Some pictures & a quick update

Hi Everyone!

Life has been very busy here in Nepal. In addition to the hectic schedule, everything takes 10 times as long to accomplish. There is no ability to make appointments, and if there is, chances are, things are running a few days late.

So here's a quick update on what we have been doing since Saturday:

- Sunday saw internet restored in our apartment. That has saved us taking turns walking to the lobby at regular intervals to check messages. We went swimming in our pool. It was CHILLY! despite it being a rather warm day and just toasty in the sunshine.

Tom & the smallest kids. Reeka & Fi & Kabita Karki

- Monday started early. Apsara needed to go to the dentist. It turns out that one of her baby molars needed to be extracted and boy, did she scream and howl! Everyone at the dental hospital was rather concerned and came running, but no one could console her. I think most of it was just the anticipation of the extraction, then follow by the fact Mum and Dad were there. By the end of school, she was her usual chirpy self and was more than happy to laugh up a storm.

I got the opportunity to meet with Sarayu's family in Chabil and enjoyed everyone's company greatly, not to mention the wonderful food that Amrita prepared.

Fi's daily hair decorations by the girls. Anu Maya & our Apsara sharing a laugh

- Tuesday: We hadn't figured out how to get laundry done in our apartment, so we drove into Thamel and enjoyed a morning and dropped off 10kgs of laundry to be done.

- Wednesday: Our driver, Tikaram, met us with our clean laundry and his brother to drive for us. His 6 year-old daughter developed jaundice and he needed to take care of her. I had lunch with Kalpana in New Road and she came up to meet the girls after school.

Our apartment building. Girls making a wish that Tom won't go bald!


- Today: APSARA'S birthday! What more do I need to say? She woke up to a new t-shirt and when she came into the kitchen for tea and biscuits, Roo was sitting on her chair waiting for her. She handed our lollies at lunch time like a super star and after school, came home, did homework and unwrapped her Lil Miss Sunshine watch. We went out for a dinner of chicken chowmein and lassi and finished up with my family tradition of Black Forest cake for dessert. We think she had a little too much fun today and had to be sent to bed early with a cold. She has a party on Saturday, so more pictures then too.

Apsara doing Romila's hair

Some highlights:

- The feminist movement is in its fledgling state in Nepal. For the past week or so, they have had a feminist conference here at our hotel. We pass a banner every day that reads "We respect men who respect women. Real men do not dominate". It is very cute and Kabita & Apsara have really taken it to heart.

- On that note, our housekeeping staff walked in on Tom ironing the girls' uniforms and stood around for a while chortling. Kabita also walked in on it and her jaw just dropped. Apsara took everything in stride and said, "Dad, that is not correct how you are ironing. Kabita knows how to do, she will do".

- Tom downloaded "Speak and Spell" for the girls and they LOVE it.

- Apsara has been re-writing her life history. A couple of days ago, she said to me, "Mum, because my name is Apsara, that means nobody gave birth to me. I just came down from the sky and God told me to come and live with you."

Hope you enjoy the photos and I will send more soon!

Love

Fi

Setting up home in Budhanilkantha

Dear All,

There is something very amazing and overwhelming about arriving in Kathmandu. No matter how many times you visit, the differences between Australia/USA and Nepal are just incredible. There are so many things we expect as part and parcel of our modern lives but when you are in a country like Nepal, you realize that these things are not expectations, they are absolute luxuries: running water at any time of day, electricity at any time of day and garbage pick up at regular intervals. I watch women pump water from a communal well, children use old car parts as toys, and we have gone from ATM to ATM needing to withdraw local currency only to be told that there is a currency shortage so there is a strict limit at the ATMs.

It has been so wonderful seeing all the children, they are all growing like weeds. They are all still slowly arriving from their villages after the holidays and it might be another week until Michael has full houses again. There is also a house full of volunteers, so things are, as always, quite hectic but exciting here.

This trip, Tom & I are doing things slightly differently. We have rented an apartment at the edge of the city, and Kabita and Apsara have moved in with us for the month. We have 24/7 hot water and electricity. What a treat! Apsara has declared that she is going to have a shower every single day! I also have a little kitchen to cook meals and a couple of appliances at my disposal, namely a fridge, a microwave (its timer dial is not an exact science!) and a mini toaster oven.

