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Asia-Pacific 2017

января - мая 2017
127-дневное приключение от Kirsti Читать далее
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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    День 28

    Japanese Group Arrives, Sirubari, Lamjun

    7 февраля 2017 г., Непал ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    What a jam packed day.

    I woke up fairly early and started packing my stuff up, preparing to move rooms. When the Japanese group arrives I'll be sleeping in the master room, with who will be a mystery until bed time. I'm learning to just trust that everything will work itself out in the end, a good mentality to have I think!

    Bed and I went to school breifly before walking down to Bhotewodar to meet up with the group. While we waited for the bus to arrive Bed did some shopping, bought some food for the Buffalos, we looked at some scarves in a fabric shop. I still don't really know how transactions work here. There seems to be a lot of chatting before making a purchase.. The fabric shop was pretty interesting though! There were bolts of fabrics lining the walls and mostly women would come in and feel the different ones and barter about prices (I assume). There were also gorgeous scarves that I would love to own. But of course I didn't think to bring much cash because I thought we'd be quick. I forgot about how unreliable the timing of buses is here in Nepal :p

    When the group finally arrived there was much excitement in the town. They arrived about the same time that the nearby school was finished and there were children crowding around staring, for once not at me! Well, not as much. The group was very receptive to it and are super friendly with everyone. Their leader speaks Japanese, Nepali, and English! And English very well, it will be nice to spend some time talking with him. Especially since he's going to school for the same thing I did.

    Instead of walking back to Sirubari we hired a Jeep. The group has lots of luggage! The ride was intense. The roads are bad enough to walk and the Jeep had a very hard time in some areas even with 4x4.. It was very sketchy. One mistake and game over. The drops are so sheer in some areas that the jeep could fall a very long way. The driver has a helper who gets out occasionally to direct tell him how far he has to the edge of the cliff.. I am not eager to do that ride ever again.. Not to mention how dusty it was! Luckily I had a scarf that I used to cover my mouth and nose with to keep the worst of it out. But I guess overall it was a good experience to have! In the cab of the jeep we squished 7 people and sitting in the bed, on top of the luggage, were 9 people. I sat inside next to Satya but could hear those in the back laughing and screaming! A new experience for them. For me, I think I prefer the walk ;)

    The group is made of 9 Japanese students and 3 Nepali's including Satya! Which means that there will be 16 people sleeping here tonight. It'll be crowded, glad I have the privilege of sleeping in the bigger room! Turns out I'll be sharing the room with Bed and Sudarsan, the Volunteer Coordinator who arranged my placement here. Yogendra, the other Nepali guide will sleep outside the room while Satya, Bobita, and Grandma will share the TV room. The 9 Japanese will share the two rooms that previously Satya and I each had to ourselves. Not a bad deal for me at least!

    When we finally made it to the house the Japanese group went to the cistern to wash their hair and faces. Satya and I went with them and she showed them how to do things properly. No soap anywhere near the water storage and nothing goes in that might be soapy. I left before they finished and went back to the house, I had the intention of writing a bit but instead went to see the sunset! Sudarsan showed me a secret spot, one that I think I'll be back to. It's up past the cistern a bit and has a clear view of the valley below. Very pretty and peaceful! We sat for a bit and chatted before heading down to the school where we could hear the Japanese group talking. I showed them around a bit, they're very excited to see the school tomorrow!

    With so many people we ate dinner outside and I think they were a bit surprised at first to see me eating with my hands, but I'm proud of my accomplishments ;)

    Immediately after dinner Bed, Sudarsan, Yogendra and myself went up to our bedroom to play cards and share some wine. It was a very nice feeling to be included with that! I guess I fit in decently or something ;) Both Sudarsan and Yogendra are funny guys and speak English quite well. It was a treat to be teased and to be able to understand the jokes being said. I think it'll be a great few days!

    Oh, and at some point we finalized my plans for my remaining time in Nepal. I'm going to skip Chitwan and stay in Sirubari until the 14th. Then I'll go to Kathmandu and stay at Sudarsan's house until I leave for Singapore. While in Kathmandu I'll help him with some photo and logo editing and try to help him start building a website for his Eco tourism company. Something that I'm very interested in! I would love to get a group together from home to come to Nepal one day. It would be similar to what the Japanese group is doing, seeing the major sites over just less than 2 weeks (or longer if possible). I'd get to see the places I missed and reconnect with my new family! I will have to look into making that possible. I'm not sad at all that I'm missing seeing Pokhara and Chitwan because there is so much to do here at the school before I leave. More now because the Japanese group brought a laptop with them and I want to help my teacher friend learn the great operating system that is Windows 8.. Too bad it couldn't have been Windows 10, but I know that they are incredibly excited to have the laptop at the school!! It'll be a great learning tool for the students if I can share some of my knowledge with Ganesh before I leave. Internet searching, video calling, Microsoft Office, that kind of thing. He's smart so I know that he'll make the best use of it :)    Читать далее

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    День 29

    Sirubari, Lamjung

    8 февраля 2017 г., Непал ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    This morning was an early morning! The group, Yogendra and I left at 5:30 ish to hike to the top of the mountain to watch the sunrise! Or tried to anyway, we didn't make it in time because as a group we were slow but it was beautiful nonetheless. I may try to go on my own one time before I leave, but at the same time maybe not haha. Yogendra trusted me to lead the way and let me tell you in the dark everything looks so different! We missed one turn but it only turned into a short detour, actually I think it was faster at the end of the day really. When we finally reached the top the views were breathtaking. It was clear and you could see everything! Bhotewodar was down in the distance, the school was closer down, the Himalayas were poking through the clouds and turning pink from the rising sun. What a peaceful place! Because the top of the mountain also hosts a cell tower I had an excellent signal. I called both mom and dad and spoke to them briefly while the rest of the group took pictures and posed with a baseball bat that one of them brought. I should really ask about that... On our way down we stopped for tea at a shop by the senior school (where one of the festivals was at) before making our way back to the house. Yogendra and I went back more quickly as time was running short and I had things I needed to prepare before school started.

