A wonderful evening hosting our hosts

Tonight was wonderful because we all came together and cooked an "American" meal for our hosts. We had Noora's middle eastern stuffed vegetables, vegetable pasta, garlic bread, grilled zucchini, BBQ chicken and apple crisp for dessert.I was so happy to bake because it made me feel like I was at home. We realized as we were eating dinner that our food lacks so much spice and flavor compared to Nepali food! More importantly, we enjoyed good conversation, food, drinks, and company in a wonderful garden setting after a day of visiting two more schools.

I enjoyed today's school visits because young people were making a big difference in school environments without a lot of money. They painted, reorganized, fixed up, planted trees and shrubs and brought light to two government schools. With this work, the principal has made positive changes in her school and it was evident when we were there. The young Rotaracts and school staff were proud of their work and they should be!

We are off to new host families tomorrow after a morning of sight seeing. These last few days seem to be flying by! There is so much to do and see in such a short amount of time....
Becky
PS - We are taking Nepali dance classes on Wednesday and Thursday - YIPEE!!!!

Becky

A Whirlwind Week

Greetings from Kathmandu again! We have all safely arrived in Kathmandu and are all healthy. We have had an extremely hectic week and I know I am looking forward to a good night of rest. We had two particularly moving experiences while in Chitwan last week (OK maybe three). We went to visit an old-aged home while in Chitwan. This home was for 32 seniors who did not have anyone to look after them. It was located right by a big river and is sponsored by rotary. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when we arrived or how we were going to interact with the elderly people because we did not share a common language.

However, like with many experiences in Nepal, interesting and fun things happen at the spur of the moment. While waiting for the seniors to finish lunch, our hosts walked us down to the river to see the locals celebrating Ram Newari. They asked us if we would like to cross the river in a dugout boat/canoe and of course we said yes! So, Michell, Sarah and I all got in the boat and crossed the river to a temple. Here at least 100 - 150 Nepali people were celebrating the holiday by going into the river and washing themselves. It was almost like a baptism. Everyone was very open to sharing this tradition with us so we took off our shoes and walked into the river. We were blessed by the river water and felt very welcome. It was so interesting to be a part of it.

After the river trip, we went back to the elderly home and joined them on the floor of a common area. They were all waiting for us to talk so I pulled out some postcards from home. This sparked some conversation and smiles. The next thing we knew, they were playing musical instruments and were singing. One older woman stood up an began dancing and we joined her. Everyone was laughing, singing and dancing. Even Eli got up to dance. Even without sharing a language, we were able to laugh and dance together and share a great time with each other. I believe everyone on the team left the home feeling good in our hearts.

Finally we went to a school project in Jyotinagar, Chitwan. This tiny little school was way off the beaten path. It was about a 30x15 foot building constructed by rotary and locals. The children in this area do not have access to a public school and can not afford it. Therefore, the local people decided to build a school. I was so inspired by the spirit of the volunteer teacher and community members that are trying to give these children a school. We were greeted by the entire school, teachers, parents and rotarians with flowers and smiles. They told us about their struggles an triumphs and I was both saddened and moved. They need so much help. We ended our visit with another song and dance period led by Michelle. Here we were, in the middle of a village, singing and dancing and laughing again with a wonderful group of people. Thank goodness Michelle has the ability to bring people together through music. I will never forget this visit and hope to stay in touch with the teachers. I have already received an email from one of the sponsoring rotarians!

That is all for now. I should get some rest for sight seeing and two presentations at different rotary clubs tomorrow. Namaste- Becky

Lumbini

Tansen & Lumbini

We are writing this blog from a little "closet" in Lumbini. We were amazed that they had internet access! For the past three days we were in Tansen, Palpa. Michelle and I rested in a hotel while Eli, Noora, and Sarah all stayed with host families. We presented at the Talpa Rotary Club and it was pretty informal and small. As usual, our hosts were extremely welcoming and open to share about their club, families and culture. We visited their water project which was really interesting. We took a crazy jeep ride up a dirt road to visit the three tanks that were built for about 150 households. Before the tanks were built, women had to walk 2-3 hours to get drinking water. The locals were excited because the rotarians turned on the taps while we were there so they got "extra water." As with all places we visit, we especially enjoy watching the children and trying to communicate with them. A few children were playing in the water coming from the taps and having a blast.
Today we are in Lumbini - the birthplace of Lord Buddha. I feel very privileged to be able to visit this sacred place because people come from all over the world to visit here. We visit historical sites in the U.S., but nothing can compare to the ruins from the 2nd and 3rd centuries.
We are all feeling better - maybe because we are in this sacred place :)
We are off to meet Eli for dinner and then relax at the Bamboo Palace! We are loving the posts everyone is writing on the blog - keep them coming!
Namaste - Becky

On to Palpa!

