13 March, Friday. MY LAST DAY in Pokhara.
07.00 awake
07.15 breakfast
08.00 Packing my bags and working on the picture albums on my balcony in the sunshine.
Around 12.00 buying the last presents, pick up the pictures (not ready yet) and of course to the Internet.
Around 14.00 one of the guys of H.E. finds me in the Internet, telling me I have to come with him to the H.E. office. There is still a problem with my ticket: Gulf Air keeps telling them my ticket is not issued!!
At the H.E. office I send an email to George, Plora Travel, and in 10 minutes I have an answer: my E-ticket, with all flights at the right day and time, CONFIRMED. I print them out and we think everything is sorted.
I got a lovely present from Kayshani: a nice and warm Pashmina, in the colour of my hair! Probably I will live in this big pashmina, rapped around me day and night. She is so sweet, I am going to miss this girl very much. But, she will come and see me in Elounda soon and hopefully stay for the season.
I paid my bill at H.E. for the 3 weeks breakfast and dinner. I asked Pashpathi how much it was and his answer was: what ever you think is right. So, I gave him an amount, but a few minutes later, while I was sitting in the garden, he gave me back some money: Rohit and I think you gave too much!!! I love my H.E.-family, gonna miss them as well.
Paid the bill of the hotel: 18 nights, all my coffees and laundry: Rs 10.000 (100 euro!)
The owner gave me his email address and the website of the hotel: please email me so now and then to let us know how you are and email me to tell me when you are coming with your groups, we will give them our best rooms for a very good price.
Thank you!!!
I got the pictures of the Pizza evening printed and on a cd-rom.
Asta asked me what I would like for dinner tonight: he is going to cook pasta. Thank You!!!
Then it was time to go to the home. Walking for the last time (this time) the road towards the home. The sunset is beautiful, I made some pictures of it.
It is a bit weird. All the time the kids are asking: what time are you going? Are you going now? Are you coming tonight for Dal Bath (no), are you coming tomorrow? (no). A very hard time.
Kayshani and I went with some of the older boys to the lake, where they could play table tennis. We left the boys there and then it was really time to start to say goodbye.
Some of the kids slipped drawings in my bag, whispering bye bye Rita, a quick hug and of they were again.
Gangka called me into the kitchen: a tika, a silk scarf, a necklace, flowers and a big hug. I told her this is not a good bye, this is a peri betonlah = see you soon.
Escaping out of the kitchen, before both of us start to cry.
A quick hug here and there, more flowers, bye bye Rita, see you in November.
I know I have not said goodbye to every child in the home. I see Sofia watching me from the roof, I wave at her, send her a kiss and I do not ask her to come down. I know it from last year, it is too much for this little angle to really say goodbye.
The same counts for some of the other ones. This is a better good bye then last year, less official and less painfull, not ALL the family in line with too many flowers, too emotional.
Still I end up looking like a Christmas tree with the Tika, the scarfs and all the flowers.
Gangka hands over a bag with t-shirts of the C.W.A. for some sponsors.
A few drawings end up in my bag accompanied with a whispering: bye bye Rita.
Bimal and some of the boys are still out, playing tabletennis, which is good: I am sure I could not face it to say really face to face goodbye to Bimal. I say to Kayshani to say goodbye from me tomorrow to him, to explain him in Nepali how special he is to me and to tell him to study his English. She will tell him I will be back in November.
And finally are Kayshani and I on the way out, literally I have to escape not to start crying in front of them. Even now, typing these words, tears are coming.
People in Elounda will wonder what is wrong with me, every occassion I think of my kids, I speak about them, the tears are rolling down my cheeks. I don't care!!!
After a delicious pasta with loads of cheese Kayshani, the boys and I are on our way to Laila's bar, where we play pool.
The owner of the bar comes up to me, while I am looking at the last pictures.
What are you looking at, can I have a look? Oh great, you are volunteering? Thank you for taking care of the children of Nepal. Thank you for doing so much for our country.
NO, IT IS ME WHO WANTS TO SAY A BIG BIG THANK YOU TO YOU ALL: for all the love you gave me, for making me part of your family (at. C.W.A., Shining Star Boarding School and H.E.).
Thank you to the 'sponsors' for your generosity that made it possible for me to pass it on to the projects.
Around 22.30 I am back in my room, to do the last packing and to go to sleep at 00.00, wake up call at 06.00, a long journey (about 24 hours on my way) ahead.
Suba Rathri. A grateful, happy (but also sad) Sanghita, but I know I WILL BE BACK!!!!
Peri Betonlah!!!
