The house is so wonderful. The house is so wonderful. It feels strange in a way to actually be standing in it. I haven’t been able to stop walking up and down the hallway peering into each room and touching the walls.

There’s been a lot of little things to get taken care of. I chose the paint today. There were only 6 or 7 colors to choose from and at least 5 were absolutely horrendous, in my opinion. Hmmm, let’s see what should I choose? Dirt brown, mustard yellow, or orange baby poop? Going to the paint shop was the funniest part of all. The shopkeeper gave me a card with 60 colors to choose from. Then every time I chose a color, he would say “sorry madame, no Surkhet.” After he said this for the 15th time, I finally just looked at him and said, “Okay, well why don’t you tell me which colors YOU DO HAVE.” He then pointed to the 7 different colors I could choose from. We painted a sample of each one, on one of the walls and at least 50 people from the village came to give their input. (Most of them liked the orange baby poop.) Then we all started mixing colors with our hands and making our own combinations, which got pretty funny. To make the paint they just mix this powder with water. It just looks really watery to me… we’ll see how it turns out.

We can move in as soon as the house is painted and we do the house ceremony. Until then there are 10 of us sleeping in one tiny room.

I’ve been having issues with my stomach. I think my body is having a hard time adjusting to the food and water after being away for so long. It’ll probably be a few more days before I get my footing. I still feel like I’m on sensory overload at the moment. There’s been A LOT of things to handle and already two little orphan boys have come in not so good condition, from a village up in the mountains. Their father and mother were murdered by some Maoist militants, but I haven’t gotten the whole story yet. I will go to their village and get as much information and as much paperwork for them as I can and then I will probably take them in two weeks or so. I’m leaving for Katmandu today to handle some logistical things. I should have a better connection there and will be in touch! Thank you for all of your e-mails and support.

Oh yes, and I chose a song for this week. “Simple Life,” by the Weepies. Last night I was thinking about how it’s actually kind of nice with all of us sleeping in this one room. We talk, and dance, and drink tea, cook together, and eat together. I still haven’t unpacked but I realized everything that I really need fits in one little bag and it’s liberating in a way. Before I left the U.S. I was only thinking about all of the things I would miss while I was away… hot showers, a washer and dryer, my car… I forgot to think about all of the things I had missed here while I was gone… SIMPLICITY. I’m just fine without my 20-minute steaming hot shower in the morning. I enjoy being able to walk everywhere I need to go, stopping to talk to all my neighbors along the way. It feels good to make a delicious meal over a hot fire with vegetables from the old woman at the market, to wash my clothes with my own hands on a stone slab, and to enjoy a hot cup of tea as a treat now and again.