bobble head and silly bandz

Fingers crossed: not only is this internet speed far superior than that of my memory, but during rainy season the electricity is on much more than the dry months we experienced in Chitwan. But for you and I to trust this as concrete truth, you and I would also have to trust my communication skills in this country...so I'll keep you up to speed in the days ahead.

But before we go ahead or even start talking about today (it's either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday..I can't be sure), I have to back up a few to begin our story. Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, was my home for a 20 hour layover. For a while I thought that I would grab a bus to see the fancy oil sites, but it was my good fortune that the Germany/Argentina game began right as I got off the plane from Chicago. So it was there in a Middle Eastern pub that I spent 7 of my 20 hours. I can't imagine a more appropriate location to see the World Cup (I preferred the outcome of the Spain/Paraguay match...as did the Argentinian woman to my left) where I cheered and gasped and drank alongside folks from all over the Middle East, Britain, Germany, and the aforementioned Argentina. Best $10 beer ever.

The time did actually come when I left the UAE and climbed aboard a flight to Kathmandu. The airport was chaotic as ever with several taxi drivers trying to vie for my affection..or money..I ended up nice and cozy in my hostel around 10pm Nepali time. Seeing as I am not exactly fond of tourist-central Kathmandu, I wanted to get a bus to Chitwan as soon as I could. So after eating a more than welcoming large breakfast and Nepali coffee I roamed Thamel's streets filled with incense, Nepali music, obnxious salesmen whispering a seductive, "Miss, Tiger Balm?", in my ears, and found Dipendra (contact in KTM). He updated me on a few things Harka-related and told me I could leave in just a few hours. And that's just what I did on the most local bus of my Nepali transportation life. The ride consisted of the four-hour glorious landscape that is Nepal along with sweltering heat, the man next to me falling asleep on my shoulder, and the cute little boy in front of me vomiting everywhere...I just stuck my nose out the window and laughed to myself. It took waving a few extra rupees in front of my young punk of a taxi driver to get him to go down the dirt roads to Harka because there was no way I was dragging my superfluous luggage through such humidity.

As soon as I jumped out of the cab I think my excitement numbed the childrens' reactions to a solid, "Hmm, I know this is Becca Miss and we like Becca Miss but her enthusiasm is just a bit much right now" (and if you know me, you know I can be a bit much more often than not). So even though my big hugs and kisses may have paralyzed them for the first hour of my arrival, I was soon peeling their sweaty bodies off my arms and legs. Sirjana told me that I was much taller than before, Soniya let me know that my long hair was much prettier than my short hair, and Sima kept on saying how nice my eyebrows were. Thank goodness my eyebrows have gotten more sophisticated over the past two and a half years. All the kids act like they had never seen my shoulder scar before, rubbing it as if it were one of those golden statues whose big toe was worn green from good luck.

If I had changed that much, these kids have changed much more dramatically. Sirjana, Sima and Soniya, the three oldest girls, have also been growing their hair out since Britta and I were here, the second I found Manish he responded, "Namaste, Miss," in this post-puberty deep voice, Secil lost and grew a whole set of teeth, Tulie is no baby, and there are four more boys that I am getting to know: Bishal (11), Ranjit and Sanjit (maybe 6 and 5..brothers who they confusingly call Sujan and Suman, respectively), and Sanju (3 year old to a new 'Auntie' who is 21 years old, and left her husband after a lot of physical abuse). More news about them in days to come...all I know is Bishal is already eat-em-up cute.

But as much as the children have physically changed, their personalities are almost completely intact. Manish is still too cool for school 80% of the time, and the sweetest most charming teenager the other 20%. After he called me "Giraffe [Gee-raph]" yesterday I realized that if this boy was 15 years older, 100 more pounds, and just a foot taller, I would pretty much force an arranged marriage. Sirjana is still as girly and Sima is still the cutest of all tomboys (today, she wore a Garfield shirt that said, "It's crude, it's rude...it's my attitude" which is hilarious but couldn't be further from the truth). Soniya is still the nurturer loving and correcting the little ones as if they were her own. Buddi's smile could still save the world (his tee shirt the past few days has been the WWE shirt my mom sent 2 years ago). Secil, oh Secil...good grief, I could still take this child home with me. He and Ashish have been 'sponsored' by previous volunteers to go to private school and it has proved wonders for their English. He's still wearing the shirt he wore everyday years ago when he was 3 inches shorter, still wears his shorts an inch below his buttcrack, still is clever and pure boy, and still is my number one sidekick. Manessa still giggles uncontrollably for no apparent reason, Ganga still looks like Gonzo and is still obsessed with trash (if this child could only be introduced to dumpster diving), Jamuna still thinks I know Nepali, Ashish is a more mature version of his bobble-head wagging, "One minute, Miss" speaking self, and Tulie, though a touch sassier, still has those two deep craters for dimples that bookend the most irresistible smile.


Ashish front and center

Buddhi

Secil

Tulie

Jamuna

Sima and Soniya playin with maize

The 20% of Manish

Sirjana

Tulie and Manessa being adorable

Ashish, Secil and Ganga being crazy

I spent my first full day peeling and cutting potatoes the size of small stones, walking the kids to school, picking lice out of Jamuna's head, letting the older girls twist my now-long hair into all facets of braids (and most likely putting lice into my head), exploring the jungle (which is more or less the front yard) with the young kids to look for monkeys, feeding the hundreds of catfish in our small pond, and eating dal bhat. The one oppressive difference is this heat. Lawd, lawd...may I never complain about a Tennessee summer again. Sometime yesterday afternoon between the heat, jetlag, and lack of water, I collapsed for a pre-dinner nap. Thankfully Laxmi had dropped off ample water during my slumber and the monsoon season had dropped off a characteric afternoon rain to cool things off for the night time. It seems that the bedroom which was once our sanctuary away from 16 loud children is no sanctuary at all...the outside shade is where the coolness dwells...and so I will dwell with it.

Last night we celebrated Sima's 13th birthday so I gave the kids some of the gifts I brought (I decided to delay the giving to make it more managable). I'm not sure if you're familiar with Silly Bandz or Crazy Bracelets or whatever they're called, but they are rubber bands that vary in shape (lady bug, bear, spider, etc), turn into bracelets, and sometimes glow in the dark. They are all the craze in the States so I brought some along with me. Well, the kids were just about obsessed as they dove under beds and into closets to find the darkest location possible in order to prove their claim. Secil would then emerge from underneath the bed, point to his bracelet, and say "Miss, power!!" He then told me this morning that the spider band that he got made him Spiderman...seriously, bringing him home this time.

I will be sharing more stories in the next few days, but now I have to return the bike to Manish and wait for Laxmi to see if we're going to the market today...always an adventure.

If you're new to these kiddos, feel free to check out the blog I kept while here the first time:
www.travelsinnepal.blogspot.com There are some photos to give faces to all these names!