Tomorrow we leave Pokhara for Palpa. I'm a bit sad to go because I've really been enjoying this town! Life is a little more relaxed here and I think we all needed the break from crazy Kathmandu. This town has a breath taking view of the Annapurnas. This is our second home stay and each time we are received by a new family we are blown away by the generosity and attentiveness we receive.

We had our second vocational day here in Pokhara and I was really excited about mine! Since getting to Nepal, I have thought about water every single day. It's complicated. The government supplies water but it's heavily restricted and only runs for about 2 or 3 hours each day. Families use those few precious hours to fill rooftop reservoirs that can then gravity feed their house (electricity is also restricted, as Michelle's post mentioned). Many people in Kathmandu (which has gotten more and more populated) depend on public taps for their water, but many of those taps are now dry. In addition, none of the water is treated and the government stresses that everyone boil their water before consumption.

Yesterday, I saw Nepal's very first solid waste & waste water management system! This might not sound as exciting to some of you as a school full of beautiful children but I was fascinated! I think that the two most important components of any community is its drinking water and its waste management. These two things are the foundation of healthy living! It's so easy to take them for granted and I'm honored to experience them here in Nepal.

Well, as with the good experiences we have also experienced a few bad. Some on our team have already gotten sick and poor Michelle has had it bad. Yesterday, she was taken to a local hospital. I went with her and while we both felt that she just needed some peace, rest and rehydration, some felt the hospital would be best. It's a scary experience, being sick and away from home, and the hospital was very unfamiliar! Thankfully, our Rotary friend, Vinod, took us to his own home and Michelle was able to rest. It was just what she needed! Vinod's home was so nice and comfortable and his wife stayed with Michelle all day long, keeping an eye on her and feeding her soup.

Today was a rest day and thanks to Vinod's lovely wife, Michelle has been feeling much better. Tonight we will say goodbye to our host families and tomorrow...Palpa ho!

Namaste!
Sarah

From Team Leader:

The first 10 days have been interesting. We have been receiving outstanding welcomes from the local Rotarians. Arriving at the airport, we were burdened down by flowers and scarves. The Nepal Rotarians are showing us their best and it is much appreciated. The people are great. The traffic is horrific. Hot showers are a luxury. My ladies are courageous, magnificent, and they are making the trip worthwhile.

Gratitude for Birthday Bliss

This is going a bit backwards, but I thought I should share one of my favorite days here in Nepal. Saturday March 13th was my birthday and I must admit I was feeling pretty homesick because I was missing my family and friends. However, my GSE team members, Joshi host family and the Rotary Club of Damauli made my birthday very special.

It started with a special surprise from my host family. Krishna and Subi Joshi covered my wrists in bright colored red and orange bangles then they took me downstairs where Ramesh, Anush, Isu, and Aarju were waiting for me even though it was so early in the morning (6:00am because our team had to be at the bus stop by 6:45am to head towards our new adventure). But this did not stop the Joshi's from having a delicious chocolate cake for me as they all sang happy birthday. Then they gave me several special gifts. Ramesh and Krishna gave me a beautiful red pashmina shawl, Anush and Subi gave me pretty glass red earrings that Subi got from the Taj Mahal and Isu and Aarju gave me a black fish sculpture made from bone. It was so sweet and special. The Joshi's really warmed my heart. They put so much effort into making my birthday special. I feel fortunate to have been able to meet such kind people and thankful that they made my birthday special because it helped me feel less homesick.

