My life in Kathmandu, Nepal

Trekking!

2006-08-31T04:12:00.000-07:00

August 31 2006

I am back from trekking but you could say that things did not really go according to plan!

Day 1
Firist off the flight to Jomsom was canceled for the 4th day in a row. We waited in the airport about 2 hrs that morning. We could have stayed another night in Pokhara and tried the flight to Jomsom again but I didn't want to depend on the weather when I had such little time to deal with. I could not really afford to lose a day. When I changed my flight out of Kathmandu to go trekking I did not really account for any weather delays! I just didn't have the time to spare. I only really had 8 days to go trekking. The more I delayed it the worse because if anything else delayed us along the way I may not have made it back for my flight out of Kathmandu. So, Govinda gave me my options which were basically to wait another day and try to go to Jomsom, trek to Jomsom and them fly back to Pokhara ( the exact opposite to what we were supposed to do), or he suggested a five day trek that did not require a flight. I chose the 5 day trek because if we trekked up to Jomsom we may have been stuck there as well if the bad weather persisted. So, we took a taxi to Naya Pul (1025m) and started our trek from there. That day we only trekked 2 hrs to Hille (1475m) and stayed at a tea house. Our entire 2 hrs of trekking was in the rain - not exactly how I thought my trek would begin! Life! There was no electricity due to a landslide that happened last month. We could see the landslide and the damage it had done from where we stayed that day. It killed 27 local villagers! I couldn't believe it. I had not known about this before trekking. The tea house was nice. I had a shower with half a buck of hot water which I filled with cold to make a full bucket of warm! I couldn't help but think how wasteful we are at home. Most people in Nepal bathe outdoors – they have a little cement area on there land where there is tap stuk up from the ground– sometimes there is a short wall built for privacy. It is a common sight while driving or walking to see people bathing on the street side. It is crazy – some of the cultural differences. I had the luxury of a enclosed cement room to shower with my bucket of water but since the electricity was out I was given a candle. It was not so bad - actually much better than I expected. It was cleaner than most bathroom facilities that I have encountered in Nepal – no weird bugs. I was grateful for that. You think by now I would be used to bugs but I am not! I got a loan of a flash light that night which I slept with in my pocket – that is probably the funniest part! Haha.

Day 2
So, the next day we started trekking at 7am. It was all up hill for over 2 hrs! All steps. It was hard work. We kept passing children in school uniforms. Apparently they walk up to 2 hrs a day EACH way to get to school! When Govinda told me this I could hardly even believe it. I was slugging my way up the steps and they were skipping up and down having a ball! I saw school children from that day on each day trekking. Hard to believe that children have to walk that long to get to school and in the hills!! I live like a 10 minute walk from MUN and I often get a ride! We walked right up along side of the landslide that day. They are still remnants of people's homes! It is sad. Govinda told me that every year during Monsoon (June – August) over one thousand people die due to landslides. It is craziness. After the 2 hard hrs of uphill the rest of the way to Ghorepani (2750m) was 'Nepali flat'. This is an going joke in Nepal - Nepali flat is a combination of uphill and downhill - not what we would call flat home! It is pretty funny. So, we treked a total of 1275m uphill on the second day of the trek. It was dry before lunch - dry meaning that it was not raining. Almost all of the paths and trail are wet and muddy. Some of them have even turned into shallow streams from the monsoon so, needless to say, my sneakers and socks were wet everyday. In the afternoon it rained until we reached Gorepani. We took a long break trying to wait for the rain to clear up but no luck! So we trekked in the rain. Govinda carried my pack the entire time which is waterproof and I carried his pack. It worked out perfect because I was wearing this huge raincoat that fit over his pack as well. So our stuff stayed dry. There was eletricity at Ghorepani - I got a nice hot shower, however the power started going on and off after dinner. So, I got a loan of another flashlight which I kept close to me again! Haha. Next time I trek I will remember to bring a flashlght - a key item to remember!

Day 3
This day was the most strenuous day of our entire trek. We trekked in 1 day what Govinda wanted to trek in 2 days. He wanted to over night in Tadapani (2590) but I insisted the night before that we get up early and keep trekking to Grandruk (1940). So, that is what we did. I wanted to do the trek in 4 days instead of 5 because the weather was so bad. It was literally cloudy and rainy the entre time we were trekking. It was really disapponting - I have to say! BUT I enjoyed every minute of the trek - I was not wishing it away or anything - or hoping for it to be over. I loved being outside and trekking through all the villages in the hills but obviousy a big part of why I wanted to go was to see the view of the mountains. So, I was a little let down but it only gives me another reason to come back here in the near future!!! So, anyways an hour after we left Ghorepani that morning we reached one of the best view points of our entire trek. HA. Yea - so I was up there for all of about 5 minutes and then kept on trucking! Why stand there and stare off into the clouds!!? I got my picture taken and all that but no luck with the sky. No view - no pretty mountains to gaze at!! It just would not clear up. So we kept on going. Alot of this day was downhill trekking. The rocks were really slippery and the rain continued. I would say I had about 25 close calls slipping and I fell a good 6 or 7 times. It was tough and I didn't slow down a whole lot like I probably should have due to the rain. I didn't have much fear. The trails were not always very safe - on the side of the trails the drop was often super steep. There were a lot of waterfalls throughtout the entire trek and we had to cross alot of them by foot. They were a little sketchy! I didn't know that was in the deal when I went trekking. There were also a lot of Nepali made bridges. Some were planks of wood that if you were not careful you could fall in between. Govinda threw me over his shoulder at one point to cross a river so that I didn't get soaken. When we finally made in to Grandruk I was exhausted!! The tea house we stayed at was unusually busy. The first 2 nights there was only ever me and the Japanese couple. In Grandruk there were several different groups of people. I spent the night with 3 girls from Luxemburg. It was nice to chat to a few girls after 3 full days with Govinda!! I went to bed the latest that night because I atually had something to do!

Day 4
My wake up call was at 5:30am at Grandruk. We started trekking at 6:15am. This was the earliest time we started trekking the entire time. I was trying to get back to Pokhara early so I could make the 2pm flight back to Kathmandu. We made no stops and made it back to Naya Pul by 10am. After the taxi ride we arrived in Pokhara at 11am but the flight was booked so I am here sitting in Pokhara at the Peace Plaza Hotel! I will be flying back to Kathmandu tomorrow morning. I look forward to getting back to Bal Mandir for my last few days.

Tara VS. Annapurna

2006-08-27T06:43:00.000-07:00

August 27 2006

And we meet again! All kinds of things have transpired since I last wrote. Friday past was officially mine and Jeannine's last day at Bal Mandir. Jeannine flew back to BC that afternoon so she was super sad saying goodbye to all her kids. Her children were old enough to understand that she was leaving to go back to Canada so they were all very sad. One little boy even hid away because he didn't want to say goodbye. It killed me to watch. I knew that I would be in the same place in about 10 days so I felt her pain. It was heart wrenching.

