Long awaited photos

Here are some long awaited photos now that I have been able to down load them.  Enjoy them.....

Housing area in Kathmandu 

Kathmandu is a dirty city.  Most of the city is littered with rubbish as you can see in this photo.  Whilst I was there the garbage workers were on strike and had been for a number of weeks.  By the time I had left they decided to go back to work.  Locals would say to me...'that is just how it is in Nepal"

 

The village houses in Sankhu

Sankhu Village, 17 km from Kathmandu (1.5 hour to get there).  A typical Nepalise child looking out onto the street.

A typical fruit and vegetable stall seen in nearly villages and along roadsides.

Women typically sit in the square selling fruit in a Kathmandu tourist area. 

Below are some of the children of the family I stayed with in the village of Sankhu.  In this family there were two mothers, 5 girls, a boy and their father.  In Hindu culture if the wife is unable to provide a boy with in 10 years of marriage the husband is able to go out and find himself another wife in the hope of producing a son. 

Check out the kitchen in the background of the photo below.

  

  

 Most of the preparing of meals is undertaken on the floor. 

  

It is festival time in the village.  Many Hindus travel from far and wide to worship one of their many Hindu Gods.  Married women wear red.  Mostly Sari's.  Some of them are just so beautiful.  Here the women have grouped together to pray to the God of Wisdom and Education.

One of the local stores.  These can be found on roadside as well as in many of the villages.  Note the roof... it is held down by rocks not nailed down.  Some places I saw tyres on the roof to hold it down.

You will find cattle just roaming the streets not only in the village but in the cities as well.  Cattle are scared animals and seem to have free reign in the cities.  I am not sure who owns them but they are everywhere.  So amongst the congestion of the traffic you are fighting with the cows, motorbikes, trucks, buses, bicycles, rickshaws, people etc for some part of the road to get to where you want to go.  No wonder it to get anywhere takes such a long time.  :-)

Here I am having a rest and enjoying the crisp sunny day on one of the Islands which holds a Buddist temple on Fewa Lake in Pokhara.  

One of the many villages along the hillside.  Their farm pastures are set up the hillsides.  It is pretty amazing.  You see homes like this scattered in various pockets along the mountainside.

Check out the water areas.  You will see these as you drive along the roughly built highways.   One of these water areas every 50 meters.  It is interesting that the women will wash clothes, cooking utensils, themselves in full view with not a care that people could be watching them.  They have no privacy when it comes to bathing.  Also I began to wonder why you would bother as there is just so much dust around.  

This is a common scene.  Women standing around chatting with their community people.  Women in the village wear the traditional Nepalise dress.  Only in Kathmandu will you now see the younger generation wearing more western style of clothing.

For any Engineers.  Check out this construction site.  Most of the work is undertaken by women.  There is no such thing as OH&S.  Bamboo poles are used to brace concrete.  I have seen the same through other parts of Asia. 

Women shovelling sand and stone mix for concreting into baskets which they carry on their back and onto the construction site.  There are no such things as safety shoes.  Plastic bags tired to their feet and the flipflops worn over them.    This is the only protection they have on their feet.

A view from the top of the Buddhist Stupas in Boudhanath Area.  It is one of the World Heritage Sites. 

Neeva was my translator and guide for most of my stay within Sankhu and Kathmandu.  Behind us is the Boudhanath Buddhist Stupas.  This great stupa stands approximately 6 km north east from the centre of Kathmandu valley.  It is surrounded by hills.  Buddhists see the stupa as a jewel point in the centre of a natural mandala, a store of scared energy.  It is one of the most important pilgramage for the Buddhist. 

  With some of my Nepalise friends and family members just outside of Boudhanath

Monkeys roam freely through Kathmandu.  I have seen them cross the streets over electrical wiring.  They reside in a number of temples, and parks close in the city.  In Sankhu I saw a few monkeys but not as many as I did in Kathmandu.  Here the monkeys come in from the forests looking for food.  It was interesting to observe them as they knew what time meal times were and they came across a golf course in large numbers.

Leaving the best for last.  Food....the traditional Nepalise diet consists of rice and lentils.  "Dahl Bhaht").  A number of condiments, chutneys, curried vegetables are also included.  I can't wait to cook this in my own kitchen.  I have not been able to succumbe to eating this dish with my hands.  I have to say in the village that is the only way you will see this dish eaten. 

Back in Australia

Greetings and a big Thank You to all of you for all your prayer support. I could sense and feel the energy of prayer around some difficult situations where I knew that I could not do without the support of prayer.   To often we place little emphasis on the power of prayer and think we are able to do it all in our own strength.  I have come to rely on praying and more so asking for that prayer support. 