    We ate breakfast as a group again and afterwards Bed and I snuck off to make it to school on time. The group arrived later, about 45 minutes after classes started. All the students were called to stand in a line, similar to how they do first thing in the morning when they do a few discipline exercises, sing the national anthem, and answer a few questions. I guess I haven't actually written about that yet! First thing in the morning the students are called to the play field and stand in lines based on what class they're in. Then one of the teachers, usually Ganesh, runs them through some poses. When I first arrived the commands were all in Nepali but, for my benefit I think, they switched to English at some point. The poses range from standing at attention and at ease, moving their arms to the sides and clapping above their heads. To teach discipline and respect I believe. Some mornings too the students uniforms and fingernails are inspected to make sure that they're clean and respectable. They then sing their national anthem, which I believe that I almost have memorized, and one student from each row comes to the front to ask a question of their fellow students and await a response. The questions are different each day, I should find out more about them. The role of the teachers here is so important to these students. I was talking to my teacher friend about it and it makes my heart melt about the compassion and caring that these people have for their students. I'm sure teachers at home do too! But there is a need here to educate the children of parents that may not be educated themselves. Apparently a lot of children don't receive much attention from their parents at home because of the busy lifestyle here. So it's the school's job to teach the children about things like basic hygiene - changing socks everyday, brushing teeth, washing, etc - among other things. They're fighting very hard to break a cycle here in Nepal and I have a lot of respect for it. They want to see the children educated so that the country can be brought to a better place as a whole...

    Anyway, back to the arrival of the group at school. The students were called to stand in a line at the side of the school and each Japanese volunteer introduced themselves. Afterwards the group split up and took the older kids up the the cistern to teach them about hygiene. I stayed down at the school with the younger kids and participated with the activities the group had planned for them. There was lots of singing and dancing! At first the children weren't really into it but by the end of it they sure were. My favourite part was when they tried to get everyone signing "if you're happy and you know it" haha reminded me so much of my childhood! I loaned them my speaker to play the music and of course sang along. Some teachers watched and others participated. I did a bit of both taking some pictures as well.

    At some point I was called down to the office because the computer keyboard wasn't working. So we searched and found the keys for the computer lab finally! And were able to get a new keyboard plugged in. I made my way back to the computer lab to try and finish setting everything up. During that time a class came in and I got them playing on the 5 computers that turn on at once, we need another powerbar for the 6th one. Boy is it crazy when they all come in at once screaming asking questions, constantly saying ma'am ma'am here here help me! But eventually they settled down and managed to play nicely. No typing lessons today! But, even playing games I see their improvement in using the computers. I've been showing them a bit of what I do when I'm trying to get them working, how the keyboards plug in, proper ways to make short cuts, copy files, etc and they're starting to be more self sufficient which is great. There was this game that they all used to fight over too, a dirt biking game, that was only on one computer and now it's on all of them. Less fighting thankfully... Anyway, at some point the Japanese group came in to observe and talk with the children. That helped with the chaos! Becuase 5 computes and 15 children is difficult to manage. The Japanese and the students played and at some point they all started dancing together.

    When lunch time rolled around I forced the children to abandon the room and we went to eat. We had a very special lunch of chicken instead of lentils! An honour for the group, I wonder if they know that it was a special lunch? In any case it was delicious. It was also really funny watching each person in the group try a Chile, they all had the same reaction, utter horror and needed water immediately. They're funny! A good group of people for sure, they have good hearts :)

    After lunch the group went up to the upper room and engaged some of the children in a writing exercise. Before they left Japan, they had local Japanese children write messages to the children here. So the students were responding! It looked like they were having a ton of fun :) I stood outside with some of the other teachers and we were talking. I feel very included these days and I love it here. We were talking mostly about visiting Canada and how things work there. I didn't know that the nearest Canadian visa office is actually in Delhi, India. So it's a big deal to get out there and get a visa.. Which sucks because I was really hoping that I could help my friend a bit more in terms of coming to Canada, with the paperwork etc online but we'll see.

    At some point I was called away to help the next class with the computers. This class was actually less interested in the computers and really wanted me to get the DVD player working. I don't think we have the proper cables though.

    After school we had tea at home and the group went back to the cistern to wash up again. Sudarsan and I went to watch the sun go down again and caught the tail end of it. On our way back he picked up some dried Bamboo pieces and brought them back home. At home we turned them into a these little pinwheel fans called Firfire in Nepali and Taketonbo in Japanese. There's a picture included, but it's two strips of Bamboo crossed over one another put onto a small stick. The small stick then goes into a small tube and children run with the toy making the blades spin. Simple yet effective entertainment!

