A month here at Child Haven

note: very hot here, sweltering really. Would be nice to be beside a
lake or the sea! but the sounds of life below in and around the
Buddinath stupa square are soothing to the spirit. Everyone is so
involved with each other, positive atmosphere despite the fact that I
see very few turn around of goods and monies ...


Hey! hi!
Yesterday I locked myself out of my room in Arjun's house! embarrassing!!
Arjun and Benita assured me that every volunteer has, at one time, locked
him/herself out of the room. Made me feel better! One of the obliging CH
gatekeepers sawed through the lock for me. Must give him a Canadian
pressie (pen, flag...)I have learned a lesson and given Arjun Sir and Benita Didi
a copy of my room key!

Yesterday I spent a lot of the afternoon in Arjun's office. He invited me to
assist Rita Mummy (matron) and Hari Sir (Co-Director) in the assessment of
a little partially deaf since birth child. Once again I witness the wonderful
compassion and caring of the Child Haven staff here in Kathmandu. What
an honour to feel, albeit for such a short time, a part of this team.

Woke up early, washed hair and some clothes and cycled down to the Budinath
stupa/ square to buy foodstuffs for the farewell party that the teenagers are
having (I am assisting) at our CH Volunteers' cottage tomorrow night.
Carol leaves for Canada on Wednesday evening.

On Wednesday afternoon I hike up one of the hills near to CH to go to the Kopan
monastry. As mentionedearlier, I am attending a 10 day retreat ~ Introduction to
Buddhism ~ June 2 - 12. Arjun's wife recommended me to another 10 day Vipassana
(or, go in silence..) retreat; she took this a couple of years ago. On careful consideration
and support from Arjun and staff, I chose the former retreat as being more attractive. First,
it is being led by a european woman of my age. I telephoned Anikan and she sounds so
darn nice. We struck it off right away. Second, the grounds surrounding the monastry and
the mountain top views of the Kathmandu valley are gorgeous. When my French friend, Ghis
and I visited the monastry three weeks ago we did not see one piece of garbage, no emaciated
dogs, or wandering cows, goats or frenetic chickens. No crouching anybodies, just lovely space,
flower laden trees and bushes..

The peace at Kopan is tangible; that is, when there is space between the 'voice overs'. We saw
and I will see again rows of maroon cloaked yellow shirted monks/nuns(?) chanting wonderful
Taize type phrases inciting peace and compassion. I feel that the sounds of the monk-driven
drums, gongs, trumpets and symbols are featured into this glorious picture to awaken our
(at least my) oftentimes 'unawakened' meaning annoyingly unconscious state!

The weather has been very hot and humid and especially tiring when you are giving 6 back to
back english classes! The rewards are so worth the discomfort! After my retreat I will join the
Montessori classes at the CH Green Tara School on the days that I am not teaching the older kids.

Reading the Kathmandu Post:
The frontrunners are:
UCPN (Maoist)
NC: parliamentary party
CPN-UML

... looking for a new constitution
... trying to somehow get rid of the Prime Minister
... parties are intensifying secret talks
A few clips:
"With clear commitment to press freedom, multiparty democracy, human rights, independent judiciary and periodic elections, the main opposition UCPN (Maoist) on Saturday unveiled its draft of the constitution on the occasion of second Republic Day". "The constitution has 19 parts and 274 articles ...."!
The preamble says "it is the basis of establishing socialism envisaged by the party ..."
" ... hope and despair rub shoulders on second Republic Day."

Your guess is as good as mine!

Meantime I am reading a book with an optimistic viewpoint. "Paradise in Our Backyard" by Karna Sakya. An easy read and gives me some ideas to share hope and enthusiasm for the future of the CH teenagers about to embark on their own.

Lots of gab. Now I must mount my old blue steed bike and return to Ch for two english classes this afternoon. The Didis caregivers. This evening I will plan tomorrow's 6 kids classes at the CH Green Tara school.

