Mommy Bella

My guide...Ashok......is 19 years old...going on 20 next month.

My life was in the hands of this small child. I am older than his mother....who by the way got married at 7 years old...his father was 14 years old.

What can I write about this good Christian boy???

• He lives in the city...Kathmandu...with his father and 15 year old brother.
• Mother lives in some village about 5 hours away.
• There are 2 sisters. The oldest is married ...25...with a 5 year old. The other sister is 17.
• Father is a guide. He is the one that got Ashok into the business 4 years ago. You first start as a porter then train to be a guide. There are tons and tons of guides and porters here in Nepal.
• When Ashok is not working, he goes to University. He is studying business.
• Ashok broke up with his girlfriend just 9 months ago as she had to get married....arranged marriage. Ex is Hindu. Ashok is Christian. The ex still loves Ashok and phones him constantly to tell him this....her new husband drinks a lot and beats her.

Ashok speaks very quietly so I had to often YELL at him to talk louder so I could hear him.

After day 1 we became good friends....such good friends that Ashok was not shy to tell me the following:

1. "You must weigh 70 kgs." Ashok says to me after he tells me he weighs 59 kgs and I say...oh...I'm 60 kg's.

2. "You are fat."

3. "You have white hair...it's time to marry."

I was not shy to tell him the following..........

1. Mommy Bella gets BITCHY from 12 to 2 pm when walking in the sun.

2. Mommy Bella also gets BITCHY when she is hungry, tired, hot and just whenever she feels like it.

3. I had to explain what BITCHY was to the poor boy whose English skills are average at best.

4. Mommy Bella used the F*** word A LOT on this trek.

5. I had to try and explain what the F*** word means.

I think I shocked him quite a bit.

So much so..... that today when we got back into Kathmandu he still wants to hang out with me.

We are going to a movie tomorrow afternoon.