Let me see your body...

That is probably the statement that makes me laugh the most thus far…As I mentioned in previous blog posts, many of the students and teachers know that I used to wrestle.  I’ve had to explain many a time that no I’m not John Cena nor have I met John Cena.  I’ve actually downloaded a video of intercollegiate wrestling just to show them what I did when I was in college and High School.  That being said, I still get calls quite regularly asking “let me see your body”.  Typically the response to this is a couple of flexes followed by rounds of cheers.  While this is extremely flattering, I also expect myself to be a little bit more muscular than some underfed Nepali children!

Moving along, life has been moving along nicely since the birthday party post, and I’m getting into a pretty solid rhythm.  I typically wake up at 7:30, make my bed, check my emails, and then head down to the kitchen for some breakfast.  Typically, the volunteers have been meeting around 8:15, so its pretty nice to start off the day catching up with everyone.  Following my breakfast, I normally get my bag ready for school and walk over around 9:30 for the day.  I’ve been spending much of my mornings in the principals office, working on assorted projects, and helping out where I can.  Whether that means covering for a teacher, organizing the extracurriculars, or simply working through my emails the morning tends to be pretty busy.  After working through the morning, the volunteers and teachers will usually eat at 12:15.  Thankfully, my old self is not the one in Nepal or I’d be in real trouble.  For those of you who didn’t know me when I was younger, I used to be the PICKIEST eater ever.  While the lunch here is pretty simple, I still think the only thing on the entire plate I would have eaten if this were 5 years ago is the rice.  Additionally, since we eat the same meals every day, I would be eating lots of rice and pretty much nothing else.  Thankfully, as I’ve grown up I’ve become a more adventurious eater and and getting by just fine on the Nepali diet… I can’t say I’m not getting sick of the Nepali diet and its lack of variety, but I didn’t sign up for the Nepali cuisine!  During lunch I spend a couple hours playing with the lower and the upper school kids which has been a great deal of fun.  I’ve actually been playing a lot of basketball and Frisbee and am getting much better at both of them.  Initially I was running just about every morning, however, 2 hours of activities during lunch, 2 hours after school, and about an hour after satsung has been catching up on me and my running has really been limited over the past several days.  Typically after lunch, and the play time associated with it I’ve been heading back to the house for a brief nap while the kids are all at school.  Living with forty kids can be a grind, and the house is pretty much only quiet while they are at school.  Even then, you can often hear the hammering, sawing, and other sounds of workers around the house.  Following my nap, I usually head back to the school at around 3 for planning and set up for our inter-house championship practices! We’ve had 3 successful days of practice so far, and I’m really hoping we can build on the momentum.  The soccer rotation has been working well, and with a little bit of enforcement the boys have been respecting the girls space on their days, which was a nice surprise.  We’re still hurting in a few sports, and trying to increase the enthusiasm, which I think we did today.  This morning was a poetry competition/assembly and prior to the poems the principal and I got on stage to inform everyone of the schedule, and work towards getting more and more people into the games.  

Poetry Reading

Assembly

 So far I am very happy with the progress though, and look forward to more organized and productive practices to come.  As a result of the increased number of kids on the field we’ve been forced to “cut the grass”, which was one of the more interesting experiences I’ve come across.  Evidently in Nepal, they don’t cut the grass typically, which means they don’t have lawn mowers.  This is a problem, because when I showed up the grass was nearly knee high, and was not only un-fun to play in but also unsafe.  Following discussions with the principles and groundskeepers I was instructed to cut the grass “by hand”.  This means, taking a sickle and cutting down each blade of grass one at a time.  After and absolutely pathetic start by me, an all star team of aunties and goats was brought in to salvage the situation.  In Nepal, the men really slack off relative to the woman.  I felt absolutely terrible having these woman toil in the field in order to provide a better playing surface, however, they seemed fine doing it.  They’ve actually been working about 8 hours a day for the past three days and still have some more to go.  I am extremely indebted to these wonderful women, for making my life easier and the lives of the kids safer and more fun.

Fresh Cut Grass!

