FInal Post

First, Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers in my life that I so love and admire. . .foremost, my mom. . .the best there is. . and my sisters, sister-in-law, and many friends.

It's Sunday afternoon here and we are waiting for Fed Ex to deliver Wynn's airline ticket. We know it's on the truck. It's just a matter of getting it and then seeing if we can get on a flight this evening. The flight doesn't leave until 11:00 p.m. so we have some time.

We did a little sightseeing this morning, just to run down the clock and keep busy. We 're done sightseeing and are very anxious to come home. 3 1/2 weeks is a long time to be away.

Stephen and Debbie, we'll email you as soon as we know what's going on and when we'll be arriving at Dulles. Millie, we're coming home soon!

Thanks to all of you for following along on our incredible journey and for your encouraging posts and emails. They really made our days brighter and we truly felt all of your love and support. We look forward to everyone meeting Wynn soon.

With love,
Kate, Bret, Leah and Wynn.

A Quiet Saturday

Saturday is the holy day in Nepal. Many, but not all, businesses are closed and people are off work. As a result, traffic is light and the streets are significantly quieter. Sunday is back to work. The holy day in Dubai is Friday, and at least according to the Fed Ex tracking system, our package hasn't moved from there all day. Maybe we'll receive it tomorrow. If not then, Monday for sure.

In the mood for neither shopping nor sightseeing, we hung around the apartment and neighborhood this morning. After lunch we went to a mall that a few other families told us about. It wasn't Ross Park Mall but it was certainly the most western thing we've seen since we've been here. It was almost a surreal experience, being in a five story mall, with three movie theaters and western stores, in Kathmandu. We were told that there was an indoor play area for children, which there was but Leah was too old for it and Wynn wanted nothing to do with it. We think he was really overwhelmed by the entire scene. The shining clean floors, the shops, the escalator, and a food court for goodness sakes! This kid was living in an orphanage in the country 2 1/2 weeks ago. We were taken there by a really nice young taxi driver who was recommended by a friend. He stayed at the mall with us and we really enjoyed his company. It was also nice to have him there to talk to Wynn. Ram has two small children himself so he was great with both of the kids. We went to the food court, ordered drinks and snacks and just talked. We also found bubbles for the kids which was a big hit. On the way out, Leah enjoyed a jumping castle set up outside of the mall entrance. Again, Wynn passed, telling Ram in Nepali, "Let's go didi (big sister in Nepali). I want to go in the car." Ram is going to pick us up tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. and take us out for some sightseeing.

Photo captions - Wynn today; Leah at the jumping castle; woman in our neighborhood this morning; Hindu baby in our neighborhood; a tuk tuk which is bigger than a taxi but much smaller than a mini bus or van and always jammed with way too many people.

We Have Wynn's Visa

As promised, Wynn's visa was ready at 4:00 today. We also received a large sealed envelope filled with a lot of other papers that we're to give to U.S. Customs when we enter the U.S. So now we're waiting for Wynn's airline ticket to arrive from the States. Last we checked Fed Ex tracking, it was in Dubai.

We had a leisurely morning and then went out to lunch and did some shopping in our neighborhood. We much prefer shopping in Lazimpat rather than Thamel where you're constantly hounded by people trying to sell you things. It's just a much nicer, cleaner,and calmer shopping experience. We also like the idea of shopping in Fair Trade stores where hopefully some of our money is going to help the people of Nepal.

Other than that, we again had the perfectly timed blackout at dinner time. We usually eat dinner out but tonight we decided to stay in, having been out much of the day. Just as the kids were "hungry," which is Wynn's newest word, lights out. Another night of figuring out what can be cooked on a gas stove top. We won't miss the blackouts.

A few more observations. . .

I can count on one hand the number of people we've seen here smoking. Unlike China, where it seemed like everyone smoked, you just don't see it here.

The produce sold in the streets by vendors and at the street markets is plentiful and beautiful. Being cautious to avoid anything washed in the local water, we've stuck to things that can be peeled such as apples, bananas, orange, watermelon and papaya. Otherwise produce must be soaked in iodized water and we decided that we could wait until we got home to eat fruits and vegetables that we like.

If you order a hamburger in a restaurant, which I have on two occasions, you're eating either yak or water buffalo. This is a Hindu country and the cow is considered a god. A local woman who we flew with yesterday morning over Mt. Everest told us that until very recently, a person would be jailed 25 years for killing a cow but only 6 to 8 years for murdering another person. Go figure.

Photo captions - Wynn shopping this afternoon; Leah in our hotel room in Nargarkot; Hindu women changing a flat tire this afternoon in our neighborhood; Nepali school girls (who I just can't stop photographing. . .they are gorgeous); Nepali baby photographed in Nargarkot.

