Work continues

Although the Leave for Change is over, I am not finished working with my counterpart in Nepal. We're still working together on the websites which are now and will for sometime continue to develop and grow. The IDS Nepal site is http://www.idsnepal.org/ and BGRCNN is at http://www.bgrcnn.net/

BGRCNN is a new development and in it's infancy so content is still being created and added to the site. The bio-briquettes site is having it's content updated to include more of the year-round production information, and will be ready soon.

Some images are available online: http://www.flickr.com/photos/idsnepal/sets/ and here's a great video report from CNN: http://www.youtube.com/IDSNepal#p/c/70DDB94E7FD80CEC

Here's some snapshots of the sites:

It's over...but not forgotten

Ah, well...sorry. I've recently been informed that I've neglected my blog. And wow, have I ever. Here's why. My last week in Kathmandu was a whirlwind. I had a lot of work to do, lots to see and lots to buy. It was my last week to take advantage of my surroundings. After a couple of weeks I was finally becoming accustomed to my surroundings. I was getting lost less often, had developed a sense of direction somewhat, knew what I needed to get, how to get it and where to go. Yay! I met lots of great people who wanted to go out and we went all over the city, usually 4 to 5 places a night. I met and learned from many Nepalese people who were more than willing to share their thoughts, be honest and tell me all about things I will never fully understand as a badeshi. They expect that I will be back again...I wish I could be as confident.

I've learned a lot from the Nepalese in Kathmandu. Most importantly I learned that we have to listen, not act first. What are the NGO's doing for Nepal? What can westerners offer Nepal? In their eyes, we're not offering much and I sense a bit of frustration when they talk about it. Who's listening to Nepal? What do they really need from us? Money? Support? A voice? An audience? What?

I had a fantastic time in Kathmandu and wouldn't trade it for the world. It was an insanely fast 3 weeks and by rights, should have been 4 weeks with a 3 day break in the middle to travel around a bit. Did they need to send me half way around the world to build websites and do a workshop? Probably not but I'm glad they did. I know more about myself (traveling alone is a must folks, it's the only way to learn), I have been humbled and accepted criticism (never easy), I've dealt with challenges and succeeded. How could I possibly learn all that from a book? The impact is HUGE and trips like these do change who you are. Let me restate this important fact: you have to travel alone. It's not scary or intimidating...it's amazing to find out what you're made of, what your limits are and how you can change yourself.

I've added a wrap up video. And here's another recommended read - suggested by a Nepalese friend. I've been told it's better to read this book after having been to Nepal: Amma in America.

Tihar continues...

Another fun day of Tihar. Firecrackers everywhere, music, dancing, lights, people. The streets were packed last night for Tihar. The women dress up in beautiful clothes, everyone is happy and greeting each other with "Namaste, Happy Tihar". For the record, it's year 1130 for the Newari and 2066 for the Nepalese. I was in the bhat-bhetini market yesterday morning and was looking at buying some cheese. The expiry date said 2066 and I thought 'what the..." but now I get it.

We walked all over the place last night after a yummy Indian meal at the Third Eye in Thamel, tandoori chicken, palak paneer, veggies, naan, rice, cucumber raita. We wandered the streets from Thamel to New Road through the Andra Chowk. Every store paints a path to their store on the road and decorates it with flowers, candles and spices, to entice the goddess of wealth, Laxmi.

Packs of boys were running around everywhere lighting firecrackers. One pack threw a firecracker right at my feet - make the badeshi jump. They were funny -I took a photo of them. It was really noisy all night, the lights were beautiful. This is a very impressive festival. Go Nepal! I made a short video of the night, watch it here.

Tihar Begins!

Last night was the first of four festival days. Tihar starts with the worship of crows, then dogs, then cows, then brothers and sisters. It's Christmas and Halloween all rolled into one. There's Christmas lights everywhere. Last night I was standing under a huge strand of lights that was playing 'Rudolf the Red-Nose Reindeer'. Had a feast at Buzz with a great buffet of Dal Baat that included a rare treat here, deer. No, there is no coincidence between the deer and Rudolf...although that is funny.

