Strike day!! AGAIN!!! This is getting frustrating as our field placements are also on strike. The children at the Day Centre are finally use to our western looks and are much happier around us. It's been a great experience thus far and I hope we get to see more of them next week. There were 8 children in attendance yesterday which has been the most we've seen in one day!!! We missed the Day Centre with the babus today which means that we have four days left with the children... this is hoping that there aren't anymore strikes in Kathmandu...
My sister has asked me to define dance competition from my last blog...well the dance competition turned into a talk-a-thon in nepali where you speak as long as you can and have some dancing in between... We were there for 3 hours and saw 3 dances and one comedy act in nepali...."The dance competition" was actually not a competition, just random traditional dances in between speeches... it felt like I was at church, i had no idea what they were saying and I was getting tired fast. It was a warm, warm day too. One interesting point of that day was that the WORLD'S SMALLEST PERSON was in attendance. He's from Nepal and apparantly has a TV show every friday night at 9PM here in Nepal. He was passed around and also did a knife dance which was very impressive. People ran towards the stage an took his picture.
So, today the Maoists are one strike and from what I hear it's because they have been asked to forfeit their weapons. This is something that has been refused and so the STRIKE IS ON. I have been informed that this morning there have been 4 buses that have been destroyed in protest to keeping vehicles off the street. The constitution is suppose to be written tomorrow so I hope Saturday is still a weekend for everyone and that there isn't a strike again. (weekdays in nepal run Sunday-Friday and Saturday is the weekend).
In other news, ITS ALL FOR NEPAL donation will be given to the Himalayan Helpless Child Academy and Action Autonomy Nepal. This is after a long and thought out decision. this was not easy as many people in the community are in need. The monies will be donated to the school, (educational supplies are the focus) and the rest will be donated to a youth for his/her education from A.A.N. This includes their tuition, uniform, accomodations and food. After meeting the children and youth, visiting their schools, living in their community, visiting their homes and speaking with Cecile and Man who are very involved with AAN, this is the right decision. I am VERY HAPPY to say that this effort is thanks for everyone from Victoria and Delta, BC who supported IT'S ALL FOR NEPAL.
Thank you and Namascar
Friday, May 27, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Holiday- Lord Buddhas Birthday!
Hello and hello,
today is Buddhas birthday so we have a day off from my practicum site.
yesterday we got back from Nargakot where we visited Gocool's village (our guide) it was something that National georgrpahic as my friend Sarah said. It wasa two hour hike (short cut) down the mountain and then we had a truck get us back up (45 minutes going 10km). the truck bed was unconfortable and we were all covered in rust at the end of it. needless to say we were happy for the ride because it had to have been over 40 degrees. i have a neck burn to prove it.. a few of us have some weird burns and we all applied 50spf or more!
we heard it was raining in vancouver/victoria.... its scorching over here.
in Nargakot we watched the sunrise at 5am and did a happy dance once the sun was a blazing!! it was beautiful. watching the birth of a new day was simply amazing. it was hard to go back to sleep after that.
On our way home around 6ish pm we saw sundown in the van driving us home. it was a full day and one that was lived to its absolute potential which Nepal seems to do for all of us... Nepal stimulates me so much. I'm mentally satisfied in Nepal, i'll have to challenge myself back at home.
instruments here arent as popular as tey are at home... guitar is very popular and so is Bryan adams!!! I enjoy this one internet place in our home area because they play guitar throughout the night until 9pm when its time for them to close...
today we are heading to a dance competition and its another hot hot day. The dance competition will help us make up for lost praciticum hours because today is a holiday... interesting I know but the children are always so excited to see their teachers its truly worth every minute. the interaction that i watch my class mates have with their students are great. They make everyone happy that they encounter and everyone is happy to spend some time talking and sharing a smile. its a great environment and something i'm happy i'm a part of.
Off to the SEB dance competition now... this morning we accidentally arrived at 10am and were at the wrong party palace where its being held... then when we found the right one we found out that it started at 12pm... anyways gives me time to write for you!! the children love singing and dancing so i'm sure everyone will have so much energy.
