And...I'm back!

Hi there!

I made it back to Kathmandu yesterday morning at 6 am after a hellacious bus ride. I took my malaria medication when I got on the bus but didn't drink lots of water like I'm supposed to (with 12 hours on a bus in the middle of Nepal, I didn't want to have to pee) and it made me super ill. I spent the first two hours nauseous and leaning over Jesse to vomit out the window. Special. My seat was pre-purchased and in the drivers compartment with about ten other Nepalese men. Um, no. I squished in with Jesse for the first two hours until a seat opened up near him. There was no way I was going to ride in a closed compartment by myself with strange men throughout the night. My Tylenol PM finally kicked in and I was pretty much out until I woke up to watch the sun rise over the valley on the other side of Kathmandu. The bus was more comfortble than the bus I rode on the way, but in worse shape with lots of sqweeky noises, bumps and grinds. Jesse says I'm good bus luck because we made it both ways without any major delays (strikes, break downs, searches, etc.).

I spent yesterday doing a whole lot of nothing. My time in Narti was rewarding by physically and mentally difficult and I was drained when I got back to the volunteer house. I showered (yey!), emailed, had a huge lunch (the man at the little restraunt looked at me like, "You're going to eat all that?" Jesse and I ate until we couldn't.), napped and talked to Justin @ 4am his time (sorry!). The day flew by and I think each will until I get to the airport in a few days.

Today Michael (Papa) is making Tifin (lunch) for all of the kids at the Kathmandu houses. I'm excited to go have lunch with the kids on their day off from school (Saturday is Holy Day in Nepal) and to see the basketball court that the donations I brought paid for. Apparently, the kids have been have a great time on it and I can't wait to get in on the action. Before that though, I'm going to drop some of my clothes off at a laundry mat, buy a few new items to wear, and go to a restaurant called OR2K and have a pancake or two. I like the food here, but it is so different from home that the occasional American food fix is nice.

Now Narti...

I'm not really sure how to explain Narti without going through it picture by picture, but I'll try. It is a rural village, a few hours north of India. The land used to be all jungle, but has since been turned into rice patties. Most of the land was taken from the Tharu people by anyone who was more educated (starting with the British), mostly the higher castes. The Tharu people are one of the lowest castes in Nepal. The landoweners still own the land, but the Tharu people work it and live on it for a portion of the profit. Some patches of Jungle still exhist and are amazing, tropical and beautiful.

The Kamlari caste consists of girls who are sold by their parents or family into slavery to people of a higher caste. This is a common practice still, even though there are many people who are working against this system. The girls are often sold because their parents can't afford to care for them or because both of their parents die and they are given to an uncle or other family member who doesn't want the burden of caring for them. The family make relatively little money usually from the sale, but they are so poor that anything helps. Traditionally, in the Tharu culture, if the husband dies for any reason the wife commits suicide, leaving the children without anyone to care for them. From what I understand this is happening less and less, but is still a cultural norm.

During my stay in Narti I lived with the girls at the Lawajuni Girls Hostel, which is located on the grounds of the school. All schools in Nepal are "private" and are paid for by the families of the children who attend them. The hostel is supported by Papa's House (Michael's Hostel/Orphanage in Kathmandu) and the girls are rescued by an organization called SWAN. Once the girls have had some time to adjust socially, physically and mentally, they are then given the options to move to Kathmandu where they'll receive a much better education and better structural support in the home. Many of the girls choose not to go the Kathmandu because they are overwhelmed and uncomfortable with the idea of leaving the hostel where for the first time in a long time they're safe, well fed, and have friends their own age. The older girls rarely leave because the school system is so poor in Narti that they'll leave Narti in grade 8 and be put in grade 1 or 2 in Kathmandu.

The Hostel is "bare bones" and lacks running water and electricity much of the time. The girls all bathe and drink from a pump that is located about 300 feet from the hostel. They eat twice a day with snack inbetween if they need them and every meal consists of rice and cooked curry vegetables. In the afternoon they'll have toasted rice flakes (yum!) or boiled milk with rice in it as a snack. The girls will often climb the mango trees in the area to hunt for fruit.