I was sitting with a few folks, two from Kathmandu, Pikash owns Buzz, another (forget his name) owns a popular club downtown called the Funky Buddha and the third, Shirley is a Danish kids clothing store owner who's been traveling back and forth to Kathmandu for 3 years. All very nice folks. After the buffet the gambling started and they mean business here. It starts off with a board game like roulette and then it progresses to cards and then shells. They gamble a fortune here. Some were betting their houses, some were betting their wives. No Joke, seriously. I've been invited to Shirley's house on Sunday for more...you guessed it...gambling and food.

Tonight it's off to Thamel again and the Monkey Temple. Around 5ish we're heading down to New Road to see the big show of lights and decorations on the jewelery shops, I guess the shop owners spend a fortune decorating and competing with each other. A shop owner, Rajish, invited us down to celebrate. Rajish is a young guy who also runs a children's music camp. he takes kids from the orphanages and 5 street kids (he watches a number of the street kids for a few months before selecting 5) to a rural area to camp for a week, the kids learn how to play guitar, sing, do art, etc. If any of the street kids behave well and want more (most run away to go sniff glue, it's sad and I've seen it) he takes them to the orphanage to be cared for. Nice eh? I've been invited to go visit the camp but it starts on Wednesday and I have to present on Thursday morning so I can't make it. it's too far outside the city. Bummer. I'd like to go :-( (Three weeks is toooooooo short!)

Today is the day to worship the goddess of wealth so all the shops are open to worship, not to sell. I'll take loads of pictures and post them. I also had a great chat with an older man from Kathmandu, Rakesh, who talked about all sorts of things he's noticed and questions about the western world; he's traveled all over the world and has seen a lot but his heart is in Kathmandu. He is a landscape designer and runs a Kindergarten. The people you meet here...blows my mind. Many people here have traveled, despite poverty and the currency, they find a way to get out and see the world. They have no choice.

Later on we all went to a roof top to tell jokes (that's what they do here, sit around a tell jokes forever, lots of monkey, elephant and tiger jokes, some good, some very bad) Oh, and I saw Orion last night in the sky...reminded me of home.

I've added some video here.

Midway

Well, I''m halfway through the trip. I've got three websites built, a training session scheduled with all the CECI partners (there's tons of them) and a meeting today with the IDS owners. I've been working with a new employee at IDS, showing him the ropes and he's really keen. Turns out he's the owner's son....oh Nepal, that is so your way.

Good news, with some training he will try to manage the sites from here but I will continue to help him out. Bad news, they have had no luck tracking down the previous webmaster and he has the info to access the server. So, still no server. The sites look great on my computer but without a server, it's not going to do much good.

And there's more bad news. A strange rash broke out on my face yesterday morning and is still here today; an itchy, red, bumpy rash with white bumps preceded by fever, coughing, sneezing, the works. I have no idea what I caught but I don't like it. Ah well, it looks gross but I'll manage - hopefully will clear up before Tihar.

So, for Tihar, Friday night we're going down to Thamel them off to Durbar Square for to see the lights and stuff - will bring camera. And on the third day of the festival, been invited to Rajendra's house for the 'sisters' day when they put tikas on the brothers and eat a lot. The festival is four days which means the office is closed for four days...so much for getting work done.

Still, having a good time. You can't beat the food here, it's been around 30 degrees almost everyday, these folks love the night life and will do anything for you. What's a little rash?

Ugh, bummed...sniff, sniff

I have a cold, I'm working all the time. I haven't left the compound yet today. Well, that's not true I was out for an hour this morning. I'm working out of the CECI office because of the internet issue. It's much better here. Still, only a week and a half to do three websites and a training session...nutty. I can't believe I have a cold! It's about 30 degrees here. Just my luck. I'm bummed and tired. There's a crazy little dog that starts barking every morning at 6 AM and barks endlessly...then the rooster pipes in...followed by cars honking and what sounds like big iron doors being smashed together. I need sleep. What is with that dog and 6 AM?

Here's a weird thing, late last night I was walking back to the house with Tessa and there was a group of men in the Chowk around a campfire made of garbage, and there was a couple of dudes digging a massive hole. It was dark and they were digging a big hole in the intersection...creepy.

Still no updates on the pending revolution the Maoists said will begin after Tihar...which would make it Sunday or Monday.

