Day 4

Day 4 – Caren Chu & Kristen Sha

We think today was the happiest day out of the days we have been with the children so far.

We woke up to catch the sunset that Jin Woo was talking about last night and several of us first went to the temple, then to the school where some children were practicing TaeKwando. We played volleyball and football with the kids as the sun rose then returned to camp. The kids were so open and let us play with them.

After that, we ate breakfast together, the kitchen staff specifically make toast for us.

We then returned to the school. When we arrived, Sapana, our home-visit student gave Kristen and Caren a bracelet and a ring.

We played octopus, yak yak tiger and monkey in the middle with the children. This allowed us to bond with the children (it also allowed us to ask for their names which we tried and tried to remember but always forgot). After the games, we started playing and taking pictures with them. The children were very enthusiastic and a boy by the name of Sushil kept on asking us to take pictures of him and his friends. He also helped us take pictures.

After this we returned to the camp for lunch, some of our group members joined some school girls for lunch at their homes.

We planted trees after lunch. 5 of us were chosen to plant trees in the school. We then walked to an area where there was a FM radio tower close by. At that location, we planted over a 100 trees. The children were very cautious of our well-being. They tightly held our hands to prevent us from tripping down the slope.

After the tree planting, we drew the mural. Some of us did hand-prints. We firstly painted a hand then passed “high-fives” around so that the paint was distributed. We also did an organic challenge where we dance and clapped. People from the village joined in the fun and adventure. A respected older person of their society joined us by playing a traditional Nepalese drum. To add to this, the women there dance with us.
During this time, some school girls took us to see the only radio tower in Nuwakot. This was very nerve-raking as in Hong Kong, there were several towers and networks but here, there was only 1, as though the people didn’t have a luxurious choice.

Straight after, we went to a location where we could see down the valley. The children never let go of our hands as we walked. They were constantly offering flowers and gifts to us. One of the boys led us around the mountains during sunset, to the scenery was absolutely breath-taking.
The most touching thing was that our home visit girl, Sapana, told us that this was the happiest day of her life and we were her best friends.

They accompanied us back to our campsite as the stars shone in the sky. We were all surprised to learn that they had to return to school by themselves in the dark. 4 of the students joined us in our “dining hall” to have tea and snacks together.
At night, we all shared our thoughts and Surya told us about his ambitious hospital project.
The children here are really inspiring and filled with joy and their sincere hearts have really touched us.
At exactly 12:00 am, some of the group members sang “Happy Birthday” to Emily Bao.