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