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My final night and final day in Nepal – we are up very late… Maya and Shailee teach the kids a Hindu Mantra. I pack, while Maya and her sister in law, Pampha, give me saris and show me how to wear them. Suresh, my future brother in law, takes the photos. Pampha preps a … More I don’t want to leave…
The first wash in over a week… Three boys followed us to the waterhole, and then slowly over time, the whole under 12 demographic of the village came to watch us bathe. That was eventually brought to an end by an old lady who came to chase the boys away with a stick. She had been told another … More Bathing Day…
We visited Gobre, where the school will be rebuilt. Thanks to you guys, the money has been raised. It’s going to be next to impossible to get bamboos up here, but the decision has been made to continue the work – thanks to Kushal Harjani and a group of incredible volunteers. This little girl has an infection on … More The school on top of the mountain…
With classes from prep to grade 8, and only four teachers, all of who have lost family or homes in the earthquake, it’s been difficult to keep up with the kids’ hunger for learning. I taught an English class for an hour, and the kids refused to go home, so we went for three hours … More School’s back…
“How far are we going?” I asked Maya. “To the top.” “That far?” “That far!” “Why on earth do people choose to live up there?” “They are mountain people. They love the mountain!” How could I be so ignorant!? Maya and I took a one-hour motorbike ride and then a two-hour walk up to the … More The rest of the world is crazy…
5am. Light streams in through the gaps in the wooden panels. The sun is up. My back is out from having slept on the wooden beams that Maya calls her bed… But as I come to, I realize that’s not what has awoken me… what sounds are those? Birds. Amazing birds… and children,.. and adults. … More Million Star Hotel
It was a three-hour drive to Maya’s Village, Bhotenamlang, in the district of Sindhopalchok. After Kathmandu, the road was dirt and stone. The driver was a champion. The surroundings were stunning. The settlements we passed were devastating… (But I had no idea what I was going to see in the days that followed…) When we … More First day in Sindhupalchok
Today I got a message from Nim, who I haven’t seen yet because she is in the district of Dolakha. She had an important matter to discuss. In order to convey the weight of the situation, I have reprinted her message in full: Put in safe place my vodka. Hope earthquake doesn’t shake. I don’t … More Donation link is up…
Shailee Basnet eats rice and lentils with her HANDS and ARMS like a bear tearing apart a human carcass. I’ve never seen anything like it. And her mother cooks pumpkin like she were cooking for the gods… Thanks Nepal. Goodnight day one.
