Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Gauda Muni School

The second day in Chimkhola we walked further up from the village for one hour to the school of Gauda Muni.  We visited here last year with Rotarians Joe and Dag, Nani, Mann's brother who died last year was also with us.  It is a very poor little school of only 4 classes.  Joe decided recently that he would like to improve the school in Nani's memory so work has already started here and we went to see how it was progressing and to assess the needs here.  It was the most sincere and simple ceremony I have been to and I was truly touched by the people here.  Again there were so many flowers, tikas and they had prepared food for us all.  The children were delightful and I gave then all novelty pens that my husband Bob had sent for them.  I had a hard time dragging myself away from here.  Desks are already being made, a water tap is in and some cement work has been done and we took up books.  Now plastic is going to replace wooden windows so they have some light, flooring done, a water filter and other improvements. 
In the afternoon I gave the children at the Chimkhola supplies, pencils, notebooks, coloured pencils etc.  and then photographed all the improvements at the school. 
I so much enjoyed this visit to Chimkhola.  I spent some special time with the women drinking tea and having hard boiled eggs.  At Lalmayas, she is a teacher at the school, in her house she has a chicken in a basket on the floor by her bed and she simply went and got some eggs that were freshly laid in the basket and boiled them for me on the open fire.  There are only basic items in the room, bed, cooking utensils, broom and some little stools and two carpets she had made.  Sitting on the floor by the fire with Lalmaya, Pomaya and another lady who came in I felt totally at home and enjoyed their conversation and their laughter, they are so happy.  I can only wonder why we need so many possessions and are not as happy as they appear to be. 

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