Hello Hello,
After a long week away from the little ones, we arrived safe and sound back at the home last night. All of the kids saw the van and came sprinting towards us. I missed them so much! There is a Christian team here right now from Colorado who are leaving today. It was fun last night to get to learn more about them and the work that they have done here while we were away for the week. They came all the way to Nepal just for 6 days! I can't even imagine! We had another singing and dancing night last night which is always so much fun. The kids are so talented, and then when they see us attempt to Nepali dance they just point and laugh.
There was another strike the day before yesterday so we were stuck in Chitwan. Instead of just sitting around, we decided to walk around the village and look for something that we could do. We came across a Children's Welfare Center and went and talked to the owners. There were 10 children there, some in pretty rough shape. That orphanage compared to the one that we are in was in awful condition. The entire space was the size of my appartment in Lethbridge, but was home to about 15 people. The floors were bare, the beds had one sheet on them, and bugs and flies were all over the childrens faces. Somehow they were still so full of smiles and excited to have some new friends for the day.
I went through some of the files of the kids there which gave their backgrounds and was devistated. Most of them were born into poor farming families, and many have experianced more in their 10 years of living then anyone should have to face in a lifetime. Some stories discussed AIDS killing parents and other siblings, others about torture and abuse within the home, and several with a single mother not being able to meet the needs of her 5 children. I cant beleive that these backgrounds are the reality for so many children here. If its not this, it seems that beaucse of lack of education, parents are selling their children in hopes of a better life into child labour or the sex trade. There are so many problems here, and I truly beleive that the root of it comes from lack of education.
Today we are going to clean out the local river that goes through the Godawari community. God only knows what kinds of things we are going to find in there so it should be interesting. In the same river, you see people throwing garbage and waste, and drinking and bathing their babies. It is not clean at all, but when it is your only source of water, you take what you can get. Hopefully we can atleast clean the garbage out it it.
That is all for now! Only 4 more days left. I can't beleive how fast this month has flown by!
Love you all!
See you in a few sleeps!
xoxo Tory
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
I'm Alive!! Happy Belated Birthday Daddy!
Hi everybody,
Sorry that it has been so long. I have quickly realized how different this culture is from our own. Everyday something new happens and makes me say "wow" and just makes me realize how fortunate we are back home. In Nepal there are regular strikes called "bandas" which are protests by either the people, or movements created by the very unstable government. These strikes are very different than the ones back home. When the government says that there is a strike, they mean it and they also mean that nobody is allowed to do anything. No one can drive, no stores can be opened and unfortunately no children can attend school. These strikes have been happening at least twice a week since we have arrived, since once one party strikes about something, a few days later their will be an opposing strike. If your drive during these, your car will be taken away, and it can be very dangerous.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DADDY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!! I did't forget about you I promise, because of the strikes I couldn't get to a computer! I hope you had an amazing birthday! Love you so much
Sorry that it has been so long. I have quickly realized how different this culture is from our own. Everyday something new happens and makes me say "wow" and just makes me realize how fortunate we are back home. In Nepal there are regular strikes called "bandas" which are protests by either the people, or movements created by the very unstable government. These strikes are very different than the ones back home. When the government says that there is a strike, they mean it and they also mean that nobody is allowed to do anything. No one can drive, no stores can be opened and unfortunately no children can attend school. These strikes have been happening at least twice a week since we have arrived, since once one party strikes about something, a few days later their will be an opposing strike. If your drive during these, your car will be taken away, and it can be very dangerous.
Last Friday we spent the entire day making water filters. For Brother Nepal, one water filter would take him five days, but with the nine of us we were able to finish two in seven hours. One is going to a local school and the other is going to be in the new home opening shortly. The process was crazy. A lot of washing big rocks, and than little rocks, and than sand. We had to cut holes in plastic, and using a burning nail to create other smaller holes to filer water. It was exhausting but a really cool skill to learn how to do. We are hoping to build two more and hand them out to some of the local families who are in need.
The debrief portion of these global trips is aimed at helping our team slowly start to readjust to our westernized way and is usually the last few days of the month. However, because of the strikes, Brother Nepal helped us plan our debrief for the middle of the trip to make sure that we were actually able to do it, and not stuck in Kathmandu during a strike.
