On Thursday I walked. All day. It was SO nice for two reasons: 1. I got exercise, and it felt great. 2. I went with two Americans my age, Caleb and Izhar from Arkansas, who are here for about a month. I appreciate America so much, haha.
Anyhow, the reason for all this walking was that we went to visit 3 different kids within the Kavre district who have Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy. Long story short, a couple of us are working to set up a home for these kids with MD where they can get appropriate care and attention. At their homes, many of them just sit in the house all day while their families work. We’re trying to create a better environment for them. So Izhar, Caleb and I rode on top of a bus to Panauti with another local guy, Suneil, and from there we walked in three different directions from this town to get to these kids’ villages. We went to visit these kids to tell them and their families that the home will hopefully be opening up within the month, and also to take pictures for the website we are setting up.
I love hiking here, it’s so beautiful! The steep little paths weave through rice fields and corn patches and along little irrigation canals. Nepalis have this thing about playing music on their “mobiles.” So we hiked along, dancing to the theme songs from the World Cup and Hindi music. And answer me this...Why, WHY?! is Justin Bieber popular in Nepal too?! Oh help me.
After we had visited 2 families, our local tour guide, Suneil, decided that was enough for the day. There are 5 kids in the area with MD, and we really needed to see as many of them as possible. It was only 2 in the afternoon, and I managed to convince him that we needed to visit at least one more. He finally agreed, but I don’t think he was really excited about it - he was tired of walking. So we started walking in another direction from Panauti. After a little bit, us three Americans realized that Suneil was no longer with us. What?! He really must not have wanted to come! We sat and discussed what we should do, and soon he showed up. Turns out the guy knows like everybody in the district and had stopped to talk to friends. Shortly after this, I got doubly flipped off by a guy on the back of a motorbike. This has happened to me quite a few times since I’ve been here, and I definitely haven’t done anything to make anyone angry! I asked Suneil if flipping someone off is bad here, explaining that it is in the states. Well...they aren’t angry, but I was equally unimpressed by his answer.
On the way back, we caught the bus from Panauti to Banepa, and again decided the top of the bus was much preferable to the inside. As I scrambled up the ladder at the back, the bus took off down the road (don’t worry Mom, it's completely safe). The rupee collector man, climbed up the side and started bragging to us about how he was James Bond. His English was pretty good, and he was almost funny. After he finished his little spiel, he turned to me and said, “Give me money.” Well, okay mister! I’m pretty sure your English is good enough to say that a little bit more politely. After the bus ride, Caleb, Izhar and I walked to my house and made pasta. We ate and ate, sitting on the floor of my kitchen and in the window sill, and talked about American things for nearly 3 hours. It’s so nice having people around who understand. As the evening progressed, we began to notice that we all had acquired a nice red farmer’s sunburn. Wonderful! It’s not always THAT hot here (just humid!), so I forget I’m still much closer to the equator than I am at home.
PS I put up some pictures on facebook.
On the way back, we caught the bus from Panauti to Banepa, and again decided the top of the bus was much preferable to the inside. As I scrambled up the ladder at the back, the bus took off down the road (don’t worry Mom, it's completely safe). The rupee collector man, climbed up the side and started bragging to us about how he was James Bond. His English was pretty good, and he was almost funny. After he finished his little spiel, he turned to me and said, “Give me money.” Well, okay mister! I’m pretty sure your English is good enough to say that a little bit more politely. After the bus ride, Caleb, Izhar and I walked to my house and made pasta. We ate and ate, sitting on the floor of my kitchen and in the window sill, and talked about American things for nearly 3 hours. It’s so nice having people around who understand. As the evening progressed, we began to notice that we all had acquired a nice red farmer’s sunburn. Wonderful! It’s not always THAT hot here (just humid!), so I forget I’m still much closer to the equator than I am at home.
PS I put up some pictures on facebook.
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