Nepal…

...is 12 hours and 45 minutes ahead of PST and 9 hours and 45 minutes ahead of EST.

Honouring Fridays: January 1st, 2010

Welcome to a New Year!  Last night was my farewell party with my organization.  I spent the evening surrounded by many of the people who have filled my working time in Nepal and felt so honoured and celebrated.  The evening reminded me that so much of our work here is built on relationships.  That the [...]

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

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 [...]

Honouring Fridays: December 18th, 2009

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 [...]

The month that democracy forgot

The month of December is shaping up to be a hectic month for bhandas. The political situation is tense with a recent outbreak of small violence in some of the far western regions of Nepal. Accusations are flying about who is responsible for the death of a group of landless individuals who [...]

Honouring Fridays: December 11th, 2009

I am the least patient person in the world…or at least in this room at the moment.  I hate waiting and I catch myself, in moments where my patience has worn thin from waiting, trying to come up with good reasons why waiting is worth it.  Because good things can come from waiting.  Waiting for [...]

Honouring Fridays: December 4th, 2009

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 [...]

Honouring Fridays: November 27th, 2009

The week is almost through and the relief and excitement about some serious relaxing and downtime is starting to creep into the mind.  It was an 8 day work week with events, interviews, and meetings to fill the time.  Somehow, the pace has reminded me of what work life must be like back home and [...]

Taken for a ride

So I have a story. In fact, this story took place almost a year ago, but I had almost forgotten about it until last weekend when it jumped back to mind. My story goes something like this.
Enter a blonde Canadian woman looking moderately overwhelmed but determined. She approaches a busy intersection to try and flag [...]

Honouring Fridays: November 13th, 2009

Today is our 1-year anniversary of arriving in Nepal!  I can easily recall the feelings of excitement, nervousness, and uncertainty that rumbled through me. I remember it being colder than I expected and that the sights, colours, smells, and sounds were overwhelming.  I noticed the other day while riding a small [...]

Honouring Fridays: September 11th, 2009

Well folks, this is the beginning of the end.  The beginning of my vacation (well, almost) and the end of working like a maniac…for a whole 4 weeks! We look forward to greeting my parents at the airport on Tuesday night and embarking on a trip to Pokhara, a short mountain trek, a bunch of [...]