If you have made it to here, a huge hug!
Despite all my eulogising
I miss my family and friends
love from
Mom
Dyane
Dyane Didi


- Hide quoted text -

May 28, short note

Cold lattee, banana muffin coming, sun going down .. budhanath square.... aftermath of huge Buddah birthday last night at this largest stupa in Asia. You know at least 85% of peoples here are immersed in the Tibetan Buddhist cum Hindu culture here. Faith is big time here. Sounds and lights below. Surrounded by second hand books in this coffee place called Saturdays, owned by a Canadian woman. This afternoon had the most wonderful massage; special deal ... brown mud all over bod (coffee grinds, milk and rice powders and honey), and facial, mask, the lot. Body feels like a baby's bottom! Picked up a tailored beautiful 3 piece yarka (sp?) for $3.00. Now have three Nepalese outfits.

Am following up with some sponsorship ideas for professional training/ work for teenagers leaving Child Haven. If anyone has any ideas please e-mail me. We have quite a few very keen and bright teenagers finishing school/ college and there is a terrible shortage of jobs here ...

Classes with kids, Didis and staff are all going very well. Carole, the other volunteer, is leaving to return for Canada this coming Wednesday. I am organizing a farewell dinner for her with her grade 10 and 11 teenagers who will miss her terribly. I went swimming with them the other day. I will probably follow up with this teenage activity on Wednesdays. They just love it.

I am taking a ten day retreat (June 2-12) at the famous Kopan Monastry and am very excited! It is up the hill from Child Haven.

The electricity is out and I have very little battery.

Hugs to all,

Dyane

An Elegy for Democracy

Forget Kathmandu, by Manjushree Thapa

"best selling study of the tangled politics of Nepal... unprecedented unflinching look at Nepal's past and present, and easily among the finest works of non-fiction from contemporary South Asia ... the point of view of a history dweller rather than a history broker .. it is at once the celebration of the power of the literary monologue and a cry of outrage at the reality in which the present Nepali state and society are trapped" Nepali Times


"History is a collection of found objects washed up through time. Goods, ideas, personalities surface towards us, then sink away. Some we hook out, others we ignore, and as the pattern changes, so does the meaning. We cannot rely on the facts. Time, which returns everything, changes everything. Jeannette Winterson

Read this book! I am!! its GREAT. No, you are wrong! it is an easy read!

Writing in the Flavors Cafe, with a monsoon type of rainstorm happening on the tin roof above and lightening flashes accompany thunderous rolls .... wonder when I can go home on my bike with computer in back pack!!

hugs, Dyane

horizons expand

Kathmandu, Thursday, May 20, my one day off! I have spent most of the morning and into the afternoon in a MAC store! I had to buy a new electric cord as mine burned up due to one of the many daily power surges we experience daily! :{ So thrilled to be with folks who know about MACs! I end up by buying a round light portable speaker and a remote control AND a new IPOD!! Rice and potatoes and liquid diet for a while! But I feel so happy about these purchases, as my kids songs, speeches and short dvds cannot be heard in my classrooms and now I feel newly empowered and excited about my next weeks classes! On top of this I have just received a couple of very complimentary e-mails from Arjun, 'my boss', Manager/Coordinator of Child Haven! It is good to have a day like this! There are times, you can imagine, that one has to work through one frustration after another, so when life presents gifts like this to me I feel wonderful! Now I am off to have a swim and a shower and HANG OUT IN THE LOVELY GARDEN at the fancy hotel where Ghis and I went last week.

Meantime, my first scheduled week of classes (Sunday and Tuesday) went very well. Six back to back 45 minutes english classes (grades 2-7). The Montesssori teachers wait for me to come to their classes too! How heart warming it is to enter each room and the children stand up and sing a welcoming song to you!! The energies and enthusiasm of these folks is exciting, to say the least. We took in another little boy the other day. I helped him cycle his first little bicycle in the yard. So poignant! I continue to teach staff and didis when I can. wont go on in details about my teaching and classes at this time as the day is fast diminishing and I want to jut BE!

