Call the fashion police

As I sit at the airport
in Kathmandu
I gaze at the foreigners
and wonder what to do

I almost feel embarrassed
for the foreign race
as they sport all manner
of trekking wear
like their trekking off to space

Oversized lenses
draping round their neck
new polished trekking boots
ready for the trek

Socks and rubber sandals
call the fashion police
because no-one should walk around
in that monotone fleece.

What is good behaviour?

As I walked up the long dusty driveway towards Tribuwan University Kathmandu, I was delighted by the sight of around 500 Nepali people with disabilities making their way using all manner of methods. It was impressive to see people not letting their disabilities get in their way of attending the NFDN General Assembly, though the disability friendly access left something to be desired. The two day assembly itself was absolute chaos to say the least and in many ways not very engaging, but I did meet loads of interesting people, practised my Nepali and met a very interesting Nepali photographer who kept me amused for a good few hours and has since become a new friend (in fact I have already convinced him that dressing up in bollywood clothing and cycling to India singing and dancing is a good idea).

It has felt like I have spent a ridiculous amount of time in Kathmandu or there abouts over the last month or so I have only spent one week in Nepalgunj. My visit to Kathmandu this time was lengthened because of an unexpected minor operation. I know, I can’t believe it either, I went to the clinic complaining of a small lump on the back of my head and half an hour later I was lying face down on the operating table with a needle and scalpel in my head having a cyst removed. The doctor showed me the cyst afterwards, there were two small grizzly balls which he popped into a testube for biopsy. So I had to stay a few extra days to get it checked out and then I will return in a week for the stitches to be removed and the results of the biopsy, which fits conveniently with my next jaunt to Nargakot for the volunteer conference-will I ever get any real work done?

I celebrated my 34th Birthday in Kathmandu early and missed all my good old friends back home, its great making new friends but they might not get the....on behalf ut committee, I’d just like to say....thing! When I returned to Nepalgunj I had a lovely birthday wearing a sari, eating dhall baat and momos and I bought a new bike which was better that the last one but the same price as I got my Nepali friend to negotiate the price for me.

It was on my birthday whilst I was perusing the local hardware store waiting for my new bike to be fixed that I bumped into Peggy-another foreigner! In turned out that Peggy is an Australian nurse in her 60’s volunteering in the ‘gunj. I took her number and she later invited me to a birthday party the following Saturday. Saturday came around and I cycled down to meet Peggy, she led me on her scooter to her friends house. It turns out there are seven foreigners living in the ‘gunj and me of course; three Australian, two American, one English and another yet to be identified. It was a joint celebration for five of those foreigners whose birthdays it had been recently, how convenient that it had been my birthday less than a week ago and I was welcomed into the celebration and even had my name iced onto the cake. I had a great evening and was happy to join a new network of friends who were so nice.

The following day I set off with a Nepali friend to visit Chiisopaani Kalali a bridge set in a stunning landscape about 2-3 hours away by motorbike. It was Holi which is a festival celebrated by putting bright chalky colour on peoples face and anywhere else accessible. So I set off thinking, I will definitely get got. We stopped off at my friend’s house to pick up his jumper, but I think it was just an excuse to show off to his family that he had a foreign female friend. We had a great trip and stopped off for dhall baat when we reached the bridge. It was during this time that we got chatting about age and marriage. He asked me why aren’t I married, I thought shit why aren’t I married, I quickly recovered and told him that it’s normal in my culture not to get married in the UK. He told me that he would like to marry a foreigner with ‘good behaviour’. Ok so now this was getting interesting-I am foreign and not married, what a coincidence. But what prey tell is good behaviour? And do I have it?

When I think of good behaviour there are several associations that spring to mind; prisoners being let out early and dogs. I am pretty sure that doing a naked bike ride round Manchester City Centre wouldn’t fit into his idea of a wife with good behaviour.Later whilst at the NFDN General Assembly I met a relative of his from Nepalgunj (it’s a small world) and showed her the photos of our trip and she asked why there weren’t any photos of his wife!

Are you feeling difficult?...no!

The last month has been a bit of a whirl wind really.

Ke bhayo? (what happened)

Dave and I broke up. We journeyed a long way together and decided that it was time for us to take our own individual paths. Most important to me is that I am not losing a very good friend who means a lot to me and I hope that our friendship will last a life time.

I had my bike stolen. That’s not good, but not unexpected. I will buy a new one.

I went to Kathmandu and carried out our governance programme analysis. Which basically involved looking at the work that volunteers have carried out over the last four years and analysing the results. Then I helped plan a one day review for volunteers and partners (the organisations we work with). I really enjoyed this as it gave me the opportunity to realise what can be achieved during a placement and gave me some really good ideas and motivations. For the review we went to Chitwan National Park, I didn’t really get much chance to see the park, but I really enjoyed the evening when the event finished and we all had an impromptu dance to Nepali music and I brought my hula hoop out, which is always a big curiosity.

Now I am just preparing to go to Nargakot, which is about an hour out of Kathmandu to assist with the delivery of a four day leadership course. I am really looking forward to working with the team of volunteer and the partners, I will learn a lot and hopefully contribute my experience and knowledge to the course.
Also quite unexpectedly my article which was my last blog, got published in the Kathmandu Post, I am really very pleased about this.

I have also had my first experience of load shedding. Basically there is not enough electricity in Nepal to go round at this time of year, so there is a schedule when electricity is and isn’t available. In Kathmandu there is no electricity for 14 hours a day, interesting. But when it is the rainy season there will be more power generated by the hydro power plants. Luckily though in Nepalgunj we get our power from India, so we don’t have load shedding, ekdham raamro.
It has been really nice catching up with other volunteers in Kathmandu and in particular I have enjoyed the hash, which is the running round the countryside outside out Kathmandu for about 15 km. Its great!

The other thing I have been thinking about, is staying in Nepal after my placement finishes as there is so much I love about this country, its early days yet though so lets see how I feel in a years time.