Chitwan National Park April 14-18/11

I go to Chitwan National Park with a friend of mine. We have a great time! It is a 7 hour bus ride to Sauraha (village outside Chitwan Park). Through friends she arranged a hotel for us. Chitwan is green, peaceful and clean.



The hotel is in the country which is nice but inconvenient for getting to Sauraha and arranging activities. After two nights we switch to a closer hotel (15 minute walk to town).



We do an elephant safari, a 1/2 day jeep safari (we see a sloth bear and a rhino (close).


We do a bath with the elephants, take a pony cart to the Elephant Breeding Centre, see a cultural show and swim in the river.




All under budget at less than $200.00 Cdn for 5 days. It helps to have a Nepali friend to ask for discounts.


Along the way to the Elephant Breeding Centre we pass tradional thatch roof homes with walls constructed with mud over bamboo.

Badra the Widow Mar 14/11

Badra sees me one day(she is the beggar woman that I know). She looks terrible, really gaunt.

I take her to the brothers' shop and get him to find out what she wants. Her husband (also a beggar) died 8 days ago and she wants me to search a room for her and get some treatment for her hand.

Through the brother I ask her to get a bill from the clinic for the treatment and I will see about paying...but she is not willing to do that.

I phone Maiti Nepal but they don't take widows. The brother tells her that as a foreigner, I will not be able to find a room for her...(especially since she makes her living by begging). We part ways.

I meet a woman who finds a phone number for me for a widows' shelter. I get a young woman at Flavours to phone for me. Initially there is a mis-communication as the woman thinks that I want the bed for myself. When she phones back she is told that the shelter is full, to phone back in a week.

I search the Internet but don't come up with another shelter. I ask some people I know but they also don't know of any. I get the girl to phone again but this time she is told that they only take widows through referrals from an agency.

At this point I haven't seen Badra around so I think that maybe she has went to the village where her mother lives.

Japan Disaster Mar 11/11

On the last day of a workshop I am attending, I hear about the earthquake and terrible Tsunami off the coast of Japan. I see a few seconds on TV of the incident...the images look very bad.

Black Cloud Feb 24/11

In February a earthquake in DT Christchurch, people died. Also revolts that started in Turkey or Tunesia, spread to Egypt, Libia, etc. February the weather suddenly feels warmer again and there are more foreigners about.

Not sure when it starts but I am under a black cloud for it seems like a couple months. November, December and January are very cold in Kathmandu and it bothers me when I am cold in my room but can snuggle under warm covers in a comfortable bed thinking about people that are sleeping outside with less clothes than I.

I see disabled people begging and dogs that look really bad with no hair or raw patches on their skin. I see a trio of children that look very dirty. The boy is carrying a toddler on his back (less than 2 years old). A couple of them have no footware.

I get my friend to ask the children if they have parents or if they are homeless. They have parents that work but they drop the chidren at Boudha daily to beg. With my friend's help I get sandals for the children to wear.

One night when I am feeling very sad about the poverty that I see, a street dog comes up to me to comfort me. Because of that, I start buying dog food to give to the dogs; it helps me to feel a bit better.

There is one disabled man that I always give rupees to as he walks bent at an angle and one hand is curved. He is humble not begging aggressively.

Still I think about my compassion as I can give more than what I do but I am also conscious of my budget, having money to cover my expenses and what I will do when I am home.

I think that my friend gives freely when moved, she is so kind. She gives even when she has very little herself.

In early March the cloud finally lifts from my head.

Teddy Bears Funraiser\Crazy Turk Feb/11

Teddy Bear Funraiser

An idea comes to me when I spy old fabric sitting in a couple bags at the school and seeing how happy some little girls are with a beat up old doll in the neighbourhood.

I decide to make teddy bears for the children at Maiti Nepal. I initially enlist the help of girls from Class 7 to help with cutting fabric and stitching pieces together. I addition 3 lovely ladies at the school help.

When the girls are busy studying for exams and can no longer help me 2 Angels from Bhutan (across the hall from my room) pitch in to swiftly complete the bears that I have slowly been sewing in spare moments.



End result 18 bears to bring smiles to childrens' faces at Maiti Nepal.

Another idea is that maybe I can enlist my friends to sponsor a bear and those donations will go to Maiti Nepal (hopefully for games/sports equipment for the children).




Crazy Turk

Coming back from shopping I see a ruckus on the street, a bearded man is chasing a young boy I've seen before. Things fall from his bag as he chases the boy a few feet then gives up. He sees me as I approach and wants me to be a witness to what happened. He goes to a shop and requests that they phone the police.

He also thinks that the shopkeeper saw what happened although it is around the corner from the incident. He tells me that the boy cut his hand and his hand is wrapped in bandages.

While waiting for the police, he tells me that he is Turkish, his father is some important official in Turkey. I ask him what he wants me to do to help as I didn't see what happened only him chasing the boy.

He looks at me like I am lying, then starts accusing me of conspiring with the others to claim that we didn't see anything. I tell him that I am going as he seems a bit paranoid.