So, Jeannine left Friday, August 25 and Gasing and Kayun left yesterday, August 26 to visit family in Hong Kong then also to go home to BC. Therefore, I am flying solo once again!

So, originally, I was supposed to fly to London today but I extended my stay in Kathmandu until September 5 so that I could go trekking. I think that it is a shame if I head back to Canada without trekking through the Himalayans! So, I am going to give it my best! Monsoon season is the worst time to trek but I am packed and ready to go regardless! Not a thing has held back from doing anything in Nepal yet so why stop now!? I arrived back in Pokhara late this afternoon by flight. My guide and I have a flight to Jomsom tomorrow morning at 6am. That is where the trek begins however this flight has been canceled the last 3 days in a row due to rainy and cloudy weather. I only found this out after landing in Pokhara - so obviously this is bad news - not what I wanted to hear after investing my funds into this once in a life time adventure. So I am keeping my fingers crossed and praying that all will work out and we will arrive in Jomsom tomorrow as planned! The idea is to trek from Jomsen back to Pokhara. This is in the Annapurna mountain range. We will start trekking each morning between 6am- 7am and will trek for 6-7 hours per day. The estimated time before we get back to Pokhara is about 6 days. The trek can be done is fewer days but that really depends on me and how fast I can walk! My pack is 12kg's - this worries me a little because my neck, shoulders and upper back have been bothering me lately. My guide has offered to take 3-4 kg's for me. I packed as light as possible yet my pack is still fairly heavy! On the third day of the trek it is all uphill and quite difficult so I think I will hire a porter to carry my pack for that day. I may have to hire a porter for other days as well if my back gets any worse.

I have no access to phones or internet throughout my trek. I won't be back in Kathmandu until September 3 - that is if everything goes as planned!! So, I just wanted to give you all an update so that you know why I am not writing. I will fill you in on the outcome of my Himalayan adventure as soon as I have internet access!!

In Nepal...

2006-08-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

August 22 2006

24 Random Facts about Life in Nepal...

Cows have the right of way in the streets.
Male to male public displays of affection gets a little out of control and it is the only form of public affection that is accepted.
A typical Nepali work day is 10am-3pm.
Babies wear very thick black eyeliner under their eyes which is believed to keep evil spirits away.
A Nepali garbage can is the gutter along the street.
Flip-flops come in one size only (for the most part)!
There are more holidays in one month in Nepal than we have in one year.
Entire families live under one roof, when a son marries his wife moves in with his family and assumes all domestic duties.
Arranged still marriages occur quite frequently.
Male children are preferred because they ensure a more luxurious future for the parents.
All purchases are wrapped in old newspaper and placed in small black bags that resemble garbage bags.
If you ask for any modifications in a meal at a restaurant you are greeted by one comment only: “Not Possible!”
Avril Lavigne is more popular in Nepal than she will ever be in Canada - her picture adorns t-shirts, taxi cab windows and the back of buses!
You can get an entire meal for $1 Canadian.
Power outages are almost a daily occurrence.
No need to hail a taxi- they constantly hail you!
Seatbelts are not required in Nepal and often times do not even exist.
There are no rules of the road - u-turns are made frequently in bumper to bumper traffic.
People ride sitting on the top of buses.
In Canada a microbus would seat 12 people but in Nepal it will seat at least 20!
Crosswalks exist but pedestrians NEVER have the right of way.
There is no legal working/drinking/smoking age.
Helmets are not mandatory for passengers on motorbikes.
Bathrooms do not come equipped with toilet paper.

My days at Bal Mandir

2006-08-19T09:26:00.000-07:00

August 19 2006

My days at Bal Mandir are quickly coming to an end! Starting tomorrow I have only 6 days left volunteering. I can gather hardly gather enough courage to leave the orphanage some days even knowing that I will return the next morning let alone leave for good. It breaks my heart to think that I wont see these beautiful little people anymore! This past week has been hard to leave at the end of each day. Some of the kids have grown very attached to me. I love them to death as well. A couple of them cry and cry when I turn to leave and them I go back and pick them up and hug them and stay longer. It’s so sad. I have grown quite close to some of the older kids in kindergarten and grade 1 that Jeannine work with. I visit them everyday and they often come looking for me in the toddler room. They call me ‘Tara Didi’ which means Tara Sister! Isn’t it the cutest thing?! I have been bringing nail polish with me the last week and the kids always say ‘polish’. They love getting their nails painted – even the boys! I sit on the ground with the polish and there are hands coming at me from every direction! They all want their nails painted at the same time – they have a hard time waiting. I also put tikkas on their foreheads with nail polish too. It is too cute. They know I have nail polish now and one or two kids will come to me everyday asking for it like they come asking for lip-gloss! And when I bring them in treats – it is even worse. When I hand out chocolate or cookies to the toddlers - the ones that are waiting actually cry and sometimes throw tantrums! So, needless to say I can’t pass stuff out fast enough! But once their little hand latch on to what I’m giving out their tears completely disappear.

I stayed behind one day with a tube of henna in the courtyard – I didn’t quite know whether I should break it out or not but I did! I thought what the hell! Well – did I ever get attacked! It was way worse than the nail polish episodes. I could not even squeeze the henna from the tube. I couldn’t move! Children were all over me. I guess the courtyard was not the best spot because kids of all ages play there. If I had been in a classroom at least there would have only been so many children. So, my henna art started off nice and them it ended up just being a messy star on each of their hands because I couldn’t get through them fast enough. I was there for about an hour and the number of kids surrounding me was only growing. So, finally I passed the tube of henna over to one of the didis and apologized! They were smiling though and as I walked away I looked back to see her taking over my little task! It was fun while it lasted.

About two weeks ago I mentioned to Jeannine that one little boy, Pawin, in her grade one class looked like a little girl, Angeli, in my toddler class. Pawin was alwasy visiting Angeli in my toddler room. He picks up for her when people are being mean and he is overall really sweet to her. I was thinking that they were way to young to have a crush or something!! A day or two later I was really wondering whether they were brother and sister or not because their features were so similar. I asked Shanta, one of the didis, if they were brother and sister. It ends up that that Pawin and Angeli and another little girl Puspa are all brother and sisters and they only came to Bal Mandir 7 months ago. Their ages are about 4, 6, and 8!! I couldn’t believe it – I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened with their parents. I don’t know but it bothers me to think of it. They are very very skinny right now and the didis said that they were way smaller when they first arrived. I cannot imagine them any smaller! They are so gorgeous though. I am especially attached to these 3 children – there is something about them. I love them to death! I want to take all 3 of them home! So, then after finding out about this family I was very interested in finding out who else was related. I guessed another two children were brother and sister because of their features and I was right and then the didis told us about other children in our classes that had a brother or sister. I became totally fixated with the children who were related and ran around taking pictures of them with just their brother or sister. I think it is important for them to have pictures together. I am making a photo album for each of my toddlers before I leave to put away in their files. I am hoping this way when they are older they will get the pictures that I have taken of them. They love getting their picture taken. They are always asking for me to take their photo. They say ‘photo didi, photo, one photo’. Some of the older kids have asked me to bring in their photo when I get it developed.

