Tonight I would like to introduce you to Anita and Sunita who are both 17 and from the Terai region of Nepal. We were very surprised to find out that they were twins because not only do they look nothing alike, they also have very different personalities.
Anita and Michael met us at the airport. Anita immediately took to insisting on carrying my hand luggage and my jacket.
Over the past two weeks I have come to rely on Anita as my guide through the shopping mazes of Kathmandu and on Nepali culture. She is street smart to the core and would make a wonderful ISA for Tom's SSIP group at Maxim. She speaks 4 languages and has only recently added English to her repertoire. I truly believe she would take America by storm if given the chance.
Anita knows the value of things. She makes me laugh when we negotiate.
A price will be agreed on and while the vendor is placing the items into a bag, she will try for more rupees off. Occassionally I will tell her how much I would be willing to pay and she will think it is too much money but instead of arguing with me, she will just set a lower price and work up to what I am prepared to pay. Usually I leave paying a lot less and she will flash me a grin and a wink. I love her tenacity and vigorous spirit. Unfortunately Anita suffers from chronic pain and doesn't like to take her medication; she is a girl after my own heart.
Sunita attends the local high school that is taught in the Nepali medium. She didn't feel that she would do as well in a school that taught in English. She is a romantic dreamer. She doesn't walk, she floats. Like her sister, she has a heart of gold and would never think ill of anyone. While Sunita calls me "mummy", Anita calls me "sister". Sunita reminds me of a very young and innocent part of myself.I cannot begin to describe how wonderful these girls are. They are so kind, so welcoming and ever so generous.
Sending lots of love,
Fi
No comments:
Post a Comment