Hallowe'en!

Toby and Noa have not dressed up for Hallowe'en before, so we started low-key. One of the families from playgroup- one of the more 'balanced' ones- invited us to a party at their house in the afternoon. We had costumes from Grandma and from a friend at work, so we chose the ones that fit more or less. The others will be perfect for next year. At the party the kids decorated pumpkins on paper and glued them to treat bags. Then they had a snack (hoping to feed them something nutritious before they had access to a bag of candy!) and played with the family pet: a soft white bunny. The adults were then assigned to a room in the house and a bucket of candy, while the children (12, ranging in age from 1 year to 10 years) were gathered outside the front door. They proceeded to knock on each door of the house, from the ground floor to the roof, and yell 'trick or treat!' Toby and Noa really didn't understand what was happening for the first few doors, but then they were chiming in with 'trick or treat' and opening their treat bags. Can you imagine what goes through their heads?! 'Hmm, someone opens the door and gives us candy- how cool is that??'

What we have done in October

Here we are already at the last week of October. It has passed in the blink of an eye. Work never seems to slow down. I spent the first 2 weeks of October writing a proposal to submit for funding for our physical rehabilitation project. It has been running for 4 years and we think we need another 3 years to hand the running of the centres over to the partners completely. The partners already do a good job managing the day-to-day operations but it isn't easy to find the money to cover the cost of prosthetic or orthotic devices and physiotherapy services, not to mention the cost of running a mobile camp in order to reach more remote areas. So we plan to spend the next 3 years helping each partner (there are 8) identify financial sustainability strategies that will work for them and gradually fund less of the costs while the partners assume greater financial responsibility. We are also doing a midterm review of the HI Nepal Programme strategy, which is a worthwhile and interesting exercise but does take some time.

So that's what I have been doing this month. Toby and Noa have been pretty busy too. We have a couple of new children in our circle and the four have become quite attached to eachother. Well, let's be honest, their didis like to get out of their respective houses and meet eachother too! On Mondays it is playgroup with the whole crowd; Tuesdays is playground and library with the whole crowd; Wednesdays is Sonny's house; Thursdays is our house and Fridays is Mica's house. Mica turned 1 last week and had a birthday party on Saturday, for which Toby and Noa were suitably dressed - at least to start the afternoon. We stayed for 4 hours, playing on the bouncy castle, riding toys, having faces painted and eating cake. I ran out of diapers, so Noa went home commando and Toby went home with wet pants.


We are navigating our way through the terrible 2s I think. Toby likes things just so and if I do one thing wrong, he cries, pinches, and is generally grumpy for an hour. Noa is only slightly more forgiving and is much more stubborn. She can cry 'uppy' (she wants to be carried) for 15 minutes straight in a very whiney voice, attracting stares from everyone around as we walk quickly home. One woman even asked me,' What is wrong with your child?' I answered, 'She's 2.'

Of course their are good milestones too, though. As of today, Noa can say 'Toby' rather than 'Boby.' And earlier in the week her own name was more recognisable too. And man is she a climber. Toby has an amazing memory. He loves to watch Thomas the Tank Engine DVDs and now recites the preamble along with the narrator. Both like to sing and Noa dances too.



















Last weekend was the Tihar (Deepavali) festival here. One of the days is special for dogs so we gave Kusi a tikka and a malla. She turns 1 this week! Any excuse to make a Happy Birthday cake...


Love
C T N

What we did on our summer vacation

Just so there is some record of the fastest 5 weeks of my life, I will recap our trip to Vancouver. Toby and Noa were fantastic on the flight over. Toby was glued to the window of the departure room in Kathmandu, even though it was 10:00 at night and there were only 3 big planes at the time. He did the same thing in Hong Kong but holy cow, there were more planes! 'Mama, look, airplane!' They had a hard time adjusting to sitting in their own seats with seatbelts on for take-off and landing, but that was really the only time they were noisy.


























