Day 2 Opening Ceremonies

6:00 AM drums and some type of horn begin to sound at the monastery across the street. They start out quiet then they grow in volume and number for about 30 seconds and suddenly stop. Five minutes later, and they start up again. I naively thought that I would be able to at least "sleep-in" till 7:00. Factor in the jetlag and I was wide awake at 6:00. After we had breakfast, which consisted of boiled eggs & a banana, we headed out. The previous day a few people on the team had discovered the importance of walking the correct way around the Stupa, clockwise. They had tried to go the faster way, against the flow of people & were promptly yelled at by an angry old Nepali woman. There were many lessons to be learned in Nepal, that wasn't the first & it certainly wouldn't be the last.

 

As we drove up to the village for the first time, there was an excitement in the air that was almost tangible. We all just wanted to see the kids at the school. But there was a 45 minute drive separating us. That drive was unlike any 45 minute drive I had been on before. It felt more like a rollercoaster ride to be honest. They say we were driving on the left side of the road but to be fully honest we would really drive on any side of the road that was available. Motorcyclists would weave in & out of traffic, between cars & buses nearly crashing but veering in at the last second. It was like we were playing chicken with every vehicle on the road. After that adventure, paved  roads turn into dirt and rocks. This is the most sketchy part of the whole trip. One of the vans almost fell into a rice paddy on the way. Then we reach the school.

 

There is a red sign with the words WEL-COME to Shree Bhim Dev Primary school. We could hear children laughing just up the walk way. We all jump out of the van & head up to the gate and enter the school. There was a big tent that had a beautiful red, yellow, orange pattern on it that the children had been lined up under. We filed in through the gate where we received a red mark on our foreheads & a daisy chained orange flower necklace. The children clapped for us as we walked in, they all had big smiles on their faces. Then the last person walked in & opening ceremonies began.

 

The children all sat down towards the back and then four girls came up to sing the Nepalese national anthem for us. They put their right hand on their heart and bowed their heads slightly. There were several dances that the students performed and once even the teachers danced. I even got roped into dancing somehow by one of the teachers for part of a dance. After they had concluded with their performances, we sang the Star Spangled Banner and one other song that I can’t remember at the moment. After we finished the kids came up to us to have their pictures taken and play with us. Sometime in between greetings and pictures a huge tickle fight ensued. Laughter filled the air all around us. Everyone was having a great time. As we left the school, the kids followed us and we all walked down together. It was a perfect day.