My love to you all. Wow after travelling 202 kms through some amazing countryside and very rough roads ...seven hours later I made it to Pokhara. A bit like going 17 km to the village and it taking 1.5 hr. After Kathmandu this town is at least somewhat cleaner. Kathmandu is such a dirty and oppressive city. It is a city where I can see God do some amazing things.
Anyway, since arriving into Pokhara I have been to visit the International Nepal Fellowship Mission School, Leprosy Hospital which is now a hospital that takes on many spinal cases. Many of the spinal injuries are not from falls or injuries sustained in some way. It seems to be bacterial or viral of some nature. I was asked to assess the wheel chair project and am identifying training needs that would be suitable for people that obtain artificial limps and remain in wheelchairs. We in the West are so fortunate.as we have good OH&S policies in place. OH&S is just coming on to the radar here.
Imagine the terrain that these wheelchairs will need to travel along. The roads here are not smooth . In fact very much the opposite. I know absolutely nothing about the training needs that these people will need and how it can work. I need your prayers especially in the area of making suitable suggestions that will be useful and of benefits to these patients. The rehabilitation hospital already has a number of rehabilitation tracks built of varying terrains eg rocks, rough roads, dirt tracks, gravel etc. I am sure with the guidance and prayer I will be able to identify some way that will meet the requirements.
A bit about Pokhara...what can I say...I see the Annapura (how ever it is spelt) mountain range every day. It is beautiful. God's amazing creation at its best. :-)
There is a large tourist section located in Pokhara. People come from all over the world to Paraglide as it is one of the best places in the world. The sad thing is that they take of from an amazing mountain village in Sarangot, where you can see the most amazing sunrises...and are destroying the pipes that feed water to the orphan day care centre for under-priviledge and disabled children. I have visited this day care centre. I was shocked to see that the children are not called by name. When roll calling the teachers call the child by a number.. eg If your name was Sorana...the teacher would call out say number 2 and Sorana's number was 2 she would respond. These kids are under 5. How heart breaking is that to be considered as just a number.
Of course there are many other things that have not sat well with me when I am visiting and looking at school curiculums. The teachers ask for assistance but in the remote locations I am able to identify that many teachers have great issues with volunteers. Even though we are not paid they still are not pleased. Many teachers are not trained. They have some university college education but jobs in their fields are often difficult to get so they teach...hating it ...but also they need to live.
I do see the hand of God working in other areas. With continual prayer not only for me but for the people of Nepal, their Governments God can do amazing things. I need to sign off as my time is about to run out. Also I am being hasseled in a nice way by my Nepali friend.
Love to you all and God Bless
Sunday, 31 January 2010
Saturday, 23 January 2010
Update from Kathmandu
Greetings to you all from Kathmandu Valley,
I have come into town to spend some away from the small village where I am staying and get in a bit of sightseeing of Kathmandu itself. The village is 17 km away and the road rough. Yesterday I came in via motor bike and it was rough. Sitting on the back of a motor bike in congested traffic is a real experience. Sometimes I was not sure which way to look. I can tell I you, was saying a few quick prayers along the way.
If you are a Nepali women then life is a real struggle. There is very little value for women, girls and they are not encouraged to learn. I am having some very interesting conversations with the two older girls and their friends as to what they think about the situation in Nepal and also their future. They see it that they have no way out. For them education and English is their only hope. If you have the money to send your children to an English speaking school then there opportunities are better. The government schools are all conducted in Nepali except for 25% given to English grammar. I am at the school at 7am each morning teaching years 7 and 8 conversation English. School is 6 days a week and the rest day is the Sabbath Day (Saturday). Only schools and government close not shops.
I am struggling to come to terms with so much of the injustice surrounding women. This morning I was looking out of the window of one of my Nepali friends place where I am staying in Kathmandu and I saw this women carrying a large basket on her back. It must have been heavy as she was slumped over. I cried. We in the Western world would not consider even carrying things in this fashion never-a-lone the health and safety issues that would prevent us from doing this.
The country is suppressed and lacks a lot of infrastructure. There are no such things as street names, people don't receive mail and this would only happen if you had a business and then you would invest in a post box. Modern technology in the village is virtually non existent.
