Nepal - day 19 time flies

Can't believe it's halfway through week 3 in Nepal already. I even had a dream last night that we were going home in March and i was upset because there just wasn't enough time to do everything we wanted! Anyway, we slept in this morning so we thought we might as well get some internet time, phone calls, money exchange and eat a good breakfast before off to volunteer today. Both of us are feeling much better so this weekend hopefully we'll have a nice weekend away from the city - not sure where we're going anymore but wherever it is it should be nice. Last weekend we just lazed around the house as our health wasn't quite up to par and ate out to avoid the massive heaps of rice we have every night. Expensive but when you consider we stayed in Kathmandu and only ate out twice it was still not that much.. when we get home i think we'll never eat out because we'll think it cost soo much! A ritzy meal here costs about $25 TOTAL and that's in Thamel, the tourist area.

Weather hasn't been too bad in the last week either - at least during the day, but the nights still feel cold and even as I write here in the shade my fingers are begging for some Nepali tea to hold.. I miss my travel mug here but we do get enough tea to fill my needs for tea. I'm really in love with Nepali milk tea, but at home we never have it because milk is expensive and it takes longer to make than just Nepali masala tea without milk.

At Shanti things are starting to settle down politically but there is still a small war going on that the heads of the organization are taking care of - our place is just to come and spend time with the disabled patients and let them deal with it though because there are still people that live there and that enjoy our company, which helps them forget that they are different and helps them realize their importance in life. Yesterday we took Robbie and Himan Singh - two brothers with the late stages of muscular dystrophy - to see a Nepali Movie. It was definitely a good workout for us and because we didn't know where we were going we took the busiest, traffic filled, road that took us twice as long as the quiet and easy backroad. Either way, we made it in time, I bought the boys noodles (like itchiban that they just love to eat raw) and juice and we watched an action flick about a girl who's husband was killed so she hired these 4 tough guys to kill the mafia type group that killed him.. there was kung fu type fighting, a gay man that was the leader of the bad guys, and at one point she had a baby and there was suddenly dancing and a very scantily dressed girl that the good guys were all over.. and then she was gone! Robbie and Himan enjoyed it though and after the movie we bought them momo's (sort of the Nepali dumpling) and a Samosa each. Today we are going to buy gas for heaters for the center on the outskirts of Kathmandu - Budanilkantha. I think that the donations we recieved at home are doing these people a lot of good. I've realized that more than medical help, they need entertainment for those stuck on the top floor in wheel chairs, they need heat so they don't get so cold, and they need money to maintain the actual building and property during monsoon when they're simple mud houses are at a great risk of falling apart.

Medical help is definitely needed here though and this wonderful semi-retired doctor from Germany - Dr. Fred - has come for 2 weeks to help out the young doctor that already works so hard. He has been here many times before and is a really kind man. I hope to shadow him at some point this week too.

Anyway, the phone booth Charles is on is kind of out in the open so I'll call everyone when I get a chance. I definitely miss everyone at home already but hopefully nobody is worrying with my updates here and by email. Hopefully the weather will start to improve here too and I will get internet on my computer so I can access things easier from home, send pictures to all of you eagerly waiting, and not worry about spending as much money.

Hope everyone is doing well at home anyway!