Titles are hard

I am officially half way through my time in Nepal, and that is most definitely not okay in my book. But that is not the point of this lovely post, so we'll get to the good stuff.

Most of this past week has been filled with going to the orphanage and the monastery. So what exactly do I do there? I wish I knew... It wasn't really until just a few days ago that I finally started to get a hang of what I'm actually supposed to be doing. I get to the orphanage around 6:30/6:45 in the morning, and each morning is quite different. Sometimes the kids are already up, fed, dressed, and ready to go to school. Other times they haven't even been awake when I got there. Every day has a slightly different routine, and attitudes from the kids. There was a bit of a rough day earlier this week, where the boys were rough-housing and actually hurting each other. We had to give them a bit of a talking to, but I think half of it was a bit in vain since most probably didn't understand a majority of what we were telling them. They did get a bit better after that though, and hopefully they're starting to understand that their shenanigans won't be tolerated. The best moment at the orphanage so far would probably be Friday afternoon. We decided to go back when they were home from school for a bit to help another girl who just started helping there. The kids were all excited to see us and were really well behaved. I even managed to get a smile, some giggling, and a hug out of this little boy (probably around 3) who always wears pants that are too big and a bit of a frown on his face. It was definitely a momentous occasion on my end!

The monks have been quite a different story. They aren't as difficult to deal with since they have a bit more discipline in their lives, but I can never quite seem to what they already know. We weren't really provided a comprehensive list of what they've learned or what to teach them, so we've been trying to figure it out along the way. Sometimes the things we do are too hard, other times they're too easy- haven't quite hit the Goldilocks spot yet. But we're getting closer. My favorite moments from the monastery this week include one telling me that his best friend is Buddha, and the mess that was a relay race before one of the older kids translated the directions into Nepali for the little 'uns. 

Now what about all the other fun stuff?! Well, most of us are busy during the week, so the only time to really go exploring is during the weekend. We kicked off Friday night by going out for pizza in Thamel (the tourist district)-- a much needed break from the constant curry. Then yesterday, the two other girls and I went on a little tour of Kathmandu. We started by heading towards the White Gumba monastery which is only open on Saturdays. Our taxi ride there was pretty interesting, since we negotiated a price with the driver (which you're supposed to do), but he tried to up it once we got there. We paid him what we had agreed on, and walked away. But he decided to wait outside the monastery for a few minutes, and we were a bit freaked that he was going to come after us. It turned out okay, but some of those Nepalis will try to trick silly tourists. The monastery was absolutely amazing though. There were some gorgeous views of Kathmandu valley, and incredible gold statues outside. Unfortunately, they didn't allow any pictures inside the temple, but I was amazed by it. Being used to the churches of Europe, seeing this temple was mind-blowing. There were so many colors and golden statues! I can't even do it justice.

Then we headed to Durbar Square, which is in the old part of the city. We saw some cool temples, chased some pigeons, and took loads of pictures. It felt like a completely different city from the one we're used to with the tiny streets and the smelly river. I'm so glad that we went out exploring. It was nice to see a different side of Kathmandu. We ended our little excursion with some momo (Nepali dumplings with awesome dipping sauce). It was a pretty perfect Nepali Saturday. 

This next week brings more volunteering, and hopefully it'll just keep getting easier!

Namaste

At the White Gumba Monastery

Durbar Square