Friday passed, Jeannine paid for her 24 of her kindergaren and grade 1 kids to go to the zoo. So, I went along with them to help including 6 other didis. We packed all kinds of snacks and lunch for them. We had so many bags on our way to work that we had to taxi to Bal Mandir. We had to feed 34 people – so you can only imagine how much food we had with us. Jeannine rented a bus for the day. The kids were so excited and they were dressed in all their best clothes. All 34 of us piled in the one van that could legally fit only 12 people in Canada! No road rules in Nepal! The kids were unbelievably cute. They sang the whole way to the zoo!! Jeannine and I were taking pictures and they didn’t even realize that we had our cameras out! That says something!!! They never miss when we take our cameras out! They were so happy. At the zoo each of the adults had 5 children. Each group walked around holding hands. It was a lot of fun. We had a picnic twice – a snack and then lunch and the kids played in the park after walking through the zoo. Pawin stayed with me the entire time always holding my hand. He is the cutest little boy. I could hardly take my hand away to scratch my face or anything! I’m actually in love with him and his sisters! I don’t know what I am going to do next Friday when I have to say goodbye. I know I will find enough strength somehow but it is going to be so hard to do. My eyes are watering just thinking about it.

Tomorrow is Children’s Day and Bal Mandir celebrates it every year but apparently this year they cannot afford to. Jeannine and I are going to celebrate with our kids anyways. I am going to take my toddlers to the kindergarten and grade one classroom. We are going to bring in Nepali sweets, nail polish and henna, and Jeannine is cutting up colorful paper right now for them to make crafts. I’m looking forward to it. It is going to be a fun day. I want to make the best of this next week. I really cannot believe I wont see their sweet little smiles and bright faces anymore. Time has gone so fast but my time spent here has been amazing. It has made me realize how good my life has been but it has also made me realize how much happiness I can give to these less fortunate children and how much I want to help to make a difference.

Trip to Pokara

2006-08-14T03:04:00.000-07:00

I can say one thing for sure - we have been making the most of all of our free time! This weekend Gasing, Kayun and I went to Pokara. It is the second largest city in Nepal - Kathmandu being the largest. It took 6 hrs by bus to get there. The weather was much hotter in Pokara. Actually, it was so hot that it was almost unbearable! I had a bad sunburn from when we went mountain biking last weekend - (that,s another interesting story) ! So, I had to wear t-shirts and long sleeve shirts which made it even warmer! I rarely wear tank tops around here - only sometimes when we are not volunteering and it is crazy hot - like when we went rafting and biking. Otherwise, I always wear a lot of clothes. It is not acceptable to show your shoulders or knees here. So, back to Pokara - I am getting terrible side tracked!! We took a taxi to Sarangkot Saturday moring at 4:30am to watch the sun rise and see if we could see any of the Annapurna mountain range. It was the most amazing morning - I was astounded. The sky was completely clear and we could see all of the mountains. I took a lot of pictures. I will post one on this blog in a few days. It was one the most beautiful landscpaes I have ever seen! Everyone was saying how lucky we were that the sky was so clear. The next two mornings while we were in Pokara were too cloudy to see the all of the mountain range. We went on a hike that morning through a village that was way up in the hills - as high up as the view point from Sarangkot. It was so cool. People's houses were up high in the hills with the Himalaya mountains as the backdrop. It must be incredible to wake up to that view every morning. It was so pretty. After the the 2 hr hike we got a bus ride back to Pokara. This is the crazy part - we didn't sit IN the bus! We sat ON TOP of this monster bus! Locals always ride on the top of buses - especially in the villages, outside of the valley. I have seen it several times and have taken picutures. However, I didn't think that I would ever be the one sitting on the top! The road was very rugged and had several twists and turns. I was very nervous first but then it turned into quite a lot of fun. It was a pretty cool way to view the beautiful scenery. However, I couldn't help but think, while I was sitting up there, what my mother would have said if she could see me! I can hear her now! We were sitting on metal bars - so we just held on for dear life. So, once again I have defied mother nature and am sitting here telling you all about my crazy adventure!

Pokara has 7 lakes unlike Kathmandu. We took advatnage of this and went boating one day. It was great - we visited a temple in the middle of a lake. We drank a lot of cold smothies in attempt to cool ourselves down and enjoyed the natural beauties af Pokara. Besides the fact that I missed Neer, DC and Jeannine terribly bad - it was a fun filled weekend! I made and documented heaps more incredible memories!

Finally - A Purpose

2006-08-08T13:24:00.000-07:00

August 8, 2006

Last week was my first full week volunteering at Bal Mandir. Every other week I have missed time because of my hands and feet- not much time but some. I am much happier now that everything is under control! I absolutely love seeing the kids every morning. They are always so happy when I arrive - it makes me sad to think that I don’t show up on the weekends! I work Monday to Friday 10am – 3pm. When I first began volunteering I wasn’t much impressed with the time I was working. I thought that it was not enough at all. I figured if I came all this way to volunteer that I wanted to devote more of my time than this. In hindsight, I had no idea what I was up against. Five hours is a long time with 15 toddlers that all want your attention every moment you are there! It’s hard work taking care of them. I enjoy every second but by 3pm I am totally exhausted. The time I spend at Bal Mandir is prearranged but not entirely structured. It seems I can leave when I please so I hang around most days for a while. Now and then, I am there till close to 5pm. When the toddler class is over, sometimes I hang out with the other kids in the orphanage. I am beginning to know many more of them – all ages. I see the same kids frequently when I come and go each day and I smile and try to talk to them. The language barrier is a litlle difficult sometimes. I just hug and kiss them all the time though! Ahha The toddlers nap between 1:00pm and 2:30pm. So, when they go back to their bedroom at 3:00pm some of them are sad and crying. I don’t know if it is because they just woke up or if they are sad because class is over and they have to go back to their isolated rooms (their rooms have absolutely no toys). So, I often stay longer and sit on the stairs with them or walk around with them. It breaks my heart to leave when they are crying and unhappy. It is such a sin. Sometimes there is 9 and 10 kids all sihtting on the floor crying and I’m running around trying to hug them all and make them feel like someone cares about them. I have to pick more than one child up sometimes. I have had 3 of them in my arms all crying at the same time and still more children not tended to. It’s hard work. It is overwhelming and it is really upsetting at times like this. It is hard to believe that this is the way these kids have to grow up.