The past 4 days have been absolutely insane. I cant even explain in words how I have felt. This culture is so laid back, and time really means nothing here. We left on Saturday and headed to Pochara which was about a 6 hour drive from the home. We arrived at a small guest house and spent the night. The next day we went Para-gliding. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into, and questioned my decision when I was in a jeep heading up a mountain. When we got to the top the view was unbelievable. I was strapped into a backpack, hooked on to a guide, and told to run towards the edge of a cliff. Before I made it to the end a huge parachute lifted me into the air. It was such an amazing feeling just floating. Instead of looking at the scenery, I found myself looking at the poverty around and the children looking up at me. A huge sense of guilt fell over me, and I felt really bad for paying money when that money could have gone elsewhere. It was still really fun and I am glad that I had the chance to try something new.
That night we went for dinner as a team and I had two street boys follow me and tug on pants begging for food. I still am having such a hard time knowing what to do when this happens. I offered to hold the one boys hand and held it out for him to grab on. He did and than ran away when he saw another tourist. At least I could make him feel loved for that short moment if nothing else.
The next day (sorry I have no sense of time or what day it is) was ridiculous. We drove another 5 hours and had absolutely no idea where we were going. We arrived at a hotel that had no running water and rooms that looked like jail cells. We wanted to live simply, and we did that very well at this place. Brother Nepal told us that we were going to hike to a remote mountain village and spend the night with them. We were informed that the hike would be 2-10 hours, whatever that means. Well, the nine hour hike almost killed all of us. We all have bad coughs because of all the pollution and walking straight up a mountain on steep, jagged rocks, with the added bonus of the altitude change was insane. We did walk through many villages and got to meet some really cool people. I had a conversation with a man who didn't speak a word of English. We used hand motions and I pointed to the flag on my backpack and he pointed to his cow. I learned a lot about him haha! When we arrived at the village it was like nothing I have ever seen before. Everyone living there is part of the "Mongoli Caste" which is one of the four castes in Nepal. These people are mostly soldiers. They split us up among different families and we spend the evening with them. We slept in a mud hut, and when we were called for dinner and I went to the table outside, they looked at me like I was crazy. They motioned me to come into their home (a layer of straw, than mud, than cow dung with a straw roof) and I had to duck or else I would have hit my head on the ceiling. I stayed with a Mother and Father and their two older daughters one who had a beautiful baby who I played with the whole night. Their was a fire right in the middle of the floor and the hut was lit by candle light. It was so hot in their but so amazing. They fed me everything they could and would not stop offering me more food, even if it meant that they wouldn't eat that night. I even got chicken which is only offered on special occasions. One of the daughters spoke a few words of English so we did our best to understand each other. It was an amazing experience. When we woke up we were dressed in traditional mountain village clothing which consisted of about 7 of the heaviest layers ever. Everything was so tight on me because the women here are so petite. We went for a tour of the village, met some of the locals and were taught some of the culture. We were shown many different dances and asked to come up on stage and join in. We were terrible! They blessed us by putting sticky rice on our foreheads and a flower behind our ears and when we were leaving gave us a string tied to beautiful flowers. These people have such a sense of community and it amazes me how I don't even know some of my neighbors names. Life is purely about survival, and without neighbors it wouldn't be possible for these people. I feel like if these people knew what it was like for us back home, we would be the ones that they felt sorry for. I have many more stories from this evening but I will tell you all about it when I get home.
Last night we drove another 6 hours to Chitwan which is a national park. This morning we went elephant trekking through a jungle and saw some amazing birds, monkey and rhinos. Elepahtns are amazing! We just got back from bathing elephants, and by that I mean I was in a Nepoli river swimming with two of them. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done. I was on ones back and it would fill its truck with water bring it over its head and spray you in the face. They are such beautiful animals!
We were supposed to leave to go back to the home tomorrow, but once again there are strikes all over Nepal which means we are stuck here. I really miss my little friends back at the home. Mom, they are loved so so much. Its different than Uganda where I felt really sad for the kids, I know these ones are cared for and loved to death. Its more of a big family than a bunch of orphans. There is one girl who could really use our help who I will tell you all about when I get home! I brought out the parachute a few weeks ago, and Brother Nepal teared up. The kids absolulty went wild!!! I showed them your message and they pointed at your name and said "Sister Lisa?" They call everyone brother or sister. I told them all about you and showed them your picture. I have a video of them talking to you I cant wait to show you!!!
We only have a few days left, so we are going to be busy building those last few filters, cleaning out the local river that runs through Godawari, visiting schools, and spending every last minute with my little friends! I don't even want to think about having to say goodbye to them, its going to break my heart!
I think I now have carpal tunnel from typing since it has been so long! I love you all and miss you all so so much! I will be home soon! Sorry I kept you worried, and be so so grateful that we do not have strikes like these back home, they are scary!
xoxo Tory
PS: Derek I promised you a blog shout out! Miss you and love you so much, see you soon xoxo
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Namaste!