All of the girls have some time type of scarring from their time in servitude. Many of them have large burns on their arms, legs or hands or pock-marks that look like they're from a cigarette. Some of the girls have larger scars on their face and on their heads from being hit with objects. To get those types of marks I can't imagine the abuse they must have suffered. Some of them suffer from PTSD and have ticks or other small quirks that are easily recognized as stress induced. Jesse doesn't stay at the hostel (he stays with Krishna, the founder of SWAN) because some of them have been sexually abused. While the volunteers help in many ways, from what I can tell their primary impact is just building trust and confidence in the girls. I went to Narti to teach but I was also a counselor, hair dresser, playmate, and friend.

The girls at the hostel have very little in the way of things. They each have a school uniform (which fit poorly for most of them since they're hand-me-downs on their third or forth rotation) and a few outfits. Most of their clothes look very worn and are missing buttons and/or have broken zippers. The little girls who arrive have it the worst because their clothes have been passed down the longest and they literally come with nothing but the clothes on their back. Michael sent the girls metal boxes with latches on them while I was there and the girls use them as a dresser/storage. They were thrilled to move their things out of bags and cardboard boxes into their new metal ones.

Despite the conditions and the girls' pasts, they are all very sweet and kind and have unique personalities that shine through the language barrier. Like any mix of girls, some of them are quiet and reserved, while others are outgoing and obnoxious at times. The live together like sisters and sisterly arguments are normal. I was surprised how catty and "mean-girlish" the older girls could be at times, watching them at times was like being back at home with my junior high kids.

On my second day in Narti one of the girls took my clothes off the line where they were drying and hid them in her stuff. She was one of three girls about my size, so I had an idea who took them. A few other girls found them and brought them back to me which caused some drama. She was embarrassed and had a hard time feeling normal around me since. I explained to her that I wanted to leave my clothes for her and the other girls, but I had to wear them while I was there. During the picnic I let her wear my shorts and t-shirt and that seemed to mend the awkwardness. At first I was annoyed, but they have so little that it was hard for me to be mad.

Most days I spent my mornings reading and talking to the girls as they came in and out of school. I didn't dare leave the hostel (even to pee...painful!) until after school was let out or I'd be stormed by tons of children. After that I would clean, get ready for the day and Jesse and I would decide on the day's lessons. At 10:30 the girls eat breakfast and our English lessons started at 11:00. They usually lasted for 1-2 hours and about 15-20 girls would usually attend (the numbers got lower and lower the longer we were there and the harder the lessons got). The Jesse and I would walk to a little shop in Narti and have water, soda, and the occasional omlette or biscuits. Then we'd go back and teach art if it wasn't so hot that everyone was sleeping and hang out and play for the rest of the day. At 6 or 7 we'd walk back to the shop and have another break and buy water for the night and Jesse would head back to Krishna's house. I would head back to the hostel, enjoy the sunset (often from the top of the school), eat with the kids about 8 and then head for my bed and mosquito net.

The girls have no structure and set bed times, so I often didn't fall asleep until late into the night. Most nights I would wake up to one of them babbling or crying in their sleep. The girls go to bed so late and get up so early in the morning that they seem to struggle during the day. I know Michael is concerned about the lack of structure there, but Krishna is the one who is really in charge of that hostel since he lives close and manages the rescues. I wanted so badly to see the girls there have the structure that the children in Kathmandu have. In the hostels here there is a set bed, meal and study time and play happens in between. The kids know the routine and everything is very orderly and lacks the chaos of the daily routines in Narti. The hostel functions better than the school, but only because Sabita Didi works her butt off to make sure the girls are at the very least clean, fed and they chores are done. In all fairness, the girls do a good job of caring for each other and have a bond that was clear the minute I stepped foot on the property.

I went into Lamahi twice, once with the oldest girl in the Hostel, Irmela, so she could show me off (not really sure what we were doing besides visiting the SWAN and Plan Nepal office) and then again with Jesse later in the trip to use the internet and buy gifts for Sabita Didi before we left. That trip was fun because Krishna let us take his motorcycle so we didn't have to bother with the crowded busses. It was nice to have a break from the hostel and even nicer to feel wind on my skin. It was still hot wind, but wind none the less.

I have so much more to tell you, but it is best told through pictures and video. Jesse is working on posting a video with clips of our time in Narti today so I will link that as soon as I can. I'll also post some pictures later today or tomorrow.

I'm headed in home in just under four days and can't wait to see everyone when I get back! Have a great weekend! : ) L