The end of an era

The time has come to say goodbye. I can’t believe my year in Nepal has come to an end and that the adventure is over. I’m writing this from the guesthouse where I’m staying – the same place I stayed in when I arrived last November. I feel like a completely different person to the one who cried in her room for  the first week!  I’m having difficultly in reflecting on my experience as it feels a little overwhelming when I think of everything I’ve done, the places I’ve been, how many kind and interesting people I’ve met,  and just how much I have learned, about myself, other people and the country. I’m not sure I can really appreciate the full extent of this experience and the impact it has had on me right now – I suspect that will come weeks or months after returning home, but for now there are a handful of moments from the year which I remember as particular highlights:

The village stay. Definitely the biggest challenge of the year but the sense of achievement I had when sitting on the roof of Pacific Guesthouse after arriving back in Kathmandu, having had a first shower in 7 days and enjoying a beer in the sunshine with my fellow volunteers is one I will never forget.

Going to Chitwan for the weekend with Jamuna, Sanjita, Babu, Rupa and Carina

Hiking up Champadevi, seeing that amazing view and meeting Sam and Raj

Spending a week in Xian with Nick.

Hitchhiking in the back of a cattle truck in Dhulikhel with the youth exchange group

Trekking with the girls and watching the sunrise over the mountains on Poon Hill

Getting tikka from Madan’s family in Jhapa

My penultimate day in Kathmandu, going for lunch with Pragati, Astha, Sudha and Anisha followed by a trip to the fun park

While I’m going to miss so many things about life here, there are of course things I’m pretty sure I won’t miss – the spitting, the rubbish, the traffic, the staring and the rats. After a year I still didn’t get used to these things, but I now realise this is ok – it just makes going home all the more exciting as I feel that is where I belong.  I will however sorely miss the sunshine, the food, the mountains, the chaos, the colours, the smells, the buses, the temples, and of course the people.

The people are what make any place what it is, and Nepalis truly make Nepal a wonderful country. Never before have I experienced such kindness, hospitality and generosity. I’ve made some friends for life, and not just Nepalis, but the other volunteers I’ve met from America, The Philippines, Africa, and the UK. Thank you to you all for having such an impact on my time here, I will never forget you.

This has been the hardest, most challenging, and at times frustrating thing I’ve ever done. There were times when I felt so painfully lonely and all I wanted to do was come home. But it’s also been the best year of my life and the fact that it’s been so hard only makes it feel more of an achievement. For the first time in my life I feel really proud of myself. Proud that I did this on my own, proud that I grasped every opportunity and proud that I can see how the experience has changed me for the better.  And so I leave with no regrets. Only amazing memories, new friends, about two thousand photos and a shit load of luggage!

Thank you to you all for reading my blog and for your kind words and encouragement. I hope you have enjoyed reading my tales as much as I have writing them. And who knows, perhaps in a few years time there will be another adventure to write about…

Eastern adventures – Dashain in Jhapa

I’ve just returned back to Kathamandu after what feels like a very long time away. I have been in Jhapa (in the Eastern terai of Nepal, near the Indian border), celebrating Dashain with Madan and his family in his village. It took us 17 hours to get there on the bus, and 15 hours to get back. I’ve had about two hours sleep and have so much to do before I leave on Sunday morning, but my mind is whirling with everything I have seen and experienced since last Tuesday.

Dashain is the biggest festival in Nepal and is the equivalent of our Christmas. It celebrates Durga (one of the Hindu gods) and lasts for around 15 days. As well as various puja, the main event is tikka, where family get together to bless their younger relatives by putting red power mixed with rice and yoghurt on their foreheads.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Jhapa as I had never visited the terai before, but it is absolutely beautiful. Although the people there live simply and make their living from agriculture, the land is rich with resources and people are generally well educated and enjoy secure livelihoods. The actual area is so green and almost tropical and everywhere you can see coconut and banana trees, paddy fields, fields of sugar cane and various other things. Because of this relative affluence there are far fewer INGOs than in the West and therefore very few foreigners. I spent the week very much feeling like the ‘only white in the village’ and was met by curious, but friendly, stares almost everywhere I went.

