As I prepare to leave the comfort of western life for 2 months, I have been researching the food I will be eating. Since I will be staying in either a monastery or a local farm for the first part of my trip, I will most likely be eating the traditional Dal Bhat twice a day. Breakfast and supper. Curry, for breakfast? Well, yes!
Dal is a dish of stewed lentils, sometimes beans or peas. It is served with Bhat, which is steamed rice (I assume basmati). In Nepal, it also comes with Tarkari, or vegetable curry, and Achar, a sweet or spicy pickle. (Oh man I love all pickles.)
So I do not have a lo of different spices, so my dal returned out good but not necessarily authentic. I did have onions, tumeric, garlic and ginger, and they combined with the lentils to create a tasty little meal. I had mine with jasmine rice, (that was what was in the cupboard), some chicken with butter chicken sauce, and naan bread. Here is a link to a picture on my twitter account.
https://mobile.twitter.com/LacyLola/status/317395828895539201/photos
Boy I was stuffed! I am worried about portion size while I am away. It is rude not to finish everything you are offered, and it seems the only time I have gastric worries (my polite way of discussing those issues) is when I eat too large an amount at once. And too large an amount for me is not very much at all... But I will deal with it when the time comes.
I needed these next two months to work and save for going away, to ensure my vaccinations are adequate and make necessary preparations- but I find myself wishing I was leaving tomorrow! The longer I wait the more I swing from nervous and scared to thrilled and excited! I know that is par the course for any great adventure, but this is making me nuts!
I have read some blogs about people who have done similar work in Nepal, and know that there will be major culture shock when I arrive. Not just the noise and chaos of Kathmandu, but the culture and isolation when you are finally in your host home. I am preparing myself for that, and plan to throw myself into whatever tasks i have to deal with it. I just have this nagging fear of arriving and being paralyzed with fear. I have been teaching children in non-professional ways since I was a teenager at church. I run craft events and birthday parties for children at work. I have a love of science and math, I want to share my knowledge of biology with the students at Koseli. What if I am not good enough? Is enthusiasm enough?
I keep saying this is a trip to save myself. And it is. I just thought this was the way best suited to me to finding myself, learning about a philosophy important to me (Buddhism) and experiencing the culture. I don't want to just make myself feel better, I want what I do to make a difference.
More on those feelings in another post. For now, I am enjoying the Dal Bhat and trying to stay calm.
Namaste, friends
Laura
Please! Don't forget to share my gofundme page if you can! Everyone that sees it could be someone that helps! Thank you!
Friday, March 29, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
38 hours
Did I mention it will take me over 38 hours to get home? The air travel on this trip is an adventure in and of itself!
Not much to write today, except I was checking my seats on the plane and if I get what is booked, I have window seats both to and from Healthrow. (I go Saint John-Halifax-London-Bangkok-Kathmandu). That I like. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that what is booked is the seat I get, so I just have to wait and see. Maybe something great will happen and I'll be forced up to a better seat class and it will be like in the movies, but I'm not holding my breath. (I sure hope I don't have to hold my breath on the plane-who knows what my seat mates will be like!)
I love flying, I think airplanes are amazing. The idea of a giant metal tube of machinery, luggage and people can fly through the air safely and efficiently. Incredible!
I have never flown on a 777, and I get to on this trip. I get to try airline meals multiple times each direction, (is that a good thing?) and have ample time at each layover to find my next connection without being stuck overnight.
Only problem I see is how do I bring everything I want to with only a 1 bag limit? 50 pounds adds up when you want to bring text books! So I am trying to figure out light weight school supplies, English grammar books and math/science reference books that I can bring. I only plan on bringing a small amount of personal items: a few long skirts, some t shirts, a sweater and a pair of jeans, plus toiletries and my netbook (hopefully-fingers crossed it can be fixed!) What with a carry on, I should be able to bring my things plus a good amount of school and hygiene supplies.
I am so excited to fly! No matter what, I try to stay positive when taking a trip. And if all else fails, I can pop a sleeping pill and zone out until we land.
Enough about the flights. Let me leave you with a glimpse of the world of the Koseli students. Here is a gallery of photos taken while Lens On Life helped create the video that inspired this entire trip.
Namaste, friends.
