Hi guys, I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get in touch. It's a disgrace, I know! Finding time to write a blog page has been harder than I initially thought, so I apologise once again for how late this is. Ok so we are already 8 weeks into our trip, so please forgive me if I'm vague when describing certain things, or as you can imagine, I would have to write something like 10,000 pages LOL!

Can’t believe we've only got 2 weeks left here. Still remember the first day we arrived. Jet lagged, anxious & excited all at the same time. Stepping out of the airport check out gates into the car park was a real experience. We had a crowd of people staring intensely at us and we were greeted by our project supervisors Bharat, & Balkrishna, holding Krishna flower necklaces, which I was so excited about, because I've always wanted to be given some kind of flower necklace, because it looks so lovely when they do it in the movies LOL! With our necklaces firmly around our necks, we were requested to pose for a group photo, which ended up being a mini event, because we all took out our cameras and gave them to Kumar (Project Assistant) to take pictures. A crowd gathered, intrigued with us foreigners and the amount of pictures being taken of us. I think they might have thought we were some kind of celebrities LOL!

Soon after photos, we headed to the hotel in Tomeil, Kathmandu.I was actually surprised to see that we were riding in a big coach with air conditioning. I was expecting two small buses, whereby we would be squashed like sardines, sweating from our ears, noses and wherever else you don't usually sweat from; this is only because before coming here, I read blogs from other projects, & most of them warned about the cramped transport. Looking out the window from the coach, I could see why Nepal is classed as a developing country. The condition of most of the buildings was bad (some looked derelict), there was litter everywhere, children & adults were begging. The ironic thing is that through all the pollution and everything just mentioned above, I saw a contrasting world of beautiful temples and hills. The streets were buzzing with people, some wearing face masks (to protect themselves from pollution), there were little cool shacks selling anything from Nasta's (snacks), Chiai (tea), to fruits & vegetables. Some of the houses, (although not all fully developed) were full of character. There were brightly coloured ones that reminded me of the street in London's Kentish town, with the multicoloured town houses.

We got to the hotel after about 40 minutes of travelling, and our bags were squeezed into big tuks tuks, I had to take a picture because it was so cool! Our hotel, the Tibet holiday inn was basic but quite nice. We really enjoyed our time there. We ended up spending an extra night due to an Andolan (Strike) occurring on the day we were meant to travel. There was no transport, shops were closed and the place was like a ghost town. We've now learnt that strikes are a regular thing in Nepal, in fact, more regular than most places I know of. So far they've been 5 strikes since we arrived, and I can bet any money they'll be two or three before we leave. The locals joke about how strikes are like a fashion statement here, and you can expect anything up to 20 strikes in a month.

During our orientation period we were taken to two famous temples. Pashupati and Swyambu monkey temple. At the Pashipati temple, we were witness to a public cremation. It was disturbing but at the same time you couldn't help but look, because you usually only see these things on TV, or hear about them from word of mouth. Prior to seeing the cremation, we were briefed, & told that it's Nepali tradition to have open funerals like that and families don't mind big crowds watching. I took a picture of the burning deceased, but was a bit apprehensive about doing it, because I kind of felt it might be intrusive and maybe even disrespectful. But I now see it as a reminder of Nepali traditions and a very sensitive moment I experienced.

The rest of the temple was beautiful. We could see the hills all around us, just gorgeous! The architecture of both temples was beautiful. The monkey temple had some cheeky monkeys. One of them chased Jonathan (fellow volunteer) LOL! We also met some Jogi's (holy men). The look of them was eccentric. Their faces were painted white and they had the longest blonde dreads ever. They almost looked like ghosts. We were all keen to take their pictures. The catch was we had to tip them for every picture we took. What an ingenious way to make money, I give them props for that, LOL!

During our visits to the temple me, Kerisha, & Stephanie, noticed that we were getting quite a lot of attention & the locals kept coming up to us, wanting to touch our braided hair, & calling it Raamro Cha (Very nice). We had the same reaction when we first arrived in the village, and actually still do 'till now! My host family have explained to me that most Nepali people have never seen black people in the flesh before, and so we are practically a tourist site for them LOL!

Our four days in Kathmandu also introduced us to street sellers and the art of not getting hassled out of all your money! We had a lot of people trying to sell us things like wooden violins, bangles, drums and wooden alligators to name a few. As exciting & amusing as it was, it could sometimes get overwhelming when we would get surrounded by a group of street sellers. I tell you one thing they are really persistent. This one lady followed me all the way from the temple to the coach and convinced me to buy bangles which I initially had no plans to buy, but knew it was probably the only way to make her leave me alone LOL! The bangles were nice though, so I can't complain too much.

The 4 days spent in Kathmandu were great, but can't really compare to the weeks we've spent in Sirutar (project village) so far. As we neared the village, I could see the hills more clearly than back in the city. They looked stunning. Then in contrast we could also see what looked like Shanty towns; (i.e. tinned roofed houses, a lot of sewage & rubbish everywhere), which we later learnt were the slums. There were women and men on the side of the sandy road selling fruits, candles, ornaments etc.

