Reprieve

Blessings come in odd packages. This morning I got a bit of kid-reprieve for about two hours because a strange, homeless man came wandering about the orphan home looking for money, and had seen me there. I was in my room at the time, and Sima came up to my door and said, "Miss, you stay in here, okay? There is a not good man outside." HA. She locked the door, and I did a little victory dance of alone-ness. I read my book in moderate-silence for about an hour, before I decided to peep out the window to see if he was still there. He was. About a half hour later, Sima came into the room next door and passed me my breakfast over the low wall that separates my room from the boys' room. Hilarious. I guess the man demanded breakfast from poor Petrapaddi as well... and she gave him some rice to make him leave!

That being said, my presence has not gone unnoticed by anyone in the surrounding district (it feels like). Also this morning, a group of purple salwar-clad medical students came by (8, to be exact), simply to meet me and present me with a flower on their way to school. I wonder if this will be a daily occurance. Last night Sirjana and I went for a walk, while Petrapaddi practiced her bike-riding skills (she's learning). Though it was pitch-black outside, with no moon, everyone still seemed to know I was white, as if I glowed in the dark! Miraculous!
Alas, I am getting used to being around 17 children again, and have learned to separate my brain from listening and not listening. Sometimes it is necessary to turn it off, but sometimes, like at night during dinner, you definitely want to have it on. Eating dinner anywhere is probably my favorite time of day. For those poor souls who do not enjoy cooking and eating, I'm sorry. You're missing out on the one of the most unifying activities mankind has. At Harka, dinner begins at about 5pm, with cooking rice. It pinnacles at about 7:30 pm, when veggies, rice, and dal are ready to eat and steaming piles are heaped on plates, to be wolfed down with the aid of the right hand (ingenious use, though somewhat messy, of not using utensils). The chatter is happy, though I usually don't know what is being said (sometimes I knowit is making fun of me, to which I just smile and laugh like I know what is going on). Last night, we had conversations about last names, and it was determined that Nepalis do not have the palate for pronouncing the English combination "sch". Instead, my new last name is "Sweeter", which is the same way Nepalis say "sweater", and thus has been transformed into "Britta Sweeter Company"... as in, I make sweaters for a living. If only they knew I can't knit!

Hilarity abounds when the older kids are home, and usually I take refuge from the harassment of the little ones in their warm enbraces. The three oldest girls are enhanced versions of what they were three years ago: Sima has gotten goofier (if that is possible), Soniya is caring and loving and loves physical contact, and Sirjana is dramatic, girly, and looks up to me like a big sister. Buddi keeps to himself, but is still super polite and does his chores, and Bisal (as aforementioned) is a ray of sunlight almost all of the time.

Though I am still working out the logistics on getting this scooter with Laxmi (I find it very difficult to communicate with her, as her vocabulary is extremely limited, as is mine)- we should be able to get it within the next week. We HAVE to get it in the next week! As anyone out there who has traveled/worked in a lesser developed country knows though... things always take longer than expected :)

PS as for photos, I probably won't upload any until I get back to Kathmandu in about a week and a half!

The Adventures of a Bad Babysitter

Riding to Bharatpur to use the internet on Laxmi's pink Hero bicycle is FAR more up my alley than walking, let me tell you. When you walk to Bharatpur, it takes about a half hour, and the entire walk consists of long, gaping looks trailed warily by, "Hello! What is your name?" when you are 200 yards past whomever it came from. Also, the bicycle is pink, there is a basket, and you sit bolt upright, which is incredibly easy on the back! What more could you want, really? Well, a moped. But we're getting there.

I arrived at Harka last week on Wednesday, and all the younger children were already home from school. They were all extremely excited to see me, and had absolutely no apprehensions about immediately commencing playtime. Playtime has not ceased since my arrival, and generally begins at 6 o'clock in the morning and concludes around 9 pm, when I lock myself in my room for the night. Usually around 1 or 2 in the afternoon I take a mandatory 1/2 -1 hour break (until shrill screams of 'MISS!' from outside force me out again) so that my mind does not explode. Wow. It was way easier to manage 17 kids when there were two of us.

