leaving civilization as I know it

Well, this Friday I will be taking off on a day's worth of travel to land on the other side of the world. Before that a lot of errands and packing need to be done, but I will try to be in touch with everyone before I leave! Once I arrive in Kathmandu, I will be in Thamel for 4 days, in which I should have internet access and can inform you all about my culture shock! Then I will be placed in a local village for the rest of training and then to live with a Nepali family for the entirety of my stay. I will try to go into the main city, Thamel, every other week to stock up on toilet paper, use the internet and take a hot shower! So you can expect blog updates during these breaks, though posts may be intermittent at times.

The Volunteer Network describes my program as: "an opportunity to help in a wide range of practical village-based projects. These projects could be as basic as painting or plastering, however, those with additional skills may be able to help in more advanced work. Projects are usually decided upon in consultation with local communities, but you can use your initiative to suggest projects of your own. It is vital to be sensitive to the needs and wishes of the local community. Projects are usually partly funded by the communities and partly by our partner organisation and/or volunteer contributions. You'll work with other volunteers in small groups, usually with minimal supervision. Often you'll also work alongside villagers, learning about traditional methods of building and working. Example projects include school repair and decoration; toilet building; drinking water projects; road drainage projects; recycling projects; stove building; and construction work on our partner organisation's own children's home. You can also take more of an environmental education focus by informing children about appropriate waste disposal, recycling, composting and creating vegetable and flower gardens in the childrens homes."

It seems from the VSN newsletter that all volunteers have been working on building a new children's home that they hope to have complete in April 2010.


I am very excited to begin this adventure and am [hopefully] ready to live with an open mind and enjoy everything that is to come. I want to thank everyone for their support and kind wishes. I will miss you all!