Kelly the Buddhist?? Tsk.
Ok, Ok. I know. Mum and Grandma probably have their index fingers poised above the mouse, ready to send that email to me demanding when the next posting will appear on my blog. Well here it is. The ol' pneumonia has been slowing me down a tad. Yes, it's true. My lungs have filled with some multi-coloured fluid, but I am now on the mend. I self-prescribed some penicillin and was so impressed by its affect that I went and got a book on Sir Fleming to read about the genius who invented it. Swell guy. And on a positive note, this is the first time in over two months in a third world country that I have taken antibiotics. Not bad.
So the kids here are all on holiday and we are attempting to alleviate their boredom. Yesterday, we took them to the movies. We packed 50 children onto the public bus, (the total coming to a whopping $4.00) and off we went into the city. After we got off, we had to walk down a very sketchy alley way, past an open sewer where I spotted a 9" rat and a dead dog in a bag, and into the courtyard of the movie theatre. Needless to say, it was a little tricky organizing 50 kids into five different movie theatres. I went to see Casino Royale, the new James Bond movie. Of course, being in Nepal, they cut all the racy sex scenes so there was a little too much hugging and not enough doing for my liking. But all in all, it was good and now all the boys want to be James Bond.
Today we decided to paint some of the dining hall chairs some wacky colours to keep the kids occupied. They did a great job. They also did a great job of getting it in their hair, all over their clothes and painting their shoes and my coat.
We also heated up a bucket of water and bribed all the little kids into lining up and getting their faces washed and applied with lotion. Because of the cold weather and the high altitude, their faces are really badly chapped. They actually enjoyed it because they never get to feel the sensation of hot water and by the end they had totally forgotten that we had got them to line up with the promise of chocolate, which was a complete fabrication.
My rat problem has finally come to an end. I put out poison and then not caring to wait to see the results, I gave my room to the new volunteer. Nice, I know. But I really couldn't take them trying to get in bed with me anymore. I was desperate. And plus, the new volunteer snores like a banshee and so no rat has dared to get into bed with her.
The other day, I went into the mountains and spent a day and a night at the Pullahari Monastery. It was incredible. Buddhists are so clean and quiet, it was very refreshing. And the air and the scenery were wonderful. We were so high up that the fog didn't reach us at all. It was such a great change from being enveloped in impenetrable whiteness for most of the day, which is a characteristic of Nepalese winters. In the afternoon, all the girls from Child Haven climbed the mountain and begged me to come back. I had planned on staying another night, but alas, I couldn't say no. It was probably a good thing anyhow. If I had stayed any longer, I might have become Buddhist. They are super people.
By the way, the internet cafe that I am in right now, is full of Buddhist cowboys. With hats and all. Isn't that wierd??
Well, the countdown has begun. Three weeks until I fly to London to see my darling brother. Four weeks until I once again fill that gaping hole in my mother's life.
So the kids here are all on holiday and we are attempting to alleviate their boredom. Yesterday, we took them to the movies. We packed 50 children onto the public bus, (the total coming to a whopping $4.00) and off we went into the city. After we got off, we had to walk down a very sketchy alley way, past an open sewer where I spotted a 9" rat and a dead dog in a bag, and into the courtyard of the movie theatre. Needless to say, it was a little tricky organizing 50 kids into five different movie theatres. I went to see Casino Royale, the new James Bond movie. Of course, being in Nepal, they cut all the racy sex scenes so there was a little too much hugging and not enough doing for my liking. But all in all, it was good and now all the boys want to be James Bond.
Today we decided to paint some of the dining hall chairs some wacky colours to keep the kids occupied. They did a great job. They also did a great job of getting it in their hair, all over their clothes and painting their shoes and my coat.
We also heated up a bucket of water and bribed all the little kids into lining up and getting their faces washed and applied with lotion. Because of the cold weather and the high altitude, their faces are really badly chapped. They actually enjoyed it because they never get to feel the sensation of hot water and by the end they had totally forgotten that we had got them to line up with the promise of chocolate, which was a complete fabrication.
My rat problem has finally come to an end. I put out poison and then not caring to wait to see the results, I gave my room to the new volunteer. Nice, I know. But I really couldn't take them trying to get in bed with me anymore. I was desperate. And plus, the new volunteer snores like a banshee and so no rat has dared to get into bed with her.
The other day, I went into the mountains and spent a day and a night at the Pullahari Monastery. It was incredible. Buddhists are so clean and quiet, it was very refreshing. And the air and the scenery were wonderful. We were so high up that the fog didn't reach us at all. It was such a great change from being enveloped in impenetrable whiteness for most of the day, which is a characteristic of Nepalese winters. In the afternoon, all the girls from Child Haven climbed the mountain and begged me to come back. I had planned on staying another night, but alas, I couldn't say no. It was probably a good thing anyhow. If I had stayed any longer, I might have become Buddhist. They are super people.
By the way, the internet cafe that I am in right now, is full of Buddhist cowboys. With hats and all. Isn't that wierd??
Well, the countdown has begun. Three weeks until I fly to London to see my darling brother. Four weeks until I once again fill that gaping hole in my mother's life.
posted by Kelly in Nepal at 2:42 AM
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