So Long Nepal...Again

Well I’m sitting here in Himalayan Java on my way back to the US!   I had a great night out with Rijen last night, and met up with some of my Kathmandu friends later in the evening as well.  Kathmandu has really become a home away from home, and it’s so great to show up to so many friendly faces each time I’m here.

Beyond my night out on the town in KTM, the past 2 months have been great, granted I’ve certainly faced some challenges along the way.  The most significant albeit rewarding of these challenges was my 11 day trip to Kalikot, a trip that pushed me to the limit, but provided the necessary inspiration for the next chapter in my life.  I will be posting a significant blog post “Reflection on Kalikot” soon, which will delve more into that trip.

As for my departure, the second time around wasn’t quite as jarring, and thankfully no tears were shed.  That said, I did have one point where I nearly lost my composure.  Yesterday morning, I walked with the Vice Principal (Minn Sir) to get tea and watch the kids compete in a 5k race organized by SOS.  The same morning I was planning to say farewell to Laxmi (I’ve posted about her in the past!), but Laxmi came to the hostel while I was out cheering on the kids.  From what I’ve gathered I just missed her when I came back, and she had left into a torrential downpour.  The thought of missing my goodbye, along with visualizing Laxmi disappointed and trudging home in the pouring rain was about all I could handle.  Thankfully, Nena let me borrow her Iphone and I left her a little message to watch at school.  I guess the silver linings in saying “goodbye” is that I will be back in September, and despite missing all of the kids, staff, and fellows I love so much…I will soon be with my family and friends from the US which I look forward to, including one of my best friends Scott who is getting married on Saturday!

Hope all is well…more soon.

So Long Safira...

Today is the last day for Safira, who over the past 8 months has become one of my best friends in the world.  She was the first one I met when I arrived at Kopila, and has been the only person here throughout the duration of my stay.  One blog entry could definitely not handle the number of superlatives I could associate with her.   So…I guess I’ll just stick with the obvious, I love her and I will miss her!  We’ve had some amazing times, from our morning jogs to our absurd relationship with Amrika Auntie.  Kopila will not be the same without her, and I feel so blessed for having such an amazing friend in my life.

Me and Safira

Laxmi

Today’s blog post is about one of my favorite people here at Kopila.  While I’ve been here I have been blessed to meet some amazing children that have battled through lots of adversity in order to get to where they are today.  One of those kids is a beautiful 13 year old girl named Laxmi, who I’ve become very close with over the past 8 months. From the get go I knew she was someone that needed a friend, and someone to lean on.   She is so special in so many ways; however, unfortunately she was picked up late by Kopila and is only in the third grade.  As a result of this, she does not have too many friends in her class and his separated by the children her age most of the time.  She’ll frequently come up to me and explain how I’m her best friend, and that she doesn’t have very many friends in her class.  This is both heartbreaking and humbling.  We’ve developed quite a friendship, walking to the temple together, working on English and math, going out to lunch occasionally, and simply spending a few moments here and there together.  Until recently, I’ve loved Laxmi, but I haven’t know too much about her life outside of Kopila.  That changed abruptly when I took the time to walk home with her and Pabitra a couple of weeks ago.  During this trip, I learned how much she deals with outside of school, she has no father, her mother is mentally handicapped, and her brother is away for work most of the time (he is a long haul driver).  Additionally, her brother’s wife passed away recently leaving behind an infant child.  These realities have left Laxmi as the 13 year old head of the household.  She takes care of her mother and her niece while her brother is away, which is most of the time.  While visiting the Sunar house I saw the single room where the 4 family members, eat, sleep, and live.  Despite these nearly impossible circumstances Laxmi still comes to school most days with a huge smile on her face.  Recently she’s been coming to the hostel to meet me in the morning, and we’ve been walking to school together.  Just like when I wrote about Sunita, it is stories like this and the strength of my relationships with many of the other children that has solidified my resolve and my desire to continue working in this country and in this field.  While I’m not sure exactly what this will look like yet, my priorities have certainly shifted, and my desire to help Laxmi, and others in her shoes has never been stronger.

Pabitra, me, and Laxmi @ Laxmi's house

Pooja, Me, and Laxmi @ The Temple