Here's a short update on things at Kopila:

Construction is moving along fast. Here's a picture or two of our expansion and garden shift. There's a reason why I put the kids to work moving dirt and bricks like construction workers. I'll have to explain later.

The children are doing great, thanks to the entire team. On top of the always stellar Nepali staff it's made such a difference at our school having a professional principal, (Jeff) and a professional nurse, (Emily) and a professional ESL teacher (Libby) and Lexi working away with 1st and 2nd grade. We've got our heads down. We're working hard and making real significant progress.  Occasionally the kids get sent to me when they're in trouble for acting out in class, or not doing their homework, or fighting, (you know, the usual stuff that warrants being sent to the principal's office) and my first reaction when I should be disciplining them is "wow, you just explained that whole story to me in English." I'm sort of blown away at how fast the kids are growing up and improving each day. Don't get me wrong things are not all rainbows and butterflies, I think I can speak for all of us when I say that there are numerous times a day when we are all challenged or frustrated or moved to tears.  I'm just proud of all of us right now and I'm proud of my children and the adversities that they continue to over come.

It's SABITA'S Birthday tomorrow.  I've never known a child who has anticipated her birthday more than this little one. She's been counting down for months and months and the day has finally arrived. My little girl is turning seven. 

I'm going to be gone for a few days in Kathmandu. (Work + Play) I'm showing my cousin Julia around the city, and then seeing her back off to Seattle. The kids all said goodbye tonight. The girls put together a skit that they've been working on for weeks and Karma sang a song. Tears. Thankful to have a last couple days together though. I'm bringing some samples of our well water to be tested in Kathmandu and a few kids for Operation Smile's inaugural medical mission in Nepal.  

LAST but not least a big warm thanks for following our journey on this blog. It's a gift that so many people out there love my children as much as I do. Thank you all for your support.

Goodnight and love from sleepy-eyed me.

More from Kathmandu I hope!

Today was a great day at Kopila Valley.  We invited children from the local deaf school, Siddha Bahira, over for some special Friday activities.  Siddha Bahira is a small government funded school for the deaf, founded by Peace Corps volunteers some 20 years ago (although I'm not exactly sure of the exact timing.)  There are currently a total of 35 students mostly ages 6-17 who are hearing impaired. We decided for community service month it would be nice to have an exchange and host the Siddha Bhaira kids at our school for a day.

When I was a little girl I went to George C. Baker Elementary School in Moorestown, NJ.  Baker was a really great school that gave me some good memories.  I am a product of free public school education and truly believe that good teachers and good schools make all the difference in the world.  More than anything, I remember Dr. Bucco, our school's principal and how he drilled the school motto "Learning is caring" over and over again into our heads each month at school assemblies.  "The golden rule is to treat others the way you want to be treated," he used to say every month.  That saying has stuck with me my entire life.  

One of my most vivid memories from my early education was learning sign language.  Baker School had a special program for kids who were deaf and my classrooms in first and second grade were right across the hall from the classrooms for the deaf.  Libby and I both took sign language classes and became friends with two girls our age who were hearing impaired.  Their names were Danielle and Brianna and it was through them that we were really able to pick up on a lot of sign language.  We left Baker School and lost touch with Brianna and Danielle but I think I can speak for Lib when I say that they both made a distinct impression on our childhoods.  In fact, there was a long period of time when all I wanted to be when I grew up was a sign language teacher.

This is the story I told during our assembly today along with all the sign language I could remember.  "I love you."  "What is your name?"  "friends," "mother and father" and how to clap by raising your hands in the air and shaking them.  The chairman of the deaf school got up and talked about ways to talk and communicate with people who can't hear.  He taught us the numbers and the alphabet and the importance of friendship and acceptance for kids who can not hear or speak.  All of our students really got to imagine what it would be like living in a world without sound.   

After the assembly, we split up into different classrooms and learned sign language from the students themselves. It was absolutely amazing to see the kids learn how to communicate without being able to speak. They wrote things on paper and passed them back and forth and gave introductions and sign language lessons on the white board.  For the first time walking through the halls of Kopila Valley, filled with 300 children, you could not hear a single sound, not a peep.  It was as if no one was there. By the end of the day there were a lot of new friendships made.  We concluded with some group activities, lunch, and a big soccer match. Our guests from Siddha Bahira beat the Kopila boys team 2-1 in a really good game.

Tope our project's chairman, passed me in the hall as we were each going room to room observing the kids.  He was speechless and could only look at me with tears in his eyes. After a long extremely stressful week I finally felt hit with a wave of gratitude because all of this is what it's really about. Mostly, I couldn't get over how quiet it was and how seriously the Kopila kids took the no talking rule and how genuinely happy everyone was today.

"It is really they who came to serve us today, not the other way around," principal Jeff said at the end of the day during our staff meeting. I couldn't agree more. We really hope to meet with our friends again soon.  In the meantime, we'll all be brushing up on our sign language over here.  Special thanks to the Siddha Bahira school.

Bindu and Suray comforting an old man at the hospital

I am so proud of our students and what they've done so far for community service month. We kicked things off on Friday with the trash pick up where our school collected nearly 600 KG of garbage around our local school community. The Surkhet City Planning committee kindly agreed to come and load all of it into a big truck to be taken to a dumping site this morning. The really exciting thing is that they've also agreed to do the same for any other schools who decide to partake in similar projects. The kids and I were talking about how cool it would be if we could get other nearby schools involved in this!    