Afternoon practices, usually take up the brunt of the afternoon and I’ve been leaving school around 6 to 6:30.  Following practice I run home, jump in the shower, and get dressed for dinner.  Once again I usually meet the fellows around 7 for our dinner (which is served after the kids eat).  We will usually sit around and talk/catch up on our days until satsung which begins at 8. We’ve actually had some troublemakers recently, and over the past few days we’ve been forced to put some people into “the book” which is the houses mechanism for tracking poor behavior.  On a happier note, hour newest fellow arrived last night all the way from Seattle, Washington!  It was really interesting seeing the welcome song, and the overwhelmed face of Kelly and very comforting knowing that, that is no longer me! 

After satsung I’ve been spending some time with a couple of the boys working on my Nepali, and wrestling around.  I’ve tried to show them some real wrestling moves, but every night ultimately boils down into some sort of WWE showdown between about 8 of them against me.  I won’t lie, so far I’m undefeated!

I will continue to update you all as much as I can!  I have a feeling this post was a bit all over the place, but I’ve been asked time and again what my usual day is like, so I thought I’d do my best to fill everyone in.  On one final note, I’m very excited for tomorrow as I will be going with some of the fellows and some of the teachers to Surkhets newest hot spot…(please note the sarcasm as there are no hot spots here!).  That said, we’re going out for dinner and drinks at a new restaurant which should be a fantastic break from the norm.

Birthday Party!

For those of you who haven’t seen the pictures on Facebook, last night we had an EPIC birthday party.  Prior to the birthday we went back into town in order to continue the quest for the remote control car, and we hit the jackpot.  I’m pretty sure we got the best remote control car in town, with sounds, lights, and an ignition.  Following the remote control car store we ran by the bakery to pick up one of the cakes, and made our way back to the house.  After we got home, we tested to car to ensure it worked, and hid it away for the big celebration.  Safira, picked up some streamers and balloons, so the two of us with the help of Sabita, Bindu, and Sarita decorated the upstairs for the big celebration.  After dinner, we all headed up to begin the party.  This was my first birthday at Kopila, I’d heard good things, and it definitely lived up to expectations, we had a blast!  The kids like a pretty good range of music, so we listened to everything from Justin Bieber, to Beyonce, to Bollywood hits.  You might notice some of my pictures are a little less than stellar.  That is largely the result of the kids taking control of the camera.  In my short time here I’ve learned that they LOVE technology.  Whether it’s borrowing an iPhone, computer, or camera they can be entertained for hours.  Following the dance party, we made our way downstairs for cake and presents.  I stuck mostly to Safira’s homemade cake, which was pretty spectacular and coated with one of my all-time favorite products…Nutella.  Following the cake, the presents, and some more shenanigans I made myself back to my room to continue planning for these Inter-House Championships.   We are just a few days away from the beginning of practices, and this afternoon I’ll be working with Matt to cut the grass and fill in the divots on the field.  More soon…

First Day of School (For me)!

Today was a very exciting day for me, as school finally got underway.  I’d heard a lot about school days from the other fellows, and the unanimous feeling was that they are far more enjoyable than off days.  Since I arrived on Wednesday we’ve been off on Holiday, and unfortunately school on Friday was cancelled as a result of a teachers strike.  These strikes happen regularly in Nepal, and workers who actually do report to work during strike will be physically threatened (which means when there is a strike, there is definitely no school).  That being said, things got back to normal today with the first day of classes.  I’d heard how great the kids look in the morning going to class, but not until I saw some of the younger ones putting on their ties did I realize how true that is.  After watching them head off to class, I ate a quick breakfast and headed to school myself. 

Back to Class

Upon arriving at school the first thing I did was have a meeting with the principal.  He is a very good and well-traveled man who speaks English very well, and used to be a General in the Nepali Army.  After some initial small talk, we did some brainstorming with respects to the Extra-Curricular fellowship and my involvement with the school.  The first plan of action was to put together an inter-house championship, which will feature competitions between Kopila’s four houses (Moon, Sky, Star, and Sun).  There will be two divisions for the boys (grades 2-5 and 6-8) and one division for the girls.  The final verdict was to feature contests in Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball, Badminton, and Track.  Fortunately, Matt is quite the soccer player so he can head that effort while I spend time working with the other sports.  While I’m very excited for the tournament, the decision was made that it will culminate on annual day which just so happens to be December 25^th (Christmas Day).  Originally I had intended to meet up with my family for the holidays, however, as the leader of the games sadly that will no longer be the case. 