Anju \ Julie the Dog Feb17 /11

Anju


I enlist my friend's help to ask my young friend and then the security guard about my friend, Anju that was planning to go to a foreign country to work just around the time that I was leaving Nepal in 2009.

I am concerned that maybe she was trafficked. Initially the guard is forthcoming about Anju, but in a subsequent conversation, he is not helpful. He supposedly is the guard that helped her to go to Lebannon but then he denies that it is him, he claims that it is another security brother.

I don't have her parents phone number or address (village) so I don't know if she has contacted anyone in the past 2 years to say that she is okay.

A friend suggests that we go to the security office to enquire, see if they have her application, so that we can get a phone number for her family. The office hours are limited so I have to arrange to have a Nepali friend go with me to explain what I want.


Julie the Dog

Julie gets hurt. A male dog is being frisky with her (I think that he hurts her inside). I notice one day that she won't come to me when I call her. I mention it to the family although they hadn't noticed.

When someone does get her to move she yelps in pain. They phone a vet and get some medicine for her but she still doesn't seem to be moving around. I ask if she is doing toilet and eating and drinking. They tell me she is.

Earlier in the afternoon, I asked the brother to please get a vet to see her, I would help pay for it.

It is 5 days that she has been hurt that night she is crying in pain outside my window. It is unbearable to hear her crys but it is too late to call a vet. I don't think that the family can hear her from their rooms upstairs. For 3 hours I hear her deep crys of pain...I think about going out with a bucket of water to put her mouth and nose in to end her pain but I don't do it. Eventually her crys get lower and lower, I know that she is dying. She dies around midnight.

I feel really upset that the family didn't get a vet for her, even to put her out of her pain. They are Buddist, so I don't know if that would stop them from putting her to sleep.

In the morning the woman lights a candle for Julie.

Manakamana Jan14/11

An early start, 6AM at Maiti Nepal office (I manage to catch a bus). I walk on the quiet streets past small groups of people huddled by fires. Although the complex is dark a guard eventually comes to the gate and lets me in after confirming that I am going to Manakamana.

Suprisingly all the girls are ready before the boys. We board a big bus. It takes about 3 hours to get there with a couple bathroom stops. The building is exceptionally clean with a modern appearance unlike much else in Nepal (except for the City Centre shopping mall).

Maiti Nepal includes me as staff, (fortunately as the price for a foreigner is $15US dollars), my volunteer card is accepted as ID.



I read that the cable car system was built by the Swiss, so I have no concerns about my safety although I still grip the back of the seat when the car goes up over the support. It is a long way up, I can't imagine how long it takes to walk up.





Initially, I plan to go into the temple with the group but after walking in my bare feet across the courtyard up several flights of steps and waiting (and realizing that it will be a long wait) I decide that I would rather take photos and have my feet in my nice warm shoes.

It is a good decision as it is a long wait and I can take photos at my leisure. Also photos are not allowed inside the temple. While waiting I see a very reluctant goat being taken to the temple. Later I see the man but not the goat.

After the temple we have a group lunch of dhal bhat. It is a full day as it is dark when we finally get back to Kathmandu.



Fresh oranges and orange trees












kiosks lining the route to the temple (with items to buy as well as offerings including goats, chickens and birds)



Mystic images


Boy and bells



Picking up offerings as fast as his little paws can go...






Maiti Nepal Staff








Group Photo

School Holiday Jan2-14/11

I opt for two weeks duty at the school during holidays doing crafts with the children. It is a bit of a challenge to come up with different crafts for two weeks, especially with limited supplies but the children are keen to do whatever I have planned.

A couple game boards and playing pieces I make out of cardboard work well for Othello and Connect 4.

A couple times I do face painting and bubble blowing (straws make good cheap bubble blowers). It is still a challenge to get the children to line up and wait their turn even though I assure them that there is enough for everyone.


One girl does an excellent vampire face painting.

New Years' Day Performances Jan1/11

I am fortunate to see a flyer advertising cultural masked dance performances at noon at Boudha to celebrate 2011 Tourism Year.








I invite a few friends however it starts late so we are on the rooftop with hot chocolate and snacks when it finally starts. There are such large crowds that it is difficult to get close enough with a good view to take photos.




I take a couple short video clips however it seems to take forever to download to my blog so I may have to add at another time.

It is really fun to watch and extends into the evening with a concert. A friend and I eat at Garden Kitchen before we both head home.

School Talent Show Dec31/10

After exams and before January break, the children prepare for a talent show. Each house in the hostel, Green, Red, Blue and White practise with the guidance of teachers to put on a dance, song and drama.

I help Blue House a bit in the initial stages with their rendition of Romeo and Juliet and also a dance number from Titantic. Afterwards I am assigned the children that are not participating with their house to learn to sing Jingle Bells. The final songs, dances and skits performed are quite good.

Little children





cultural dance




drama (including Romeo and Juliet)

Blue House expanded upon Romeo and Juliet and shaped it including the Titantic song as a dance number in their skit.












White House does an original skit and the girl that plays a king plays the part regally.






Green House wins the competition! All round their performances are smooth and well rehearsed. They do a cultural dance with the clothing/dress from all of the various castes.