Namaste! (I see the light in you- The Nepolis way to say hello!)
Sorry I havnt been updating all of you this past week. I am so excited that so many people are following along this trip with me, it is so nice to know that through my eyes I can share my story with everyone back home.
The last week has been insane! On Monday we went back into Kathmandu to buy the groceries that we were going to need to take on being the cooks for the day for the orphanage. We decided on making french toast and fruit salad for lunch, and pasta with ceaser salad and garlic bread for dinner. The lunch was a hit, and well, the dinner wasn't good at all! But we tried. After buying the groceris Sapana (the mother of the home) took us into this back street of Kathmandu. There was a festival going on, and the streets were absolulty packed with cars, buses, motorcycles, people, vendors, and children with toys and balloons piled ontop of their shoulders. There was smoke and inscense burning throughout the streets and large temples on wheels which were actually a small hut on the back of a truck with a 50 foot leaning tree coming from it. People were praying and climbing the tree and it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. On our way through the street I saw several large dumpsters overflowing with garbage and people and many small children sorting through it. The clothes were being layed out on the dirt beside the dumpster and people were walking by and claiming a new article of clothing. Can you imagine this being your form of a garage sale? The smell of the garbage and the pollution is awful and you can only handle being down town for a short period of time. Sapana took is into this sketchy back shop and we climbed several levels of dark stairs and made our way into a small shop. All the girls got to pick our own fabric and they are making us our own Hijab (the tradition outfit worn by Nepoli women). Mine is flouresent colours and I cant wait to get it back next week. Im probably going to wear it on the plane home!
Our Canada experiance day was a success, we taught the kids how to sing our national anthem, and they really enjoyed Canadian food, especially syrup! Attempting to do the dishes after a dinner where we used every single pot that we could find was insane. You know you are in trouble when you here someone say "Its okay guys, we are making progress, there are no more dishes on the floor". The washing system here takes forever, and we are definitly not nearly as efficient at it as the older kids. They stood back and laughed at us and eventually took over.
Yesterday we had a touristy day and took a 3 hour bus ride to a resort called "The Last Resort". The drive there was gorgous. We drove through the Himalyans and were only about 10km away from the Chinese boarder. The worst part was during one of our stops I was eating a sandwhich. I looked over at the door and a Nepoli woman was standing there motioning with her hand that she was hungry. We have been told time and time again not to give anything to people who are begging, but this made me feel stick to my stomach. I always try to acknowledge the people who are begging, and the children who are pulling on you asking for money, but having her staring at me while I was holding food was easily the worst feeling in the world. The driver closed the door in her face and I was absolutly disgusted.
When we made it to the resort I bunjee jumped for the second time. Yes Mom, i through myself off a metal, wobbly, bridge that stood 160m above a flowing river and between to moutains. It was awesome! I got to the bottom however and looked at the mountain that I had to climb to get back to the top. I think the hike back up was more dangerous than the initial jump!
I almost died on the ride home! We experianced our first monsoon which was insane. It was raining harder than I thought was possible and the wind was Lethbridge strong. In 3 hours we drove through a mudslide, we had to stop to move boulders, we dodged a fallen tree, and almost ran over a man who got blown off his motor bike. I am not going to lie, I said a few prayers in my head that we would make it back alive. We did though and now I am here telling you the story!
Today we finished painting the compound of the second orphanage that will soon open. It looks great and was a huge job! We also talked to Sapanas brother Keesher about Nepoli politics and about the country as a whole. I learned a lot about the child labour problems as well as the issue of young girls being sold into borothels in India. I hope to learn more about this throughout the reamining weeks.
I have to go sing with the little ones!
Miss you and love you all!
xoxo Tory
Ps- Sorry for my spelling I am trying to beat the power outtage!
Sorry I havnt been updating all of you this past week. I am so excited that so many people are following along this trip with me, it is so nice to know that through my eyes I can share my story with everyone back home.
The last week has been insane! On Monday we went back into Kathmandu to buy the groceries that we were going to need to take on being the cooks for the day for the orphanage. We decided on making french toast and fruit salad for lunch, and pasta with ceaser salad and garlic bread for dinner. The lunch was a hit, and well, the dinner wasn't good at all! But we tried. After buying the groceris Sapana (the mother of the home) took us into this back street of Kathmandu. There was a festival going on, and the streets were absolulty packed with cars, buses, motorcycles, people, vendors, and children with toys and balloons piled ontop of their shoulders. There was smoke and inscense burning throughout the streets and large temples on wheels which were actually a small hut on the back of a truck with a 50 foot leaning tree coming from it. People were praying and climbing the tree and it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. On our way through the street I saw several large dumpsters overflowing with garbage and people and many small children sorting through it. The clothes were being layed out on the dirt beside the dumpster and people were walking by and claiming a new article of clothing. Can you imagine this being your form of a garage sale? The smell of the garbage and the pollution is awful and you can only handle being down town for a short period of time. Sapana took is into this sketchy back shop and we climbed several levels of dark stairs and made our way into a small shop. All the girls got to pick our own fabric and they are making us our own Hijab (the tradition outfit worn by Nepoli women). Mine is flouresent colours and I cant wait to get it back next week. Im probably going to wear it on the plane home!
