It is about ten to nine, Saturday evening, June 29th. I am pretty much all packed, only the clothes I am wearing and my sheet and pillow need to be put into my suitcase; everything else goes into my backpack. The other volunteers are still in town, but I bid them adieu early and returned to the school for one more supper of Dal Bhat and curried vegetables. I am stuffed, tired, and nearly in tears. I never thought it would be this hard to say goodbye to my little monklets.
Yesterday was the last full day of classes, and I spent it doing something fun with each class. This morning I also 'wasted', laughing and playing with each class; only in the morning, Saturdays are half days. At lunch, Rachel, Ellie and I planned a trip into Lakeside. We considered going all the way into Pokhara to the fruit market, buying a huge amount of different varieties and making a fruit salad to share with the boys; in reality we ended up eating apple crumble and brownie sundaes and surfing the internet, then shopping up and down the main Lakeside strip. Simon and Naz found Rachel and I while Ellie worked on some school information at a cyber cafe; we ended up at the shisha bar eating mozza sticks, (I haven't had cheese since leaving Canada and OH MY COD they were amazing), and smoking some strawberry flavoured shisha tobacco. just shisha, nothing more... illegal... shall we say.
It was getting close to 6 PM and I still wanted to pick up some candies and a couple souvenirs, so I paid my portion of the bill and said goodbye to the trio. I would have loved to stay and chat and have a great, fun time, but I really wanted to see my monklets one more evening before I had to leave.
So I strolled down the road, bought two beautiful scarves (4 dollars for one, 5 for the other, seriously, I bargained them down from 6 each, which still would have been a steal at home), then found a cab and arranged a ride back to the school.
I got back at 630, took my things upstairs and grabbed a bag of candy from my purchases. I took it back down to the courtyard to share with the monklets, who were so very happy to get some fruit flavoured chews. Each one thanked me, they are always so grateful for everything. I just love seeing how happy the little ones are, they laugh and smile and act like each small candy is a huge gift. I also played some UNO with two of the smallest boys, who I just love. A quick run across the street with another little kindergarten boy to buy candies at the 'store' (really what we would call a garage on someone's house, filled with shelves that house candy, chips and toiletries). I took the opportunity to buy more bags of OM- just some of the best puffed wheat chips I have ever tasted. Spicy and light and I don't know what I'll do when I come home because they are even hard to find here, in the city they are manufactured in!
Then came supper, one last meal of Dal Bhat, curried vegetables (tonight was one dish of curried squash and another dish with a different type of curried long beans and carrots). I stuffed myself, adding a small quarter spoonful of some of the hottest fresh green chili paste I have ever tasted. I am proud of my growing ability to eat hotter and hotter things; back home before I was a complete wimp! Now every meal I want more and more chili, be it in paste or powder form, to mix in with the non-spicy Dal (thick lentil soup).
After supper I knew I had to get my room clean and my things packed up; it was so much harder than I thought it would be! I have given away all the books, pencil crayons, and other fun things I brought to the monklets, and yet I still could barely fit everything in my suitcase. It also feels heavier than before! The lack of space may have to do with the extra bags of OM I am taking with me, but the weight should be lighter; I have no idea what I did to make it so heavy. Oh well, I got it closed.
As I was cleaning and packing, though, many of the monklets and the one nun here brought me letter after letter full of drawings, thanking me for the fun classes and the candies/markers/drawing paper, and wishing me happiness. All of my doubts about reaching the boys (and girl) faded away and my heart swelled with gratefulness. I am so thankful for this experience, for all I have learned, and for the dear little boys (and girl) who are now so dear to me.
The monklets all piled into the dining room to watch a video, and I wrote up some thank you's for the two Lamas. I brought two wooden, hand carved inukshuk statuettes, and so I wrote a small card explaining them and have one to each Lama Trinley and Lama Lekshey. I made four little business type cards with my email and facebook accounts, and attached Canada flag pins for the volunteers so that we could keep in touch. I also took the Canada flag hearts and attached more pins for the other teachers who work here, as well as the kitchen staff. I have two Canada tshirts, one I am giving to the head cook (he and I sat and discussed all the old Clint Eastwood western movies one afternoon) and one for Sonam, the teacher who accompanied me to the hospital the first time and helped me navigate the foreign world of Nepal medical care. I will give these in the morning before I leave.
At least, I will leave them to be given, as I have to be up and ready to go for 630AM; catching an early bus to KTM is the plan. I have downloaded a new book (Bossypants by Tina Fey) to read on the 6+ hour bus ride, I have my hostels booked for the first week, and just want to get on with it.
Sort of.
I also don't want to leave my little piece of paradise. If I hadn't committed to the Koseli school, I would be very tempted to skip KTM altogether and just stay here in Pokhara until I was leaving for home. Stay and teach my little monklets, helping the younger boys speak and understand English better, teaching the older boys the systems of the body and how our organs work together to make our bodies go! But I did make a commitment, and I do want to see the great temples, market places and the Nepal national zoo that make Kathmandu so appealing. Of course, KTM is also very dirty and noisy and so full of people; but hey, its three weeks. I can handle it.
I just didn't expect the tears that started to fall when I stood outside on the second floor walkway, looking down at the courtyard where some of the monklets played while the others continued to watch their video. I didn't expect to feel so keenly how much I will miss the peacefulness and the beauty that my little home here at Pal Ewam exudes. I didn't think I would love these monklets as much as I do.
They made me promise to come back. I told them it would be two years, but they expect me back in 2015. How could I say no? And as one of them told me, you cannot lie to a monk. I laughed, and told him I would come back and teach him new things, and bring comic books and games with me.