Lately, when the toddlers nap I go to the kindergarten room for a while where Jeannine works. I have a soft spot for a bunch of the kids she works with. I am in love with them! They are the cutest little people. It’s different spending time with them because they can speak some English and they play outside and what not. The toddlers hardly speak at all (Nepali or English) and they stay in the classroom most of the time. I have been putting my lip-gloss on the kindergarten and grade one girls. They get so excited. Now they come looking for me in the toddler room saying ‘lip-a-stick’. It is so cute! I’m going to have to invest in some more lip-gloss so I can keep my little friends happy. I only brought a limited supply for myself! And we all know how much I enjoy my lip-gloss!!

It is an amazing feeling to be here in Nepal experiencing the culture while having an adamant purpose at the same time. My day-to-day life is very fulfilling. I get to interact with so many different people on so many different levels. I get up each morning with a mission and a reason yet I can finish off each day in a myriad of ways. I did never really realize how much volunteering and traveling would compliment one another. I definitely see myself doing something of this nature again. My experiences here have been and will remain dear to me. I have learned what no one could ever teach and I have been enlightened through this opportunity to experience an entirely different world. I will be forever thankful.

Trip to Chitwan

2006-08-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

August 6, 2006

Hey everyone! It seems like a lifetime since I have wrote one of these blogs. I really have to be in the mood it seems! Well – I will update you on what has been going on!! Last weekend (July 28- 30) Neer, Jeanine, Gasing, Kayun, and I went to Chitwan for the weekend. It is a national park and a jungle full of crazy animals that you don’t normally see! It is a 6 hour drive from Kathmandu valley. So, we began our trip very early last Friday morning. About half way to Chitwan we stopped at a place where we were booked to go white water rafting. It was probably the most exciting thing I have done in quite a long time! It was so fun!! This time of year rafting is not recommended because of the level of the water. I’m not sure what the means exactly but that’s what I was told. So, Neer told us that we couldn’t go rafting at all during our stay in Nepal but being myself I kept on until he checked it out said we could go! Everyone loved it! And it cost like $20 CAD to raft for 3 hrs! The waves were huge. It was so exciting for me! Aha. When rafting was over we drove the rest of the way to Chitwan half wet and completely dirty! The resort was really nice where we were stayed. Where ever we go we are always blown away with the resort. I think there is a close correlation there with the amount of money we pay though!!! Haha. Hotels are so cheap here. It’d ridiculous! It was so hot there. The entire weekend was close to 40 degrees – much hotter and sunnier than Kathmandu. It was pretty hard to sleep in the heat. The first night we went for a walk with our guide through a village. He told us about the history a little and brought us to a museum and we walked through a home in which a family of 30 people live in. It was a small mud hut. You wouldn’t believe it if you saw it! The grandmother was in her 80’s and out doing strenuous work around the house! It is phenomenal what hard workers Nepali’s are. We had a guide the entire weekend and they had all 3 days totally planed out for us! Whenever we had spare time we would nap! They literally had every waking moment planed! It was great though! They treated us really well. There were only 2 other tourists staying in the hotel besides us. This time of year tourism is down in Nepal. So, Saturday morning we had to be ready for 6:15am. We made our way down to the lake and piled into a crazy canoe that fit about 15 people. There were other tourists there as well. The canoe was made out of one huge tree trunk that takes about 50 days to complete. The sun was already blazing hot! There were wild crocodiles in the river but I figured we would not see one – I thought it would be a rare occurrence. Boy, was I wrong about that! We saw 3 crocodiles in total and I thought I was going to die. At one point there was a crocodile coming right for our canoe as we were also heading towards it! I couldn’t quite understand why the canoe continued to go towards the crocodile! Before I knew it – it was right next to us. I could have literally touched it! I was truly scared for my life! I didn’t say a word – I thought it was game over! All I knew about crocodiles is that they eat people! And it didn’t help that the tour guides were whispering to each other! I was a wreck but it ended quite quickly. After it was over it was really exciting to have seen a wild crocodile so close! That morning we were on our way to see the elephant-breeding center. Elephants are now my favorite animals! They were so cute. I was feeding cookies to the baby elephants, which were still as tall as me! After that we went bathing with an elephant, which I wasn’t too excited about. However, it turned out that we had to be literally kicked out of the lack. We had so much fun! I held on to the ears of the elephant and climbed up it’s trunk onto it’s back! And then it splashed tons of water on me with his trunk – so fun. Then he rolled over and threw me into the river – yes the same river the crocodiles are in! I don’t understand that part still but for some strange reason I was not nervous at all. To tell you the truth the crocodiles did not cross my mind! Strange. So that was fun. Then after lunch we went on an elephant safari ride. All four of us were in a little square wooded box that was strapped onto the top of an elephant. The box was not even one metre squared! To this day I do not know how we got through 2 full hours stuck in that box riding through the jungle. It was fun but a tad bit uncomfortable! We saw rhinos which was cool while we remained nice and safe way up high on the elephant’s back! It was fun. That night after supper we all passed out! Literally! We had an early rise again Sunday – 5:45am. We went bird watching, which I don’t think one of us was interested in! I think we were all too tired to care! It didn’t last too long though. Then we headed back to the resort fro breakfast and to head back to Kathmandu. I was so tired during the whole ride back but I could not shut my eyes for even 5 seconds! The view was incredible. I kept thinking about how lucky I was to be there. I didn’t want to miss a thing. I feel so lucky to be here. Every bit of this journey has already been beyond amazing and I still have a month to go!

Paranoid and Under-slept

2006-08-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

August 6, 2006

Well my hands and feet are still in the healing process! It has been a long time and 8 doctors appointment to date. August 6^th will make it appointment # 9! My hands are almost back to normal but my feet are sore and peeling. I have been taking better care of my hands and sort of neglected my feet. It seems that now I am paying for that. So, all in all I have been diagnosed with eczema. The good news is that it is not causing me to miss time from Bal Mandir. I am grateful for that. I was getting really frustrated in the beginning when the whole scabies ordeal was going on. The doctor was telling me to stay away from the orphanage until it got better and it was only getting worse! The kids are so cute. I love seeing them every morning – they are always so excited to see me. It is the sweetest thing ever. So, again, about my hands and feet – they have never fully recovered since I was told I had scabies 11 days after arrived here! It has been a long go of it! I think that the peeling and drying out is due to a reaction I am having to the treatment for the scabies. I think it dries your skin out – but hey, who am I to say. It’s all a bit too weird for me! I rarely visit the doctor in Canada so I will definitely never forget this crazy experience. I am happy enough though with the dryness. I would rather deal with fry skin then tiny mites laying eggs wherever they want! I’m not sure if I mentioned to you – but close to 2 weeks ago I was finding these strange bugs in my bed. These I decided were bed bugs. I came to this conclusion because I have my little Asia and Health guidebook here with me. And the picture of the bed bugs in the book match exactly to what I was finding. AND – if your wondering how I found them because they only come out in the pitch dark, I will tell you! Two nights in a row I was up really late on the Internet and the power went out because of thunder and lightening. So, like you would, I went running into my room each time as fast as possible to go to sleep and pretend that I was not scared at all! But the power switched back and woke me up on both nights. This when I found the dirty little creatures crawling on my sheets. I only found one each time. But I was still totally grossed out. The first night I didn’t think anything of it but the second night led to my investigation! The second episode happened at about 3am in the morning. I stayed up that entire night. I came out on the Internet and searched about bed bugs and how to get rid of them. Call me crazy if you like but there was no way I was getting back in bed with them! So, quite quickly I began to become extremely paranoid and under-slept. DC changed my room for me so I have no longer been sleeping in the other one. I was still nervous in there. I would go to bed then jump up like 20 minutes later and switch the light on trying to see if there were bugs in that room. This is where the paranoia comes in! HA I had quite a few nites like that. I can't lie. Anyways, all has been good for the past week. I get sleep now and I’m not too nervous about bed bugs anymore. The scabies seems to be fully gone and hopefully never to return! And I have made my mind up that I can deal with bed bugs if they come back even though I pray they will not bother me again! However, you never know because clearly there is no shortage of insects around here!