Driving into the village, we noticed that the air was less polluted and the streets were less congested. We drove through Lubhoo (our next door village). It has internet cafes and quite a lot of shops. 10 minutes later we were in the place where we would call home for the next 10 weeks. Getting out of the coach, I could feel the butterflies and whatever I ate earlier that day rumbling in my tummy. I was just wondering what my house and host family would be like. Would I like them, would they like me, would we get along like a house on fire, or would we dislike each other? So many questions were racing through my mind. Meeting them for the first time is something I will never forget. They all came and surrounded me with huge smiling faces. They were so tiny, I felt like a giant and I'm 5.6, so that says a lot. My family consists of my Buwa ji (dad), Dai (elder brother), Phagu (sister in law), Didi (Older sister), Bahani (younger sister), and Bhadais (Niece & Nephew).

After being shown my room, and putting my bags down, they took me on a tour of the house. Not to sound condescending or anything, but I was surprised at how modern the place looked. The rooms were big, they had a proper shower, (in fact they had two), their sitting room was as big as mine back in England, they even had a TV! Now that surprised me. I wasn't really expecting to have the luxury of watching TV every day. Now I'm watching Hindi & Nepali soaps (hehe). My supervisor explained that our village is still quite city based; otherwise we probably wouldn't have been able to cope if we were staying in extreme rural conditions.

The one thing that I initially had trouble getting used to were the squatting toilets and the food, but now I know that it's all part and parcel of the whole experience. In fact I quite like the food now. We eat a lot of Baat (RICE), (Takari) vegetable curry, Potatoes (Aloo) and Pickle (Achaa). We usually have this for breakfast and dinner practically everyday. It took me 3 weeks to get used to this diet, and initially I was eating very little, but now I'm proud to say that my appetite has grown a lot. This makes my host family happy. They were worried that I had an eating disorder or something. My host family have really taken me as my own and have just added to making this experience special. Have no regrets about being sent to a host family project. I feel that it has also helped me learn the basics of the language faster. I could actually write a book about my family, but I'm sure you don't have all day.

We work on the construction of the school Mon-Fri., Saturday is a holiday and then back to work Sunday. I think I speak for most of the group when I say this is some of the most challenging work I have done both physically and mentally. Guess this is what makes it so rewarding. In fact we just finished building the wall today which feels great. All our blood and sweat went into that LOL! Before this we spent a lot of time collecting loads and loads of the raw materials, and digging. All we have to do now is level some ground, which I am confident we will complete before we leave.

We teach at the local secondary school on Sunday & Monday evenings. It can be quite challenging sometimes because we get tired from working at the site, and there is also the language issue. At the same time it is really enjoyable and fulfilling when you see and hear the students laughing and having fun! They all stand up and respectfully say Namaste (Hello), with glowing smiles on their faces. It just reminds you why you are here, and I love that feeling! The kids love stickers, badges and postcards. Instead of always having formal classes, we play a lot of games; (both English and Nepali), sing songs and even do a bit of dancing and drama.

Oh before I forget, we got to go Elephant riding, yes Elephant riding, can you believe it!!!!! It was one of the most amazing things. I never thought I would get to do something like that in my lifetime, but now I have, all thanks to IDF, and Platform2. We did this at Chitwan Safari Park in the Terai area - blazing hot! Whilst on the elephants we got to see a crocodile, (yes just one due to it not being the right season), rhinos, and birds. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the famous tigers, again due to it being the wrong season. None the less we still had a fantastic time.

We've also been to visit other places apart from our village that have taught us about some of the social issues Nepal is faced with. Maiti Nepal is an amazing charity we visited 3 weeks ago. They help and protect women and child victims of trafficking which sadly is a huge industry here. The charity is truly special because not only does it offer sanctuary to the victims, it also provides them with training and opportunities to start their life over. We were shown the shops where ex victims sell their beautiful hand made accessories. We couldn't help but purchase some items, and felt really good about it, because we knew the money was going to a great positive cause. Some of the other volunteers have also visited the Slums situated near our village. I was hoping me and the others would get a chance to go, but unfortunately don't think our supervisors will have time to take us.

Our time spent here so far has opened my eyes to just how generous Nepali people are. They do not hesitate to share if and when they can. Little kids will offer you their sweets, your family keep filling your plate with food, knowing that it’s not that easy to come by for them. Back in the UK, these people would be living below the poverty line (the average yearly salary is 250 pounds a year!). It's even small things like some families not being able to afford to have fruit everyday, but when they do get them they happily share the 1 or 2 they've got amongst the family. It makes you reflect on just how much you take for granted back home.

The community spirit here is special. It really reminds me of how it was growing up in Zambia. All the neighbours know each other and are there to help whenever needed. You walk out your door and people you don't even know give you a warm smile, or say 'hi, what is your name?' Especially the kids, they love it when you say hi back, and are really interested to speak English with you. Most of the community know our names and call out to us from a distance, waving enthusiastically - I just love it! And we've all being given Nepali names. My name is Maya, given to me by my host brother. It means Love.

Ok peeps would love to write more, but I think this is more than enough to keep you going 'till next week, when hopefully I'll be able to write another blog just before we leave. Before I go, I just want you to know that I absolutely love it out here. Waking up to sounds of nature (and my host family talking loudly outside my door), rather than sounds of cars zooming past. Seeing green hills from my window rather than just another block of houses & roads, is something I'm going to miss very much. Working on a project that is going to make such a difference to a lot of kid’s lives is priceless.

I just want to thank God and Platform2 for this amazing opportunity that you have blessed us with.

Until next time folks, take care,

Love,

Mwela a.k.a Maya.