Be Good, See Good, Do Good

I have been in Nepal now for just over a week and it is every bit fabulous I imagined it would be.

You all know I came to Nepal to volunteer in a place called Happy Home - check it out if you want http://www.happyhomenepal.org/ .  In Katmandu there are three houses currently being run by Bishwa and his wife.  The first one is Kopando (not sure about the spelling) which houses 18 children.  Hattiban houses 8 and the Dallu project has approximately 65 mothers and children.  In Pokhara, a five hour drive of death from Katmandu is another home which has been developed under Bishwa's parents house.  This is where I am and there are 10 children here, some of whom have siblings back in the other homes.  All the children have shocking stories but you'd never know as they are so well behaved and look after each other with so much love. 

Bishwa and his wife met at university where they both had a keen interest in Social Science and together they created the Happy Home concept and never looked back.  They are two calm, loving, devoted and inspirational people and they are also 5 months pregnant with there first child!  December last year they took all the kids from Hattiban, Kopando and Pokhara homes to Goa in India to experience the beach for the first time - four days of trains and buses to get there!  The boys tell me constantly it was the best day ever, and how they all got a picture taken as the sun set over the beach.
 

Currently there are two other volunteers, Lara from Spain, and Jess from Sweden.  The three of us and one child Fulamo all left early on the minivan to Pokhara, stopping only for accidents, food, sugar cane, a punctured tyre and to buy a bunch of flowers from some rough kids who we nearly run over.

So to get to Pokhara this is what you must do;



- take one mini van full of people



fellow mini bus companion who loved looking at the pics of herself *note she is wearing a McDonalds vest



- turn up the bollywood tunes as loud as you can

- go full speed and over take on all blind corners



Veiw from the back of the van - I'm almost certain the red writing says "your all going to die"

- puncture a tire and still drive for ten minutes at maximum speed

- along a stretch of straight downhill road, pick up as much speed as possible and race another minivan while traffic is coming head on *note, swerve only at the last second

- pass a motorbike when there is a truck coming head first and swerve only at the last second, almost rolling the van



- pull out in front of anyone and everything

- keep finger on horn for five hours!  

- pick up another random 15 men at speed who jump on top of van

- charge everyone 4.50AUD to experience this....

Some of the other trucks have painted on them "good luck" you need it and a good driver!  

  

The kids from Katmandu gave me numerous letters to deliver to the Pokhara kids - as i mentioned many are siblings and are missing each other terribly.  They all gathered around and the best english speaking boy Abeshek translated for everyone.  It was really sweet for them and all the letters started or ended with Be Good, See Good, Do Good.  After reading they hurried to write back with comments like "Dear Nirmila,  why does your brother not grow?" or this "Dear Brother, I miss you, you are like a god to me.  I will never forget you and when you come here we will play together."  Ah we were in tears just a little seeing this unfold before us.  The kids in Katmandu are still doing final exams and once they are finished Bishwa is bringing them here to visit, now I really don't want to be on that mini van because the one girl we took vomited the whole way!  



reading the letters... you could have heard a pin drop



 xxxx

 

ps I know my grammar and spelling is shite ok, so just suck it up.

pps Curtis, Dave and Stacey - I was helping with homework and this kids who is 6 years old was like "Aunty Aunty what is this sum, can you tell me if I got it right?" and I'm like "Ummmm let me just get my calculator" hahahahha

ppps No John, no child has taken to biting me yet.