Life in Kathmandu Valley

2006-07-26T12:59:00.002-07:00

July 26 2006

So, I have not really filled you in on my situation here in Kathmandu. There is always so much to talk about – I never know where to begin! I am living in a house owned by Volunteer Abroad. It is four stories with two patios on each floor and an upper patio on the fifth level. I was in total amazement the very first time I laid eyes on it! I really had no idea what to expect. To me, it looks like some sort of palace but they have a totally different style of building homes here. A brick wall and an iron gate close it off. It looks quite extravagant from the outside in comparison to home. I like living here – it is very cozy and I feel at very home. The kitchen and dining area is on the fourth floor. We have those small tables with cushions on the floor. We all sit around to eat breakfast and supper together. It is fun – we are like a little family! Aha. I love the whole short table and cushion idea! I want to adapt it someday when I have a house of my own!

There were three volunteers already here for a while when I arrived – Laura, Lauren, and Harrison. They have been here since May and will all be leaving by next weekend to go traveling and or head back to there homes in Canada. Three other volunteers arrived the same week that I did – Gasing, Kayane, and Jeannine. So all together there are 7 of us Canadian volunteers here. DC, our cook also stays with us as well as Neer most of the time. We all get along really well – everyone is awesome.

Jeannine and I both volunteer at Bal Mandir. She works with the kindergarden children – they speak more English then the toddlers that I take care of. Gasing and Kayane both teach at a local school and Kayane also volunteers at a hospital. It is really interesting to come home in the evening and hear about how everyone’s day went at each placement. There are always so many stories. It is completely captivating! I love it here so much. I daydream of how I wish I were graduated so that I could extend my stay. I have to make it back here again some day!

Jeannine and I walk to Bal Mandir most days. We taxi if it is raining but it usually does not rain until the afternoon. It takes about 45 minutes to get there walking quite fast. We walk through Thamel on our way, which is the tourist district. It is full of really cool shops and boutiques. A lot of the stores remind me of South of the Border except everything is way cheaper!! We walk past the same shops everyday on our route to work, so we see the same shopkeepers. A lot of them know who we are – people here are unbelievably friendly and are always up for a chat. They are totally amazed at how fast we walk, which cracks me up. Sometimes people have followed up trying to keep up talking to us! It is entertaining, for sure! They ask us how we walk so fast! And they want to know why we are so busy. Some shop owners have told me that they see me everyday but I look so busy and they want to know why. They seem to be quite interested in what tourists and foreigners are up to. Life is so different here in Nepal with regards to time. It seems that nobody is ever in any kind of rush! It must be nice, however, to not have to worry about time. At home, I am constantly rushing around frantically trying to get things done and get places on time.

It took me a few days to get my head around how to find my way around here. Neer showed us around for the first week, which was a full 7 days of orientation. I didn’t sleep a wink on the over night flight from Doha to Kathmandu and I arrived 7am in the morning. Our orientation started that very morning at 10am! I was way too excited to go to sleep but I was totally exhausted! So, the lack of sleep didn’t help me any – I couldn’t remember how to get anywhere! I am perfect now though. I can get to all the places that I need to get with confidence. I am not nervous being out and about on my own – which is a great achievement for me!! Haha. I explore most days on my free time.

We live in Nayaa Bazar, which seems to be a place where only locals live. People seem surprised when they hear that it is where I live. It seems that most people expect me to say that I am living in Thamel. Our house is very close to Thamel though – less than ten minutes away by foot.

In the first few weeks that I was here the roads in Thamel were getting paved but there are still a lot of places where there are only gravel roads. In Nayaa Bazar there are no paved roads. So, I find it very hard to keep my clothes clean – the roads are often muddy and wet because of the rain. The mud flicks all over the back of my skirt daily from my sandals! Some days if I really want to stay clean, I try and skate/ slide along the road. In other words, I try to walk without lifting my feet! I must look pretty funny from the local’s perspective! I was washing my clothes by hand the first week when I arrived but my hands have such a bad infection now that I get my laundry done in Thamel.

Nighttime is quite an event here as well when it becomes time to sleep! If it was not for my earplugs I think I would be utterly exhausted! I would not sleep a wink! Dogs bark the entire night long! It is unreal! They are constantly barking and howling and screaming from fighting with one another. It is crazy. It is funny actually because it is 12:37am here now. Everyone is gone to bed and I am sitting here typing listening to these crazy creatures bark their heads off! I don’t know why they just can’t get along! It seems like most people in this city go to sleep reasonably early. I guess it is wise of them because the majority of locals are up and awake and starting their day by 5am! I know this because one morning we got up at 4am to watch the sun rise. It was completely dark out when we were walking and there were so many people already up! Some nights it is difficult to sleep because of thunder and lightening. I was never a fan of thunder and lightening and I didn’t really realize it was a regular occurrence here until I was rudely awakened on my fifth night in Kathmandu. I even remember the exact night! I got such a fright! My entire room was completely lighting up and the thunder was deafening. I was nervous but it has happened so many times since that I have grown quite immune to the whole ordeal now!