After arriving on Wednesday, having a quick nap, shower and the first of many plates of dal bhaat, we headed off into Birtamod market, the central hub of Jhapa, to meet a couple of Madan’s old school friends.

On Thursday we went for a walk before breakfast during which we stopped off at various family members houses, as well as happening upon a neighbour who was performing a chicken sacrificial! Narendra was waiting for us when we got back, as we had arranged to visit Ilam together. After four hours, we arrived in Ilam, another stunningly beautiful place, best known for its tea plantations, but also for chillies and milk based products.  After a wander around we headed back to our hotel for tungba and dinner. We spent Friday wandering around a town called Phikkle and the tea plantations and headed back to Jhapa in the afternoon.

Saturday was a pretty full on day. I got up at 5am to watch Madan’s mum milk their enormous buffalo – I really wanted to have a go but I didn’t want to interrupt her busy schedule, plus it looked like seriously hard work! As I was enjoying my breakfast (tea and a plate of biscuits – the staple of any nutritious meal!) I was suddenly summoned over to a neighbours house where they were preparing to do away with one of their goats. I was given a front row seat and permission to snap away while they blessed the goat, and arranged the chopping block. Gulp. They invited Madan to do the deed and he took the head of with one impressive swoop. As the blood gushed out I have to admit I came over a little queasy, but it was fascinating – the kind of thing you really don’t want to see it but you sort of want to as well! But, there was no time to watch the rest, as I was whisked off by Madan’s friend Deepak to visit the Durga temple, and then on to see Suraj, another friend, at his home.

We then returned to Madan’s with Deepak and three other guys and started preparing our own goat sacrificial. This time I got to see the whole process and even helped take the fur off the headless carcass. It was pretty disgusting but also really interesting watching the boys at work, and a couple of hours later we were all sitting around enjoying freshly cooked goats skin, blood, ear, fat, and organs. You name it, I have eaten it, and it was all delicious!

In the afternoon we visited a park with a big lake in the middle where we hired pedallos and a small zoo housing some rather sorry looking animals.

Sunday was the main day of Dashain as it is the day when families put tikka on their younger relatives. After a lot of hanging around with the family (about 35 people of various ages and relations) at Madan’s grandfathers house, the proceedings began. Firstly we did puja for the Hindu gods Durga, and then Shiva, and then it was time for tikka. I was pretty nervous when it came to my turn as I was terrified of doing something wrong and offending everyone, but it was fine. As I sat down in front of Madan’s grandfather, he started the blessing and a sea of hands rushed in to put tikka on my forehead and money in my hands. I then showed my respect by bowing my head to their feet and doing Namaste. It was a crazy, amazing experience. I’m so lucky to have been welcomed into Madan’s family and to have even had the opportunity to be there at all.

On Monday Madan borrowed a friend’s bike and we drove to our colleague Narendra’s wife’s family home, about an hour away. We were welcomed into Rita’s family home, given food and drinks and were we ushered into the adjacent room for tikka. Rita’s father put tikka on me, Narendra and Madan, and gave us presents. I really wasn’t expecting this and felt a bit awkward by their generosity and my lack of return offering. We then sat back in the main room where I managed to chat to Rita’s mum and dad by bashing out a bit of Nepali. Everyone I have met in Jhapa has been lovely, but this family in particular were so sweet, and although I found the afternoon a little stressful due to my inability to communicate effectively, it was great meet them and spend time with Rita.

In the evening I got yet another present, this time from Madan’s mum and sister, in the form of a beautiful kurta (a nepali top). I am just overwhelmed by their kindness and generosity. They cooked me food every day, wouldn’t let me help at all, and even insisted on washing some of my clothes for me. I wish I could have expressed my appreciation better than I did.

It’s been an amazing week. Its been hard work, due to my lack of Nepali and life here is so very different to what I’m used to, but I am so glad I went and so grateful to Madan for looking after me so well and for inviting me to spend such an important week with him and his family. At times during this year I have wished that I could have led a more ‘expat life’ i.e., had more money to go out more, to have had a nicer apartment etc, but I now realise that what I’ve been exposed to as a volunteer is a lot more real and I wouldn’t change any of my experiences for the world.

