Kathmandu has a strict curfew on its bars and clubs - they all shut down, by law, at 11pm every night. The whole city suddenly becomes incredibly dark and quiet. So why is it, that the first night I have a hangover, the whole city seems to be ignoring the curfew and pumping out house music? Even with my earplugs the whole room seems to be vibrating to Lady Gaga. Its four minutes past midnight! I have a right mind to go round to Funky Buddha next door and remind them of their law-breaking. But then they might remind me of my drunken antics last night so perhaps I'll let this one slide.
So I've been in Nepal for two days. And so far so good. In two days I've managed to see a lot of monkeys, be robbed by said monkeys, drive scooters around in the dark, get locked out of the guesthouse all night, make friends and generally soak up the vibrancy that Kathmandu has to offer.
Today, I also jumped on the back of Shankar Sapkota's bike and did the bumpy ride out of the city into a small village, where Sahara Organisation Nepal (SON) is situated. SON is a small orphanage which homes twelve children, with another three soon to join the Sahara Family. Shankar, and his brother Mani, set up the home two years ago, after growing up in an orphanage themselves in Kathmandu and wanting to help children with backgrounds similar to theirs.
The home is very basic and has just the simplest facilities, but the children all seem very happy together and all gave me a big 'Namaste!' when I walked in. Shankar explained his upbringing, and the difficult life of children living in rural areas of Nepal, without education, suffering abuse, and often working from the age they can walk. Shankar is very dedicated to these children and clearly does a wonderful job in creating a family for them.
I want to voluneer with the Sahara for the next few weeks while I'm here, and Shankar has offered me a room to stay for my time here. I am hoping that I can help with school work, play games, and organise some fun days out. The charity is also severely lacking in resources for the children - no toys, games or crafts....so hopefully I can spend some time in the markets stocking up!
My concern is that I have only two weeks to offer, and I realise that this is a very short amount of time. They seem very eager to have me stay, already saying that I am part of the family, but I would only like to stay if I can be of help and not a hindrance. Perhaps a donation is much more needed, or a fun day out organised for the kids.....either way, I have put this to Shankar and it is up to him to decide what is best. If he stays with his current mindset that even a little time is good time, then this time tomorrow I will be in my new home with my new family- Sahara.
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