Weekly Pictures

KC and I have made our weekly trip to Lakeside and can post pictures. Here are some highlights from the previous week. We have also added pictures to Chef Gordon and KC (previous post). Hope you enjoy. Thank you.


Santosh made funny faces.





















We celebrated Binita's birthday with a cake, slices of mango, cucumber and sweets. She loved the attention and the kids loved singing a varied version of Happy Birthday (it threw KC and I for a loop). Binita was very sweet in hand delivering all the adults several sweets to enjoy as well. She forgot no one.

















You can see excitement on her face, Happy Birthday Binita!
















KC and Susma posed for a quick shot as the kids finished getting ready for school.















Sandeep rejoiced as the kids left for school. He had KC and Gordon all to himself.












Fishtail Mountain looms over Pokhara. It is a sight to see.

And then there was light!!!

A huge thanks from Sam's House to the group of donors who made the solar panel package a reality. There is no more eating, cleaning and cooking in the dark. Play time now includes reading because the children can see. This is a renewable source of electricity for the house that will be used for many years to come. Due to the great response, we were able to go with an upgraded battery. The package includes six 40 watt lights, a battery and solar panel. The best part is the package has been installed. The house has been reaping the benefits for a week already. We cannot say thanks enough.

FYI, the government has increased the number of hours of no electricity a week to 36. The schedule is supposedly set to 6 days a week, 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon.

Chef KC and Gordon

That's not Chef Gordon Ramsey . . . its Chef Gordon Friedrich (stirring KC's sauce).

Look at that smile, that sauce was made with love.

Sarita is excited to try our creation, Saran doubted anything Gordon cooked.

The big boys (Dhiraj, Amrit and Babit) take care of cleaning duty for the night. There was no rice on the floor for the first time in a long time.

Rina tells Gordon that she doesn't want him to cook anymore.

He agrees!!

KC and I tried our hand at making 20 kids and 5 didis snack and dinner on Thursday night. We thought we would go with typical American meals.

For snack, the obvious choice was PB and J. It was the first time many of the children have had peanut butter. They all flew threw their two sandwiches and came back for more. We did not want to spoil their appetite for dinner.

For dinner, it was pasta in a bolognese sauce. We made two trips to the main shopping center (about a 30 minute walk) to get our supplies. The first trip was 4 1/2 kg bags of pasta, 8 cans of crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, a kg of mozzarella cheese, oregano and peanut butter. The second trip was another 2 bags of pasta more tomato sauce and minced mutton. We stopped at a local food stand for vegetables. There are local food stands throughout our neighborhood. We bought several carrots, three heads of garlic and a kilo of onions for $1.30. . . not bad. (A large majority of the vegetables are grown locally and organically.)

Now it was time to cook. The PB and J assembly line was easy. KC, Sushma and I knocked out 50 sandwiches in under 15 minutes (2 per child plus didis). The pasta meal was more complex. Most kitchens consist of two gas range tops hooked up to a gas tank outside. Only the very wealthy have an oven or appliances installed into their counters, very uncommon. So, it starts with the sauce. Luckily KC asked if there was a can opener in the house 10 minutes prior to commencing the prep. Sushma pulled out a small metal can opener like the ones used to open large cans of fruit juice. KC and I smiled and I was out the door to find a can opener, I had 10 cans to open. After stopping at 6 stores locally, I accepted the fact that food in Nepal does not come out of a can. Its made fresh. . . so it was time to go home and come up with another solution. Luckily, my brother gave me a Swiss Army knife for Christmas and it of course has a can opener (way to go Youngester!!). It took longer than normal and drew lots of inquisitive looks from the kids and didis but all the cans were opened in no time.

KC had the cooking under control so I followed orders of cooking the minced mutton and seasoning. Before we knew it, the pasta was on and dinner was being served. The response was mixed. It was the first time many of the children had cheese. About 50% came back for seconds, not to bad.

We considered the cooking to be a success. The children were enthralled by the ingredients, flavors and textures and the didis got a well deserved night off cooking.

