Saving the world one geometry box at a time

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26-31-DEC-2007

Ben has purchased the box set of Scrubs. We cannot resist. The day after Christmas, we indulge in an all-day Scrubs marathon- first in the lounge room of the office and then in the hotel after we get the boot (after renting a DVD player and all!). So nice to Westernize and veg every once in a while. Miss just being able to lay on the couch all day during the weekend when the mood strikes and I don't feel like doing much else. However, we take things a bit to the extreme and the marathon goes on until 7am the next day until we notice that it's light outside. Um, probably should go to bed now...

I am not nearly as exhausted as I should be. I head into the office to discuss with Emma general issues with working in Nepal as well as specific challenges with Charity, my placement home. Today I will be meeting my new potential host family! Kamaal, the placement officer, gives me a ride to the home on his motorbike. Nearly everyone on the street does a double take, because they're apparently not accustomed to seeing giant white girls on the back of a Nepali driven motorbike. The new family is so sweet and welcoming! There are currently five of them living at the house- mother, father, 2 girls (16, 10), and 1 boy (3). The family's other member is an older girl who is living in Australia. The room is nice as well- Avril Lavigne posters and stickers are EVERYWHERE. I like it- it's homey. It is a one-story home with three bedrooms, a living area, kitchen, and bathroom. Hear they even have Internet! Also, there is a big garden off to one side of the house. The location is so much better than before, being set back from the road a bit. Will be much quieter in terms of road noise.

So it seems as though the Charity managers have moved half of the children into another home due to space constraits (most of the younger boys had been sleeping on bunk beds outside). Kamaal takes me to see the new place, which is much bigger and nicer than expected. There are four bedrooms, an (indoor!) toilet, and kitchen with a small common room attached. Definitely a step in the right direction, but how the managers plan on paying for the new place is beyond us all.

Kieran and I are saving the world... one geometry box at a time.

The candles I'd been using for my holiday shrine finally let loose and leaked heaps of wax all onto the carpet. I spend hours trying to scrape it all out with a miniture plastic spoon, but it's still blatantly obvious what happened there. There's only so much you can do...

I spend some time researching the Annapurna Circuit trek and Chitwan Nat'l Pk for my three free weeks in March. Looks like a winner! But need to decide whether to go earlier for better views or in March when it's a bit warmer (and less possibility of snowed in passes). I'd really rather not freeze to death. And to hire a female porter or go with a group? Either way, I want to see the mountains up close and ride on the back of an elephant! Because jungles and mountains are cool.

After a particular day of health checks, I am dropped off at home only to discover that my key is gone. I had seen a key under the table at one of the homes and exclaimed, 'Hey, that looks like my room key!'. But it never occurred to me to check if I actually had mine. My family does not have an extra because a previous volunteer ran away with it. It is after dark. They do not offer to take me to where I think I lost it, just letting me wander out in the darkness. Luckily, Kieran comes to my rescue and accompanies me on the grand key hunt. Unfortunately, neither of us can recall exactly where the home is since it is very difficult to get to, so the cabbie takes us back to where we started, and we admit defeat for the time being. I will have to sleep in the 'tea room' for the evening, so Kieran lends me clothes to get me through the night. Once the rest of the family leaves my temporary bedroom, I pass out quickly in my hoody beneath the heavy dust mite laden blanket. I wake up hundreds of times during the night due to my allergies, asthma, and unfamilliar surroundings. It's so cold, I have little choice but to pull the dusty, dirty blanket right up to my face. Breathe deep!

I initially wake up with the gods at 5am due to the bell ring right outside the living room door. I am lucky that hajuramma (grandmother) doesn't go crazy with the thing and decides that a single ring will do the job this morning. I am able to fall back asleep for a bit longer until the wheezing, runny nose, and watery eyes are too much to bear. At 630, I get up to prep for the second round of my grand key retrieval mission. Again, no one in the family offers to take me to go get it. So I put on my walking shoes (flip flops) and turn down every street on the way to the home because they all look the same. An hour and a half later, I finally arrive and lo and behold, my key is still there. 3h after departure, I finally arrive back home. My feet are not happy. Aaama asks me to get a duplicate of the key as if it is my responsibility.

During heath checks that day, Teddy lucks out and gets a ride on Dr. Puri's motorbike. Meanwhile, Kieran and I are stuck carrying all the junk uphill for a mile. We later find out that he had gotten a flat tire. This has nothing to do with Teddy being a fatass. (Jiskeko!) I manage the children at the Charity health check. I think I have finally mastered all 53 of their names! Later, I accompany Kieran while he de-scabies one of the kids at his home. Exciting! He quickly develops a complex and think scabies are crawling all over him so takes a shower outside under the glacial melt water. God Bless him.

I've found that it's so much easier having the kids split up between two homes for the daily health checks- makes for a much smaller mob to deal with.

Once moving day arrives, I try to pack up my belongings as inconspicuously as possible, because my family is unaware of my imminent departure. I decide to break the news to Aama (mother) over morning daal bhaat and she either 1. does not understand what I am trying to tell her or 2. doesn't give a rat's ass. I then head outside to tell Hajuramma (grandmother). It takes quite some time, but once she finally gets it, she is all smiles and doesn't seem bothered in the least. Kamaal arrives in the jeep, and we load up my things. I am free. Hajuramma and Hajurbaa (grandfather) each wave an enthusiastic goodbye- I have never seen them happier.

We head to my new house just long enough to drop off my belongings and meet the baa (father). He is so nice! I am certainly looking forward to spending more time with them.

In Thamel, we've all booked rooms at the Tradition for New Year's. My room smells of vodka. We have a bit of a party in one of the mega rooms with the new volunteers. I receive my daal bhaat shirt with "I heart daal bhaat" on the front. I love it- it is perfect. We head to K-too (as is the tradition for big events) where we are treated with party hats and noisemakers. New Year's just wouldn't be the same without them. As usual, we engage in some arm and leg flailing crazy dancing. I'm not exactly sure when midnight was because there was no countdown. After I'd had enough, we go for my roadside late night noodles with egg whites but I accidentally dump half of mine on the ground. For a split second I am half tempted to eat them... SPLIT second.

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Photos

That was not a happy baby...
GPPM

Fruit stands
Purchasing geometry boxes

Washing clothes
Charity kids at their new home

The boys
Moving in

Nepal
From the GPPM house

Beautiful
At Kieran's house

New Year's 2008
Letting loose