Tom and I haven’t quite slowed down to Nepali time yet. We groan in disbelief and frustration when we cannot get our mobile phones to work like they should (“network error” or “network busy”), and we shake our heads at poor customer service. Yet, there are so many wonderful people here too. Because of the location of our apartment in relation to the city and to the girls’ school, we have a personal driver this trip. After having met quite a few taxi drivers who have been vying for the “worst driver in the world” award, we now have one of Nepal’s best drivers. Tikaram is delightfully punctual, careful and incredibly patient, oh and he knows his way around in a country that has no street signs or house numbers! What a bonus! If anyone is coming to Nepal, let me know and I will give you his number.

Today we walked to the Sleeping Vishnu temple in Budhanilkantha and the tide of humanity was overwhelming. The girls and I did puja at a temple and I am sure I stepped in some pretty funky fluidy thing. After returning back to our apartment, I ushered the girls into the bathrooms and we all washed our feet thoroughly!

Another cultural difference we struggle with, given our language barriers, is the pairing of terms eg “salt & pepper”. It just does not exist, or if it does, their pairings are equally obscure to us.
We are still jetlagged and attempting to work out a daily routine. I have a feeling parents are not allowed to ever suffer jetlag and have to hit the ground running at any given time; we have hit the ground but are not quite up to running speed yet.

Nonetheless, we still feel very blessed, and send you all lots of love,

Fi

P.S. I pretty much packed everything, plus the kitchen sink, but managed to forget the USB cable for the camera. Never fear, Tom has an ingenious way of uploading photos, but it'll take me a couple of days to figure out and then I'll post.

Living the fancy life in Pokhara

We have spent the past few days camping out at the Shangri-La Village Resort in Pokhara. It’s been a real treat for everyone. Today we are staying an extra day because of a national bundha (strike). There are many worst places to be. The only downside to it is that we will miss out on a day with the other children at Papa’s House and maybe sessions with various attorneys.

The kids have finally unwound from their exams and it is great for us to be able to breathe again. Pollution is a lot less here.

The girls have been busy experiencing many firsts. First time on a row boat, first time fishing, first Korean meal (which I think has been our best meal out in Nepal), first jigsaw puzzle, first hammock, first real bed, first hot showers, first time with electricity 24/7, first facial, first salad, first time feeding fishes, and the list goes on.

While I have lots of great pics, the Internet is not holding up well so I will only post pics after we get home to California.

Tom and I have also been experiencing a large range of new experiences as parents to two daughters; dealing with tantrums, a sick child and lack of sleep, resistance to new foods/activities and enforcing discipline while having a good time.

Lots of love from Pokhara,

Fi

More Thoughts on Life

I am torn about rain in Kathmandu. On one hand, it cleans the air and settles the dust so that you can breathe, but on the other hand, it makes slippery mud piles all over the valley. There are moments where you wonder if it is just mud or something else …

With the rain, we lost precious electricity even earlier than usual because of the giant thunder and lighting storm. It felt that the claps were right above our bed for a good 10 minutes. We were lucky and our house stayed very dry inside. The girls’ house had one of their play areas totally flooded, and since there is so much open space, a lot of water made it to various areas.

It also took out the Internet at our house, so we were without a line to the world for 3 whole days!

The lane outside our house is finally getting paved. Nepali women fill me with awe. On a diet of dhal bhat, they do ALL the heavy labour on any construction site. While I cautiously navigate the pebbles and broken bricks, they glide effortlessly over the same area with over 20 kgs of building material stacked on their backs and balanced by a towel wrapped around their heads.

The men, like every other construction site in the world, stand around, direct traffic and sing and whistle.

It seems each new day in Dhapasi brings a new house. Our little village is no longer a village but a sprawling suburb.

I keep forgetting to tell everyone – Apsara has mastered the art of riding an escalator! I am so proud! We have a new supercenter near us and it is all very exciting. Kabita is not impressed by the concept and hops on the first step and then races up to the rest of the steps to get off ASAP. They also have an elevator, but with the power outages, I am not so keen on giving it a go, even if Bhat Bhatini has its own generator.