We arrived at Mom and Dad's house in Richmond in the afternoon and the twins were immediately at home, recognising their old toys and trying out the new little table and chairs. It took us a good week to recover from jetlag and we all caught colds to boot. I had grand plans for our time home, which included as many yoga classes as I could find and frequent trips to the swimming pool with Toby and Noa. None of that happened, so I returned to KTM with the same flabby core that I have been nurturing for a few months. But we had fun anyway. Trips to the beach, many hours out in the backyard, helping Grandma garden and playing in the dinghy filled with water.


And of course a lot of time with family. It was so nice to be able to see most of the family on the 16th, in Richmond, when all branches in B.C. gathered at Mom and Dad's. We missed Suze, Paul, Tyler and Aimee, who were in the process of settling into their new house in Halifax. And we missed Mike, Melissa and Caroline but were thrilled to see them when we passed through Toronto coming back from visiting Great Grandma in Michigan. That was a quick trip, only 4 days, but we also managed to see Auntie Angie, Uncle Ray, Laura, Maria and Elena, and Deana and Ava. We don't get to see cousins and their children very often so even an evening barbecue with a bit of time to chat is valuable.

Back in Richmond we took every opportunity we could to see Uncle Pat and Aunt Felicia and Uncle Jim and Auntie Deana. Ollie and Parker were big hits too. I'm glad we have Kusi in Kathmandu because the kids are growing up to be very comfortable around dogs they know. As planned, we joined the 'Show me the Smerdons' team for the SuperWalk for Parkinsons on August 30 and Noa almost walked the entire 2km route around Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park, while Toby did more than half of it. I was so proud of them. Our team raised the most of any team in B.C., something that is becoming a tradition.

We had many highlights of our time home but one of the really memorable ones was a visit to the Vancouver Police Department's stables, also in Stanley Park. We were invited by Susan, the daughter of one of Dad's oldest friends, and a member of VPD's mounted squad. She introduced us to all of the horses and then let us pet Dalton. Toby was very impressed. Noa was a bit nervous. But come next year, when they are a bit bigger and possibly able to sit on a horse, I think she'll be game! A stuffed horse and cow, gifts from Jim and Deana for the trip back, are now both named Dalton.














As I predicted, we came home to KTM with much more luggage than we left with. It was a combination of shopping for shoes, bike seats and helmets for the kids and gathering up more of their toys and handed down clothes that they are now big enough for. When we went to Nepal last year it was on a trial basis initially, so I really hadn't brought too much but now that I know we will be there for another year and a half, I thought we may as well treat it as home and not another way station. I am used to temporary homes but am trying to be a responsible and proactive mother!

On a similar note, one of my key purchases was a cookbook by Jamie Oliver. His basic cookbook. It even shows how to boil an egg! The good thing is that it has step-by-step pictures so Dena can follow it too. Don't get me wrong, she is a much better cook than I am, but I would like to have some reference recipes so I can suggest things to her. She likes it too. I have a lot of ground to make up if I am ever going to be half the cook any of my siblings are, but I figure it's never too late!

So anyway, we returned to Kathmandu the same way we came: looong flight to Hong Kong, looong layover in Hong Kong (can't say enough about the Regal Airport Hotel where you can pay by the hour), and then the 4 hours to KTM. The twins had a bit harder time on the return, mostly because I decided to leave the stroller in Richmond, and Hong Kong Airport is rather large. They both had a minor meltdown at security and refused to move, poor things. We straggled to our gate, hunkered down and watched Monsters Inc and all was right with the world. When they called us for pre-boarding my children ran down the gangway to get on the net big airplane. Can't tell you how disappointed Noa was not to find a personal TV screen and headphones at her seat; she kept pointing at her ears and asking for them!

The kids still miss Grandma and Grandpa's house. Now and then they ask to 'Go home Grandma and Grandpa house.' And I tell them we will go when they are 3. Does time ever slow down?

Love
C T N

1 more sleep!

It is Saturday afternoon. Toby and Noa are sleeping, after a morning at their favourite place in Kathmandu: the playground at the British Embassy. Yes, I think it has even surpassed the European Bakery in their view. I like it too. While they play on the climbing apparatus at the opposite end of a long green space, I can watch them from the comfort of a chair on the patio in front of the pub, sipping a cold cider and reading the latest Guardian.

