Mixed Emotions

Hello!! We are back in Kathmandu so we have Internet service now. We became so attached to the people in Butwal it was so hard to leave. The first couple days we were almost in tears. We didn't like it, it was sooo different! We were in a village, ya know the very rugged kind with the cow dung houses and people with tough lives. It is actually different being part of it than just watching it from the car window. But we have started getting accustomed to it and really became attached to it and all the people. Even the people who didn't know a word of English, just a smile does enough. The children opened up and we loved playing games with them and sharing our differences in lifestyles. We showed them our pictures and when we came across a picture of our house they were so surprised, it was like we showed them a picture of the White House and we said, "Yes this is where we live." We have done so much Nepali dancing, that is one big pastimes here. Sitting around singing and dancing, oh and tea drinking is a must. I wonder how many gallons we have drank? The longer we are here the less we are craving American food. Now we thinking oh, I'm excited for dal bot and chicken curry, instead of wishing we had spaghetti or pizza! We have had a roller coaster of emotions, we have seen so much that no one else will experience, the good, the bad, the exciting, the boring, we've been through it all. We both feel like such stronger people, and we really feel like we have done something good. At first we felt kind of guilty thinking, "Hey this is kind of like a vacation." But then we went other places and we did all that two teenagers could do,Which was mostly sharing information and giving a smile. Oh and the school was soooo thrilled with all that they could do with the money that you donated! It is a wonderful school with wonderful students and teachers! When we left Butwal me and alesa had to use all our strength not to start crying, we became so close to everyone in the past 2 weeks we were here. Especially Sujhata, the wife of the family we were staying with. We became soooo home sick about half way through, but now we don't even want to leave. There is a spot in our hearts that has been touched that I didn't even know existed. Yes we have seen way too many homeless children and people without food, and even some images that will haunt me for a while, like when we saw a couple men with their tongues and limbs cut off, begging for money, and were told not to give anything to them because they did it to themselves for people to feel sorry for them and give them money. But jeeze, cutting off your tongue and leg! Then you see smiling children and families sitting in their huts with less then nothing, but perfectly happy and capable of living. We walked through the village and saw all this poverty, but now didn't feel bad for a single person, but I bet they all felt sorry for me thinking, "Poor Americans. They don't realize what it means to be happy with what they have." Well we are thinking about everyone!! and can't wait to see u! Love, Kayli and Alesa

After The Trek

We just left Chitwan, the safari place and are in a village called Butwa where another school is located. We are staying with a different family, they are very friendly. Trekking was a lot harder than we thought it would be! So much travel up steep hills. One day we took 3,001 steps in a row. Then we had to go down them all again, so we were sore after that. It was an amazing experience though. We saw a lot of monkeys on the trek! Chitwan was beautiful! It was a suprise when we got there because we were used to staying in the hotels that were a little empty rooms with holes in the roofs, paper thin walls, and just a little wooden bed. The toilets were outside and they were just little holes in the ground. Surprisingly we didn't really mind the lack of luxury. Chitwan was like a tropical paradise with hammocks and lemonade and all. Mommy, can I please get a baby elephant? They are so cute!! Riding the elephants was definitely a highlight! We came only a few feet of a huge rhino while riding them, it was awesome! Some wild animals we saw were alligators, spotted deer, wild boar, lots of exotic birds, some little leopard type of thing. There are so many people that we have become very close with every place we go. It's always so hard to leave! These are definitely people that we will never forget. We went to the school today. They welcomed us with a ceramony. They are very organized here, and the children are very well behaved. It is sooo different from our school! They don't have much of anything. We definately chose the right cause to raise money for. The children were so excited to see us and they drew us pictures and made us little crafts. This is just a brief sample of what we have been up to. The Internet is very slow here and we have had very little access. Well, we are doing great and learning sooo much, along with teaching people a lot about our country. This is is such an amazing experience. We are not going to take America for granted anymore though. We love you guys so much, and miss you a lot. We have already gotten you a lot of gifts mommy, cause you are so cute! talk to you later! xoxoxo