One of my most cherished moments is walking Apsara to school in the morning. Even if I look like something the cat dragged in, we have the same conversation on the same stretch of the walk:

A: “Mum?”

F: “Yes?”
A: “You are looking sooooooo beautiful today”
F: “I love you”
A: “I love you too”

We had a Holi on Thursday and Saturday this week, so it has been wonderful to spend time with the girls. We’ve played Monopoly and Connect 4, and they are attempting to master Checkers.

Our friends here in Kathmandu have been very generous, and have extended their wonderful hospitality each Holi. It has been a totally new experience for the girls to visit with friends, and to share a meal with adults where they are a part of the conversation and the ongoing activities.

Tom and I picked up some workbooks for the girls via Amazon, and they are powering through them; I think if we get the chance to bring them home, they will be very well prepared for school. I still can’t wrap my head around my 8 year old doing algebra at school!

Things on the legal side is plodding along Nepali style, so we just treasure each moment we get with the girls and acknowledge that we are not your average family, but it is just how we are.

Sending love, as always,

Fi

A Day In Dhapasi

Dear All,

I can’t believe we are nearing the middle of our trip, and Tom and I are just getting into the swing of life here.

We wake up, and every few days I try to get some laundry washed and hung before we head up to the 1st girls’ house. There, I very slowly do hair (again I am not sure how Michael and his staff braid 45 heads every morning in record time), no more than 4 or 5 girls on any given day and then we walk the first set of girls down to school.

Since exams started, Kabita attends school at 1 pm and Apsara heads off at 9 am.

After dropping the kids off at Skylark, we pop in to say “good morning” to the new girls from Narti and the “new” boys who are all being homeschooled. Snowball gets a quick cuddle too.

As morning classes start, Tom and I head off to buy some veggies and head back to the volunteer house for a spot of tea and breakfast. By the time we gather our thoughts, it is time for the first round of tiffin.

We meander down to the 2nd house to say “hi” to the kids heading off the school for the 1 pm session, say “hi” to the big kids who finish at 12:30 and then wait for the 1 pm tiffin session kids. I know, it gets very confusing!

This week, things have been slightly different since Apsara finishes school at 1pm, so we have been spoiling her with treats. Yesterday, we took her to KFC (Kathmandu Fried Chicken), and today I cooked goat and pulau for her, and she helped me paint the many Nalgene water bottles Tom had picked up for the children.

At 3-ish, we walk her back to the house so that she can get ready for her tuition session with “Ma’am” who comes to the house everyday at 4pm to do exam prep with the girls. Kabita gets home just after 3:30pm.

By 5:30 pm, we are wiped out and today, I came down with a cold, so we head back to the volunteer house, to wait for electricity and stare at each other wearily but happily.

One week until we take the girls on our first family vacation to Pokhara; I can't wait!

Lots of love,

Fi

Luckiest Tourist in All of Nepal

I was the luckiest tourist in all of Thamel yesterday afternoon. We had finished a morning of shopping, negotiated for a taxi and gotten in, when we were asked to get back out by a policeman because the taxi had picked us up in a “no picking tourists up” section of the street (this is new). We got out and the taxi drove off, then I realized my wallet had fallen out of my backpack into the back seat of the taxi. So I started screaming and running after my taxi and half of Thamel’s rickshaw drivers also ran after my taxi. It took a couple of tries before my taxi (whose driver was completely oblivious to the commotion) was found and my wallet returned. Of course, by this stage, the taxi had driven past the “no picking up tourist” zone and we hopped right back in and came home. When we reached Dhapasi, he made doubly sure that I had not left my wallet behind again!

The kids are all still studying very hard for exams. We are praying very hard that teachers do not go on strike or have a general strike called between now and the 30th of March or else it will ruin holiday plans.

Michael and his staff are amazing; with exams, each class has different schedules, so they are getting ready for school at different times, and coming home at different times, and having lunch at different times. I can imagine the stress of that for most parents with a couple of children but to have 102 kids to cater for, it is just amazing.

I got ready for the upcoming holidays by picking up some classic story books at the Education Book House to read to the girls before bedtime.

You are getting a rash of blog entries because we have been getting electricity between 4pm and 8pm ... we are getting spoilt!