Durbar Square, Thamel and New Road

Sitting in the dark (load sharing) after another good day. Started late after a long sleep, went for lunch with a few folks at OR2K and then off browsing through Thamel, New Road and Durbar Square. The place was packed! Saw a lot of cool stuff including the Kumari Nevi's house in Durbar Square. The Kumari Nevi is a living goddess, a young girl(as young as 4) who is chosen from the Newari caste and, until she has her period, is worshiped as a goddess. She's not allowed to touch the ground and only leaves her home 6 times a year (carried on a chariot). After she has her first period, she becomes an ordinary person and joins the real world again. I guess these girls, spoiled and worshiped until puberty, come out really messed up and cannot marry because they carry a curse. Still, their family is well taken care of and she gets a good dowry at retirement.

New Road is an area full of fabric shops, gold bangles, and everything you can imagine from buddha statues to knock off rolex watches. It's an insanely busy spot. Here's some shots of a holy cow, a Sadhu and the Kumari Bahal (her home in the square).








There's a novel written by a Kumari about her life that is probably worth reading: "From Goddess to Mortal" by Rashmilla Shakya. And of course, I've added new videos :-)

Clubbing in Kathmandu!

Another long and fun day. I walked to work for 10 AM (I'm loading a video of the walk to work) and stayed for 2 hours, met with el Nasser about the bio-briquette company. He's been working on a marketing plan this past year.

At 12 we came back to the CECI house for a farewell/welcome celebration for el Nasser, Tessa, Naomi and myself. We received a Nepali greeting and then we each had to stand on a chair, sing a song, dance and make a short speech. gulp. I sang 'Farewell to Nova Scotia' and did a sort-of highland dance...out of my comfort zone...woooo. Then we had a feast, yum.

Afterwards I walked back to work and finding myself still without internet, came back to the CECI office to use their wireless. I'm talking 10-15 kbps folks. It's not easy making websites at that speed :-(

Then in the evening we went out to go to Jazzmandu at this incredibly beautiful oasis in the middle of the city (see my videos), and CLUBBING! Yay! It's all true what they say. The clubs appear out of no where, down dark back alleys behind locked metal doors, up two flights of stairs. And...they're packed! I met a lot of really nice people from Kathmandu and surrounding areas. All of whom said to get out of Kathmandu to Pokhara if I had time. These folks seem to be pretty well off in Nepal, some owned hotels, restaurants, etc. And all very young - the future leaders of Nepal I was told. We went out with this really nice guy who seems to have a lot of pull in Kathmandu. Doors magically opened for him everywhere we went. He owns a really nice restaurant here called Buzz. Actually, it was the first place I went to when I arrived.

Long story short, got home at 2 AM and we were locked out of the CECI house so Naomi climbed over the gate (a tricky maneuver, high gate, spikes on the top, big heavy metal doors). Then, once she got over, the guard appeared from the back of the compound. Security at it's best! I slept until 12. Today, I'm off a wandering...

Long working day at IDS

Well, day one was a long day starting at 8:30 AM. I went in with Geetika from CECI and met Prabha Pokharel, Prakesh Koirala, Bimala Kharal and Prabesh Devkota. I'll be working mostly with Prabesh and Bimala for the next two weeks. I have a mandate of three websites and training sessions for ALL the CECI partners in Nepal. Yikes. It'll take a lot of work to do all of this. They asked for a training manual as well but...I really don't think it's possible...

The three sites are for IDS (Integrated Development Society Nepal), BGRCNN (Banaspati Gueetha Resource Centre Network Nepal) and Bio-Briquettes Company. IDS is an NGO committed to improving the quality of life of poor and underprivileged people in Nepal. BGRCNN is a network of producers and parties involved in bio-briquettes and the Bio-Briquettes Company is promoting and selling the product - a low cost alternative and sustainable energy source badly needed in rural areas. They take a destructive forest weed (Banmara), char it, mold it with clay and water and then burn it instead of burning wood or kerosene. it's cleaner, mitigates climate change, generates sustainable income in rural areas and supports gender equity through the involvement of women in the production and marketing of the briquettes. Win win all round.

I got lost today...like seriously lost. Every corner, house, path and wall looked the same. Well, there are no corners, there are no street names, no house numbers, and sometimes no lights. I was wandering around for a while trying to find something familiar. Fortunately, earlier in the day, I had noticed a narrow road that had white bricks on one wall and dark concrete on the other wall. I started singing 'ebony and ivory'. Well, I remembered that when I came across this "corner" again so I used it as my marker to find my way back. Genius! Lucky thing I'm so easily distracted...right? Tomorrow, I'll video the walk to IDS to show you that it's not easy getting around here - let alone dodge cars and motorcycles everywhere. If life isn't exciting, it's not worth living.

