Benefit Photography Show in the works

So we are back home, settling into life...with food/water our body is used to, proximity our parents prefer, and a language we recognize. All the while, trying to keep hold of the peacefulness we were entrenched with being surrounded by the Nepali people. Trying to delay the inevitable stresses that come with living in a city like New York, freelancing and racing against yourself and the sun each day to feel that your career moved a step ahead of where it is when the sun goes down and the moon comes up. Its a hunger that separates New Yorkers from much of the world, and is invigorating in itself. But i'm making efforts to hold on to what i learned on other side of the world. And to know that when darkness coats my world here, a new day is unveiled there.

Feel free to share any ideas with us over the next few months as we plan this show of our Nepal images as a benefit for the orphanage. Magazines, foundations, locations, that you think might be worth our research. We will be looking into donations for everything from space/location, printing, food/drink, marketing. Our ultimate goal being funding for each of the 41 kids for 2 basic things, food and education.

Wanted to upload an image in the meantime...of life outdoors..something I found beautiful over there, and even more so here, now that i've returned to the concrete jungle...



Happy Weekend to all.
xx

Bon Voyage to the East

Today we board a plane out of Pokhara to Kathmandu...and begin our departure from here, arrival to there.

I'll be sad to leave...

*Nepali Milk Tea, pots and pots a day

*The kind and gentle people of India, Nepal, and Tibet.
Its really quite unreal. (example, Dharma, our travel agent we met here. We happened to book an internal Nepal flight with him, only to realize we sort of botched our return tickets to the States. Enter Dharma. He basically rode his motorcycle here or there. Gave our info to a friend who gave it to another friend. Blah blah. We have a changed ticket (that i bought on expedia-note to self and you...do not book with expedia or any of those other services when you are flying internationally! trying to change those tickets is impossible from abroad)...
Anyway, Dharma hooked us up big time. And followed it all up with an invitation to his house for dinner. What? And there are so many examples of people like that here.

*The Himalayas in plain sight

*Getting closer to Tibet than I ever dreamed I would

*Roads with cars, bikes, motorbikes, cows, water buffalos, dogs, and chickens. Just because its entertaining.

*The look of the stores and cafes when the electricity is off. Lit only by candlelight. It feels timeless.

*The songlike "Namaste" to and from everyone as you walk down the street.

*And knowing that we are on the other side of the world from the kids at the orphanage that we grew to love. often throughout the days i think, now they are at school, now they are eating dinner. i miss them muchly and wish i could pack them all up in our backpacks and take them with us.



I'll be happy to get back to...

*Electricity

*Water i can drink

*the cat and dog

*And most of all, communication with YOU! family, friends, clients.

Thanks to all for reading our blog. We've read all your comments and emails. Apologies if we havent responded.

Here's an image or 2 from our yesterday. When we took a paddle boat out on the Phewa Tal in Pokhara.





Lots and lots of love.

See you soon!

Taking R&R to the next level

It was a winding 7 hour bus ride from Kathmandu to Pokhara (we will opt for the 25 minute flight on the way back!) and somehow along the way, I managed to convince Andrew to try out a yoga/meditation center for a few days once we reached the lakeside town of Pokhara.

Let's just say we can check R&R off our list! Here was our schedule. Wake up gong at 5:45 am, followed by 1 hr meditation, a 1 hr walk, 1 hr yoga, super yum breakfast!, mud/steam bath, meditation again, lunch, tea/popcorn, chanting, afternoon yoga, and dinner! With everyone retiring to bed around 9pm! It was pretty fabulous. And just what we needed post-orphanage. We met some great people there too. I cant say that Andrew is going to turn into a yogi when we get home, but i can say he wasn't complaining during the 24 naps a day. (although the guru did kindly berate us one afternoon, telling us to avoid sleeping during meditation..but i couldnt help it! the moment he plays the soothing music and tells us to relax over and over, i was out!)

Right close to our yoga center is the trail for a hike to Sarangot. So before we checked out this morning, Andrew and I squeezed it in. I thought i'd seen the mountains...turns out I hadnt. Wow. This morning I feel like I feel like I actually saw Nepal! Unreal. We bought a Snickers bar at the top (for 4 days we'd had no dessert, no chocolate, so combine that with the Himalayas...we were feeling good).

We're on the countdown...less than a week until we head back home. And we saw on the news (today we had tv AND electricity) that springtime may officially be springing in New York. Nice one!

Will miss this country and its unbelievably sincere people. But I think we will be back. Its been an inspiring and heart warming trip...definitely the trip of a lifetime.

Love to all.

Pokhara, view from our yoga window, a far way from Kathmandu



Top of the world, early morning, Annapurna peaks

N.E.P.A.L. = Never End Peace And Love

That's what the kids told us Nepal stood for last night, our final night at the orphanage.