In the morning, roosters do their cock-a-doodle-do thing and all the crazy little animals wake up so early. It is quite entertaining actually, if you are not in the mood for sleeping! At about 8am ritually every morning this woman walks around through the streets screaming what sounds like bloody murder! She passes our house everyday. Finally, one day we asked Neer what she was blaring. It makes complete sense now! She is trying to sell the spinach that is in her huge basket that is strapped on to her head with a piece of cloth. We got quite the kick out of this but now, these days, I hardly hear her. It is funny how you can easily get used to different ways of life. One thing that I am not quite used to yet though is the sound of horns! Some days I feel like screaming my head off and I am not joking! Cars, motorcycles, and bicycles are literally all over the road and going in every which direction. Nobody takes turns and absolutely everyone is in some crazy race to get where they are going first. Imagine vehicles coming from all directions and they all want to go one way – and they literally do all go one way!! And they will lie on their horns if someone is blocking them in any form or fashion until they move. It could be for any reason. A car could be stopped because they are picking someone up, because a car in front of them is stopped, because there are actual human beings walking across the road – anything. The cars behind will blow their horns until they are able to move. It is hard to get around when the traffic is heavy. I have been half away across the street many times when I am literally sandwiched in between two passing vehicles. I am not exaggerating at all. It was truly nerve wrecking at first! I have learned to be brave and barge out into the streets because that is the only way you will get anywhere here but I have had some close calls! Nobody will stop for you on the road. It is either keep your eyes wide open and jump out of the way or close your eyes and say a prayer! It is craziness. Besides this, it is also very hard to get places sometimes because there are literally people chasing me trying to sell me things. Some days nobody bothers me but other days are the complete opposite. The kids are the most persistent ones. They beg for money and try to sell their drawings. It is really tough not to give in and pass them a few rupees - even now, after being here almost a month. They beg for biscuits are other things but if you buy it for them, they just walk right back in the stores and return it for cash. We were told not to give them anything because it only encourages them to stay on the streets. Street kids get more money by begging than some people get from working. The kids know about the shelters around town but they don’t want to go because they make more money on the street. It is really sad because they are so young. They are smart too – they truly do not give up – they are so persistent! Sometimes, when they are following for a long while I tell them to go to CPCS, which is a shelter for street kids. They will often turn away them because they know about these places and they realize that we know better. It still breaks my heart. I have told them that they can come to a restaurant with me and eat but the other volunteers say that this is just as bad as giving them money because that is less of their own money that they will spend on food. It is hard for me to wrap my head around it all some days. It is not a good feeling to turn kids away even if they are conniving and up to no good. There are a lot of woman who beg for money with their children as well. Sometimes, when I try to walk past them they try and block me. It is such an awkward situation to deal with because all I want to do is help but by giving in is worsening the situation. It is a sad part of our world. I am getting sleepy now but I think I have given you a better idea of a typical day here in Kathmandu. There is never a dull moment, that’s for sure! I will fill you in on some more interesting info in the next day or two.

Trip to Nagarkot

2006-07-23T11:12:00.000-07:00

July 23 2006

Three of the volunteers – Jeannine, Kayane, Gasing and I bused to Nagarkot yesterday to try and catch sight of the cloud covered Himalayas. I have not been able to see them since I arrived. Nagarkot is another village that is about an hourr bus ride up through the mountains of Kathmandu Valley. We stayed at a beautiful hotel. We each paid less than $30 CDN for our ride, stay, dinner and breakfast! It was so nice! The resort is full of patios and terraces. We had a really good view. We woke up at 4:30am to watch the sunrise from the patio off of our room. It was clear for about half an hour. I could see the tips of the snow-capped mountains through the clouds. It was so exciting. I took countless pictures! We only stayed in Nagorkot for one night but we were all so impressed that I think that there is a good possibility that we will all return! Jeannine and I hiked down this morning from the resort. It took a little over 4 hrs to get to Bhaktapur – which is a place that is famous for making pottery. They make pottery with kick wheels under little shacks outdoors and all of their pottery dries in the sun. I love it here. I could just sit and watch them all day long! I find it so fascinating. Today was my second time in Bhaktapur and I definitely want to return before I leave! Well, I sort of have to return - I bought eight cups and saucers and I have made an order for 8 drinking glasses and dinner plates! Haha. It is so funny. Jeannine is totally confused as to how I will get all this pottery home. I am not quite sure myself yet. All I know is that the cups and saucers that I bought today were about $7 CDN all together. I am not worrying about how I will get them home yet! Where there’s a will, there’s a way! I traveled home from Europe last year with a backpack full of pottery as my carry on. I have a little fetish for those of you who do not already know!

So, back to the hike! It was quite the interesting little trot down through the villages. We didn’t know exactly where to go. We had a map that was not accurately drawn to scale. We could have either followed the main road or go on a hiking trail. The hiking trail sounded more interesting to us both. We were not walking for five minutes when we ran into this young guy who was curious about which country we were from and where we were headed. He insisted that we follow him and take a so-called short cut. We did and he clearly took us on a road less traveled because we were literally walking through corn and rice fields and people’s gardens! It was evidently not the regular trail for tourists! It was certainly a fun, spontaneous little adventure though and it was all thanks to our little tour guide! Half of the trail was complete mud. At the beginning, I decided that I was going to be this brave soul and make a run for it and jump to avoid the mud. This didn’t really work out as planned. I ended up landing completely on my stomach head and hands first. The three of us were laughing hysterically! It was hilarious! Jeannine fell at least 3 times and I was flat out slipping down the rocks slash non- existent trail! It was so much fun though. And the scenery is actually unbelievable. This country is definitely the coolest place I have ever visited. I have not been here three weeks and I am already trying to figure out how I am going to get myself back here!

In The Clear

2006-07-22T00:14:00.000-07:00

July 22 2006

My hands and feet are clearing up, finally! They are still super itchy though. I read that they may remain itchy for up to six weeks after treatment and after the eggs are dead. So , it should be interesting! Ha. I took Monday to Thursday off from the orphanage. I went back to Bal Mandir yesterday. I was so happy to be back there! I missed the kids so much. They are so cute. The children's teacher is back, so I spent the entire day with the kids in their classroom. I am worried about getting scabies for the second time. I don't want to miss anymore time. I have been taking lots of pictures of them! So, you will all get to witness for yourself how cute they truly are. And they are amazed with my camera! They get so excited when I show them the pictures right after I take them. They certainatly know how to pose for the camera! So cute! I am going to print off all the pictures before I leave so that I can leave them at the orphanage. I'd like to make some sort of scrap book for them that they can have when they are older. It is sad that they will have so few pictures of themselves when they grow up. So, I hope that the pictures that I do leave will still be around when they are teenagers!! These years are the most important. They need to know how beautiful they were!

Small World

2006-07-20T11:43:00.001-07:00

July 20 2006

Who knew that I would be traveling to Asia for the first time with personal connections before I ever boarded the plane to begin my journey! People have always said that this is a small world we live in. But the fascinating part is, that this world only gets smaller the further you venture out in it.

Part 1 of my story: When I was studying in England, I met an awesome guy –Jeff, who I dearly love now!! He traveled to Nepal last year devoting his time to the thousands of street kids in Kathmandu. He helped me out before I made my finally decision to come to Nepal. He is one of those worldly guys who is completely fascinating to sit down and listen to. He knows the only Nepali family living in Newfoundland and he introduced me to them. I celebrated the 2063 Nepalese New Year with them back in April of this year. Since then, I have made friends with Anoop who left Nepal to live in St. John’s this past January. This is where the small world part comes in to play. Anoop still has a younger brother living in Kathmandu who I have already met! And I hope to meet the rest of his family before I return to Canada. So, the story continues. Jeff came to Kathmandu last summer, before Anoop even moved to NL. The Nepalese family who lives in NL is related to Anoop and they hooked Jeff up to meet him before he left for Nepal!!! So, Jeff knew Anoop before he ever moved to NL and he also met his entire family while in Kathmandu!! I think it is so cool. I was so surprised when I first heard it all.

