Anything is possible!

For those that have followed my journey over the last 3 years and have been there to support me through the ups and downs, I wanted to thank you. On a positive note, I am still here and still believing in what can be possible. Some days are harder than others, some days are amazing. But that is the journey of life and we cannot give-up on the days we feel that it all is falling apart. Believe me I stood at that cross roads many many times these last 3 years, but there is this little voice that comes from the deepest part of my soul that keeps pushing me and does not allow me to quite.

I am now at the point of organizing 8 months of free art workshops,and when I look at the magnitude of work ahead of me I feel that maybe I am biting off more than I can chew for one person. But I know we can do it, it might not go perfectly as planned, there may be days that somebody might say this is not working out today, but if we allow ourselves to be flexible and see it as a learning experience then I cannot feel that I might fail. Honestly I have no idea how it will all work out and how it will all come together, but I believe that the universe has sent some amazing people to work on this project, people with heart and spirit, that is willing to take a trip to Nepal on the believe of what we will be doing is important. And for me that knowledge is so over whelming as WatersFromHeaven is not a big organization, is not something that runs on sponsors or big donations. My believe has been to build something that does not exploit volunteers, is not concerned about having our names put on buildings for recognition, but a dream that is built on faith.

I have not yet given up on the idea of an art center.Somewhere from where we can plan workshops, have a base to live and give free training workshops for teachers. Each time I do believe it is getting closer, and when the time is right it will happen. Knowing I have no funds to do this, might be a crazy idea, but I know we will receive this space somehow someday.

Some of you might know that I have been having the issue with getting a Nepali visa if I wanted to start the center, which has been my concern,as I do not have the thousands of dollars it would cost for me to go through this process of getting the visa. I had recently become an American citizen,and am very proud to say that. But the other day I was looking into applying for a tourist visa to India as we will be close to the border and I thought I might go over to Darjeeling for a trip. So then I read that American citizens can apply for 10 year visas to India. It was as if all the concern of how will I do this disappeared. So the good news is that I am thinking of doing the artcenter on the Indian side as I could live and do the projects in India and travel to Nepal for 5 months a year to work on the projects there. It might not seem so important a revelation to everybody, but for me it took away all the stress about how will I be doing this, as I cannot fly up and down from the USA and I need a space to live from where we can build something permanent.

Sometimes in life the answers to our concerns are not always what we were planning or thought it would be, but the universe will give you the answers when you open yourself to all the possibilities. I have learnt to be flexible during this process and allow myself to flow and not be set in myideas. And in this way we can work in 2 countries and reach so many more children and schools. I will set out again on this trip and look to find a space/place from where we can start this dream. And who knows what might happen. All I can say with all my heart is that I know art needs to be brought to the rural children in a way that it is accessible, affordable, and practical. Children need to be creative and they need that opportunity. CHILDREN NEED ART.

Picture credit to Hong CK. 

"Where there is color there is hope" road trip: Anybody want to join?

I have set up two trips thus far to visit two schools in the rural areas of Nepal. If anybody is interested in joining me on either of these journeys email me at watesfromheaven@gmail.com

  

Trip 1: Dates 13-22 December 2012 to Tulsipur

Tulsipur is a town and V.D.C. in Dang Deokhuri District in the Rapti Zone of south-western Nepal. We will be leaving on the bus on my birthday and I cannot wish for a more exciting birthday present. The bus ride is 12 hours and we will probably leave around 6:00 am in the morning. The weather is great that time of year down south, cool days. We will be visiting Dang and the town of Tulsipur. This is a small school and they have grade 1-5 with a total number of 250 students. I have arranged accommodation with a friend’s family that has offered to host us all. The school is 20 minutes walk from where we will be staying. Everybody should arrive no later than December 10th in Kathmandu for us to arrange supplies and work on programs. We will have the amazing opportunity to work in the Dalit community. Poverty, lack of other means of livelihood and education are still issues in the community. They mostly work as black/goldsmith, tailors, shoemakers and street cleaners.

Each person will be responsible for working out daily projects for classes. We will travel 2 days in total, work for 6 and have 2 days rest. We will be back in time for celebrating the festive season in Kathmandu.