I said farewell to the Joshi's and Ramesh took me to the bus stop where I met the rest of my GSE team members. It was great to see them and I was excited about our next stop to Bandipur. We stopped at a resort for lunch on the way and arrived in Bandipur in the late afternoon. It was such a sweet surprise because we got to stay in a resort that had a beautiful view of the mountains.

Although I was homesick, my birthday turned out to be special. The Joshi's treated me like family, and our GSE team got to enjoy a beautiful view of the mountains. This was a nice break from the sounds of Kathmandu (beep beep beep beep beep).

Internet access has been limited due to road shedding (scheduled power outages) and time conflicts. We have been busy with vocational visits, team presentations, Rotary project visits and getting to know our new host families. I will post more when I get access again. I'm excited to share some of my vocational visits. I have went to a pre-school, a public health post for women, art studio, theatre school and recreation center for dance.

Best wishes to you all.

Namaste
Michelle

P.S. More to come pending internet access and time.

School Visits

We are now in Pokhara - a city much smaller and calmer than Kathmandu. The traffic is much better, although we still see cows, buffalo, goats, bikes, tractors, rick shaws and many other oddities on the road! We once again have been welcomed by new host families and I am enjoying my relaxing stay with Ratna Man and his wife and son. He owns and runs TOPS academy, a boarding school for all grade levels. His wife has a wonderful garden with all organic produce. She is also a great cook! Needless to say, we are all eating a lot and and can't seem to get enough exercise to make up the difference!

I have visited a number of schools up to this point. Today we visited a government school in Pokhara. The children greeted us in two lines and gave us many smiles and "Namastes"" as we entered. They were so curious and happy. We had tea with the teachers and director and he told us a lot about the school's struggles. Rotary has helped fund the construction of the lower level, but there is still so much that needs to be done. The school has tried hard to bring in local children from poor families. They often provide for the students' uniforms and books if necessary. They especially need help paying teacher salaries and finishing the rooms on the second floor. For $2,000 a room could be finished!

In a few minutes we are going to the Pokhara Rotary Club meeting for a presentation and dinner. At these meetings we share about ourselves, our jobs, our sponsoring rotary clubs, and a little bit about where we come from. It is fun to show pictures and talk to members about our similarities and differences. Everyone we have met has been so friendly and willing to help us out in any way possible.

Although I miss home and my family, friends and work, I am really enjoying this experience. I have learned a lot about the Nepal culture, including ways in which we can all be more peaceful in this often stressful world.

Until later - Becky

EYE Carumba "What a Wonderful World"

Yesterday was a wonderful day. We experienced how wonderful our world is. It began with a meeting in a conference room here at the Mt. Everest Hotel. The meeting was to give us all an understanding about what we will be doing while we are here in Kathmandu. I looked across the conference table and saw Noora, Eli and Pramila sitting across from me. Behind them was a giant world map. The song, "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong came to mind. It is so beautiful to be here with all of these wonderful people from two opposite sides of the world. After we heard about what we will be doing this week. Rajendra B. Shrestra (Team Leader of the GSE team from Nepal who will be traveling to USA in April), asked what we would like to do. I asked if someone could please take me to the eye doctor.

When we arrived on Monday, my right eye was very red and painful. This is why I wanted to go to the eye doctor. I'm thankful that I was in the company of Rotarians. A phone call was placed to one of the Rotarian's who is an Ophthalmologist in Kathmandu. Within minutes my eye appointment was set. Vinod (GSE Chair) drove me to the office of Dr. Chandra Lekha Tuladhar. Team member Sarah Patrick accompanied us as well. Dr. Chandra Lekha Tuladhar looked and my eyes and told me that I was very lucky part of my eye layer did not rip off. Apparently, it was a very bad idea for me to wear my contacts on the fight here. The air pressure from the flight for a long period of time cause my eyes to become very dry and irritated. The Dr. said some people lose a layer of their eye when they take their contacts out with this type of condition. She gave me eye drops and I will return on Friday to pick up a new pair of contacts. She did not want to give me contacts until my eye is healed because she thought I would wear them. (She is right about that). I'm very grateful that I was able to receive help from this Dr. who also happens to be a Rotarian. She is very dedicated to clean water projects and youth projects. It was very interesting to see how the filter system works for the water.