    We then had dinner and I helped Satya with the dishes. And so many dishes! It's incredible haha. But as a team we managed quite quickly. I've become pretty good at it as I've made it my job to help with that at the very least ;) After dinner the "boys" and I played cards again in our room. I really like this rummy game, I'll be sure to teach you guys at home how to play! I really feel like part of the family here. I was worried at first that I'd feel a bit left out because there would be a Japanese group and a Nepali group but I've been adopted by the Nepali's and I love it. Warm and fuzzy feelings ;)    Читать далее

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    День 30

    Sirubari, Lamjung

    9 февраля 2017 г., Непал ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    This morning I "slept in" until 7:30 am and spent the morning before school talking and helping cut vegetables for breakfast. After breakfast, Bed and I again left the group to make it to school on time.

    At school I spent most of the morning transferring my photos to the school computer for the staff to have access to when I'm gone. There were a lot of people at the school in the morning coming in and out. I was given a welcome flower from my friend's father and a few people came to look at the photos I was transferring as well. I also spent some time discussing Sudarsan's business with him and his ideas for a website. While in Kathmandu I plan on helping him to start building the site and getting some photos and logos edited. I think that I'll give him a few of my photos to use on his site. Why not? That's an expression they say here a lot that I love "why not" and "what can we do". They're so laid back it's great. While in the office Sudarsan messenger called Conrad, a previous volunteer here who is also from BC and currently studying at the University of Washington. We've been talking a bit on Facebook as well and I'm hoping that when I return we'll be able to meet in person! Bed also came by for the messenger call and was very excited to be talking to Conrad. Making connections world wide.

    At some point I was called upstairs to the Farewell/Thank You Ceremony for the Japanese Group. That explained all the people in the office! A huge portion of the community showed up and we were all crammed into the room. Hanging on the back wall was a banner that the Japanese group made with the students, a tree with handprints of each student as the leaves. It looks quite nice! The ceremony started with introductions, each person stood and said their name and where they lived, including myself. There was a lot of talking next from a few different people in the community. I'm imagining words of thanks and gratitude. Because the Japanese group leader, Shranay, speaks Nepali everything was translated directly into Japanese so I understood nothing. Except that I heard my name mentioned a few times and I was pointed to, but no comprehension at the time. Later I asked Shranay what was said and he explained that they weren't saying thanks/good bye to me as well because I'm staying a bit longer, makes sense! After the talking was finished the group presented a number of gifts that they brought with them to the students and community. The gifts included a laptop, soccer ball, volleyball, books, pencils, paints, etc. Very generous. There was lots of clapping and appreciation from everyone :) And lots and lots of photos being taken! I was designated as the photo taker and had three cameras going at once. I wanted someone to help me but I guess others aren't comfortable using a camera, I've been receiving a lot of compliments on my photos from people here.

    Afterward the farewell ceremony we had a late lunch, finishing the chicken from yesterday. So many people! The Japanese group ate in the main kitchen area, the community members in the classrooms next door, and the teachers outside by the fire pit. The same area that we tend to meet at mid day when there's a lull in classes. I chatted with the teachers a bit, this time about food. Apparently I should give mutton another chance... It's the only meat that a lot of people here eat! Most people eat chicken too, but mutton is universal. I don't know.. If the opportunity comes up I'll try it otherwise I won't be upset if it doesn't work out :p

    After lunch we had a short time before school was over so Shranay, one of the other Japanese students, and myself tried to change the language of Microsoft Office on the laptop from Japanese to English. Turns out that it's something that needs to be paid for, a language pack. We ran out of time to get it done though so I'll have to figure it out on my own some other time. The Nepali language pack is free though so maybe I'll do that instead, it's probably more useful for them at the school anyway!

    The group stayed behind longer at the school so I went back with the locals and we had tea and chatted a bunch until the group returned, then went to wash, then returned again. Tonight's dinner was very popular with the group! Bobita made a special rice with butter today and spinach again. Many people in the group came asking for seconds where usually they don't. I ate inside with the family and we all had rice with milk and bananas. I notice that only the locals have that privilege, not enough to go around I guess. Again, feeling the love as I'm included in these activities!

    After dinner I helped with the dishes again before the boys and I snuck off next door to share some wine with the neighbour. We had a snack of chicken and talked for a while. It was kind of funny, the secrecy that went along with the whole process haha. I guess because the Japanese group doesn't drink? After socializing for a bit we returned to our room to play some more cards. Our games were cut a bit short by assisting the group in packing their things. Tomorrow they leave at 5am from the house to walk to Bhotewodar. Some of them aren't able to carry their bags so Bed has arranged for porters to come by and carry the bags down for them. After hearing that I volunteered to go down to town with the group and help carry things should anyone need the assistance..    Читать далее

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    День 31

    Japanese Group Leaves, Sirubari, Lamjung

    10 февраля 2017 г., Непал ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    This morning came wayyy too quick. Bed's alarm went off at 4am and I was out of bed by 4:30 am and we left at 5:00 am. I was trusted to lead the group on the walk down, and didn't carry anything, telling the group that if they needed help with their stuff to let me know and I'd help them. Turns out the offer wasn't needed! So it was easy for me ;) Thankfully because I feel like crap today. Definitely the worst of the cold that's going around hit me today.. Oh well, I've survived worse ;) The walk down was all together uneventful. We made it to Bhotewodar very quickly, only stopping once on the way down. The walk seems shorter in the dark somehow and I'm very happy I made all the correct turns haha.

