a life inspired

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 [...]

Call me crazy, but I think I feel a chill in the air.  The temperature dipped below 20 degrees and as we scrambled to get the blankets back on the bed I realized just how much my internal thermometer has shifted.  Since when did 20 degrees become cold?  And how much will I shiver when [...]

Last night I awoke to the most spectacular rainstorm we have had yet.  It sounded like rivers streaming from the sky and drowned out any other sounds.  I laid still for about half and hour and just listened to the sound, carefully looking for a change in pace, water volume, or drop intensity.  Straining to [...]

I hear it is hot in Vancouver. Hotter than what would be considered usual for this time of year. And while I can sympathize with those West Coasters who are just not genetically engineered for this heat (and I feel absolutely terrible about the forest fires that are raging…they were actually featured in [...]

I have spent the whole day today in a incredibly interesting consultation forum on the drafting of a new youth policy in Nepal.  Youth from all regions of the country were invited to review the draft policy and provide feedback, suggestions, and critques about how their voices were reflected in the policy.  Youth from many [...]

It has been a pretty quiet month for news in Nepal actually – no major headlines but lots of great small ones that are interesting to me, so I will share.

The Maoist government is having their annual convention this week, full of many many closed-door meetings.  The political party system here is incredibly complex, with [...]

Last night marked our first interaction with the VSO Nepal staff and current VSO Nepal volunteers.  We visited their offices in Patan (just across the Bagmati river from Kathmandu) and celebrated a with a bonfire and delicious meal, complete with music and dancing.  It was spirited, lively, and utterly welcoming.  Despit a lingering head cold, [...]