That being said, the kids are doing very very well. A few changes since the last time I was here: Radika, Sarswati, Ramesh and Manish have all returned to family members, and have been 'replaced' (probably not the right word to use here) by 12 y.o. Bisal, 9 y.o. Sujan, 7 y.o. Suman, 9 y.o. Preana, and 11 y.o. Sita. Suman and Sujan are brothers, and Preana and Sita are sisters. All parties are adorable Nepali children, but Bisal is definitely quickly becoming a favorite. His English is by far the best in the orphan home, and he is a sweet boy that is helpful without demanding anything in return (both with the children, and with anything I encounter, like my adapter not working). There has also been a change of house parents, which is astounding because the last ones sucked (for lack of a better word). When Becca was here, there was a couple with young child, but since then the father has found work, and a new woman has taken over. Petrapaddi is very sweet, knows no English, and is just getting her ground at the orphanage. Which I guess makes me the more experienced one... which is a laugh and a half. She also has a 2 y.o. named Tenzin, after the famous Sherpa who accompanied Sir Edmund Hillary on his first ascent of Everest (and arguably got there first, which I'm sure he did). Tenzin is A-dorable, a little round ball of Nepali cuteness that doesn't ever fuss.

Because Petrapaddi is just getting here feet wet with the 18 kiddos, I was told by Laxmi that I would be solely in charge of them for the next few weeks. HA! Luckily, they are pretty good at taking care of themselves, and I am more of an entertainment factor than anything else. Though she wants me to scold them for listening to music, and force them to repeat English words after me, I am more for the 'learning by experience' model. Instead, I am a bad babysitter and let them listen to my iPod (they are currently in the process of memorizing all the words to the K'Naan song "When I Get Older") and don't really force them to do their homework. They do their homework on their own, and I figure me ONLY speaking English with them is practice enough! Because their inhibitions with me were pretty much nil when I arrived, it has allowed their learning to increase dramatically in just the week that I have been here. I find even the younger children forcing out the words that they want to say in English, which is fantastic, while also trying to impress me by writing/saying their alphabets, months, days of the week, colors, etc. I find myself not even needing to use Nepali at all! That part is a bit disappointing, but I figure if it is helping the kids, it's good.

As for Laxmi's scooter- it is on the way! She was very very excited, and wants to send her thanks to all friends and family that donated. She has been taking out microloans from the government for small projects like chickens (for meat, she currently has 400), building repairs, etc., and buying a new moped was just too much more too add to the loan. She ordered the Hyundai last week ("very strong, not Chinese" were her exact words. They use the word 'Chinese' to describe anything that is crappily made.), and it should be here in the next few days. The total cost is somewhere around $2,400 with insurance and taxes, so a little more than expected, but not too much. She is going to come get me when it arrives, and we'll pick it up and have a celebratory ride to the orphanage after! Can't wait.

As for now, I have been waking up at 5:30am every morning to attend a Brama Kumari service with 5-6 of the older children. I have absolutely no idea what is going on, but neither do the kids, as it is in Hindi! It's a good routine for them though, and I appreciate any religion that focuses on peace and meditation as a base. I was invited yesterday to come to the ashram in town and take a meditation class, but I wandered about yesterday for a half hour looking for it and I couldn't find it! At some point, I'm sure someone will really want me to go, and show me the way. After that it is the usual, clean, eat rice, play, play play, eat rice again, sleep. The kids have exams starting today, and then they are on holiday for the next month. This makes me a little wary, as being with all of them all day for the next two weeks may drive me mental- but I'll take it! After all, they are having a ton of fun.

Remembering Takaka...

It's only been a day since I left, but here's to you, Ta-ka-ka 

my first ever tomato. tasted like a tomato.

bunny greets us on the way to the grocery store, every time.

that's where magic was made

the wholemeal cafe

possum fetus?

Haaaaaaallelujah!

Like a breath of fresh air, getting off the shuttle bus at the intersection of Cleveland and George near Sydney's CBD (Central Business District, to those of you not Southern Hemi  acronym-inclined), I got hit in the face with bus exhaust, and an immediate harassment by some slightly-drunk-but-maybe-slightly-mental teenager asking for change. Why did exhaust feel so fresh, you ask? Because it meant that I was here. Hallelujah, praise be. The morning that began at 6:45 was a laugh and a half, to say the least. 

I was phoned yesterday that there was supposed to be some inclement weather coming to Golden Bay today, and thus would probably not be getting the awesome scenic flight in the 5-seater that I was *hoping* to squeeze in before leaving the country. But alas, the pilot would drive us over Takaka Hill and we could depart in a larger plane from Nelson. Easy? Well, it would have been easy if our car hadn't have randomly shut down halfway there! Prior to SYSTEM SHUT DOWN, I met and chatted with Helen (Takaka Real Estate agent) and Thomas (native German going to Wellington to finish his NZ residency exam, is a Takaka electrician), the two other folks along for the journey. Shortly after SYSTEM SHUT DOWN, we became best friends and will probably end up exchanging Christmas cards and give each other random updates on our lives.

