Candlelight Mechanics and Stones from the River

Among the supplies we requested was pins... We explained that we needed them to hold the fabric into place. Shrijana said, "here, we just use stones from the river." So if you look closely at our pics, you'll see our stones from the river - camera, books, hand sanitizer - that we're using in place of pins.

Okay – let me fill you in on the whole OCRC situation… I AM SO EXCITED! OCRC is an orphanage in a village that is on the way to Baktapur. It is a gorgeous setting, but the orphanage itself is in really poor shape. The kids have lice and scabies. The kitchen is filthy and the Didi uses firewood and an open flame to cook for 40 kids. There is only one caretaker. The kids have no protection from mosquitoes, so they keep all the windows shut. They teacher told me that they sometimes go sleep outside because of the heat. What frustrates me and VSN is that last year and throughout the year, volunteers have gone their continually and tried to keep the kids healthy, etc. The root of the problem is the lack of staff.

Soooooo… brilliant solution… There is this family from Australia – David, Janet and Hamish. We became fast friends, and they were expressing to me their desire to move somewhere more remote. Well the day before I had been at the OCRC and had a long talk with Tej about the idea of VSN taking it over. There were many issues and concerns related to this idea. To make a long story short, Tej, Sugandha, David, Janet and I all met and the take over was arranged.

We then went to the orphanage and met with the owners and staff. Everything is done with tea (cold drink for me). I am going to take this opportunity to mention that I feel partially responsible for this because a. it was my idea and because D & J and Hamish came because of my film! They found it online and were convinced that this is the place they wanted to be. This is their first time volunteering ever! When I first saw them they said, “We know you!!” They are my favorite!

We went shopping for machines - A few days ago I came and received quotes. We sent three Nepalis later, and they got half the price – I came back to pay and you could see the shopkeepers disappointment. It’s funny because we can’t do anything without discussing it over Tea. After they bargained we drank tea – cold drink for us and we ate. I had roti and saag. Katie had chicken. Then we went and made our purchases – where, again we drank “tea”. It’s just like the book I just read, “Three Cups of Tea”! – every major thing requires tea drinking

We also met our instructors today - Shrijana and Saradha. These are the women that will help us with our class and continue it when we’re gone.

So, as you can see from the pics, some men came to set up the machines. We got foot pedals for all of them. There was no power today, so as it got dark, the men pulled out some candles and continued their work! I offered them my flashlight, but they declined. They were kind of annoyed that I kept taking their pictures, but at the end of the set up, they agreed to pose with me! These men – mechanics and tailors are of the untouchable caste, so they don’t get people like me getting so excited about their work.

Sughandha told me a cool story about his sister today. She came to Kathmandu and trained to be a tailor. Because this is a trade of the lowest cast, when she returned to her village up north, she was ostracized by her friends and the other village members. She had to return to Kathmandu and work there. This was forty years ago, and she has since sent 4 children to college (one in the U.S.) and now has the respect of her village. So Sugandha told me that he is very happy about my class!


This is the room our class will be held in. That dark stain is water that leaks from the roof during the monsoon. We're getting it fixed... hopefully.