It is raining, with incredibly loud claps of thunder. The lane will be under water now. I haven't found the monsoon to be a terrible hardship and other than a few days 2 weeks ago, it hasn't been unbearably hot.

All the same, I am looking forward to leaving tomorrow. Yesterday was non-stop but productive, and we celebrated my last day of work with dinner at Dwarika's Hotel. It is the most expensive hotel in Kathmandu, but they have Friday night barbecue that is good value. And you can't beat the surroundings: the hotel is all traditional Newari architecture, with window and door frames, columns and other pieces salvaged from homes and temples demolished in the valley. It is absolutely stunning, like being a world away from the chaos, noise and pollution on its doorstep.

I am almost packed (yes, Doreen, I started 3 weeks ago!) We are traveling light to Vancouver but I am anticipating more checked baggage on the return trip- I have packed an extra duffel bag. Toby is talking about 'going to the airport with Mama and Noa and Toby,' and going to 'see Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Felicia and Parker and Ollie and Aunt Deana and Uncle Pat and Uncle Jim.' And Noa can say her youngest cousin Thea's name when she sees her photo; it will be great to see Jen, Brent and Thea on the 16th!

We will see you all soon!

Love
C T N

It's time to get out of here for a break. Work is extremely demanding at the moment; I find myself wishing there were 4 extra hours in a day or 2 of me. I need to remind myself that although managing donors' (i.e. other countries' taxpayers' money) is serious business, as is the work we do here in Nepal, none of it is life and death, and there are people who will figure things out while I am away (as I have done for them while they have been away).

Yes, we are getting that needed break! We leave on August 9, have a 10 hour layover in Hong Kong- thank goodness for airport hotels that let you pay by the hour- and arrive in Vancouver in the afternoon on August 10. Toby and Noa know we are going to see Grandma and Grandpa, uncles and aunts, and Ollie and Parker. I think they will miss Didi, Pradeep, Kusi and 'Man Man' but they won't realise it until a few days after we arrive in Canada and Didi still hasn't come to look after them.

I will be happy to leave the office for 5 weeks. By the time we get back, new staff should be managing their own projects, some deadlines will have passed, the new boss will be settled in, and maybe I will be able to slip unnoticed into my chair and work on a few things I want to do. And maybe by the time we return the monsoon will be easing up and our lane won't be a mudpit and the main road won't be a rushing river, which it is during the heavy rains we have been having for the past week or so. And while I'm at it, maybe the government will start following through on the agreements it keeps making with groups that stage bandhas so those same groups don't have to close roads and markets again a few months later. And the general population will have greater faith in the police and stop taking the law into their own hands.

Yes, I started dreaming there for a moment. Nothing wrong with that, as long as I come back to reality. And the reality is that we will be on a plane in 12 days! For a 4.5 hour and then a 13 hour flight by myself with 2 2 year-olds. The truth is I expect to be exhausted by the end of it. Before that point, I hope I can enjoy watching the twins becoming even more aware of the wonders and differences of the world- and not lose any favourite teddy bears or shoes along the way.

Love
C T N

The Post With Many Pictures of Toby

Aaack! What happened to the last 2 months? Chalk it up to a bit of procrastination and a heavy workload. I have rarely felt like I could string 2 coherent sentences together in the evenings lately, and when I have energy in the mornings, Toby and Noa demand a lot of it. They wake up soon after 5a.m., and now that they are sleeping in a regular bed, they climb out of it (as long as they don't get their feet caught in the mosquito net) and come into my room. And so our day begins. We make a banana milkshake (Toby is a creature of habit; his day isn't complete without one!), feed Kusi, read stories, do some colouring, water the basil, parsley and mint, help Pradeep tidy the garden, talk to Grandma and Grandpa on Skype, have breakfast, get dressed... By the time I get to work after 8:30, it feels like I have done enough for half a day already.


Work is pretty busy right now. Actually, since I started my new position in January, I think there has been 1 week during which I have been able to focus on long term ideas. Otherwise, it has been a string of field visits supporting the surgery project, field visit to show colleagues from HI Afghanistan our physical rehabilitation project (this was a treat for me as Jawid, my project assistant from Herat came), recruiting for various positions, supporting our advocacy project manager start up the new project, and reviewing proposals and reports for technical and English quality control.