 

A Nepali wedding

I had resigned to the fact that I would be leaving Nepal without having been to a wedding, so when Jamuna (an old colleague) invited me to her wedding, I was gutted that it was when the girls were here. But then Babu, another colleague, suggested I just bring them along, so we all jumped at the chance!

As well as wanting to see my friend get married, especially as she had previously told me about her boyfriend so I knew it was a love marriage as opposed to an arranged one, I was really excited about getting dressed up in a sari. I don’t usually enjoy getting dressed up in posh dresses and would rather live in jeans and flip flops, but there seems to be something special about wearing a sari. Maybe it’s just the novelty factor, I’m not sure, but I’ve definitely never worn anything so spangly or beautiful before.

My friend Pragati came over for breakfast to meet the girls and help us get ready. I didn’t realise putting on a sari was so complicated! The girls looked amazing, and we all felt great.

Anna needed to pick up some jeans from the tailors in Thamel and we had to find a wedding present for Jamuna, so after lots of photos outside the guesthouse, we headed off for a strut about town! Nepalis are generally really open with their opinions and as well as telling me when they think I look nice, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been called fat, with no malice intended. I knew we would get stared at a lot but I wasn’t expecting every single person we passed to say something! If you ever need a confidence boost, all you need to do is walk through the streets of Thamel in a sari, and you’ll end up feeling great!

We arrived at the temple to more comments, smiles and stares and were met by a guy who whisked us away to give us tikka . It was the usual red blob, but this time with rice, followed by a small silver spot and a yellow ‘U’ shape underneath, plus he wound some red and yellow cotton around our right wrist. I’m not sure of the significance of this but it set our outfits off a treat!

Jamuna arrived with Sanjita an hour and a half late (Nepali time at its best!) but looked absolutely amazing. She was wearing a red sari, complete with more bling than I’ve ever seen on one tiny person, a red veil, and an array of other spangle and glitz.

The ceremony took place in the corner of the main temple. To my surprise the man performing the ceremony was the guy who had put tikka on us, and who had spent the last hour and a half talking to me, declaring his love for me – slightly awkward!

The ceremony was a very casual, but very Nepali affair, with people pushing past to get through the crowd, beggars asking for money, and guests just chatting amongst themselves throughout the proceedings. Once they had been married, we all went to a restaurant for some food, and then it was time for the new couple to head to Pokhara to spend Dashain (a major festival) with the groom’s family.

Although this wedding was very informal and modern by Nepali standards, I am so happy that I got a chance to see some of the traditions, and that my friends could also experience this. Being accepted as part of the wedding party by the other guests, despite never meeting them before, and all of the kind comments from strangers was so touching and really reflects how welcoming and generous Nepalis are.

Mountain views – trekking around the Annapurnas

We set off from Kathmandu on Thursday morning with our two guides who we met at the Alternative Nepal office. Phasang (who we nick named Fu Fu as we just couldn’t remember his name for the first two days) was our main guide, and Bhuwan (nicknamed Beaver – again for our rubbish ability to remember names!) was the trainee guide. The journey down to Pokhara was pretty painless despite being a rather sweaty 8 hours, and we had a nice evening out in Lakeside that night.

At 6:30 on Friday morning we set off for the bus park and jumped on what felt like the longest and coldest bus journey ever, to our starting point, Nayapul.  After walking for around 5 hours, with a break for breakfast and rather bizarrely lunch an hour and a half later, we reached our final destination for the day by around 2pm. I  was feeling a bit unsatisfied by the short walk but when we asked Phasang if this was going to be the routine every day, he assured us he was just warming us up and breaking us in gently!  We settled in a tea house for the evening in a place called Tikhedhunga (alt 1540m ascent 720m). I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the tea house  by far exceeded these expectations and I couldn’t believe it when I had a hot shower, my first in months!

