She’s Back! Yay! YAY! YAY! Maggie Mom Is Back in Kopila Valley

Maggie Doyne returned home to Kopila Valley Childrens’ Home and School today at just about noon, safe and sound.  Thanks be to God.  

Here is a greeting the Kids did on the way to school a few days ago in anticipation.  

 

So many happy faces surrounded her today I was thinking she might need secret service protection.  It is an exhausting series of flights to get half way around the world and having a flight get canceled makes it even harder.  It is Soooo good to have her back in her Nepali home.  The Kids are so excited, the staff is excited, the Grandfather, the Fellow, and the volunteer… everyone is excited.  

Here is video, just in, including a brief interview with Maggie herself!

Love to all,

Uncle Ed

Riding the Magic Kopila Valley School Bus!

A huge THANK YOU SHOUT OUT to Matt Maderio who got the fantastic idea to dedicate his 25th birthday to the Children of Kopila Valley School!

Instead of presents for his quarter century Christmas birthday celebration, Matt decided to ask all his friends, and their friends, and our friends, to donate to a fund to save the Kopila Kids and Teachers hours and hours of walking each and every day.  We have said Thanks to Matt before, but it will never be enough.  He showed us all, just like Maggie did, that one person can really change the world!

The movie that follows is almost 12 minutes long but we believe you will find it well worth the watching for the SMILES and miles of Surkhet country and city-side.  Watch for all the interesting things behind the Kids and Teachers and Staff getting on the bus.  See the neighborhood kids mini-Bunda (strike), the fruit stands, shops, parents and grandparents bringing their Children to the bus stops.  See the hazards the driver and conductor must navigate as they make their trips safely and securely throughout the valley. And yes, John, the driver really does burn incense on the dashboard which you will see if you pay attention.

If you have a few extra minutes when you are finished, go to Maggie’s website http://www.BlinkNow.org or to her Facebook page and send a thank you to Matt as a comment.

Thanks for watching,

Love to all,

Uncle Ed

One More Poem from the Slam

I had told Yubraj Chhapai that one of his poems was on our blog.  He pointed out my error last week and I want to rectify it before school starts tomorrow.  He did two great slams, I chose this one because its title can be abbreviated so easily.    Your ears won’t be deceiving you, he shifts back and forth between English and Nepali several time, but I think you will get the drift!

Here is OMG.

It is now time for me to Sound Taps!

Love to all,

Uncle Ed

Why Mosquitos???????

I have been threatening to write this entry for some time and tonight became the last straw.  I know God has a purpose for everything and everyone and I am grateful to him for the things he has provided to make my life here in Nepal easier and more effective as I try to help make Kopila Valley a better place, and help the Kopila Kids grow and prosper.

But for the life of me, I can’t figure out why God made mosquitos?

I know some environmentalist will write and tell me they are part of the food chain and some bird or bug needs them to survive…really?  Can’t they find anything else to eat?  My resident geko seems to do fine with the flies, nats and moths that he finds on a regular basis.  My MIT world poverty course taught us that mosquitos are one of the serious problems in the developing world.

the weapons at my disposal are few:

The only words I can read on this can are” S.C. Johnson Co.”

This baby is a lifesaver and continues to make me popular at dinner where I promise not to attack toward the table.

And at the risk of worrying my Wife, I have to admit despite these weapons and the defensive perimeter offered by my garish orange mosquito net…

the little SUCKERS are frequently winning.  

to be fair, this picture of those ugly white legs was taken early on when the geko and posh 3rd floor location had me lulled into believing they didn’t come up here.  Now with the net, which also help increase the room temperature (like I need that) I don’t think I am being bitten here.  Only everywhere else.  They bite right through clothes, sweat, between swats, etc.

So, I decided to create a movie, well actually a trailer, I promise not to waste any more of my precious 3 months on creating a full length movie.  It is hard to get video of mosquitos in action, you have all seen the guy smacking himself all over in which you can’t see he is fighting off insects.  So no video of actual mosquitos biting, check YouTube for them.  Instead, I talked to a few other mosquito haters and got some quotes and some interesting video with a cast of thousands.  Please enjoy,

Slammin’ in Surkhet – A 10 Day Poetry Program

Have you ever arm wrestled with a Poet?  Had breakfast, lunch and dinner with one?  Had one come to your school and teach you the beauty of poetry?  That is what happened for 10 days in the lives of the Children of Kopila Valley.  With great thanks to the Five Word Warriors who came all the way from their homes and lives in Kathmandu, did all the teaching (and a bit of arm wrestling to break the ice).  They did a fabulous job of showing Children from all over the valley the power and vast range of poetry.  I have been waiting to get better internet capabilities, but I don’t want the story to grow too old or the Children to all be grown up.  So here is some of the video from the day long competition that was held at our school.

Seven schools participated, each had a workshop at their school for their students, then auditions were held here at KV Childrens’ Home in our Satsung Room and 20 finalists were selected.  On Final Day, all the participants, their families, fellow students and dignitaries from the city all joined us for a day at KV School.  There must have been 400 kids and I would guess at least 125-150 adults and they all saw a great show.

The Kopila Valley Kids were fearless, poised and practiced on stage as they spoke before the huge crowd.  Because they were the home team they often got the biggest applause and reactions, but it was the decision of the judges that determined the winners and none of the judges were from Kopila.

Thanks to our Sponsors who made this terrific ten days happen, not just for our Kopila Kids, but all the Children of the Surkhet Valley.  In order of their appearance on the banners please thank: The American Embassy and The American Corner, QC Books in Kathmandu, the Word Warriors, Quixote’s Cove, Yeti Airlines and of course all you Sponsors and Supporters of Kopila Valley Childrens’ Home and Schools.  A special Kudo for our “Kelly-Miss” (as our Teachers are addressed) Redmond Washington’s own Kelly Skillingstead who was the driving force behind making this all happen.

Here is one in Nepali, feel the emotion and see if you can interpret what he is feeling and saying:

Sosaliza also chose to deliver her thoughts in Nepali.

I have several more hours of video and tons of pictures, but I want you to see this right now, so I hope you enjoyed it and and feel free to let me know if you have any questions or special requests.  Here is the announcements and prizes awarded to the 5 top winners.  Please note that 4 of the five are from Kopila Valley School!!

Love to all,

Uncle Ed

Road to Nepal Guanji

Here is some video footage of the trip from Surkhet, Nepal (Kopila Valley) to Nepal Guanji (the airport). Thought you would enjoy!

The Dance

Another short clip of the dance at the end of the drama. This was a fantastic way to introduce the characters. Way to go Lexi!

Peter Pan

Here is a quick video of how play practice goes down in the rain.

Let’s try posting this video again

Undefeated

Congrats to our girls football team for being the champions of Surkhet girls football. They will now be sending some girls from the team off to play in Nepal Guanji. After that they are on their way to Katmandu. Way to go! A big thank you to Nina their coach!! This must be the biggest thing that has happened in sports around Surkhet!

A short video clip of our very own Nisha saying thanks to all the coaches!