Starting out

Where do you start when you want to change the the world? The popular adage is that you must change yourself first. But into what? And how? Yesterday was Nepali New Year. Time for another set of of new year resolutions, or not as the case may be. I've been here now a week, and it's really time for a change in mindset. Normally, when I come to Nepal it's for a holiday. I must now switch that part of my mind out. I'm here to work. To change the world - in my own small way.

So, where to start out?

Well, I've got 3 main things to sort out at the moment:
1. What projects does the village want?
2. Where can we get the funding from?
3. How am I going to get my visa sorted?

For the first one, I'm going to have to visit Rajghat. A day's travel away. However, at the moment there is a strike - banda - in the village after the election, and Buwa is stuck there. How long the banda will last no-one is quite sure. As for funding, we've got a few contacts to start working on here in Kathmandu. If we can find the right people to talk to then hopefully we can start getting things up together. And my visa, well that's just going to be a lot of fun with red tape and chasing tails. I'm going to have to make sure I keep my patience, not something I'm particularly good at when I work, but is definitely something to improve on.

My nepali is coming on. I have expanded my vocabulary to peacock, rhino lightning and a most wonderful word for thunder (gadang-gudung).

Kathmandu has been experiencing interesting evenings, with a howling wind coming in from the west of the valley bringing thunder and lightning and some heavy rain for a short period of time. The days have been fairly hot, although I'm still fairly white - apart from my green eating hand - and the nights similarly hot with the mosquitoes swarming waiting for my to expose some flesh to suckle on.

The Mao seem to going to form the next government, which will be interesting.

A fun new year for Nepal

SAM