Long time no blog!

hellooooooooooo!

Sorry it has taken me so long to write this. Not only have I been busy in work but have been giving a lot of time to my friend out here who recently found out her mum is very sick. It has been an emotionally intense time and seeing her go through it whilst so far away from her home has made me realize more than ever just how important my family and friends are to me. I am so thankful to everyone for keeping in touch, and also for the letters/goodies people have sent in the post - Rhian your choccies were so yummy, though they didn’t last much longer than a day I have to confess!

It hasn't rained here for 6 months. The water shortage means bucket showers from time to time and an increase in power cuts. We now have only 4 hours of electricity a day. As my laptop needs to be plugged into the mains to work then blog writing is a little difficult! My patience has definitely increased, as has learning not to get annoyed with things that are out of my control. Doesn’t happen that way all the time mind you, I am human after all! Despite the days being scorching, it feels like it could rain any evening now and everyone is willing it to happen….‘come on rain’…. The occasional grey sky feels familiar and makes me feel at home.

Talking of home.... I miss it a lot! Although I am busy in work, I am also filling my spare time with other things – have joined a choir, started jogging (don’t be too impressed, only done one jog so far, got good intentions to keep it up though!), and have been strumming away on my guitar. Got a haircut the other day for just 70 rupees (70p)....bargain! May come back with a skinhead if I get too hooked on the cheap prices!

When I spoke to a friend a few weeks ago, she asked me how I was coping with the early nights. This made me realise that I hadn't updated people with how things are in that department. I feel very pleased to have met so many great people and am rarely short of someone to go for a drink with. I have caught up with friends from the UK who are traveling here, and have more people visiting in May who I will go traveling with for a few weeks. Safe to say I now crave time to myself and early nights once in a while. Can't have it both ways I guess! On top of this my spare time is taken up with dodging phone calls/texts from people at work in the wee hours of morn/at weekends, usually just contacting to say they miss me and ask me what I’m doing!

I went rafting at the weekend. Had no idea what I signed up to which was my fault for not reading the email properly, turned out to be a campaign drive to ‘Save the Botekoshi River’. 14 rafts full of people going down a fairly shallow river getting stuck behind one another! Even when moving it wasn’t exactly pant-wetting with excitement, but a fantastic place and good to get out of Kathmandu. The place where we went also has bungee jumping on offer so may give that a go next time! (As if Rathbone, as if!!)

Work – My research is really moving on now, have had meetings with other NGOS and organizations, including Save The Children and UN Nepal, and will be going to different parts of Nepal over the next few months to interview organizations and national volunteers. Has been a great experience so far and is really pushing my confidence. The divide in my time between VSO research and YOAC is causing a bit of friction/confusion amongst staff and myself, though the research has been good for networking and I’ve been trying to use this to YOAC’s advantage. I am linking them up with other orgs they can work with/support, which is something they are welcoming as they are in stalemate regarding their projects and organizational development at the moment. Further to this I have begun giving English classes, everyone seems to enjoy themselves, including me! I am also part of the VSON Annual Conference planning team so ……you get the hint, busy busy!

I am relishing the opportunities I’m being given and am trying to soak everything up while I have the chance. Just this evening I was introduced to an artist who has set up a charity working with street children. Every Friday he provides dinner and an art class to 40-50 kids and has said he would appreciate my help in how to expand the work he is doing. As this is a similar idea to one I toyed with whilst working with young homeless people in London, I hope I have time to help him out in any way I can.

Some days I think how quickly it is going and how I feel like 7 months more is not enough to achieve the things I want to, other times I am willing it to go quickly so I can be back home. But I know if I came back tomorrow, I would not be satisfied as still so much to be done out here. I am up and down each day. Can start one morning feeling like I’m going to burst into tears and by the end of the day I am smiling so much and feel like a big ball of buzzing energy!! Like today - for two hours I was on a high after a meeting with all YOAC staff, sounds crazy that a meeting could cause happiness I know, but people are pleased with the networks I’ve created and the possibilities for future campaigns/activities, so today it feels like I am really adding something to the organization. Lets hope it continues!!

Big love to all, H x

p.s. Congratulations to those of you who waded through the above, sorry it was so long!

p.p.s….Still welcome any calls if people are free sometime, missing you lots!

p.p.ps….On my walk in to work today I got hit on the head by a water bomb, thrown from top of building, pesky kids!! On Tuesday it is ‘Holi’, the festival of colour. On this day children and adults spend the day throwing coloured water over each other, it seems like the kids have started early! GRUMBLE!