KVS Vs.Bulbule!

Hi Everyone!  Below is a post I just put together for Maggie's website a few days ago!  Hope all is well.
 
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is John Christopher and I’m the current Extra-Curricular Fellow at Kopila Valley! Over the past 6 months, I’ve been working with several of the other volunteers in an attempt to provide access to safe and supportive extracurricular activities to Kopila Valley Students.

As you might guess 1 person supervising 300 kids became an impossible task, so two other amazing fellows (Nena & Kelly) have taken on the huge task coaching the 32 girls on the volleyball team.  I have been inspired by their progress with the girls, and they will be writing about their experience with volleyball in the near future.

In addition to the girls, the boys have also made huge strides and I will use this space to focus on our progress with the boys’ soccer program.  Like the girls, the boys have also been an inspiration and a joy to watch and coach.  When I first arrived here the affinity, and love for soccer at Kopila Valley (and Nepal) was palpable.  I would walk on to the field every day and see the boys out there playing in the school yard.  That said, while the passion for the sport was undeniable, the organization and structure was suspect at best.  After school sports was a bit of a free for all, with no real rhyme or reason.  After conferring with Nena & Kelly, we decided to set up seasons for the boys and girls sports.  On January first, we announced a new system where the boy’s would play soccer for three months, while the girls played volleyball.  Practices are now held six days a week, for an hour and a half a day after school.  In addition to providing some much needed structure, it also helps out the girls tremendously by ensuring they have time on the field, and will not be ousted by the boys.

At the end of each “season”, our goal has been to set up games between our school and other local schools.  On Saturday, February 16^th, we had our first match against Bulbule Academy!   The process of organizing games can be described as glacial.  In Nepal, schools do not take the decision to participate lightly, for fear of the shame that would accompany a loss.  As a result of that mentality, it took some time and energy in order to set up our first game…but it finally happened!  Our boys came to school bright and early, and the field was marked and ready to go.  Due to resource constraints, we don’t have uniforms quite yet, however, we purchased matching socks for all the boys, and they all wore their Kopila Valley polo shirts.  After our warm-up, the opponent showed up equipped in their orange and yellow uniforms.  The initial intimidation was easy to read on our boy’s faces, however, I did my best to settle their nerves before the game.  I think this anxiety took center stage in the first half, and Bulbule got out to an early 1-0 lead.  Trailing at the half, myself and Ian (assistant coach), made some adjustments…and the boys came out on FIRE in the second half.  Despite a damp overcast day, we had lots of supports and the energy level was through the roof.  Not until we scored 4 unanswered goals was Bulbule able to get back on the board.  In addition to winning the match 4-2, we were also able to incorporate all 22 boys into the lineup to reward all of their hard work.  Needless to say it was a wonderful day for our boy’s, teachers, volunteers, and fans and I can’t wait for our next game against SOS School on Saturday.

Thank you everyone for your support.  Your positive energy is definitely appreciated, and I feel truly blessed to be over here with Maggie, Top, the Volunteers/Staff, and of course all of the kids!  I’ll be sure to have Maggie update everyone on future games!

Sunita

Name: Sunita BK

Age: 7 years old

Favorite subject: Nepali

Hobbies: Football and dancing

When she is older she wants to be a: Teacher

She lives with: Her mother, two older brothers, and two younger sisters

Sunita!

What you just read is Sunita in her own words. Like Kabita and Ramita, who I wrote about in my last blog, Sunita is a Kindergarten girl I got to meet on a walk home. This time, my walk wasn't planned, and I actually saw Sunita and her friend (and Nursery Student) Dourga on their walk home from school. Rather than just waving as I ran by they decided to come along for the run, and rather than continue running I decided to slow down to a walk and accompany these two precious little girls on their way home. They're both extremely young, so their English isn't quite top notch, but they're quickly improving and were delightful to spend time with. I've found that my one on one time with the kids tends to be the most fulfilling, which was certainly the case with Sunita, and just like Kabita and Ramita she became an instant Nepali Crush of mine after our walk. What made my walk with Sunita so unique was the conclusion. I thought I had seen the worst of things when I walked home with Kabita, however, in comparison to Sunita, she was living in a pleasant home. In addition to getting to know kids, I think my walks are so beneficial because you have the opportunity to see where the kids come from. I learn so much with every walk, and am continually astounded by what these children overcome to get to school. While walking home with Sunita, she motioned towards a house in the distance...I was actually surprised, as it looked very nice, and I exclaimed to her “Wow, Sunita your house is so beautiful”. To which she responded “Ni John Sir! Ni Ni, Sano house” ( No No John, Small House). After a few more steps, I saw what appeared to be a pile of sticks in the distance. Not until I got closer did I realize, that this was Sunita's home, which she shares with her aforementioned mother, brothers, and sisters. At no point in this trip, was I as taken aback as I was in that moment. This beautiful 5 year old girl, was living in a stick hut with 5 people, and walking an hour each way to school. For those of you who don't know, Nepal has a ferocious monsoon season, with rains so hard there is no way this house could stop them. After dropping Sunita off, all of this began to register. The initial joy of spending time with such a happy, adorable, bright little girl wore off, and the reality of the situation sunk in...

Sunita's Home - Mother & 2 Brothers

After my initial walk...I decided to show Safira & Nena Sunita's home on one of our runs!

