“It’s the Principal of the Thing!”

Uncle Ed here, still blogging on Julia’s page.

I deliberately chose my version of principal rather than principle to get your attention and direct you to Maggie’s blog where she has announced the search for a new Principal for Kopila Valley School.   Yes, unfortunately, Jeff’s sabbatical will be ending soon.  Please visit this link and share it widely with anyone you know, who might know a candidate for Principal of the best school in Nepal!

http://maggiedoyne.squarespace.com/journal/2012/2/24/kopila-valley-school-vacancy-announcement.html#comments

Love to all,

Uncle Ed

I still have more stories to tell and videos to post, I just need to dig out from under tons of work work here in Seattle.

Last day at KOPILA

Here are some pictures from my last days at Kopila Valley.

On my last night the kids put together a drama and a couple of songs. It was so great. I was expecting a short 10 or 20 min drama, but turns out it was fully planned out and ended up lasting over 40 mins.

The Kopila Kids are such a blessing! I’m so thankful for them. Maggie and the other staff and volunteers have done such a good job raising them. I know they will be the future leaders of Nepal!

Kathmandu

We made it to Kathmandu! It has been amazing so far. We have spent the last two days seeing all of the sights and eating. I can’t believe how many good restaurants there are with good American style food. The past two days I have eaten pizza, a burrito, chips and salsa, eggs and toast, and a caesar salad. I have also had a cup of coffee everyday! It’s really putting all the rice and vegetables I had in Surkhet to shame….

Sight seeing has been so great because I have two of the best tour guides in all of Nepal, Maggie and Tope! We brought Naveen, Tope’s son, and Namraj, the baby, with us to Kathmandu. It’s both of their first times in Kathmandu. So far we have done the following: climbed up the tallest tower in all of Nepal, went bowling in a real shopping mall (I got second place), climbed to the top of Swamboo – a Buddhist temple, went to the Zoo, and we rode on an elephant. I must say I’m exhausted and we still have another day here. It has been so nice to have some quality time with Maggie before I head out of the country.

Last day at Kopila Valley

As I wake up to my last full day at Kopila Valley I’m filled with the bitter sweet feelings of leaving and heading home. The Seattle rain has already found its way to me. Last night we had a huge storm with hail, rain, thunder, and lightening. I knew Nepal was going to find someway to get me out of here. This morning I don’t even want to get out of bed because it’s so wet outside. Oh how I’m going to miss the sunshine of Nepal when I’m home for 20 days straight of rain.

With one full day left at Kopila Valley I plan to take it easy. I’m going to spend the morning reading and then start the never ending task of packing up my bedroom. The kids have planned out a program for my going away party tonight that will include a drama and some singing. I’m so humbled that they are being so gracious and planning this event for me. It will be a blast and most likely a crying bash.

If I have learned one thing thus far it is live out your dreams and never stop dreaming.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

Here are the two videos that go with Julia’s text and pictures below:

Love, UE

Everyone has been working so hard to get the new classrooms ready for the next school year starting in April. We now have an amazing walk way so the kids, no longer have to walk through the dusty dirt between the library/ lunchroom to the classrooms. It will be life changing for the classrooms dust problem. We also have a fence going up around the new garden area to keep the kids from walking through the garden. Everything is looking so amazing. I’m so excited to see the final product. Sadly, it won’t be finished until after I am long gone. Check it out for yourself.

Your eyes capture me…..

This is my favorite Nepali song right now. It’s a love story about a girl whose eyes capture a boy. That’s about all I can understand so far.

Check it out!

A DAY TO REMEMBER

Yesterday was one of those days that will stay with me forever.

We started the day by having 40 students from The Deaf School of Surkhet come to Kopila Valley School for a program that Maggie, and Jeff planned out. We started out with a big assembly where we gathered the whole school and Maggie gave a short speech, which is below in the video. We then split up the students and had two or three of the deaf students go into each classroom and teach our kids sign language. It was truly amazing to see. The school has never been so quiet. I was so impressed with the way that our students interacted with them. It almost brought tears to my eyes.

After lunch Emily, our school nurse, took me on a tour of the Surkhet Hospital. I knew that this was one place that I wanted to see before I left. As we walked into the emergency room tears started coming to my eyes. Words cannot explain the emotions I felt. I have never seen such a dirty, dark, and unwelcoming place in my entire life. Emily describes it as “a place for people to die” I completely agree. There were maybe 10 beds in one large room and no doctors or nurses in sight.

After that we headed over to the main hospital, a small two-story building next to the emergency room. On the second floor there are about 15 rooms the size of a small American bedroom. Each room has three or four hospital beds. There is literally only room in the rooms for the patients to sleep. There is one bathroom on the floor and you could smell it throughout the entire building. In the operation room, on the same floor, the washing station looks like it hasn’t been used for 25 years and there isn’t any soap in sight. As a guest wondering around the hospital I was surprised to be able to enter straight into the room without anyone asking questions. The room had 6 beds and not much else. All I’m saying is there is no way someone would leave this hospital from an operation without an infection.

I know that this is the sad truth of most 3rd world hospitals, but I’m still in complete and utter shock. I can’t believe that we let this happen. How can you have cell phones, and cars and have no running water, electricity or food. It is just backwards. It doesn’t make sense at all. You would think getting clean water would be number 1, but it clearly isn’t. A hospital that is dirty, unsanitary and un-staffed just doesn’t seem like it’s doing much good, but maybe I’m wrong….

Front of the hospital

Beds for patience to go during the day outside.

j

The Operation Room. The nicest room in the hospital.

The washing station for the operation room!

Kopila Valley School Hosts Deaf Children Visit

You have to go to Maggie’s Blog [  www.blinknow.org  ] and read her post about this visit.  It is like reading the book before this movie.  The video Julia shot here is incredible but we are limited in our ability to get video up onto the net.  She shot sort segments, then cut them down to fit, and emailed them to me.  I put it back together.  That will explain some of the gaps, but once you have read Maggie’s words you will understand you are only hearing part of the story she told our Children in the assembly.

The lessons we learn in childhood stay with us forever and you are about to see the living proof of that as it is passed on “…such as generations hand down forever.”

Kopila Valley…One Incredible Place!

Love,

Uncle Ed and Julia

Kopila Valley School Construction Update 2-2-12

This just in from our roving reporter Julia Baggenstos, live in Surkhet, Nepal. An update on the Kopila Valley School Classroom Construction Project.

One of the reasons the framing is going so quickly is the use of our new Stanley handsaw flown in this fall by Amy and Ben.  The drilling of all those bolt holes has been made possible by our new Dewalt Charger for our cordless drill batteries generously donated by Renee of Stanley Black & Decker.  The workers are overjoyed at the speed the new tools provide.

Thank you Amy, Ben and Renee.

Love to all from Julia, our roving reporter in the field and Uncle Ed, back in the network news room!

Maya’s Math Skill update

Maya is one that you can’t help but love. She is always a burst of energy. She reminds me of my brother Nick. I just love being around her because she always has something funny to say. She is also one of the smelliest kids I have ever met. Just be careful when sitting next to her at sat song because you might have to get up and move half way through.

Maya has a bit of trouble in school. We have all been working with her, but I’m sure she has a learning disability. I took a video of her math skills when I first got to Kopila Valley and thought it was time for an update. There may have not been a ton of progress however, she is trying and working hard in school right now.