Category Archives: Getting ready to go

Goodbye Nepal

1 Reply

It is the morning of our departure from Nepal. The last two weeks have been filled with many goodbyes. It has not been the slow and reflective farewell that I hoped for but rather an event of endurance as we race from one thing to the next. It was a goodbye that lasted almost 2 weeks and has left us exhausted but very grateful.

There are still many things we did not see and places we did not visit. But instead we have collected a wonderful group of friends who we have promised to visit again in the future. I feel happy that we invested time in relationships rather than tourist attractions. The people will be very much missed but have captured a very large part of our hearts.

So, as we bid farewell to Nepal to spend the next 6 months travelling, I feel ready. Ready for adventure, ready for a new beginning, and ready for the flood of emotions and memories that will live with me as I remember Nepal.

And while I will continue my reflections here over the next 6 months of travel I would also like to bid a very fond farewell to my Honouring Fridays posts. For a year of Fridays I took the time to reflect on things I was grateful for and it helped me transition in my new culture and share what I was seeing with people I was far away from. I have learned that a life inspired is truly a life lived with gratitude.

With lots of love,

Tlell

Honouring Monday (because Friday got the best of me): December 28th, 2009

Leave a Reply

Merry Belated Christmas!  This is a late blog post in lieu of one that was half finished for last Friday, Christmas Day, when I just simply ran out of steam for writing.  It was a combination of packing for our big move on Boxing Day and the preparations for a pseudo-Christmas dinner that ran into some problems (the biggest being that the chicken we bought was rotten, but we didn’t realize it until it was half cooked which then sent R on a run to the local Tandoori shop that I actually think was way tastier anyway) that has resulted in a Monday post instead if a Friday one (as if you even noticed anyway!).  We have finally settled into our new house and, despite the fact that it is about 10 degrees colder than our previous top floor apartment, we are enjoying it.  The lovely dog, Kiva, makes it feel a lot like an actual home (as does the real couch and chairs, dining room table, and luxurious bed with a feather duvet!).  So, it is a nice way to transition out of Nepal – a little bit of luxury – before we find ourselves homeless vagabonds for 6 more months.

  • Warmth.  There is nothing we take more for granted at home then clean water and warmth.  While we have found ways to secure clean water here it is the quest for true warmth still eludes us slightly. First, and this takes some time before it clicks in, is that it is always warmer outside.  The concrete buildings and lack of a heating system combine to make indoors frigid while the outdoors are sun basking and lovely.  Inside we often wear toques, fleece jackets and double layers of wool socks inside slippers.  And if computing anything some sort of gloves or arm warmers are a must for the chilly exposed arm and finger skin.  Top all that off with a blanket for any moment when we are sitting still and a cup of tea is always on the ready.  The closest comparison I can make is that it is a bit like camping in December, but only when inside.    And there is always a slight feeling of chill despite the layers most often caused by any bare skin that comes in contact with the air or by any shifting one makes while in their warm cocoon that means a new spot needs to be warmed.  All I can do is dream of Hawaii and the Philippines and know that in 19 days I will feel warm again.
  • Inverters (aka uninterruptible power supplies). The loadshedding schedule is set to increase to about 6 hours per day (3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the evening).  And usually, we adapt by lighting candles, reading for a short while, and then going to bed exceptionally early.  But our new house has an inverter – a battery that stores electricty from solar panels on the roof which can then power a CFL bulb in each room, the TV, and a laptop.  And let me tell you, it certainly doesn’t take long to become accustomed to this – I have all but forgotten about candles and early to bed evenings in the span of 2 days!  I will look forward to the days when we don’t need to worry about whether we have power in order to shower, check email, or cook dinner.  But until then, we will revel in the joys of our temporary inverter.
  • Being spoiled.  So, we maybe wouldn’t choose to live this way, but given that it is part of the housesitting gig, we are left to just sit back and enjoy it 🙂  Despite the fact that we are meant to look after the dog and house the following arrangements were made by the folks who live here and will continue while we stay:  1) A regular cleaning lady who comes 2 days a week to do laundry, dishes, and general cleaning; 2) A gardener who looks after the property, yard and plants; 3) A dog-walker who walks the dog on weekends, 4) A dog mover who takes the dog to doggie daycare Monday-Friday, and finally 5) Doggie daycare who look after the dog on weekdays from 9-5ish.  So, what are we left to do?  Basically, sit back and enjoy it because this will likely be the only time in my life when I have these perks!
  • Broccoli.  The proliferation of broccoli this season is suprising.  However, when one considers where it is being sold, it actually graphs in direct relationship to the density of foreigners.  It is not a vegetable that Nepalis eat but is being grown for the foreign palate.  So, shops in areas where we live are selling the leafy green bundles.  It is an nice change from the cauliflower which is a staple in our diet and provides some added colour and nutrients to a regular meal of rice and curried paneer.  I have also taken to chopping the bunches up into giant spears (trees instead of the small shrubs) and tossing it with a oil/dijon/soy/honey/vinegar/red onion dressing before a quick toaster oven roast, which makes the spears all toasted and caramely.  Can you say delicious?  Unfortunately, I can’t because my mouth is full of broccoli 🙂