Our Canada experiance day was a success, we taught the kids how to sing our national anthem, and they really enjoyed Canadian food, especially syrup! Attempting to do the dishes after a dinner where we used every single pot that we could find was insane. You know you are in trouble when you here someone say "Its okay guys, we are making progress, there are no more dishes on the floor". The washing system here takes forever, and we are definitly not nearly as efficient at it as the older kids. They stood back and laughed at us and eventually took over.
Yesterday we had a touristy day and took a 3 hour bus ride to a resort called "The Last Resort". The drive there was gorgous. We drove through the Himalyans and were only about 10km away from the Chinese boarder. The worst part was during one of our stops I was eating a sandwhich. I looked over at the door and a Nepoli woman was standing there motioning with her hand that she was hungry. We have been told time and time again not to give anything to people who are begging, but this made me feel stick to my stomach. I always try to acknowledge the people who are begging, and the children who are pulling on you asking for money, but having her staring at me while I was holding food was easily the worst feeling in the world. The driver closed the door in her face and I was absolutly disgusted.
When we made it to the resort I bunjee jumped for the second time. Yes Mom, i through myself off a metal, wobbly, bridge that stood 160m above a flowing river and between to moutains. It was awesome! I got to the bottom however and looked at the mountain that I had to climb to get back to the top. I think the hike back up was more dangerous than the initial jump!
I almost died on the ride home! We experianced our first monsoon which was insane. It was raining harder than I thought was possible and the wind was Lethbridge strong. In 3 hours we drove through a mudslide, we had to stop to move boulders, we dodged a fallen tree, and almost ran over a man who got blown off his motor bike. I am not going to lie, I said a few prayers in my head that we would make it back alive. We did though and now I am here telling you the story!
Today we finished painting the compound of the second orphanage that will soon open. It looks great and was a huge job! We also talked to Sapanas brother Keesher about Nepoli politics and about the country as a whole. I learned a lot about the child labour problems as well as the issue of young girls being sold into borothels in India. I hope to learn more about this throughout the reamining weeks.
I have to go sing with the little ones!
Miss you and love you all!
xoxo Tory
Ps- Sorry for my spelling I am trying to beat the power outtage!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
We Are The Change That We Have Been Waiting For
Hi friends and family,
The last couple days, like most days here, have been jammed pack with learning more about the Nepoli culture and finishing up the jobs that we have started. A few days ago Brother Nepal and James took us on a hike through the Godawari village which is the area that surrounds us here at the home. We weren't sure what was in store for us, but after 6 hours of hiking up a mountain, through a forest and through different markets we made it home. First we hiked up a mountain and arrived at a famous Hindu temple. Several young boys were bathing in the local bathing pool which was being filled with beautiful foutnains. Prayer flags surrounded the temple, and beautiful structures were everywhere. After we tried some local bread from a Nepoli restraunt (a tarp over two wodden benches) and then walked through the Botanical Forest where the King used to live. We had lunch at "The Ocean Restraunt" which seemed funny since Nepal is landlocked. What would have been an hour lunch in Canada seemed to last forever, and every few minutes we were informed that something that we ordered was no longer available. It was quite humorous! After lunch, we headed towards the huge golden Buddah that rests along the mountain that we can see from the home. To get the him we needed to climb about 200 of the steepest stairs that I have ever seen. At the top Buddah was too tall to touch, so I rubbed his bum and made a wish. The few from up there was amazing, and we could see the entire village! On the way home we passed a cement building and after standing inside were notified that it was the place where dead bodies are held before being cremated. It was a bit creepy. The entire day was amazing, and I feel like we got to see a lot of the poverty and devistation that unfortunately is Nepal. Garbage is everywhere and in every pool of water that can be seen, and homes are falling apart. I wish that there was more that we could do for the entire community, but unfortunatley it would take more than a month to put a dent on the work that needs to be done.