Talking of BE ing, yesterday I met and had an iteresting chat with a young monk from Scotland! Today I met an artist guy from Holland and we had a heart warming chat over tea. He arrived today and will stay in Nepal for at least 3 months. He has just come from Sri Lanka, I think, learning and practicing the Middle Way (Buddhism) and loved his days spent on top of mountains just being quiet... He wants to live this modest life style and is going to start up a circle at home in Holland and to finance his work he may be able to sell his pen and ink pictures, which are really lovely. He gave me a tip about week long retreats in a monastry nearby..... June there is a session.... yahoo!!

Meantime, I wonder about the folks in the Canmore Yoga Lounge, my writing buds and of course Arran, Teresa and friends in Vancouver and Rosemary et al in Toronto... the folks in Ireland, England, Australia, Spain, Africa, Scotland ..... we are all on this wonderful wonderful journey of discovery.

hugs, Dyane (Mom)

Merci, thank you, Ghislane

Friday, May 14

Merci Ghislane pour venir me visiter ici a Child Haven. C’etais deux jours merveilleux. J’etais triste de te laisser hier soir a Kathmandu pour revenir a Jorpati/ Aaru Bari en micro bus! Eh bien, a la prochaine!

Yes, my trekking friend, Ghislane, came to visit me for a couple of days here at Child Haven and we had a wonderful time together. She stayed with me at Arjun’s place for the two nights and returned yesterday to her little hotel in Kathmandu. As you know during the 7 – 8 days of total shut down in Nepal I was safely ensconced here behind the Child Haven walls . But Ghislane’s travel/ trekking plans out of Kathmandu were thwarted. Undaunted she made good use of her time; she enjoyed the lack of traffic and pollution as she wandered the old streets and allies of Tamil and bargained for lovely gifts to bring home to France.

The first thing we did when she arrived was to go for a long walk . The small path leading us away from Child haven brought us to the top of a hill and the Gokarna Temple. It felt as if we were trekking again! Ghis was ecstatic being away from the hustle of K’mandu. Great views, lovely plants and purple and pink flowering trees.

The highlight of our evening walk was to find that there was a Buddhist e’ven song’ in full swing. About 40 or 50 chanting Buddhist monks with the accompanying sounds of huge drums, conch shells and long thin trumpets and the profoundly deep lower-than-bass monotone of the oldest monk leader monk. Another ever solicitous monk in sandals walked around the two lines of seated young monks carrying a short leather strap. Through the open gothic style windows we could see the surrounding hills and countryside on this beautiful evening. What a magnificent way for Ghis and I to gegroup! We were so thrilled with our evening that we stopped at an unlikely looking open terraced bar place to share a couple of beer and French fries! The first beer (ssh!) since coming to CH! We were the only guests in this optimistic venue. We sat there, thrilled with ourselves. We were still at quite a height above the valley and savoured the peace and the openness of life.

I later showed Ghis around the CH home and the school and introduced her to some of the staff. The next day, Wednesday, she played in the yard and sat around with some kids; they loved her! She came away from CH warmed by numerous huge hugs and a new hairstyle!

On Wednesday we walked to the nearby Bauddha square and duly circum ..ed the largest stupa in Nepal, had a western breakfast in a tourist driven restaurant atop an ancient building. And we did a little shopping.

Yesterday, Thursday, we first took a microbus to "the most important Hindu temple" on the banks of the holy Bagmati River in the Eastern fringes of Kathmandu. Pashupatinath is also one of the most important Shiva temples on the subcontinent and "draws devotees and sadhus (wandering Hindu holy men) from all over India". Shiva is the destroyer and creator of the Hindu pantheon and is best known in various terrible forms, but he has also a peaceful side as the lord of the beasts. Shiva is the shepherd of both animals and humans. We saw sadhus, or holy men, in cavelike shelters. We watched, as respectifully as possible, from the other side of the holy (and very polluted) Bagmati, two cremations on burning ghats. Log fires are built, shouded body lifted on top, straw added and the fire is lit with little ceremony. Apparently it takes 4 hours to complete. Family is there, the men do the duties. The women go home first to prepare for the post-cremation event. Monkeys bounded about nearby, bouncing on the tin roofs and jumping noisely into the river. One brave little monkey had no arms but stumps; it was amazing how he was able to get from place to place.