Laura
My gofundme page
Koseli school
Not much to write today, except I was checking my seats on the plane and if I get what is booked, I have window seats both to and from Healthrow. (I go Saint John-Halifax-London-Bangkok-Kathmandu). That I like. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that what is booked is the seat I get, so I just have to wait and see. Maybe something great will happen and I'll be forced up to a better seat class and it will be like in the movies, but I'm not holding my breath. (I sure hope I don't have to hold my breath on the plane-who knows what my seat mates will be like!)
I love flying, I think airplanes are amazing. The idea of a giant metal tube of machinery, luggage and people can fly through the air safely and efficiently. Incredible!
I have never flown on a 777, and I get to on this trip. I get to try airline meals multiple times each direction, (is that a good thing?) and have ample time at each layover to find my next connection without being stuck overnight.
Only problem I see is how do I bring everything I want to with only a 1 bag limit? 50 pounds adds up when you want to bring text books! So I am trying to figure out light weight school supplies, English grammar books and math/science reference books that I can bring. I only plan on bringing a small amount of personal items: a few long skirts, some t shirts, a sweater and a pair of jeans, plus toiletries and my netbook (hopefully-fingers crossed it can be fixed!) What with a carry on, I should be able to bring my things plus a good amount of school and hygiene supplies.
I am so excited to fly! No matter what, I try to stay positive when taking a trip. And if all else fails, I can pop a sleeping pill and zone out until we land.
Enough about the flights. Let me leave you with a glimpse of the world of the Koseli students. Here is a gallery of photos taken while Lens On Life helped create the video that inspired this entire trip.
Namaste, friends.
Laura
My gofundme page
Koseli school
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Flights are booked. This is real.
Namaste, friends.
Today I got my flight itinerary. On May 29th, I fly out of Saint John, NB and spend 32 hours traveling to Kathmandu, Nepal. I leave Kathmandu on July 30th, arriving back in Saint John on Aug 1st.
Yes, that means this is all very real.
I started crying when we printed off the schedule. I am so excited, and yet, so scared. I keep saying that, but do you really understand what I mean? I love being scared at movies, and wish that the were scarier ones to really thrill me. This is sort of like that, only multiply by 1000. Because like I said, this is real.
I will really be flying into a respectful yet not necessarily politically stable foreign country, where I technically do not know anyone. I will really be learning a new language and living with a local family and staying in a monastery as well as all alone for three weeks in a hostel. I will really be all by myself.
Whenever we seek to change something about ourselves, something within always wants to stop us. When I was attending church, we always said the adversary was trying to prevent us from fulfilling our eternal potential; now I see it less as a mythical spirit and more as the negative part of ourselves. We always believe the bad things we think and hear about ourselves much more readily than the good. I don't want to be that way anymore.
One of my favourite poems by Shel Silverstein is called Whatif.
Last night, while I lay thinking here,
Some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
And pranced and partied all night long
And sang their same old Whatif song:
Whatif I'm dumb in school?
Whatif they've closed the swimming pol?
Whatif I get beat up?
Whatif there's poison in my cup?
Whatif I start to cry?
Whatif I get sick and die?
Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?
Whatif I don't grow taller?
Whatif my head starts getting smaller?
Whatif the fish won't bite?
Whatif the wind tears up my kite?
Whatif they start a war?
Whatif my parents get divorced?
Whatif the bus is late?
Whatif my teeth don't grow in straight?
Whatif I tear my pants?
Whatif I never learn to dance?
Everything seems swell, and then
The nighttime Whatifs strike again!
The "What Ifs" and the "I cant's" will not win this time. I have my tickets and I am going to change my life.
Change. That is what this is about. Learning and growing and changing.
I can do this.
Thank you all for all your support, I appreciate it more than you know. Please, if you can, continue to share this blog and my gofundme page.
Today I got my flight itinerary. On May 29th, I fly out of Saint John, NB and spend 32 hours traveling to Kathmandu, Nepal. I leave Kathmandu on July 30th, arriving back in Saint John on Aug 1st.
Yes, that means this is all very real.
I started crying when we printed off the schedule. I am so excited, and yet, so scared. I keep saying that, but do you really understand what I mean? I love being scared at movies, and wish that the were scarier ones to really thrill me. This is sort of like that, only multiply by 1000. Because like I said, this is real.
I will really be flying into a respectful yet not necessarily politically stable foreign country, where I technically do not know anyone. I will really be learning a new language and living with a local family and staying in a monastery as well as all alone for three weeks in a hostel. I will really be all by myself.