I am now back in Australia.  I was fortunate to be able to sleep on the plane between Kathmandu and Hong Kong.  I struggled but did manage to stay awake on the next leg of my journey from Hong Kong to Sydney.   Thank goodness for a good book, a German traveller to Sydney and some OK movies.  It all helped to while away the hours.

It was sad to leave Nepal especially my new friends and contacts I had made whilst over there and before going.  Is it good to be back?   Well ask me in a week or so.   I would like to take some time to reflect on my experiences and as to what God now wants me to do with all these new learnings and experiences.  I have become so much more enriched by spending time with the Nepalise people, experiencing their culture, their difficulties, their struggles and lack of hope as to how things can change for them.   I have seen the best and the worst, the injustice surrounding women. I have talked to many of the students who see no hope in obtaining a career of choice. Young women who only see themselves being married off in an arranged marriage.  In the village there are many illiterate women and men.  Many cannot even write in their own language.  Proper sanitation in remote locations, children walking 2 to 3 hours to go to school, children who don't go to school and the list grows.  Some of this is very difficult for even me to grasp.  Yet I know in my heart that I can make change through assisting communities setup sustainable programs (where they will take the ownership) that will incorporate change to improve conditions and the way of life for the basic Nepali person.  I see much of this undertaken through education and training.

I can also say that the Nepali people I worked with were genuinely appreciative of any assistance they could get to help them improve their circumstances.  These groups of people gave me so much more.  I stayed with a number of Nepali families.  I was very welcomed into their home and very much made to feel part of the family.  For all of this I am very thankful. 


I can see myself returning to Nepal in the very near future. I have a couple of reports to complete for various groups of people and I hope to complete them over this coming weekend.  After that I will see where to next.

On that note I will sign off and go to bed.  I should have gone a couple of hours ago.
God's Blessings to you all and I hope to see many of you in the coming weeks.

Returning to Australia

(This was written a few days ago before the power cut and never got completed)

Hello to you all,

This will be my last blog for now from Nepal.  I have had the most amazing time and experiences, and meet the most amazing people.  Nepalis are so hospitable and friendly.  I have been welcomed wherever I went and many a time been invited into their homes for 'dahl badht'. 

Today I have just found out that whilst I was in Pokhara I was in the midst of a SARs (Bird Flu) epidemic.   I am glad that chicken and eggs was not on my menu.  The Government of Nepal held off for nearly a week before they informed the locals and  came in and slaughtered many of the farmer's chickens and removed eggs from shops, farms etc.  It was pretty deverstating for the local people...losing their livelihood.  There are issues between the Government and locals around suitable compensation and the burying of carcasses on Hindu/sacred land.  This meant that the carcasses laid around until suitable Government land became available to bury them.  I guess this has made the situation worse.  I am thankful that I was given the heads up even before the information was released to the public. 

Now my time is coming to an end.  I spent my final days reviewing a school and its business processes putting in place some changes to the curriculum.  The school is conducted in English with some Nepali in the areas of dance and grammer.  The school age for these children start at two and half  through to six years old.  Nepali children go to school 6 days a week.  Some start as early as 6am through to 11am and then the next group commences at 11am until 4pm.  This is so that the school can cater for many children.  

Now I am back in Kathmandu staying at the Holy Himmalaya Hotel.  This is a blessing from one of the Director's at the school I was assessing.  Having some 'ME' time has been good as it is giving me time to evaluate all that I have been doing and finding some purpose to it all.  Many doors have been opened for the future and I see God's work in many things.  Sometimes I wonder how it all can be achieved and what do I really have to offer these people and their community.  I am reminded constantly that I am the catalyst that God needs to inject change for His people... beginning through education. Human rights and safety issues are only just coming to the forefront in Nepal.  The younger generation are keen to see and assist with change in a positive way in their country.

I have had a couple of interviews since I have been here.  One with the Kathmandu International Study Centre as the Human Resource Manager where I would be looking after the Staff at the school, and Equip Nepali Teacher Program, and Staff who help out in administration, kitchen, recruitment, evaluation of curriculum etc and one to be the Director of another Nepali School.  One is a volunteer positions and the other is a paid position but in Nepali Rupee.  The difficulty many mission agencies are finding is that it is difficult to retain volunteers due to the financial position and to pay and recruit Nepalise means that the costs will need to rise for education.  There are also visa issues that cause complications when recruiting from outside of Nepal. Volunteer visas are becoming very difficult to obtain.  Even though a person volunteers to assist a variety of projects they are still required to pay foreigner prices for many things.  Please pray that the right doors will open for the right people to assist the wider Nepali community and that the funds will be available for volunteers to stay longer than a few months. 