Part 2: I met a friend, Lesleigh, first year MUN who I still run into on campus quite frequently. When I was first thinking of coming to Nepal I ran into her and told her all about my plan. She was psyched for me because she had already spent years in Asia in which she lived for several months in Kathmandu. We lost touch during final exams and our last conversation left her thinking that I was not coming to Nepal. I was back and forth for a while deciding whether or not I should come due to the political situation over here. I have been in contact with Lesleigh since I have been here. She has suggested that I go to this great little restaurant she always went to, New Orleans, and meet her good friend, Sudesh. Coincidently, Sudesh knows my in country coordinator and all of the volunteers that were already here with Volunteer Abroad. They go to New Orleans every Sunday night to listen to live music. So, previous to Lesleigh’s recommendations, I already knew Sudesh! Small world? I cannot disagree!

I have to say, talking to people who already traveled throughout Nepal had a huge impact on my decision to finally come here. I thank all three of you for the encouragement! I wouldn’t change this opportunity for the world.

P.S. Congratulations to Anoop, Jeff and Lesleigh to making it to my blogspot! Haha.

Nepali Cuisine

2006-07-18T09:24:00.000-07:00

July 18 2006

I have learned one thing for sure since I have come to Kathmandu. It is almost impossible to avoid carbohydrates. So those of you who are serious about avoiding carbs in your diet – do not come to Nepal! No, I am kidding. Trust me. This country is amazing. Even if it does mean you must overdose on carbs on a daily basis! I have never eaten so much rice, bread and potatoes in all my life!! We have our own cook, DC. He lives here with us and prepares breakfast and dinner for us each day. We consider ourselves quite lucky to have him here with us. He has been doing a great job introducing us to traditional Nepali food. Everything is spicy – sometimes even breakfast! However, most days he makes us toast or porridge and fruit for breakfast. That is fairly normal in comparison to home. They even have peanut butter for the toast! I was impressed. It was quite hard to come by in England. DC makes us ginger tea every morning. It is made with milk, pepper, lemon, ginger, and sugar. First, I was not so fond of it. It is very sweet and I never add sugar to my tea normally. Now, I can't get enough of it! I figure, DC and Nepal has ruined Tetley tea for me forever!! It will never be the same again! For dinner we usually eat daal bhat. You ask what is daal bhat? Well, it is rice, lentils and curried vegetables. Over 90% of Nepali people eat daal bhat twice a day! I really love it. But I can not imagine eating twice a day everyday though. Nepali people do not use utensils – they eat with their right hand. It is messy because the lentils are similar to soup and is poured all over the rice with the vegetables and mixed together. DC has tried to get me to try it once. Clearly, he was not persistent enough because to date I have not eaten daal bhat with my hands! And I am quite easily talked into things. I am sure before I return to Canada I will have experienced this crazy method of filling my belly!!

Not the Doctor

2006-07-18T09:20:00.000-07:00

July17 2006

Well, I have some good news and some bad news. The good is that I am taking the bad news surprisingly well. The bad news is that I have developed scabies from the toddlers that I work with. It sounds terrible and I tears fell from my eyes when the doctor told me on Saturday but it is just a skin irritation. My hands and feet have hundreds of tiny blister like sores on them. The gross part is that these are from tiny mites that have burrowed their way into the top layer of my skin and laid eggs. I am appalled at how I am taking the whole ordeal but I guess you deal with whatever comes your way. It is common to catch scabies when working with young children at an orphanage. Most of these poor little people suffer from more health conditions then just scabies.

I have treated it as informed by the doctor. It is very uncomfortable – my hands and feet are unbelievably itchy. But I can deal. I have been doing fine. The shoe fits – so I am wearing it!! I am taking a couple days off from Bal Mandir for this skin infection to clear up. I am hoping that it will not reoccur. Last week was unusual circumstances anyways. I was taking care of the children in their bedroom from 12-3pm. In the morning they have school, which is a room directly below their bedroom and looks like a typical child’s classroom. The kids only had a half a day at school last week because the regular teacher was sick. Normally, my entire workday would be spent in the classroom. There, I play with them – there are a lot of toys, photographs, school supplies to keep them occupied. The children’s bedroom isn’t very sanitary. I’m sure you can just imagine how dirty little kids can be. Well, imagine about 20 of them in one room with no toys, nothing colorful on the wall, and not a thing stimulating for a child and at least half running around with no diapers! They pee all over the place! It is difficult to stay germ-free. Soap and warm water is not so readily available like it is home. Actually, I have yet to see a child getting washed in any form or fashion. They all have buzzed heads – the girls and the boys. This makes head lice less likely for them. So, the fact that they run around diaper-less helped me in the beginning to decipher which kid was a boy or girl!

Scabies is usually spread from the infected person to another usually through being intimate. When I was working in their bedroom, I was much closer to the kids because they were often crying and wanted to be in my arms. Downstairs, I do not have such close contact. So, I am hoping that once my bug clears up, I can continue working with these cute little kids without becoming infected again.

They Call It Monsoon

2006-07-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

July 13 2006

I knew when I came to Nepal that I was coming during Monsoon season. BUT, I kind of tried to be optimistic about it and pretend that it wouldn’t be so bad. I thought that maybe it wouldn’t rain so much. I know that when I lived in England, the city would shut down when a blade of snow covered the ground. So, I was kind of hoping for a repeat except with rain and that the people of Kathmandu were of the same mindset - a lot of rain to the Nepali’s was only a little bit to me. So basically, I was hoping their idea of a lot of rain was really not so much to Newfoundlanders! Well, it might have been good thinking on my part I guess… but let me tell you – was I wrong! Yesterday on my way home from Bal Mandir the rain started – then it got heavier and heavier until it was literally coming down in buckets! Jeannine and I decided we must get a taxi. My skirt was beginning to fall off with the weight of the water while I walked and my umbrella was only doing a mediocre job only keeping my head dry! The water on the ground was up over my feet and hitting the bottom of my skirt in some areas. Water was streaming down the streets. Motorcycles, bikes and cars were in water half way up their tires. People were still all over the streets as always with umbrellas and trying to stand under eaves of buildings laughing trying to keep dry. Once we were in the cab and driving I was looking at people outside as we passed. They seem to think it is funny when it rains that hard. I can’t recall that anyone finds rain funny home!? I love it here. Ha. Most people looked back at me smiling or laughing. I find it hilarious. People here are always so friendly and they seem genuinely happy all of the time. It is so good to see. But back to the taxi ride - I don’t know what exactly our taxi driver was doing. It sounded like he was stalling out every time he stopped. I do know for sure that he was having a difficult time trying to drive in the rain. The high water was a definite factor but I don’t think the fact that he was turning off his engine every time we stopped helped any. Taxi drivers here turn off their engine when they stop in the road to save gas. This cracks me up – I think someone should let them know that they are probably burning way more gas! If my Nepali skills begin to shape up a bit better I will have to share that tidbit of information with them!