Friday Whites and KC's Kurta

On Fridays the kids where white pants and skirts instead of the typical white. If it were up to the didis, the kids would not wear any white. . . ever. Its funny to see the little boys with all white pants but brown knees and behind. No soap can get that kind of dirt out. Here are a couple pictures as they get ready for the day and line up for the school bus. Bishal is getting his daily dose of cold cream, yes it keeps his face silky smooth and ever so soft. I would know, he loves to rub his cheeks against my beard.

Looking good Babit.

Good form kids.

KC and Susma are picking up her new kurta (typical Nepalese dress) from the tailor. The silk embroidered fabric cost 1600 rupees (about $26) and the tailoring cost a whooping 120 rupees ($2)!!. Take note of the big bins next to the tailor, it was filled with chicken parts. The three piece kurta looked incredible on KC, everyone was impressed.

The kids loved seeing KC in her new Kurta. KC also got new bangles, a necklace, a tika (red dot) . . . all these things are what a married Nepalese woman wears. Saran was so excited he picked up a chair.

Sandeep wouldn't let anyone else hold him for the remainder of the day. He has a new found love for KC.

Tara, KC, Susma and Asuna show off their new kurtas.

Tired, Cold Hands

KC and I are always amazed at the amount of work the didis do. We do our best to assist with the cooking and cleaning and try not to add to the their workload at the same time. KC and I decided to help by doing our laundry...usually they will do it for the volunteers.

It did not seem like a monumental task as we set out, little did I know. We started with placing our clothes in buckets of water with a little Tide (Tide is a recent addition of process). After letting the clothes soak for an hour, the kneading begins. We filled up another set of buckets with water. The didis never sit but get into a crouch position. We worked our clothes garment by garment then used a special soap on spots. I had to take breaks to let the lactic acid release from my calves and shake the icicles off my fingers (just kidding but wow is it cold). Then it was dunking, rinsing, dunking, rinsing, ringing out and to the clothes line. Thank goodness the didis helped us.

The didis are always amazed how Americans have a machine for everything.

Tara washing the dishes in the early morning.

The kids brushing their teeth and washing their faces out back. Its time to get ready for school.

Dinner in the Darkness

KC and I have been learning about different aspects of life in Nepal. One part of life I had read about but was not sure of the impact was load sharing. Load sharing is the government turning off electricity across the country to conserve energy. Currently, there are 25 hours a week when the country does not have electricity. This number is expected to grow to 36 hours. The hours are not published on a regular basis creating even greater challenges.

So. . . what does that really mean. It means:

• a child needs to use the bathroom at night and there are no lights
• the children are watching TV and it goes out
• the didis are cutting vegetables for tomorrow's meal and have to resort to candlelight
• the children are eating and we have to find candles so they can see their food

It means that there is no certainty that there will be electricity at any point during the day. It is a monstrous inconvenience for everyone.

Dinesh, KC, Chris and I were discussing possible solutions the other day. Dinesh made a recommendation for solar panels to power reserve lights so there would at the very least always be light. After investigating several options, Dinesh found the best deal was four solar panels with a reliable battery that can power six lights for 40,000 Nepalese Rupees (current conversation rate is 61.02 to the USD). This works out to be about $650. This was not an expected cost so we looking to raise $650 for solar panels that will supply the house with inexpensive, reliable electricity.

If you are interested in donating, please visit the Sam's House website at http://www.sams-house.org/Help/youcanhelp.html. If you have additional questions, please post to the comments. I will gather additional information if necessary to answer any questions you may have. Thanks for your support and generosity.

In the meantime, the didis will continue to use our headlamps for cooking and cleaning. They get a big kick out of the halogen head lamps. KC uses hers to help children go to the bathroom before bed.

Pictures as promised

KC and I took a cab to Lakeside for faster internet connections. All internet is not equal.

The following pictures are highlights thus far:

KC handing out gifts to the kids, hair barrets for the girls and matchbox cars for the boys).

Sabita and Sandeep dance while the others sing.

Gordon with the kids in the morning.

The kids get ready for their walk to the bus. Its not all smiles because its exam day.

Rina watches as the others prepare for the bus. One more year and she will be a teacher's troublemaker.

Moved in to Sam's House

KC and I have moved into Sam's House aka Koplia House. The orphanage goes by a Nepali name here for many reasons which all make a lot of sense. Koplia is a bud of a flowering plant, very apropriate.