Mt. Everest and a trip to the U.S. Embassy

We were up and out of the apartment this morning at 6:00 a.m. to board a 7:00 a.m. Buddha Air flight over the Himalayans including Mt. Everest. Bret and I are both big believers in doing and seeing everything that interests us in a particular place because who knows when, if ever, we'll be this way again. We were joined by our new Texas friend, Ellen and a friend of hers who is living here. This being Nepal, we boarded the plane with about 10 other tourists shortly after 8:00 a.m. Our flight was about an hour long and the views were spectacular. Everyone had a window seat and the crew was very accommodating, taking each person up to the cockpit to see great views and to point out specific mountains. This was Wynn's first time in an airplane and he did great. He just wasn't too keen on wearing a seat belt. (Not only are there no such thing as car seats here, there are no seat belts either. He has a huge surprise waiting for him when we get home.) Leah, our seasoned traveler, really enjoyed the flight as well.

In the afternoon we went to the U.S. Embassy to apply for Wynn's visa and to complete our interview with the consulate officer. Things went very smoothly and there were no surprises. They are going to do their best to have the visa ready tomorrow (Friday) by 4:30 p.m. After that, we're just waiting for Wynn's airline ticket to arrive from the States. As an airline employee, Bret, Leah and I flew here for a very nominal fee. In order for Wynn to be able to do the same, Bret was able to have him added to his benefits as a dependent yesterday. Then a friend of his at work got a ticket for Wynn to fly home with us and Fed Ex'ed it to our apartment. It should arrive by Monday. So if all goes as planned, we'll be flying home Monday evening. Fingers crossed. In the meantime, we'll spend the next few days doing final sightseeing and shopping. We're just about at the point where we can exhale.

It will be three weeks tomorrow since we arrived in Kathmandu and experienced that wild taxi ride from the airport to our hotel in Thamel. We've learned a lot, had some incredible experiences, and have gotten fairly comfortable with being here. But naturally we're anxious to get home to family, friends and familiar surroundings. Leah said to me yesterday that she forgets what her bedroom looks like.

Photo captions - Mount Everest; Us boarding our flight; Leah on board with her map of the Himalayan Mountain range; Leah and Wynn with the doorman today at our neighborhood hangout, the Shangra La Hotel where we ate dinner this evening.

Travel Document!

We have it in hand. Actually it looks exactly like a Nepali passport except for minors it's called a travel document. We went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shortly before 2:00 today and stood in an outside courtyard with several hundred Nepali citizens, all of whom were waiting to receive a passport. Although everyone had a number, ours being 52, there was little order. When the teller-like windows opened at 2:00 people started crowding them. Aruna and her husband listened for our number and when it was called, her husband helped Bret and Wynn work their way to the window. They wanted to see Wynn to be sure that his picture matched the photo on their paperwork. We had a few minutes of panic when the person at the window asked for Wynn's birth certificate, which we didn't have because it's at the U.S. Embassy. Aruna's husband said something to them and we were all ushered inside of the building to an office. There were three or four Nepali people all speaking to Aruna in Nepali. Shortly, someone came in with Wynn's documents, including his adoption decree, our photos, his photo, and his passport. They looked over everything and then asked Bret to sign a paper. Then they handed him Wynn's passport. We were really relieved because believe me, things could have easily gone the other way.

We went to dinner this evening at Mike's Breakfast, which also serves lunch and dinner, and is popular among adoptive families and Americans. We had Mexican food which was good.

Tomorrow we have an appointment at the U.S. Embassy to apply for Wynn's visa. We're hoping to receive that either next Monday or Tuesday. Then we're free to fly home.

A footnote to yesterday's post. . .Bret has volunteered to be my fact checker! He looked on the Internet and discovered that Nepal does have a public school system. However, if they can afford to do so, parents prefer to send their children to private schools as the public schools aren't very good. I'm still not sure about the children that we see during they day who are obviously not in school at all.

I didn't take any new pictures today, which is rare, so I'm posting some pictures from previous days. While some of you may be tired of seeing pictures of our children, grandparents never tire of it! And others have commented on enjoying other photos of life here in Nepal. So here's a little bit of each. Enjoy!

Photo captions - Family photos, old women spinning cotton in Bhaktapur, Moaist the night before last week's strike (taken from our taxi window).

This and That

Well, Wynn's travel documents were not ready today as we had hoped. We're to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. Hopefully they will be ready then. This means that most likely we won't begin traveling home until next Wednesday. Without his travel documents, we cannot have our interview with the U.S. Embassy and apply for Wynn's visa. And the visa takes up to four business days. I was disappointed because somehow I had it in my head that we had a chance of traveling home this weekend. I really wanted to get home to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom. Oh well.

To shake off our disappointment, we decided to go out to lunch and then head to Baskin Robbins for ice cream. I've always said that while ice cream (and chocolate) don't solve all things, I haven't found either one to hurt any given situation. Typically we go to Thamel, the tourist district, for meals but today we decided to stay in our own neighborhood of Lazimpat. Our new found friends from Pittsburgh had recommended a restaurant so we tried it -- it was very good. After ice cream we did some souvenir shopping in a really nice Free Trade Organization craft shop. Then we came back to the apartment just in time to avoid the now daily late-afternoon thunderstorm. They don't last long and tend to cool things down and clear the air a bit, so it's a good thing. I guess it was our neighborhood's turn for a blackout because we lost power right around dinner time. I was able to cook something for the kids on the stove top. (a wok and some olive oil with leftovers goes a long way here.) Even now, the generator is running but the electricity is weak as is the Internet signal.

