This time around, we hit up a little place called Jazoo's in Jalwalkhel, which is basically referred to as the "Whitie District" by the Nepali locals: the vast majority of the neighborhood's population is comprised of Westerners working for national NGOs, or Westerners pretending to work for national NGOs. I love meeting fellow crackers who refuse to tell what they're doing in Nepal or who they're here with, especially the ones who glance back and forth nervously when I engage them in personal conversation.
Anyway, Jazoo's right? Most of the boys, aged 13 to 15 this time around, spent more time in the bathroom trying to spike their hair up with water for Glamour Shots than they did around the table with Jason and I, but we had fun anyway. I was nursing my ankle pilo at the time, but a Coke and 4 extra-strength Tylenols gave me back my precious, precious smile. I tried to teach the boys how to play the Sculpture Game (if you've ever been a camp counselor before, well, you get the idea...), but alas, my puny mind games were no match for the Hindi music videos playing on TV. Jason smuggled in some brownies from the German bakery downstairs (it's called Makoo's...what's the deal with all the restaurants ending in -oo?) for dessert to satiate his sweettooth. Dinner for 15 guys was AGAIN under $50, so for those of you who are in need of financial planning, send me an email; we'll work a budget out for you.
From left to right, this is Sagar (a.k.a. Big Sugar), the Bear (complete with short-lived Ben Casey facial hair), Kumar, and Surya. Keep Sagar in your prayers: shortly after Jason and I arrived in Nepal, Sagar developed a nervous disorder in his right hand that kept him from being able to completely straighten out his fingers. When Rina took him to see a doctor, tests revealed that he is in the early stages of leprosy. He's received treatment that is impeding the spread of the disease, but leprosy is highly contagious via contact of skin or bodily fluids, so literally everybody in CWC (Jason and I included) could potentially contract it. I'm determined not to treat Sagar any differently, mainly because I still can't beat him at ping pong after three months, but it's scary to think of what could potentially happen to Sagar or any of the other orphans, and the question of quarantining a child in a leper colony is not one I'm ready to face.
Once again, left to right: Ghalsang, Prokash, and Roshan. Ghalsang, is without a doubt, the funniest kid in the hostel; he and Jason engage each other in rap battles on the walk to school, and he's mastered the art of competitive name-calling (Chimpanzee Brother is my favorite). Prokash is relatively quiet, but very physically affectionate when he's not busy at the dart board Jason and I bought at the Kathmandu Mall. On this particular night, I was really impressed with Prokash's kind spirit: he could've had anything off the menu, but he chose to eat momos (a really cheap Nepali snack--fried dumplings with meat inside them), and when they finally came, Prokash ate one and shared the rest with his friends. I got him another order and he did the same thing, refusing to eat part of anybody else's meal; what a servant's heart... As for Roshan, well, this is the most animated you'll ever see him, as he normally sleeps for 16 hours a day.
See, I told you Ghalsang was a goofball. Here, he unwittingly does his best "offensive Jerry Lewis" impression. The glasses were formerly filled with banana lassis, a sweet foamy drink that's really similar to a milkshake, save for the fact that it's made from curd. Mmmmm, sweet sweet curd... Just like mom used to never make. Ever.
Everybody wanted their picture taken with this fish tank, though I'm not really sure why. Ishor, pictured here, is actually 17, but missed out on the meal last time we took the older boys out, so Jason and I invited him along and let him order basically one of everything on the menu. Well, actually, Jason just told him that as a joke, but Ishor took him seriously and ate four plates of food. Ishor comes from a small village in the countryside, and according to what he told Jason, became a Christian after missionaries visiting his home cast out demons that had been wailing in the countryside.
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