Four days and four kids

There is both beauty and pain in traveling to an area without a plan, but an unsecured WiFi hotspot from a wandering stranger will usually save the day

Wilson Wang
Jul 20, 2017 · 6 min read
The night of sleep on bamboo + yoga mat + stacked towel pillow

I rode into Seoul during my overnight layover clueless on what to do. I was hoping to go for a run around town, but after one step out into the summer humidity I immediately returned to the air-conditioned McDonalds inside Seoul Station.

For some reason, there was no WiFi. My random-stranger-turned-WiFi-savior eventually arrived and I searched for 24 hour things to do or places to stay. I found what is called a jjimjibang — there was a relaxing salt sauna, lava rock sauna, ice room, entertainment room, singing room, computer room, fitness room, restaurant, and spa baths, all in one place, all for $15 a night. There must have been between 100–150 locals and tourists spread over each floor of this five-floor establishment, relaxing and taking rest in the spacious communal areas.

Jet lag, choruses of snores, and people running around meant a restless night of sleep.

One of the few benefits of jet lag: waking early and exploring a pre-sunrise city

purposefull (noun)

The state of being satiated through purpose

Reunited with many old friends

I arrived in Nepal on a Saturday, the children’s day off from school. They were shy at first, preferring to watch TV instead of talking to me. A year ago, there was no TV to watch. Now they had consistent electricity and no more power rationing or power cuts.

Trouble brewing with Dipesh, Shiva, and Ajay B

Because boys will be boys, we had a small fiasco in the afternoon. One of our boys got into a fight at school and beat up another boy; today, the other boy brought his band of brothers to get revenge. Ama, the mother, invited them in for a nice lesson on friendship and made both boys hug each other for one of the most unwilling hugs ever between two fuming 10-year-olds.

Stories of Swostika

Determined to make the most of what she has

Swostika, Sonika, and Raj (credit for photobombing)

Swostika was one of the first to stop watching TV and start reviewing for the new school term. I went over and helped quiz her on some household item/animal/fruit vocabulary for her 2nd grade class. Soon enough, Prashant and other children started circling and practicing as well.

Once the area became crowded, Swostika left the table and went downstairs. Eventually, I walk down and I find out she’s still studying without all the noise of the kids in the upstairs TV room. The next morning, when all the kids were preparing to go to school and running around, she still had her books out.

Ajay B tantrums

The boy who kicks and screams all morning and finally smiles after eating a banana in the afternoon

His motto: “Yes chocolate, no school.”

In the morning, I walked the kids to their school. While the other kids were putting on their uniforms and prepping their backpacks, Ajay B refused.

Eventually, the kids were lining up and getting ready to go, and Ajay B finally puts on his clothes. He has no shoes to put on, so the others help find and fetch his shoes and socks. However, when I walked out the door with the little ones, Ajay B was nowhere to be found.

I returned after walking the students, and 15 minutes later, one of the staff from the school came to the home to fetch Ajay B. We gave him a package of biscuits and sent him off. Barely 5 minutes later, we hear screaming from a distance. The elder kids recognize that it’s Ajay B and run to the school to take him back. He returns as a crying mess.

I sit next to him for about 30 minutes while he slowly stops crying. Nothing can console him until the afternoon when Pramila gave him a banana.

My first Mastika conversation

Under the radar, she helps keep all the kids in line

Quiet leader of the younger girls

Mastika, one of the quieter girls and sister of Swostika, finally spoke to me for the first time in two years! In the morning, I took a photo of her, and she liked her photo. Then on the bus ride to school, she tapped my shoulder and talked about how she was in the 3rd grade when I came last year, and about how she’s now in 4th grade.

Mastika helps take care of the younger kids. Many of the older kids, like Sani and Pooja, will also help get the kids ready for school, wash up, put on the shoes for the little ones, tie their shoelaces, and prepare their backpacks, etc. Some are more extroverted in nature; Mastika tends to be quieter. When you speak so little, your words are so golden.

Pratez

The reason I can only be a dad for 30 minutes

Turning rubble into sand pyramids

After 30 minutes of actively playing with Pratez, 6, I ran out of energy and limped through another 2+ hours of watching him. How do moms and dads do this 24 hours a day?

He made the dirt road into a racetrack; the pile of sand and bricks into a pyramid home; a metal rod into a pickaxe, mining for gold; a paper airplane into the most engaging flight path emulator ever.

One of the most adorable moments was when he went to the bathroom, finished washing his hands, and the power suddenly went out. He immediately hugged me super tight and said he was scared in the dark. One of my first moments of pseudo-fatherhood meant acting bravely and fetching my phone flashlight while in reality I was more scared than he was.

Rainbow Loons

Thanks to Dalia, Iris, and Marion, the children learned how to make rainbow loons after returning from school. Everyone was so immersed. Even Ama joined and they all made really nice color combinations.

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