On a New Year, gasoline shortage, Work Disappointments, and Deepa

Namaste! Happy New Year 2068 B.S.! Last Thursday, April 14, the Nepali celebrated their New Year. They have a calendar that is unique to them and which is based on some sort of king. I heard that the New Year is usually celebrated with good food, some dances, and even some fireworks; however I did not experience any of that in the Kinderhouse. I did have holidays though and I used my time to visit the Kathmandu Zoo. The entry was only 2.50€ (which is 5 times what the Nepali has to pay). The Zoo is pretty tiny compared to Augsburg or Munich or even Manhattan. But the cages are nicely arranged around a big lake for which one can rent out pedal boats. According to signs there should also be elephant riding, however I did not see it anywhere; I only saw how the elephant took a bath. The animals are interesting; some domestic some international; all kept in a very tight space (but aren’t they always in zoos?) I liked the somewhat more quiet atmosphere and enjoyed my visit although I was alone (my Nepali friend had ditched me).  

This I thought was an especially cool animal!

A "Clouded Leopard" probably because it likes to sleep in trees.



The lake around which all cages are arranged.



For days now I have noticed the long lines in front of the gasoline pumps. So I researched a little bit and found out that the Nepal Oil Cooperation had cut its supplies due to increased prices of gasoline in India. The private pumps do not receive any more supplies which means only the very few government pumps are open. The result is this:

The line on front of one of the pumps (only for motorbikes)

Chaos at the pump

How does this affect me? Well since most microbuses ran out of fuel, there are only few left to catch. Yesterday I waited 30 minutes before a middle-sized bus (smaller than a school bus, bigger than a microbus) finally offered to take us to Godavari. I squeezed inside and ended up all the way in the back where I feel least comfortable. I am telling the truth when I say I was scared for my life. The bus – with people sitting on the roof – was shaking so violently that I was certain it would fall over. It did not but we did get searched by the police twice – we lost 20 minutes there. The light also broke and they tried to fix it and failed – we lost 15 minutes there. In the end, 12 km took us 1.5h!!! I would have been faster and more comfortable jogging back! The highlight: they even charged double (probably because it took us twice as long J)

Now how about those work disappointments? Well here is the most recent one: About three weeks ago I first heard about a group of Australians coming to Kathmandu to attend a school inauguration. Those festivities don’t happen very often so I requested to be sent with them in order to accumulate more experiences. My co-workers assured me that this will be no problem. Yesterday I found out that none of my co-workers had –as promised- directed my request to the local program unit. So I begged them to do that as quickly as possible because the Australians are coming tomorrow. Well they did but in the end their answer was: “This time you better stay in Kathmandu because it will be too hectic for YOU!” I did not understand and asked them again why they decided that way. I assured them that nothing will be too hectic or inconvenient for me; I can reach the office by 5 AM and I will even sit in the trunk of the Jeep; I really want to go.  They smiled and said, yes we know but it will be too inconvenient for YOU! Eventually I had to concede that they would not let me go; I am not sure if the real reason is that I it will be too hectic for ME (which I assured them it won’t) or if they just made up this excuse to cover up some other reason. I am very disappointed in that regard, not only because the Nepali still don’t understand that I am the one who know what is best for me, but also because I will be missing out on this unique trip L

You probably wondered what a Deepa is… A Deepa is this J

She is another delightful addition to the Kinderhouse. She, as one of the firsts, was not hesitating at all when she first saw me. She watched the other kids play with me and jumped right in. She has already become one my most frequent customers for a ride on my shoulders. She is 5 years I believe and as all others she does not have much family left. She will attend nursery school now and I am convinced she will do just fine. She has such an active, delightful, and funny character; all the kids love her already. Last Sunday I let them all watch Tangled on my computer :) It is quite a challenge to arrange 28 children in front of one laptop so everyone can see :)  

I did not even get everyone on the picture :)

Alrighty, that’s it again. I am looking forward to a group of German-Kinderhouse-Sponsors arriving on Thursday. We will celebrate Easter in the Kinderhouse!
I hope you’ll enjoy Easter, I wish I were home I always love this time of year and the family gathering!

Annika