A Journey to Nepal &
A Dedication to an old Friend

by Rob Rose

[Rob Rose, his wife Gina and son Carey are on a Rotary Club trip coordinating the installation of 100 computers into four Kathmandu, Nepal, area government schools, with the assistance of Emerald City Rotarians and Nepali Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Patan. A group of students from Garfield High School will soon be arriving and doing the installation. In addition, a group of volunteer Rotarians will be arriving to participate in hands-on volunteer projects in the Kathmandu area. Rob and his son will be sending back their impressions of the area and the impact of their projects.]

As I sit in my host family’s home in Kathmandu, Nepal, composing this article, I reflect back on my life. Why am I here doing this volunteer work on behalf of my Bellevue Rotary Club? How did I get to this point? What steps led up to this, my fourth volunteer trip to Nepal? I see life with more clarity when doing work to benefit others. I see the threads of my life — web-like, inter-connecting events from my past that seem to converge in the present that will eventually wend their way into my future.

I like to dedicate important projects and events to people who have had a special influence in my life. It keeps me grounded, gives me focus on the goal and reminds me that what has happened in the past has given way to the opportunities I now have. That being said, I’d like to dedicate this current project to my junior high school science teacher, Mr. Wes Stickney! Let me explain the connection ... Mr. Stickney, along with a group of brave teachers from Jane Addams, Jr., High School in North Seattle, took a group of us — unruly 9th grade kids — on a three-week trip over summer break to Mexico City and back in a group of vans way back in 1972. These teachers deserved medals, as they took our group and others year after year. Mr. Stickney always handled our group with humor, diplomacy and grace. Our trip wasn’t a fancy tour, to say the least; we camped out most of the time (One morning I awoke itching after being bitten by many tiny ants!). For a treat we went to KFC, and many times pulled into the KOA Kampground where Mr. Stickney prepared his signature dish, “Stickney Over Rice,” which consisted of cream o’ chicken soup over rice. It filled up our 9th grade tummies and we slept well! This was my first international experience, and we all had a fantastic time seeing the geology of the areas we travelled through (Mr. Stickney was a Geology teacher), and we made it safely to Mexico City and back.

This relates to my current trip, as I’m co-coordinating a group of high school students from Garfield who will be installing computers into four needy high schools in the Kathmandu area. These schools have little or no current access to computers, or any technology, for that matter. The kids will be having a true Nepali experience, as they’ll be staying with two of my past host families in Nepali homes and will be eatting Nepali food.

The Garfield kids refurbished the computers in a class at their school. They placed them into boxes, inventoried them and then carefully packed them into a container along with 3,000 pounds of clothing, to keep the computers safe. The clothes will be given away to the needy by Nepali Rotary Clubs upon their arrival in Kathmandu. Dick Ryen, Emerald City Rotary Club in Seattle, has been my co-conspirator and mentor, as he’s been on several other trips with other groups of students. The Rotary District 5030 project is called C4W, or Computers for the World. Their mission is to bridge the digital divide between poor and rich by fixing and installing computers into project countries, travelling to the country, making new friendships and getting technology to places and students who otherwise would never have it. My Rotary host, Mr. Rabendra Pandey, and his Rotary Club of Patan have been instrumental in getting through the red tape and hassle of customs issues and coordinating hosting and sight-seeing for the student and adult volunteers.

In addition to the Garfield students, I’m coordinating the arrangements for about 10 adult Rotary Volunteers to work at some of my past Rotary project sites in the area. Gina and I visited one site — the boys' dormitory at the Kathmandu School for the Deaf yesterday. For the past several years, through Rotary, I’ve been helping to build a library and recreation hall at the school. They get limited government funding, and things like renovating the boys' dorm needed to be put off for more urgent items. The room these boys live in is truly depressing. The paint is old, stained and peeling. Several window panes are missing (it gets very cold in Kathmandu in the winter-time). I’m very excited to have such a worthy project where I know we’ll make a great impact. The before and after photos will be telling.

I spoke with Mr. Stickney and his wife Rosemary recently. He must be in his 80’s, but he sure doesn’t look like it. I asked him for advice on how he managed to handle so many kids over so many different trips. He told me that he always tried to keep one step ahead of us, and also that he sometimes had to make decisions that not everyone agreed with, but someone had to make the call. I retorted that he only thought he knew what we were up to! I think sometimes that teachers must wonder if and how they impact their students' lives. You who are teachers give so much. You’re role models, inspirations and sometimes, as in my case with Mr. Stickney, heroes!

So, as my wife and I are preparing for the group’s arrival on the 11th of February, I take heed of Mr. Stickney’s advice.: try to keep one step ahead of them, make sure you know where they are at all times (ha ha) and call the shots even if it doesn’t make you very popular. I’m looking forward to a fantastic trip for the kids and the adult volunteers, but if things occasionally do go awry and I have to come up with a solution fast, I know that I can always make a steaming hot plate of “Stickney-Over-Rice” to fill their tummies! Thanks, Mr. Stickney, this trip’s for you!

Recent Update: Even with all of our pre-planning and best intentions, the computers are still stuck in the port of Calcutta awaiting Indian customs approval. I think they are holding the container for some sort of ransom! In addition, the plane delivering the kids and adults from Delhi was delayed a day but arrived safely in Kathmandu on the 12th. Add to that the fact that there have been several "bandas" (city-wide strikes) where no motorized vehicles are allowed on the road. Some have been called by the current political parties in opposition to the current King’s dissolving of the Parliment, and some of the "bandas" have been called by the Maoist party in opposition to everyone else! In spite of all the these difficulties, I feel confident that we will still have a meaningful trip for all. Sometimes, out of adversity an even better experience can be had. Stay tuned for further details. — Rob Rose