The other night Brother Nepal told us his life story (something that we all do throughout our month together). With a smile on his face he told us how he is the youngest of 4 boys, and the only survivor. He also has 5 sisters, 1 who recently passed away while giving birth, one who is homeless and living with his mother in another village, and three who have married and he no longer is in touch with. At the age of 8 he switched from the Hindu religion to Catholicism and was the man of the house. He was repsonsible for his family and had to fight neighbours and the Maoists trying to steal his land. I cant even beleive the life that he has lived and how he is still one of the most positive people that I have ever met.
His life story and being here has really made me realize how women's rights are struggling. We have advanced so far back in the west, but here woman are told what to wear, they are told who to marry, and they are told when and what to do at all times. This is something that I am really struggling with. Looking at all the beautiful little faces of the girls in this home, I really pray that changes can be made before they grow up. I have done some research on womans rights and discovered that women complete 66% of the worlds work in develping countries, recieve 10% of the income, and own 1% of the property. How can this be? Women in developing countries produce 80% of the food, yet are still the population that creates 60% of the worlds hunger. I just cant beleive where our priorities are back home, and that dealing with is doesnt even seem to make our list. I am not sure what I can do to help when I get home, but I hope I have a plan by the end of the month. Women are the first caretakers and first educators of every new generation and the backbone of the economy and we need to do something to help them understand how valuable and important they really are.
Last night the children all showed us a different Nepoli dance while being accmpanied by musical instruments, singing and clapping. It was amazing. After they invited each of us to attemp what they had taught us. They are such beautiful dancers and I really dont feel like I did their moves justice.
That is all that I have time for now! Miss you all so so much!
xoxo Tory
Ps: Mama, you didn't comment on my last post, I hope everything is okay back home! I love you!
The last couple days, like most days here, have been jammed pack with learning more about the Nepoli culture and finishing up the jobs that we have started. A few days ago Brother Nepal and James took us on a hike through the Godawari village which is the area that surrounds us here at the home. We weren't sure what was in store for us, but after 6 hours of hiking up a mountain, through a forest and through different markets we made it home. First we hiked up a mountain and arrived at a famous Hindu temple. Several young boys were bathing in the local bathing pool which was being filled with beautiful foutnains. Prayer flags surrounded the temple, and beautiful structures were everywhere. After we tried some local bread from a Nepoli restraunt (a tarp over two wodden benches) and then walked through the Botanical Forest where the King used to live. We had lunch at "The Ocean Restraunt" which seemed funny since Nepal is landlocked. What would have been an hour lunch in Canada seemed to last forever, and every few minutes we were informed that something that we ordered was no longer available. It was quite humorous! After lunch, we headed towards the huge golden Buddah that rests along the mountain that we can see from the home. To get the him we needed to climb about 200 of the steepest stairs that I have ever seen. At the top Buddah was too tall to touch, so I rubbed his bum and made a wish. The few from up there was amazing, and we could see the entire village! On the way home we passed a cement building and after standing inside were notified that it was the place where dead bodies are held before being cremated. It was a bit creepy. The entire day was amazing, and I feel like we got to see a lot of the poverty and devistation that unfortunately is Nepal. Garbage is everywhere and in every pool of water that can be seen, and homes are falling apart. I wish that there was more that we could do for the entire community, but unfortunatley it would take more than a month to put a dent on the work that needs to be done.
The other night Brother Nepal told us his life story (something that we all do throughout our month together). With a smile on his face he told us how he is the youngest of 4 boys, and the only survivor. He also has 5 sisters, 1 who recently passed away while giving birth, one who is homeless and living with his mother in another village, and three who have married and he no longer is in touch with. At the age of 8 he switched from the Hindu religion to Catholicism and was the man of the house. He was repsonsible for his family and had to fight neighbours and the Maoists trying to steal his land. I cant even beleive the life that he has lived and how he is still one of the most positive people that I have ever met.
His life story and being here has really made me realize how women's rights are struggling. We have advanced so far back in the west, but here woman are told what to wear, they are told who to marry, and they are told when and what to do at all times. This is something that I am really struggling with. Looking at all the beautiful little faces of the girls in this home, I really pray that changes can be made before they grow up. I have done some research on womans rights and discovered that women complete 66% of the worlds work in develping countries, recieve 10% of the income, and own 1% of the property. How can this be? Women in developing countries produce 80% of the food, yet are still the population that creates 60% of the worlds hunger. I just cant beleive where our priorities are back home, and that dealing with is doesnt even seem to make our list. I am not sure what I can do to help when I get home, but I hope I have a plan by the end of the month. Women are the first caretakers and first educators of every new generation and the backbone of the economy and we need to do something to help them understand how valuable and important they really are.