Honouring Fridays: December 18th, 2009

2 Replies

It’s official. I am starting to feel nostalgic about leaving. I am seeing through rose coloured glasses again and remembering all the things that I love about living here. I know that I will come back again but it won’t be the same – I will be a visitor in a city that I once called home. And it is incredible how all the things that can be draining and frustrating about a place – the traffic madness, the inefficiency, the constant tea drinking – suddenly become endearing. I had a moment this week standing on the roof of our house looking out over the city and thinking how wonderful Nepal really is which I think means Nepal has officially gotten under my skin. So, while I am ready to move on, these last few weeks will be difficult. It will be a feast for the senses as I try desperately to remember the sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and feelings of this place. And, apparently, this week’s gratitude is brought to you by the letter “P” (unPlanned but precisely perfect pre-departure pondering).

  • Pomegranates. The season of really really good pomegranates has FINALLY arrived. They are bigger than a softball and full of hundreds of tartly sweet and juicy little seeds.  Here they are available in regular red colour but also in the interesting yellow colour too! They both taste the same but the yellow ones are admittedly easier to eat as the juice doesn’t stain everything it lands on. I plan to enjoy a few pomegranates over the upcoming weeks. First, the seeds over yogurt that is full of dried fruit and nuts, topped with some toasted oats…like a granola but deconstructed. Second, in a couscous of some form. Yay for pomegranates!
  • Packing. On December 26th, we will carefully pack up our belongings and close the door on our cozy little apartment. Two weeks will be spent house-sitting for a friend and for the final week we will hunker down in the same guest house where we stayed when we first arrived 14 months ago. So, the house has been turned upside down as we sort through things and decide what to pack. I have always enjoyed packing – the trimming of “stuff”, the shrinking of possessions into discrete and neat boxes, the downsizing of life. This time, we are packing to fit into 2 bags, plus one carry-on bag, each. Basically, a life that we can carry on our backs (or send home with gracious friends and family from our first two stops in Hawaii and the Philippines). I look forward to the seeing a life that is bundled into a few bags – that sense of freedom that comes when one is no longer tied down by a home and furniture. That feeling will wear off, eventually, but for now, I am grateful for all the packing.
  • Poinsettias. Like the red saris worn during weddings by many Nepali women, to me the red poinsettia is a symbol of Nepal.  They grow as large as trees here and adorn just about every house in Kathmandu.  In most months of the year they are simply green shrubs but when the weather changes and the cold sinks into the Valley the poinsettias pop with colour.  Below is a picture of a lovely bush I photographed at Godavari Village Resort during a workshop a couple weeks ago.  Hard to believe that these tree-like plants are, back home, only table ornaments for a few weeks in December.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
  • Principles. I know I have always had principles, in some form or another.  But it has become clearer to me lately that my principles have become clearer since being in Nepal.  There are some interesting conversations going around  my office these days about money – how to save it and how to spend it.  We have made a set of agreements with our donor on both of these issues.  To my colleagues this is seen as a flexible agreement – something that can be bent, twisted, or perhaps even sneakily avoided.  I disagree.  Strongly.  And with conviction.  I understand the desire to try and save money for the future (particularly when the future is out of your control and in the hands of those donors).  However, I don’t think it is wise (or even legal!) to try and squirrel away unspent funds by faking bills and twisting the truth.  So, my principles, have me wading out into unfamiliar territory – not so much defending them as needing to convince others that they are valid.  But I guess the gratitude comes when I realize that without my principles I would have little to keep me afloat in the argument.  In the end they will do as they wish and I will still have my principles.

Honouring Fridays: December 4th, 2009

1 Reply

I am beginning to disconnect – with just over 1 month left in Nepal I am sensing an urgent need to be unimportant in the cogs of everyday work. I actually think this has helped to illuminate a couple of key flaws in how I have worked here – I have made myself too central and did not do enough to develop skills in others. I was focused too much on the goal rather than the process. And despite all the advice I was given at the beginning about seeing the process as THE work we should invest in, I made the cardinal and perhaps rookie mistake of doing too much. I now need to spend my final month transferring, as best I can, everything I have learned, to make sure that knowledge stays here in Nepal and doesn’t hop the plane back to Canada with me.  So, in addition to my weekly pauses of gratitude below, I am also grateful that this last month will be slower, easier, and more focused than my previous 13 months…the wisdom of experience has settled in to see me off in good form 🙂

  • The last pages in my day planner. Each page that I flip in the final month of my day planner represents the end of the year – and it was quite the year! I was flipping back through my planner and marveling at the breadcrumbs I left alluding to what I have spent my time doing over the past year. The notes, scribbles, doodles, underlines, and motley assortment of work related meetings…it is like a ticket stub to a concert…and as the band takes the stage for the final encore number the crowd begins to sway and chant the lyrics to the ballad that made them famous in the first place. December will be my encore…the blog will continue but the album will be different.