They had a little ceremony for us last night, with many of the older kids getting up and saying a little something in english, followed by each and every child coming up to both of us and putting a 'tika' on our forehead (which is red sandalwood, used for special occasions). Andrew and I both said something also, having one of the older kids translate (maybe?!) in Nepali to everyone else. I felt like I was at our wedding all over again, as i was all tears, mixing with the tika, it was a right proper mess!

But we made sure to stay positive, as some of the little girls started crying, and i was taken back to the camp years. When at the end of the summer, we would all cry our eyes out, not really understanding just why or what it was all about.

But i leave feeling confident that we are leaving the orphanage better than we found it. And i dont say that lightly. I feel proud of what we did and hope that for the little amount of time we were there, we were able to begin patterns (nighttime story reading, gardening, yoga), that might stick with them for a day, a week, hopefully much longer. These kids are so HUNGRY for knowledge, for information, that anything we put in front of them was gobbled up in moments. (example, we hung a big world map on the wall. for the next 45 minutes there crowd of kids was 3 rows deep, everyone angling to see where India was, America was, and yes, Nepal.)

Over the next year, Andrew and i are going to be putting together a benefit photography show with all of our images from our stay here. I am excited and I'm nervous. Its going to be a big task and i really want to be able to do justice to the orphanage and make sure that our 2 weeks there do not end with our departure. These kids are so incredible. If I could take every one of them home with me, I would do it in a heartbeat. They are funny, they are sweet, they are smart, they are talented, they are kind, and they are beautiful. So stay tuned!

On to our final week in Nepal.

Time for a little R&R!





Shiva, the founder of the orphange, watching over the kids from his office.



I cant help but post this image. The kids were about to miss their bus. And Lisa was last. Andrew picked her up and started to run. I was diggin my husband right about here.

I Love Cipro.

Ok, so I may have spoken too soon about the food...oy.

The good thing was that Andrew and I had already planned to come to Katmandu for the day/night and stay the night in a hotel with a hot shower and standing toilet (!)...we wanted to buy some things for the orphanage..basic kitchen supplies for one. Peeling potatoes with the back of a fork...we'll going to try and find a veggie peeler. Want to be careful not to offend them, many of their cooking ways are entrenched in Nepali tradition...like the knife they use..wow. It took me about 25 minutes to cut up 5 bunches of spinach, but then again, they can do it in no time.

Interestingly we've found out that these kids cannot be adopted, so everyone in the family can exhale! They can be sponsored for education, etc. but not adopted so says the Nepali government. 2 of the oldest kids are sponsored already so their "college" is paid for and next year when they must leave the orphanage, they will have some support. Yay.

Anyway, getting ready to head back to the orphanage now. We'll be there until the weekend. I'm actually really looking forward to getting back to the kids. Not the food or the accomodations, but the kids. I couldnt help but think last night as we were checking into this hotel, how amazing it would be to have any one of them with us, able to have a shower themselves and experience life on the other side.

Namaste.

A couple pictures of the kitchen, the food, and us!

Pushpa and Ude, the kids who most often cook, in the kitchen



Spinach (Sag)



Lentils (Dal)



The iphone!

Everything is Tik-Cha (a-ok)!

2 of the kids handle most of the cooking for meals. They are really good! We have dal baht or some variation for each meal (which is lentils and rice)...and these kids really rock it! I'm not sick of it at all...which is good because we probably have another 20 meals of it ahead of us! Ok, maybe I shouldnt think of it in those terms!

Anyway, the kids missed their bus this morning so we walked them to school. About a 25 minute walk, through these small walk paths in the village. What a tour! (andrew and i retraced our steps later with cameras..) These guys are carrying big backpacks, wearing sweaters, and its hot! I heard not one complaint. We carried what backpacks we could, and followed them since they knew the way. The little guy at the lead would stop every so often and wait for everyone to catch up. They are too cute.

They are practicing their English with us. We wondered beforehand, are we forcing our culture on them by teaching OUR language? But so clearly we were off. English is the common ground across the world. This is the one tangible key for them to a better job and a better life. Already you can see which kids are really hungry for it, and which are not. We are playing all sorts of games to practice english and its fun! (Plus we're learning enough nepali to get by...And charades always works too.)

Moving part of the day...the kids sitting in front of their little homemade altar at sundown, lined up in 3 rows, one of the oldest girls leading the Hindu prayers, no light except the candles at the altar, and the sound of little voices singing honestly, singing loudly.

Namaste.

Brilliant shot by Andrew! These little kids eat rice and drink breastmilk. And i have to say they are little pudgy happy babies!



I've been doing yoga with the kids in the mornings. And this is my star student.



