Sunday, March 3, 2013

First days in Nepal

I arrived in Nepal two days ago after a two day journey via Korea.  the ride from the airport seemed chaotic and although I was only here a few months ago it seems as though I have been plunged into a different world which Of course I have.  The taxi had very little petrol and we had to stop a couple of times to see if we could get some but there is a shortage and the pumps were dry.  We did make it to the apartment on what he had, thank goodness as I was very tired.  We have a new office and apartment which is very nice and an improvement over the last one and there is a garden to sit in.  It will be warmer in the winter for Mann and he his family as it has a sunny exposure which will add warmth.  The house owners are very lovely people and run a school themselves and help poor children.  They told me that they want us to be like family.  They are very enlightened and educated and do not believe in the caste system which means that Mann and Sima will encounter no discrimination here which I am very happy about.  So it is a good move for us.

Yesterday I did paperwork and sorted clothes, gifts and letters and sat in the garden in the sun.  Today  we started visiting children.  I had a lovely visit with my granddaughter's family and visited Samjhana.  She is sponsored by the airline pilot whose photo I have posted here before of him in the cockpit holding Samjhana's photo.  This time he sent her a photo of him at the top of Kilamanjaro holding her photo.  She was very happy with that.  I will try and post it here but I am having problems as the connection is so very slow so if things are a bit messed up please understand.  For Samjhana this is a really bright light in her dismal life as her mother does nothing, she is always in bed when I go and Samjhana has to do all the cooking and work.  If she did not have a sponsor she would have been out of school long ago.  The family of 6 lives in a tiny room which is very gloomy but up on the wall is the photo of the pilot holding Samjhana's photo.  He also sends her postcards from the places he flies to around the world.  You can only imagine how special that makes her feel.

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