  The story goes something like this: There was an instance coming down the hill  where I noticed the clock was no longer working, and just as I noticed it, the pilot turned to me and said, "Um, we seem to have a problem. The car is not working anymore." Deciding to cruise to a stop at a small turnoff, he relayed that the belt had been broken for a while, and perhaps that caused other things to happen (um, ya think?). Reaching for his work cell phone, he realizes he's left it back in Golden Bay. Wondering whether we should try our fingers at hitchhiking to Nelson, he finally remembers his boss' number (I don't blame him, I don't remember anyones phone numbers), and we think things are rolling. A taxi from the semi-nearby town of Motueka will come and pick us up, and take us to Nelson. We won't be able to make the 10:20 flight, but we get our booking changed to the 11:20. We wait probably 45 minutes (hence why we are now best friends), and get another phone call saying the taxi driver couldn't make it. Another GB Air employee is driving her own, personal vehicle from Takaka to come get us! By the time we get to Nelson, we have missed the 11:20 flight. To just throw a little juice in the mix, the weather in Wellington has been, and continues to be "MARGINAL"- aka winds at 65 knots. Not something you want to land in... especially not in a small plane. So our third plane is delayed. Almost two hours delayed. I start to get nervous that I will miss my Britta-connecting-but-not-connecting-by-the-airline flight....when we are called to board. In the nick of time, we careen sideways onto the runway (a trick the talented Air New Zealand pilots have mastered for landing in high winds, I guess) and I make it to my flight to Sydney! 

I know a lot of people have travel stories from hell, but I just had to tell this one. Not only because this is just leg #1 of a 3 leg trip, but because I actually had a really fun day. I don't think I could have been 'stuck' with two more awesome people for nearly 7 hours! Helen was a smart, stylish, sassy older woman, which perfectly coupled with Thomas' jolly German laugh and concern for all things worldly. We talked about current events (worldwide and in Golden Bay), movies, art, farming, canning (random? it fit in, definitely), and travel. When we parted ways in the Wellington Baggage Claim, we hugged. I  can  honestly say that I truly hope to  run into one or both of them again in life. 

But now I'm in a city of far more beautiful surrounds than anything in New Zealand dared impress me with (architecture, bays, parks, mountains, fashion, art, music... and beautiful people (NZ had too much frump going on for my taste)). And guess what? Tomorrow is Mardi Gras. Evidently hoardes of folk from this country and beyond flock to Sydney for the week long spectacular of fun, frivolity, and a whole lot of cross-dressing, all to culminate in tomorrow night's 100-float parade! And I'm here! And I didn't even plan it! 

(Did I mention this hostel gives free internet- LOVE IT)

Off!

And so it is. In just twenty minutes I will be off to complete my profession as "Ice Cream Girl" (as referenced by many Takaka-ians, including randoms I've run into at the supermarket), a profession I enjoyed 'heaps' (Kiwi for 'a lot') more than my prior profession in Takaka of working the deep fryer at a fish n' chips shop for a horrid ghast of a woman who should never in her life be a manager of people. Though long, that sentence seems to sum up my working experience in Takaka thoroughly. As for my living experience... I think we can settle on 'quaint'. The town over the hill lies a world away from more urban New Zealand (urban being definitely intended with an ounce of ridiculousness), and my experience being probably somewhat typical for someone who grew up in a small town. Having grown up in the antithesis of a small town, I found myself marveling at the ways of the rural folk. Dairy farms, rampant teenagers with nothing to do, families with more children than they can afford (most of whom were rampant teenagers not too long ago), and the smell of cow patties wafting into the bedroom at night all complemented this experience thoroughly. 

However, Takaka is not just a rural haven near the beach. No. It is a haven of hippies, who, attracted by some supernatural force (crystals? blue holes? trance music?) seem to come over the hill in droves; a little bit spacey, raggy baggy clothing-clad, donning a horrendous display of dreadlocks (or occasionally, a new fad- ONE horrendous dreadlock popping out of the top of his/her head), but always, always loving and super nice. They usually show their wares in the village green, ranging from hemp necklaces to said crystals. Sometimes I get to chat with them when they come in for ice cream , usually about the yoga retreat center they just visited, or how they got sucked into a 3 day party at ____ . 

Thus, the Takaka experience has come and almost gone- which is a touch sad I think, because I just got used to it. I feel like I was actually starting to live in the town itself, knowing people around the streets and in the grocery store. However, boredom set in a while ago- and there is only so many movies you can watch, and only so much beach action you can have. So tomorrow I am off to part 2 (or part 87923874) of this adventure, ultimately to Nepal, but first two days in Sydney, a day sleeping in the Bangkok airport, and then two days in Kathmandu before heading to the orphanage.  I'm so excited! Ben has about 4 weeks left in Takaka, working up some more money before he heads to Australia. Then he's going to make his way to Western Australia, meeting me in Perth after my 6 weeks in Nepal. Then... who knows? 

