Hardware Store Shopping in Surkhet….

I finally figured out why Uncle Ed keeps coming back. You might think it’s the kids (mostly it is), but I saw a whole new side of adventure with him yesterday shopping for a few simple hardware items.

Our list; ladder, screw eye hooks, dust pan, coat hook and a toilet seat. Seems simple right, well not in Surkhet. Every place we go I tried to explain these item with my small amount of Nepali mixed with English. Most people look at us like we are crazy, but every once in a while we strike gold. The hunt for the items is exciting and sort of like treasure hunting.

We ended up with; a coat hook, toilet seat, dust pan and screw eye hooks. 4 out of 5 is pretty good for this place.

A few pictures from town!

The Rainbows here are always a bright surprise!

 

Julia with Dust Pan – She learned to use it as a Fan!

Working two “jobs” in Nepal!

 

When I write “Working Two “Jobs” in Nepal it isn’t quite correct, as what I do here is a labor of Love! Julia took a shot of me working outside my room on a leasing update for Seattle Data Center Space.  That is Franny sitting Nepali style with the children behind me.  She is teaching them cursive writing (at their request) and I’m always amazed at how attentive the Kopila Kids are to learning here.  They sat with here for almost two hours and by the time they finished they were writing phrases and sentences in cursive.

Julia is doing a much better job posting here, but I needed to let everyone know I’m alive and can still write!  What follows is a post I just did on my LinkIn page so that my work colleagues and friends will know what I am up to.  It will be old news to Julia’s and my loyal followers (thousands of you I am sure) but please be encouraged to share it with your friends and family who might not know about Maggie and her incredible program.

I spend most of my days, and some nights, teaching children how to hang fly paper, install window latches, deal with compost and “remember to turn off the water so we don’t waste it”! I am volunteering for BlinkNow.org, a Childrens Home and School started by my niece, CNN Hero of the Year, Maggie Doyne. Maggie is the legal guardian of 50 children and started a school that now has almost 400 Kopila Kids. I love the work I do in the Seattle tech space, but it doesn’t compare to the satisfaction I get from teaching these Kopila Kids life skills I learned from my soon to be 69 years! The new school campus we are building here will be one of, if not the best, school in Nepal with rammed earth buildings, solar power, aquaponics, sustainable agriculture that feeds the Kopila Kids, and a suspension bridge that will knock your socks off! The Nepalis, volunteers from around the world, and their fearless leader, Maggie Doyne are “Changing the World in the Blink of an Eye!” I invite you to check it out.

Program

Yesterday, there was a program at the school to celebrate a famous poet that passed away. Other schools came for the celebration to read poems in honor of this poet. 

Here are a few pictures from this event:

The program ended up lasting 4 1/2 hours!! So much longer than our assemblies back home. By the end everyone was so hungry for lunch!!

Happy Birthday Aakriti Di Di

Yesterday, we celebrated Aakriti’s Birthday. Aakriti is the Kopila house mom and is from Katmandu. 

On your Birthday here at Kopila you get to choose any of the kids to dance or sing for you. It’s the best satsong! 

First we ate Momo’s…..

Then dancing….

Lastly, of course CAKE!

Water Play

Although it’s monsoon season these kids still make the best of the rain. When it’s 85 degrees why not play in the rain?…

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Another activity these kids love, rain or shine, is swimming. Yesterday, we went to the pool and it was so much fun! So many of the older kids were so generous in teaching their old brothers and sisters how to swim. Uncle Ed taught so many of the kids swimming lessons too! 

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We made it to Kopila

We finally made it to Kopila Valley! All I could say on the final hour before we arrived was “I can’t believe we are here”! 

We traveled the last leg of the journey with my friend Franny Briggs. Franny lives in New York and is a 6th grade teacher. I met her on my last trip over. 

Here are a few pictures of our travel. 

The best part when we arrived at Kopila was seeing the kids faces. I didn’t capture too many pictures yet but here are a few from Kopila. 

We also took a trip to the New Land. This is the site of the future Kopila School. Let’s just say it’s amazing. The people working on this school are so smart and are creating a sustainable long term place for these kids to learn. I will explain more details later, but here are a few pictures. 

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It’s Saturday morning over here which means “holy day” and no school. I’m sure there will be a few great adventures instore. 

Traveling Observations

We arrived in Katmandu after 30 hours of traveling door to door (two planes, 3 buses, one tram and two taxi’s). Oh and yes, we still have one more travel day (one taxi, one plane and a 3 hour jeep ride through the jungle). Needless to say we are both super tired. 