Oh yeah, I uploaded more videos here.

It's been raining all day. Didn't stop the sightseeing though! Went to some really cool and very old, old, old sights from the 10th, 12th and 16th centuries: Patan, Durbar Square, Bouddhanath stupa, the Golden Temple, the Royal Temple and Pashupatinath. Phew!

Bouddhanath is the Tibetan area of Kathmandu and it is the most amazing feeling when you go in there. It actually feels calming to be there. The scent of burning incense and the sound of the chants and spinning prayer wheels is enchanting. I took some videos. My guide explained a lot about Buddhist symbolism.

Pashupatinath was an experience. Less calming, kind of disturbing. It's the massive Hindu temple in Nepal. There were about 4 or 5 funerals going on while I was there and I took some video of the funerals. And there were monkeys and holy men. I was hounded by sellers and warned not to look the monkey's in the eye - apparently that pisses them off.

Durbar Square in Patan is very cool and really old, medieval actually. It is going back in time…the architecture…the narrow stone paths. A lot of these buildings were built well before they had access to concrete. They used a mixture of ghee, black lentils and dirt to build the structures, a mixture much stronger than concrete. Go figure, a little butter, lentils and dirt...who knew?

The Royal Palace in Durbar was built in the 12th century and is the home to massive slaughter celebrations. Thousands of animals have been slaughtered over the years. Last week about 100 buffalo were killed (heads cut off in one slice) in the palace courtyard. I have some video explaining the slaughter. It's a huge pool of blood. There were tons of blood-stains and hanging entrails when I was there today, gory remnants of the celebration.

Only one courtyard in the temple is open to the public. A few years back, all three courtyards were open to the public but an American film crew came in to film and apparently they stole a lot of the statues and stuff, so the other two courtyards were closed off. Nice eh?

Then off to Lazimpath (sp?) Street for a little shopping after a potato curry and flat bread lunch… yummmmm

Full day of learning

OK, jet lag is done. I can't sleep on the plane which may suck but fortunately, I don't suffer from jet lag (three cheers!). I woke up after a good sleep at 6:30 AM (thanks to a rooster) and still feel great now at 10 PM. And the ankle is no longer swollen (fine after a night of sleep). Moving on from the boring stuff...

I had orientation this morning and afternoon with Rajendra and Geetika. CECI first, etiquette and then Uniterra background. All very interesting. Rajendra, who's been with CECI for 20 years covered the history of CECI from the beginning. It's been quite a journey for them. Uniterra is a product of a merge (shared interests) between WUSC and CECI and it too has had quite an evolution. Their hedgehog concept (sustainable forestry, dairy, micro finance) has been firmly hammered out for the next five years. Uniterra I evolved from an international volunteer program servicing projects with 2 year term volunteers to a focused program with short, medium and long term volunteer placements. This new plan, Uniterra II, launched this Spring. This is a short and 'not worthy' synopsis of a lot of information and history but I'll stop here.

I walked around a bit mid-day, got a phone card, had lunch at 'Trendy" which is a nice restaurant...except for the big dead bug in my meal, many legs, laying on his back, dead (gross). Fortunately I had already eaten most of the plate of briyani and rice. Or maybe not so fortunate...the jury is out on that one.

Later on in the afternoon I went to Thamel with Naomi, Tessa and Moose (nickname obviously). We took a crazy cab ride (I still can't get over the driving) to Thamel and went for dinner at this cute hippie restaurant. The food was good, everyone was Badeshi (foreigner) and the seats were really low, sitting on cushions, black lights, candles, cute and mellow man. Then we wandered around the shops a bit and had a look at some things I want to pick up such as the mandalas and colourful hangy-thingies and nice artwork, and clothes... I can't believe you can get tailor made jeans (saw them myself and they're nice) for $7. Isn't that wild? Oh yeah, my meal was 180 rupees and the drink (mint lemonade that tasted like a mojito) was 80 rupees so all together 260 rupees which is $3.50. Love it! It's cheap to eat and the portions are big. However, cars and real estate are crazy expensive, at least 3 times the price of housing in Vancouver.