    Because we made it to the village much more quickly than anticipated we had time to kill and had tea and samosas while we waited for the groups bus to arrive. It was kind of neat to watch the town wake up, all the lights starting to go on and people starting their days. While we were waiting, the English teacher passed by the shop we were in on his way to school. He stopped and had a tea with us before continuing to Sirubari. I couldn't stop yawning the entire time we were waiting, thankfully the tea and samosas helped keep me awake! And warm, it was very cold when we stopped moving.

    Bed and I said our goodbyes to the group and made our way back up to the village. It didn't take us very long, only about an hour and 15 minutes including a break partway. That's the same amount of time it took us to get down as a group! Must be getting into shape or something. By the time we got back home I was feeling much better, especially after a cold shower and some food. Refreshing. We even made it to school early! Apparently the reason our English teacher, Mahadev, was going up so early is because District exams are next week and the older students are spending extra time at school studying.

    At school I spent the day getting the laptop set up, changing some basic settings, installing new programs and showing Ganesh some of the differences with Windows 8. I also showed a few of the teachers how to do video calling over Messenger. Previously they didn't have anything with a camera and microphone to do so! Because today was a half day I didn't finish everything and brought the laptop home with me so I can try to finish tomorrow. It's just slow going because of the dinosaur internet connections. I was called gentle today as well haha. In comparison to the Japanese group who are funny and energetic. I suppose gentle is a good term ;)

    After school there was a celebration going on at another teacher's house that all the teachers went to. The celebration was in honour of this teacher's mother who had turned 84. Apparently that's a big accomplishment to celebrate! First Bobita and I stopped by the house to drop off bags and feed the animals. When we arrived we were given sel roti (the donut like bread) and cussar (the small sweet balls) in banana leaf bowls, topped off with curry. We used the roti to eat the curry and I gave my cussar to Bobita, I have to admit it's not my favourite, only because it's hard and my teeth are still bothering me from the work I had done in December.. Not good! But nothing I can do about it now. The set up of the celebration was the same as the previous ones I've been too with the four poles, a hanging cloth, and numerous offerings in leaf bowls. There was a preist who was talking, this time something about how their holy book needed to be changed to adapt to modern times because it previously referred to things flying in the sky as God's, which is not the case when it comes to airplanes. I thought that was interesting! Partway through the Preist talking one of the students came and got me telling me to eat. She brought me to the other side of the house where I ate Soo much food! I couldn't communicate that I was full to the man serving me, but that's okay it was delicious. There was (hot) rice pudding with fresh coconut mixed in yummy. As well as a curry and a pickled side that they make. I accidentally ate a full chile... That was hot. But thankfully I had lots of water! I went back to my spot to continue listening as best I could. At some point a group of ladies showed up and were chattering amongst themselves about me trying to encourage their children to say hello to me and asking the questions I've come to expect about my age, marital status, country, etc. Bed's neighbour was sitting next to me and told me they were calling me a very pretty lady. When the preist concluded his talking everyone who had been listening raised their hands a number of times and shouted yay. I've seen that before so I imagine that it must be a typical way of ending the talking and starting the mingling. As soon as the talking was finished the group of ladies that was talking to me swarmed me and started taking pictures. It was very overwhelming.. One woman was the same one who took a photo of me at the last celebration! She showed me the photo haha. Anyway, thankfully Bed rescued me from that. He wanted me to take a photo of him, Mahadev, and Ganesh presenting the 84 year old woman with a gift, a lovely scarf. Some of the photos turned out pretty nicely :) After taking the photo the men went off to eat. There was more confusion as someone tried to hand me a plate of food and I couldn't explain that I'd already eaten... Thankfully Bobita overheard the commotion and helped me out. We left shortly after because the animals needed taking care of. I was sad to go, I've started to really enjoy myself despite the language barrier! Which I might add is becoming less of an issue. Too bad I'm not staying long enough to truly be able to understand everything..

    Back at home I spent some time relaxing, writing, and enjoying some quiet. We didn't eat dinner tonight because we ate at the party so late and instead just watched some Tv. The same show we've been watching most nights about the Hindu religion. It's funny and probably quite educational if I could understand more, but the acting is story enough! I'm sure that I'll sleep quite well tonight.    Читать далее

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    День 32

    Free Day, Sirubari, Lamjung

    11 февраля 2017 г., Непал ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Saturday today! I woke up after a fantastic sleep and caught up on some writing until breakfast. I then went to the cistern and washed some clothes, I think I'm getting the hang of it. All I can say is good thing I only brought black socks because there is so much dirt here it just gets everywhere, seeps in to clothing even through shoes. After washing clothes I spent the entire day working on the school's new laptop. The main reason it took so long is the poor singal at the house, so when the laptop was charged up and I couldn't do anymore without downloading some programs I wandered over to the school where the signal is stronger. I figured out how to change some programs into English and Nepali, made an instructions page, set the school up with an email address, configured bookmarks and shortcuts and the start screen, and just did the grunt work that comes with owning a new computer. I'm feeling better about leaving so soon now that this is done. I just need to go over a few things with the teachers about the computer and it's all on them :) And a few things left to do on the school computers and finished!