Our room is the size of a small dorm room. We have pushed the two twin beds together and share a small bureau to hang and store clothes. The desk is used to store our computer (cannot get the wireless to work), cameras and other belongings. It is more than adequate. We are only in the room to sleep. If we are awake, I can guarantee one of twenty children is awake. We share a bathroom with the five house mothers or didis.

Our days are filled to the brim. We wake at 6:00 am and assist with breakfast and watch the kids brush their teeth, wash their faces and get ready for the day. After morning tea and biscuits at 7:00, the children put on their school clothes and study until lunch. KC and I help with their homework. All the children go to an English school, so we can assist. Lunch is served about 9:30. Lunch is a big meal for the children. It is always daal bhat (rice and lentils) with a curry of sorts. The curries range from the traditional potato and cauliflower to include sweat peas, green beans, tomato and other local vegetables. I thought I had friends in college that could eat a lot (LaBamba's and Burger King), you should see the kids and the amount of rice they eat. It would blow you mind. Then its off to the bus and school.

To start the afternoon, we clean up after the kids and have lunch with the didis. KC and I have language and culture class this week and next. So from 11:00 to 1:00 we go to a local school. After school, we help watch the children, do laundry, help prepare meals and hang with the didis. Before you know it, the kids are coming home. We pick them up from the school bus and walk them home. They rush to change out of their outfits, grab snack, hit the books then the playground. Where ever they are, we are. During TV time last night, I put in a Blue Planet (BBC documentary about the ocean) video. It put all the children to sleep, it has the same effect on children across the globe.

Dinner is served around 7:30 and it is similar to lunch with daal bhat and a different curry. The children get lots of protein and vitamins. Its a very healthy, tasty meal. By this time, I am ready to hit the sack but KC and I will have dinner with the didis, then call it a night. We are asleep before some of the kids. I wonder if I will gain stamina over the course of the next four months. . . I'm not sure.

Sorry for the lack of pictures. Its a bigger challenge with the technology than I had anticipated. I am searching local cyber cafes to find the best. I promise pictures soon.

Quick story: we had a picnic today with funds the kids raised by caroling during tihar. The children's favorite part was dessert like all children. . .and it was ice cream!! The youngest of the clan put down three small cones then proudly showed me his belly as a poked for fun. He is also the newest addition to the house. He will greet you with a salute then namaste. The colonel also entertained with classic baby dance moves. There were no tears this afternoon only a full belly of ice cream.

In Pokhara!!!

Hello All,

KC and I have arrived in Pokhara, Nepal. It is as beautiful as the pictures. The Himalayas tower over the city in all their glory. They are huge.

Overall, our travel from St. Louis to Pokhara, Nepal, could not have worked out better. Allison and Dan treated us to dinner during our layover in DC. Qatar Airways treated us well; from the exit row recliners on our 12 hour flight to the cushy hotel stay in Doha, they took care of Red and I. Now that the day is night and the night is day, its time to get some rest. We are heading to the orphanage tomorrow for lunch and plan on moving into Sam's House on Wednesday. We are so excited to be here.

Pictures of the town and mountains are on their way. More stories to come, so keep checking in

Happy New Year!

Please excuse the lack of recent postings. Since our last posting, we have:

• sold all material belongings except clothes and pictures
• moved from Boston to St. Louis
• celebrated Christmas (twice), New Years and KC's birthday
• made 7 trips to R.E.I.
• packed, unpacked and repacked our bags for Nepal

I think we are ready to go. We depart Saturday at 12:30 PM Central for Washington D.C. After a 6 1/2 hour layover, it is off to Doha, Quatar. An 8 hour layover plus 6 hour flight, puts us into Katmandu around 12:30 PM two days later. We will still have a short flight to Pokhara.

We will be spending two nights in a hotel to acclimate ourselves. The night will be day and day will be night. Two days of rest should prepare us for moving into the orphanage, hopefully.

We hope everyone had a great holiday and festive new year. We enjoyed spending as much time as possible with family and friends over the last two weeks. It was great to see everyone, your support is genuinely appreciated.