Trip 2:  January 18-27 2013 to Letang

This school is in Letang in the Morang District in the Kosi Zone of south-eastern Nepal. Letang is semi surrounded by hills on north and in the west there is a famous river Chisang. And on the south dense forest and in the east river Morangi. The bus ride is approximately 12-13 hours long and we will leave around 6 AM from Kathmandu. You would need to arrive in Kathmandu no later than January 15 for us to make all the arrangements. There are 99 children in the school from Grade 1-5 and also between 15-20 children that range between 2.5 - 4 years old. We can do fun things with the younger ones like doing fingerpaints (showing teachers how to make fingerpaints) and maybe blow soap bubbles. The temperature during that time of the year in that area is about 18-25 degrees. 

Please join on facebook as I do post updates on there too.
https:/www.facebook.com/WatersFromHeaven 

Imagination is more important than knowledge?

Albert Einstein was an incredibly wise man and one of the things he said was “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

This art program is focused on bringing imagination into the rural schools of Nepal where children do not have this experience. I believe that color gives hope and it allows children to dream and believe. Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless. Can you imagine a world where you never had a crayon or your children never experienced the joy of color? People always say they are only one person and they cannot do much. But this is such a simple idea and thought, but yet it can make such a big impact on the children. On this trip I would like to spend more individual time with children working on smaller projects. I also want to give workshops to the teachers in these remote areas and show them how they could use local and recyclable materials to bring art into the schools. At some schools children did not even know how to hold a crayon to color; it was such a foreign concept to them. When I would tell some children to draw a specific picture they had no idea of where to start, they had such fear of trying. But they were so eager to copy what you drew and soon enough they started doing it themselves. All it takes is for us to give them the positive reinforcement that you cannot do it wrong as each picture is your own imagination.

Each and every one of us can make a difference in the world. I too am just one person, hold multiple part time jobs and most of the time never know how I am going to get the money together for my flights back to Nepal or how to raise the funds for the projects. But the world is an amazing place with beautiful people and big hearts. Somehow it has always worked out and I feel truly blessed to be a part of the journey.

Have faith in that which you believe and others will see it too. I breathe this project every day of my life and I know that step by step we can slowly set up a program that will be effective and make a difference. Have to smile at myself as I am learning as I go along as I have no training and have never done anything like this before. When I started two years ago I had no idea of exactly what it was I was going to do, or how I was going to do it. The building renovations were a hair pulling experience and I know for sure not something I want to focus on again.

All I know for sure is, follow your dreams, but be prepared to sacrifice as it is not an easy road. Tears, disappointment, heartbreak and lots of frustration can be a part of that journey, but once you move through that it is so worthwhile. Don’t get stuck in fear and don’t ever lose your imagination and ability to dream, as without that who are we?

Dates are set for art trip to rural areas: Volunteers needed.

I have just received news that the Sri Raithane Secondary school at Thangpalkot Village of Sindhupalchowk District will be one of the first schools we will visit on the trip. Our plan is that we would leave on the 8th of January to the 18th.The school has offered us accommodation in one of their classrooms. And they have been so amazing and offered to subsidize our meals by 50%. COMMITTED has agreed that they will assist us with the bus fees. I need to add that you will be living under very basic conditions and it will be cold. But I can guarantee that this will be an amazing adventure for those of you that would like to experience the culture and spend some time with the children. Please do contact me at watersfromheaven@gmail.com if you have any questions. Or join our facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/226172887417708/?ap=1

You can also look at this link and see the projects COMMITTED are planning for this school. Please give them your support. http://www.razoo.com/story/Cmi

We will sleep in one of these classrooms.

Although one of the least developed, this district can be one of the finest tourist destination attracting both national and international tourists. The tourist places of this district include, Langtang Himal, Langtang National Park Jugal Himal, Panch Pokhari, Tato pani, and Gaurati Bhimeswor. People here depend entirely on agriculture for their survival. Since the district is geographically hilly, there are very less fertile land and the yield is very less. So, the lifestyle of people is not easy. This district is easily accessible from Kathmandu, but due to various reasons, it is not well developed, and is called as a remote district.