Some of my Nepali friends have live in the western countries and have returned to make change and improve the living standards for the poor, women, street kids etc. Many Nepali men leave their wives and go to the UAE to seek work. They may come home once a year. Job opportunities are few and far between. Yet in saying that the country grows a lot of its own food crops. There staple diet is rice and lentals (dal bahlt). The women at the home I am staying at are teaching me to cook Nepali food.
I had my interview with the Kathmandu International Study Centre where I will be working with Nepali Teachers. A 7 minute presentation to Board of KISC will be conducted on the 4 Feb. I am overseeing some of material and looking at ways it can be improved. There is much need for Nepali teachers to return to the remote locations and for this to happen they need to be equipped to do this. KISC has a very high standard of education as it reports back to the US and UK. Many missionary children attend this school so that they are not left behind in their education when they return to their home countries.
Hey Briony and Nadine, I have taken the CHE and the New Hope International stuff with me and I am talking to the CEO at KISC about implementing this into their program. I have also been informed for now it is safe to Evangelise though that window may close again if the Moiest (how ever it is spelt) have anything to do with it. So we take the opportunity where we can.
I have had the opportunity at the school to talk about my Christian values and beliefs because there is currently a large Hindu Festival in the city for the month of January. People are coming to this quiet town to worship. I have visited the temples as a visitor and have politely declined to have the Tikka place on my forehead. When I have informed them that I am a Christian they are accepting. Nepal currently respects all religions. The house I am staying at is a Buddist family yet they rent the room downstairs to a Christian Church who gather there on Saturdays as Sunday is a working day in Nepal.
Please continue to uphold me in your prayers. The country is going into a planned strike tomorrow. What that will mean and how it will affect me is yet to be determined. This strike has been up in the air for some time. Basically the country comes to a standstill. It is good that I am out in the village. How long it will last I am not sure. I head for Pokhara on Wed and return on the following Monday.
Sorry that I am unable to post pictures but will put them on to facebook when I return. It takes forever to load anything. Until my next update, may God bless you all. Thanks to for your prayers they are very much appreciated.
I have come into town to spend some away from the small village where I am staying and get in a bit of sightseeing of Kathmandu itself. The village is 17 km away and the road rough. Yesterday I came in via motor bike and it was rough. Sitting on the back of a motor bike in congested traffic is a real experience. Sometimes I was not sure which way to look. I can tell I you, was saying a few quick prayers along the way.
If you are a Nepali women then life is a real struggle. There is very little value for women, girls and they are not encouraged to learn. I am having some very interesting conversations with the two older girls and their friends as to what they think about the situation in Nepal and also their future. They see it that they have no way out. For them education and English is their only hope. If you have the money to send your children to an English speaking school then there opportunities are better. The government schools are all conducted in Nepali except for 25% given to English grammar. I am at the school at 7am each morning teaching years 7 and 8 conversation English. School is 6 days a week and the rest day is the Sabbath Day (Saturday). Only schools and government close not shops.
I am struggling to come to terms with so much of the injustice surrounding women. This morning I was looking out of the window of one of my Nepali friends place where I am staying in Kathmandu and I saw this women carrying a large basket on her back. It must have been heavy as she was slumped over. I cried. We in the Western world would not consider even carrying things in this fashion never-a-lone the health and safety issues that would prevent us from doing this.
The country is suppressed and lacks a lot of infrastructure. There are no such things as street names, people don't receive mail and this would only happen if you had a business and then you would invest in a post box. Modern technology in the village is virtually non existent.
Some of my Nepali friends have live in the western countries and have returned to make change and improve the living standards for the poor, women, street kids etc. Many Nepali men leave their wives and go to the UAE to seek work. They may come home once a year. Job opportunities are few and far between. Yet in saying that the country grows a lot of its own food crops. There staple diet is rice and lentals (dal bahlt). The women at the home I am staying at are teaching me to cook Nepali food.
I had my interview with the Kathmandu International Study Centre where I will be working with Nepali Teachers. A 7 minute presentation to Board of KISC will be conducted on the 4 Feb. I am overseeing some of material and looking at ways it can be improved. There is much need for Nepali teachers to return to the remote locations and for this to happen they need to be equipped to do this. KISC has a very high standard of education as it reports back to the US and UK. Many missionary children attend this school so that they are not left behind in their education when they return to their home countries.
