wings of Pegasus

wings of Pegasus --

peaked white earth domes perched

on the side of a green hill

The white domes at the hostel for Pegasus School are constructed from earth-filled bags coiled like a straw bee skep and then plastered with earth. They look like Hobbit huts perched on a green hill outside Kathmandu. When Pam and I visited two years ago, the inside walls and the domed ceiling of the kitchen were black with soot from gas cooking fires, but that only added a natural patina, while the potato storage room was painted blushing pink.
          We arrived at the start of a Maoist general strike which shut down everything -- government, schools, businesses, banks, street vendors, and traffic, except for emergency vehicles -- and there were rolling blackouts. It was too dangerous to walk in some areas, so we had to wait to visit the two schools where Shanti Children's Foundation, founded by Pam, sponsors a number of needy children. It was a joyful moment when I finally met Thrinley, the girl we've been sponsoring for 12 years. 
          Now we hear from Kinley Lama, the Director of Pegasus, that things are "the same or getting a bit worse. Power cuts have reached 14 to 16 hours a day, but the good thing is that we know in advance when we will be having the cuts so we can prepare. Fuel prices have gone up by 10 to 20 % and even with the high increase in prices fuel is not available. Which makes us all wonder, what is happening to this country?"
          He goes on to say that "the biggest problem is cooking fuel, kerosene as well as cooking gas. Both are not available anymore and the weird thing is that the government or people responsible for these are not doing anything. Cooking for the children is now being done by firewood. We buy it from the local villagers. The staff use cooking gas but everyone seems to have only enough stock for maybe a week. Then it looks like we have to go back to using firewood too. At least for us we have the option of using firewood, but I am wondering what is happening with the people living in the urban areas?"
          And I am wondering what happens when they can no longer get fuel for the bus that takes the boarding students from the hostel to town every school day? During the Maoist strike, when they could not get to the school in town, they had classes at the hostel, all of the students in one big room, seated from oldest to youngest.
         The good news is that the children are all fine and two more girls will be joining the hostel on Friday, an auspicious day for them. "Thank you very much for that," Kinley writes. "I think we most probably saved the older one from being a domestic helper for life." He also thanks Pam for her hard work and support in finding sponsors. "I know that it is very hard for most people in the US also with the financial crunch."
          Perhaps harder for some than others, although we still have electricity and fuel, so far. But I'm glad that we have a wood stove, a wind turbine and solar panels!