As we head into summer, staff changes will be demanding more of my time. We are losing a project manager for mainstreaming disability into disaster preparedness and haven't hired a new one yet, so I will be looking after that one for a month, plus our new inclusion project manager had to return to Afghanistan to finish his job there before joining us permanently, so I am now acting manager for that one. We have a consultant in mine victim assistance coming for 6 weeks and as I was responsible for recruiting him, I will also be his focal point while he is here.

One big drain on my time is finishing this week. I have been coordinating a visit for a study team from the International Society for Prosthetists and Orthotists, who wanted to assess the outcomes of a certificate course for P and O technicians. I planned visits to 4 different P and O workshops between Monday and Thursday. We started in Kathmandu on Monday and of course there was a bandh. Ajay and I cycled to the team's hotel, then he walked with 4 of them while I escorted the other 2 in rickshaws to the rehab centre about 3km away. Usually in a bandh, bicycles are OK but any form of motorised vehicle is stopped. I left at about 12 and it took me twice as long to go back to the office because I had to walk my bike at every intersection and everywhere there was a gathering of people waving the Maoist flag and carrying sticks. I was lucky- Kavita and Ram, our surgery project staff, were returning from the field and had to walk the 8km from the airport to the office.

Tuesday and Wednesday were relatively uneventful but I was anticipating a few wrinkles for Thursday. The plan was to fly to Biratnagar, in the south east of the country. I knew that an indefinite bandh had been called for the Terai (south) and started on Tuesday, but I wasn't sure how strong it would be on Thursday. Fortunately for us, there was some confusion that morning and we were able to hire a couple of minivans to take us from the airport to the centre but by late morning it had tightened up and clients were having trouble reaching the centre. We managed to return to the airport in the afternoon thanks to the centre's president lending us her car and driver, who knew all the back roads- he saved us a 40 minute rickshaw ride!

The best part of Thursday? On the flight to Biratnagar we saw Mount Everest! One of Toby's favourite movies is the Imax one called Everest, which we have on DVD. He calls it the Mountain movie (as opposed to Monsters or Nemo or Lion King), and he can now say 'Mount Everest.' But Noa seems to be the climber of the two:







She is starting to talk more, but still refers to herself as 'Nanu' or 'Nanu me.' And she calls Toby 'Boby.' In a familiar place she is an independent little soul, traipsing off outside in the mornings as soon as she has had her vitamin and a drink, to greet Pradeep and play with Kusi. She can play happily by herself for 10 minutes, colouring or cooking or just putting things in and then taking them out.

Toby prefers to stay close and be read to, but at 5 a.m. I have managed the odd time to tell him to read by himself while I keep my eyes closed for a few more precious minutes. In a book called Dear Zoo (thanks, Rachel!) he turns the pages, saying which animals he 'sent back' to the zoo.

They are enjoying the warm weather, looking for any opportunity to take off their clothes and run around the garden.

We are all looking forward to coming to Vancouver in August. Hopefully I will manage a couple more posts before then!

Love
C T N

Now we are 2!

Toby can say 'Happy Birthday, Noa Toby' in a singsong voice. Noa squeals with excitement at the sight of presents and knows how to open them. For their 2nd birthday, we invited some friends over: Ilse with Dominic, who is one month younger than the twins, Marie from work with her daughters Angelina (2 1/2 yrs) and Fleur (5), and Dina with her daughter Namrata who is 4. Shirin and Clare, Priscille and Christophe also came to celebrate. We marked up one wall with all the kids' heights, blew bubbles, and did a lot of colouring. The kids gobbled up prawn crackers, popcorn and juice before we brought out the chocolate cake and sang Happy Birthday. Toby and Noa capped off the afternoon by cavorting around in their birthday suits. And the day ended with a massive thunderstorm!

Thanks to all who sent birthday wishes and presents! We will be in Nepal until 2011 so unless you come visit in March 2010 for their 3rd, we will look forward to sharing their 4th birthday with you!