Hey Briony and Nadine, I have taken the CHE and the New Hope International stuff with me and I am talking to the CEO at KISC about implementing this into their program. I have also been informed for now it is safe to Evangelise though that window may close again if the Moiest (how ever it is spelt) have anything to do with it. So we take the opportunity where we can.
I have had the opportunity at the school to talk about my Christian values and beliefs because there is currently a large Hindu Festival in the city for the month of January. People are coming to this quiet town to worship. I have visited the temples as a visitor and have politely declined to have the Tikka place on my forehead. When I have informed them that I am a Christian they are accepting. Nepal currently respects all religions. The house I am staying at is a Buddist family yet they rent the room downstairs to a Christian Church who gather there on Saturdays as Sunday is a working day in Nepal.
Please continue to uphold me in your prayers. The country is going into a planned strike tomorrow. What that will mean and how it will affect me is yet to be determined. This strike has been up in the air for some time. Basically the country comes to a standstill. It is good that I am out in the village. How long it will last I am not sure. I head for Pokhara on Wed and return on the following Monday.
Sorry that I am unable to post pictures but will put them on to facebook when I return. It takes forever to load anything. Until my next update, may God bless you all. Thanks to for your prayers they are very much appreciated.
Wednesday, 20 January 2010
Arrival into Nepal
Nameste from Nepal.
I have finally arrived. Thank you Chris and Peter for dropping me off at the airport. I had a great day doing a quick tikki tour of Hong Kong in a few hours before having a late lunch and shower and my friends getting me back to the airport in time. I had two gate changes and for those of you who know Hong Kong airport it can be rather a long walk. Eventually we boarded and headed for Dhaka in Bungladesh. We could not get out off the plane, so the people clean the plane around those of us that were flying on to Kathmandu. It seemed to take for ever.. So many security guards, checking in flight luggage and people not once or twice but five times. The remaining people then came on to the plane and again this took a long time. May be I was tired but my patience was being tested. I arrived in Nepal at 10.15pm on the 18 Jan. Nepal is 5 hours behind Australia.
Arriving into Nepal I became aware of the security surrounding the airport. It virtually was non existent. I filled out a very basic immigration paper (one 5A piece of paper). To my surprise my Nepalese friends were waiting for me at immigration. I received the traditional Nepalise welcome where I was given a cream scarf by my friends. I felt very welcomed. There was no need to fill out a customs declaration form as it was non existent. An x-ray machine existed for the luggage check but that was all. So easy...
I stayed in Kathmandu that evening with a friend of one of my friends who took me to a small villiage outside of Kathmandu the next morning. I am staying with a lovely family. I have a small but spacious room with shared toilet and bathroom facilities. Thankfully I have been provided with bottled water, toilet paper(not used by Nepalise people). I see the mountain range from my bedroom window. The weather to date is much like a Christchurch or Canberra winter where the days are beautiful and the nights very cold. There is no such thing as heating. Electricity get turned off between the hours of 2 - 5pm and again for some time 5 - 10am in the morning. This is somewhat challenging. I get the feeling that it changes somewhat from day to day. I have had the opportunity to walk around the village. The streets are all dirt. There seems to be very little bitumen streets in Nepal. The roads are all narrow and it is interesting to watch the challenge it is for bus drivers, people and motor bikes that all want to access the road. Very few people have cars. (this is my observation).
I will try and get some photos put up but the internet here is just so slow it would take for ever...Briony I now know what you mean ...slow internet and I am sitting in a cafe...my cell phone does not work here. Reception and modern technology are lacking in this country. Education is important though they struggle with coming to grasp. Parents feel it is important for their children to learn English to enable them to have a better opportunity of work prospects. More so the sons. Sons are very important. They are the ones that will support the parents when they are older as there is an expectation that the girls will someday be married off. The value of women is virtually non existant. The discussions I have with the young girls at the home I am staying in ...is that it is a concern for them. They want to improve their lives hence education for many women is important.
