Wednesday, 25 February 2009. Pokhara
08.00 My ‘Kitty alarm went off.
Because of my late falling asleep last night, I had to drag myself out of bed.
09.00 at H.E. for just a coffee, no time for breakfast. But then Pashipathi told me there is no school today! Well, that gives a positive swing to the day. So: breakfast: toast with jam and another coffee in company from Doreen, who also had an unexpected day off.
10.00 back to my room, to work 2 hours at the dictionary again.
As soon as the electricity was off on my way to the children.
Although I was later then promised, they were very happy to see me. The 3 little ones hanging around my neck, the other ones coming down one by one: Namaste Sanghita, how are you? I am going to miss this good morning when I am home again!!!
While the girls were still upstairs, cleaning up their rooms and/or washing their clothes, I had the time to have a chat with the older boys.
Finally I also had the change to take Bimal (as you know, my very special boy) a bit apart and to ask him if he was really doing okay, if he was happy AND if there was something special he wanted to do.
He whispered in my ear that he also would love to learn painting/drawing, that he wants to become an artist.
That was for me the sign to take him with me, back on our way to my room to go and collect the new drawing books we bought in Kathmandu!
I tried to explain to him that he also can get sponsored for painting lessons, but that first he has to learn better English. Despite his age (sorry, I still don’t know exactly his age, I think around 14) his English is very poor compared with the other children. This is due to the fact that only since end of 2007 he came to the home, before that he was living in a remote village, where they even never see a tourist!
Giving up the conversation, with in my mind to have another conversation with him when Kay is back and she can function as translatior, we walked back. You should have seen Bimal’s face when I handed over the books AND the sketch book in which I quickly wrote HIS name. He had something, ONLY for HIM!! He was holding it like a treasure.
Arriving back at the house we went into the boy’s room, where he quietly could have a look into the books and where Kamal was making his homework. With the help of Kamal I explained again that the books are to be used by the older girls and boys and I asked Kamal if he could help Bimal with the English explanation about dimensions in the books. Kamal was very willing to do so and also he was ‘eating’ the book. His face, when he saw the pictures of a still life, worth a fortune and for me the moment to mention again that next time on my visit I wanted to see a different painting from him and Arjun than that same old Fish tail mountain!!!
Kamal took the time to show me his portfolio. With a big smile he said that the paintings, drawings he was showing were made about 2 and 3 years ago. And I could see the difference; he really has become much better with his paintings and techniques.
He also showed me a Thangka painting. He worked 3 months on it and I think he did an excellent job.
The Thangka paintings have a special technique, performed by monks. You are using a very small brush (2, 3 or 4 hairs only!) to paint the miniscule details! (see picture).
As shy as Bimal is (as I learned to know him), when the other boys came into the room, they just took the books up and started to look into them. I took one book of them (they are very similar) and I handed it back to Bimal.
Straight away he started to sketch a head with a face in HIS own sketchbook.
I saw that the shape and the dimension were not right and that Bimal was trying to copy them from the book too small. Again I asked Kamal’s help: if he could draw a bigger head (egg shaped), so Bimal could practice the dimensions and to put eyes, nose, mouth and ears in it. Straight away this treasure of Kamal sketched 5 head shapes on the first paper and handed it back to Bimal to practise.
Sujan entered the room (of who also with my ‘investigations’ I had found out that he wanted to learn how to drawn) and gone was the other book. To his room, where straight away he also started to practise. (pictures of Bimal and the other boys).
Time for me to leave the boys in their room and to have a look where the rest of the kids were.
Entering the study room a nice surprise: Michael, Big Mamatha, Alina and Sofia were sitting there, practising how to draw flowers and colour them, from The How to Draw Flowers book WE gave them!
It is their day off, and they are voluntarily in the study room!!! (pictures).
Little Binod with always too much energy (I am sssssssspiderman!!) came in and to give the girls a break I handed over my camera, so our house photographer could make pictures of us. (see pictures). At his age I think he really has an eye for making pictures. It took him ages to make the picture with the 4 of us, that one had to move a bit to the right, the other one more to the middle and so on. Finally mr. Binod was satisfied and he made the picture.
Shiva, around 20 years old now and an ex-family member, now living on his own in Pokhara, came to visit. He asked me last year already for a digital camera, so together with Sudeep I showed him my old camera, explaining about the battery, the battery charger, the card reader (thanks Mike, that is now your donation) AND that Shiva is welcome to come and borrow the camera, but he always has to bring it back to the house again, so everybody can use it.
Happy Shiva let the house with the bag with camera; he was on his way to shoot pictures to download on his computer, so he can use those pictures later for his paintings. And again, we managed to see something different next year than the good old Fish Tail Mountain!
Time to go and see Mongol, our singer and guitarist! I gave him my recorder with a minicasette with the explanation that I have to take this tape recorder back with me, but that I would love it if he could record some of his singing on this tape, so WE can hear him singing when I come home.
I think just out of politeness he stayed 10 more minutes sitting with me, but after he was gone and I did not see him anymore by the time I left!
