''The amazing Buddha''

We went to the beautiful Buddha, it was only 30 minutes walk from my house, and we must complete the walk around the buddha three times, and put a tika on my forehead, taking pictures, admiring the beautiful views and enjoying the bliss hot weather. :D

Sunny Nepal.

NAMASTE KATHMANDU!!!


...I was so excited to leave behind UK, UK was too boring for me, I just desperately need/want a new experience, a new culture and of course a new language, YAY! I was like, bring it on for me...
The flights to Kathmandu was long, we have a connection flights, so we had to change at India, New Delhi...we waited there for a couple of hours, and then it was a other flight to Kathmandu, mind you. I hate the feelings of taking off...it's like giving me the goosebumps and I never feel comfortable on my journey on airplanes...*brr brr* anyway...
when we landed, of course there was passport, check out, the bags and everything. I started to feel a bit sleepy...I was like *yawns*..walking out of the airport, and then I was like 'WOW' it wasn't what i expected to be...people waving, people starting, someone gave me a Mala around my neck and say 'Namaste'' to me, I was well confused and then I realised he was Ramesh, a manager of the NFDH...ooh I see.
Right, it's off to the hotel...ARGH the roads are craze, such a chaos, and I can hear a lots of beep, beep, beep, beep, beep and I thought, what the fuck? and then I realised it was cars, motorbikes and taxis, and it just hit home...I was like being hysterical and told Cindy...that I wanted to go home like now, she just laughed at me..*gulps*
We arrived at the hotel, it was a bit dark..which made it a bit difficult to see and then I ask the lady who worked at the reception ''where's the light?'' she said ''there's no light, as we're on a power cut...''and my eyes went wide open...I was like gulp my own throat, and I never been so scary before in my life.
After introductions, and programme prepare for our ICO training for the next three days, I was prepared to go to bed, oh dear...the bed was rock hard, and the dirty water....and it was freezing.
Worst of all, I blowed my nose into a tissue and then I looked at it, and it was all....BLACK. burgh!
The morning, I was so hungry, and it was sunny..what a lovely day - we had a breakfast on the rooftop and I keep forgetting that I'm in Nepal, and lovely I had noodles, with rice and chicken, for breakfast and it was at 8am
From there, I think I had too many shocks enough to last me a lifetime :P
Kathmandu is a polluted city but it is a beautiful place to be in.

Enough about Preston.

I don't want to waffle more about Preston now, anyway...
BUT 3 months in Preston has been fantastic, we all have been to Liverpool, Manchester, Blackpool, Liverpool, Blackburn, London, lanchester...to meet people, do workshop, and do our plays ''the travellers and the Kamala's baby'' both performed in Lancester and Manchester.
It have been brilliant, to learn drama, GCD (Global Citzenship Day) it's an important part of the DGX..it's when each week, each pairs had to do a presentation on their chosen subject, like HIV & AIDS, Global Warming & Natural Disaster, Racism & Slavery, Politics wars, and many on.
I just loved it, and I indeed learnt something new, which I mever knew, and I have write a short report on each GCD's and nah I won't write it here because it will bore you guys to sleep. ;)

Culture shocks!

Everytime I read this, I always chuckle because I remember at that very moment I was shocked, I was like mouth wide opened, and my eyes actually feel to the floors but now it was nothing compared what I have seen in Nepal.

''Today I have been experiencing a severe culure shocks myself...my counterpart Rita has been eating really weird foods, I did told her that she eat it with the wrong food. e.g. ketchup with cereals and so on. But she won't listen to me, and I respect her and I backed off. But I have noticed that all nepalese developed an obsession for salt, WHY?

She also never seen a washing machine, and one morning, a very early morning she sit on the floor on her feet - she must had a strong legs and just watch it go arund and around and around...she thought it... was just AMAZING!!! She don't know how to use kettle, all things you have in Kitchen and I have taught her how to use them.

Rita told me, if you abuse or hitting the children in the nepal and it is acceptable. BUT in the UK it's different story...and apparently herself told me that if you have an affair in Nepal, you will be arressted... interesting isn't it?! And then I wish that they will just arrest men if they had an affair/s but again then I just realised there's not enough prisons for the men to go, awh damn it. HAHA!!

A girl can wish..

Can I borrow your face for Halloween?!

IT'S HALLO'WEEN.

It’s time to put your mask on, oh it’s HALLOWEEN – yes Halloween, it's the day for our welcome party, to invite Deaf community into Preston. It was a long day indeed, to start our day, we started with decorating the social club room, which we now called it ”HALLOWEEN room” haha! Afterward we went to Preston shopping centre, to get ourselves costumes, mask and witch nose, and so on. We started to getting ready for the night, I decided to go as ”witch” since I refused to make myself ugly so I make myself beautiful ha. Ola was the most scariest out of us all, she actually almost give us a scare, phew. The Nepalese group were excited to put a mask on, face painting and etc. they were :O at people who went as ghost, michael mayers and etc…. there were food, drinks, games – (quiz were quite difficult and I always thought Halloween started in America but I realised it begin in Scotland, silly me! well it’s like they said you learn something new everyday, eh? and oh the game ‘apple bobbing’ I ruined my make up while playing that game, never again!! Oh yeah I almost forget ''The mummy'' game it's so hilarious, I was actually on the floor laughing, no kidding! This game, you have to wrap a person into TISSUES!!) we were so sad to end the night like this, but it was fantastic and such a good laugh…And course the night is still young....

We're not just only a team, we're a family too!