Last night the children all showed us a different Nepoli dance while being accmpanied by musical instruments, singing and clapping. It was amazing. After they invited each of us to attemp what they had taught us. They are such beautiful dancers and I really dont feel like I did their moves justice.
That is all that I have time for now! Miss you all so so much!
xoxo Tory
Ps: Mama, you didn't comment on my last post, I hope everything is okay back home! I love you!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Children Today...Leaders Tomorrow
Hi Everyone,
I was just sitting here trying to remember all of the amazing things that have happened throughout the past 4 days, but everyday brings something new and exciting and it is really hard to remember everything that I have wanted to share with you all. On Monday we started our working days and began painting the children's playground. It was rusting, and had sharp edges that kept scratching the kids, so we sanded and cleaned the slide, sea saw and swings and painted with bright colored paint that we got that morning in Kathmandu. Kathmandu is kind of scary. Not because of the people, but becuase of the bussiness. It is hard to know where to look. There is so much going on, the smells make your stomache turn upside down, and you are constantly being honked at! Garbage is a real problem here. We passed a river that later we saw a mother and her baby bathing in. In that same rivern were piles and piles of garbage, and about 30 cows standing in it. It made me feel sick to my stomach that that is potentially peoples drinking water. We drove through severe severe poverty and then slowly made our way into the touristy area which made me really mad. All of a sudden the roads were clean, and the stores were selling things aimed at our western culture. I knew that there were other white people in Nepal, but as soon as we turned a corner, we found them all. Some listening to ipods, others with 3 cameras around their nexts, and several on lap tops. It was really frustrating to see that people come all of this way to ignore the problems that exist in these places. We were able to take Brother Nepal and his youngest son James out for lunch which was nice. James is 14 and we have actually started building a really cool relationship. Forwhatever reason he can understand my english easier than the rest. I almost translate what everyone else says for him. He always comes to me to ask questions and invited me to go into town with him today with another boy on our team. He is so beyong his yeas it is crazy and is starting universtiy in 2 months becuase he was able to skip some grades. I am so proud of him!
Anyways back to the work we completed on Monday. We finshed the playground, and moved onto painting the poles that surround the volleyball net that is set up outside the home. A few of us also painted the basketball hoop which ended up with me almost making a trip to the hospital! I thought it would be a good idea to climb up and paint over top, but we didnt realize that the hoop was not very stable. Luckily the rest of the team was there to catch me, when the entire hoop started shaking. In the end it looks fantastic though, and the entire playground looks way more inviting. The kids were all so excited! We also handed out umbrellas and were able to play with them outside during one of many flash flods that happen in the valley. I had an amazing Nepal moment the other day. It was raining and instead of going inside to stay dry I decided to stay outside with the kids. I found myself teaching about 10 little ones how to make sand castles, and stopped to look around. I was in Nepal, at an orphanage, building sand castles in the rain! It doesnt get much cooler than that.
The last two days have been dedicated to finishing up all of the painting projects that we have started. Today we finished painting the front gate and the poles surrounding the pool that we have cleaned as well. Once that is finishe we are going to fill the pool and give swimming lessons! I cant wait! We have also been spending a lot of time with the kids. One of my favorite little guys Samson and I made paper boats and took them out to the stream and had boat races. The other kids were jealous and we ended up having many little friends join us. We have had many great games of soccer, and they love patty cake games.
Every morning the kids start off with a group sing along. Most of the songs are in Nepoli but sometimes they throw a beautiful english song that always gets me. I was doing so well, but when they asked me to teach them a song and I had them all singing "we are children of the light" I had my first melt down. 25 amazing kids, who have all gone so well, singing english words about how they are the light, and how they are going to spread joy across the land, just killed me. I love them all so much.
I think that is all for now. We have to get back to work! I hope everything is going great back home! Love you all!
