I’ve just had a very interesting meeting.

Annette told me to come down: There is a young Maoist who wants us to give the money for weapons

Her face was pale and white like our newly washed bed linen. We are both anti war – and Buddhists.

Before she had tried to explain the young boy that the main reason why we left our comfortable life in Europe is to start up a small sustainable business that can improve the life for all the young boys and girls that are passing through our Nepali life.

If you have a project where we can make a difference in a human and non political way we will be glad to look into it…She told him.

That’s when he started talking about their armed revolution and asked for money to buy weapons…

Thomas – I’m chocked she told me when I went to talk with him.

Why are you here? Was my first question to the young boy in front of me.

You have a very good business… he told me.

Then I interrupted.

Waaauv – You must be a businessman since you can tell us about our business. But a very bad one like me and Annette.

Then I told him about how stupid we are to start up a hotel with only 12 rooms, in an expensive neighborhood like this with low prices like ours….

I also told him about the idea behind Tings. How we want to create a small business that can be run by our local and talented staff without our presence. How we want to educate our staff through responsibility, knowledge and confidence – skills that will take them far after a couple of years in our system.

The young boy just asked for money… and about our responsibilities for the Nepali people.

Then I told him about how we spend the money we make. How we support Kiki’s Children’s Home, about how we support Salina, how we try to help young local artists promoting their art, about Rajkumar’s college, about our staff’s hospital bills etc.

He just kept asking for money…

OK I said. We’ll stop paying for Salina’s school and Rajkumar’s college. We also take Githa out of hospital and send her home. And the art project we just agreed on supporting a few hours before we also stop. All the money we give to you… I told him

I also told him that we then would have to explain all our friends the reason behind our actions – tell them that we were forced to give him and his friends the money to weapons.

If that’s what you want, you just tell me. And tell me right now – then we can go together and take Salina out of her school.

He did not know what to say… instead he wanted to give me a letter.

It’s in Nepali I told him

I can’t read that. Please translate it and read about what Tings is about and why we are in Kathmandu. It’s all on the blog. If you still want the money we give to other humanitarian Nepali projects come back after a month when we return from Myanmar…

I don’t know what will happen.

But one thing!

If these guys start making trouble we close down Tings!

Love – Thomas