Whenever we seek to change something about ourselves, something within always wants to stop us. When I was attending church, we always said the adversary was trying to prevent us from fulfilling our eternal potential; now I see it less as a mythical spirit and more as the negative part of ourselves. We always believe the bad things we think and hear about ourselves much more readily than the good. I don't want to be that way anymore.
One of my favourite poems by Shel Silverstein is called Whatif.
Some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
And pranced and partied all night long
And sang their same old Whatif song:
Whatif I'm dumb in school?
Whatif they've closed the swimming pol?
Whatif I get beat up?
Whatif there's poison in my cup?
Whatif I start to cry?
Whatif I get sick and die?
Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?
Whatif I don't grow taller?
Whatif my head starts getting smaller?
Whatif the fish won't bite?
Whatif the wind tears up my kite?
Whatif they start a war?
Whatif my parents get divorced?
Whatif the bus is late?
Whatif my teeth don't grow in straight?
Whatif I tear my pants?
Whatif I never learn to dance?
Everything seems swell, and then
The nighttime Whatifs strike again!
The "What Ifs" and the "I cant's" will not win this time. I have my tickets and I am going to change my life.
Change. That is what this is about. Learning and growing and changing.
I can do this.
Thank you all for all your support, I appreciate it more than you know. Please, if you can, continue to share this blog and my gofundme page.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Feeling the Love
So since deciding that I am going to drastically change things, my life has sort of started to make more sense. Having a purpose, one that you are passionate about, it is like a new lease on life. Although mornings are still tough-waking up alone when you are used to hitting the snooze button for someone else is painful- my trip is fast approaching and I have so much to do to prepare!
I do have to say, since starting my fundraising and talking about my plans, I have never felt more loved by my friends and family! For a while I felt so isolated, so alone. We often put up our own walls without realizing it, and that is what I had been doing. Avoiding parties and dinners and events because I was too comfortable in my own world, and then thinking that I was being excluded on purpose. What could be further from the truth! I have had words of encouragement, donations, and just lots of love from everyone. It touches my heart and drives me even more. I want to make everyone proud!
Most of all, though, I want to make me proud. I don't want my life to be a waste. My older brother Tim, who is so generously donating plane tickets, said today "you don't have to go to [Tibet] to change your life". And my reply was "no, I think I really do". (He thought Kathmandu was in Tibet.)
I believe I am at a precipice in my life, and if I don't jump, I will never have the guts to follow any of my dreams. Instead of just getting up each day and going through the motions, I want to purposefully move and make positive change.
So thank you to everyone who is making this possible. Your money means so much and even the smallest amount makes a huge difference. I have friends who are excited to tutor me in some basic teaching tricks, and I have already started learning some fun games and lessons that can be done with few resources. I have contacted previous volunteers to ask for advice as well, inquiring about what they brought with them, problems they had, anything they wish they had brought but didn't. Check out this blog, by Ken Lipson, an American who spends quite a bit of time travelling and volunteering. While in Nepal he was associated with Alliance Nepal, the organization I will be placed through in Pokhara. (I will be volunteering and living on my own when I return to Kathmandu!)
So that is all for this Sunday evening. I can't thank you all enough for your love and support.
Namaste
Laura
-My Go Fund Me page
-Koseli School
I do have to say, since starting my fundraising and talking about my plans, I have never felt more loved by my friends and family! For a while I felt so isolated, so alone. We often put up our own walls without realizing it, and that is what I had been doing. Avoiding parties and dinners and events because I was too comfortable in my own world, and then thinking that I was being excluded on purpose. What could be further from the truth! I have had words of encouragement, donations, and just lots of love from everyone. It touches my heart and drives me even more. I want to make everyone proud!
Most of all, though, I want to make me proud. I don't want my life to be a waste. My older brother Tim, who is so generously donating plane tickets, said today "you don't have to go to [Tibet] to change your life". And my reply was "no, I think I really do". (He thought Kathmandu was in Tibet.)
I believe I am at a precipice in my life, and if I don't jump, I will never have the guts to follow any of my dreams. Instead of just getting up each day and going through the motions, I want to purposefully move and make positive change.