Tomorrow I will be teaching a local Nepalise School, English Conversation and later in the afternoon I will be travelling back to Kathmandu to commence teaching at KISC. So this afternoon during the power cut I will commence preparations for my class tomorrow. I am teaching years 7 and 8. Please pray that I will be able to connect with these young students. Learning should be fun and this is going to be a challenge for me to provide something a little different from their traditional learning.
I seem to be adjusting well but do have difficulty with the poverty I am experiencing all around me. This I am finding a challenge. I will write again in the next few days. Time is running short if I would like to add this too my blog. I apologise in advance for my spelling mistakes.
God Bless you all.
I have finally arrived. Thank you Chris and Peter for dropping me off at the airport. I had a great day doing a quick tikki tour of Hong Kong in a few hours before having a late lunch and shower and my friends getting me back to the airport in time. I had two gate changes and for those of you who know Hong Kong airport it can be rather a long walk. Eventually we boarded and headed for Dhaka in Bungladesh. We could not get out off the plane, so the people clean the plane around those of us that were flying on to Kathmandu. It seemed to take for ever.. So many security guards, checking in flight luggage and people not once or twice but five times. The remaining people then came on to the plane and again this took a long time. May be I was tired but my patience was being tested. I arrived in Nepal at 10.15pm on the 18 Jan. Nepal is 5 hours behind Australia.
Arriving into Nepal I became aware of the security surrounding the airport. It virtually was non existent. I filled out a very basic immigration paper (one 5A piece of paper). To my surprise my Nepalese friends were waiting for me at immigration. I received the traditional Nepalise welcome where I was given a cream scarf by my friends. I felt very welcomed. There was no need to fill out a customs declaration form as it was non existent. An x-ray machine existed for the luggage check but that was all. So easy...
I stayed in Kathmandu that evening with a friend of one of my friends who took me to a small villiage outside of Kathmandu the next morning. I am staying with a lovely family. I have a small but spacious room with shared toilet and bathroom facilities. Thankfully I have been provided with bottled water, toilet paper(not used by Nepalise people). I see the mountain range from my bedroom window. The weather to date is much like a Christchurch or Canberra winter where the days are beautiful and the nights very cold. There is no such thing as heating. Electricity get turned off between the hours of 2 - 5pm and again for some time 5 - 10am in the morning. This is somewhat challenging. I get the feeling that it changes somewhat from day to day. I have had the opportunity to walk around the village. The streets are all dirt. There seems to be very little bitumen streets in Nepal. The roads are all narrow and it is interesting to watch the challenge it is for bus drivers, people and motor bikes that all want to access the road. Very few people have cars. (this is my observation).
I will try and get some photos put up but the internet here is just so slow it would take for ever...Briony I now know what you mean ...slow internet and I am sitting in a cafe...my cell phone does not work here. Reception and modern technology are lacking in this country. Education is important though they struggle with coming to grasp. Parents feel it is important for their children to learn English to enable them to have a better opportunity of work prospects. More so the sons. Sons are very important. They are the ones that will support the parents when they are older as there is an expectation that the girls will someday be married off. The value of women is virtually non existant. The discussions I have with the young girls at the home I am staying in ...is that it is a concern for them. They want to improve their lives hence education for many women is important.
Tomorrow I will be teaching a local Nepalise School, English Conversation and later in the afternoon I will be travelling back to Kathmandu to commence teaching at KISC. So this afternoon during the power cut I will commence preparations for my class tomorrow. I am teaching years 7 and 8. Please pray that I will be able to connect with these young students. Learning should be fun and this is going to be a challenge for me to provide something a little different from their traditional learning.
I seem to be adjusting well but do have difficulty with the poverty I am experiencing all around me. This I am finding a challenge. I will write again in the next few days. Time is running short if I would like to add this too my blog. I apologise in advance for my spelling mistakes.
God Bless you all.
Sunday, 17 January 2010
Finally on my way to Nepal
Isn't it exciting. I can't believe that I am flying out in a few hours to Nepal. The mess in my bedroom has now been sorted and moved to my suitcase...all neat...and the floor space empty.
I said good bye to my wonderful friends who were visiting me from Darwin. They are now travelling on to the Blue Mountains. My house is only 13.5 squares and yet we managed to cope with 5 Adults and 6 kids. (I am not sure how.... but we did). The kids are just great and a lot of fun.