When the ashes and clothing from one former person were placed on the flowing river and as a family man swept away the last of the debris it was a poignant time for Ghislane and I to contemplate mortality and Buddhism.

Next we took a mini bus to a popular area of Tibetan Tamil in Kathmandu and, after a little gentle and pleasant brousing and luncheon we went to an OUTDOOR SWIMMING POOL in a fancy hotel and darn well LUXURATED there all afternoon! You have no idea … well maybe you have!!! It was fantastic. In and out of the pool and onto our chaise longue to repose awhile before returning to swim another couple of lengths. And then a HOT SHOWER! I washed my hair in hot water and almost broke into an aria!

At the end of our day yesterday it was unfortunate that we could not toast our parting company before I would take the micro bus back to Aaru Bari. Why? I had (my first) upset tummy, or, the runs! After a tenuous and bumpy bus ride I returned home, had some warm water and went to bed early.

I had been invited to join Carol and the teenagers today on a bus trip to Tatopani. I did not go. I just don't want to face the eight hours of bumpy bus ride, so am using the day to go to CH, write this blog, catch up with your e-mails, and make my teaching plans.

Now that the strikes are over and I have met the regular teachers and leaders of the Tara CH school my official teaching program is every Sunday and Tuesday, from 10 – 4, all grades both days. Wednesdays I will spend with the grade 10s, swimming or other activities. I will continue teaching the Didis, or home care women 3 times a week and Hari, the Assistant Manager, most evenings. I will plug in a time 1 – 2 times a week in the library when I am available to any student wanting to talk or have extra help. This all should keep me out of mischief!

It's a long blog today, but I just wanted to tell you about the wonderful two days that Ghislane and I had together. It was a great break in this rather interesting full time volunteer job here at Child Haven.

I trust that each one of you is having a wonderful summer.

hugs, Dyane

O'Donoghue's message

Thank you, Heather, for sending this wonderful poem to me. Somehow right now it gives me strength ...
Today I share it with all my travelling or wanna-be travelling-friends.

FOR THE TRAVELLER by John O'Donogue

Every time you leave home, another road takes you into a world you were never in
New strangers on other paths await. New places that have never seen you will startle a little at your entry
Old places that knew you well will pretend nothing changed since your last visit.

When you travel you find yourself alone in a diferent way
More attentive now to the self you bring along
Your more subtle eye watching you abroad; and how what meets you
Touches that part of the heart that lies low at home.

How you unexpectedly attune to the timbre in some voice
Opening a conversation you want to take in to where your longing
Has pressed hard enough inward, on some unsaid dark, to create a crystal insight
You could not have known you needed to illuminate your way

When you travel new silence goes with you
And if you listen you will hear what your heart would love to say:

.. A JOURNEY CAN BECOME A SACRED THING

Make sure before you go to take the time to bless your going forth
To free your heart of ballast so that the compass of your soul may direct you
Towards the territories of spirit where you will discover more of your hidden life
And the urgencies that deserve to claim you.

May you travel in an awakened way, gathered wisely into your inner ground
That you may not waste the invitation which waits along the way to transform you

May you travel safely, arrive refreshed and live your time away to its fullest
Return home more enriched and free to balance the gift of days which call you.

by John O'Donoghue

Belated Happy Moms

I know that it is late to wish you Happy Mothers' Day! As I just wrote to Wilma, I am feeling rather a happy Mother today ..."I feel sooooh alive, respected, accepted and loved, as the children and staff here at Child Haven. I returned from a big shopping spree with my new friend, the matron here, RitaMama and am wearing a light ethereal nepalese outfit, pants and top and scarf and flip flops and it seemed as the world of CH converged on this Dyane DiDi in welcoming home hugs... and then emails ... pictures and love from Arran, Rosemary and various buddies.

I hope that soon I will be able to post some pics on this blog. Right now life is busy. It seems that everyone and his/her aunt wants English lessons and the kids always want to play ....!