So, be prepared, we can hear OUR sponsored singer soon!!
What was next on this eventful day?
Ah yes, Thak came up to me and we had a chat sitting outside.
We discussed when we are going to the paint-teacher and which of the children are going to these classes: Kamal, Arjun to continue their study. Raju, Sujan to start with the study.
Also we will try the same day to go to the computer school to sign Sudeep up for an additional 3 months course (during his holiday), to sign up Manju and Alina for the beginners course.
Another day we will go with Rasilla to the cooking school to sign her up for the cooking course.
This time I had a much more relaxed conversation with Thak then before. I already realized when I was back home yesterday that maybe it is not his mistake that he ‘hides’ material, but just the ‘not knowing’. In our conversation today it was clear how much he worries and cares about the children.
And I give it you to do: with just 1 father (uncle) and 1 mother (auntie) to take care of a family of 23 children!!!
Then I got a big shock: in our conversation he also said that he wants to change school!!! After the exams he wants to take the 20 children away from the Shining Star Boarding School and to send them to another school!! He explained me why: the toilets at S.S.B.S. were not clean he said, he wanted me to have a look at them at my next visit (tomorrow morning) and to check out the area with the water pump.
Also one of his complaints was that the school ground is sandy: the kids look terrible when they come home after school, dusty, dirty school uniforms and shoes.
Next: the SSBS has no library. I told him that now they have!!
Next: the SSBS has access for the students to only a total of 6 computers, while the other school he is thinking of has a big library with 20 computers available!
SSBS is not organizing enough in sports. The other school does and organizes competitions between schools.
As said, it was a big shock for me: I thought the SSBS was making a lot of effort to teach the children as good as they can and they really ‘care’ about the children. Reason why WE are supporting this school.
Tomorrow morning my ‘home work’ will be indeed to check out the toilets, the water pump and if the wall charts we donated or on the walls (which I expect they will be).
The teachers are such nice people, I am sure Rita Chamelli will be as shocked as I was at first sight, but maybe Thak is right. He said to me that the other school he is thinking of is also a boarding private school, but that they are of upgraded quality.
Sunday afternoon he will take me to the other school, so I can have a look myself. (Saturday the schools are closed).
I will certainly go, have a critical view at the other school, because for me it is NOT only important about to have better facilities, but more to really interact, care about the children and have an open mind (which the SSBS teachers certainly proved already to have).
Even IF Thak decides to place the children in the other school, I do not regret it that we have donated the books, the wall charts and the globe to the SSBS, because I KNOW they are using them and they are for the benefit of ALL the students at this school.
At 16.00 Dan (an ex-volunteer) and Pramot (the homework teacher) came in, time for me to go.
Together with Doreen we jumped in a taxi to Mahendra Pool, the big city of Pokhara for some ‘fundraise shopping’.
Doreen wanted to buy some real footballs and balls for the younger children, to be used during the suggested break, so the children would get some fresh air and could get rid of their build up energy, ready and calmed down again for another session of 3-4 hours inside for the last few hours at nursery school.
I was going for a hunt for a battery for my laptop. Again this was a flash shopping trip. Just ask the taxi driver to stop at a shop with real footballs, it saves you a lot of time AND energy to walk around trying to find those shops yourself. In the same shop I saw that they had exactly the same sketch books as the one I gave this morning to Bimal, so I purchased a few more, for the other ‘future students for the painting lessons AND some different pencils with different hardness.
Leaves me to close this day with a comment about Bimal, the one who keeps breaking my heart.
I will show you with the help of the pictures I will make that he IS an artist. Leaving him this morning, trying to draw the shape of a head, that looked anything except a head, he proudly came to me 4 hours later to show his first attempt AND his last attempt. Again I could not keep my eyes dry. And you will see why looking at the pictures!! His first scribbles and what he was capable of only 4 hours later!!
Beautiful eyes, a sensitive mouth, a perfect nose. Kamal came also outside, while Bimal was showing me his work and behind the back of Bimal he made the WOW movement and the PERFECT sign with his hands. A silent applaud accompanied his surprise and admiration for the talents shown by Bimal.
This makes me to reconsider the decision of sending him for painting classes next year. Thak already mentioned also Bimal’s name (if the funds were available) to put him also on the list for the painting classes and I think we should put him ALSO on this list THIS time already!!
Oh dear, it is already 01.00 o’clock now. Probably, especially after putting my thoughts and impressions of today on paper (not running around my brain anymore) I will be able to sleep now. I better do, because tomorrow my wake up call is at 08.00 and NO holiday from school tomorrow!!
Suba Rathri and speak to you soon again.
And once more, and I can not do this enough, thank you all for your support. I would not be able to achieve so much without your generous gifts!!
Love you all and also a BIG THANK from my kids
Sanghita
Περισσότερα... »
I said that it was ME who wanted to thank everybody. For making me feel so welcome, to make me one of them! I also thanked the people of Elounda and the other 'sponsors', without them I would not be able to drop all those little drops in the ocean. 