Since that was the extent of our day today, I thought I'd share some random Nepali observations. I'll let you decide whether or not they are interesting.

1. We were surprised how many dogs there are here. In such a poor country, the ninth poorest country in the world, we thought, "Who would keep a dog?" Now mind you, these dogs are not living the life of Millie, or any of your dogs. We would venture to guess that 99% of them live outside or on the streets. But they are fed and cared for. I think we've only seen one or two dogs on a leash with a collar being walked by an owner.

2. If you're looking for a place to stretch your tourist dollars, this is the place. The biggest expense is the airfare to get here. Once you're here, everything is really very inexpensive, including food, hotels, souvenirs and taxis.

3. We were also surprised how many schools are here. They are all private schools, including Montessori, kindergarten and up. In our neighborhood alone there is a Jewish school, a French International school, and several grade schools. Sadly, there doesn't appear to be a public education system. Children get to go to school if their parents can afford it. Every day we see kids walking to and from school in a variety of uniforms. I feel sad for the kids that we see during the day just hanging out, knowing that they won't receive a formal education because their parents cannot afford it.

4. This is a very poor country with many problems. As our landlord Arjun said again today, "No petro, no water, no electricity, and no government." Fourteen hours a day of electricity is about the average. We're lucky to be staying at a place with a back-up generator, but even that runs only when they have the energy to run it. Water is brought in to our building by a water truck. We see long lines of motorcycles, cars and buses waiting for gas (petro). And yet, with all of these problems, we continue to be amazed at the gentle, layed back nature of the Nepali people. Despite the horrendous traffic, there is no road rage. People do not seem to be short tempered. I read a sign in a local restaurant that said, "Don't change Nepal. Let Nepal change you."

5. Perhaps it's no coincidence that Bob Marley is very popular here. I've seen his face on bumper stickers and posters in shop windows. The only Bob Marley song I have on my iPod is "Don't Worry, Every Little Thing's Going to be Alright."

6. Young Nepali children drink warm milk. I tried to give Wynn cold milk one day and he wouldn't drink it. Then I remembered him drinking warm milk and bread at the orphanage. I heated his milk in a sauce pan and he drank it immediately.

7. A term of endearment for little Nepali children is babu (pronounced ba-boo).

8. The national greeting to everyone you meet is "namaste," (pronounced nah-ma-stay), which you say while holding your hands in a prayer position at about chin-level.

9. One driver that we had one day told us that we are only a 90 minute drive from the southern China border.

OK, that's enough for tonight.

Picture captions - Leah at the restaurant where we ate lunch today; additional pictures from our trip to Nargarkot (including water buffalo in case you're like me and have never seen one before).

Our Time in Nargarkot

We returned from the mountains this afternoon and truly enjoyed our weekend there. The weekend was filled with things we have never seen or heard before, such as water buffaloes grazing with birds perched on their backs. It was like a scene straight from the Lion King. As we took long walks we would often hear birds that made the exact sound of a coo-coo clock. We asked someone what the birds were called and were told Qualies.

And of course there were those spectacular views of the Himalayan Mountains from the balcony of our room. As I mentioned in my last post, I set the alarm for 5:15 a.m. to be sure that I saw the sun rise over the mountains. I woke up and dutifully took my camera and went to the highest terrace of the resort where I was joined by a tour group of about 15 people from China and a handful of Europeans. Well, we did see the sunrise but we didn't see the mountains. There was too much cloud cover. (We later learned that you could sign up for a wake up call in which you would only be called on the mornings when the mountains were visible. Oh well.) That evening after dinner, with no effort at all, we walked out onto our balcony and there they were. The cloud cover had lifted after a strong thunderstorm and it was like someone lifted the curtains and threw on the stage lights. Majestic is the only that word that comes close to describing their beauty. Bret in particular couldn't stop looking at them. They changed as the light and clouds changed. It was breathtaking.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, we hope to receive Wynn's travel documents. The Nepali government told us that they would be ready on Wednesday but Aruna tried to get them to have them ready one day early. We'll see.

Leah and Wynn are doing great. Wynn now says, "Thank you, mommy" when I give him something and today starting saying "hungry." When he uses a Nepali word that we know, for example water is panni, we repeat the English word too so he associates one word with another. We're certain that he understands much more English than he can express, but that's natural and the English will come with time. Sometimes he'll just repeat phrases such as, "Just a minute." (Which I'm forever saying to both of them.) When Bret or I were holding him in the jacuzzi yesterday we would say, "I've got you," as he isn't completely comfortable yet in the water. Wynn would them smile and say, "I've got you." Leah continues to be a great teacher and big sister. And after four years of life only with Leah, Bret and I are working on cloning ourselves and growing bigger laps when both want to climb up to be with one of us. Let this be our biggest problem.

Photo captions - Lobby of the resort; Mountain view from our balcony; family photos; women harvesting wheat.