Hello Wonderful Viewers! This is Maggie Doyne’s Uncle Ed posting to you from sunny and hot Nepal! Today is K+7 (my 7th Day at Kopila Valley) and this is my first post of 2013. I haven’t been sleeping this whole time, but rather catching up with the Children, the Staff, my Brother (a.k.a. Grandfather) and some of the people of Surkhet. I have seen the Bus, my first assignment as your reporter, and the new school site, AND the largest wasp I have ever seen. We just celebrated the 66th anniversary of my arrival on planet Earth, a big thank you to my parents for that. Last night’s Satsung was perhaps one of my best birthday parties ever with all the Children in attendance. Ally, our star culinary student from NYC – yes the Big Apple, worked with the Children and baked me a banana bread birthday cake, everyone got a piece and not a crumb was left it was so great. I got cards and presents from the Children and Ally, Kathleen,Kelly, Lexi, and Nina, taught us all a new dance (yes old two left footed me also). But this isn’t about me or my birthday…
…It is about the Kopila Valley School Bus and all the great things it has brought to KVS. So many thanks to Matt Madiero and everyone who joined him in his Christmas birthday wish, to buy a School Bus for 300+ Children he had never met, who were walking hours to school, all the way on the other side of the world. It is a beautiful new bus that is very well cared for and it does a tough job every day making two round trips in each direction bringing Children in and then home from KVS. I confess that my ride on the bus was only brief last week and I plan to go on the trips and report back to all of you, but here is a teaser, a short clip of the arrival back from the second homeward bound trip last Friday.
I can’t wait for my first real trip on the bus, every trip on the roads of Nepal is an adventure, but to do it in the magical KVS Bus, WOW! Thank you Matt, Thank you one and all who contributed!
The Wasp
Yesterday afternoon some commotion arose in the 1st floor play room, and upon investigating I found the boys had discovered one of the world’s largest wasps between one of the windows and the screen. He or she was very angry about having gotten itself trapped there and no one wanted to think about what it would do if it went outside above the chappal (shoe) staging area, or inside, into the building full of Children (and me). So right before we did the humane thing and put it to sleep forever, I captured a brief clip of it in angry action. I know “they grow ’em big in Texas”, but I have never seen such a huge wasp. Judge for yourself… But you will have to wait until next post because…
Lastly, the Internet. It has slowed down considerably since my last visit, mostly due to more users here at KVCH & KVS, but also throughout the valley. Tope and I are working on a plan to speed up our connections to promote communications with you (our Supporters) research for our Fellows and Teachers, and education for our Students. We hope to have some good news in the week or so ahead. Please stay tuned.
For now, Love to all from Uncle Ed
Being Big in Nepal 