After guzzling several cups of amazing nepali chiyaa, and an enormous plate of dal bhaat, we whiled away the evening by chatting with Fu Fu and Beaver and some other trekkers. Bed time was 9pm as we were told to be ready by 6:30am the next morning and ready to climb a big hill!

As promised, the hill was pretty challenging but it felt good to conquer the first of what would be many many massive hills. Our efforts were rewarded by our first glimpse of the mountains, and we had breakfast at the top of the hill overlooking an amazing view in the sunshine.

Around 6 hours later we arrived at Ghorepani (alt 2860m ascent 1320m), after many more hill climbs. This tea house had a fire which was such a blessing as the higher altitude had a noticeable effect on the temperature – it was freezing!

The next morning we had to get up at 3:45am in order to climb Poon Hill alt 3210m), the highest point of our trek, for the sunrise. Although the climb only took us around 30 minutes, it was pretty challenging due to the darkness, and I felt so much more out of breath due to the altitude. The stars on the way up were amazing, and although dark, we could already see the outline of the mountains. We were one of the first groups to reach the top and eagerly awaited sunrise with a mug of deliciously sweet coffee.

As the sun started rising the mountains became clearer and clearer, and more beautiful. Neither my words, nor my photos can do the view justice. Being there, seeing such an amazing sight with the girls, felt quite special and I think it is a sight I will never forget. The only downside to the whole experience was the fact that there were about 100 other people fighting for the same view and getting good shots without random people in was quite a challenge!

After a 30 minute descent, we had a quick breakfast at the tea house and set off again for a full day of walking. Although yesterday was a bit more challenging than the first day, we were all still keen to really push ourselves and so persuaded Phasang to change the route to give us a few extra hours walking. Famous last words. Instead of finishing at Tadopani, we walked all the way to Ghandruk, and effectively ended up doing two days of walking in one!

We were all so glad to reach the tea house by 4pm and all immediately whipped off our walking boots to survey the damage. After a good stretch and another amazing shower everyone felt a lot better. Despite feeling exhausted we were satisfied with the challenge, especially as we had had such a laugh together all day. Giggling while trying to climb a massive hill certainly doesn’t help the lungs but it is a lot of fun! After more tea and dal bhaat, we sat around inside the restaurant chatting to Phasang and Bhuwan, and even shared some raksi (local millet wine) with Bhuwan, which was pretty funny when he started slurring a little!

After having a leisurely breakfast outside the next morning with an amazing view of the mountains in the background, we set off around 9am for our last full day of walking. As we walked downhill for an hour, we were all a bit surprised to then be faced with another huge hill to climb. Many more hills and 7 hours of walking later, we reached Pothana where we were to spend our last night. On first reflection, this tea house appeared a little ropey and we were not impressed when there was no hot water for showers – I had got used to the luxury by this point! The evening was by far the best evening however, as we were entertained by the little boy who lives there, who pulled out the most incredible dance moves ever! We all got stuck in, including Bhuwan who was just hilarious.

Our last day was very easy, just a couple of hours but by this point we were all pretty tired, including Phasang and Bhuwan who had been carting around all of our stuff on their backs! We got a taxi back to Pokhara which was yet another hilarious moment. After all 6 of us had piled in (me draped across the girls in the back and FuFu and Beaver sharing the front seat!), our driver sped away in his rude boy Suzuki blaring out the tunes, including DISCO and Shaggy, which we all had a good old sing along to! Back at the Guesthouse, we had beers in the sun and reflected on what was an amazing 5 days.

Overall it has been one of the best weeks of my year in Nepal. I’ve laughed more this past week than I have all year and spending so much time with the girls giggling over silly things, chatting and sharing the mountains views and up hill challenges has just been so much fun. On one hand, the scenery that I’ve seen, and the local people ive met along the way makes me want to stay here so much, but on the other hand, being with my best friends has reminded me how good it feels to be with people that I love, and I now cant wait to come home to be with them more.

Friendships, fun, frustrations – the international youth exchange – an unforgetable experience!

