My 8 year-old wears Prada ...

Today was a wonderful day. It was Holi, so we were very excited to be able to take Kabita, Apsara & Chham to meet our friends, the Gurung family, who were having a family reunion in Chakrapath.

The kids got dressed up and we headed down the hill in search of a taxi. We probably could've walked but I decided I didn't want to show up red faced and bothered.

At the Gurung's we were fed a hearty breakfast as well as juice, tea and biscuits and prawn crackers. It was a great experience for the kids to interact with friends and family. Uncle Gurung Snr explained to Chham the benefits of working hard and joining the British Gurkha Army, and extended an open invite to his home any time Chham had the opportunity. We promised we would take Chham back for another visit before we left for home.

After our visit, we headed to the new Bhat Bhetini shopping center and the kids experienced escalators. While Tom and I thought it was lots of fun to watch, it was serious business for the kids, especially Kabita, who is such a serious soul on any given day.

We left the shopping center with 2 pairs of shoes for Apsara and a pair of shoes for Chham. Apsara got a pair of sneakers as well as party shoes, which was a $6 pair of Prada knockoff ballet flats. I was mildly jealous.

This was followed by ice cream and then lunch at the corner chicken sekawa. I am always impressed by the amount of food little kids can pack away. Since I was all excited by tetra paks of Harvey Fresh milk, I made hot chocolate for them when we got back to Dhapasi.

All in all, it was a very full day with lots of happy memories. Tomorrow it is back to school and exams.

Sending lots of love,

Fi

Back in Nepal - AGAIN!

Dear All,

Yes, we’ve done it again; we are back in Dhapasi. Many things have changed and nothing has changed, all at the same time. The dust in the air is still as thick as ever and dhal bhat first thing in the morning is still tough on the gut. 20 hours a day without electricity is also pretty hard.

Our Kabita is as tall as I am (not much of a feat, some of you will think), but at least both girls still think it is pretty cool to hang out with Mum and Dad. This morning, Kabita greeted us at the gate with Christmas gifts she had made. Tom has a new scarf and I have a new handbag and head band, all knitted with love and a good dose of skill. We are blessed.

On the way here, we stopped in Singapore and stayed the night in a hotel that had an “Aspara” spa. We took the spa menu with us and this morning, Tom tried to tell Apsara that she had been spelling her name wrong the whole time, and this was how she had to spell her name from now on; if it is in print, it must be true. The poor girl looked torn and not 100% sure if he was jesting. We are tough parents.

This trip, we are staying at the new volunteer hostel between the two homes. Two weeks ago, 26 new girls joined the growing family here at Papa’s House from the Dang Region of Nepal and they now occupy the old volunteer house. That property now also has a loyal mascot, Snowball, the dog. Snowball is usually white and tan but due to the recent Holi, was tikka’d by all the kids, so s/he is currently pink, white and tan. I haven’t looked to see what sex the dog is, but depending on the child, it is either a boy dog or a girl dog.

While there are many luxuries I miss when I am here (like constant electricity), there is nothing like getting a bag of fresh vegetables for $1. My veggie lady tried to sell me mushrooms, I am sure they were perfectly safe but I really wasn’t in the mood to try strange fungus on my first week here!

Tom has been serenading the kids with hip hop and old show tunes. American Idol, eat your heart out! While he was entertaining, I was undergoing my obligatory zoombra (nits) check, you’ll be pleased to know, I am currently zoombra free, let’s hope it stays that way. All the girls are mortified at how short my hair is but they understood why my hair was as short as it is.

Exams start tomorrow, so all the kids who attend Skylark Academy are studying hard. This afternoon I plan to have a mock spelling test for Class 1. Despite all the pressures of exams, we will have the opportunity to celebrate many birthdays.

I know this blog is missing photos, but I will post some pics in the next day or so (or when we next get electricity at a decent hour).

Lots of love,

Fi