Turns out Nepalis Like To Party...

Once more, back in Thamel.... It's by no way my favourite place in the world but I am a sucker for free Wifi, and green tea :)
Yesterday was a great day, Saturday is the day the kids get off from school so i spent from 8 till 6 at the orphanage although we all sneaked out for some Momos and a beer when the kids where watching a movie! It was the American girl's last day yesterday so we went to the supermarket and bought pancake material. You should have seen what flour, eggs, milk and maple syrup do to children - it was chaotic, like 20 kids in the kitchen taking it in turns to flip the pancakes which of course resulted in the biggest mess since the concord accident! But it knackered them out (pancakes do that!) and they had a great day. So did I.
I'm actually recovering from quite a night... It was a boys night as the kids and the House mother were at one of the valley's weekly Hindu mash-ups! So for the first time I got to know the house father... it appears to be the same everywhere, the woman of the house leaves and the man of the house is lost in how to cook, we settled for some scrumptious instant noodles. To pay back his generosity in some way I offered him some of my scotch and we moved into the family room (all new to me) and sat cross legged on the carpet chatting and discussing the future of the orphanage. It looks bleak, due to the Maoist majority in the government there is no public funding for any orphanage, it has been built and maintained from 30 kids in two rooms to 20 in a house - this has only been possible due to the donations of volunteers who work there and a family tea shop in Thamel. The sad thing is that most of the volunteers do not even correspond after leaving the orphanage, let alone donate. For one child to go to school for a year here costs around £70 and it is tragic that even this seems unaffordable. I was shown the paper work for each child I know and love, and it broke my heart... Orphan, abandoned, dead father, helpless, lower caste. The latter seemed to be the best out of all the monstrosities. I wish I knew how to help them, but it appears to now be out of everyone's hands... some kids will have to go back home to helpless families, other lucky ones adopted by either Connor or another orphanage which is yet to present itself.
I think all of us are faithful to the same ideology; these children have possibly faced more suffering in their short years on this planet than most do in their lifetimes, so it is crucial we can provide them with the happiness that comes so easy to many kids but I tell you, the children don't seem damaged, they seem wonderfully happy but I know this is because they are wonderfully ignorant of all that is going on behind the scenes. To be honest I am surprised to know all of this so soon, I know they want a donation from me - they haven't asked but I know, I am white so that apparently means I am rich, I wish that were true. But I will actually keep up correspondence and I know that if any extra cash comes my way, they can share this.
So it was a strange talk, which was interrupted by the three next door neighbour brothers who came over for a drink, very funny guys, aged 17, 21 and 24. The eldest is a vice principal at a local school, the others are at school and college. They also enjoyed my whiskey! So much so that they brought over some Nepali 'wine'. This is why I am hungover, I didn't even get that drunk - it was just brutal moonshine. It kinda tastes like Saki but watered down, which for those who have tried saki isn't great as saki tastes pretty watery anyway! But it would have been rude not to accept their generosity and like in so many other asian cultures it is rude to fill your own glass, someone else must do it for you! So yeh, felt like I was going to die this morning! But it felt so nice to be not only given hospitality but also included in a local saturday night... I was the centre of attention as I was the first foreigner the brothers had ever talked to, so there was a lot to ask! 'In england can you marry a girl from any religion?' 'In england when do your movies come out?' 'You like Pink floyd!!!?? (YES!)' but also 'You like avril lavine?' ( I couldn't lie about that one!). Truth be told I feel that each day in this incredibly strange country brings me new light on the human conditions, be it poor or rich, sick or well, educated or illiterate - we are all the same, except for the Avril Lavine bit.