October 7

"Mama!!"

When I spent four months in Nepal, I went to a village everyday to spend time with nearly 20 children with disabilities. It was hard knowing what exactly the diagnosis for each child was, because of difficult communication, and also, because a lot of the time, I don't think anyone knew what a certain disability meant or looked like, or felt like- let alone know what the name for it was. I learned that it doesn't matter much. They are just kids, and more then medicine, they need love and respect and they want to have fun.

One of the kids, and I can't even think of her name off the top of my head, was not verbal. The only thing I ever heard her say was "Mama!" over and over and over. It's funny because you would think the one word she spoke would be in Nepali. It was also so enjoyable when men would come and she would address them by looking right at them and saying "Mama!" I would love to find out where she learned that word, and I would kill to know if there was a reason she spoke it contiunally.

The bus rides up to this village were an hour long. After I got off the bus, I would walk for 45 minutes all uphill. It was so tiring, and a lot of the time turned me cranky. After 5 minutes spent with the kids, cranky was the furthest thing from how I felt. The kids liberated me, they made me happy. They made me realize that the world is beautiful and uncomplicated. They showed me that it was about love, and simplicity. I enjoyed every second spent there.


"Mommy!!"

Since being home in the states, I have missed those kids a ton. I worry about them- I hope that their health is good and that they are dreaming big dreams and enjoying themselves. I think about them so often, and I am always looking for that inspiration that I drew from them. I miss their energy, and that feeling I got every moment we were together. Most ironically, I got a PCA job with a boy named Tim. He is also pretty unverbal, but one word anyone can hear him say over and over is "Mommy!"

I went to his house the other night, and we sat with each other. We danced a little bit, he bossed me around, and together we adorned his tiny wrists with every one of his sisters bracelts. On the drive over, and for many days before I went to Tim's, my mind was filled with stress. Mostly because of money, or things equally silly. I hadn't even spent more than 5 minutes with Tim before I felt inspired, and the furthest thing from stressed. Tim brought me back to the fact that life is simple, and meant to be enjoyed.

Two worlds. Two kids. Two languages. Same concept.