I have been trying to write this blog post for a few days now but I’m struggling to encapsulate my experience of the youth exchange into one succinct blog post. I just can’t put it into words. It’s been emotional, stressful, challenging and amazing all at the same time.

Back in January I initiated this exchange programme, at the time just to keep me busy in my placement and to make a positive impact in my organisation. I never imagined it would have been as huge, as successful or as rewarding as it has been.

7 young people from East London based youth charity Leaders in Community (LiC) (Momtaz, Dilly, Syed, Peter, Fatema, Rukshana and Sophie) visited Youth Action for a 9 day programme that I designed with the help of Madan and other Youth Action staff and volunteers.

The programme schedule included a range of activities, including a three day youth leadership camp, a visit to the village I stayed in during my in country training, a day of sightseeing, a visit to other youth organisations, and a future workshop to address how we can work together in the future.

It was a long slog getting everything sorted before they arrived and at times it was an extremely frustrating process, due to different approaches to working, communication issues and differences of opinion, but we eventually got there (with a few last minute hitches) and before we knew it, me, Madan and two of our Friends of Youth Action (FOYA) volunteers were at the airport, nervously awaiting their arrival.

As soon as we met them, I knew it was all going to be ok. I hadn’t really known what to expect but they were brilliant. Everyone was really bright, enthusiastic and just happy to be here.

As with the preparations, there were more than a few hitches along the way and by any means the programme was not perfect, but overall everyone had a really positive experience, with the leadership camp being a definite highlight for all, myself included.

The LiC groups’ attitudes made the whole thing so much easier for me. They came with open minds and a genuine interest to learn as much about Nepali culture as possible, and watching them form friendships with the Nepali group, despite cultural, religious, language and age differences, was really toouching.

I feel that in some ways I’ve learned more in the past 9 days than I have in the 11 months I’ve been here. So much has happened that I just don’t know where to start, and I don’t think my words can justify the experience. So instead of going through every day, I have decided just to share my personal highlights of the last week and a half with you:

Riding on the top of the bus on the way to the Youth Leadership Camp in Dhulikhel – the look on the LiC guys’s faces when we asked them if they wanted to do this was classic, they just couldn’t believe their luck!

The first time Sophie performed her rapping/ spoken word for the group. She writes and performs her own lyrics which focus on issues that affect her and she uses this to reach out to other people in her community. You need to meet her and listen to the lyrics and delivery to understand, but she is so talented and a really amazing and inspiring person.

Waking up in Dhulikhel to an amazing mountain view. – just this sight alone makes me want to stay in Nepal forever. You have to see it to understand, as photos just don’t do it justice.

The evenings together in Dhulikhel – the group spent the time singing Nepali and English songs, teaching each other dance moves, huddling on each others beds telling ghost stories, and one evening Dilly spent hours putting mehendi on everyone (see the pics for the amazing design she did on the back of my hand – amazing!).

Hiking in Dhulikhel – this took longer than anticipated and we ended up having to walk in the dark, down slippery winding paths with only a few torches between us. We all had to work together as a team to help each other navigate our way back to the main road. It was amazing to see everyone look after each other and put into practice the skills learned throughout the workshop.

Hitch hiking back to the hotel – after missing the last bus back after hiking, we had to hitch a lift back to the hotel in an enormous truck usually used for transporting buffalos. Hurtling along in the wind and rain along the winding roads, screaming our heads off was probably one of the most fun and craziest moments I’ve had in Nepal and I’m so grateful to have shared it with such wonderful people.

Taking the group to the village -they loved meeting the children at the community school and I was so touched by their generosity and eagerness to help raise money for the school. It was also fantastic for me to be back there, and it bought back some amazing memories.

The last night – about 25 people joined us for the farewell dinner. We gave the LiC group official gifts and some of the FOYA volunteers gave individual presents, and most people said a quick speech about their experience.  I felt so proud that I had been involved in creating this opportunity for so many people to experience something new, and to make new and lasting relationships. After the dinner, I stayed at the hotel with the group, which was a really lovely way to end the week.