    I wandered back from the school occasionally to charge the computer - I don't have access to the rooms just sitting outside - and during those times I ate, socialized, and had measurements taken! Bobita had a neighbour come over and measure me for what I'm assuming are some traditional Nepali clothing. So honoured and excited! We'll see haha. Fingers crossed :) I made my final trip home after watching the sun set and finishing the final download. Installed the programs at home, ate, and watched TV with Bobita and Grandma before heading to bed. Sounds like Bed is staying in Bhotewodar tonight. I guess a few teachers do that?

    Anyway, I have tomorrow and the following day remaining at school :( I'll have to say my goodbyes and leave for Kathmandu the next day... Time is running short!    Читать далее

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    День 33

    Sirubari, Lamjung

    12 февраля 2017 г., Непал ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    This morning before school I attempted to use my remaining data before it expired by downloading some forms and information onto the school laptop. I was unsuccessful in using it all though.. I only used about 4.2/5gb in a month with no wifi and 1.5 of that was yesterday downloading programs haha. At about 11am I got a text saying that my package has expired! Too bad. Though strangely my phone is still working... I've gotten another text saying that I've used RS15 in data. What I want to know is how they'll ever get that from me?! I didn't give any information when I purchased the SIM card, just paid cash.. In any case I've decided that I'm not going to use the data, be an honest person :p Besides there's wifi at the school if I really need it. I just don't want to use their connection as it's very limited and they pay for a set amount of data per month. Not to mention that my phone hasn't connected to wifi in a month and I have 30+ apps requiring updating and Google Play Music as well that I'll have to figure out how to pause. Oh and dropbox photo uploads.... So maybe I'll connect only long enough to send mom her requested daily text letting her know I'm still alive :p

    Anyway, at school I spent the morning finishing all the work I needed to do on the laptop, the office desktop, and the computer lab computers. Ganesh wasn't in today so tomorrow I'll have to go over everything I've done with him, wrapping things up :(

    After lunch I was busy teaching, English verb tenses, then two computer classes. It was exhausting but good! I can't believe tomorrow is my last day already. Apparently they're going to have a good bye event for me as well, but I'm hoping that it's not too extravagant and we can just say goodbye quietly ;)

    After school I went with Bed to the big tree again and read my book while he cut more food for the goats. He's insane! Climbing so high up it was worrying and dizzying. . So high that he had to use his cutting tool as a pick axe to get up to some of the higher branches... After he finished cutting the branches we gathered up the leaves and took them home.

    Next was dinner, we had chicken! I love the spices they use on the chicken here it's so good I need the recipe. There's so much stock that comes out of it too that it makes great sauce for the rice. Because we had meat it means we didn't have milk with rice afterwards. Interesting all the things that I'm learning!

    Then the neighbour, Ram, came over and he, Bed and I went to his place to play cards. A good bye party of sorts I gather. We played for a very long time and ate a ton of food! At one point there was the discussion of going to bed or making noodles lmao. The evening reminded me so much of being down at the lake / with the German cousins it was hilarious. Just watching them laughing and being able to follow along a bit was great. The noodles are very similar to the instant noodles that we eat at home! Almost identical to the spicy kimchee flavour, except spicier because of course they add additional Chiles to the soup. So glad I brought a 3 month supply of prescription heartburn meds with me :p I've been going through them much faster than I thought I would be. Might be asking mom to go to the pharmacy at home to bring me more when we meet in Sydney!    Читать далее

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    День 34

    Last Day in Sirubari, Lamjung

    13 февраля 2017 г., Непал ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Today was my last full day here in Sirubari :(

    I started the day by having my last bucket shower and scocializng before school started. At school I showed Ganesh a few final things to do with the laptop, made sure that everything was working okay and also printed out visa application forms for him and Beda/Bobita to visit Canada. All they have to do is fill them out and submit! We'll see if anything comes out of it or not, hopefully :) I figured it's the least I could to, to navigate the confusing website and find the proper information for them. We had a final lunch and afterwards I taught one last English class and one last computer class. I think that everything should be good to go! I also left my spare headphones behind to be used with the laptop. For video calling, watching movies, whatever is needed. Offers a bit more privacy should anyone choose to make calls over wifi there.

    Instead of last period there was a small goodbye arranged for me! It was very emotional for me, I was quite honoured and very sad to leave. It was just the teachers and students present, nothing big and grand like when the Japanese group was here and for that I was thankful. It was much more personal and I had a chance to actually say my thanks and goodbyes to all the teachers and students at my leisure.

    They had me sit on a chair outside the office and started off with a little speech that was very touching. Mahadev did most of the talking and said some kind things about how I have a generous spirit, how they're very thankful that I took the time to teach them the technology that might help bring them out of the "stone age" as he called it. They really wanted to thank me for my kindness and I gather that there have been volunteers in the past that were there more for an experience than to truly help. I'm just glad that they did benefit from me being there! Even though I feel like I only scratched the surface of what I could have taught them about technology in particular. But, I suppose I've had years and years of practice, there's no way that I could impart all that knowledge in such a short time. What they really need is someone to stay longer and be able to dedicate more time. I wish it could be me, but I sadly need to move on. I told them that I'm available to help remotely though should they need it! And I hope that they take that offer seriously because I meant it as a genuine offer. Genuinely enough that I set up a shared folder on Google Drive that I can access to help with anything that might need doing.

