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Long-awaited letters arrive for Laredo students

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Contributed by: Kristin Morin/YourHub.com on 11/6/2008

After approximately 8,000 miles and almost two years of waiting, a stack of highly anticipated papers made it to Laredo Elementary School, 1350 Laredo St., Aurora.

Students brought their lunches into Mr. Davis' fifth-grade classroom Oct. 22. The letters from their Nepali pen pals had finally arrived.

"I want to figure out how (my pen pal) is doing and about the stuff she has learned," said Abril Serna, 10.

Serna and a group of classmates are part of the Nepal Pen Pal Program, a letter exchange program they joined as third-graders.

"It's amazing how quickly kids can relate to each other, even in a letter," said community member Chris Bauch, Nepal Pen Pal Project founder. "I think this is our window to really experience what it's like to live someplace else."

In preparation of their next correspondence, the club has been meeting after school on Mondays to learn about Nepali culture and the lives of their pen pals in Lamidanda, Nepal.

"It's a great place, it's just different from here," Serna said.

Other pen pal club members agree.

"They don't have chairs or anything," said Kimberly Quinonez Guerrero, 10.

"They don't have toilet paper," said Jian Jakosalem, 11.

"I was noticing that some kids need to walk to school there," said Fernando Miranda, 10.

The club has been visited by a Nepal native, tasted Nepali food like lentil soup, seeds, sticky rice and chai tea, and learned about the country's singing, dancing and language, according to the kids.

One of the biggest differences that Bauch tries to emphasize to the kids is the village's lack of electricity.

"They don't have much power; I would be bored," Miranda said.

"I'm afraid of the dark," said Brooklyn Dykstra, 10.

In fall 2006, Bauch and her husband, Brent Blake, were traveling to Nepal and they set up the program with Laredo.

Bauch and Blake carried the letters to the Nepali students, whose village is a three-day walk from the nearest city.

In one day and with some help from teachers, the Nepali students were able to write their replies in English.

"When they learn the ABCs in Nepali, they learn ABCs in English right next to it," Bauch said.

Bauch was able to hand-deliver the letters back to Laredo. After this exchange, the process became more difficult, including a lost package of air-mailed letters and new letters that were passed from person to person, finally reaching the Nepali students in spring 2008 and returning this fall.

Bauch is now investigating alternate means of delivery. She is hoping to coordinate one more full turnaround of letters this school year since the fifth-graders will be leaving Laredo for sixth grade.

Bauch hopes to start the program over with more third-graders next year.

The Nepal Pen Pal Project students are currently working on writing their return letters, asking their pen pals about their families, pets, school, hobbies, daily activities, food, favorite subjects and friends.

"One of the things that is really cool is that we get to learn about life over there," Serna said. "It's just like having a sister that lives in a different country."

The feelings seem to be mutual.

Serna received the following poem in her letter from Nepali pen pal Anjana Dhital.

"Rose is red,
Sky is blue,
Among other friend,
I like you."

To view the documentary Chris Bauch has put together on this program, click here.

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