Love

Fi

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

All We Want For Christmas ....

Dear Friends & Family,

This year, Tom, Kabita, Apsara & I have some Christmas wishes we hope you can help us fulfill:

1. Please continue to keep us in your prayers, and pray that our family will be together, living under the same roof soon.

2. If you are thinking of sending us a gift, please spend the money for a child or a family that needs it. You don't have to send money or gifts specifically to Nepal, but we ask that you help a local Gift Tree or food bank. In today's economy, many children and families are going to be very hard hit this Christmas and they all need our help.

We believe one of the reasons Nepal continues to suffer with such widespread and debilitating poverty is that neighbours have forgotten what it means to help each other. With the civil war, people have forgotten about community, about the ability to trust each other and forgotten how to put their hand out in friendship and support. So this Christmas, we ask you to say a little prayer of thanks for the blessed lives we all have and to reach out to your community and remind them that people care and we all share this one world.

God Bless,

Tom, Kabita, Apsara & Fiona

A long trip home

Dear Family & Friends,

I am finally back in home in California. The trip home was particularly long but allowed me to catch up with some new friends and a very old friend I haven't seen since high school.

As most of you know, I flew to Delhi on this trip with frequent flyer points and then bought a ticket to KTM. So, on the way back, I flew back into Delhi and had to stay overnight. I picked Ajanta Hotel out of a website, and it turned out to be a hotel staffed by Nepalis! They were all very concerned about my safety and comfort because it is not everyday a Nepali woman travels by herself. Little did they know ...

From Delhi I flew to Singapore, where I was met by Lynn Ee, a friend from my PLC days in Perth. Lynn is doing some wonderful work with high school "dropouts" and working hard everyday to preserve what little is left of Singapore's farming area (yes, I didn't know that existed either!). We had dinner with Nepali friends and talked about our various adventures. Lynn, of course, is beyond hospitable and I thank her from the bottom of my heart.

I knew I had been in South Asia for a long time, because as I turned the shower on, the water on the floor turned a luscious muddy brown colour!

The next day I attempted to catch a flight back to San Francisco, only to be told at the gate that my plane was broken and they had to wait for a comparable plane to arrive from Hong Kong before we could leave Singapore. Under normal circumstances, I would grit my teeth and return to the lounge, but in this case, it would mean that I would miss my connecting flight to SF from Tokyo. After pleading with Singapore Airlines staff to be put on another flight to SF, Tom received a call from me asking him to call United to see if they can get me on SQ2 to SF because SIA refused to do it because I was flying on a United free ticket.

An hour or so later of Tom talking to various people at United, I was allowed on SQ2, and I made it home 7 hours later than planned, after being escorted to my seat by airport police in Hong Kong because I was carrying an EpiPen.

Anyway, I now home, allowing my medical team to put me back together, and missing the girls so insanely much. Our home suddenly seems too quiet, the appliances too loud, and even Bijou seems subdue. Each time we have to leave the girls, it just gets harder.

I came home with a cough/flu that I picked up from Apsara and have since passed on to Tom. Poor Tom!

Tomorrow we are hoping we will make it to Interplast's Gala Dinner (spluttering coughs and aching bones withstanding) in San Francisco where Dr Shankar Rai from the Kathmandu Model Hospital is being awarded a humanitarian award for the work he does for Nepali people. http://www.interplast.org/ Shankar is one of the new friends I made on this trip and it was the least Tom and I could do to support him at his award dinner.

Once again, my sincerest thanks to Michael and all the staff at Papa's House for their generous and wonderful hospitality. If you ever have a moment where you wonder where you want to travel or what you want to do that is different from your everyday life, Tom and I definitely recommend you check out http://www.volunteernepal.com/ and consider spending some time with these wonderful, and amazing children.

I made so many new friends on this trip, and I thank all of you for sharing my journey with me. I cannot wait to see you all again.

Namaste,

Fiona

Happy Birthday, Happy, Happy Birthday! Apsara!

Trying to calm down with Nancy Drew, while waiting for her party.

Apsara has been hanging out for her birthday ever since I arrived. Last night was her party at the house and today, she had a restaurant lunch with Kabita and two friends.

