Finally - A Purpose

August 8, 2006

Last week was my first full week volunteering at Bal Mandir. Every other week I have missed time because of my hands and feet- not much time but some. I am much happier now that everything is under control! I absolutely love seeing the kids every morning. They are always so happy when I arrive - it makes me sad to think that I don’t show up on the weekends! I work Monday to Friday 10am – 3pm. When I first began volunteering I wasn’t much impressed with the time I was working. I thought that it was not enough at all. I figured if I came all this way to volunteer that I wanted to devote more of my time than this. In hindsight, I had no idea what I was up against. Five hours is a long time with 15 toddlers that all want your attention every moment you are there! It’s hard work taking care of them. I enjoy every second but by 3pm I am totally exhausted. The time I spend at Bal Mandir is prearranged but not entirely structured. It seems I can leave when I please so I hang around most days for a while. Now and then, I am there till close to 5pm. When the toddler class is over, sometimes I hang out with the other kids in the orphanage. I am beginning to know many more of them – all ages. I see the same kids frequently when I come and go each day and I smile and try to talk to them. The language barrier is a litlle difficult sometimes. I just hug and kiss them all the time though! Ahha The toddlers nap between 1:00pm and 2:30pm. So, when they go back to their bedroom at 3:00pm some of them are sad and crying. I don’t know if it is because they just woke up or if they are sad because class is over and they have to go back to their isolated rooms (their rooms have absolutely no toys). So, I often stay longer and sit on the stairs with them or walk around with them. It breaks my heart to leave when they are crying and unhappy. It is such a sin. Sometimes there is 9 and 10 kids all sihtting on the floor crying and I’m running around trying to hug them all and make them feel like someone cares about them. I have to pick more than one child up sometimes. I have had 3 of them in my arms all crying at the same time and still more children not tended to. It’s hard work. It is overwhelming and it is really upsetting at times like this. It is hard to believe that this is the way these kids have to grow up.

Lately, when the toddlers nap I go to the kindergarten room for a while where Jeannine works. I have a soft spot for a bunch of the kids she works with. I am in love with them! They are the cutest little people. It’s different spending time with them because they can speak some English and they play outside and what not. The toddlers hardly speak at all (Nepali or English) and they stay in the classroom most of the time. I have been putting my lip-gloss on the kindergarten and grade one girls. They get so excited. Now they come looking for me in the toddler room saying ‘lip-a-stick’. It is so cute! I’m going to have to invest in some more lip-gloss so I can keep my little friends happy. I only brought a limited supply for myself! And we all know how much I enjoy my lip-gloss!!

It is an amazing feeling to be here in Nepal experiencing the culture while having an adamant purpose at the same time. My day-to-day life is very fulfilling. I get to interact with so many different people on so many different levels. I get up each morning with a mission and a reason yet I can finish off each day in a myriad of ways. I did never really realize how much volunteering and traveling would compliment one another. I definitely see myself doing something of this nature again. My experiences here have been and will remain dear to me. I have learned what no one could ever teach and I have been enlightened through this opportunity to experience an entirely different world. I will be forever thankful.