The Butterfly Home has Opened its Doors
It is official, the Butterfly Home is now truly a home with all 45 ECDC kids running around. There is still a little last minute painting, organizing, and tree house assembling to be done, but these are little things compared to this big and long-awaited accomplishment!
A Nepalese Ceremony took place before the first night in the new home to bless the house and celebrate the kids. I was honored to take part. All the girls got to dress up in their traditional, bedazzled Nepalese dresses and I did my best wearing one I last minute found in a department store. The ceremony included a lot of chants, fruits and herbs representing different things, and seemingly endless handfuls of candy for the kids. It was a happy day for everyone.
The move in week we were lucky enough to acquire more helping hands as Thomas Morgan the creator of Waiting For Mamu (the documentary on ECDC), his family, and a returning volunteer joined us. They were all such lovely, generous people that I was honored to experience this memorable moment with. The transition from the old to the new home has gone very smoothly, only a few misplaced items and a not so welcomed reminder of last years devastation when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake shook Nepal awake the night before moving in. Luckily there was no damage and the kids are tough enough to not be phased by the scare, excitement wasn’t dulled a bit that day.
I am having the most rewarding time spending day after day with these extraordinary kids. I am surprised daily by their strength, passion, and endless love; and now with their new and improved home they can play like kids and pursue their passions. This is their first home to have a yard to play soccer and do handstand on, sinks that dispense water, and an oven to bake homemade treats in. They can now experience a bit more of a life as a kid with less troubles and more joy. Next challenge is for me to teach the staff and older kids how to bake. Our first attempt at brownies put in perspective just how many mouths they have to feed here, and how much chocolate these kids are capable of devouring. But besides the excitement of a new home, routine is still in hand and settling into the new home seems to be an easy task for them.
Life is good here at the Butterfly Home, even the impressive amount of bumps and bruises from pretending I’m a kid are welcomed.
Hope all is well,
Kayla Heuton