Now I still have a few things to do before I am picked up and dropped of at the airport. Such as a having a shower, tidying up the house a bit, and then relaxing.
My trip is as follows:
Canberra to Sydney, then on to Hong Kong, then on to Bangladesh and finally Nepal. The time difference is 5 hours. I am so glad for the break I am having in Hong Kong before the next long haul. I could not imagine being on a flight for 26 hours and not having a lot of time to stretch my legs. Thank goodness for friends in Hong Kong who will be picking me up and spending the day with me before I proceed with the final leg of my journey.
On with my new adventure and new experiences. I am not sure how often I will get to blog...power cuts are a daily event in Nepal. God Bless you all and will drop you a line as and when I have access to the internet.
I said good bye to my wonderful friends who were visiting me from Darwin. They are now travelling on to the Blue Mountains. My house is only 13.5 squares and yet we managed to cope with 5 Adults and 6 kids. (I am not sure how.... but we did). The kids are just great and a lot of fun.
Now I still have a few things to do before I am picked up and dropped of at the airport. Such as a having a shower, tidying up the house a bit, and then relaxing.
My trip is as follows:
Canberra to Sydney, then on to Hong Kong, then on to Bangladesh and finally Nepal. The time difference is 5 hours. I am so glad for the break I am having in Hong Kong before the next long haul. I could not imagine being on a flight for 26 hours and not having a lot of time to stretch my legs. Thank goodness for friends in Hong Kong who will be picking me up and spending the day with me before I proceed with the final leg of my journey.
On with my new adventure and new experiences. I am not sure how often I will get to blog...power cuts are a daily event in Nepal. God Bless you all and will drop you a line as and when I have access to the internet.
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Preparations Cont......
Hello to you all.
The preparations for Nepal are not moving along any faster despite the fact I leave this coming Sunday. There is still much to do :-)
Hmmm this may have something to do with the fact that I am up in Sydney currently attending Personal Development Training - Effective Teaching Phase 2. We are covering Approaches to Christian Teaching. I am attending this training with a wonderful bunch of people from New Zealand, Australia, India, Fiji, Vanuatu, PNG, Uganda....and I am sure I have left some of the countries off my list. It is such a multi cultural opportunity to learn from a diverse group of people. An awesome experience and so very valuable. I think I will be able to use some of my new learnings in Nepal.
Sorry that this update is so short but I will write again before I fly out to Nepal. God's blessing to each and every one of you...until next time....
The preparations for Nepal are not moving along any faster despite the fact I leave this coming Sunday. There is still much to do :-)
Hmmm this may have something to do with the fact that I am up in Sydney currently attending Personal Development Training - Effective Teaching Phase 2. We are covering Approaches to Christian Teaching. I am attending this training with a wonderful bunch of people from New Zealand, Australia, India, Fiji, Vanuatu, PNG, Uganda....and I am sure I have left some of the countries off my list. It is such a multi cultural opportunity to learn from a diverse group of people. An awesome experience and so very valuable. I think I will be able to use some of my new learnings in Nepal.
Sorry that this update is so short but I will write again before I fly out to Nepal. God's blessing to each and every one of you...until next time....
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Day 2 and 3 of my Preparations.
Yesterday was a full on day. It included a visit to my Doctor for my what I thought, was the annual medical check up...hmmm it was 3 years since my last visit to the Drs. All OK to go. Then it was off to the Travel Medical Centre for all of my innoculations. (One sore arm and a cost of $550). I am hoping the health fund will contribute to some of that cost. It is far better to be safe than sorry.
I was on SKYPE speaking to my dear Nepali friend to get the run down of the weather, food, power outages, clothing to bring over, do's and don'ts and anything else I could think of to ask. The message I got was to travel light because most of the things you can purchase in Nepal relatively cheap. We are talking winter time where the tempurature does not get below 0 in the Kathmandu Regions. It is the windchill factor and humidity that will make it very cold in the evenings and early hours of the morning. During the day it is usually a pleasant 20 degrees. In NZ we call it T-Shirt weather. In Canberra we would still be wearing a light jersey or cardigan. In Nepal it is thermals under ones clothes.
