UNIVERSITY
Student gets unique opportunity to visit Nepalese school
Delivered money for girls' school
as part of local sister city program
By Michael Coffino
t mc.i :: . PuSot "
In ()i tuber 1990 I traveled to
\c|),il .is .1 volunteer v\ ith the
I ugene Kathmandu Sister ( 11\
( ummittee It was ,i |oli th.it
took ini- In a part of \<■ p.i 1 nut
ordinarily si'i'ii In torngn visi
Inis
Reporter’s
Notebook
I was there In deliver Sunt) to
Sidha I’okhari a v illage in east
rill \rp.il that Is tour days''
walk Irom the nearest rii.nl I lie
money was part ol a si hoi.n
ship donation from Kugche to
pav loi one v ear of elementary
si hoot lor Jo v illage no Is
At 10 a lit tnv Inis real bed
the i 11v ol Ikharan in tin: Hat
southeastern part ol Nepal I
had been traveling all night
Irom Kathmandu hxluiusled at
ter -toil kilometers ot jarring
potholes and the whining ol
Hindi music. I emerged from
the hits into (lav light as it Irom
a dream
Still hours aw,i\ from the
point where 1 begun walking 1
boarded another crowded bus
a nd spent a da v traveling
sti.light np into Nepal s Ilona
lav an foothills
I found mvselt in Basantpui
literally the end ot the road It
is rutted with mud and dung,
and I spent the night in a i utri
cle at the Yak Hotel amid
i louds ol looking smoke and
the blaring ol Radio Nepal
I he next dav I awoke lound
I lie trail and began walking up
lull Soon I was lost Hnfortu
natelv , I had only a i rude map
sketc lied tor me m pent il bv a
t mvcrsitv graduate student
who had worked in the legion
Remembering with a touch ot
regret her desire not to cngi
nee! II1V experienc e I soon le
alized the map had lost all role
v am e to ill V su iron lid I tigs
( losing I resigned myself to a
series ot i limbs and desi cuts of
deeply vegetated valleys, in
si-.in li ol a lr.nl leading to the
village in which I had planned
to spend the night
I at spiders hung motionless
above the trail at every stream
crossing and lush jungle
closed in on both sides cre.it
mg a green corridor through
which 1 walked When passing
the numerous terraced fiedds
th.it .lie cut into the hillsides I
called out to stooped workers
the name ot the village I was
looking for
Standing ' Mantling I ask
I hev nodded urging me on
I inallv I found the village and
passed the night there
I he next tew days 1 spent in
the same manner traveling to
ward the school through No
pal s humid Saokuw as.ddi.i
Distric t a region ric h in or
align, banana and grapefruit
trees, steep piligles rushing
i reeks and muddy trails
\ Westerner traveling alone
through these remote hills tar
Irom the touristed trekking
routes is .m muiMi.il sight .mil
(here Vyt’ff. nVii'nv ijuestmm a mi
I filling l!i\ vim! Bel nose I
speak lull ,i lew words nl \e
pall. I i iiulii i iimiminn .lie tin
purpi>>e iii mv it ip iinlv I" llif
lew n.it iv es w hi i spuke I'.ngllsh
I told mi nne however. iit the
I (Hill rupees in mv p.» k in .1
st.ll kill lulls line till il t ll II k
()n the linirth d.iv nl hiking. 1
re,II lied im I lest 1 n.it 11 111 the v 11
l,iv;e ul S nl li .1 I'okh.in I lie v il
lage sits III! ,1 sll.irjI lldge ill tile
let ! lie middle lulls he! ween \e
(i.i 1 s ti.it siiulhein ter.11 .ind its
looming I I1n1nl.1v.1n nuiunt.iins
vv Ini Ivi .111 lie seen Iri>111 the v 11
Inge .iliing the iiurthei n sk\ line
U itfi .1 d| 11 nItv , I Im .ite'd !he
luune .il the si hin 11 head ill. istei
India I’ras.ld Shrest h.1 and
handed tu hull the enveliipe
