Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Thankful for small things

I have to smile as I sit here in my room and writing this blog. It is completely dark outside as currently there is a fuel shortage so nobody has fuel to run their generators. We have electricity a few hours a day. There is talk of maybe a strike for the next two days, but we will have to see tomorrow what happens. I have my favorite music playing (Eminem), my flashlight is my light and I am covered under two sleeping bags as it is absolutely freezing out here, and it has just been getting colder. (Ended up losing my glove tonight for sure after dropping it three times over the last month). But I am the happiest person tonight. I look at everything that has happened this year and all the amazing people I have met since I arrived in Kathmandu. All the beautiful children and people that have travelled from all over the world to share their love and to be a part of our projects. In every moment in life there is so much to be thankful for, and coming here makes me realize every day how fortunate we are. But I also know that sharing love has no price, and we cannot measure it.
The library has its new windows and this will be the first classroom with windows and a door. After the endless problems trying to get this finished I feel so relieved we are nearly done. We ended up having to track the carpenter at his house to get this project finished and we nearly ended up carrying door frames down the road. But what I know for sure is that for me as a woman trying to figure out construction problems in Nepal has been quite a learning experience.
We are preparing to leave on the Art trip in a couple of days and am very much looking forward to the adventure. The volunteers are all arriving this week, supplies are being sorted and hopefully there will be no strike happening to delay the trip. I realise that with each day doing art with he children here, that it does not take much to make a child smile. They love drawing, using their imagination and exploring the world of color.
I have started thinking of the road forward and what I wanted to do when I return home and how to continue the work we have started this year. I know that what we are doing together is so important even though it may seem so insignificant to others. How I would continue this work is still a mystery to me and the road ahead is still unknown. Me trying to figure it out is not really possible, because everything we are doing has been in the hands of the universe. I am so thankful to be here and to be a part of all of what is happening. And I can still say these words that "anything is possible." We have done everything and more we believed we could do.
Art is the tool to communicate with children without words, opening their minds to everything that is possible. Good night everybody from Kathmandu, a smile from me to you, touch your heart and spread some color around the world.
 
The new cabinets for the reading  room. We had  4 of these made for the school at a cost of Rs 20300. That is without the paint.Ended up firing the painter as he wasted the paint. Decided to paint it myself in the end. Spent the day on the rooftop with a paint brush, dust sticking to paint and little ones running around with the brushes. Was a hectic day. Did not do such a great job  as the paint ran out and I tried to stretch it as much as I could, but it looks nice with the white color.  
Greg and Bhesh R picking up the shelving at the carpenter. Thank you Bhesh Ram for helping in negotiating the price for the bookshelves.