He was appeased, but now I am committed. I mean, he's right, isn't he? You cannot lie to monks. And you know you cannot lie to monklets either.
I better go to bed, the morning comes so early.
Namaste.
Yesterday was the last full day of classes, and I spent it doing something fun with each class. This morning I also 'wasted', laughing and playing with each class; only in the morning, Saturdays are half days. At lunch, Rachel, Ellie and I planned a trip into Lakeside. We considered going all the way into Pokhara to the fruit market, buying a huge amount of different varieties and making a fruit salad to share with the boys; in reality we ended up eating apple crumble and brownie sundaes and surfing the internet, then shopping up and down the main Lakeside strip. Simon and Naz found Rachel and I while Ellie worked on some school information at a cyber cafe; we ended up at the shisha bar eating mozza sticks, (I haven't had cheese since leaving Canada and OH MY COD they were amazing), and smoking some strawberry flavoured shisha tobacco. just shisha, nothing more... illegal... shall we say.
That's me smoking the hookah at a nifty cafe!
So I strolled down the road, bought two beautiful scarves (4 dollars for one, 5 for the other, seriously, I bargained them down from 6 each, which still would have been a steal at home), then found a cab and arranged a ride back to the school.
I got back at 630, took my things upstairs and grabbed a bag of candy from my purchases. I took it back down to the courtyard to share with the monklets, who were so very happy to get some fruit flavoured chews. Each one thanked me, they are always so grateful for everything. I just love seeing how happy the little ones are, they laugh and smile and act like each small candy is a huge gift. I also played some UNO with two of the smallest boys, who I just love. A quick run across the street with another little kindergarten boy to buy candies at the 'store' (really what we would call a garage on someone's house, filled with shelves that house candy, chips and toiletries). I took the opportunity to buy more bags of OM- just some of the best puffed wheat chips I have ever tasted. Spicy and light and I don't know what I'll do when I come home because they are even hard to find here, in the city they are manufactured in!
Then came supper, one last meal of Dal Bhat, curried vegetables (tonight was one dish of curried squash and another dish with a different type of curried long beans and carrots). I stuffed myself, adding a small quarter spoonful of some of the hottest fresh green chili paste I have ever tasted. I am proud of my growing ability to eat hotter and hotter things; back home before I was a complete wimp! Now every meal I want more and more chili, be it in paste or powder form, to mix in with the non-spicy Dal (thick lentil soup).
After supper I knew I had to get my room clean and my things packed up; it was so much harder than I thought it would be! I have given away all the books, pencil crayons, and other fun things I brought to the monklets, and yet I still could barely fit everything in my suitcase. It also feels heavier than before! The lack of space may have to do with the extra bags of OM I am taking with me, but the weight should be lighter; I have no idea what I did to make it so heavy. Oh well, I got it closed.
As I was cleaning and packing, though, many of the monklets and the one nun here brought me letter after letter full of drawings, thanking me for the fun classes and the candies/markers/drawing paper, and wishing me happiness. All of my doubts about reaching the boys (and girl) faded away and my heart swelled with gratefulness. I am so thankful for this experience, for all I have learned, and for the dear little boys (and girl) who are now so dear to me.
The monklets all piled into the dining room to watch a video, and I wrote up some thank you's for the two Lamas. I brought two wooden, hand carved inukshuk statuettes, and so I wrote a small card explaining them and have one to each Lama Trinley and Lama Lekshey. I made four little business type cards with my email and facebook accounts, and attached Canada flag pins for the volunteers so that we could keep in touch. I also took the Canada flag hearts and attached more pins for the other teachers who work here, as well as the kitchen staff. I have two Canada tshirts, one I am giving to the head cook (he and I sat and discussed all the old Clint Eastwood western movies one afternoon) and one for Sonam, the teacher who accompanied me to the hospital the first time and helped me navigate the foreign world of Nepal medical care. I will give these in the morning before I leave.
At least, I will leave them to be given, as I have to be up and ready to go for 630AM; catching an early bus to KTM is the plan. I have downloaded a new book (Bossypants by Tina Fey) to read on the 6+ hour bus ride, I have my hostels booked for the first week, and just want to get on with it.
Sort of.
I also don't want to leave my little piece of paradise. If I hadn't committed to the Koseli school, I would be very tempted to skip KTM altogether and just stay here in Pokhara until I was leaving for home. Stay and teach my little monklets, helping the younger boys speak and understand English better, teaching the older boys the systems of the body and how our organs work together to make our bodies go! But I did make a commitment, and I do want to see the great temples, market places and the Nepal national zoo that make Kathmandu so appealing. Of course, KTM is also very dirty and noisy and so full of people; but hey, its three weeks. I can handle it.
I just didn't expect the tears that started to fall when I stood outside on the second floor walkway, looking down at the courtyard where some of the monklets played while the others continued to watch their video. I didn't expect to feel so keenly how much I will miss the peacefulness and the beauty that my little home here at Pal Ewam exudes. I didn't think I would love these monklets as much as I do.
They made me promise to come back. I told them it would be two years, but they expect me back in 2015. How could I say no? And as one of them told me, you cannot lie to a monk. I laughed, and told him I would come back and teach him new things, and bring comic books and games with me.
He was appeased, but now I am committed. I mean, he's right, isn't he? You cannot lie to monks. And you know you cannot lie to monklets either.
I better go to bed, the morning comes so early.
Namaste.
Beautiful, Darling.
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