I Can't Believe I'm Missing This!

Good early morning, dear friends near and far,

I'm not sure I'm actually allowed to blog since I'm currently in Shanghai instead of amongst the love and laughter known as "Papa's House". But it is only my body sitting staring out of my high rise window at a darkened Shanghai skyline. (It is actually quite amazing...The Shanghainese complained about the light pollution, and now each night after a certain time, the city goes black.) My heart and spirit however are with my wife, my two beautiful daughters, and all the other gorgeous young souls who exude the love, kindness, and courtesy we all should strive to achieve.

First and foremost, I would like to take this opportunity to extend a personal debt of gratitude to Dr. Keith. Keith recently helped me to fulfill a promise to Sabitra Didi...Yes, Keith donated new prosthetic feet. Not only was the quality first rate, he over-nighted them over a weekend to make sure Fiona got them before she left for Nepal. I honestly can't thank Keith enough for his tired-less efforts to get these done in time, and his compassion for helping to change a young woman's life. I hope someday I am in the position to return the favor. Thank you, Keith.

I also send a warm thank you to my dear wife, Fiona. As global economic conditions sour, my company put me on a plane to China to find and capture new business as China had a measly 9% GDP growth in the 3rd Quarter (and this caused alarm in China as it is the lowest growth in modern history). Compare that to the rest of the world, and soon, speaking Mandrin will become a must to do business in the global marketplace. But I digress. The unfortunate fact is that Apsara's Birthday was on 29th of Oct, and I wouldn't be able to make it after attending Kabita's Birthday in May. Fiona, despite the physical challenges she faces, volunteered to make the trip solo this time to ensure both of our girls know they are both deeply loved.

Fiona troops on each day, and by all accounts, it sounds as if the cosmos all work out for a reason...The one thing my girls needed most was simply mother-daughter time. Fiona and I, as you may have deduced, are connected at the hip. The one downside of the closeness of our relationship is that we are often viewed as a singular entity, with my natural aggressiveness and playfulness sometimes overshadowing the "soft" skills Fiona is so fluent in. This trip has allowed our girls to begin to put the pain of the past behind them, and bond with Fiona as the mother God always intended for them to have. You can tell from the stories Fiona tells me late each night that the girls finally understand why the bond American children and mothers are so strong. We don't beat them. We spend time reading with them. And most importantly, we simply reassure them of their limitless potential. This is something they've never experienced before. I feel very blessed. My only regret is I am unable to see them blossom in person.

Finally, my two cents on meat night. As dedicated readers will know from the "Carnivore Challenge", I had a really rough go of it due to the lack of meat while I was in Nepal for my first stay last December. When I went back in May, I was amazed at how much the boys had grown in just the short period we were away. The first question many of the boys asked me was, "Big Daddy, can we have meat again while you are here?" It made me realize how blessed I was to have a steady diet of animal protein growing up to become the 6'4", 250lb man I am today.

Michael does an EXCELLENT job providing for all the children. But given the lack of consisitent corporate sponsorship, there are financial realities in caring for over 100 children, and meat becomes a luxury item. I made the decision to finance a weekly meet night not only to add to their nutrition, but more importantly as a weekly reward to growing boys who truly appreciate the gift as a reminder "Big Daddy" loves them dearly.

So, to future volunteers, I ask you to respect the fact that this is my gift to the boys. These kind-hearted souls would give you every last piece of meat off their own plate if you are not attentive to what they are doing and allow it. So please, contribute a couple dollars so that extra chicken can be bought. Don't allow your mind to think "150 rupees!", but rather, "Wow! A chicken dinner for $2USD?? I would pay at least $10 for this in the States!" I know budgets are tight, and that you are giving your time freely to these children, but please be respectful that this is a personal gift from me to the boys in appreciation for the difference they have made to my life. I'm more than happy for you to share in the joy of evening, but please contribute your fair share to keep this going for many years to come.

My best to all,

Tom

Meat night

Hello Web Wanderers,

Tonight was meat night in the boys' house. After our last trip to Dhapasi, Tom decided that meat night was something he wanted to do for the boys' once a week. I wish he was here to share it with them. It is a highly anticipated evening, and when the meat was ready, they was an excited hush as the boys ate their fill of meat.

It is not often that this group of boys are quiet, they are all so full of spirit; but here we were at meat night and everyone was concentrating very hard of getting every last bit of meat off the bones.

For you foodies out there, Nepali chicken is totally free range. And by that, I mean they run up and down hills foraging for food. This means the meat is rather on the tough side. Also, when you buy it from the butcher, he or she will chop this chicken into bite-sized pieces. It is an amazing process to watch but for a foreigner, the chicken gets a little tricky to eat and work around the little pieces of bones. It is all incredible, wholesome fun.

The most important part is that the boys love it and as Vinod puts it, "It's in my blood!" Vinod or Sabita didi always make this wonderful curry base with tomatoes and onions to cook the chicken in. I believe the base changes every week, which just adds to the excitement of the evening.

Since all of you know how much I enjoy my food and cooking, it was just so joyous to watch them savour every mouthful.

As the boys' and volunteers all share the same home, and have meals at the house, we have requested that if they wish to join in meat night, there is a charge of 150 rps (just under US$2). If they are vegetarian, there of course are other meal options for them.

Sending you much, much love, and going to bed with a happy stomach,

Fi