October 7

4:20 PM

Feeling much better today!! Yay! And sister Sushila made popcorn for the kids snack! Double yay!!

I thought for today I'd write a bit more about the details of our program.

Chanel and I stay in the upstairs of the main house, along with two other volunteers. One is Miriam, from Switzerland, who has been here for a few weeks and will stay at the Aashna Orphanage a whopping 9 months total. And the other is Hamish, from Australia, who has been here about 4 weeks and will leave a week or so before we do. There are two rooms upstairs, each with one volunteer in it when we got here, so Chanel and  are in different rooms, but 4 feet away.

The beds consist of a piece of plywood and a "mattress". I use quotations because that is what they call it and not because this thing resemebles anything I've ever called a mattress. From my luxurious fancy-spancy standards, it is far more like a cotton mattress pad, maybe 2-3 inches thick.  Still does the job though! We've been talking and find that it does cause us to wake up many times during the night but also (and most times worth the waking up part) we remember so many more of our dreams. All the weird details, the confusing plot lines. I've been having the wildest ones. I feel that in them I can sense I am not quite at home.There is a different feeling to them all. Something is a tad off.

The 3rd and final door upstairs leads out to a beautiful balcony and bathroom area. The balcony is beautiful, not the bathroom. It's just a bathroom.

Our daily schedule:
7-7:15 optional tea time
7:15-8:50 help the kids with reading
8:50-9:15 breakfast
9:20-9:45 walk the kids to school
9:45-2:00 free time
2-2:30 optional lunch
2:30-3:15 free time
3:15-4:00 walk the kids home from school
4-5 optional snack/chores
5-7:45 help kids with homework
7:45-8:15 dinner
8:15-9:30 help kids with homework
9:30 bedtime
* Saturday is holy day, no school for kids
*Friday kids are out of school at 1:30 PM

Now, I wouldn't say this schedule is followed loosely...but it sure ain't snug. Everything has its own pace here. Nepal time. There's no real certainty or necessity to any one action. No one is every really late or early because I guess you can't really expect anyone to show up. Like one volunteer said, "If you're expecting someone to show up, don't". And it's not so much a lack of responsibility. I know that when our final day approaches, we will have to call once or twice to remind them (Global Crossroads staff) to pick us up. Its not that they're forgetful or unprofessional. They just work differently than we do. It'll get done. When and by what means, they may not know, but you'll get there. And being here, we really only have one good option. Learn to live on Nepal time. There are no to-go cups. No place you have to be that quickly that you can't sit and enjoy your moments. Let go of this western sense of obligation to time. Here, I owe time nothing. And here, time guarentees me nothing.

Just now, I looked through the window across the room, through to the setting sun, but rather than the view outside it, the window is what caught my attention. I can see in this light that some previous volunteer has written in the dust with their fingertips, "I love Nepal". How nice a moment.