Love
C T N

Trekking in Helambu

For a very long time I have wanted to go trekking in Nepal. This past week we passed a milestone as Toby, Noa and I finally went! It involved 2 extremely patient, kind, knowledgeable (and did I mention patient?) friends, Mads and Clare, and Poorba, our porter. Poorba carried the kids' and my gear, Mads carried his and Clare's, Clare and I each carried a toddler. We left last Saturday (March 7), drove to Sundarijal, which is just on the northeast edge of Kathmandu and then started walking. Up, up, up from the 1500m of KTM, through forest and sand to Chisapani at 2300m where we stayed that night. We woke up to a breakfast of porridge and Nepali tea, great nourishment for a day of trekking.

That morning started Clare's and my custom of having wet (but clean) diapers draped over the backpack carriers, ensuring they would be dry by the time we needed them again. As most of you know, I tryyyy my best to be careful with the environment, but I do put the kids in disposables for night time as it prevents them waking up. Well, my biggest concern leading up to this trek was how I would deal with the diaper issue. As it turned out, it wasn't a big deal to wash the cloth ones each night- or during a rest stop if it wasn't going to pollute the water supply to a village- and dry them on the packs during the day. And yes, Poorba was carrying 12 dirty disposable diapers on the last day, the cumulation of 6 nights x 2 children.

From Chisapani we walked down to Talamarang, which is at 940m. That was a long day walking down for the first half and then along a landslide\ riverbed for the second half. But the weather was beautiful, if a little too sunny. We took advantage of the warmth and the water and stripped the kids off for a rinse. Toby loved it, kept wanting to get back in and sit down. Noa as usual was more cautious but enjoyed dipping her toes in the cold water. The water became the best attraction\ distraction for Toby. We could always get him chatting and happier (if he was tired of being in the pack) by talking about the water and looking for 'boats' to float in it. He then talked about saying bye bye boat and by Friday he could say that we 'need' good water for boats, not just a shallow stream filled with litter. Even boats made of corn husks and bamboo have their standards, you know.



On Monday we left the mill town of Talamarang and walked up the road, then took a crowded bus to Kiul. From there we walked on the road again crossing in to Sherpa country. We had a good lunch of dahl bhat by the river, watching goats and putting 'boats' in the water. We planned to stay in Thimbu but it didn't look very child-friendly, so we made the hard choice to go uphill for the afternoon from the 1580m of Thimbu to Kakani at 2070m. But it turned out to be well worth the climb, especially when Mads produced mango juice boxes from his pack with an hour left to go. We stayed in a little lodge on the top of the hill, next to a stupa and surrounded by grass and a cliff view.

Tuesday was the Hindu festival of Holi, where people throw coloured water or coloured powder on eachother. The goal had been to reach Buddhist country by then so we wouldn't have to deal with it so we were successful! The villages here were mostly Sherpa, so welcomed visitors with rough brick, lichen covered stupas at the entrance to the village. Some had brilliant white stupas, with additional features painted in bright colours. In Nepal there is a lot of mixing of Hindu and Buddhist symbols in each religion, and here it was still evident. People still understand Nepali but also speak their own dialect.

From Kakani we walked up to TarkeGyang at 2590m. The net result was plus 500m but the route was what is called 'Nepali flat', i.e. up and down and up and down. We arrived in time for lunch and a relaxing afternoon playing on the grass and floating boats in the stream. The following day we had a rest day and took the kids to the village gompa where there was a puja happening. Each gompa has one day in the year where they have more celebrations than others, longer pujas, lama dancing (monks dance wearing big head dresses). We happened to arrive in time for Tarke Gyang's. Coinciding with this year's celebration, the senior lama was due to return to the gompa after 3 years, 3 months and 3 days in seclusion in a cave up the mountain. He hadn't returned before we left, but as we left the village on Thursday morning we met several people traveling to the village to celebrate his return.

Thursday night we spent at 2620m in Sermathang, surrounded by fields and small houses. Toby and Noa entertained everyone by dancing to the lodge owner's singing that night. What a hoot they are. And boy, we all slept well that night, snuggled up under a sleeping bag, for a final night of complete silence before returning to Kathmandu.

