In this post Guest Writer and longtime Kailash Home Sponsor Brad Blum shares his recollections about his first visit to Nepal 7 years ago.
En aquest article, Brad Blum, escriptor convidat i patrocinador de la Llar Kailash des de fa molt temps, comparteix els seus records sobre la seva primera visita a Nepal, fa gairebé 7 anys.
Our plane descended toward the runway at Kathmandu Airport as the sun was rising. It was April 2015, just one day after a second major earthquake had shaken the people and destroyed buildings in this part of Nepal. We entered the open-air airport and saw wild monkeys running freely. I knew that Mount Everest was just a few days trek away. We were far from home and here for one reason — to make sure that Kailash Home had not been seriously damaged and to ensure all of the children there were safe.
El nostre avió va descendir cap a la pista de l’aeroport de Kàtmandu mentre sortia el sol. Era abril de 2015, just un dia després que un segon gran terratrèmol sacsegés a la gent i destruís edificis en aquesta part del Nepal. Entràvem a l’aeroport i vam veure micos salvatges corrent lliurement. Sabia que la muntanya Everest estava a pocs dies de caminada. Estàvem lluny de casa i estàvem aquí per una raó: assegurar-nos que la Llar Kailash no havia sofert danys greus i que tots els nens d’allí estaven fora de perill.
For me, it was also a most special opportunity to meet for the very first time, the two wonderful Nepali children I’d been sponsoring since 2012 when they first came to Kailash. It was to be an eye-opening experience.
Per a mi, també va ser una oportunitat molt especial per a conèixer per primera vegada als dos meravellosos nens nepalesos que he estat apadrinant des de l’any 2012, quan van arribar per primera vegada al Kailash. Va ser una experiència reveladora.
Fortunately, the damage to the buildings at Kailash was limited, and the children were well, but everyone on campus was still sleeping in large tents because of the fear of after-tremors, one of which we experienced during our stay. In the following days, I fell in love with all of the children and developed an especially close bond with my two kids – a young boy named Yungdung, who had the nickname Badgi (or old man in Nepali), and Sonam, a beautiful girl just a few years older whose range of interests was nearly as broad as her infectious smile.
Afortunadament, els danys en els edificis del Kailash van ser limitats i els nens es trobaven bé, però tothom al campus continuava dormint en grans tendes de campanya per la por als tremolors posteriors, un dels quals vam experimentar durant la nostra estada. En els dies següents, em vaig enamorar de tots els nens i vaig desenvolupar un vincle especialment estret amb els meus dos fills: un nen anomenat Yungdung, que tenia el sobrenom de Badgi (o vell en nepalès), i Sonam, una bella nena a penes uns anys major el ventall d’interessos dels quals era gairebé tan ampli com el seu contagiós somriure.
Even with the recent natural disaster and upheaval to their lives, the children were in a constant flurry of youthful energy, picking vegetables from the garden, working in the bakery, playing soccer (football in their language, as in most places in the world) and basketball. Some older children were training for a marathon. There were numerous dogs and even a cow living on campus. In short, life was still moving forward.
Malgrat la recent catàstrofe natural i l’alteració de les seves vides, els nens estaven en una constant onada d’energia juvenil, recollint verdures de l’hort, treballant en la fleca, jugant al futbol (en el seu idioma, com en la majoria dels llocs del món) i al bàsquet. Alguns nens més grans s’entrenaven per a una marató. Hi havia nombrosos gossos i fins i tot una vaca vivint al campus. En resum, la vida continuava avançant.
All of these children were here because they had been orphaned, or abused, or abandoned, or just simply, came from homes where their parents did not have the means to support them. It was, and is, a heartbreaking reality of the work of Kailash. But to visit campus, you would never know it. These children embodied the Webster’s dictionary definition of happiness and generosity. If one of them received a small gift or found something of interest, they immediately wanted to share it with all the other kids or give it away to someone else. As little as they had had in their short lives, they never tried to clutch or keep things solely for themselves.