When we returned, Pramilla (Becki's host) took us shopping for saris. It was so much fun to see all the colorful materials and try on this cultural clothing. Eli and Vinod were very helpful in guiding us towards the right selection. There are so many beautiful saris, it's difficult to make the right selection. After we all made our choice, we headed to Pramilla's house and she helped us put our saris on in a hurry because we had to be to our dinner party.

The dinner party was held at Chopsticks, a restaurant owned by Nepal GSE team member Srijan Shrestha. This restaurant would be a hit in Los Angeles. The food is DELICIOUS and the environment is fun. It was so much fun to talk with everyone from Nepal. The people here are so beautiful. They have lovely and kind spirits. One of my favorite moments was when we were dancing. Rajendra B. Shrestha and Eli are quite the dancers. :)

Overall, I would say that this experience in Nepal reminds me of how wonderful our world is.

Best wishes to all.

Michelle

P.S. I promise I will NEVER EVER complain about the traffic in Los Angeles ever again.

A Global Village

It's amazing how almost every country in the world has elements and similarities to others. Driving through Kathmandu brings back fond memories of Kosovo and Cairo. The streets and unpaved sidewalks are alive with pedestrians in western and eastern attire: suits, saris, kurtas, full of color and muted alike. Getting from Point A to Point B is always an adventure: maneuvering in and out of the tiniest spaces, certain one car will nick another, wondering if the man in sandals trying to cross the street is going to get his foot crushed by the three-wheeled scooter taxi sneaking through the 3 ft space between the sidewalk and the adjacent vehicle.

One team member said it best, "this is organized chaos." I think we would all agree, however, that it is a beautiful chaos with hospitable and generous people, deliciously eastern flavours, and the sights and sounds of an extraordinary life. We experienced an outdoor bazaar yesterday and bought saris to wear for our first dinner with GSE coordinators, the Nepal team headed to CA, and some of the family members of our core group of Rotarians. Poor Eliseo...he was a good a sport, but he isn't a shopper, let alone for women's clothing. Eliseo Daniel Guiermo #$%^&* del Ricardo (almost got it!) was very helpful in all of us making our decisions. The man's got good taste!

Today is the day when it all begins. We check out of the hotel and head to the homes of our hosts where we hope to soak in all the local culture Nepal has to offer. We will visit the Monkey Temple today, Child Heaven Orphanage, an orthopedic hospital, and a cancer hospital, all of which Rotary supports. Photos and more blogging to come, pending internet access.

Stay tuned and Namaste!

Noora

We are in Nepal!

We arrived today, March 8, 2010 at approximately 12:45pm in Kathmandu, Nepal. We were greeted by the District Governor of Nepal Rotary Club District 3292, our Rotarian Hosts and the team members from 3292 who will be traveling to Los Angeles in April. The welcoming was very warm. We were showered with flower leis and treated very kindly. It has been wonderful meeting everyone today.

Our flight went smoothly. We watched movies, played games, read books, and rested. The THAI airline has some very hospitable employees. The layover in Bangkok was 4 hours, but it went by pretty fast. To kill time we walked around the shops at the airport and then decided to treat ourselves to the airport spa. Eli and Becky had foot massages. Sarah, Noora and I had the Thai massage.

We are all pretty tired as we have been up for over 24 hours. Tonight we will have dinner and rest in the hotel to recover from our jet lag. Tomorrow morning we will meet GSE Chair Vinod and discuss our plans for travel and our days in Kathmandu.

We are all very grateful and excited to be here.

More to come once we have had some rest.

Wishing you all the best.

Michelle

Ready to go!

I can't believe we leave tonight from LAX! It seems as though we have been preparing for this adventure for so long and all of a sudden it is here. We've sent many emails back and forth to each other giving packing tips and I think we have all managed to fit everything we need into a suitcase.

I checked the weather in Kathmandu and it was in the 80s and humid. It looks like we should be ready for warm humid weather for the month of March and April.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us to make this journey possible. I especially want to thank the staff and school board at Round Valley School who not only gave me permission, but also encouraged my participation in the Global Study Exchange. I imagine not too many schools would support such an endeavor.

Hopefully we will be able to update our blog and email frequently from Nepal!
Becky