She couldn't stop bouncing before the party, and kept singing "Happy, happy, happy, happy birthday" to herself. She finally calmed herself down by flicking through the pages of the Nancy Drew book I had just given her and Kabita.

Admiring her birthday cake.

This birthday was particularly special for me. I was given the duty to walk the birthday girl into the room, where all her sisters were waiting, and I got the first bite of the first piece of cake, plus I got to hand Apsara her gifts.

This is something Kabita and Apsara have been doing for each other since they arrived at Papa's House, but Kabita pointed out yesterday that it is the mother's duty, and since I was here, and their mother, it was now my task to perform. It truly meant the world to me.

At La Dolce Vita. From left: Apsara. Cila, Kabita, Sita.

Today was Bhai Tikka. A special day where younger brothers are honoured here in Nepal. After the ceremony at the boys' house, Apsara, Kabita, Cila, Sita and I travelled to Thamel for pizza.

The hope was to have lunch at Fire and Ice but that was closed, as was the Roadhouse. We wandered over to La Dolce Vita and was treated to a wonderful lunch of pizzas, soup, garlic bread and spaghetti.

The waiters were attentive and very kind to all of us, chatting with the girls and I. I think this is definitely going to be a new favourite haunt!

Getting a taxi home was slightly tricky, since they were explaining to me that it was a festival, so they had a right to charge 3 times the normal rate. We managed to find a taxi for a reasonable price and headed home happily.

Kabita & Apsara

Sending a ton of love, as always,

Fi

A Day At Fatima's Healing Centre

Kabita looking very thoughtful at what she was experiencing.

Today started off slow. I am feeling overwhelmed by the pollution and have a wicked cough and funky sinus.

Luckily I remembered, our new friend Susan Stenson had pointed out a healing centre a few days ago, and I decided to take the girls for the foot bath. It is called Fatima's Healing Centre. While we didn't have the opportunity to meet Fatima this trip, we had a wonderful relaxing time. Fatima is Chinese-Muslim and all her treatments are based on Chinese medicine.

Apsara, the more adventurous of the two, looking very happy.

On arrival, we were ushered into a room that just oozed relaxation. Our wooden buckets were filled with hot water and a little packet of Chinese medicine opened and poured in. The medicine bubbled and became a vat of jelly. Kabita was cautious, Apsara was thrilled.

This was followed by foot reflexology, leg, arm, face, head, back massage. How much better could it get??? We have been wanting to expose the girls to different experiences, and I think this definitely counts! Apsara kept asking her therapist "What are you doing to me??" but she had a wonderful time.

We all floated out of there, very pleased at the expenditure of 1500 rps (US$20) and stopped for some ice cream at the shopping centre next door (where we made some new friends) before heading back home to Dhapasi.

One more sleep to Apsara's birthday!

Lots of love,

Fi

P.S. And if you are wondering why there are suddenly so many entries, it is because it is Tihar and we have electricity!!! I guess you can't really have the Festival of Lights without lights!!

Puja at Pashuphatinath

Having fun at Pashuphatinath

Clockwise: Kabita, Kabita, Apsara, Puja, Yasoda

A very happy Tihar to you all. Life is very noisy here in Nepal, with firecrackers and fireworks and prayers.

It is the celebration of lights and Laxmi, the god of wealth, watches over all the celebrations.

Our Kabita had been wanting to go to puja (worship) this week, so I decided to go big and take the girls to Pashuphatinath.

It was wonderful to have Kabita Karki as a guide, since she her family lives in Pashuphatinath.

Getting a blessing from the Monkey god, at the "Entrance For The Hindus Only" sign

Only Hindus are allowed into temples, but ever since arriving in Nepal, I've been constantly mistaken for Nepali (from the Rai ethnic group), so I decided to test it and walk into the holiest of temples with 5 kids in tow. The girls were midly apprehensive, and the whole area was teaming with police for crowd control purposes and to make sure tourists don't sneak by. But policeman after policeman just kept waving us through. We paid a lady to look after our shoes, and climbed the steps into the Temple of Lord Vishnu.

No photos are allowed in the temple, so these photos were taken outside.

We rang bells, and threw rice and tikka powder and flowers and rupees at shrines and lesser temples. We waved incense sticks and made wishes. As I was warning the girls on the danger of randomly throwing rupees, I was hit in the face by a random rupee, which I think, reinforced the point I was trying to make!

