The second of my funny five weeks was my first week in the UK. I don’t think people realise just quite what it is like living in Nepal in contrast to the UK and I had difficultly trying to explain the differences. Although people might perceive that my role here is quite easy, because of the slower pace of life and less demanding job role there are a major everyday challenges that I have to overcome like soaring high temperatures of up to 45C, no electricity, no water, no waste management, poor transport, speaking Nepali, being in a patriarchal country, positive and negative discrimination towards me, the list is endless. That is not to say that I am not grateful and happy to be here, it’s just to point out that it is not easy and very few people could hack this experience. So that is why I appreciated returning to my own country so much as all of those difficulties were removed.
I couldn’t believe how pleasant the weather was for my first week in the UK, it was beautiful, I watched as my family got sunburnt at our family barbecue and my brothers adorable children bounced carefree on the trampoline in the afternoon sun, as I sat sipping rosé from a proper flute glass, what a treat. My mother and I did our usual trawling around the various shops that we love to shop in, buying must have and must not have but have to have items to take back to Nepal and everyone seemed so nice, it was almost like my mother had pre-programmed everyone to be overly nice and friendly. My two most ridiculously overpriced and inappropriate items being a play suite and sort gold crocheted waistcoat that I will rarely have the chance to wear in Nepal, but when I do it will feel amazing!
Having rested and rejuvenated at my mothers beautiful country home it was time to travel north west to Manchester my previous stomping ground, where I was met by my wacky friend Andrew in my favourite racing green Mazda MX5. As I was only staying for one day and two nights, time was short and I had booked a tight schedule. First stop a visit to my previous employers the Big Life Group, who I totally love. Visiting that office was like putting on a pair of comfortable slippers, it was great to see all the old faces. We talked about possibilities for my future with the organisation all of which sounded very exciting. Highlight of this visit though had to be their 10 year celebratory video which was montage of office tomfoolery to a badly sung ‘working 9:00 – 5:00’ by Dolly Parton, I loved it! I sped off to Salford for a quick catch up with the old work gang and a sandwich in the community cafe, it was great to see everyone, but all too brief! Then I dropped in to see my friend who is six months pregna
nt and the size of a house, seriously I have never see anything like her bump it was huge, water retention apparently!
Mean while back at Julie-Andrews gaff we sipped gin and tonics in garden and readied ourselves for dinner. Dinner was excellent and I met up with some very special friends who had life changing stories (like divorce) and all looked fabulous. The next morning I arose early at 3:00 am and headed to the airport with my new hooping friend Rachel who had overslept and was therefore discombobulated. Manchester airport check in for Ryanair hosted a spectacular visual of pre- Brits abroad all wearing shiny new this season holiday wear from Primark. Sometime later we boarded the cheap and not cheerful plane to Gerona, where they tried to in sell every know item possible including; smoke free cigarettes, scratch cards and £2:00 bottles of water, I refused to buy anything on principle and sat back in relaxed anticipation of my one week hula hooping holiday in Spain.
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