Friday 14th:

Today we had our security training at the VSO centre, it is a quiet haven in what is a very hectic city!! the briefing filled me in on all the strikes, shut downs, cerfews, power cuts (10 hours a day from this sunday), traffic hazards, and crime that I may encounter whilst im here. It also talked briefly on how hard it will be to work in Nepal due to the Caste system they have here and underlying political tensions. Im getting more nervous now about my actual job, though the staff at VSO all seem very friendly and supportive.

The not so light hearted training was followed by an uplifting welcome party hosted by the staff at VSO and current volunteers living in Nepal.There was traditional Nepali music, dancing, and home cooked food - a fantastic evening! The current volunteers are all very welcoming and excited to share their experiences of Nepal with the new arrivals, a very useful resource to have!

SAT 15TH:

After a quick walk around the market on the hunt for some fresh fruit (not hard to find, but hard to get a good deal as a tourist!) we were joined by some of the current volunteers and divided into teams to take part in a treasure hunt around the city, a fun way to begin to get our bearings and feel a little more confident about making our way around. We were shown a quieter district where there are small shops and good haunts to eat at, places where we can have traditional clothes tailor made for only 300 rupees - 2 pounds 30, and also the Garden of Dreams, which is about the only place you will find grass in the city and some quiet - i'm set to be a regular visitor! Sadly it is only a place that tourists can afford, as with alot of things in the city. The hunt took us around Thamel, the busy shopping district and tourist trap, through one of the famous Durbar squares which houses just one of many thousands of temples across Kathmandu, along with the home of the Living Goddess. Here we climbed to the top of a building, and sat on the roof terrace over looking the square below and the snow covered mountains in the background. Breathtaking! Apparently it is the only time of the year the mountains can be seen, as for the rest of the year the smog fills the skies, i feel lucky to have arrived at this time. The day ended in a very relaxed bar, lit only with candles due to it being loadshedding time, a perfect end to a great day.