    After Mahadev's little speech each student, starting with the lower classes, came to me and gave me a small gift of flowers and gave me tikka. The first student was my little friend, Prabes, and he started the trend of putting tikka on my cheeks as well as forehead. He's a cute little trouble maker ;) As each student came to say goodbye and give me tikka, their gifts grew more extravagant the older they got. There were necklaces made of flowers, origami flowers, a handmade Nepali flag, and even a prayer scarf. After the students had said their goodbyes the teachers came by one by one to give me tikka and each said a few kind words. One line that stood out was that this was only a temporary goodbye because my friend was sure they would see me again again in Nepal. I was offered many times a place to stay when I return and told that I should bring my boyfriend/husband or parents next time!

    During the goodbye I gave my phone to one of the students to take pictures, so I have lots to remember. Going through them now makes me smile and I definitely will not be forgetting any of these wonderful people. Beda was the last to give me tikka and he also gave me a lovely scarf as a good luck blessing. I wish that I could take all of these flowers and gifts with me but I know they won't last. And have I ever mentioned how great they all smell?? Amazing! I did take the flag that Susana made and one of the origami flowers as well. I also have a volunteer certificate to bring home as a memory.

    After all the teachers and students finished giving me tikka, my face was covered and I had so many flowers around my neck! I had the chance to say goodbye but I was at a loss for words. I almost choked up.. But I said something about how much their kindness meant to me and that they will always be in my memories.

    After leaving the school I was invited to visit Ganesh's house. He came back to "my" house briefly and we had tea with grandma, Bobita, and Beda. I then walked with him to his house where we talked for a while and I watched while he did some of the chores that I've become familiar with in this lifestyle - milking the Buffalo, watering the plants, etc. He has some very flattering perspectives on respect, quality of life, and value of women/mothers in society! Definitely reflecting the Nepali culture that I've been learning about and love. At some point he cut up a papaya fresh from the tree for us to eat and warmed up some of the fresh milk as well. His father was also there, sorting through coffee pods getting them ready to take to the mill! His father had a number of questions for me so Ganesh translated so we could talk. Some of the usual questions about cultural differences, and some more in depth questions about what I plan to do when I return to Canada. I left when it started to get dark so that I wouldn't worry Beda and Bobita and he called them shortly after I arrived home to make sure I made it safely. As I was leaving he gave me a lovely scarf as a goodbye gift. And in my favourite colour! He also gave me some vegetables to bring to Bobita.

    When I returned to the house Bobita was waiting for me and had a very touching gift waiting for me; traditional Nepali clothing! I suspected that's what the measurements were for the other day but I didn't want to assume. The clothing is beautiful and I will definitely treasure them. And they're incredibly comfortable. I will definitely be wearing them in the future! The pants in particular are the best pants I've owned, they remind me of the pair that I bought in Bratislava a few years ago and regret losing. The neighbour lady who made the clothes made them so that they would still fit if, when I return home, I get "fat" I've come to understand that the term fat is not offensive here but somewhat flattering. Something to remember for anyone who is planning on visiting Nepal in the future ;)

    For dinner we had a special, sweet red rice. The name sounds like Onitay, but I'm sure it's spelled differently, I'll have to Google it when I have an internet connection again. My data package expired today so I'm out of luck for a while. Not a problem for me!

    I tried packing after dinner but it was too difficult to leave out what I needed for the next day and I gave up so that I could spend my remaining time visiting instead. Apparently Grandma is very sad to see my go and has told them that she wants me to stay a long time! Bobita and Beda were making cheese and butter for Beda to bring to Kathmandu with us tomorrow. I guess they each have sisters who live in the city and as they don't have buffalo's in the city so can't get quality butter and cheese. I tried some of the cheese while it was still warm and it tastes... I don't even know how to describe it. It's crumbly kind of like blue cheese but the flavour is more similar to goat cheese but less tangy. At some point we went to watch TV for a bit then off to bed at a decent hour considering last night was a late one ;)    Читать далее

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    День 35

    Back to Kathmandu

    14 февраля 2017 г., Непал ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    I had a horrible sleep last night. I kept waking up and in the morning I was incredibly nauseous. I must have eaten something bad.. Of course I have no problems with food and digestion until the day I need to leave! I couldn't even eat my breakfast. Oh well, thankfully Advil at least took the edge off of the sickness.

    First thing in the morning I started packing but was interrupted when Beda recieved a phone call from Ganesh. Something was going on with the laptop, it had reverted back to Japanese. So I went back over to Ganesh's house before breakfast to take a look. The issue was resolved quickly, just a matter of Windows needing to update (typical!). And I guess the Nepali font, Preeti, didn't get installed on the computer so I showed him how to do that as well. It was a short visit as I needed to be back for an early breakfast so we could on the road to Kathmandu. But, one last goodbye is never a bad thing :)

    As I mentioned, I couldn't handle eating anything this morning so I had a glass of warm milk and a banana before finishing packing. Walking down the stairs and off the property was far more difficult that I thought it was going to be :( Hugs aren't really a part of the culture here so I waved and said bye and all that business. It was sad having Bobita, Grandma, and the neighbour watching me leave, also sad. But, Beda and I made it to town without any problems and caught the first bus to Kathmandu that we saw. Thankfully it was a deluxe tourist bus and there was plenty of legroom and space. I don't think I could have handled one of the micro buses with my stomach in the condition that it was. By some miracle I actually managed to sleep the majority of the ride and it passed fairly quickly. I managed to keep down a couple bananas and an orange on the way and drank some water that Bobita gave me before leaving. She mixed in some powder with the water which is supposed to help with stomach upset. It seems to have worked! The mixture made the water look like urine and it smelled like boiled eggs. Thankfully it tasted like nothing, else I would have lost all the contents of my stomach immediately. And on the bus that would have been very unfortunate!

