelchairs. At one point, Naoli, this amazing child with one leg and a crutch, wanted to push his friend Dhan, in the wheelchair. When, I offered to help, he quickly resisted and pushed my hands away with great force. Then, he put one hand on handle of the wheelchair, put his head down into the soft back of the wheelchair and began pushing Dhan himself, with no complaints and no guff. Everyday, my heart melts for these children who continually amaze me with their love, determination and ambition. This day was no different. As I watched the two boys go ahead of me, I realized that I need these children as much as they need me. I feel so blessed to experience all of this.

At the monastery, we visited with Buddhist monks, who were happy to meet and talk with the children. We also young monks practicing on a horn-like instrument, making sounds similar to a diggeridoo and of course, loved the views. This monastery is so high up on the hill, we could see the Boddnath, the Kathmandu airport and most of the valley that surrounds us. It was gorgeous!

I also took a variety of knitting needles and yarn to the children a few days ago, courtesy of my friends Sarah and Briana in Seattle. Thank you! The goodies were quickly grabbed by the girls and one boy. We spent the afternoon knitting away and as I sat in the midst of the girls, as they knitted and sang Nepalese songs, I relished in the beautiful female energy that surrounded us. They are magnificent!

A few weeks ago, I sprained my ankle, quickly dodging a taxi in Thamel (like most other countries in the world, in Kathmandu, the taxi drivers do want to kill you). My ankle hasn't fully healed and walking the kids up to and back from the Gumba didn't help. The entire trip took 4 hours. Phew! So, I'm taking a few days off to rest my ankle and then will head back to the DRC for more fun. Namaste!