I also learnt that it does not snow in Kathmandu even though the Himmalayas Mountain range is close by. It must have something to do with Kathmandu being in a valley.
My Nepali is progessing ever so slowly and it good feeling that I have learnt a few more words than just Hello and Thank you. The aim is to do an hour of intensive language training before I leave. There are some good Youtube lessons that have been helpful with the pronunciation. I am hoping for some intensive training when I arrive in Nepal. I will also have my Lonely Planet Nepali Phrasebook to assist me.
Oh my goodness where has the day gone. I had better away and get some other work done before the day ends. Talk to you all again soon.
I was on SKYPE speaking to my dear Nepali friend to get the run down of the weather, food, power outages, clothing to bring over, do's and don'ts and anything else I could think of to ask. The message I got was to travel light because most of the things you can purchase in Nepal relatively cheap. We are talking winter time where the tempurature does not get below 0 in the Kathmandu Regions. It is the windchill factor and humidity that will make it very cold in the evenings and early hours of the morning. During the day it is usually a pleasant 20 degrees. In NZ we call it T-Shirt weather. In Canberra we would still be wearing a light jersey or cardigan. In Nepal it is thermals under ones clothes.
I also learnt that it does not snow in Kathmandu even though the Himmalayas Mountain range is close by. It must have something to do with Kathmandu being in a valley.
My Nepali is progessing ever so slowly and it good feeling that I have learnt a few more words than just Hello and Thank you. The aim is to do an hour of intensive language training before I leave. There are some good Youtube lessons that have been helpful with the pronunciation. I am hoping for some intensive training when I arrive in Nepal. I will also have my Lonely Planet Nepali Phrasebook to assist me.
Oh my goodness where has the day gone. I had better away and get some other work done before the day ends. Talk to you all again soon.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Preparation and Count Down
Greetings to you all.
Over the last week I have found myself slowly accumulating things that I think I may need to take with me to Nepal. I look at the pile of stuff on my bedroom floor and wonder do I really need it all. I can only take 20 kgs. I have to remember it is winter over there. I have been informed that the days are a pleasant 20 degrees celcius but the evenings are a very different story. It gets down into the minuses. It is currently their dry sessions. This reminds me a bit like the Northern Territory...a wet and dry season with nothing in between.
I have less than two weeks to get myself organised. I laugh, as I am working from home this week; developing training material for a Government Department in between visits to the Travel Medical Centre for my update of my innoculations, sorting through some financal issues, compiling contact lists, preparing for the second phase of Professional Development (Effective Teacher Training) with New Hope International (NHI) due to take place next week up in Sydney, visitors arriving from Darwin and other "bits and bobs" that need to be completed before I leave.
Gosh are you tired reading this...I am. Well the countdown has began..... I am sure as it gets closer to the date I will have it all sorted. I am accustomed to undertaking the final pack on the evening before I leave.
I am excited and apprehensive all in one, yet on the other hand cannot wait until I have arrived in Nepal. Until my next write up. God Bless
Over the last week I have found myself slowly accumulating things that I think I may need to take with me to Nepal. I look at the pile of stuff on my bedroom floor and wonder do I really need it all. I can only take 20 kgs. I have to remember it is winter over there. I have been informed that the days are a pleasant 20 degrees celcius but the evenings are a very different story. It gets down into the minuses. It is currently their dry sessions. This reminds me a bit like the Northern Territory...a wet and dry season with nothing in between.
I have less than two weeks to get myself organised. I laugh, as I am working from home this week; developing training material for a Government Department in between visits to the Travel Medical Centre for my update of my innoculations, sorting through some financal issues, compiling contact lists, preparing for the second phase of Professional Development (Effective Teacher Training) with New Hope International (NHI) due to take place next week up in Sydney, visitors arriving from Darwin and other "bits and bobs" that need to be completed before I leave.
Gosh are you tired reading this...I am. Well the countdown has began..... I am sure as it gets closer to the date I will have it all sorted. I am accustomed to undertaking the final pack on the evening before I leave.
I am excited and apprehensive all in one, yet on the other hand cannot wait until I have arrived in Nepal. Until my next write up. God Bless
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