Mira's Field Notes

2/14/01, Kathmandu

I enticed three new arrivals down from the roof. I carried a huge teddy bear and gave each child a golden crown. I said, "Chu, chu," which means, "come, come" and brought them slowly down the stairs. They would get shy and run away and then come back to me. At the Clinic I laid out books and watercolors and the three new arrivals painted sitting on the ground. The painting wasn't guided or forced, it came through them naturally. There were two boys and one girl, all were under twelve years old.

I painted faces and allowed my nails to be done in gold water colors. The kids had on costumes and rotated between activities of painting and playing.

The day went fast. A bus was leaving today for Delhi and most of the children would be on it. The air was filled with that knowing. Kelsang was packing. We gave away art books and I passed out oranges to each child with their box of crayons. I couldn't quite believe my friends were leaving. I had come to love them so much. The Reception Center was only a momentary stop off for them. Their lives carried them forward on a momentum I wouldn't have wanted to stop. Still, today was hard. The group I had spent the last month with was departing.