Just arrived back in Pokhara. It takes most of the day to get here by bus. Leaving at 7am from Kathmandu and arriving here at 3pm. Good thing is that I have just had my first shower in three weeks and did it feel good!! We have more work to do here registering our government school children and starting the women's literacy program. Will be here 3 or 4 days.
It has been very hard choosing children to sponsor this trip as there are just so many requests. They are all poor so it is difficult. A mother came to our office yesterday who had 3 children she was unable to register in school. She worked seven days per week at a private boarding school, cooking, cleaning etc. from 7 am to 6 pm for $50 per month. Her husband left her 6 years ago and now she has to pay more than half her salary for a room. It does not leave her much for food let alone school costs. She could not hide her emotion. We visited another little boy who had no father and lived in a very poor room with his mother and little brother and did not go to school. I wonder what it really feels like to be in such a situation.
The weather is extremely warm so walking around Kathmandu in the heat, dust and pollution has been quite a chore and sometimes I wonder why we are sponsoring children so far away from our office but then I get to the home and the children are waiting and I forget the difficulties.
I have been taking Nepali language classes everyday, some days at 6am and finally I am getting better. I can now actually talk to people in proper sentences. I have more language classes here in Pokhara. It has been worth the effort. Mann and Sima talk to me in Nepali at home which really helps.
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