Around the world and Back

In this chapter Conor talks about how his travel to Bangkok in January turned to a trip around the world and kept his heart in the little princess orphanage which made him come back to Nepal after he left for united states for a year on January 2005. He talks about the story of the children in little princess orphanage, the instability of Nepal at the time and how the conflict affected him, kids and the entire country.

When Conor first arrived in Bangkok he meets up with a close friend he knew from when he was in Prague. They got together and biked around south East Asia covering a lot of countries. They traveled using their bicycles and they sailed with boats. Conor traveled all the way to South America, He gave up his bike there and meets up with his old college buddies, Charlie, Steve and Kelly. Then he flew to Peru, sailed twelve hundred miles down the amazon and experience many things. At last he flew back to New York to stay with his parents since he was broke from traveling around the world.

After a couple of weeks Conor missed Nepal and traveled back to Nepal after a year on mid-January 2006. When he went back he was surprised how the kids have grown up and how they were helping each other through their day to day life. He became more attached with the kids and Nepal felt more like home and they felt like family to him.

At this time the civil war in Nepal was worsening.  Four years earlier the King of Nepal was murdered with the queen and most of the royal family by his own son because the king did not approve the marriage of the prince’s intended future wife. The prince was crowned king but died from the wound he got from shouting himself after murdering half of his family. The Maoist, the rebellion, were growing stronger, fighting against the new king.

The Nepalese people were helping the rebel by feeding the soldiers in a search of peace but things get worse every day and the people were running out of food to give to the Maoist as they grew in number. The Maoist then made a new rule that said the people need to give one child from each home to build army that fought against the King, that’s when Hair came to tell Coner that there is a roomer the Moist are planning to come to the little prince’s orphanage to take the kids for their army. Everyone was alarmed by the news but, Hari then explained his opinion to Coner that the Maoist will not take a chance to come to Kathmandu valley as it is too risky for them. The children in the orphanage then continued their daily activities.

One day a lady approached the orphanage while Conar and the kids were hanging out talking on the roof. Everyone was staring at her as she slowly approached the gates. Later the found out that she was one of the kids mother so they invited her in and one of the kids interpreted while she told her story. She sayed that a man called Golkka took money from her and other families by insuring their kids will be protected. She did not know how he did that but she took the chance to save her kids from the war and sold her house and cattle to earn money to give him. The man was trafficking kids and leaving them to orphanages saying they do not have parents and keeping the money he got from the parents to himself. He would punish and bit the kids if they tell anyone that their parents are alive so the kids were not happy to see their mother. The mother understood and left saying she will come back.

Coner and farid talked to the kids that they should not be afraid because their mother came and that no one will hurt them. They also promised them they will take them to see their mother regularly as things cool down and they did. The kids were happy. They came and tell the other kids how their day with their mother went.

One day Farid discovered that there were seven kids living with the mother of the two children that came to visit. He told Coner that they were starving and that they need to do something to help them, Coner agreed. The next day they went to the mother’s house with rice other food for kids and the mother. The violence was worsening and Coner’s day to leave the country was approaching. He was worried about the seven kids. If he leaves them with the mother they will finish the food and stave again and also be victims of the war. So he kept on looking for orphanages that will take care of the kids in but he was unlucky.

Three days before he was leaving he set up a meeting with the head of the child welfare board, a man named Gyan. To speak to him about the situation of the kids and the child trafficker called Golka. Gyan told him he was looking for this man for 2 years but was not able to find him. He said he will look for a place that will take the kids within three days and let him know. Conar got a call two days later from a Irish woman named Viva Bella, founder of Umbrella Foundation. She assured Conar that she will take all the kids in and take care of them. Conar, Farid and all the kids were happy. The next day Coner said goodbye to the kids, told them he will be back I a few weeks and left for the United States.