xoxo Tory
I was just sitting here trying to remember all of the amazing things that have happened throughout the past 4 days, but everyday brings something new and exciting and it is really hard to remember everything that I have wanted to share with you all. On Monday we started our working days and began painting the children's playground. It was rusting, and had sharp edges that kept scratching the kids, so we sanded and cleaned the slide, sea saw and swings and painted with bright colored paint that we got that morning in Kathmandu. Kathmandu is kind of scary. Not because of the people, but becuase of the bussiness. It is hard to know where to look. There is so much going on, the smells make your stomache turn upside down, and you are constantly being honked at! Garbage is a real problem here. We passed a river that later we saw a mother and her baby bathing in. In that same rivern were piles and piles of garbage, and about 30 cows standing in it. It made me feel sick to my stomach that that is potentially peoples drinking water. We drove through severe severe poverty and then slowly made our way into the touristy area which made me really mad. All of a sudden the roads were clean, and the stores were selling things aimed at our western culture. I knew that there were other white people in Nepal, but as soon as we turned a corner, we found them all. Some listening to ipods, others with 3 cameras around their nexts, and several on lap tops. It was really frustrating to see that people come all of this way to ignore the problems that exist in these places. We were able to take Brother Nepal and his youngest son James out for lunch which was nice. James is 14 and we have actually started building a really cool relationship. Forwhatever reason he can understand my english easier than the rest. I almost translate what everyone else says for him. He always comes to me to ask questions and invited me to go into town with him today with another boy on our team. He is so beyong his yeas it is crazy and is starting universtiy in 2 months becuase he was able to skip some grades. I am so proud of him!
Anyways back to the work we completed on Monday. We finshed the playground, and moved onto painting the poles that surround the volleyball net that is set up outside the home. A few of us also painted the basketball hoop which ended up with me almost making a trip to the hospital! I thought it would be a good idea to climb up and paint over top, but we didnt realize that the hoop was not very stable. Luckily the rest of the team was there to catch me, when the entire hoop started shaking. In the end it looks fantastic though, and the entire playground looks way more inviting. The kids were all so excited! We also handed out umbrellas and were able to play with them outside during one of many flash flods that happen in the valley. I had an amazing Nepal moment the other day. It was raining and instead of going inside to stay dry I decided to stay outside with the kids. I found myself teaching about 10 little ones how to make sand castles, and stopped to look around. I was in Nepal, at an orphanage, building sand castles in the rain! It doesnt get much cooler than that.
The last two days have been dedicated to finishing up all of the painting projects that we have started. Today we finished painting the front gate and the poles surrounding the pool that we have cleaned as well. Once that is finishe we are going to fill the pool and give swimming lessons! I cant wait! We have also been spending a lot of time with the kids. One of my favorite little guys Samson and I made paper boats and took them out to the stream and had boat races. The other kids were jealous and we ended up having many little friends join us. We have had many great games of soccer, and they love patty cake games.
Every morning the kids start off with a group sing along. Most of the songs are in Nepoli but sometimes they throw a beautiful english song that always gets me. I was doing so well, but when they asked me to teach them a song and I had them all singing "we are children of the light" I had my first melt down. 25 amazing kids, who have all gone so well, singing english words about how they are the light, and how they are going to spread joy across the land, just killed me. I love them all so much.
I think that is all for now. We have to get back to work! I hope everything is going great back home! Love you all!
xoxo Tory
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Living Simply!
Hi Everybody!
Yesterday at 9:00 Am we arrived in Kathmandu safely, after a 4 hour flight to Huston, a 16 hour flight to Doha, Qatar, and another 4 hour flight to Kathmandu! The journey here was long, but flying into the city was amazing! Buildings are everywhere, and the streets are packed. Similar to Africa, their are no rules of the road, people are everywhere, babies are running around naked, and cows fill the streets because they are sacred. Everything went relatively smoothly, except after standing in the visa and immigration line for over an hour in an extremely hot airport, we were told that we needed a picture along with our passport picture. This ended up being a scam and not the case, but we didn't realize this until we left the line, found a small photo booth in the airport, and paid $15.00 for the picture! Owell, what can you do! All of our backpacks and all 6 huge duffel bags filled with donated goods (hospital supplies, school supplies, bed sheets, umbrellas, toys etc..) all made it here without a probelm, and Brother Nepal (the father of the home that we are staying at) was waiting for us outside the Kathmadu airport. All nine of us piled into a van, and we headed towrads the Lalitpur district, in the Kathmandu Valley.
The valley is absolulty breath taking. Mountains are surrounding us, and crops are everywhere. The orpahange is completly self sustaining, and all of the little ones have jobs that help maintain the crops, clean the house, and feed everybody. They have a potatoe feild, a fish pond, ducks, carrots, cabbage, corn, wheat, and three huge pigs! As I sit here and write this, I am looking out a window at 24 kids playing the best game of hide and go seek that I have ever seen, I can hear music coming from the Buddhist temples, and I can see a huge golden Buddah in the middle of one of the mountains! Crazy!