Making new friends – I loved hanging out with the LiC guys as it was great to talk about English things, and I also learned a lot from them about life in East London. Their energy and sense of fun meant there was never a dull moment. I also have made some great new Nepali friends, especially Pragati and Astha who are just the sweetest girls ever.

Not only have I learned a lot in terms of project management, budgeting, communication, and working with young people, but I’ve learned a lot about myself and my abilities. I felt so confident delivering sessions and facilitating, which even the thought of doing this time last year would have left in me cold sweats! I feel really proud of myself that I pulled it off, and have made an impact not only in my organisation but in the lives of people who otherwise might not have got such an opportunity.

Overall the experience has been a highlight of my time here and I am so happy that I am ending the year on such a high. I had a lovely weekend hanging out with Sarah and today i am picking up Anna, Han and Amy from the aipport. We’re going to Pokhara for trekking on Thursday and Im so excited about seeing them. Then, I’m going to Jhapa with my colleagues for a week, and then I just have one last week left in Kathmandu before flying home. The next few weeks are going to be so much fun, I suddenly don’t think I am going to want to leave!!

Check out my photos from the visit here

Roadside rescue

The other evening as I was walking home from work, somethingon the ground caught my eye. At first I thought it was a rat – not uncommon here but usually dead, mangled or completely squashed by vehicle or animal – but on further inspection I realised it was actually a tiny kitten.

I stopped for a moment, and then kept on walking. It was only seconds later that I realised I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I left it there. So back I went. Just as I was approaching, the cardboard box it was come from, was demolished by a motorbike whizzing past. I didnt investigate whether there were any unfortunate contents in the box, but I did realise that there were actually three kittens, not just one.

Umbilical cords still in tact, they must have been born that day. A few others had gathered to see the ‘saano saano birallo haru’ (small cats) but more out of general curiosity than concern. Debating in my head what I should do, it was only when one of the spectators had scooped them into a box and presented them to me, that I knew no one else was going to look after them. So I took them home.

After getting them home and trying to feed them some warm milk (all done by candle light I might add, since I have no electricity on Tuesday evenings!)  I really started to panic. Still blind from birth, and shivering from their cruel exposure, they wriggled around crying for their mother. The bigger two were snuggling up to each other, leaving the runt, which was about the size of a small mobile phone, to fend for itself.

Nepali’s aren’t massively keen on cats – they are certainly not kept as domestic pets as they are in the UK, and some even consider them bad luck – so finding a vet was not an easy process. After some frantic googling I found the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre which treats street dogs, but agreed to have a look at them, if they survived the night.

Upon checking on them again, I discovered the runt had already died. This made me more determined to save the remaining two, so armed with a plastic bag over my hand and a syringe, I picked them up in turn and force fed them as much milk as I could get down them.

I woke up early to find they had miraculously survived. Over tired and emotional, I really thought once they were in the safety of the KAT centre, they would be ok. Sadly they didn’t make it. I don’t know if they died naturally or if the vet thought it kinder to put them down, but I got a call yesterday telling me they hadn’t made it through their second night.

Deep down I knew their chances were slim, and perhaps by taking them in, I just prolonged their suffering, but I had to do something, and I’m glad they got a bit of love in this way rather than having to face whatever the harsh streets of Kathmandu had in store for them.

A weekend in Hetauda

Last weekend I went to Hetauda to stay with my VSO friend Tiffany. Hetauda is small town about 5 hours south of Kathmandu, heading towards the Terai region of Nepal (the hot bit that borders India). As its not quite in the Terai, its lush hills and greenery make it a really beautiful place to be, and I felt like I was on holiday for the weekend!

As Tiffany was in Kathmandu for a meeting we travelled down together on the 7:30am Jeep on Saturday morning. Taking the jeep is about three hours quicker than taking a bus as it follows dirt tracks a lot of the way. With 13 people packed into a jeep, it’s no more or less comfortable than a bus, however it does make for a slightly more scary and bumpy ride, and is definitely not for the faint hearted. Taking public transport is not only a great way to see more of the scenery of Nepal but also gives a great insight into the culture. People live so openly here and as you pass through small towns you really get a brief insight into their daily lives.

