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 [...]

Happy Halloween! Nepal is not quite into the spooky, creepy crawly, bewitchiness that is Halloween.  However, that won’t stop us.  Tonight we are off to a Halloween party complete with pumpkin carving thanks to our dear Canadian friend Michelle. Costumes are hard to find so instead we opted for masks. Brilliantly feathered carnivale [...]

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 [...]

After all that waiting for monsoon rains, they have fully arrived along with streets turned into rivers, mud up to your ankles (and who knows what else might be mixed into that mud…just keep walking and don’t think about it!), and umbrellas an absolute must-have item in your bag.  But for me, it feels so [...]

The monsoon is a week late.  The temperature has soared into the high 30’s and can only be set to rest with the advance of the monsoon.  Apparently it is predictable – every year there is a date that all Nepali’s anticipate when the monsoon rains rush in and quench the thirst of farmers who [...]

The loose refuse twinkles with dewy drops – sparkly garbage ornaments decorate every alley.
Everyone is lazy, slowly moving, barking less, smiling more.  They look scrubbed and fresh too as though they spent the night under a downspout.
The air, fresh and suffused with richness, shook clean of dust, odor, and heat. The breeze plays it cool.
Filaments [...]

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 [...]