So thank you to everyone who is making this possible. Your money means so much and even the smallest amount makes a huge difference. I have friends who are excited to tutor me in some basic teaching tricks, and I have already started learning some fun games and lessons that can be done with few resources. I have contacted previous volunteers to ask for advice as well, inquiring about what they brought with them, problems they had, anything they wish they had brought but didn't. Check out this blog, by Ken Lipson, an American who spends quite a bit of time travelling and volunteering. While in Nepal he was associated with Alliance Nepal, the organization I will be placed through in Pokhara. (I will be volunteering and living on my own when I return to Kathmandu!)
So that is all for this Sunday evening. I can't thank you all enough for your love and support.
Namaste
Laura
-My Go Fund Me page
-Koseli School
Friday, March 22, 2013
Why Volunteer? Why Nepal?
Namaste, friends
It seems strange to just pick up and leave for 8 weeks, to travel across the world to a country I've never been, with a language I don't speak, and people I do not know. Who would be crazy enough to do such a thing? What has possessed me?
Well, many know that my life changed recently. What plans I had originally made for my years to come ended up not being an option, so I had to do some real introspection to find something. And I decided, why worry about ten years down the road, when each day feels so draining, so empty? What will make today feel better?
My mother always taught me, when you feel the worst about yourself, serve others. She is a shining example of service. A registered nurse, she excels in a profession based on caring. She has been going on medical missions for years now. How could I not follow her example? In my depths, in my sadness and sorrow, how could I not find someone to give of myself to?
But how? I looked at volunteering opportunities in my own city, and there are some but it wasn't what my soul needed. There was something out there I was supposed to find. My mother has a love for the land and people of South America. I tried searching for volunteering opportunities there. Again, I found lots of placements, but nothing that I was supposed to be doing. Orphanages, schools, medical clinics but they weren't it. They weren't right.
Then I saw "volunteer free at the Koseli school in Nepal'. I clicked on the link and suddenly my heart was full. I watched the website video in which founder Renu Bagaria described the conditions of the children who attend her school live. Why she made the school. And my heart was bursting with both joy and pain. Pain for these children who live in slums. Their conditions are unimaginable. But also joy- because I had found what I was supposed to find. This was where I was supposed to go.
So I had my goal, but it seemed unreachable. I started calculating what I had to save, where I could get plane tickets, how long I could be gone. And it has all been falling into place.
However, I am fundraising for assistance. Vaccinations, visas, taxes all add up. So I am going against my nature and asking my friends and anyone else who happens to see this for their help. Help me help myself by helping others. You can do this by donating directly to me via paypal, or thru gofundme.
Please help if possible, even sharing this page might mean someone will see it.
Thank you, much love
Laura
It seems strange to just pick up and leave for 8 weeks, to travel across the world to a country I've never been, with a language I don't speak, and people I do not know. Who would be crazy enough to do such a thing? What has possessed me?
Well, many know that my life changed recently. What plans I had originally made for my years to come ended up not being an option, so I had to do some real introspection to find something. And I decided, why worry about ten years down the road, when each day feels so draining, so empty? What will make today feel better?
My mother always taught me, when you feel the worst about yourself, serve others. She is a shining example of service. A registered nurse, she excels in a profession based on caring. She has been going on medical missions for years now. How could I not follow her example? In my depths, in my sadness and sorrow, how could I not find someone to give of myself to?
But how? I looked at volunteering opportunities in my own city, and there are some but it wasn't what my soul needed. There was something out there I was supposed to find. My mother has a love for the land and people of South America. I tried searching for volunteering opportunities there. Again, I found lots of placements, but nothing that I was supposed to be doing. Orphanages, schools, medical clinics but they weren't it. They weren't right.
Then I saw "volunteer free at the Koseli school in Nepal'. I clicked on the link and suddenly my heart was full. I watched the website video in which founder Renu Bagaria described the conditions of the children who attend her school live. Why she made the school. And my heart was bursting with both joy and pain. Pain for these children who live in slums. Their conditions are unimaginable. But also joy- because I had found what I was supposed to find. This was where I was supposed to go.
So I had my goal, but it seemed unreachable. I started calculating what I had to save, where I could get plane tickets, how long I could be gone. And it has all been falling into place.
However, I am fundraising for assistance. Vaccinations, visas, taxes all add up. So I am going against my nature and asking my friends and anyone else who happens to see this for their help. Help me help myself by helping others. You can do this by donating directly to me via paypal, or thru gofundme.
Please help if possible, even sharing this page might mean someone will see it.
Thank you, much love
Laura
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