We arrived in Hetauda around midday after one tea stop and one amusing toilet stop, in which we were forced to bare all in front of a fellow female passenger who did nothing to hide the fact that she was happily watching us relieve ourselves in a not so concealing bush!

A couple of hours later, after venturing into town to get some food for dinner, we found ourselves at a Teej party.  Teej is a three day festival for women which involves singing, dancing, fasting and puja (praying). Women typically dress up in their best red saris, bangles and decorate their hands with mehendi and either pray for the good health and long lives of their husbands, or future husbands.

Not happy to just let us watch, they ushered us in, sat us down, gave us food and much to my dismay, pretty much forced us to dance. Fortunately Tiffany is a fantastic dancer so this took the attention away from my awkward attempt and no one noticed when  I slunk back to my chair to watch from the side lines!

On Sunday we headed back into town to buy some material – Tiffany wanted to buy a sari for another Teej party (for this weekend) and I decided to finally get myself a kurta surwal. Apart from the sari (mostly worn by older women), this is the traditional dress for Nepali women and is still worn across Nepal by the majority of women, with only the younger generation opting for western clothes. It is basically brightly coloured cotton baggy trousers worn under a matching or coordinating long top and scarf.  It is currently at the tailors being made to fit but I will let you know how it turns out. I’m sure I will feel a bit silly wearing it, mainly as I’m not used to wearing such bright colours but, when in Rome…

I left Hetauda at 6am on Monday morning to make it back to Kathmandu for a meeting. The journey back was great and I spent much of the four hours marvelling at the stunning scenery.

I am pretty busy this week preparing for the upcoming international youth exchange. 7 young people from a London based youth organisation are coming to Nepal for 10 days. I first initiated this back in February and I can’t quite believe it is actually happening! You can find out more about this group and their visit by reading their blog – http://lic-youthexchange.blogspot.com

Kathmandu Pride festival

Nepalis love nothing more than a good old festival, and fortunately there are certainly enough of them here to satisfy this incessant need to celebrate.

Last Wednesday the Newari population of Kathmandu valley celebrated Gai Jatra, a day where families remember those who have past away in the last year and where young Newar men dress up in women’s clothing (don’t ask me why!). For centuries Gaijatra has also been the day when citizens can vent their frustrations through political and social satire, without fear of punishment.

For these reasons, Nepal’s annual Pride festival is also held on this day. Organised by Nepal’s only LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) organisation, Blue Diamond Society, this festival is now in its 9^th year. Although homosexuality was legalised in Nepal in 2007, gays, lesbians, bisexuals and trans-genders still face damaging physical and mental discrimination, so the work this organisation does (campaigning for rights and promoting sexual health) is crucial.

The pride festival gives LGBTI individuals and their supporters the chance to march through the streets of Kathmandu and campaign for equal rights and the end of discrimination and poverty.

One of my favourite things about Nepal are the rich colours that make everyday life seem so vibrant, and this has never been so well reflected than at the Pride festival. Hundreds of transgenders and transvestites gathered together in beautifully bright saris and traditional costumes to create a sea of colour among the rubbish filled, rain soaked streets.

Starting off at Durbar Marg, the procession, led by an enormous elephant (of course, what else?!), snaked through the main streets of Kathmandu, ending up in Durbar square where candles were lit in memory of those who hade died of discrimination related violence and AIDS during the last 12 months.

It wasn’t only the costumes and make up that made the march a truly fabulous event, but the dancing, the singing and just the over all message behind the occasion.

The very fact that these people are able to exercise their rights in this way, in a society still dictated by traditional cultural and religious values, should be celebrated and I felt proud to walk alongside these incredible people who have faced so much hate and so many challenges in their lives.

See my photos of the festival

River rafting – braving the Bagmati

Had someone told me, pre-monsoon, that I would one day end up rafting along the Bagmati River I would have laughed and recoiled in horror.

