So before i left nz i got told that NEPAL stands for Never Ending Peace And Love and i'm more than utterly convinced! Two weeks in this place and i'm already hooked- and im sure its going to be a lifelong addiction.

I arrived here from Bangkok on Sat 3rd (and before i forget, may i suggest to anyone who has to spend time in BKK airport to spend your last few baht on ice cream at the 'fudge factory'-not actually a fudge factory but an ice cream parlour where you can add any ingredient you want-yum! quite similiar to the one corinne and i got hidiously addicted to in Airlie Beach last year....).. anyway... flight was fine and landed in KTM- now that airport could compete with Kerikeri for being the smallest airport ever...i even filled in all the compulsary forms and there was no-one to collect them...although it'd probably be obvious if i had more than one tricycle with me (believe it or not on the customs form there's a limit to the number you can bring in...).

Wouldn't say i got culture shock because i totally love this country and am totally absorbed by all it has to offer but i will admit i got a bit of a suprise when i found ginourmous bulls tromping down the main street in kathmandu...kind od the like goat heards in Vang Vieng Laos... The country also holds the medal for biggest pot holes in the road, and biggest use of car horns....i reckon a taxi driver would only think their car is broken when the horn can no longer blast out every 10 seconds.

When i arrived i came straight to the volunteer organisation i'm currently working at. It's called Umbrella Organisation Nepal and looks after 350 orphaned, semi-orphaned and trafficked children from the ages of 3 upwards, spread over 8 houses. The houses are all really close together-takes only about 15minutes to walk around them all. At the moment i've decided i'm going to work with a house with younger girls in it. There are 22 from the ages of 3-11 and they've all only recently come to Umbrella. They all came from the Rasuwa district of Nepal, and a lot are of Tamang background and a few are Tibeten.
Am really enjoying being at this organisation- its organised so i'm able to help where i want, how i want, when i want. A typical day usually starts off with me heading over to the girls house at around 7.00 to help them with their homework (their school is all taught in English), before helping serve daal bhat, rice and lentils, then getting them ready for school. We all head off to school which is only a short walk away at around 9.15 then i'm free to do as i please. I am allowed to go into the school and help out if they need it and the teacher agrees etc. but for the last two weeks i've been at the office during the day. All the children need their profiles done by early June to send out to current/prospective sponsors so i've been spending days on the computer helping compiling these! Am then back with kids to pick them up at 3.30 to get them home from school, homework, dinner (daal bhat again.....) then play time outside till it gets dark. Discovered heads down thumbs up is a hit all over the world. As is tag, go home stay home, and the clapping games-although i have no idea what i'm singing about in Nepali! Girls usually give us (being the tutors and house parents that live with them) a little concert most nights with traditional songs and dance all from their own village with always sends me home with a huge grin on my face at around 8- then i'm fast asleep by nine to start it all again...but i more than love it! Saturday's their day off and my first time i actually spend being totally domestic-one kid needed their pants sewing and by the time i came back with my kit i had a whole group of girls shoving items in my face saying "fix sister?!"-i now know why my gandmothers taught me how to sew....
The second day i was here was mothers day -where the kids here get a day off school to celebrate- so felt totally honoured when they gave me nepali sweets and candy. Am happy with this organisation because i'm able to help in the best way i think i can, whether i be making bingo cards to help them learn the alphabet, or spending time with them running around, or listening as they explain to me (in Nepali...hmm) where they came from with photos and its not an organisation, which many i looked at seemed to be, which only exists to satisfy the westerners that want to 'do good' .

I'm staying in a house near where all the kids houses are placed with a couple other volunteers that are here at the moment. Its really nice staying in one place! Have my own little sectioned off part of a room, even with a tiny balcony (which you DON'T leave the door open because monkeys roam metres from my room constantly-i am more than relieved i was convinced to get Rabies injections!). Am lucky because also have running water- which is somtimes even hot in the downstairs shower-luxery! (Although i swear they stratigically placed it on the side of the house, with a window showing the well, so there's no way you can stand in the shower and let it run without your consiounce getting to you...). And tip for all those ever coming to nepal- if there's a filter in the kitchen for the water, it only works when the electricity is on (which at the moment is only 20hours a week), so don't drink the water when its off since us foreigners stomachs can't quite cope with untreated nepali well water......i learnt that the hard way with 5 days battling lovely bugs in my belly.

Excuse the fact i haven't put any photos on for a while- it doens't look like i will for a while either with the rate of internet in this country but may try in umbrella office one day where we have satellite internet.. Basically just think dirty, dusty and polluted city with vibrant, friendly and colourful people that totally overide the original description. The same can be said of Thamel, the tourist part which is a 15minute taxi drive from here- its hectic, scary, hard work (seeing groups of kids sniffing glue around every corner gets to you after a while) but again-worth it. Glad i'm staying on outskirts of kathmandu though, am in Swoyambunath near the famous monkey temple-i almost choked with disbelief when i found out i was staying in the fancy part of town though... Am looking forward to seeing other parts of Nepal though-am planning on doing the Annapurna circuit in June (yesi know, monsoon, mud and leeches) with some other volunteers and see the real Himilaya's- can't wait!

Must be off- kids to pick up and Dhal Bhaat to look forward to.. :-S.. i now know i deinfilty did not appreciate Thai food nearly enough-especially the variation! Can not wait for Indian for in July...and seeing M&M in London where i'll be running to the nearest bakers for fresh bread! Am trying to get my taste of 'normal' food now with cornflakes- i swear they taste better here, and combining new flavours out of the limited available- porrige, bananas and peanut butter is suprisingly nice- i dare someone to try it and i yes i can see you cringing dad.

Thanks for all the messages- love getting them as usual! Will update more regularly now i promise.
Much Love
XXX

P.S If anyone wanted to look, the organisation i'm at website is http://www.umbrellanepal.org/ . Not trying to sound demanding or expecting in anyway at all- but if anyone did want to donate- you can donate to Umbrella by going to the website and their bank account number is on the bottom of their newsletters which will mean you're helping with the overall running and necessities of the kids- fooding, housing, education etc. Otherwise, i'm hoping to get them some things that Umbrella can't afford to get them- like school textbooks- at the moment they're having to copy out pages before they leave school so they can do their home work and after talking to their tutors, textbooks would be a huge help. Also hoping to get them some reading material (they have none) and even just some games like skipping ropes etc. Basically 'the little extras. If you wanted to help in that aspect just email me personally and i'll give you my bank account-will give you details on what i spend etc. but as you can imagine its not much-a text book costs, at the most, $NZ4 per kid.