But OF COURSE, I will be writing in this blog while on this journey, as I will have no one to speak to in English! Thank you so so much to everyone who donated to the scooter for Laxmi, we raised about $2000- which is enough to purchase a NEW, awesome scooter that will last a long time! No more donations are needed at this time- but I hope to be posting pictures as soon as Laxmi and I go out shopping for her new ride! 

we're fine, folks!

Just wanted to let everyone know that Ben and I are fine- still in New Zealand, but about 7 hours away from the Christchurch earthquake. More later....

Off to Nepal soon!

Dear Family and Friends,

If ya already got this in an email, you don't have to read it again! 

 

As most of you know, three years ago I traveled to Nepal to volunteer at the Harka Self-Sustaining Orphan Home in Chitwan. During the three months I spent at the orphanage, I found myself in a myriad of situations- from completely overwhelmed to wholly thankful. I traveled with friend Rebecca Smith, and though we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, we both knew that we wanted to work with children.

 

The children that we worked with, and the experience of living in the orphanage changed our lives. Over our time at Harka, we went from outsiders to big sisters. Not speaking any Nepali (and no one at the orphanage speaking any English), we created a language that led us to understanding with the 17 children. We were the first volunteers to the orphanage who stayed longer than two weeks. It took a while to get over the rift that had been created by other volunteers, unintentionally, by staying for such short periods of time. The children had come to view others, especially international volunteers, as transient beings and never became close to them. I remember distinctly the night that Sirjana, the eldest girl at the home, followed me outside after I said goodnight to the children, and gave me a hug. “Good night, Didi” (big sister). 

 

To have children, especially abandoned children, put their trust and love in your hands is not something to be taken lightly. When Rebecca and I left the orphanage, the children asked when we would be back. We figured two years to be a feasible time frame, and promised to return then. It has now been three years for me (Rebecca visited this past July), and I feel as though I am in a place financially where I can splurge on a plane ticket to Kathmandu again! There has not been a week that goes by where I don’t think about the children at Harka, and thinking about going back is just as overwhelming and exciting as going for the first time.

 

As a volunteer, my main task will be to care for and entertain the children (which isn’t very hard, let me tell you!). Laxmi, the orphanage director, works 7 days a week to feed, clothe, and support the 17 children at the home, while two houseparents monitor them on a daily basis. My only hope as a volunteer is to provide them a little bit of a break! However, as a volunteer I will also provide crucial funds necessary to start small projects at the Harka, projects that Laxmi cannot afford on her own. In 2008, our donation funded a new toilet facility with piped water- a large improvement in sanitation from the previous toilet. When Rebecca visited this past July, she raised enough money to purchase and install a solar panel- the first of its kind in the village!

 

There have been many projects, small and large, that have taken place in the three years since I was at Harka, all funded by volunteer donations. There is a new building, with several bedrooms, so that all 17 children don’t have to sleep in the same room. There are more animals, and there is even a shower room! Laxmi always has a new idea up her sleeve to help improve the home and make it more sustainable. Her ultimate goal, of course, is to have it entirely self-sufficient. An amazing woman, who has dedicated the rest of her life to supporting and loving children that are not her own, she deserves something in return.

 

This time around, I would like to fundraise for a new scooter for Laxmi. When we were at Harka in 2008, Laxmi zipped around town, to and from work, on a little purple scooter (see attached photo). The mobility of her own transportation allowed her to visit the children frequently, keep tabs on the orphanage itself, and still maintain her job in town. However, Rebecca noted that while visiting in July, Laxmi’s scooter was no longer around.  Due to her lack of transportation, she is unable to visit the children as often, and when she does, it is costly. Paying for tempos and taxis is not cheap, and takes a long time, cutting into valuable hours that she could be working. Being a mother herself, she would never think of putting herself and her needs first, but in this situation, a new scooter would allow her to be more attentive to the well being of her children, and that benefits everyone.

 

A used scooter in Nepal is around $800 USD, while a new one is around $1100. The volunteer “fee” is normally $350, but if I could just raise that little bit extra- we could provide a wonderful woman, who has dedicated her life to the children of Harka, the small gift of mobility, something we often take for granted. 

Thank you all for being such great supporters of my efforts around the world!

Love, 

Britta

Donations may either be deposited into my account (email me for info) or mailed to Lynette Schroeter, 4120 N Springfield, Chicago, IL 60618 (I am currently in New Zealand) 

While in Nepal, March 6-April 19, please follow my blog here! I plan to work more on personal photojournalism projects, and write more about Laxmi’s history and the founding of Harka. I also plan to visit a project that I found out about while in New Zealand, a NZ based non-profit that works in the Eastern Himalayan region and is aimed at young mother and early childhood development: www.firststepshimalaya.org.