I've uploaded videos of Thamel and the OR2K restaurant here. I have to mention the smell of Thamel. Imagine some spices and incense wafting around, a warm sweet smelling air, and listen to the sounds of honking and music. Kind of dreamy really despite all the commotion.

Here at Last!

OK, Kathmandu is pretty amazing. Hectic, noisy, busy, jammed with buildings, people, cars, motorcycles, dogs, etc... This city is buzzing.

I arrived around 8:30, had a ONE HOUR line up for a VISA which was nuts. I was picked up at the Airport by Rajendra and Pushpa (CECI Admin). We drove to the CECI office/passage house and the driving is truly insane. There are no rules other than use your horn. Seriously.

I had a tour of the offices of CECI and Uniterra with Geetika and then went over to the Passage House to settle a bit. Then went to lunch at Buzz which is a really cool outdoor restaurant about a 10 minute walk away. Then had a power nap - totally exhausted. I woke up to a dark house, the load sharing of course - it lasted about 2 hours which is fine.

Tessa and Naomi came back later and we've been chatting since and geeking out on the now accessible internet. Check out the new videos I added to YouTube - click here

Rating of the Day: 8/10 because I am exhausted, hot and sweaty, wearing wrinkled clothes and unshowered dealing with strangely swollen ankles.

En Route!

Halifax to London to Doha…Doha…Doha…still in Doha. I have no idea what the time is in Halifax, nor London nor Kathmandu. I haven’t slept on the trip yet and it’s been 24+ hours. I’ve been at the Doha airport for about 4 hours now and am afraid to go to sleep in the ‘quiet room’ in case I snooze right through the boarding call.

I had a tight transfer to the Qatar Airlines flight in Heathrow, even though it was in the same terminal. The security check had a super long line. It’s such a superficial inspection station anyways; really, we all just got off planes where we had an inspection. Sigh.

Anyhow. In about two hours I’m off to Kathmandu…Yay! OK, here’s some notes about the airports. Heathrow is big which means a lot of walking. The Doha Airport is small, noisy, boring and the washrooms are disgusting…blah. However, I know there’s a new swanky airport opening in 2012, which should be awesome. The lengthy bus ride from the plane to the terminal, jammed with scrambling travelers, was a bit much…but that probably will change in 2012. Also, make note, cutesy Western chit chat and manners don’t garner much of a response here. Leave them at the gate.

A snapshot of home

How silly of me, I've posted images of Kathmandu but none of Halifax. Here are some photos of home, the downtown, the market, and the snow!

Some Facts

1. Time slows down a week before departure.
2. The time difference between Halifax, NS and Kathmandu is approximately -9 hours.
   
3. The distance between Halifax, NS and Kathmandu is 11, 397 km.
   
4. My flight from Halifax, NS to Kathmandu is 17.25 flying hours so with connections and all, it's a full day of travel. Doesn't seem that bad. I've taken flights from Halifax to Minneapolis that took all day...sigh.
   
5. Nepalese is not an easy language to learn...and it sounds so cool.
6. Nepal has very interesting customs.
   

Two Week Countdown

Tick-tock, tick-tock, time to start the countdown. Fingers are still crossed because it's all so unpredictable...knock on wood. In the meatime, while I wait and work on the lesson plans, it's a good time to learn some of the language. Could I find a Nepalese phrase book at the library? No. Am I going to buy one? No. So, of course, I headed to the ol' internet and came upon some good sites. I'm starting with this video tutorial and am writing out the phonetics. It's not scientific or accurate but it will get me started and comfortable with the sound of the language. There's no chance I'll be able to read any of it. Let's be realistic. So where do I start. At the beginning: Namaste. K chhaa? Teekai chha!

Getting ready to go again...fingers crossed.

Oh yeah! I'm starting the re-education process before leaving for Nepal early October: reading up on current affairs (always interesting), examining the language (with some trepidation), getting updates on my task while there (it's expanding...gulp).

So today I'll try to sort out my work plan. I've been given this mandate:

IDS Nepal is a non-profit, non-government, developmental organization established by professionals who have experiences in engineering, energy, environment, health, sanitation, skill development and social development field.

The main objective of IDS Nepal is to uplift the life of poor and underprivileged people by conceptualizing, formalizing and facilitating implementation of community managed development projects through their active participation in every step of the project cycle. IDS Nepal focuses on their capacity build up and their ownership of development process. Its’ major working area is on infrastructure engineering, alternative energy, environment, drinking water, health, sanitation and skill upgrading training in related field.

