Well, the first day of 2012 is drawing to an end :) After spending the night at the Kathmandu Guest House in Thamel and luxuriating in a hot shower and a real bed, today was filled with braiding the amazingly silky hair of some of the girls at Papa's House (nostalgic feelings of primary school days lingering throughout!), tiffin all together in the garden, and finally a mad dash to the Tinkune Baby Orphanage to explain my plan for the week to the Didis, with the help of my newly translated 'mini thesis' (as some of the staff and volunteers have dubbed it) entitled 'Childhood Development & The Importance of Play.' For 200 nrp per page one of the volunteer guides Sita had my spontaneous nine page document on the importance of affection, play, creativity, modeling behaviour and educational stimulation translated into Nepali. The idea is to educate the Didis a little on the importance of these things, in the hopes that after I leave in a week, some of the activities I do with the kids every day might be continued by them! I am not expecting big things, because the orphanage has an undercurrent of corruption, with donations of toys and clothes disappearing (assumably to be sold for money/food) and a group of carers who are poor and young with backgrounds of trafficking and hardship. Even so, even if a little more awareness among them arises from this week, that would be worth it!

Apart from the Didis though, there is a greater priority: the children. Today when I went to talk to the Didis with Sita, they were, as always, literally all over me. They cry "Auntie! Auntie!" and cling to you, their little arms reaching up, begging to be held and cuddled. One hug is not enough, and trying to share your lap ends in total chaos as the toddlers push and shove to get your total attention. I feel for them, perhaps more so because I understand what it is to have attachment issues :) I can't help but think, however, that whereas they have reason to be so hungry for attachment and connection and for that someone special, my own fear of abandonment and need for a special connection with someone is peculiarly ungrounded...