Love to you all! Please do not forget to send your donation to Child Haven asap! Try to imagine what the needs are for over one hundred children and some Moms here in this very very poor part of the world outside Kathmandu... send donation to Child Haven International and mail c/o sister R. Wood, 390 Cummer Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M2M 2G2

Hugs,
Your Mom, Sis and dear Friend, Dyane

Strike over for now

You may know that the strike is over, temporarily anyway, and what a relief that is, as you can imagine! I came to Child Haven home this morning to see the young and older children in their respective smart school uniform taking off happily for the beautiful brick Green Tara School across the field. I have been giving computer and library skills classes for grade 10s there. My girlfriend Gislene, who has been stuck in Ktmndu all this time (6 - 7 days) can now visit me. Arjun has kindly invited her to stay with me. She will come on Tuesday and will spend Wednesday here at the complex, watching and participating and on Thursday, my day off, we will both go to the city!!

This is short. I am preparing for my first english class for all the Didis, or care givers. They want to learn english! Carol, who is a nurse, has a doctor friend visiting from Canada and they are going to have a health clinic here today.

I must find out how to add photos to this blog. Maybe one of the student computer whizzes will be able to assist me.

The weather has improved, is warmer and clearer. Nice. It has been rather dull these past few days. The main thing is the sense of freedom now that the strike is lifted for now.

hugs to all, Dyane

Child Haven one week

Darn it, I just lost a long blog to you! Oh well, try again. Children are playing a game of basketball outsdie the window, the grade 10 and 11 teenagers are drinking coffee and watching a Sherlock Holmes dvd with Carole in our newly greenly painted volunteer/teenager's place! I have just had an english communication lesson with the CH Asst. Mgr. and the Mgr. is off to a Lions Club mtg. The serious condition continues here in Nepal, but one major change, the 'curfew' is lifted from 6 - 10 pm and then shops can open and essential vehicles can run... Yesterday was a bummer, my day off, when I planned to wander down to one of Nepal's largest Buddah stupas - square - and try to find a place fora western lunch or cuppa tea and just hang out - but too dangerous. Instead I waited in the office for 2 - 3 hours for the electricity and internet to come back and send my registration to the Canadian Embassy.... After a questionable dinner I went home to my book on Gandhi, but fell asleep instead! Pretty exhausting this not knowing whats happening. On one hand it is very interesting for me to get to know how the daily routine works, and meet the children and staff, on the other hand it is difficult sometimes to know how to be really useful. Thanks to my "striketime" timetable I always have a program to work on.

I will add below the report that Arjun Guragain, Manager of CH asked me to edit for Bonniema last night regarding the current political system that affects us here at Child Haven.

love and hugs, Dyane




"General strike turned violent,
The Maoists strike, or banda, was peaceful until yesterday, May 5th. Today there have been clashes in various parts of Kathmandu, including the areas of Basundhara, Budhanilkantha and Jorpati. The fighting was between the agitating Unified CPN (Maoist) cadres and the cadres of other political parties. These two groups are backed by locals called up by the Maoists. I myself observed unrest especially in the Jorpati and Chabil areas.

Some human rights activists told me that in the Basundhara area two groups, the Maoists and their opponents, were in conflict and fighting one another. They threw stones and bricks at each other. We heard that at least two persons were injured in the clashes. More than 100 policemen were deployed in the area to take the situation into control. The situation continues to remain tense.

Similarly, the situation is tense in Budhanilkantha, which is an area 5 kilometers north from the Ring Road. There were clashes between the locals and the Maoist cadres this afternoon. At least three persons, including a minor, were injured in the incident. Police fired six rounds of tear gas shells to take the situation under control.

In Jorpati, clashes occurred between Maoist cadres and youths supporting Nepali Congress and UML, backed by locals. Police fired 3 rounds of tear gas shells to control the situation. Less than 10 people have been injured in these clashes.

Our group, heard from the Kathmandu FM radio that rallies have been organized and demonstrations staged against the Maoists' general strike in various parts of the capital including Kirtipur, Pulchok, Kapan, Bouddha, and Dhobighat.

