A few weeks ago, our Ama Ghar family had a special visit from Indigo, the niece of our Ama Ghar board member, Poonam Mudvari. She wrote a wonderful account of her visit that we want to share with you here:
As we drove through the bumpy Kathmandu roads to Ama Ghar, my knee was bouncing up and down, and not just because we were driving over a bunch of potholes. Truth be told, I was nervous to meet the Ama Ghar kids. What if they didn’t like me? What if I didn’t say something right? Somewhat anxious, these thoughts clouded my head on the sunny Kathmandu day.
The first thing I heard when I stepped foot onto the Ama Ghar property was laughter. Already, right off the bat, I knew Ama Ghar was a place of immense joy. I suppose I had made the assumption that because some of these kids had been through a lot, it wouldn’t be a place of such intense happiness. Experiencing the kids and their joy taught me a lot about the assumptions I make, and, from the moment I set foot on the property, I knew that it was going to be a very formative experience for me.
Anyway, it was a nice day, so the kids were outside making friendship bracelets out of yarn. After getting a tour of the property, my dad encouraged me to sit down with some of the girls and make some bracelets with them. Though I was excited to get to know them after hearing the kids’ laughter, I was still nervous that they wouldn’t like me, as I had never really been too good with kids. Still, I tentatively sat down in a circle of girls. They immediately made me feel at home, grabbing my hand and showing me their bracelets. Immediately I felt as if I fit right in and was a member of their friend group. They even gave me a bracelet of my own, which I wear around my ankle right now as I type this in San Francisco.
After making the bracelets, the kids received some gift bags. The girls who had immediately befriended me never ceased to impress me with how genuinely sweet, as they offered me their candy and toys from their gift bags. Though I refused, that moment is one that still stands out to me now, as the generosity and kindness of these kids is far greater than some adults I’ve met. The kids made me feel right at home, and left me with a big smile on my face for the rest of the trip.
Going to Ama Ghar was an amazing experience for me, which my words don’t even remotely do justice to. One thing I know for certain is that I will be back, for sure. If you find yourself in Nepal, I suggest that you visit as well.