When we arrived at the orphanage, we were greeted each with a beautiful bouquet, and a line of little ones singing to us and handing out hugs. It was amazing! I truly felt like I was at home. I missed this feeling so so much! We met with Brother Nepal and Sapana his wife, unpacked our stuff, and decided that being jet legged was not a good enough excuse to not help harvest potatoes! It was so hard, but so fun. We joined in with 10 Nepoli men and women and dug up potatoes for the rest of the afternoon. This was easily one of the hardest jobs ever, and my back is killing me today. Not being able to communicate with these people was hard, but watching as they laughed at everything we did was pretty funny. I watched a 98 year old lift a sack of potatoes over her head like it was a pillow and climb a clif! I tried to lift a smaller sack, and couldn't even get it an inch off the ground. Pretty embarassing! One of the boys on the team sliced his hand open pretty good, and we couldn't tell if the people were worried about him, or concerned that he was bleeding on their potatoes as they shewed him away! He is alright though!
Today we went to church for 2 hours. Unfortunately I didn't understand a word, but it was a cool experiance. The church was the top level of the sketchiest appartment building, and we sat cross legged on a pillow!
We start our jobs tomorrow. There is a community stream that is filled with garbage, so I think we are going to take that on. There is also a second home being built that we are going to help finish. Those are the first of many jobs that we hope to compelte.
That is it for now! I will try and write twice a week depending on how the power situation is.
Love you all! Talk to you soon!
xoxo Tory
Ps: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MAMA! 2 years in a row! I am terrible. I love you so so much, and I wish you were here with me. You would love the kids they are so fun. I hope you have a great day and Ains and leight spoil you! Love you and miss you already! xoxo
Yesterday at 9:00 Am we arrived in Kathmandu safely, after a 4 hour flight to Huston, a 16 hour flight to Doha, Qatar, and another 4 hour flight to Kathmandu! The journey here was long, but flying into the city was amazing! Buildings are everywhere, and the streets are packed. Similar to Africa, their are no rules of the road, people are everywhere, babies are running around naked, and cows fill the streets because they are sacred. Everything went relatively smoothly, except after standing in the visa and immigration line for over an hour in an extremely hot airport, we were told that we needed a picture along with our passport picture. This ended up being a scam and not the case, but we didn't realize this until we left the line, found a small photo booth in the airport, and paid $15.00 for the picture! Owell, what can you do! All of our backpacks and all 6 huge duffel bags filled with donated goods (hospital supplies, school supplies, bed sheets, umbrellas, toys etc..) all made it here without a probelm, and Brother Nepal (the father of the home that we are staying at) was waiting for us outside the Kathmadu airport. All nine of us piled into a van, and we headed towrads the Lalitpur district, in the Kathmandu Valley.
The valley is absolulty breath taking. Mountains are surrounding us, and crops are everywhere. The orpahange is completly self sustaining, and all of the little ones have jobs that help maintain the crops, clean the house, and feed everybody. They have a potatoe feild, a fish pond, ducks, carrots, cabbage, corn, wheat, and three huge pigs! As I sit here and write this, I am looking out a window at 24 kids playing the best game of hide and go seek that I have ever seen, I can hear music coming from the Buddhist temples, and I can see a huge golden Buddah in the middle of one of the mountains! Crazy!
When we arrived at the orphanage, we were greeted each with a beautiful bouquet, and a line of little ones singing to us and handing out hugs. It was amazing! I truly felt like I was at home. I missed this feeling so so much! We met with Brother Nepal and Sapana his wife, unpacked our stuff, and decided that being jet legged was not a good enough excuse to not help harvest potatoes! It was so hard, but so fun. We joined in with 10 Nepoli men and women and dug up potatoes for the rest of the afternoon. This was easily one of the hardest jobs ever, and my back is killing me today. Not being able to communicate with these people was hard, but watching as they laughed at everything we did was pretty funny. I watched a 98 year old lift a sack of potatoes over her head like it was a pillow and climb a clif! I tried to lift a smaller sack, and couldn't even get it an inch off the ground. Pretty embarassing! One of the boys on the team sliced his hand open pretty good, and we couldn't tell if the people were worried about him, or concerned that he was bleeding on their potatoes as they shewed him away! He is alright though!
Today we went to church for 2 hours. Unfortunately I didn't understand a word, but it was a cool experiance. The church was the top level of the sketchiest appartment building, and we sat cross legged on a pillow!
We start our jobs tomorrow. There is a community stream that is filled with garbage, so I think we are going to take that on. There is also a second home being built that we are going to help finish. Those are the first of many jobs that we hope to compelte.
That is it for now! I will try and write twice a week depending on how the power situation is.
Love you all! Talk to you soon!
xoxo Tory
Ps: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MAMA! 2 years in a row! I am terrible. I love you so so much, and I wish you were here with me. You would love the kids they are so fun. I hope you have a great day and Ains and leight spoil you! Love you and miss you already! xoxo
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