the birth of sweatsuits

The Twins...aka...the Rosemees...aka Green & Blue


The day Britta & I carried 100 lb Rice bags in the streets of Naranghat


The kiddos having more fun with the rice than we did...


ABC flashcards! [from L: Blue, Radika (in pink), Buddee (red), Secil]


This past Saturday, January 26th, Britta and I walked to town right when we woke up, to buy some much-needed biscuits (tasty crackers) and check our e-mail. Upon our arrival back it seemed that the entire village had congregated inside the confines of our orphan home to witness a) two baby goats being born and b) the farming of the catfish farm. Big day. Especially when cooking meals, cleaning clothes, going to school, wwf wrestling, and cutting vegetables is about the most excitement this village life tends to get in one day. Now there were 6 adult Nepali men netting enormous catfish and our babies helping the goat babies try and stand up or nurse from their mother. Both the fishfarm and the goats are two great examples of the orphan home's sustainability: selling fish and goats for food. Excitement filled the air as sells were made and a new mother became protective, and at least for a couple moments, Britta and I weren't the objects of everyone's gaze.

This has proven to be the hardest part of our time in the village thus far. We are absolutely loving the kids...even the one we have called bratface..to her face (because she deserves it of course (: )...love the spicy food (oh the tolerance I'm creating), have gotten used to the pig's smell, and that of our own, have grown to love the lice-invested oldman stocking hat that sits atop the toddlers' heads like the Hogwart Sorting Hat as it swallows them whole, can't help but joining in on the kids' efforts to run the chickens (kukaras) out of the garden and back in their home, and have made our own personal touch by teaching the younger kids how to fist pound (they already knew high fives, so we thought we would bring a different American greeting to their attention); however, we have yet to get completely used to all the stares and laughs.

So we just focus on all the other things that we have grown wonderfully accustomed to and the ways the children have held our hands and surprised us with cuddles. We are hoping that the longer we stay the less freakish and other-worldly we will become, and we are convinced that the good night kisses the younger 5 give us when we tuck them all into their one bed will be more than enough to counter the former even if it continues.

As for those 5 kiddos we so adore, I will briefly touch on two of them here: our twins, Rosemee and Rosemah. But there is a problem. You see, ever since we got our minds around all the names of the children, we were told that one of the girls was Rosemee and one was Rosemah (nicknames: Gonga & Jamuna), but all the children kept on getting them mixed up and the girls themselves respond to all four names. By no means are they identical, so we were quite perplexed by such a dilemma. Nevertheless, we still don't know which child is which. And so, unfortunately, Britta and I refer to them as Blue and Green because, again unfortunately, the sweatsuits that you see in the first picture are the only pieces of warm clothing for either child. Neglected? Perhaps...I have definitely thought so at times; however, it's difficult to bring my Western view of every child's right to have 10 different outfits to a village in Nepal where one outfit is all that's really needed, and next winter (their winters are not long) they will be handed down another sweatsuit...better be green and blue.

For the sake of clarity, this blog will refer to them as Green and Blue, and as our confusion hopefully melts away, I will give them their more worthy name titles. I haven't been around too many sets of twins to be anywhere close to an expert, but it's been interesting to watch these two girls and their utterly contrasting qualities. Green is the sweeter, more emotional, sensitive sister with the softest features and kindest smile (when she's not crying), and Blue has these eyelashes that I would swear were fake if she wasn't a 3 year old orphan and crazy devilish hairy eyebrows that replicate her extroverted, attention-seeking, bully nature. As I mentioned before, these girls are definitely more overlooked than the majority of children, but Green far more so than Blue because of her natural introvertism.

Britta and I have realized in these short 2 weeks that one of our roles here is to be Green's advocate. So we defend her when the other youngsters hit her and poke fun, and we sweep her up in our giant arms when we see a tear forming. I have often thought how difficult it would be to be such a sensitive loner surrounded by 14 other siblings with two very unaffectionate parent figures. She seems lost by nature, and now by circumstance she is nonexistent to some. We have cleaved to Green much more so than her devilish punk of a sister (even though she can be pretty darn adorable most of the time) for this very reason. We hold her hand and sit with her alone in the fort to hear her ramble on in Nepali. Get that girl alone and she's a talking fool. What an interesting social and psychological study these two girls would be in such a unique situation.

Britta has already mentioned a little about the absolute lovable Tulie and will finish updating about Ashish soon!

I should take this time to thank all of you who have so willingly offered to send packages for the kids; however, Britta and I have decided that it would be wisest for us to wait until we arrived back to the States to send things so that we will have the best idea of their needs. And one of the greatest difficulties is waste. There is no trash can or dumpster here in the village, so all trash literally goes on the ground to be swept away by wind or rain or eaten by the toddlers (: We will take as much of our individual trash back with us to Kathmandu, but to send several packages might prove to be more wasteful than desired. Again, thank you for the sentiments!

And speaking of big days...the baby goats celebrated their day of birth this past Saturday and we will be throwing a 'party' for Britta's 24th birthday this Saturday! The kids are beyond excited, and we hope to concoct a tasty cake..who knows what may turn out. So if you know Britta or just want to send her warm wishes send her an e-mail: schroeternater@gmail.com

Much love to all,
Becca.