Following this meeting I went around to each classroom and introduced myself to the class and the teachers.  It was pretty disheartening when I went from feeling like I knew everyone’s name in the house, to being completely overwhelmed once again.  It took me 5 days for forty, so I’m hoping a couple a months and I’ll have most of the students down?  We will see on that one.   Following these introductions, I went back to the principal’s office to work on some planning documents in order to organize the championship.  The difficulty right now is the boys tend to dominate the girls with respects to field use, and there is a worry that the boys will exclude the girls.  After talking to some of the other fellows, we decided that we will alternate use of the big field between girls and boys, and on days when the other sex is using the field they will focus on the other sports.  This will probably not go over too well with many of our extremely enthusiastic boy’s soccer players, however, I’ve already volunteered to bite the bullet and play the part of bad cop.  Beyond this productive planning session, I took the entirety of both lunch periods to meet as many children as possible.  I essentially walked around the field and cafeteria for two hours talking to people, and getting to know the school children.  Maggie has a policy that when we are at school we should focus on the regular school children, rather than the kids we live with.  I did my very best to abide by this policy, but it can be a challenge when some of the faces I’ve already grown close with run up for a hug.  At the end of the school day we went around from class to class, and announced that we will have sign ups on Monday for the games and laid out some of the rules for the championship.  More to come on the competitions soon.

Relay Race

 

After school, Safira and I went out on a trip into town to pick up supplies for a Birthday party we will be celebrating tomorrow.  I had mentioned a desire to start taking a couple kids into town every few days to get an opportunity to get to know them outside of the house.  Today, the lucky three were Sagar, Krishna, and Dipak.  We went all around town in search for a cake and a remote control car.  Unfortunately, we came back with one of two items.  We were actually very close to buying a car, but upon further review we learned it was broken.  Evidently there is another store which sells cars which we are going to check out tomorrow, and if we can’t find the car soccer cleats it is!  Towards the end of the walk, I treated the whole crew for some chaat on the street.  This was my first meal outside of the home/school and it was a real treat.  I was warned not to eat street food in order to keep myself from getting sick, but the kids rave about chaat, and my “when in Rome” attitude prevailed.  For those of you who don’t know (which I’m guessing is all of you), chaat is essentially really spicy mashed potatoes with some tomatoes, chili sauce, and other seasoning, and is served with a crispy wafer.  So far so good on the sickness front, and given the fact that dinner at the house tonight was very underwhelming, I’m pretty glad I managed to snag some chaat.  Additionally, at the end of the walk Sagar started teaching me Nepali.  Surprisingly, I really haven’t needed to use the language since the kids in the house are wonderful in English.  But in the same “when in Rome” vein, I figure it would be shame to leave in Nepal and not learn the language.  Sagar agreed to quiz me during the day on my Nepali knowledge, and if I answer correctly teach me something new.  There is something quite humbling about having a ten year old teach you how to speak, but he is a great kid and I’m always excited to learn more

Also, for those of you wondering I am finally feeling much better since my last update.  The cough medicine from town seems to have worked wonders, and my mosquito bites are slowly fading which is a very welcome relief.  After eating my first street food I hope you’ll all keep your fingers crossed for me though!  Things continue to go well, and I am really enjoying my time here.  Not only have I been getting increasingly close with the Kids, but my relationship also continues to grow with the other fellows.  I think we’re all in agreement, that sometimes things can be pretty rough in the third world, so while we’re here we should try to have as much fun as we can…a mindset which has led to some pretty hilarious comments and stories.

Hope all is well at home!

Early Life at Kopila

Well, I’ve been here for two days now…I’m covered with Bites, am run down, and have an annoying cough, that being said I’m having quite a fun time.  The trip to Surkhet was a wild one, which began with an early wake up in Kathmandu and a taxi ride to the airport.  For those of you who haven’t been to the domestic terminal in Kathmandu, I can assure you it is quite the experience.  As soon as we showed up to the airport, about 20 men came up to the car, each grabbing a different one of my bags from the cab.  Needless to say this was mildly disconcerting.  After walking with my “crew” of 10 men to the airport, they all expected some sort of tip for their help.  Then I got into the airport where the Chaos continued, one man grabbed my bag the other grabbed me to pay airport taxes, and another to print my ticket.  After about 1000 rupees in tips, and some serious anxiety I got through the gates and into the actually terminal to wait for my plane.  After about an hour of waiting, they called for my flight to Nepal Gang.  I jumped in the propeller plane, where I most definitely stuck out like a sore thumb, and began my journey via air.  The views were spectacular in the air, and I could see the Himalayas’ outside the right of the airplane.