Making a wish. I hope we were all wishing for the same thing.

I think the funniest moment for me at Pashupathinath today, was when I noticed tourists taking pictures of the girls and I as we went about making puja; the crazy Nepali woman and her 5 kids. It took all my strength not to break out in a grin.

Another wonderful day here in Nepal.

Sending love,

Fi

Happy, happy birthday Maila (Sudeep), Ashok & Roshan

From left: Hikmat, Ashok, Chham, Maila (Sudeep) & Roshan.

Birthdays are always special here at Papa's House, even though there is at least one birthday every week.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to take Maila, Roshan and Ashok for their birthday pizza at the Roadhouse, with Hikmat and Chham coming along for crowd control purposes.

We demolished 6 pizzas, 5 milkshakes and 1 fresh lemon soda. It is always such a fun experience watching the boys demolish their pizzas!

This birthday was particularly special since this is Roshan's & Ashok's first birthday.

After the lunch feast, Raja Wani, a wonderful friend here in Nepal, took all of us to his uncle's leather factory to see how the beautiful handmade bags are made. The boys got the feel various types of hide and ask questions about the process.

Ashok who has a wonderful enquiring mind was particularly fascinated by everything.

Being Tihar, it was a little difficult finding a vacant taxi to pile into to get back home to Dhapasi.

Much fun was had by all.

Sending lots of love as always,

Fi

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

Where's Dad?

Dear All,

Some days you wake up and you wonder “What the heck am I doing?”. On Tuesday lunch time I boarded a flight from San Francisco to Tokyo, then had 40 mins to get to my flight from Tokyo to Singapore, followed by Singapore to New Delhi.

When I reached Delhi, the goal was to buy a ticket to get me all the way to Kathmandu. People on the plane thought I was insane, but everyone was very kind. Little did I know just how very hard it is to get a ticket at 5:30 in the morning to KTM. My morning involved running around Delhi airport for 90 mins letting everyone know I wanted a ticket to KTM. I briefly entertained the idea of taking a 55 hour bus ride to KTM, but it didn’t last long.

This was followed by a ride in a taxi into the city center and spending 3 hours with a travel agent who wheeled and dealed me a ticket. Apparently there is an underground market for tickets to KTM at the moment because of the upcoming religious holidays. Travel agents had bought extra tickets in hope of selling them for a premium to wallies like me, and boy, did they clean up today!

There is nothing in the world like a Delhi sunrise, pollution, followed by a Delhi peak hour road closure.

Despite all of this, when I saw the children, it was all worth it.

Of course, as Tom predicted, I was greeting with screams and laughter “Mum!! Welcome to Nepal! Where’s dad??!!??”. None of them quite believed Tom was unable to make this trip. They kept eyeing the gate waiting for his big booming voice. By dinner time, the news spread that yes, Dad really was in China for work then the new question started "Dad is coming after China??" Poor poppets.

I will post pics soon, and updates on life here in Dhapasi - the kids have all grown (especially Purna) and I will work hard at giving out twice as many hugs.

Sending love as always,

Fiona

Back in California ...

Dear Readers Far and Near,

Here we are, once again back in sunny California and missing everyone in Dhapasi. We miss the laughter of children playing, waking up to the kids getting ready for their morning exercises, and, finding out about their day, while sharing a meal with them.

Since we have been home, Tom has been battling various ailments picked up in Nepal. While there are prescribed medical treatments for everything, there are moments where it just feels like it is going to go on forever.

It reinforces for us, yet again, the wonderful care and love each and every child receives at Papa's House. Because of volunteers and supporters, Michael and his staff are able to look after 75+ children in Dhapasi and Lamahi. Providing them with education, medical care, a sanctuary from the harshness of life in Nepal, and most importantly, heartfelt affection.

Thank you for all the emails and notes people have been sending. Apologies for our tardiness of reply. If you are interested in spending some time with some of the most remarkable children you are ever going to meet in your life, drop Michael a note or visit www.VolunteerNepal.org

Much love as always,

Fi

Rugged Journey To Unexpected Blessings

Dear All,

Some of you may have been wondering what has happened to us in the past week. Well, the short answer is, we took an unexpected trip to the Nepali countryside.

