Trek to 10,000: Day 4 - Ngadi and the Marching Band

 

NGADI: Our day started with an early morning breakfast in the town of Besi Sahar.  After we had filled our bellies with Nepali tea and hearty breakfast treats, we started the four-hour uphill climb along the Marshyangdi River to the town of Ngadi in Lamjung Province.  We reached Ngadi just in time for lunch, and as we were carefully crossing a rickety bridge, the tranquil sound of the river flow was suddenly broken. Coming toward us was a 75-person “marching band” ready to accompany us to their village!  We must have been quite a sight as we ambled up the hill for the last 45 minutes of our journey -– Room to Read trekkers being serenaded by villagers playing trumpets, horns and drums, and women in brightly colored saris weaving in and out of our group handing out flowers.  From every direction, from every mouth, we heard the warm greeting of “Namaste,” and felt like we were being welcomed home. 

When we reached the village, we were greeted by a large red “welcome” banner and were escorted to a very familiar school -– the first Room to Read school that had been established back in 2000.  Awaiting us were 700 people who had come from all over to greet us, 300 of which were students!  

It was wonderful to see our honored guests be recognized: Robert and Caroline Wood (John’s parents), because this school had originally been dedicated to them in 2000, as well as Angela Anstatt and her daughter Kim Anstatt Morton, because the extension of the school had been dedicated to Herman and Bruce Anstatt (Kim’s father and brother). 

Room to Read has been working with this particular school over the past ten years and helping them expand their educational resources.  The school was originally built in 2000 to house grades 1-5, and in 2003 it was upgraded to accommodate students through grade 10. The facility now also houses a beautiful and colorful library which was established in 2008, and to help fill the library shelves, we presented over 300 newly printed Room to Read local language children’s books to the teachers.  The books had had their own journey to reach the village, having been transported  up the river and by donkey caravan to get here! The applause we received was priceless and will be long remembered.

People often ask us about how we know our libraries are working. We decided to do an impromptu check of this library and are thrilled to report that when we looked at their library registry book, more than 6,600 books had been checked out of this library over the last three years!

Our group then broke into teams of six and participated in a project to decorate the walkways of the library with a mural of pictures.  We were drawn specifically to two painting done by students.  One was a self-portrait of a young girl reading who had a halo over her head that was the Room to Read logo.  The second painting, done by a young boy, showed an adult male wearing only one flip-flop to show his lack of wealth and holding an upside-down pen.  “What did this picture represent?” we asked.  The young artist told us it showed an uneducated man who was sad because he was illiterate and could not write.
 
We were then treated to a play put on by the students which told a story of a little Nepali girl whose parents would not allow her to go to school because they wanted her to work and did not see any value in education.  Well, you can guess the happy ending of the play -- a Room to Read staff member and a teacher, played by students, intervened with the parents and taught them the valuable lesson that “world change does started with educated children” –- their own children.  The girl was allowed to attend school and yes, that was the happy ending. But the happiest part for us was seeing the mothers of the students and the children themselves watch the play with rapt attention and listen to and agree with the important message.

This day was filled with so many incredible images, sights and sounds -– immersed in the wonder of the nature surrounding us and the warmth of the people engaging us, our tired muscles are quickly forgotten.

-- Kim Anstatt, Tim Koogle and John Wood (Room to Read Board Members)

Visit www.roomtoread.org/trektotenthousand for more news and photos! 

Comments

[Janice Van Coughnett]

John, Kim your families, and our R2R families!

Congratulations on your Nepalese 10,000 celebration. My heart and soul are bursting with pride for all that you/we have accomplished in one short decade. We are living history in the making.

John, as the banner reads.....you ARE an honorable man, and we thank you for your unconditional passion.

Through flowing tears of JOY, we treasure this moment you share with your families and our Room to Read families.

Namaste

[Richard Hunt]

Your story reminds me of the journey I took with you in 2002 where we were greeted so warmly by students and teachers. Did you get a chance to play volleyball again, though? And did they build a fine charpi?

Nameste,
Hoov

[coach sale]

We must have the patience to do anything, For example we learning English, we muat Relax! Be patient and enjoy ourseves. Learning foreign languages should be fun.!