Here I am, sitting on my bed in Kathmandu, (almost) completely packed. The past few days have been non-stop on-the-go, meaning I haven't had time to write here and I have a ton to say.
I'll start by talking about my final day at the orphanage. Everything went really well. One of the kids started adding numbers to 3, which is a huge improvement from the first week when she couldn't even add 1 + 1 ! All the kids had a blast playing with Tim's iPad, again. I was feeling okay, and ready to leave, so I said my final goodbye to Sarita. She proceeded to have a farewell ceremony for me where she sprinkled marigold flowers on my head, gave me a white scarf, and gave me a blessing, which is the third eye (a red dot made of yogurt-y stuff on the upper forehead).
I began to walk out to put my shoes on and Bharat ran up to me and hugged me, sobbing. It was the saddest thing I've ever experienced. The rest of them joined in, hugging me and crying. It definitely made me cry, too, for many reasons. It was amazing to know I made such a difference in these kids' lives, and reminded me of how much they impacted mine. I felt like three weeks wasn't enough and felt terrible for going back to my comfortable home where we eat three meals a day, where I have my own room, am able to go to school with no question, and live in a developed country with plenty of opportunities. I know these kids don't have the same opportunities as me and it made me so sad. It kind of confirmed my want to adopt at some point in my life.
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