Unwanted guests

Unwanted guests in the bathroom





and my bedroom.



I am sitting in bed reading and a couple times I hear a very loud scrabbling sound. I look up to see a Preying Mantis on the window board above my head...it kind of freaks me out. I go downstairs to ask Chimi to remove it from my room.

A beetle walking around the Stupa at night.

Dashain/Old Acquaintance

School closes for 15 days for two festivals, Dashain and Tihar.

Dashain is a celebrated by Hindus all over the world. It is 15 days. It signifies the victory of truth and goodness over untruth and evil. Durga (goddess of power) is worshipped for 9 days to get power to have victory.

To mark victory over evil a tikka (red mark on forhead) is given by elders of family. Tikka is made with a mix of rice, red powder, curd and some mashed banana.


It is the biggest festival in Nepal and schools are closed during this period. It involves getting chocolate and new clothes, sitting on a big swing, flying kites, eating goat meat and getting a tikka put on your forehead.

Many people go to their villages to visit family so for at least two days most shops etc are closed in Kathmandu and the streets are quiet.



Before school closes I miss two days school due to a bad cold and cough. After 12 days I go to Schezen clinic and see a doctor to get medicine (2 types of pills, cough syrup and liquid to gargle)...it helps ease the discomfort but I still have a cold.

As I am sitting in Flavours Cafe one afternoon, a woman walks in Suprise! it is the Austrailian woman that I treked with in 2009. She is just back from 3 weeks tour of Tibet. We get together a couple times and chat. Before she heads to India, she kindly gives me some items including a couple books to help me learn to speak Nepali.

She also takes me to a home where she was staying in case I wish to stay there sometime instead of at a guesthouse. The people in the home seem very friendly including Julie the old dog that keeps looking for attention.



During holidays, I visit friends, sketch, attend a wedding and celebrate a friends' birthday.

Good News! /Shopping

I am really excited and happy when my friend,Buddha, tells me that she finally will be getting a contract at the bank after 9 months as an unpaid intern.

Buddha takes me shopping a couple times as I need to buy some suitable clothes. I buy material for one Kourtasurwhal, a kourtee, 2 pants, shoes and also get another Kourtasurwhal made at a tailor shop.

I want to celebrate Buddha's job by buying her something but she only lets me buy her a sweather and sunglasses. I feel selfish buying so much for myself but she tells me that I need clothes so not to feel bad.

On our second shopping trip, her friend, Asma joins us and we visit with her mother in her room. They are a tremendous help as they do some hard bargaining to get me a good price on my clothes.

Taekwondo Ceremony

My friend, Padam, is a Taekwondo instructor and invites me to assist in handing out certificates to his black belt students.

In the hall there are already students, parents and other guests in attendance. A couple men are taking photos and recording the event. I am called up to sit at the front table with other special guests.

The ceremony includes dance and singing performances as well as the students displaying their skills breaking boards with their feet. At my location at the table I flinch and duck toward another man as some of the pieces come flying in my direction.

Prior to the ceremony I sign some certicates in a designated spot (under the title of social worker).

Padam gives myself and another gentleman a gift and later gives me a DVD recording of the event and a newpaper clipping of the students and guests.

Maiti Nepal/Visa

Swarmed by children! It is a wonderful welcome. After going to Maiti office to see about my visa I stop by the school. All the children ask me to come to their class to visit.

Spoke to Flora about teaching. I stop by some of the classes as teachers are absent and show my photos and play a wordgame on board.

When I to to Maiti office, Anuradha sees me, very warm welcome, I am family. She tells me to see Bishwu about my visa. At lunch Anuradha speaks to Bishwu and asks him to sort out my visa so I can stay for 8 months.

He looks on government website to find out what is required finally suggests that I go to the immigration office to ask. He writes down the address in Nepali and tells me to ask the taxi to take me to Maiti Ghar area.

I phone Daya as she had assisted me at the airport she suggests that I phone the Canadian Consulate to ask them before going to the immigration office...a good idea.

When I phone the Canadian Consulate they advise me that it is a big hassle to get a non-tourist visa and there is no guarantee that I will get it. So now I will have to pay $2US/day...very expensive.

At Maiti Nepal, I tell Anuradha what I found out, she says that she will phone the Home Secretary and let me know.

In the end, the non-tourist visa is not possible so I to to the immmigration office to extend my visa, I can only extend it for an initial 60 days paying $2US/day. I am upset with myself that I didn't just get a 90 day tourist visa ($100US)...a lesson learned.

Catching up with Old Friends

I walk over to Ghausola but Maiti office closed as it is Saturday. Then I walk to friends place. I show a photo to Padam's dad so he phones Padam to come downstairs; he takes me up to Buddha.

In her room I give her a big hug as I am soooooo happy to see her! We chat and she tells me that a lot of teachers have left including the two teachers that I worked with, Archana went back to India and Suryamaya got married and has a 7 month baby girl.

Buddha has been doing intern at bank for 9 months hopefully she will get a paid contract soon.

We go to a nearby cafe for lunch, Chakra joins us.

We make plans to walk to Koppan Monestary the next day however it is very hot so the 3 of us end up riding on Padam's motorbike. He is a good driver, slowing down over speed bumps and ruts.







Unfortunately Koppan is now closed to the public as it has a monestary school so we carry on to Gompa Monestary. It is very peaceful.