Another full day :)
today is Buddhas birthday so we have a day off from my practicum site.
yesterday we got back from Nargakot where we visited Gocool's village (our guide) it was something that National georgrpahic as my friend Sarah said. It wasa two hour hike (short cut) down the mountain and then we had a truck get us back up (45 minutes going 10km). the truck bed was unconfortable and we were all covered in rust at the end of it. needless to say we were happy for the ride because it had to have been over 40 degrees. i have a neck burn to prove it.. a few of us have some weird burns and we all applied 50spf or more!
we heard it was raining in vancouver/victoria.... its scorching over here.
in Nargakot we watched the sunrise at 5am and did a happy dance once the sun was a blazing!! it was beautiful. watching the birth of a new day was simply amazing. it was hard to go back to sleep after that.
On our way home around 6ish pm we saw sundown in the van driving us home. it was a full day and one that was lived to its absolute potential which Nepal seems to do for all of us... Nepal stimulates me so much. I'm mentally satisfied in Nepal, i'll have to challenge myself back at home.
instruments here arent as popular as tey are at home... guitar is very popular and so is Bryan adams!!! I enjoy this one internet place in our home area because they play guitar throughout the night until 9pm when its time for them to close...
today we are heading to a dance competition and its another hot hot day. The dance competition will help us make up for lost praciticum hours because today is a holiday... interesting I know but the children are always so excited to see their teachers its truly worth every minute. the interaction that i watch my class mates have with their students are great. They make everyone happy that they encounter and everyone is happy to spend some time talking and sharing a smile. its a great environment and something i'm happy i'm a part of.
Off to the SEB dance competition now... this morning we accidentally arrived at 10am and were at the wrong party palace where its being held... then when we found the right one we found out that it started at 12pm... anyways gives me time to write for you!! the children love singing and dancing so i'm sure everyone will have so much energy.
Another full day :)
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Nepali Time
Hello, how are you? I am good. Today was great.
Caroline and I have purchased some cleaning supplies for the day centre. We also have purchased two toys- one is a stacking toy, rainbow rings that stack on top of one another... the other toy was large lego that have faces on them! they also connect like a train so the children will surely enjoy those... this is given that they have had breakfast and aren't hungry... we have some children who don't get much food and therefore have a hard time focusing.. it was hard to unerstand at first but now I see that the lack of attention and energy is because of food. It's hard to supply food because we may have the entire neighbourhood bringing their children so Caroline and I are cleaning the place up and supply few materials. We have heard that the outside may get a brick wall soon( the children cannot play outside due to a cliff with garbage and rocks at the bottom). The children are very quick and very smart. They can say their ABCs and talk some english when we ask them to repeat phrases. They are already waving good bye and hello. also namaste of course :) It's great that they are recognizing us weird canadians because at first it was a lot of wide eyed stares.
Tomorrow is a cleaning day before the children arrive at 10am although some are there before 10... The teacher arrives at 10 so it may be a challenge but something that is possible. anything really is with the help of basic resources, materials and community support...
As for the fundraiser money there are many options ... many many options. I'm hoping to make a decision soon but there is so much to consider. It is a gift that will go a LONG way here in Nepal. Something that wouldn't be as long term or as sufficient in Canada. I'm very thankful for all the sponsors who contributed to IT'S ALL FOR NEPAL. Your contribution is going to make a huge difference and i'm happy to have tea with those who would like to hear more about it once I get home. It's amazing how far a dollar can go. It will benefit children in need and it's very important that this money goes towards my initial concern which is their education. Some money will be for the Himalayan Helpless child academy which my friends are teaching at daily. The children love making them talk about Canada :)
Thank you for reading.
Caroline and I have purchased some cleaning supplies for the day centre. We also have purchased two toys- one is a stacking toy, rainbow rings that stack on top of one another... the other toy was large lego that have faces on them! they also connect like a train so the children will surely enjoy those... this is given that they have had breakfast and aren't hungry... we have some children who don't get much food and therefore have a hard time focusing.. it was hard to unerstand at first but now I see that the lack of attention and energy is because of food. It's hard to supply food because we may have the entire neighbourhood bringing their children so Caroline and I are cleaning the place up and supply few materials. We have heard that the outside may get a brick wall soon( the children cannot play outside due to a cliff with garbage and rocks at the bottom). The children are very quick and very smart. They can say their ABCs and talk some english when we ask them to repeat phrases. They are already waving good bye and hello. also namaste of course :) It's great that they are recognizing us weird canadians because at first it was a lot of wide eyed stares.
Tomorrow is a cleaning day before the children arrive at 10am although some are there before 10... The teacher arrives at 10 so it may be a challenge but something that is possible. anything really is with the help of basic resources, materials and community support...