Uniterra and IDS Nepal have been working together for the past two years to promote Bio-Briquettes as alternative source of energy and livelihoods for the forest users. Through intervention of two Uniterra volunteers in the past, a BGRCNN (Bio Briquette Resource Centre Network) has been established that counts as members major Bio Briquette promoters of Nepal. Currently, there is a long term Uniterra volunteer who is working on marketing of Bio-Briquettes. At the same time, a Bio Briquette marketing company has been established in order to provide marketing support to the producers. IDS still plays a strong role in technical support and knowledge dissemination.

The purpose of this assignment is to revise the IDS, Bio Briquette Marketing Company and BGRCNN websites, propose appropriate change and interlink them so all of them can be used for the promotion of bio-briquettes nationally and internationally.

Since the skill for web design and update is in demand from most Uniterra partners, the volunteer will also be responsible for conducting training on web layout, design and update to the interested partner organizations including IDS.

And I've been told that October 17th-20th is the Festival of Tihar in Nepal so I will have to work around these public holidays.

BTW, here's a great Nepal travel guide online

Back on Track

All systems go! I've heard back from L4C and they're waiting for me in Kathmandu in October. I liked hearing that..."they're waiting for you". It makes me feel welcome. I've been hearing some concerns from other L4Cers who are currently overseas and feeling less-than-welcome. I thought, oh, please don't let that happen to me. It's reassuring.

I'm really looking forward to this and I hope I can give them what they want. For now, I'm too busy to worry about it; swamped at work organizing the Festival of Learning in August. Festivals, events, technology, design...I love my job.

A New Coordinator at L4C

Things look a bit uncertain for me at the moment. I saw my posting advertised online and thought it wise to drop the new coordinator a line. She got back to me and let me know that the program's changing a bit and my posting may or may not change...depending. I'm not worried, just a little curious about where I may go: Africa, Asia, who knows...

Roller Coaster Ride

Well, I received word from Uniterra that I am good to go for June 5th. Unfortunately this isn't going to work out - and I'm getting a little swamped at work. So it looks like I will have to wait until the Fall to go. Again a bit disappointing...missed it by 2 weeks...

On another note, I received some emails from the insurer which were kind of weird. They were asking about results from the medical test. I was told that a short term leave didn't require a medical examination and said so in an email to them. That seemed to be OK. The questions on the insurance application form were crazy though. They wanted to know all about my family, their ages and if they died, when and how. I'm not sure they're allowed to ask these questions. Be prepared for a weird form.

This is turning into a roller coaster ride and I'm cool with that. I'm pretty flexible but I can imagine how this might frustrate a lot of folks. If you have some disappointments, no worries. It makes the journey all the more intriguing, stay tuned...

SNAFU!

• Police Record Check - done
• Immunizations - done
• Passport - done

All systems go? Not quite. Due to political instability in Nepal I cannot leave for Kathmandu on Thursday as scheduled. Unfortunately I do not know when I will be able to go. Although this is dissapointing it is not totally unexpected. having read the political history of Nepal, political volatility is frequent. I've considered delaying the trip until the Fall becasue of an increasing workload at my work.

Hopefully I'll hear back from the Nepalese partners soon so I can make plans. At least everything else is done. No more needles...YAY!

To read up on the latest political news in Nepal, click here. I recommend keeping up on the latest news to be better prepared for the trip.

Vaccinations...sigh...

Rule of Thumb: Do your research first!

I was given a list of vaccinations for Nepal: typhoid, hepatitis A&B, Japanese encephalitis, malaria (in Terai).

