Monday, October 4, 2010

A Day Is Like a Week Here

Namaste loved ones!  Sorry it has been so long since the last blog.  Things have been busy here, and between that, intermittent power, moving Guest Houses, Joy leaving,  and spending time with Pukar it's been difficult to be able to write.

So much has happened, I will try my best to encapsulate it.

We have had a couple magical days taking Pukar out of the orphanage and having fun.  We took him to Boudnath Stupa (picture forthcoming when I get the link).  This is beautiful Buddhist Stupa where monks and other Tibetans/Buddhists even Hindus come to walk around the base clockwise, spinning the prayer wheels and chanting Om Mane Padme Hum.  There is a air of peacefulness, and it's beautiful to see all of the orange monk robes flowing by,  smell the familiar Tibetan burning incense, and watch the prayer flags blowing in the wind alongside the eyes of Buddha.  Pukar was the center of attention, especially with the monks.  I'm not sure if it's the Nepali child with a Western mom, his cuteness, or something else about him, but he definitely draws attention to himself.  We had a great time buying grain and throwing it to the pigeons, until too many hands got into the grain pile and it turned into a free for all of screaming and grabbing, reminding me of the streets of Kathmandu.  At first Pukar was scooping handfuls into a another little girls palms and sharing sweetly which was super cute, but then some school age boys got involved and it was too much.  Life can be rough, huh?   On the way out we were surprised by a Hindu Worshipper who called us close to show us the huge snake in his bag.  Pukar and I both jumped back in surprise.  You see the darndest things here, I swear!

We had the good fortune to spend the afternoon at a hotel pool where another Mom from the States was staying.  She had come to sign her papers as well but had to return home, unfortunately, as I really enjoyed meeting her.  Pukar was THRILLED with the pool.  Screaming and laughing and playing near the water and in the extensive lawn.  It was so cute.  He is a very cautious little boy, and all of this is new so everything takes time for him to warm up to it.  But the pool was a huge hit, so I'm going to try to find a pool nearby that we can visit once a week or so.

I was initiated into motherhood as Pukar fell asleep in my lap and wet himself all over me in the van/taxi.  By some miracle I had on my fastest drying pants and had brought a change of clothes for him, plus we found a supply of water and a place to change that didn't stink of excrement (as most public bathrooms do).  So I rinsed out my pants and changed him up and away we went.  Later we found his lollipop wedged into the fabric of my sweater.  Haha...Joy got endless laughter out of all this.

Joy had to leave yesterday and it was a bad day all the way around.  We went to the orphanage in the morning, but she had to leave before me and Pukar was super upset, screaming and crying when she left in the van.  I think he's gotten used to two mommies; like a mommy team.  Even though Joy has been very careful to let me be the primary caregiver, we are always together, and Pukar gets very attached to different things, much more so than the other children.  Joy had really bonded with a little girl named Sharmella, but she seemed fine along with the other children who waved Bye Bye.  Things went downhill from there.  He fell and hit his head, and never really recovered.  Was sad and fussy the whole day.  I had never seen him like that.  It was super hard. He's not the only one who is gonna miss her, that's for sure.  Yikes.

On an up note, I was at the orphanage when the Investigation Team from the US Embassy arrived to do their onsite investigation.  THIS MEANS MY INVESTIGATION HAS STARTED!!!!  I had to wait in another room but eavesdropped on the conversation and had a good talk with them.  Basically they are trying to get information to prove he is an orphan which is the hard part as the police records all say the same thing about these kids:  found by the river.  No one is still around to question and no one knows anything.  It's a bummer.  There is a social stigma culturally when women give up their children and what I've heard is they are protecting the identities of the women and their families, but ultimately this has to change or these children won't be able to be adopted.  What I have going for me was they were visibly impressed with the small size of the orphanage, how well cared for, healthy and obviously loved the children are, and how they hadn't taken in any new babies in the last 2 years.  All good signs.  They were pretty forthcoming about the process of the investigation and they are really doing their best to do the right thing I believe.

Despite all that, 2 more cases went to Delhi and 3 more are going in today to find out if they have been approved.  I'm still holding out hope. 

I am planning to spend the first night with Pukar on Thursday and from then on we will visit the orphanage during the day for a couple hours and then return to our 'home' at night.  My new Guest House is with a Nepali family.  I have a large room and a great bathroom, but it is still very strange and funky as many places here are.  We are definitely not in Kansas anymore.  Things just aren't quite right, but I will adjust.  I'm trying to stay as low budget as possible and still be reasonably comfortable.  This is familiar territory as I staying in this part of the world for 9 months in 1998 as many of you recall.

I'll have another link soon to some great photos.  Joy is flying now, so we have to wait til she gets home I think.  Thank you for staying in touch.  It means a lost, especially now that I am alone.

1 comment:

  1. Sending enormous love and so grateful for your updates on the stages and details of this experience.
    I'm thinking of you every day and so proud of you.
    You are amazing.
    Love, Dzhan

    ReplyDelete