I arrived in Kathmandu yesterday so I think it is fitting that our first blog entry should come from the source so to speak! I was greeted with the usual chaos at the airport and had a particularly eager driver as we swerved through the small streets of the city, leaving a trail of destruction in our wake. Everything here is pretty much the same as before, not surprising as it was only 4 months ago we were here. One difference I could do without is that it is now blazing towards summer and the temperature has been threatening to reach 40 degrees (C)!
But crazy taxi drivers and uncomfortable weather are just two of the many things that make Kathmandu at once a challenging and exhilarating experience. There is no chance to ease into the different pace and culture here, it slaps you in the face the minute you set foot in the airport terminal. Life here quickly becomes a sink or swim situation!
Most of next week will be filled by meetings with our various partners and one of the things I am most looking forward to – meeting all of the girls that have received scholarships to attend school. I also have a lot of work to do with progressing plans for some of our other projects such as teacher training and adult literacy classes. I am only here for 10 days so I will probably spend this weekend catching up with old friends – the rickshaw driver who always has a new story to share, the beggar who actually hands out business cards showing her email address and mobile phone number (!) and ‘the bagman’, a speech impaired man who was treated as an outcaste for his disability so taught himself to sew and now has a small stall in the middle of Thamel where he sells his little bags and purses.
So on that note, I’ll leave it here. Stay tuned for updates….
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