We have just returned from our “adventure of utter happiness” and before I forget I am finally trying my best to fill my English speaking friends in on the what and where abouts.
On my arrival in KTM sometime in the middle of March we started to work on making a big dream come true. In Hill (Nima’s home village) the kids are not very well equipped with anything which would give them a chance of a better future. Not being able to do much about village schools, teaching methods or the families, we had decided to at least distribute equal equipment for the new school term in the village. A small factory in Thamel (KTM) sewed 50 incredibly beautiful (at least in MY EYES).. SpesMea Nepal-School bags. After my our wellness trekking with my old friend Claudi from Germany and our number one god child Maya, we picked up the mega big bag of school bags. Karma, my friend had ordered 300 copies (excersise books), 50 tin boxes with the geometry tools they use here, some hundreds of pencils and rubbers/erasers and… that’s about it.. I think…Color pencils I had brought from Germany, they had been donated.
On the 1st of May we set out together, towards Sallerie. Besides Nima and me, there were Lynne and David from New Zealand who came along to substitute our British friends who had promised to make a little documentary about our trip. Dawa came with us from KTM. He is Nima’s youngest brother and had the “honor” to later carry the mega big bag with all the school bags.
Our porters had set out from home about the same time that we had started our ride from KTM with the jeep. We had about 10 hours ride on that day. For the most part it was pouring down rain. The next day, was less rain but the roads were pretty bad from the rain.. which made the trip once again into an adventure.
In Ringmu, we met up with our porters. Such happy vibes .. although the loads they carried for the next too days were big. Such happy times! At this point my biggest respect to our four (of course paid) porters. Dawa, Nima’s Papa and his brother and Geljin who was quickly called “Chuckles” by David – Geljin is one of the wonderful people that always smile and chuckle, no matter how hard life may be.. All four of them carried more than heavy loads but they did it with such pride and happiness.. I could not get them to call for another one.
In Hill, we distributed the schoolbags the next day. Filled with the utensils for every child. The weather gods were on our side, we had dry weather for the whole time. Such happiness.. in every child’s eyes.. made me lose it when I wanted to thank them all for making it possible. Lots of tears of happiness on that day. (I guess too much happiness inside would otherwise make us explode.. and that would make a bigger mess than all the tears.. ha ha.. so.. thanks to the Gods we do have the ability to ‘overflow’.)
Each child and their spouse gave each one of us a “Kata” (the scarf) to say thank you. This way we ended up looking like Yeti in the end. It was a mega event and a great picture to see them running around and go home with our school bags. Some little ones looked like schoolbags on legs. A little bit like Sponge Bog.. Mega smiles that day.. and the happiness lasted.
We ended up staying 9 days.. and then reluctantly made our way back into the “future”, where machines rule the world, time consumes us and mobile connection works almost all the time. How odd.. after the best time of our lives in a different world.
While there we were able to get in touch with our sponsored children and their families, some of them have left the village but I have not lost track of them. I will let the sponsors know ..
There are still some kids out there.. so if you think you want to support one or two .. and their families.. we don’t run out of them. Nepal still has children.. lots of them and they are adorable!
Well.. the way back .. we carried the happy feeling inside but .. saying good bye to the village people, friends and family.. was not easy. Pleasure and pain.. so close to each other.. entwined .. and the base for happiness!
Pictures will follow.. once I get this chaos all sorted out.
Thank you all.. for whatever you contributed.
And for caring!