Susma is a bit of a tough chic on the outside, but not so on the inside. Understandably so, she is only 16 but makes sure all the younger girls are taken care of each morning before school.



And this is one of the women we ran into on our walk through the village.

I doubt the word selfish even has a Nepali translation

These kids are amazing. Its hard to believe we've only been here for 4 days. I feel like i've known them for years. And there is no doubt that after this we will make every effort to know them forever. From the moment we walked into their world, they came at us with huge smiles and massive hearts. This is not depressing, it is humbling and it is inspiring.

The kids do not fight with each other, EVER. I handed out little bitty lipglosses to the girls one day. And a little while later some of them came up to me speaking Nepali and pointing to one of the girls. They were telling me that she did not get a lipgloss yet! (luckily i brought enough for everyone!) There is no fighting, there is no coveting what the other one has, there is no tug of war for anything. The way they look out for each other is incredible.

Andrew was playing baseball with them. And when one of the kids would strike out, they would say, give him another chance! They brush each other's hair, they dust each other off, they fill each other's water, and they call each other brother and sister. They are one big family. A mother, a father, and 41 siblings.

Moving part of the day...8 year old Liza gave me a tour of the orphanage when we arrived. When we got to her room (3 bunk bed sets, 2 kids per bed), she quickly picked up what was on the floor. Throwing shoes, blankets, water bottles, and hairbrushes behind the door so I wouldnt see. And when she was done she said "okay! come in!" My heart literally broke. (btw, you'll see her in some of the pictures, she's too much! she has a short little haircut, and has such a downtown sense of style!)

I have far too many stories to tell...for now, here are some pictures. We are in a little village outside kathmandu....with far less pollution and less noise. Stars at night, in lieu of electricity most nights, and sunshine everyday.

Namaste.

Here's Liza..who I spoke about above...



This is Bitisha. Absolutely adorable. Very eager to learn English any chance she gets.



Nisa. She seems much older than her years. She keeps to herself a bit, but is one of the smartest. And could not be any sweeter.



The kids wear uniforms to school. Even the little girls know how to tie ties! I know a few grown American men that don't even know how to do that!

The Hills Are Alive

So I cant help but be super excited right now...I have 5 bars on this internet connection! The best in 2 weeks! Woo hoo.

Culture class yesterday...we learned that most Nepalese marriages are arranged and most people do get married. When you're married, you move in with your husband and his family. And if he is the only son, you live there forever! If he has other brothers, I guess its rock paper scissors to see who stays. But someone definitely stays to watch over the folks as they get older. We asked, "what about the people that don't get along with their parents..what do they do?" We got a laugh in response. That doesnt happen. You get along with your parents. Everyone does!

We've seen a lot more of kathmandu lately..its actually much bigger than the maze of streets we'd seen before..much bigger than I'd imagined! I imagine if Nepalese people went to an amusement park, the roller coasters there would be a total bore for them. They've got the roads! Who needs the travelling county fair!

Here are pictures from our visit to the Monkey Temple. I went a little nuts with the Tilt Shift..but i think it gives this surreal vision to the environment, and that's what it is. Really trippy. Amidst the Himalayas. A Buddhist temple, prayer flags everywhere. Its downright trippy.

We took our last hot shower for the next 10 days today. I think internet will be sparse. Speak soon!

xxx











and the prayer wheel from Andrew
you spin it clockwise for blessings upon you...people walk by and spin 20 at a time.
its very serene...



tata!

Namaste!

Namaste from Kathmandu!

Wow. Well thankfully our trip to India has helped us grow accustomed to driving with people, animals, cars, motorcycles, and bikes on the road! Although here there are less animals and smaller roads. The part we are in, which pretty much seems like trekkers and backpackers central, almost feels like a ski town! With hippy shops and live bands playing. Only don't imagine the women in full length furs from Vail, CO!

Last night Andrew and I were having a wander around town, when all of a sudden little drops of rain started to come down. People started running...and we thought, what do they know that we dont?! Well, within 1-2 minutes literally, HAIL was coming down like i've never seen before! Pouring from sky. We ducked into a currency exchange shop and watched it. The cars stopped, the people disappeared and I took this picture of one of the rickshaws who stopped his bike and hid in the back seat it away from the hail. And I have to admit, I had bit of a brain freeze. Imagining I was back in New York, I thought, is that SALT? I'm so used to salt on the roads from the snow! Andrew looked at me like I was crazy....

We are preparing for our stay at the Orphanage. We are learning Nepalese and today we have a culture class...

Electricity is off for up to 16 hours a day here!! So, updates will be whenever possible! That whole saying of "turn off the lights, you're wasting electricity?!" Yeah, that makes sense now!

Tata (that's bye over here)
xx