Jumlea in Kathmandu

Well, so much for my plans for a weekly blog update! I can offer 2 reasons for the delay: first, I just started receiving internet access at home and second, work has been absolutely full-on since we arrived. I won't go into a lot of detail about work at this point because I know most people are much more interested in how Toby and Noa are settling in!

It has been difficult for them. It has been 4 weeks now and I can just about leave a room for a minute without them crying. They in turn are just starting to explore outside of whatever room I am in, for a few minutes, coming back to check that I am where they left me. Or so it seems to me. Now and then I see Toby quietly turning the pages of a photo album Grandma gave them: all pictures of family. And they both like to hold my mobile phone to their ear and 'talk' to Grandpa.

I have tried to ease them into the new situation. I started work 3 days after we arrived and that was a Friday so then we had the weekend together. ANd they quickly came to rely on my friend, Karen, who came along as the second adult ont eh trip, as a playmate and caregiver. I had to go to Pokhara (30 minute flight away) for work the week after we arrived so all 4 of us went. (Karen left just last week. We put her in a taxi and stood waving and crying as she drove away.)

It was in Pokhara that we all experienced firsthand how much Nepali people love children. Toby and Noa made many friends near the guesthouse and even walked the children to school one morning. We couldn't walk 10m without having to stop and confirm that yes, they are jumlea (twins), chora, chori (son, daughter) and yes, son was born first. In Nepal it's not just the women who are interested; men are really fond of children too. We have a day guard and a night guard at home (part of a prevention policy; there isn't much for them to deal with, which is good because Pradeep might blow away in a strong wind and Man Bahadur wiles away the evenings playing his flute.) Both of them love to carry either twin around the garden and Noa has fallen asleep on Pradeep's shoulder.

When we returned from Pokhara our 'didi' (means big sister in Nepali) started work. The office had put her at ht etop of a list of candidates and I was more than satisfied with her experience and stated cooking skills (!) Her name is Dena and it didn't take long for Toby and Noa to smile at the sound of her voice in the mornings. She comes from Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 6:00 and then for a few hours on Sunday because as I told her, and she soon discovered for herself, it is impossible to take care of the kids and clean the house.

Part of the problem is the size of the house. I was expecting an apartment or a floor of a house. We have a whole house with a small garden. On the main floor are the kitchen, eating area, living room, bathroom and one bedroom. On the second floor are the master bedroom with bathroom, 2 more bedrooms, another bathroom and a large open area. The third floor has another bedroom and access to a huge rooftop patio. So folks, if you need a bed in Kathmandu, odds are that we have space!

On the bright side I walk to work in less than 10 minutes. And as we have discovered 2 weekends in a row, our location means that after a short micro (shared minivan) ride to the north and we can walk north or east through paddy fields and up hills through pine forests. Kathmandu has a major air pollution problem so it is refreshing to breather cleaner and fresher air.

Some say it is due to the pollution, but conjunctivitis is a common problem here and Toby struggled with it for 10 days, even with eyedrops. He seems to be back to his old self, though, enjoying walking again and excited about seeing new things. Both kids are so good about all the new things they are seeing and smelling and tasting and hearing. Toby likes the music. If we are in a micro and the radio is on he does his little back and forth bop and has added a raised hand for effect.

Rest assured that we are all OK. I could use a bit more sleep in order to be a more patient mother but it will come.

Love
Chris, Toby and Noa