1. Getting bumped to Business Class was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. From the pull-out bed to the 4 course meals, hot lavender towels to wash your hands, unlimited movies and even stars on the ceiling when they turned out the lights. I felt as I imagine I may feel when I get to heaven, undeserving and unmeasurably happy. 

2. As soon as we got to the flight from Dubai to Katmandu I noticed that the people no longer had any sense of organization. I mean imagine 50 kids trying to exit the classroom at the same time for recess. That’s how I would describe getting on that flight to arriving in Kathmandu to getting our checked baggage (which all made it!). I guess that’s one thing that I forgot about. 

3. We were offered to stay the night with some friends of one of the fellows in Kathmandu. Uncle Ed has been here before so he knew it was amazing. This is a family who lives in Katmandu and works at the USA embassy. Let’s just say I don’t feel like I’m in Nepal in this house. There is crown modeling on the walls and a real toilet and shower!! This was also a huge travel blessing. 

We are off for our last leg of the trip. First, a flight to Nepal Guange and then a jeep ride through the jungle to Surkhet. This is always my favorite part of the journey. Katmandu is relatively modern in terms of developing countries. Once we get on the jeep we are deep in Nepal. Mud huts, people sitting outside everywhere, farm lands, and of course the jungle. 

Until next time!

Julia Erman

Trip #3 & Trip #5

My uncle Ed and I are preparing to head off to Nepal tomorrow morning. In preparation for this trip many people have asked me why I’m going back. To be honest I don’t know why but, the only answer I can come up with is that there is a piece of my heart with the kids at Kopila Valley.

It was interesting to think about this answer as we studied this week about how God calls his people to serve widows and orphans. I must have gotten the itch from Jesus!

Regardless of the why, which we normally don’t know until we are headed home or ever, we will be off on yet another adventure. I’m not sure what we will accomplish or if we will do more good than harm. My prayer for the trip is that we give more than we take, create sustainable solutions and love more than we thought was possible.

Too yet another amazing adventure with the one and only Uncle Ed!

**Follow our adventures on this blog. There will be a mix of posts some from myself and some from Uncle Ed. This blog will allow you a large perspective of what it’s really like half way around the world.

Thanks Renee, Dewalt, & Stanley Black & Decker

Lots of people have made a huge difference in Kopila Valley.  Many of you have been there and given months of your lives.  Many have contributed financially in amounts small and large or sent things from our wish list that made lives so much easier in Nepal.  Now that I have made it back home to the land of the fast internet and have the ability to upload videos, I want to start by acknowledging someone who has made so many things possible.  Renee Pie’ who works for Stanley Black & Decker back in Baltimore MD has been our Tool Maven for several years now.  She got us our first 50 cycle charger when the 60 cycle one died in a puff of smoke one night.  She got us three more chargers for this last trip Julia and I made and with power being scarce in Surkhet, we have to charge multiple batteries whenever we can.  What you will see in this video is a gift from Baltimore that just keeps on giving, every time we change a blade or a bit.  We are drilling and cutting one of the hardest woods Luke and I have ever seen and bits and blades wear out quickly.

Renee, we have never met, but Luke and I, Maggie, and all the Kids thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generous support of our efforts to build a better world and teach Kopila Kids not only the beauty of power tools, but the generosity of our American friends.

Love to all, especially everyone at Kopila as I get my sleep cycle and my life back together here in Seattle!

Uncle Ed

Random Glimpses of August

August went by like a blur!  Birthday celebrations, School, field trips to Our New Land, teaching School, fixing things , planning for the new school, poetry slam, Fellows departing, more School, and so many more things I can’t remember them all.

But here are some glimpses of the month in review.  Grandfather’s Birthday was a big event, he was thoroughly Tika’d (dyed rice, usually red, placed on your forehead) at several parties so here is a glance at his Birthday Satsung with the Kids presenting him with cards and presents.

Then, if you thought laundry day was ho-hum boring at your house, check out ours.  A group of the boys give what I think is a true definition of “Gung Ho” as they tackle big sheets.

Lastly, Prithi Uncle is probably the one person in all of Nepal who has made me nervous at times.  His normal tone of voice sounds loud, rasping, and seemingly full of fire and brimstone.   Those who speak Nepali and know him tell me I am way off base.  If a picture is worth 1,000 words, the last clip shows an Uncle who so loves “his Children” that he reads on through the paper as two of them lean on, and clamber over him to read the alphabet chart that hangs on the wall outside our front door.  Remember these aren’t his Children, they are all our Children, and his love for them shows in everything he does.

There is much more, but hey, it’s September!

Love to all,

Uncle Ed