    We hopped on the bus at about 11 and made it to the bus park in Kathmandu at about 5:30, stopping twice along the way for food and toilet breaks. Coming back into Kathmandu I remembered my love hate relationship with the city. It's dusty and busy and chaotic. But thankfully Sudarsan's house is outside of the busy tourist and central district. The walk from the bus park to his house took about 30 minutes and was rather uneventful. I've gotten used to the staring and have been able to primarily ignore it. At least in this area there aren't tons of people trying to sell you things!

    When we arrived we settled in and I took a room below the main living area. Sudarsan rents out the spare rooms to university students and guests like myself. The students were very curious, continually peeking through the door that I didn't close fully but didn't intrude. I suspect that at some point I'll talk to them and maybe make some friends. Beda and Sudarsan disappeared somewhere and I took the opportunity to have my first hot shower in a month! It was very nice :) but not as nice as I had expected it to be, the bucket showers really aren't that bad as long as it isn't cold. The hot water was very nice though..

    The walk to Sudarsan's house from the bus park took about 30 minutes and was uneventful. He lives outside of the city centre in a much quieter, residential area. I already prefer it to the hustle that I remember from Thamel.

    Eventually we had dinner, prepared by Sudarsan's wife Sarita. After dinner Beda, Sudarsan, and I retreated to my room and we played some cards and drank some beers. Sudarsan also owns a shop that sells primarily liquor so we had lots of options to choose from!    Читать далее

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    День 36

    Kathmandu

    15 февраля 2017 г., Непал ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    I slept great last night! I spent the morning taking advantage of the strong wifi and ordered my bridesmaid dress for Kat and Ethan's wedding! What a hassle that was, David's Bridal sure doesn't make it easy to take your money. But, after 20 minutes on the phone with their corporate headquarters and 10 minutes with the local Langley store I got my dress ordered :) It'll arrive almost a month after I'm home... Crazy long time! Long time to wait and a long time on the phone, long enough that I didn't have much time to do anything before it was time to eat.

    After breakfast I walked to Thamel so that I could pick up a bag a left at the first hotel I stayed at, Hotel Amaryllis, for safe keeping. The walk took about 45 minutes and took me through some local areas of the city. What stood out the most was the scent... The road I followed took me along a canal that was filled with garbage :( It pains me to see that! There is some need for recycling and garbage service or maybe some new ways of packaging products here... Seems like everything ends up on the roads or in the rivers. But, other than that the walk was uneventful. I'm starting to get used to the traffic and how to avoid being taken out by the zooming cards and motor bikes. And I've become accustomed to the stares. That or I've started walking/acting enough like a local that they don't stare as much anymore? I dunno, but either way it doesn't bother me anymore!

    When I finally made my way into Thamel I decided to stop by a coffee shop and have a real coffee for the first time since leaving Canada! I had a cafe au lait and it was delicious. I may have had two... I stayed there for a while and did some writing, just enjoying the solitude and ability of being on my own schedule. I definitely felt better today too because I actually ended up getting quite hungry. Instead of eating at this coffee shop which offered many western menu items like salads and soups I wandered to a momo shop in the area. Last chance for Momo's! I had an order of peanut satay Momo's and an order of chicken ones. Delicious! And a beer to go with it, Becuase I have to try all the local beers right? ;) hunger satisfied I made my way over to the hotel and stopped in a Shawl stop along the way. Sudarsan told me that he'd take me to where the locals shop for shawls before I go so I was only looking at prices. Funny how much they want to charge there! They first asked for 1200 rupees for this one shawl and after I said that's too much and chatted with him for a bit about how I'd been teaching in rural Nepal he lowered the price to 500! Called it the Nepali price and said that any shawls I bought from him would be the same price. I did end up buying one from him because I saw one that I loved but I think I'll check out the Shawl factory first before going back to buy more. Plus, the shawls in Thamel aren't quite the same as the ones the local women wear, and those are the ones that I'm looking for. Anyway, afterwards I picked up the bag I left at the hotel, found a cab, and made my way back to Sudarsan's. I had originally planned on walking but that bag was much bigger and heavier than I remember it being...

    When I arrived back at the home I was locked out! I must have just missed the last person leaving or something... Seeing my confusion some local people kindly tried to help me get in without any luck of course. So I went across the street to a local shop and had a cup of tea while waiting for someone to come back and open the gate.. I think I only had to wait about 30 or 45 minutes before someone returned. During this time I had my first experience with being offered drugs in Nepal.. The guy was clearly drunk and couldn't believe that I didn't want any weed. Ah well, there's always that one nut in an area ;)

    When I got back into the house I went through the items in the bag I had left at the hotel! Pretty well all food and drinks lol. And some clothes for the next segment of my trip. I think that I'll give most of the candy and treats to Beda to bring home for Bobita, she's got a bit of a sweet tooth ;) I'm very excited to share the Crown Royal that I had in the bag though! A taste of Canada.

