It’s been a little
while since I last posted and I’ll tell you for why. I’ve been here for just
over two weeks now and I’m now totally comfortable in Kathmandu. I know roughly
where things are, I know how much I’ll be ripped off by taxi drivers and I know
where to get cheap mo-mos that won’t make my stomach cry. Because of this, it’s
making the strange events that happen almost daily very, very normal. What I
would have initially found very strange and/or exciting is now pretty much
day-to-day life. When I first arrived there were a million things I could have
written about that are completely different to the UK. Now however, I am not
even noticing these things and the UK comparisons stopped almost as soon as
they started.
Don’t get me wrong, I
still notice things that make me do a double take (for example last week I
witnessed a monkey being electrocuted on overhead cables just above
pedestrians), it’s just that there aren’t so many of these moments now. And
that’s perfectly ok by me.
Not noticing the difference
in environment is all a part of adaptation, something I’ve become fairly good
at over the last few years having moved a fair few times. Adaptation is also an
absolutely crucial part of this programme. If you can’t get used to a new, and
more than likely difficult, environment, then you’re really going to struggle.
Learning to live in another part of the world isn’t always easy, but it’s
certainly not impossible. I’ve been lucky enough to spend plenty of time in
Kathmandu so it’s been pretty easy going, but my group of volunteers, they’ll
be going almost straight into community, with a couple of days in between for
training.
My next challenge is
going to be adapting to the community, which is going to be a completely
different kettle of fish. I’m expecting rural, I’m expecting basic and I’m
expecting challenges. However, having lived in a community different to my own,
I’m also expected warmth, hospitality and a home to call my own. I leave
tomorrow so I’ll no doubt post an update as soon as possible.
Speaking of updates,
this post was supposed to include them. Over the last week I have attended two
rounds of Pre-placement Training (PPT) for the Nepali volunteers. Having
already has this training myself in the UK, it was interesting to see it from
another point of view. Luckily it was all conducted in English and I was able
to facilitate sessions on the Millennium Development Goals, as previously
mentioned, as well as conflict management. It was really great to do the
session as I was able to get practice for when I conduct my own training, and
also just good to interact with the initially very shy Nepali volunteers.
Once the PPT was over
I had a well deserved day off and spent this with my counterpart Raul and
another UK team leader, SJ. We subjected Raul to an excruciating experience in
the tailors but then I softened the blow with ice cream. In case you’ve not
seen, here is my wonderful new Nepali outfit. Can’t wait to wander the streets
of Kent in this when I get home.
It was a gloriously
sunny day so we had lunch at a rooftop restaurant and then had a really
hardcore Friday night in watching movies. I was off again on Saturday so met up
with two other TLs, Tayler and Annabel, who have been an absolute God send,
providing me with all the information about the previous cycle of volunteers. We
went to a wonderful little farmers market before heading to the Garden of
Dreams to bask in the sunshine. It’s so much hotter than I expected and I may
be forced into buying some new clothes for this unexpected heat. What a shame…
That brings me pretty
much up to date and I’m sure I’ll have plenty more to talk about next time.
Lizzie x
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