As for the fundraiser money there are many options ... many many options. I'm hoping to make a decision soon but there is so much to consider. It is a gift that will go a LONG way here in Nepal. Something that wouldn't be as long term or as sufficient in Canada. I'm very thankful for all the sponsors who contributed to IT'S ALL FOR NEPAL. Your contribution is going to make a huge difference and i'm happy to have tea with those who would like to hear more about it once I get home. It's amazing how far a dollar can go. It will benefit children in need and it's very important that this money goes towards my initial concern which is their education. Some money will be for the Himalayan Helpless child academy which my friends are teaching at daily. The children love making them talk about Canada :)
Thank you for reading.
Monday, May 9, 2011
day 8 in kathmandu
Hello! I am back and the internet lace thankfully has power. I'm learning a lot very quickly and thankfully have the help of my classmates to keep my mind preoccupied. I'm reading Little Princes which is a book based in Nepal and is an interesting book, cant seem to put it down. i highly suggest it if you're curious about some of the issues in Nepal.
I'm fascinated with Nepal and wish time would slow down. Everything is happening rather quickly and Caroline (my partner at my practicum site) and I have been very welcomed into the community. We had lemon tea today with the head of police wife...there were 5 soldiers dressed in blue and in a truck outside their house so it was un nerving walking into the home....we did anyway because we knew the wife from the day centre. very nice. she welcomed us for tea anytime.
We are enjoying the community and I have gotten a hang of the routes around our town. almost got lost but found my way.... thankfully...
actually this afternoon caroline and i had an appointment at 1pm and started walking at 1240pm... we got to the house at 145pm... we saw a friend from the day centre who took us to her home because she ran out of cell minutes so we had to use her land line. it was lucky we met her today or else we would be walking around kathmandu like a bunch of tourists....
Tonight we have dinner with the principle of Kadambari College and Ceceil from Action autonomy nepal. like i said... days go by very quickly and we have met many people which is nice... Cant wait to read my book tonight.
adios (for some reason i keep thinking spanish!) anyways...
I'm fascinated with Nepal and wish time would slow down. Everything is happening rather quickly and Caroline (my partner at my practicum site) and I have been very welcomed into the community. We had lemon tea today with the head of police wife...there were 5 soldiers dressed in blue and in a truck outside their house so it was un nerving walking into the home....we did anyway because we knew the wife from the day centre. very nice. she welcomed us for tea anytime.
We are enjoying the community and I have gotten a hang of the routes around our town. almost got lost but found my way.... thankfully...
actually this afternoon caroline and i had an appointment at 1pm and started walking at 1240pm... we got to the house at 145pm... we saw a friend from the day centre who took us to her home because she ran out of cell minutes so we had to use her land line. it was lucky we met her today or else we would be walking around kathmandu like a bunch of tourists....
Tonight we have dinner with the principle of Kadambari College and Ceceil from Action autonomy nepal. like i said... days go by very quickly and we have met many people which is nice... Cant wait to read my book tonight.
adios (for some reason i keep thinking spanish!) anyways...
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Bloggin ain't eazzzy
Nepal is lovely. I am absolutely fascinated with everything I have encountered and have been taking a lot in. I have been to Thamel and have now moved deeper into Kathmandu... I have been placed at a centre for infants and toddlers and currently there are 4 children ages ranging from late one to two years old. They are all so well behaved and curious.
I am hoping to help clean up the centre to create a good repuation for the children who attend the centre with the community. This will bring more children in and allow the babies to create friendships and a sense of community. Relationships are so very important.
Currently the conditions of the child centre are... the conditions are bad. Cleaning, sanitizing and lack of materials have made the centre unappealing to families in the community. Also because they cannot send their children with food to the centre they cannot drop their children off. some children eat cheezy rings for lunch... this isnt bad, they have something to eat in the sense of lunchtime being a time to get something into their bellies. As an ECE the nutrition level is something that will affect the developmental level and how well the child will get on with the day... I have so much more to say but will keep this a brief description...Since Caroline and I have been at the centre, one child has joined the group. He is "the boss" as I like to say because he knows what he wants and goes for it! its such a great practicum experience. My didi is named Rona, she is lovely. speaks little english but that doesnt stop me from trying.
I am taking nepali classes mon-friday 6-7PM so I'm getting beter :)Internet place is closing.
Subaratchi
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