  • Gingerbread. Thank you Epicurious! I have never loved gingerbread cookies all that much, likely due to the dry and crumbly texture, the gobs of white crusty icing, and fake gingery taste that hangs in my mouth. The majority of gingerbread cookies I have eaten have been store-bought which perhaps explains the poor quality and lack lustre feeling they leave me with. But, as I continue to mark my weeks with small Christmas traditions from home, I decided to tackle gingerbread cookies. This recipe is excellent! Rather than cut them out I opted for small, flattened rounds, rolled in sugar, and baked to a golden brown. They ended up a bit more like a soft, chewy gingersnap which has absolutely cured my distaste for dry and crumbly gingerbread. If you haven’t started your Christmas baking I highly recommend this recipe.

  • Getting crafty. It was Thursday night and I was in desperate need of some wrapping paper.  I didn’t have the patience or energy to head out and scrounge for some in the local shops.  So instead, I scrounged the house.  Paper bag.  Check.  Paper bag with handles that unravel into raffia like ribbon.  Check.  Cabbage stem.  Check.  Cauliflower stem check.  Laundry blue that keeps my whites looking white.  Check.  Sharp knife. Check.  I was ready to go.  The paper bag transformed into the canvas and with some careful slicing the vegetable stems turned into a star and christmas tree stamp (why waste a good potato for a stamp when the stems of my Brassicaceae will do just fine!).  The laundry blue was a great substitute for paint and turned a lovely and shimmery purple on the brown paper.  A quick chop, dip, stamp and the paper was done.  Gift was wrapped and tied up with a lovely paper bag raffia ribbon!  The lesson folks – make it work with whatever junk you’ve got – it is way more fun that way 🙂

  • My new sari! I posted a photo on facebook earlier this week but thought I would share a different one here.  In addition to the tradition kurtaa surwal that many women in Nepal wear, the fancier or perhaps more modern option is the sari. And I felt that I probably shouldn’t leave Nepal without buying one. After stewing over colours and decorations (the bright, sparkly, beaded, embroidered, and heavily encrusted ones just didn’t do it for me) I settled on a turquoise number with dark blue and gold border. After struggling alone while watching this video online I gave up and tossed the sari into a bag – this was going to require some assistance from a regular sari wearer! So, while away for an overnight workshop last weekend my friend Sujata helped. It took me at least 8 attempts to wrap myself without Sujata’s help, but I think I have finally got the basics of it – I won’t dare say I have mastered it…it will likely take another 8 attempts the next time I wear it. It is surprisingly comfortable, feels a bit fancy, and except for the stomach baring portion (dear colleagues, I apologize that you all had to see my stomach during our meeting, but I can tell that it probably bothered me more than it bothered you…actually I think most of you didn’t even notice…pheww!), it is actually quite discrete.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Hotel? No, Yotel!

1 Reply

We have arrived safely in Qatar via London and made the quick trip between Heathrow terminals to land ourselves in the Yotel – we had 5 hours of complete bliss: a nap on a cozy bed, a shower, wireless internet, and some TV entertainment 🙂  The catch – it all fits in a small, teeny, tiny room about 8’x8′ in size.

Pictures to follow once we have a more dependable internet connection 🙂  One final leg of flying to go – we have clocked 15 hours in flight so far and are looking forward to the final 4 hours – the view of Everest will make it all worthwhile I think 🙂

Unsettled…

2 Replies

I have always loved the feelings of home – home is comfort, happiness, warmth, safety, and familiarity.  But now, home is where exactly?  It was here, held in between windows and walls and filled with smells and sounds and feelings.  But now it is empty, full of echos.  I dearly hope that amidst the clamour and vibrancy of Kathmandu I will discover a new home, that is equally filled with smells, sounds and feelings – different, new and extraordinary yes, but still home.  For now, comfort gathers around this, my home”page”.

To much stuff

2 Replies

…ziploc bags full of medicines…hiking boots…small compact photo albums…USB keys full of files…gortex…fleece…jackets for the rainy season, the dry season, the heat, the cold, the dust, the altitude…compact versions of everything possible…UK pounds and US dollars…camera…airplane snacks…toothbrush…passport…

Travel should be simpler.  It will be a cruel irony when we get there and discover that everything is on our doorstep in Nepal.  The curse of the traveller truly is believing that everything one has in their current life is both necessary and only readily available here…my excuse…moving is a different story.

Sanskrit

2 Replies

I am learning Nepali.  It is hard.  Very hard.  It is a Sanskrit-based language with very curly script characters and a very lilting quality to the sound.  But this beauty doesn’t change the fact that it is hard.  As I struggle to make my basic sounds (we will have language training when we get there but we need to have a basic understanding before we arrive) I need to remain positive.  One of my good friends shared with me a lovely Sanskrit prayer that deserves to be shared…

Loka samastha sukhino bhavanthu or ???? ?????? ?????? ?????

It translates to “may all beings be happy and free”…I think this will be my new language learning mantra…