rabi and kabi's big day

last week i was invited to my student, rabi shrestha's, subha bratabandha...yeah, that was my reaction, too...what's that? well, it's a hindu coming-of-age ceremony for boys here in nepal. they get their heads shaved, go through a religious ceremony and then have a party to celebrate. he invited all of his classmates and a lot of nepali staff at lincoln. i was the only teacher he invited, but i didn't realize it until i got there. needless to say, i was touched! the 9th grader is a sweetheart and a great student, so the decision to go was easy. plus, i had never been and my curiosity kicked in. and, did i mention it was a 5 minute walk from where i live?! ...that always helps! sheela rode the bus home with me and got to see where i live...fancy ace apartments...and then we walked over together. upon our entrance, video cameras recorded our movements over to greet the 'new men' in their ceremonial thrones. rabi's younger brother, kabi (pronounced 'rob-ee' and 'cob-ee') shared the event with his brother, and both were beaming from ear to ear with pride. we went over to greet them and give a gift, and even put a tikka on his forehead. after over a hundred people congratulated the boys...er, men...their tikka grew quite large. rabi forgot to take into consideration his full head of hair while getting his head measured for his special topi (hat) and, as a consequence, it drooped over his newly shaven cranium. a small tuft of hair is left for some reason i never was able to figure out, on the back of their head and rabi was thrilled with his new look! lots of my students, his classmates, were there and they dressed up for the occasion. food was served in a buffet (i was careful only to eat HOT food!) and it was held at an outdoor reception area complete with party lights. it was a great event to hang with lincoln staff i'd not spoken with much because our paths don't cross much at school. i enjoyed the evening tremendously and was touched at my...the only whitey's...inclusion. tomorrow i leave for bangkok (march 21st) for spring break, and i return april 4th to kathmandu. i will be online and in touch. i hope all's well with you! love, janice