The three large parties, Unified CPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress and CPN (UML), have been meeting from time to time to solve the political problem and resume the peace. They want to bring a logical consensus within the country but, until today, there still has not been success. A meeting of the Unified CPN (Maoist) and CPN (UML) leaders was held today at Nayabazaar, Kathmandu but no progress was made towards reaching a consensus to end the current political impasse.
/ag"

Five days here at Child Haven Kathmandu

Wednesday, May 5, 2010 and the headline is "Maoists to up the ante a notch or two .... human chains ring Valley Ring Road ..."
Strikes affect us here at CH Kathmandu, no buses, no post office, most shops shut... cant send off Arran's 25th birthday present... no swimming. But, CH dont lose a beat. The younger children are playing happily outside, the older ones are helping Carol wash the volunteer/teenagers kitchen/living room in preparation for painting when the paint can be bought. Manager/Coordinator Arjun asked me to join him or them at a Maoist rally this morning.... I chose the line of least resistance and am here at CH, can do more good here, I hope and it will be safer! I had a little english lesson with Hari, the Asst. Mgr. here when I arrived here earlier. We meet every evening at 6 pm for an hour's lesson.

We have made up a timetable for the strike time. I am teaching computer(!) english in the computer room 3 times a week at the Green Tara CH school across the field. The first two sessons were fun, and successful. The grade 10 students have finished their first application for job letter. We will print each out for them along with my mock up one. On Saturday we will tackle our resume. We will learn/ practice Excel and Powerpoint, and later on, web searching for jobs. Idea is to help the grade 10 folks to be more ready to face the world independently when they leave CH; always a concern for both staff and kids. I feel so good that hopefully in some small way I can help them. On Fridays I will assist in reading etc. in library. On Saturdays we will have teenagers discussions with Hari and I covering different themes. On Sundays and Wednesdays, when possible, I go with Carole to help with the swimming.

Thats all for now. Look forward to hearing from you, hugs, Dyane

Child Haven, first days

Child Haven orphanage, Kathmandu, Nepal, May 2, 2010
Arjun, Manager of CH Kathmandu and his wife picked me up from Kathmandu two days ago. I am now safely installed in a nice big room in their lovely house with garden only steps away from the orphanage. Yesterday, Saturday, May 1st I spent the day meeting many lovely children and the staff of this amazing place. The buildings are good looking and are on top of a hill with good views of the valley below. I met Carol the cheery wonderful laughing French Canadian volunteer and and I later brought a few kids to a neighbouring area to look for an open restaurant to have lunch; a great treat for the CH kids. Most places were locked up and there were hardly any cars on the street due to the Labour Day conflicts or demonstrations of the Maoists. Later in the afternoon CH had a visit from Ruth Pollock and 3 student nurses from Ottawa. We took pictures and I was asked to write an article for Fred and Bonnie about their work and visit to CH. The children and staff later had a 'concert' or show and tell jokes event in the yard and it was lots of fun, followed by lots of music and I think everyone danced their own theme to Nepalese and Western music. What talent! It was a perfect opportunity for me to see the children and try to put faces, characters and names to each.

This morning my routine really started. Walk/jog at 5 am with staff and CH kids. Back to my room to write report and plan my day and week. Now at CH to send this off and meet with a student to start the process of a PowerPoint presentation. Prakash will download my trekking and Chitwan wildlife park pictures and we will meet up later with maybe some other teenagers who want to learn how to make a PowerPoing presentation. Nepal is striking again today, school is out, kids all over the place, nice to have the use of this office! I would like to be able to do more for CH in terms of activities, but, on the other hand, I am molding my self slowly to be as useful as possible for CH.

So, thats the word for today. If you want to write me, my e-mail is dyane.lynch@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you. Also, please dont forget to reach deep into your pockets and contribute whatever you can to Child Haven orphanage, Nepal. Again, please forward cheques c/o sister R. Wood, address in previous entry on this blog. This is first hand now, the work and ongoing challenges CH is an extremely worthwhile and wonderful cause and definitely worth your pennies. I feel that I am going to grow big time here.

Enough, work and Child Haven children await.

hugs, Dyane