YAY. I just did my first post, and I'm telling you it does feel good. anyway..
I got back from Nepal last Friday on 9th April 2010, I was there for three whole months and being back it does feel sad and I'm feeling depressing, and I'm so lost without my DGX team, DGX - Deaf Global Exchange, I was one of the volunteers that took part in the project for the six months, and it has been such a fantastic experiences.

An example from my journal, to share with you about my experience over the past six months :)

 

''Just before 22nd of October, where I will be moving to Preston, it does rain a lots I’m not looking forward to THAT but I’m excited to start a new beginning for me, and for us.

I almost finished packing…it was HARD, – I was thinking, should I take this top, no…that blue top, and then I thought to myself ”hmm, will I really will wear that? HMM, difficult question” and before I knew it, it was in my over sized suitcase already

I’m now on way to Euston Station on 22nd October, and I’m going to Birmingham VSO Training centre, for a couple days to complete our training, before we can start with our project….I’m SO SO HAPPY!!

A day of intense training about comfort zone, host home, work placement, programme supervisor, what are their roles and etc? what is our responsibilities, our aims, our goals and many on.

The day is getting closer and closer, we’re excited to finally meet the Nepalese group….*ticks tocks, ticks tocks* we received money from VSO, to give a party for the Nepalese group, as a group – we discussed what foods and etc…it was extremely hard because we don’t know what they REALLY eat or NOT. decisions, decisions – oh dear.

Deirdre, Lottie and etc sorted out with the foods…sandwiches and biscuits, when myself, Matthew, Amy and Abigail are drawing posters…to make them feel welcomed, the poster said….”NAMASTE” translated into English it mean ”HELLO” time was getting closer and closer….most of us are feel excited, some feel quite nervous. and myself, I do not know what to expect, i was having a mixed up feelings….a strange feelings indeed.

AH HA they finally arrived, (after waiting for them in the hotel, watching the TV…..*tick tock* and the fates are finally open, and we knew they had arrived, so we went outside to welcomed them….and WOW the minutes they were getting off the coach…they were beautiful, such friendly and they make us feel welcomed as well, by saying Namaste to each other….”Namaste was the first word I ever learn, and it sign too”- I was feeling overwhelmed, and we invited them into the kitchen…for their welcome party to UK, and we start to introduce ourselves, of course there were some misunderstanding, communication breakdowns, and it was expected to be happen anyway! when i started introduce myself, I was so nervous, and I was getting talking with Priyanka, this time I didn’t knew her name, she is one indeed a funny girl, she cracks me up!!

After the weekend, it was fantastic opportunity allow us to be ready, and we’re on way to Preston to continues our training, and i find out my counterpart who is Rita. and BDA is my work placement, I work with Priyanka who is my work partner and my host home is Gail, with 2 girls…that’s the end of the training….

Just before we set out to the real world, it is already seem scarier than it is….!''

NAMASTE.

NAMASTE.

I'm totally new at this, I had no idea where to start, I actually wasted about 30 minutes trying to find where the post are, haha and I had no absolutely idea what to write about and to be honest with you, I don't really write, but hey I indeed enjoy getting lost into the website.

I apologise if my English is not that good but I will try my best :) This is indeed my first post ever.

:)

and I want to say..

... I’m BACK in London, bet none of you miss me! : P anyway I have been here in London for 2 days now and I’m bored out of my head and it’s freezing here, I keep shivering and everything.
The last week in Nepal was fabulous, on Saturday 3rd April – we performed our show ”The Spare Journey” in front of about 700 people, it was good but we were all very nervous and end of the day people loved it!

The following week, Monday, Tuesday we were basically free so we went out to Thamel, New Road, and etc – places in Kathmandu for sightseeing, and shopping. on Wednesday (we start a de-briefing – we have to do it end of 3 months to makes a summaries of 3/6 months of our exchange) and indidvual…we did a talk about our counterpart and our experience, how we felt? Everyone was crying and it was sad but we were also happy that we learnt something new. Thursday, leaving my host home family was VERY hard, the night before we had a party for me and Rita…

I was emotional, knowing that we will leave and I and Rita will be split. Thursday morning, I finished off my packing and then Lamxi – (host mother) did a puja for me and Rita, put a tika on our forehead, give us a malas, and she gave me a statue of ”newari statue of their marriage” it’s so beautiful and we left, Bir, Mack, Lamxi all were crying so I did cried. Out of all families I get on well with Mack – (host father) he’s so generous and respectful. he had no education, and literally no sign language but he learnt it later but how he sign and speak was so visually…he used props to show me things, and it was amazing. I explained to him about British life, and etc…He liked me tell him about it and showed him the pictures, he was blew away by looking at pictures of London. sometime I feel bad that he said the life is easier in UK but it’s not…we people get granted of JSA EMA DLA and etc. when people have nothing, but they still makes money for their families, all they want to makes money for to feed their families and clothing. We British need money for EVERYTHING, clothes, cars, houses, boozes, and etc – but do we really need them?

And I have see children in the streets playing games out of nothing…they use a stick and brick to play cricket. and sometime I see them playing ‘hide and seek’ we British alp brainwashed by the technology like mobiles phone, Xbox, play station and wii…where has it all gone?


There was lots of crying involved and oh dear it was very hard to leave everyone, especially my counterpart Rita. we have been such best friends since October and I can’t believe we’re not together anymore, on Saturday morning at 7am I woke up and I want to talk to Rita about something, I realised she’s not here anymore…it did hit me! I was so emotional but I know at the end of the day it was worth everything, the experience for 6 months, new friends, new culture, new life, new skills and new language, and change ourselves inside, and I LOVED every minutes of it