Wow, I'm a little behind with my posting!
I guess time does fly when you're having fun!
These are the little ones at Esa Memorial School greeting me with cheers!
Isn't that a wonderful way to be greeted?!
Anyway, we made it through the difficult year of 2015 and are thankful!
We hope everyone reading this can also find many blessings to be thankful for!
We're fine, although the country is in turmoil. Yes, we're still recuperating from the earthquake, and the continuing aftershocks, although thankfully they are not as frequent as they were. Now there is the problem of the fuel crisis, which is hampering the progress of helping the people who still desperately need help, especially now that winter is here. It's bad people, it's bad. Just Google it, and you can find any number of articles about the dire situation.
This article is from a couple of weeks ago, and it's only gotten worse since then.
http://www.businessinsider.com/r-nepals-fuel-crisis-will-push-almost-a-million-people-into-poverty-2015-12
Normally we are blessed during the winter to have a gas room heater, but we can't use it now. Five years ago I wrote this post about preparing for our first winter here: http://himalayanhappenings.blogspot.com/search/label/Weather
Now, without gas coming in, we have to save our meager supply for quick showers and load shed with the rest of the country to save the generator's fuel for the hospital's needs. We can't use our ugly, but wonderful, gas room heater! I miss it! We're using two electric heaters, one for the bathroom and one for the living room, when there's no load shedding. (We bundle up when there is load shedding! I look like Jolly Mrs. Santa Claus with all my layers, but you do what you gotta do, right?! I know many people don't even have room heaters, so I'll just add another layer if I get cold and keep going! We bought an electric water kettle (we have to boil our water and put it into a filter before using it) and an electric skillet since we can't use the gas stove. Those two, combined with our microwave and toaster oven, solve our cooking needs nicely. However, as I mentioned, we can only use them when Banepa has electricity, which is usually three - four hours during the day!
Yep, that's how we're rollin' now!
The operating rooms and the OB ward are the only places on campus allowed to have heaters on during the load shedding.
I guess time does fly when you're having fun!
These are the little ones at Esa Memorial School greeting me with cheers!
Isn't that a wonderful way to be greeted?!
Anyway, we made it through the difficult year of 2015 and are thankful!
We hope everyone reading this can also find many blessings to be thankful for!
We're fine, although the country is in turmoil. Yes, we're still recuperating from the earthquake, and the continuing aftershocks, although thankfully they are not as frequent as they were. Now there is the problem of the fuel crisis, which is hampering the progress of helping the people who still desperately need help, especially now that winter is here. It's bad people, it's bad. Just Google it, and you can find any number of articles about the dire situation.
This article is from a couple of weeks ago, and it's only gotten worse since then.
http://www.businessinsider.com/r-nepals-fuel-crisis-will-push-almost-a-million-people-into-poverty-2015-12
Normally we are blessed during the winter to have a gas room heater, but we can't use it now. Five years ago I wrote this post about preparing for our first winter here: http://himalayanhappenings.blogspot.com/search/label/Weather
Now, without gas coming in, we have to save our meager supply for quick showers and load shed with the rest of the country to save the generator's fuel for the hospital's needs. We can't use our ugly, but wonderful, gas room heater! I miss it! We're using two electric heaters, one for the bathroom and one for the living room, when there's no load shedding. (We bundle up when there is load shedding! I look like Jolly Mrs. Santa Claus with all my layers, but you do what you gotta do, right?! I know many people don't even have room heaters, so I'll just add another layer if I get cold and keep going! We bought an electric water kettle (we have to boil our water and put it into a filter before using it) and an electric skillet since we can't use the gas stove. Those two, combined with our microwave and toaster oven, solve our cooking needs nicely. However, as I mentioned, we can only use them when Banepa has electricity, which is usually three - four hours during the day!
Yep, that's how we're rollin' now!
The operating rooms and the OB ward are the only places on campus allowed to have heaters on during the load shedding.
Here are some pictures I took of people waiting in line for cooking gas.
Obviously this line goes on and on both ways!
Imagine!
Here are some pictures I took of some of the lines for fuel. These lines go on for about a mile for each fuel station.
As soon as one line ends, you see the next one forming.
Yes, one can get nervous watching the young men on top of the buses who volunteer for the top because there's no room inside. Now that is nothing new for Nepal. During some of the festival times, when people travel to visit families, buses can also get this crowded. However, now they are
crowded because only about half of them have fuel to travel anywhere.
This picture is blurry, sorry (!), but you can see that the boys hanging on in the doorway because they couldn't fit anywhere else are just inches from the parked buses they are passing. Yikes!
It's difficult to see the parked trucks and taxis because each one means someone
is missing a much needed paycheck.
This article has lots of pics. It's sad:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2015/12/crisis-nepal-india-border-blockade-continues-151223082533785.html
Well, that's what's happening here. We're counting on your prayers! We also will be praying for all of you reading this to enjoy a nice year and stay warm this winter!
For those who are interested, here are two more articles. This first one is about how the fuel crisis has now become a humanitarian crisis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015-2016_Nepal_humanitarian_crisis
This second one is just a rather interesting one I stumbled upon. Even if you skip some of it,
please don't miss the ending!
http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2016-01-02/the-chepang-people-of-chitwan-and-their-conversion-to-christianity.html
Goodbye, take care, and God bless!
To close, here are the cutie pie first grade girls in the library...
As soon as one line ends, you see the next one forming.
crowded because only about half of them have fuel to travel anywhere.
This picture is blurry, sorry (!), but you can see that the boys hanging on in the doorway because they couldn't fit anywhere else are just inches from the parked buses they are passing. Yikes!
It's difficult to see the parked trucks and taxis because each one means someone
is missing a much needed paycheck.
This article has lots of pics. It's sad:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2015/12/crisis-nepal-india-border-blockade-continues-151223082533785.html
Well, that's what's happening here. We're counting on your prayers! We also will be praying for all of you reading this to enjoy a nice year and stay warm this winter!
For those who are interested, here are two more articles. This first one is about how the fuel crisis has now become a humanitarian crisis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015-2016_Nepal_humanitarian_crisis
This second one is just a rather interesting one I stumbled upon. Even if you skip some of it,
please don't miss the ending!
http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2016-01-02/the-chepang-people-of-chitwan-and-their-conversion-to-christianity.html
Goodbye, take care, and God bless!
To close, here are the cutie pie first grade girls in the library...
...and the whole class with their books. Beautiful!
Have a nice day!
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