    At some point I went down to Sudarsan's office with him and we worked on a new logo for his Eco-Tourism company. I photoshopped for about 3 hours and the familiar wrist pain I associate with computer use came back... Haven't felt that since I left. I had hoped that some time off from excessive computer use would have allowed my body to heal itself and rectify the problem. Guess that's not the case! But anyway, I think the logo looks great :) When the website is finished I'll be sure to share it! It's a great thing that he's trying to accomplish and I'm more than happy to help him how I can.

    We had a late dinner at 8:30pm then Sudarsan and I returned to my room to work on some text for his website. Beda stayed at his sister's home tonight I think? So the two of us used the time to work. It's easy for me to write quickly and fluently in English the message that Sudarsan is trying to get out. While we worked we shared some of the whiskey and I think it's popular! Next time I come I'll have to bring a bottle for him instead of the half I had with me. Sometime while we were working Ganesh called me and told me he's also in Kathmandu! We're going to meet for tea at some point before I leave :)    Читать далее

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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017
    День 37

    Kathmandu

    16 февраля 2017 г., Непал ⋅ 🌫 18 °C

    This morning I decided to try and do some packing and rearranging of my stuff in preparation for shipping some things home before I leave Nepal. I was fairly unsuccessful lol. Instead I ended up calling Alanna and we had a great chat! I then ate breakfast and decided to call her back as I heard she'd be at the pub with my brother and our friends. It was great to talk to the all! I gave them a video tour of the house I'm staying in and the neighbourhood (restricted from going to far because I was on wifi) and they were particularly interested in the toilet lol. None of them have ever used, or seen, a squat toilet before. Makes me wish I had taken a photo of the one in Sirubari before I left so they could compare the two! Becuase the one at Sudarsan's home is much more modern, it has a flusher and a sink in the same room. Anywayyyy of course the boys would be interested in toilets :p

    I spent the rest of the morning/early afternoon working on more text and content for the website. The company is called Unleashed Nepal International, and again, I'll share the link when it's ready! It combines sustainable tourism with volunteer work if desired and is a fully customizable program. I've decided that I want to continue to be involved even after I leave Nepal.

    Beda came back to Sudarsan's around 1:30, we all had tea together and then Sarita took me to the Shawl factory! What an incredible place. So many choices it was overwhelming. And so much variation in price and quality.. Definitely different than what was offered in Thamel, and if you ask me, much nicer. I spent entirely too much money on lovely lovely shawls and I'm not going to describe them too much because they're gifts for a few lucky people in my life, but I'll take pictures of them at some point ;) Just think 100% pashmina, made in Nepal by hand, and embroidered with lovely patterns.

    From the Shawl factory we went to a large supermarket nearby just to browse. It was very similar to a Walmart at home! The most memorable part of it may have been crossing the busy Ring Road to get to it... What I said before about getting used to the traffic? Yea I was wrong. Ring Road is crazy. Maybe 6-8 "lanes" of traffic. I say "lanes" because there aren't any lines on the roads - nor stop lights anywhere, traffic police control traffic in busy areas - and one minute a particular stretch of road may be going one direction and the next it switches. To cross you kind of just walk into the chaos and wait for an opening to inch your way forward... Cars come within inches of you and don't think that you have priority because you're a pedestrian. Ha! There are also cows that just randomly walk down the middle of the road. Actually that was one of the funniest things I've seen and wish I had been faster with my camera to capture it! This calf just wandering down the city's busiest road without a care in the world while cars zip around it at top speed. Oh the eccentricity of the city that I'll miss! Nothing you'd see in Canada. In this area of Kathmandu, there are also numerous people cooking over open fires along the side of the road selling items like corn to passerbys. It's intense. But I love it! Oh, and also shops like vehicle repair and electronics repair shops line the sides of the streets in small shacks and it's quite common to see men Welding things between their feet wearing only sandals! Different standards.. .

    Anyway at the supermarket I just browsed and didn't really buy anything. I saw things like "American" Mayonnaise and Ketchup which made me laugh. I did also find two of the drinking cups that I've been looking for! The benefit of the supermarket is that everything is pre set to a fair price and you know that you aren't being ripped off because you're a tourist...

    When we got back to the house I introduced Beda to the Crown Royal and he also really enjoyed it! At this point Sudarsan was working in his shop so Beda and I had one final time to hang out together before he left to go to his sister's house again. He leaves early tomorrow morning at something like 5:30 am to make it in time for a meeting back in Lamjung. It was a good afternoon and I was complimented very nicely, "you must have lots of boys at home who like you because you're smart and funny"

    After Beda left I went down to sit with Sudarsan in his shop. One of his friends came by at some point and we all shared some beers together. Carlsberg, Tuborg, and San Miguel are quite popular here it seems. At some point during this time a girl, an IT student at the local university, came by to talk about the website. She's in charge of getting the domain name and hosting arranged, and wanted to know how much space we needed based off the categories and content we started writing last night. She left and Sudarsan and I continued working late, until about midnight.    Читать далее

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