In between us and Kathmandu, however, was a descent to 1280m to Kiul, alongside the Melamchi Khola (river), which we had followed or seen from high above, for most of our trip. We walked down through pine forests, past rhododendrons in bloom, terrace upon terrace of wheat or barley. Lower down, some wheat was already being harvested, while higher up it was still green.Waiting for us on the dirt road at the bottom was a vehicle to take us back to Kathmandu.

It only took 4-5 hours but it had seemed like we were in a different world. A world of small villages, farms, and mills. Animals like cows, goats, chickens, buffalo, and even common langur monkeys in Tarke Gyang. Hardly any people unless we were in a village. Very polite children. Stupas. Water. Trees. Rocks. Hills. The Himal in the distance. And silence.

In addition to living a dream of trekking in the hills of Nepal (hopefully not for the last time, but how soon will the twins be toilet trained??), I also really enjoyed the time I spent with Toby and Noa. This seems to be a time of rapid development in speech and thinking and spending days with each of them, rather than just evenings after work and busy weekends, was incredibly valuable to me. I had the time and energy to go with Noa when she took my hand and pulled me for a walk along the edge of fields in Sermathang. I could listen and talk to Toby in the backpack as he practiced new words over and over again: he said 'Noa' for the first time, as well as need, good, (pine)cone, dood (milk), panni (water), dahl, give, and penis(!) They are really cool kids, and I was lucky they put up with my need to be away from home in Kathmandu for a bit. They are very happy to be back among their toys, in their own beds, having baths again.

Until next time.

CTN

Meet Kusi

Meet Kusi. She is about 12 weeks old now, the only female in a litter of 5, born to a street dog who had been adopted by the previous tenants of our house and then adopted us. Didn't realise she was pregnant at the time! Mommy dog has a really calm temperament; I have only seen her bark at crows who come into her air space, cats who walk along the fence, and a man who was begging at the gate (But by that point he was being rather annoying and persistent.) I chose Kusi because she has been the most social of all the puppies and because she has some spirit. She was the first to learn to climb down off a foot-high concrete barrier in the garden, thus giving her almost complete access to the rest of the space. Kusi means happy in Nepali.

We are still trying to find homes for 2 of the pups, Tiger and Sleeper, and in the meantime all 3 have started on their medicines and vaccinations. Once Kusi is the only one left, she will be allowed to come into the house, but until then she is bunking with the other two in the garden. Mommy dog has been trying to wean them completely so she only visits once a day but it is still good to see her then. I am not sure we can keep her inside; even when she is well fed she seems to need to get out. Maybe she just needs to get away from the kids!


I don't know why he's climbing in there. I don't think he knew either. Then he had to figure out how to get out. It was much harder after Noa closed one of the cupboard doors!

Toby and Noa are doing well, except for a couple of nasty colds recently. On January 14 Nepalis celebrated the coldest day of the year. Now we are apparently in spring! And really, it feels warmer! Both kids are talking more, but especially Toby. His newest word is book, to add to: bus, hot, up, down, tractor/ doctor, duck, juice, cookie, cracker, car, ball, numnum, and Nanu, which is Nepali for little sister and it is his name for Noa. Noa is much quieter (a surprise to all who have known her since birth!) but I have a feeling she will talk in the same style in which she walked: no trial and error, she will begin by stringing 2 words together.

Noa continues to be such a little helper around the house. She wipes the table or the floor whenever she has a cloth. (I know, I have to lighten up...) She carries her dirty dishes to the sink. This morning she brought Toby's clothes for him. And this afternoon when we arrived home she brought the shopping into the kitchen item by item! She understands a lot, and definitely sometimes chooses to ignore me! She can go down one step without holding on and can almost run. As you can see from the previous post, she loves to colour. The inside of their cardboard box playhouse is covered in crayon. She is a really good eater. No problem with a spoon or a fork and minimal spilling from a cup. Toby prefers his drinking box and even eats soup with his fingers but I am sure he will learn.

That's all for now. We have power cuts for 16 hours per day now so I am trying to take advantage of the internet when I can.

Love
C T N