Here's some advice:

• Start your shots a month ahead of time. You will need 21 days for the hepatitis A & B which is a series of three shots, 1, 7, 21 days. By the way, it's about $70 per shot. I won't have time for the 3rd shot before I leave but my Doctor recommends getting the third shot when I come back.
• I had all perscriptions filled at the pharmacy except for the Japanese encephalitis. The Typhoid shot had to be ordered, which only took a day. It's cheaper going to your doctor than a travel clinic. The doctor charges $10 for the injection.
• I'm not an expert but I would recommend thinking twice about getting the Japanese encephalitis, unless you will be in Nepal for more than a month. It's insanely expensive ($600) and the travel doctor thought it would be nuts..and it would have to be ordered in. I didn't get the shot. This is not something you can get through your regular doctor and pharmacy.
• Malaria is not 100% necessary but recommended if going to Terai. I hope to go to Terai so I got some pills. There are different pills you can buy. I splurged on the expensive Maleron that you take everyday. Super expensive ($5/pill) but less chance of going squirrely with hallucinations. Also found out that the Leave for Change program doesn't cover Maleron. Lesson learned, read the fine print.
• Check out this useful website for vaccination details: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationList.aspx#N

If anyone asks...and for some reason I was asked...about Typhoid Mary, tell them she was a cook in the early 1900's who infected a lot of people with Typhoid. She was a carrier and was in denial so did nothing to prevent spreading the disease: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoid_Mary

Training Day 2 - Guelph, ON, Canada

Day two was very informative. It was a lot of nuts and bolts about the program, and logistics. We were treated with visits from two past volunteers in the Leave for Change program. Lisbeth Sider (Vietnam, 2008) and Mike Levy (Botswana, 2008). They both contributed and clarified a lot, answering questions, providing insight and adding a sense of calm.

What an excited group. Everyone is jazzed to get going. Sure, there is a sense of fear of the unknown but that's to be expected. I can't imagine anyone walking into this program is 100% confident in themselves. Well, I hope not.

The mood now seems to be hunger...we want more, need more info, want to do more... our tasebuds have been wetted. It reminds me of the story about a tiger who was raised by goats.

Happening upon an orphaned tiger cub, a herd of goats adopted the cub into their herd and the cub grew up thinking he too was a goat. The cub ate like a goat, bleated like a goat and travelled with the goats. one day an old tiger came upon the herd and killed a goat; the other goats ran away but the young tiger did not sense danger and stayed. The old tiger was shocked to encounter the strange young tiger that behaved like a goat.

The old tiger approached the young tiger and dragged him to a creek to see his refection, but the young tiger was unimpressed with his own reflection. Frustrated, the old tiger dragged the young tiger back to where he had just killed the goat and forced a piece of meat into the young tigers' mouth - horrified, the young tiger spit it out. But, the old tiger made the young tiger eat the meat again and made him swallow. This time, the young tiger allowed himself to taste the meat and for the first time, gave out a powerful roar!

It is called the 'Roar of Awakening' in the discovery that we are more than we think we are. I think we're about to taste a bit of meat...

Here are some video snippits from the day to chew on:

• What is expected of me? Lisbeth Sider (Vietnam, 2008)
• Dialogue on Capacity Building Mike Levy (Botswana, 2008)
• How to make a difference Lisbeth Sider (Vietnam, 2008)
• Good Intentions Philippe Leduc and the 2009 Volunteer group in Guelph, ON

Training Day 1 - Guelph, ON, Canada

This is it. The start of it all. Today was the first day of training. 10 people came from NSCC, the University of Guelph and Deloitte & Touche, all heading to different destinations, Botswana, Malawi, Vietnam and Nepal. Sue, from University of Guelph, is also going to Khatmandu to do some work with a microfinance company. I'm going to work with IDS.

The first part of the day was intercultural training, learning how to appreciate differences, how to recognize the impact of deep-seated values and thinking and behaviour, and how to bridge the culture gap. The second part was a chance to sit down with someone, in my case, from Nepal for a couple of hours to learn about what to expect, what to do, say, where to go, what not to do, and a few basic language tips. It was great. Ajoy Bista was knowledeable (of course), friendly, organized and very helpful. The interesting thing was, after talking with Ajoy, this whole exeprience became real for me. Click here for a video of the discussion with Ajoy.

I do feel more prepared now which is great. The training has opened my eyes to a number of things:

• the cultural values that affect my thinking
• appreciating the behaviour and thought patterns of others with values different to my own, and learning to accept and learn from the differences
• this trip is not just about helping others, it's also about learning more about myself. This is an opportunity to grow as a person.

Check out this video of Kelly Eastlake discussing competencies on cultural effectiveness.

At this point, I'm still green. I've had experiences in the Middle East and Mexico which are valuable but I've not taken the time to reflect on those experiences while they were fresh in my mind. I'm not making that mistake again.

Tomorrow: intro to international development and capacity building, gender and development, scenarios, public engagement plan.