Letters from Nepal XIX



Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Thunder storms and rain through the night have cooled things off.  By 7 am humidity was up and the clouds are starting to clear.

Our bus ride can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour.  The fare collector and driver get a percentage of the fares so there are busy crossroads that they will stop the bus. The fare collector gets off trying to drum up business. Then you wait, and wait, and sweat and wait. This can take as little as 10 minutes but usually closer to 20.  From this stop the bus slowly goes down the road with the fare collector yelling to passerbys “hollen chowk” which is the district we are in.

We are familiar with the route and landmarks but every so often a new route is taken by the bus. The good news is we end up at the same spot. To flag the bus, hold out your hand and ask the destination prior to getting on.  If you are lucky you may get a seat even if it is only a 6 inch gap; you are required by the fare collector to sit in order to make room for others getting on the bus.

The bus is low so for some of us who are taller we must bend over the entire time or risk smashing our heads on the roof as the bus jerks and maneuvers around people, yaks and cows.

There are no real paved roads here and the side roads are really full of gullies, rocks, stones, cow paddies and shoes.  When it rains, all the streets literally turn into small rivers so flip flips come off. When it dries a bit, which takes an hour or so, the owner of the flip flop will venture out to find the lost shoe.

Nikkita started her exams on Sunday. She must write 5 exams out of the regular 17 subjects. We are concerned about her math which she does not understand. The first day she was terrified and upset which is understandable as it is the first time since she has been 22 months that she has been at a regular school. Her mother never takes Nikkita outside so she comes to Children's Paradise by a small van that is owned by the school, driven home and left inside.

Our goal today at the school is to finish painting and snazzy up the structures.  We have many great ideas but it is really hard and at times impossible to find simple items. Everything has to be adapted from materials we find here.

The four of us have continued to have good health. We have had our fill of rice, Dahl baht and veggies but in a good way.

We also have a list of possible ways to spend some of the money donated. Rhonda and Julie sat down with the coordinators of the projects with a list of areas and projects that could use a helping hand.  Some items are 12 pairs of sneakers for some of the kids who come to one of the projects who live on the streets, playground equipment like basketballs, badminton, and funds to start a breakfast program.

At Children's Paradise we finished up designing what we would like to see implemented with this project and then sent the project coordinators on a search through Pokhara. We were asked to draw vines and flowers up one side of the structure and then figure out a colour scheme.

We left early to shower and change prior to starting our cooking lesson. We will endeavour to make some traditional Nepali food. These items are usually made on special occasions as they can be a bit time consuming.  We will be making momos and pakhodas.  Momos are dumplings that have been stuffed with various fillings and pakhodas are veggies that have been cut up and tossed in a chickpea coating, then fried.

 

Gate     Roshton

                           Gate                                       Roshtan