Flight from Kathmandu

 Upon arriving at Nepal Ganj, a young man, about 16 picked me up and helped carry my bags to his truck for the trip to Surkhet.  Talk about a disconcerting experience.  We were whipping through the streets, avoiding goats, cows, cars, and people.  About an hour into the trip, traffic died down as a result of entering a national park.  This was one of the most amazingly beautiful places I’ve ever been, but also one of the more treacherous.  We drove through several recent mudslides, with about 1 foot to spare from sliding off a cliff into the jungle.  This was not quite what I was expecting and rather than a peaceful car ride to Surkhet, I was extremely white knuckled the entire time.

Drive to Surkhet

 

The arrival to Surkhet was also interesting, and I was actually able to spot Maggie’s house from a  while away as it is one of the biggest and nicest in town.  Immediately upon showing up, a few children met me at the car and grabbed my bags (I think that is a common there here in Nepal!).  The house manager Tope walked me to my room, and set me up with some sheets and a pillow.  I’m on the ground floor of the house, and have a nice room with its own bathroom.  The one issue thus far has been its location, which is loud with construction constantly going on, and kids ALWAYS running around.   After taking a moment to throw some stuff in my room, I went to meet the three other fellows in the house.  Much to my delight, Ian, Matt, and Safira are all great, and I’ve had a wonderful time with them so far.  After greeting each other for a few minutes, we walked down to the school for lunch, which is the same lunch I’ll be eating for the next 5 months.  This is a staple in Nepal called Dal Bhat, which is essentially rice, beans, and some vegetables.  After lunch, I quickly learned that non-school days can be quite slow around the house, with lots of reading, playing, and other activities.  Towards the end of my first day, I walked down to a local bar with Ian and Matt to grab a celebratory beer for the first day and catch up outside of the home.  THEN, in the highlight of the night we got back to the house for satsung which is the nightly meeting that we have as a house.  The meeting began with a big song welcoming yours truly to the family, and then a long question and answer session in which I answered difficult questions like: “what’s your favorite color”, “what is your favorite animal name”, and “who is your favorite super hero”

After satsung I spent some time doing my best to remember names, and ingratiate myself with the Kopila family.

The Home

Yesterday morning, I woke up at 6 to go for a run before it got too hot.  Unfortunately by the time I got back it was very warm, and I think I sweat for a good 2 hours following my shower.  I did a good bit of reading, played some soccer, and developed quite the following of little guys.  We played Angry Birds for a solid 3 hours up on the porch which was pretty fun and a really good opportunity for me to really get to know some of the guys.  At the same time, the girls were having a little dance party of the balcony, so I showed off some moves with them…especially when Call Me Maybe came on.  For some reason they really enjoyed turning down the music mid chorus, and laughing at me while I continued to go on singing for a good 10 seconds!  I can’t say enough, about how great the kids have been so far.  They are some of the most polite fun loving children I’ve ever come across.  As with all kids, I’m sure my patience will be tried down the road, but right now I’m having a blast just hanging out and getting to know all of them.  I honestly think my least favorite moments have come when a child asks me what their name is and I can’t remember.  I’ve done my best to study pictures, and 3 days in I think I’ve got pretty much all forty down though.

This morning, was really the biggest challenge I’ve faced in terms of how I feel.  You can ask my little sister, and she will attest.  There is something about our blood that mosquitos love.  Sagar, Naveen, and Sundar keep telling me the mosquitos love to kiss me because I’m white…Not sure if I’m buying that though.  Fortunately, I went on an adventure into town just a few hours ago with the other fellows, and I got some calamine lotion to relieve the each, some cough syrup to relieve my cough, and some bug repellent which will hopefully keep this from continuing!  Somehow I managed to get 4 giant mosquito bites on my forehead, which is quite a flattering look.

Walk into town

With respects to an update on my fellowship and goals, I’ve begun to brainstorm some with the other fellows, however, they haven’t had school since I’ve been here and today was a teachers strike so I’ll have to wait until Sunday before having a grasp of what the school day is like. 

Hope all is well back home…I feel like I could write for days but I don’t want to bore you all!  I have had so many new experiences during the past few days, far more than this quick blog post could ever convey.

I’ll write again soon!