Continue on for 7 Feb 2010 or a Nepali Year of 2066. 
Today I headed back to the remote location of Sankhu to say good bye to my Nepelise family and friends.  I managed to visit a few heritage sights, play some badminton with the children.  I also visited one of the National Parks which backs right on to one of the golf courses once owned by the King of Nepal.  There are many monkeys that drift in from the forest across the golf course in search of food from nearby residents, hotels etc.  It is a pretty spectacular sight.  I did refrain from feeding them.  I actually thought it was best not to encourage them.  I went for a long walk around the edge of the forest with one of my good Nepali friends.  I found as long as you left the monkeys alone they left you alone.  By now I have manage to build up a good network of Nepali friends with whom I will stay in contact with when I return home. 

I can see myself returning to Nepal sooner rather than later.  There is much unfinished work to be completed.  I was surprised how many doors have been opened and just how many people are looking for assistance from the west.  Not necessarily financial, but more for ideas, and options to build a better community, ensuring all children no matter where they are located have an opportunity to good education, sanitation improved amongst the slum areas of Kathmandu, and an improvement in infrastructure including roads, transport, health, power, human rights, justice for the poor and women etc. 

There are many NGOs set up in Nepal but their purpose does not focus on the agenda's of the community nor do some of them meet the needs of the Nepali community.  The people I have been working with are local people who are greatly aware that to make an impact with their people one needs to listen to them not to resolve their problems but to actually hear what their needs are.  It is about working with them, not for our own agendas but theirs.  I have learnt like us in the western world we too have to learn by our own mistakes so why would this not be the case for Nepal.  The Nepali people do know what the needs are for their community.  The people I have worked with and spent time with certainly do.  I pray that the Government officials will begin to listen to the needs of their people and take some positive action not for their own agendas but for their people.

9 Feb 2010 or a Nepali year of 2066.

Today is my packing morning.  This evening I am flying out from Kathmandu via Hong Kong and on to Sydney.   I am being taken out to dinner for my last meal of 'dahl badht'.  After that... if I would like to eat Nepali food I will have to cook it myself ....back home.  I will spend the day with one of my Nepali friends and be joined by a number of other friends to say 'see you later' not 'goodbye'.  It will be a chance to re-live a few special moments.  I hope that I have been able to make some sort of an impact or a difference for these people, through my faith, the examples I have set and providing hope that through my belief in God change definately can occur.  I am thankful that I believe in only one God.  I could not imagine worshipping many Gods.  I would feel in adequate in many areas and could never live up the expectation of these Gods.  I am grateful that I have a forgiving, trusting, merciful and loving God who is worth all honour and much more. 

My next blog will be the summary of when I return home.  My love to you all.

Back in Kathmandu

Blessings to you all.
Hmm interesting I am working from a Nepali keyboard and it is making typing a tad interesting.  I am grateful that I can touch type.  My presentation went well and was well received.  Actually much better than I had anticipated.  I will be forwarded the outcome of it in a fortnight.  The good thing that came out were the amount of fantastic questions that were raised.  This always a good sign.

Today I went to assess a school where I will be comprising a report focusing on curriculum improvement.  I get around this congested city of Kathmandu by taxi or on the back of a motorbike.  At first I found it very nerve wracking but now I am used to it.  The motorbike is the best way to get through the congested traffic on all of the narrow streets.  Today I saw monkeys climbing over the electrical wiring to cross over the street.  I wish I could have stopped and taken a photo.  I had to explain to my interpreter that we do not have monkeys on our streets but that we can find them in our zoos.  He just laughed.

I went to join  a group of medical profession and some medical students who have gotten together wanting to set up an NGO and put in place programs to teach and improve sanitation to slum community on the outskirts of Kathmandu.  I thought straight away at some material I have brought along with me that focuses on Community Health and Education (CHE).  I will sift through some of the material this evening and see if there is something that can be of use to them.  They are an amazing bunch of Nepalese, around the age of 25, who are very keen to help their people.  We discussed starting of small, trialling or piloting what they want to do in a small area, iron out any problems before going all out.  This way, they will not be taking on too many projects and too large an area.  I see many doors opening, many opportunities for me to give my story and to talk about my God openly in a country that has been suppressed for many years.  I have made many Nepalie friends who gather their friends who are like-minded and want to make a difference and ask me to speak,  offer ideas, and facilitate their brain storming sessions to come up with a plan.  They had no idea that Nepal had a leprosy hospital or that leprosy was an issue in Nepal.  Yes leprosy is hidden in Nepal.  Out in the far western district of Nepal it is still very much an issue and people are outcasts.  The International Nepal Fellowship (INF) has set up this hospital in the Pokahara district. 