1 onlainiitg I In- munev I le is a
kind, handsiime man nl >!) whn
1 unverses e.isilv with his mi
itierous 1 hildren
The nest dav liuira Prasad
showed me the Sidha I’ukhati
si haul a tvvn stun stone hudil
mg nl eight rooms where JIM)
1 hildteli lake 1 lasses in sis dll
lerent suh|e< ts
The suund ul a pipe ringing
on a metal har signals recess
Students run to plus in an ad
joining field, where water hut
lain submerge themselves in a
small pond
T v e t v m 111 111 n g from the
si,hunts aril the w hite form ul
i: Sill tout M.ik.du and its sut
rounding peaks i an tie seen 1 is
mg aiiuv e low 1 limits ttv 111
a in tlie i limits 1 over the sum
nut hiding the mountains from
V lew until tile nest dav
Surprisingly tin- girls desig
Hated tu rei eive the si holarship
munev did nut know tliev had
been chosen Wearing looks ul
he vva I lie r rile lit . t h e s w e r e
brought into the headmaster's
oflir e
The entire si hool in fat t
was in an uproar over my ones
petted visit ( lasses had been
hopelesslv disrupted and stu
dents erowdeil the window ul
the room, living tu ligine out
w fiat w as going on
India I’rasud spoke to the
girls tor the lirst time about it
informing them that tliev had
been aw arded st holarship mon
ey
t hey seemed shut bed Some
ut these students walk lot two
hours (rum their homes each
dav to attend si hool Most ol
their families surv ive oil suhsis
tent e farming and bv trading at
a weekly market
W it flout the scholarships,
most o! the girls would not be
able to attend school past the
tilth grade hei.iuse the little
money that most Nepalese fain
ihes set aside to pay tor school
is usually spent on their sons
Although the language bar
rier 1 realeil a distant.e lietween
the students and myself, their
faces expressed the same shy
ness humor and concern of
i hildren from mv own country
1 staved in the area tor sever
ai day s taking pic lures, observ
ing 1 lasses and stay iug with ,1
family that lived neat the
si hool \ daily sinter game at
Don't give up the search! Try LOST AMD
FOUMD in the classified section
thi' cnii ut townor i upitsl inv
.iftonuions
Soon thoilfth I v\ ,is .ilonr nil
the tool north rctiirninij to
hnthm.imiu h\ .1 ilit11-rirtit
routr I ho sti.mnc silrm r ol
lolls imiffh'd l>\ soil lorrst m
V t‘ln|li't| till* (IIK l' tlHdlll
( >ii«* p.irl nt mv jouriuA in 1
u.is iivt’l Iml I look, fin 1
w.iril In tin'-.lullin' months 1 I
w ill spinul lii-if (.irrV'tiiK mil 1
ollii'i ilulii's .is .i viilunli'cr .mil 1
tnivi'liiiu tlinniuh tlm i otmtrv I
I Ilk in t In- iltifi lion ot
v ll Ilf mull III .1 I lls ill .l|lf ll in
Ininls I u.ilihfd llif rivinit ot
Ilf Mill ivhllf luirfloolfll pol
ITS llf.iv\ lo.ills linm; 11 o III
Ill’ll loiflilMlIs VVillkfll S ill' I It I \
i.isl nif
Wanted- Any information on
the strange happenings at the
place known as, “Guido’s.” There
have been reports of loud noise,
laughter, and merry- making.
This has been reported to have
happened at all hours and on ev
eryday of the week.
Investigators have found traces of
a wild dance and pizza party on
Tuesday, and total chaos on
Wednesday. There are no clues.
Cikiolo
p« KM & A (tin
Now open
everyday,
with no
explanation.
YOUR NEW FUN PLACE TO SHOP!
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GREEKS
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HOURS:
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CLOSED SUNDAYS
KVc^\ SC (J'ft*
CORNER OF 13TH 6* KINCAID * 343-704^