A Christmas Eve gift ...

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I received an email on Christmas Eve letting me know that I have been accepted to volunteer at one of the orphanage schools Mother Teresa founded through her organization, Missionaries of Charity. I can't believe it!! I'll be able to work from 8 am - Noon with the kids!! I am so amazed and grateful that a chance such as this has been presented, and I about fell out of my chair (literally 😊 when I got the news! I absolutely can't wait to see what a "day in the life" working there will be like and how I'll be able to help...

There has also been another opportunity presented by my Nepali language instructor - whom I met a few months back here in the D.C. area - to teach and volunteer at the Kanya Mandir School which is Nepal's oldest girls' school. The school is in the process of securing funding and support for a new computer literacy program - the administrators just received news that a sizeable grant has been approved and will be provided in the upcoming months!! Currently, only a few computers are available for an entire school filled with children... more importantly, it seems as though help is needed in just getting the library up to basic standards... it'll be interesting to see where the work will need to begin..

As far as my accommodations, for the first month I'll stay at the Himalayan Buddhist Meditation Center which looks as though it will be relatively close to both schools. It's located in Thamel which is an area considered to be more along the lines of a tourist location, and the center is a bit quieter than the hectic downtown Kathmandu (we'll see once I'm there 😊 ... Hopefully I'll get the chance to stay with a host family as well, to truly see how a traditional family lives in Nepal...I've received word about several families who host volunteers regularly.

It's funny, in finishing this entry, I've realized how my writing is sounding kind of "text-book" because my understanding of Nepal is still essentially limited to just reading about it (albeit for months on end 😊 ... I imagine I'll probably laugh at myself in just a couple weeks once I've been living in KTM for a bit 😊 actually, I'm sure I will 😊

with peace & love,
Margy


"If we have no peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other."

-- Mother Teresa
(1910-1997) Humanitarian,
Nobel Peace Prize 1979

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Comments

[MattDaly]

1st comment
That's very interesting Margy and very exciting. Your Christmas Eve gift puts a lot of peoples to shame. Sounds like a life learning experience especially staying at the Buddhist Meditation Center, Be safe and have a great time, I know you will.

[deleted_60149]

Presents come in many forms
Over the last year I have noticed that presents come in many forms. One was our chance meeting in November. Another was when I actually had surgery earlier in the year. In whatever you do, look for the present hidden inside. I know how excited you were about going to Nepal and it doesn't sound like that excitement has waned at all. When it comes time to move on, you should feel both sadness of what you'll be leaving as well as excitement about the next adventure. Hope you carried the picture of you and Jenn together. Stay in touch and never lose your excitement for living. -Bruce