Tomorrow I head back to my homestay village at Sankhu for the day.  I will spend it with my homestay family.  I can't believe I have been in Nepal for nearly 3 weeks.  I love the people, even though I struggle with the language.  I have learnt to adapt by mimic and many hand display actions.  The Nepalise are just so friendly and hospitable and I am so thankful for the opportunities, the openness of the people, and their eagerness to show me their world.  I have had some trying times but I know that God is so much bigger and even though I may get frustrated at the injustice or in communicating, I see and know that God works here too.  I am reminded that I am His instrument...a tool for his purpose.   On that note I must love you all and say good night until next time.  God bless you all.  I can't thank you enough for all your prayers. 

Hello to you all from a very cold day in Pokhara,

Today I have the experience of seeing the most amazing sunrise from the small town up on the mountain - Sarangot .  This is where you get to see the most amazing views of the Annapurna mountain range as the sun comes up.  Truly one of God's amazing creations.

I took a bus today which seemed to take for ever.  Along the way we come across many small villages which backup right against the road.  The roads are dusty yet you find women washing, not just their clothes but themselves and their children, their cooking utensils, and collect water etc.  I was wondering why they bothered with all the dust that comes from buses and the many trucks that drive up and down those mountains.  The odd thing is that the water areas all face the streets.  You also see many people not doing anything, other than basically sitting around.   I am amazed at the school uniforms of some of the children...white trousers and or skirts with either a differing coloured jersey.  I wonder how they manage to keep those uniforms looking so white.  If I have anything to go by when I stayed with my host family in Sankhu ... I can see the way they soaked and scrubbed their whites.  It makes me wonder how long their clothes keep before they are worn out.

Also many of the homes have galvanised sheeting for their roof. It is held down with rocks, junk, tyres...basically anything that will stay on top of the roof otherwise the galvanised sheeting will just fly off.  You do see a combination of really poor mud brick homes in between some what I would call mansions.  There is a class distinction of rich and poor.  Along the mountain roads you will find mainly tin sheds, mud brick homes, where the home may also be a small shop. Yet against the mountains you see a lot of pastures.  You will see farmers plouging the soil with a hoe and the hoe pulled by a buffalo.  Small plots run up the mountain side.  It is easier for them to get water to their respective areas if the plots are smaller.  Farming is very traditional and you certainly don't see the use of a tractor anywhere.  I can see why... as it would be difficult as some of the plots are very narrow and very steep.

Nepal produces quite a bit of rice.  It is the countries staple diet.  Nepal has no storage facilities to store the rice so it sells it to India who store the rice and then the Nepali's have to buy it back again.  One would have thought that perhaps someone would have come and assisted Nepalis and put in some large silo's to store the rice for future need.  Rice is expensive for the everyday Nepali.  There basic diet is dal baht (rice and lentils). 


I head back for Kathmandu in the morning where I will be presenting a small presentation to some of the mission schools regarding what the Human Resource position can offer the KISC community and outlying regions to enhance better transitioning from mission schools to KISC.    The outlying mission schools have issues in obtaining resources as do many missionaries homeschooling their children in Nepal.  It is an opportunity for all to work together.  I have visited a number of remote locations to collect some of their concerns and issues which will be consolidated and presented tomorrow afternoon.  Please pray that the presentation will be well received by all parties as KISC and improves relationships with the remote teaching locations regardless of whether the community is a school or homeschooling community.

I have gotten used to Nepali's not using please and thank you.  My Nepali friends say that once you get to know someone, one does not need to say please and thank you.  A lot of Nepali's use sorry and excuse me in the wrong context.  Also pronouns and prepositions are not used or perhaps forgotten by most Nepali's that speak English.  The level of knowledge seems to make no difference.  I am thankful for my Nepali translator. I think I would find it a bit of a struggle if this was the case.

The power just went.  I thought I had lost everything.  I am fortunate that this post was saved in a draft format.  We are now running off a generator.  Until next time may my love go with you all and may you all be blessed. 

On another note from DownUnder...my son Kieran in Canberra has informed me that I am going to have another grand-daughter.  Please pray that all goes well and that Renee soon starts to feel better. She still has morning sickness though it is not every day that she is being sick.  The baby whom they have name Lillith is due at the end of May.  It will be an exciting time for all of us as a family.