The 6th graders went to the hospital this weekend and visited with patients. They gave out bananas and apples and spent time with over 70 sick patients there.  Our local newspaper even covered a small story on the front page!

The seventh graders decided for their project to organize a clean-up of our city's most famous temple Deuti Bajay and spent a few hours this weekend cleaning up the entire temple grounds where thousands of people go to worship each month. It also just so happened that a national television news crew was there simultaneously and covered the kids story, interviewing them on what they were doing and why.  I couldn't believe it when the kids told me. What a sweet little coincidence. The Kopila kids got their first debut on Nepali national television doing something good. 

This is only the begining and I'm curious to see how the rest of the month goes but I really think that one of the most empowering feelings in the world is realizing that you can make a difference. Even I've been surprised to see the little ripple effects of change this week.  There are many moments when I feel scared, and unsure, and severely anxious about what the future has in store but these kids continue to fill me with all the hope in the world.  

sign at kopila valley

After

In the Hindu religion, Saraswati is the Goddess of Learning.  The kids celebrate with a puja each year and bring flowers and fruit to offer for their education.  

Our community service project this Friday was a neighborhood garbage pick-up.  The kids split up into teams and collected heaps and heaps of garbage.  

Construction is moving a long just fine.  Most of the framing is up.  (Namraj is standing on a window frame above.)  The kids have been helping move stone in for the flooring.

We kicked off our weekend with a Friday night movie showing of The Wizard of Oz.  It took grandfather (my dad) 17 hours to download it off of i-tunes but it was well worth the wait!  Today is report card day and Saraswati pooja at school.  More on that soon. Have a great weekend where ever you are.

xo

Our team has been busy cutting down bamboo and starting work on the new wing.  This all began when we realized we would be needing two additional classrooms come May as we expand all the way through 8th grade!  I sort of can't believe it.  We are a nursery through 8th grade school!  The kids are really doing well. It's hard to see the big picture when you're in the grind each day.  But yesterday I did a home visit and it brought me back to the idea of what this is all about.  One child. One family at a time.  This little girl's life is hard and sad and it was easy to get caught up in the story and how unfair things can be. But then she and her aunt explained what coming to school every day meant to her and how it changed her life. It's easy to forget when you're working on a construction site, and serving lunch for 300, and writing curriculum, and hiring teachers.  Education is the answer and so is having a safe, happy, loving, cheerful place to come to everyday.  

So we desperately needed two new classrooms. But then when we were measuring things out, we realized on our little garden plot that we had room for 3!  And dream case scenario, we could have some extra room to split up the REALLY big kindergarten and first grade into two groups next year.  Plus we could have a little science lab.  We also added on two little rooms which I'm hoping will serve as a volunteer office/storage area/accounting room and counseling center.  Thus our two little classrooms turned into a new little wing!  The front area will have a little court yard vegetable garden with a path that the kids will walk through to get to the playground and the big hall stage area.  It's all very exciting!

We also said goodbye to a dear friend this week.  King James, our kiwi pilot pal is returning to New Zealand.  He has been such a constant in our lives over the past 2 and a half years, I honestly never imagined him leaving.  He's that friend who stops by with his hair clippers for haircuts for the kids.  He came over last week to install a gas hot water heater in my bathroom so I can take hot showers this winter. And we've always been welcome in his palace for a warm slice of homemade bread or a rooftop barbeque.  He's been a great friend.  Tope said it best yesterday when we got in the car after saying goodbye and I was crying (of course.)  "James is a really really good guy."  

King James, the kingdom of Surkhet will not be the same without you. Fly yourself back here soon Captain!    

This is called a chungi.  It's the kids favorite game right now that has single handedly taken over our entire school– or the playground at least.  I remember it being the same when I was little: pogs and then beanie babies and then tamagachis. One thing after the other. It's funny how universal fads are.  You just wake up one morning and everybody's doing it. Here there's been action hero cards, and jacks, marbles, and jump rope. Now's it's just chungi chungi everywhere. This little contraption is the Nepali version of the hackey sack. The kids make them from old bike tires by cutting them into rubber bands and tying them with a string. They are obsessed! They compete see how many times they can kick it in the air with their feet or pass them back and forth between friends. I seriously saw a 5th grade girls get about 60 in a row the other day.  I can barely do three. It's getting so obsessive that we may have to outlaw them at school because they're playing during class and gambling with them. Oh dear.

What's in right now with kids where you live? I remember the kids I babysat for being into webkinz and pokeman cards.  But it's been a while since I've babysat. I'd love to know and share with our kids. 

This is what I woke up to in my bed this fine Sunday morning!  Life is good.  Enjoy your weekend!

Construction is moving along just fine.  Will try to get some photos up soon!  xo

Emily on her first day in the clinic

Friday is here!  We introduced our new theme in a big assembly. We have some good ideas brewing for community service and kindness projects.  

Jarna in front of our entry bulletin board

The 5th graders worked with Lexi on creating a waste meter so to keep track of the food we waste to be more aware.

There were races, and a long jump competition and a big cricket match.  The kids are obsessed right now with a game called "chungi."  It's the Nepali version of the hackey sack and they are allll over the compound.  This evening the bulldozer showed up to prep the site for the new classrooms.  Bamboo, and stone, and sand is everywhere and we're getting ready for construction.

More this weekend!  Thanks for stopping by and a big welcome to Emily!