Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Taste of a New Generation

Posted from Kathmandu, Nepal

Aside from our daily life in the orphanage, we've got our fingers in a few other pies. Last weekend we spent the night drinking and laughing in Thamel, the backpacker ghetto of Kathmandu. In the space of 30 minutes we met a bunch of kids who came to Kathmandu for its party scene and its easy access to hash as well as a group of climbers who were planning on tackling Everest in the coming week. Back in our village, VSN is building a school, and we have been given the task of painting the classrooms. So far, we've painted the alphabet and number line in one classroom, and I think we'll be finished with the other three rooms by the time we leave.

Last night, we had a big going-away dinner for a couple from The Netherlands, who are responsible for raising the funds necessary to run the orphanage. Just to give you an idea of how little money it takes to properly run a caring, clean orphanage, this couple raised $50,000, and that allowed VSN to buy the property, build the orphanage, and operate it for the next 2 years! Lizzi has more to say about the dinner itself :)

Other than all that, it's life as usual. We watch Aladdin every day with the kids. But they get no more than an hour into it before they have to go to school or the power goes out. So we start over from the beginning each day. I'm looking forward to the 16-hour flight home just so I can watch a different movie. Maybe one that doesn't have animated genies and monkeys.

Oh, one more thing. The village we live in is called Pepsicola. Yeah, as in, Pepsi, Michael Jackson and the taste of a new generation. Recently, Pepsi built a bottling plant in the undeveloped suburbs of Kathmandu, and the town that grew around it became known as Pepsicola. It still cracks me up to hear the bus-wallahs yelling " Baneshwor, Pepsicola, ..." as they careen through the city streets.

1 comment:

Chadwick said...

I just found your blog. I love reading about your travels around the world. I'm jealous.

We have started a new blog for Crohn's patients & we are hoping to have lots of different writers from lots of different perspectives. I'd love to have you write something occasionally about traveling and being in foreign countries with Crohn's. I know a lot of people who have it and they are scared to travel. You could really encourage them.

The blog is www.confessionsofacrohnspatient.blogspot.com. If you would be interested in writing something occasionally, email me at dcparson@gmail.com and I will give you permision & send you an email link to get in the blog.

Hope your travels are safe and bathroom free.