Tots aquests nens eren aquí perquè havien quedat orfes, o havien sofert abusos, o havien estat abandonats, o simplement, procedien de llars on els seus pares no tenien mitjans per a mantenir-los. Era, i és, una realitat esquinçadora del treball de Kailash. Però en visitar el campus, mai ho sabries. Aquests nens encarnaven la definició de felicitat i generositat del diccionari Webster. Si un d’ells rebia un petit regal o trobava una mica d’interès, immediatament volia compartir-ho amb tots els altres nens o regalar-ho a una altra persona. Per molt poc que hagin tingut en la seva curta vida, mai van intentar aferrar-se o guardar les coses només per a ells.
During my stay, Yungdung’s birth father had also made the long trip to see his son and in so doing, meet me. Though I was unsure how the introduction would go, he could not have been nicer or more grateful, saying humbly, “I simply do not have the money to raise my son properly. You do. This home and his schooling and all his friends here mean the world to him.”
Durant la meva estada, el pare biològic de Yungdung també havia fet el llarg viatge per a veure al seu fill i, de pas, conèixer-me. Encara que no estava segur de com seria la presentació, no va poder ser més amable ni més agraït. “Senzillament, no tinc diners per a criar al meu fill com cal. Vostè sí que ho té. Aquesta llar i la seva escolarització i tots els seus amics aquí signifiquen el món per a ell”.
In fact, all of the children were grateful especially to be able to attend nearby schools, and every morning they noisily clambered into one of the yellow buses that had been paid for by funds from worldwide supporters of MHF and Kailash. To this day, Sonam and Yungdung write me beautiful letters of how they’re doing, and I receive their school grades and updates just like to any “normal” parent.
De fet, tots els nens estaven especialment agraïts per poder assistir a les escoles pròximes, i cada matí es pujaven sorollosament a un dels autobusos grocs que havien estat pagats amb fons de simpatitzants mundials de la MHF i de Kailash. Avui dia, Sonam i Yungdung m’escriuen belles cartes sobre com els va, i jo rebo les seves notes escolars i actualitzacions com a qualsevol pare “normal”.
Those two weeks abroad in 2015, changed my life forever. I had traveled to many places around the world, many times before, but I had never experienced a feeling like this. The children of Kailash may have often expressed their gratitude, but the one who was grateful beyond belief was me.
Aquestes dues setmanes a l’estranger l’any 2015, van canviar la meva vida per sempre. Havia viatjat a molts llocs del móns anteriorment, però mai havia experimentat una sensació com aquesta. Pot ser que els nens de Kailash hagin expressat sovint la seva gratitud, però el que estava agraït més enllà de l’imaginable era jo.
The two checks I write each year to support my two children at Kailash are the two easiest and happiest checks I write all year. Nearly ten years later, I still feel so privileged to support the children of Kailash as a longtime sponsor. If I could encourage you to do one thing this year, it would be to get involved — perhaps even to sponsor a child because watching a young person, who comes from next to nothing, grow into a wonderful young adult simply because of the invaluable opportunity you can bring to them is a kind fulfillment and joy I’m not sure it’s possible to find anywhere else.
Els dos xecs que escric cada any per a fer costat als meus dos fills al Kailash són els dos xecs més fàcils i feliços que escric en tot l’any. Gairebé deu anys després, continuo sentint-me molt privilegiat per fer costat als nens de Kailash com a padrí des de fa molt temps. Si pogués animar-te a fer una cosa enguany, seria involucrar-te – tal vegada fins i tot apadrinar a un nen perquè veure a una persona jove, que ve de gairebé res, créixer fins a convertir-se en un jove adult meravellós simplement per la inestimable oportunitat que pots brindar-li és una satisfacció i alegria que no estic segur que sigui possible trobar en cap altre lloc.