07.15 breakfast
08.00 Packing my bags and working on the picture albums on my balcony in the sunshine.
Around 12.00 buying the last presents, pick up the pictures (not ready yet) and of course to the Internet.
Around 14.00 one of the guys of H.E. finds me in the Internet, telling me I have to come with him to the H.E. office. There is still a problem with my ticket: Gulf Air keeps telling them my ticket is not issued!!
At the H.E. office I send an email to George, Plora Travel, and in 10 minutes I have an answer: my E-ticket, with all flights at the right day and time, CONFIRMED. I print them out and we think everything is sorted.
I got a lovely present from Kayshani: a nice and warm Pashmina, in the colour of my hair! Probably I will live in this big pashmina, rapped around me day and night. She is so sweet, I am going to miss this girl very much. But, she will come and see me in Elounda soon and hopefully stay for the season.
I paid my bill at H.E. for the 3 weeks breakfast and dinner. I asked Pashpathi how much it was and his answer was: what ever you think is right. So, I gave him an amount, but a few minutes later, while I was sitting in the garden, he gave me back some money: Rohit and I think you gave too much!!! I love my H.E.-family, gonna miss them as well.
Paid the bill of the hotel: 18 nights, all my coffees and laundry: Rs 10.000 (100 euro!)
The owner gave me his email address and the website of the hotel: please email me so now and then to let us know how you are and email me to tell me when you are coming with your groups, we will give them our best rooms for a very good price.
Thank you!!!
I got the pictures of the Pizza evening printed and on a cd-rom.
Asta asked me what I would like for dinner tonight: he is going to cook pasta. Thank You!!!
Then it was time to go to the home. Walking for the last time (this time) the road towards the home. The sunset is beautiful, I made some pictures of it.
It is a bit weird. All the time the kids are asking: what time are you going? Are you going now? Are you coming tonight for Dal Bath (no), are you coming tomorrow? (no). A very hard time.
Kayshani and I went with some of the older boys to the lake, where they could play table tennis. We left the boys there and then it was really time to start to say goodbye.
Some of the kids slipped drawings in my bag, whispering bye bye Rita, a quick hug and of they were again.
Gangka called me into the kitchen: a tika, a silk scarf, a necklace, flowers and a big hug. I told her this is not a good bye, this is a peri betonlah = see you soon.
Escaping out of the kitchen, before both of us start to cry.
A quick hug here and there, more flowers, bye bye Rita, see you in November.
I know I have not said goodbye to every child in the home. I see Sofia watching me from the roof, I wave at her, send her a kiss and I do not ask her to come down. I know it from last year, it is too much for this little angle to really say goodbye.
The same counts for some of the other ones. This is a better good bye then last year, less official and less painfull, not ALL the family in line with too many flowers, too emotional.
Still I end up looking like a Christmas tree with the Tika, the scarfs and all the flowers.
Gangka hands over a bag with t-shirts of the C.W.A. for some sponsors.
A few drawings end up in my bag accompanied with a whispering: bye bye Rita.
Bimal and some of the boys are still out, playing tabletennis, which is good: I am sure I could not face it to say really face to face goodbye to Bimal. I say to Kayshani to say goodbye from me tomorrow to him, to explain him in Nepali how special he is to me and to tell him to study his English. She will tell him I will be back in November.
And finally are Kayshani and I on the way out, literally I have to escape not to start crying in front of them. Even now, typing these words, tears are coming.
People in Elounda will wonder what is wrong with me, every occassion I think of my kids, I speak about them, the tears are rolling down my cheeks. I don't care!!!
After a delicious pasta with loads of cheese Kayshani, the boys and I are on our way to Laila's bar, where we play pool.
The owner of the bar comes up to me, while I am looking at the last pictures.
What are you looking at, can I have a look? Oh great, you are volunteering? Thank you for taking care of the children of Nepal. Thank you for doing so much for our country.
NO, IT IS ME WHO WANTS TO SAY A BIG BIG THANK YOU TO YOU ALL: for all the love you gave me, for making me part of your family (at. C.W.A., Shining Star Boarding School and H.E.).
Thank you to the 'sponsors' for your generosity that made it possible for me to pass it on to the projects.
Around 22.30 I am back in my room, to do the last packing and to go to sleep at 00.00, wake up call at 06.00, a long journey (about 24 hours on my way) ahead.
Suba Rathri. A grateful, happy (but also sad) Sanghita, but I know I WILL BE BACK!!!!
Peri Betonlah!!!
posted by Rita Sanghita at
12:31:00 PM
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