For me, this trip to Nepal has been a fulfilling and eye opening experience...and experience which will soon end, and give way to a life of first world comforts back in the States. For Sunita, and other girls like her, this is life. This is the life they will grow up into if they are not helped along the way. This is why I chose to sponsor Sunita (along with one other girl, Bimala, who I will write about soon). For a mere $25 a month, I have the ability to provide the necessary funding for Sunita's education at Kopila Valley School. Not only does this provide for her education, it provides a daily meal, a loving support network, and most importantly the opportunity to escape the life of poverty she was born into. Despite my $0 a month salary I have made the choice to sponsor these girls, and I encourage anyone who is reading this to contact me with respects to sponsoring their own child. Not only will you have the satisfaction of helping one of these amazing children escape a viscous cycle of poverty, you will also receive updates, pictures, and stories from the children as they grow.

We are currently in the process of compiling a list of children in need of sponsorships. In addition to Kopila Valley Followers, Maggie has partnered with She's the First in order to match sponsors with children. She's the first was set up to link sponsors with girls who are the first in their family to receive an education...hence “She's the First”. Sunita is actually one of those girls, and I'm delighted to assist in her education, for this year and hopefully many years to come. While I'm not sure who exactly reads this blog every week, I urge anyone who feels inclined to contact me at John.Joseph.Christopher@gmail.com to find out more information about sponsoring a child.

Me and one of my many Nepali Crushes!

As always, hope all is well at home! Miss everyone.

February Thoughts!

Hello again...Wow, time really flies. I feel like every time I talk to one of my friends from home, I'm startled when I realize how long its been since we've last spoken. I constantly get asked, why its taken so long to call...to which I usually respond “but we just talked”. Not until really thinking about it do I realize that its been a month, two months, or even four to five! I think the same principle holds true on this blog...and not until I really think about it do I realize how much time has elapsed since my last post. I can't believe that its already February! Which means my brother's visits is just around the corner, and I leave soon! Granted, due to a recent change of plans that departure is not permanent, and I will be returning to Kopila Valley for May and June. Aside from traveling with Bobby, I'll also be returning to the States for a month, which should provide some much needed decompression and family/friend time.. I can't wait to see everyone, and catch up on everything I've missed since I've been gone. I also look forward to the perspective which will come from my trip home. Currently, I'm so entrenched in life here that it can challenging to reflect on my time. Ultimately, I think there are two potential outcomes. My trip back could renew my interest to continue down the path I was on prior to coming to Nepal, or I could walk away with it with a renewed vigor for what I’m doing here in Nepal. I don't think I will completely know until I've come back to the States though.

Beyond that brief update, things continue to go well over here. I was sending an email and proctoring an exam for one of my favorite classes earlier today. While sitting in class I realized, how much I enjoy walking into school each morning and getting greeted by 300 kids saying “Good Morning John Sir, how are you?” , that always puts a smile on my face. That in and of it self pulls me out of bed each morning, and I'm so happy with this moment in my life. There are so many amazing people that I interact with on a daily basis, and I am so appreciative for being so fully embraced by the community.

3 kids missing their two front teeth!!!

Another one of those “happy moments” happened today when I took two of my absolute favorite girls to celebrate the end of their exams. I've already told some of my friends about the two young Nepali's I've fallen in love with...but for the rest of you their names are Kabita and Ramita and they're in 1 class. Last Friday I walked home with them from school. One of the girls, has a 1.5 hour walk each way, battles a rare gene disorder, and lives in a one room mud hut in the mountains...yet still always has a HUGE smile on her face and is just unbelievable. The walk to their homes, really cemented my love and respect for both of them and I was so happy to bring them out today for some snacks and a new pair of chappals (sandals). In all honesty, walking home with some of the school children, and seeing where they come from was a real eye opener for me. While just about everyone over here has a tough situation, some of the kids living outside face huge obstacles with regards to their education. Yet, they continue to rise up overcome the challenges on a daily basis. For example, today and yesterday we experienced torrential downpours in Surkhet. Coincidentally, the Kids were all in exams and couldn't miss school. Well without fail, at 9am I saw 6 year old Kabita and Ramita walking in through the gates, with a huge smile...and some wet clothes!

Kabita & Ramita!

Turns out each experience and interaction like the one I mentioned above makes me love it more and more here. Not only has this experience continued to surpass all the expectations I had, I've also learned that I love working with Children. I'm not sure how this will fit in to the rest of my life, however, I am extremely happy that I learned sooner rather than later.

There is so much else I could update on, but I'll just do some quick hits... Since my last post we've had Safira's, Hansha's, Yagya's, and Rupa's Birthday! Construction has continued on the new third floor of the house, and it appears that the opening of our new woman’s center is right around the corner. Sports practices continue to go off extremely well, and we're close to finalizing some games for both our girls volleyball team, and the boys football team. Exams are coming to a close, and we've been spending some late nights and early mornings working with the kids to prepare. We've had ups and downs, punishments and parties, laughter and tears, along with everything else you'd expect in a house with 40 kids. That said, despite how chuck chucky (a Nepali expression for misbehaving) they can be some time I love them all. A sentiment which is true of everyone here, the staff, the aunties, the uncles, the kids, and the other volunteers. I couldn't have asked to be with a better group of people, and remain thankful for this amazing opportunity.

Just three of the people its easy to love..Amrika Auntie, Laxmi Uncle, and Safira!

Until next time...Cheers!