Nepali Skills

2006-07-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

July 12 2006

Well we have just finished 5 days of language training in spoken Nepali. It really does not seem like a very difficult language to master but it is hard because besides our classes we normally speak English. That is one of the downfalls of not living with a Nepali family. I figure I would have to learn more if I lived with all Nepali’s! But, I’m doing ok so far. I know how to ask the kids what their name is, and their age and to tell them my name! Ha. Not too too bad! When I am shopping and out and about I know a few phrases as well – like that is too expensive/ cheap and I am a volunteer and from Canada. I can truly say more in Nepalese than I can in French and I studied French for quite a few years. But it’s different being immersed in it. It’s a fun way to learn a language. I will give you free updates if and when I progress further! Namaste! (Bye!) haha

The Heat is On

2006-07-15T09:53:00.001-07:00

July 11 2006

I didn't really know what I was getting myself into coming to Nepal during Monsoon season. I didn't think it was going to be overly hot and sunny. It is cloudy and their are short rain falls most days but the heat is almost unbearable. The fact that I wear long skirts and shirts are certainly not helping! The temperature is well over 30 degrees every day. The sun is beaming hot at 7am in the morning! It is crazy. Whether I am inside or out makes absolutely no difference. I go to bed sweating and wake up sweating. I had to go buy a fan for 750 rupees which works out to about $10 CAD. It was definitely a smart purchase. So far so good. It makes sleeping a little more manageable.

Temple for Children

2006-07-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

July 10 2006

Today I began my volunteer placement at Bal Mandir. I really like it so far and I think I will really enjoy my time there. It is unbelievable to actually see hundreds of children who do not have a home to go to or parents to care for them. It’s heart-breaking. I knew exactly my intentions on my way to Nepal but the impact that just one day at Bal Mandir has had on me is incredible. It makes me want to stay here in Nepal and devote much more of my time to these children. I’m already wondering how I am possibly going to be able to leave them all at the end of August.

Bal Mandir is the largest orphanage in Nepal where 250-300 children live at any given time. Bal Mandir means ‘Temple for Children’ and it used to be a palace about 70 years ago. It is much more spacious than I ever would have thought. However, I really had no idea what to expect. This is the first orphanage I have ever visited. All of the female children are sent to this specific orphanage. There are also boys but all the girls are sent there. They are children of parents who have been killed, put in prison, children who are unwanted by their parents and who have been abandoned or who are disabled. During my orientation last Thursday, I visited all the different groups of children. They range from new borns to 17 years old. It seems to me that the children are well taken care of at this orphanage.

Today, during their nap time one little boy, Suman woke up crying. I wasn’t really sure what to because nobody told me how to care for the children. You’re just shown where to go and that’s it. I wasn’t sure how to deal with them – if you had to keep distant at all with regards to getting attached or adding to their already confused emotions. Finally, I reached my arms out to pick Suman up and without any hesitation and only knowing me for about 20 minutes he clung on to me with all of his strength. I don’t think I can really describe how sad it made me feel. The children do not get a lot of one on one attention. That is the saddest part. A lot of them are very subdued and just stare off in space. Sometimes, it is hard to get thier attention. It is definitely not how a typical child would react but they are neglected so frequently when they cry and when they want attention. They know that crying won’t get them what they want. There is only one or two caregivers in the room where I volunteer and there is over twenty children between 18 months and 4 years old. It is a sin for them. I found the hardest part was to see the children like this. I tried really hard to make some of the children laugh but some of them still just stared off like they were depressed. So sad. I just hope that I can bring some joy to some of their days.

St. John's to Kathmandu Solo

2006-07-15T09:09:00.000-07:00

July 6 2006

Well hello! I have made it to Kathmandu! I’m alive. I’m safe. And most importantly I am still in one piece. Ask me 5 days ago how I was doing and I would give you a totally different answer. I was out of my mind. I had a quite a few bumps along the way. First off my flight was cancelled Thursday, June 29 due to high winds in Toronto. The earliest flight out from NL was Saturday, July 1. So, my Nepalese journey began 2 days late on Saturday at 5:40pm. I was rushing to the airport with no time to spare as per usual, said my farewells to my mom and walked through departures trying to keep a brave face. I was feeling pretty good about everything and was excited about finally getting to Nepal. I was originally supposed to be there Saturday, July 1. So I was anxious to get on the go. I landed in London Heathrow early Sunday morning. My ticket was only guaranteed to London. I knew before I left NL that I was going to have to make my way to Qatar Airways and try to get on the 10:55am flight to Doha that day and then try to catch the connecting flight to Kathmandu 11:35pm that night. I knew there was a possibility that this would not work out but I was not thinking about that. I was too nervous to think about that possibility. So to make a long story short I had to over night in London. To anyone reading this blog – this is more than likely a minor problem. However, to me, it was traumatic. I had a pain in my stomach and in my chest and I was walking through Heathrow Airport fighting back tears wondering - where am I? What am I doing? Where am I going? Dramatic you think? Sure… I get that a lot. But I was honestly really scared. Traveling alone to another country was never something that I thought I would enjoy. Anticipating my trip to Nepal, my only worries were that something might go wrong with the flights and or my in-country coordinator, Neer, might not be in the Kathmandu airport to meet me. So anyways, I was I nervous wreck. The only calling card I could find to buy was 50USD. I felt totally scammed which added to the situation.

So I had 30 hrs to burn in London. In almost any other circumstance I would be out of my mind excited. I ended up getting the tube to Warwick where Astra is living. She was so good to me and with only an hour notice of me arriving. She came back to Heathrow Airport with me the next morning at 6:30am and saw me off to Asia. I was worse by this point. I was only getting more nervous with every passing hour. It all started in London and I couldn’t knock the feeling. It’s weird because in NL I was counting my days down to leave.

I slept the 7 hrs to Doha. I arrived there at about 8pm and it was 36 degrees! I couldn’t quite grasp the fact that I was sitting in an airport in the Middle East. It was nothing like I had expected. I figured I would be the only person there who was not Asian. I was totally wrong. Every face imaginable was in that airport, a lot foreigners and tourists. At 11:35pm I boarded the plane to Kathmandu. This was an overnight flight. Everyone slept except for me. I was too nervous to sleep. I was agonizing about my last and final worry – Neer would not be at the airport to get me. I kept my mind from wandering by reading the entire duration of the flight. The sun was rising as we flying into Kathmandu. I could see the Himalayas – glimpses of the snow capped mountains through the cloudy sky. It was amazing. It made my nervous stomach almost completely disappear. I took my first picture through the plane window. My journey had begun.