You really need to see the Bagmati in all its filthy glory to grasp the full extent of how disgusting this river is. During the hot summer months, the river is so clogged up with goodness knows what, it just doesn’t flow. Rubbish, human waste, dead animals. You name it, it’s in the Bagmati. It’s the kind of river you only need to look at and you feel your skin dissolving. And don’t get me started on the smell…

So, needless to say, I was rather surprised when I found myself being persuaded to raft along said river on Saturday.  A couple of my Nepali friends were involved in organising a number of activities, including the rafting, to celebrate this year’s Bagmati River Festival, now in its 10^th year, which celebrates the holy river and raises awareness of the environmental issues it faces.

To be fair, during the monsoon season, it’s not like this at all. The rain has washed away all traces of waste and only the most stubborn items of rubbish persist among the river banks. Thanks to the almost constant rainfall at this time of year the water levels are so high and the currents so fast, I would go as far as say that the Bagmati is almost inviting…almost.

And so thanks to our friend Mausam, Sam and Sharon and I joined about 40 others and took to the river, mildly hung over, mouths firmly shut, and ready to have some fun.

The best thing was getting to see parts of Kathmandu I didn’t even know existed and certainly would never have discovered by myself. As we drifted along the river we passed a number of river bank slums. Their occupants had all come out to wave and cheer us along and some of the children were even swimming in the water. It’s heartbreaking to see how these people live, plagued by the threat of daily floods, not to mention the number of diseases they must be susceptible to.

We finished somewhere near Patan where we got back safely onto dry land, leech, and hopefully water bourne illness free (thank you, jabs!) and thanking our lucky stars that we hadn’t fallen in. Saying that however, I don’t think I’ve ever felt the need for a wash as I did when I got home that afternoon!

Despite the rest of my weekend being quiet, I still felt like I’d done something different, and am keeping to my pledge of making the most of my time here.

A breath of fresh air

On Saturday Sarah and I went exploring in search of ‘Pauline’s Guesthouse’ a place popular among Kathmandu’s many expats that is famous for its home made cheese and beautiful views. Owned by two French expats, it is a little cottage hidden away in the hills of Shivapuri National Park where visitors can tuck into cheese and wine, whilst looking out on to Kathmandu valley.

Although neither of us really knew the location of Pauline’s, we knew the general direction we wanted to go in, so we, along with about 40 other people, crammed ourselves on a bus and set off.

Three buses, almost two hours of walking, and many awkward exchanges with bemused locals later, we were finally pointed in the right direction. By this point I was getting grumpy. It was humid, the drizzling clouds were threatening a downpour and we were attracting countless smirks and stares from teenage boys as they passed on their bikes.  But when we reached our destination, the sight of the little French haven made it all worth it.

Just after we arrived, the skies opened and it rained in true monsoon style, but we were far too happy with our wine to notice. One of the Nepali staff sat with us and told us all about the cheese and sausages they make, and bought us some to try – it was delicious, especially having not eaten any proper cheese for 9 months!

Getting out and exploring the valley is now a must for my weekends. Not only is a great way of getting some exercise and fresh air, but the valley is just so beautiful with its bright green fields and little solitary houses sitting randomly in the hills.

Last Wednesday and Thursday, my organisation was busy celebrating international youth day. We joined a number of other youth and college groups to coordinate a variety of events including a big concert (with some very dodgy heavy metal bands playing), a photo and art exhibition, a documentary showing, fourm theatre, a rally from Ratna Park to Thamel, and an impressive break dancing group showing off their talent. Friends of Youth Action coordinated a blood donation over the two days for Nepal Red Cross. Quite different from my experiences of giving blood in the UK, but I donated, and survived to tell the take!

My favourite event was the ‘Table talk’ session in which small groups debated gay marriage and migration. It was really interesting to hear what some of these young people had to say and I was really impressed with their public speaking skills, especially as they were mainly speaking in fluent English.

Overall a really positive couple of days. I continue to be impressed with young people’s commitment to  the issues affecting their country and it was a great opportunity to see young Nepalis from such a broad range of ages and interests (from girl guides and scouts to break dancers and punk rockers!) interacting with each other.

See photos of International Youth Day

See photos of my walk to Pauline’s guesthouse