The long story is, on Monday morning, we discovered that Kabita and Apsara needed to return to their village to get registered. Naturally, we volunteered to take them. Unfortunately, we were not 100% clear on what the journey entailed. Nepali people's definition of "near" and "road" is V-E-R-Y different from our own.

We were told the first night we would stay at their maternal grandfather's home, it would be "near" the road that the taxi will drop us. The taxi ride was going to take 2 hours. The next day, we will walk to the girls' village on a "road" to get registered. The reality was the taxi ride took 4.5 hours with Nepal's worst taxi driver, the grandfather's house was a 1 hour hike up a hillside, and the walk to the girls' village was up the side of what I would consider a mountain, 5 hours away. See photo below for a picture of the "mountain".

Since I barely made it up the hill to the house, Tom decided I was to stay in the village. Tom, Kabita, Apsara and two uncles left at 4 in the morning while it was still dark so that it would not be so hot. I spent the first few hours of my morning having all the village children and women observe all my bodily functions and then three hours husking dried corn with the girls' aunt. The rain came down HARD and I was so worried they were going to be swept off the mountain.

When they missed their assigned home coming time, we started sending messages down the hill to see if anyone else had seen them. It was very reminiscent of 101 Dalmatians. It was with great joy, when they finally arrived home close to 3 in the afternoon.

Tom said he just felt blessed that it was such an overcast day with a gentle drizzle or he would not have made it. It was so amazing that they did not experience the same rainfall I had. Apsara never complained once and he was quite certain that she has a billy-goat gene built into her DNA. The "road" over the mountain was basically a vertical staircase carved into the side of the mountain. The uncles and girls just scrambled effortlessly up and down. Tom was 110% sure that there was just no way that I would've made the trip.

As with everything in Nepal, things take a lot longer than planned. We had planned for 2 days, but with lack of transportation and bureaucracy, we stayed from Monday until Thursday. By Wednesday, poor little Apsara was just worn out. I cannot imagine what a tough trip it was on her little body.

It was really wonderful to be able to see first hand the life the girls had before Papa's House. The obvious affection they have for their extended family and the returned affection was lovely. It was wonderful to know that the girls were raised with family who care about them.

The hospitality shown to us by their family was just stellar. They were constantly trying to feed us, but we were usually too hot or too tired to eat. I would've posted more pictures except for the slow internet upload, so we will save those for later.

As always, we send much love,

Fi

Happy Birthday Kabita!

Dear Friends,

It would appear that we have been celebrating Kabita's birthday for quite a few days but her actual birthday was yesterday. We spent Wednesday, Thursday and yesterday morning teasing her that since the strike was on, there would be no Friday this week. Some of the smaller kids were appalled that a birthday would be skipped, and stomped their little feet and walked me to Michael's birthday list posted on the kitchen door and pointed at Kabita's name and birth date and very indignantly said "Look Mum! Look!"

With a sigh of relief for the little ones, the cake and presents appeared after dinner last night. The cake was another spectacular Papa's House creation. Fruit sponge cake topped with melted chocolate and fresh mango. The ooo's and ahh's of appreciation from the girls and Kancha was just heartwarming.

Kabita's haul of presents included new black and pink sneakers, jeans, blue t-shirt and kulta sulwar, as well as many lovingly made cards and posters from her brothers and sisters.

As promised, today we took Kabita and Aspara for pizza. They could each invite a friend, and Bhumika and Chham joined us. I think the photos speak for themselves as to how much they all enjoyed a trip out to Thamel. Apsara made other diners at the restaurant smile as she waved goodbye to the basin of lotus as she headed out the door.

I know many of you are wondering what is happening with the possibility of bringing Kabita and Apsara to live with us. The reality is, it is impossible. The Nepali government has revised it's adoption law 3 weeks ago, and surprisingly, it is exactly the same as the last set of laws. Nepal is possibly the only country in the world where they would set up research committees and work for a year to produce a new legislation that is a carbon copy of the last one. However, we are still hopeful that Kabita and Apsara can make a trip to Disneyland with us in the near future.

Much love from all of us here in Dhapasi,

Fi