Half Time Passed: Mid-Term Evaluation

Since we had some mid-term evaluation with the hosting organization in Nepal, I had to realize that it's true: we have already spent more than half of our time here. The evaluation consisted of excersises tht makes you think about what you are missing from home and what you have achived, what you have experienced here in return. Well, having colected all the experiences we had here so far, now I chose a lazy way to share it all with you - you can see below the summery that I prepared about the last almost three month. 

But don't worry, once I come over my laziness, soon I will share some more with you, too! :)

Activities of April

Work related experiences:

•  Taking part in the orientation training: Our experiences with CCN started with an orientation training, together with the local volunteers, during which we got to know a bit more about Nepalese traditions and the cultural context. 
• Cultural dinner: On our first Friday we all had a dinner together with CCN's current and former local volunteers and CCN staff. 
• Trip to Seto Gumba: On our first weekend, as the part of the orientation training we visited a Buddhist monastery near Kathmandu, Seto Gumba. We took part in the trip together with some of the local volunteers.
• Taking part in Nepali language lessons: In the first two weeks, Yamkala, our mentor held Nepali language classes for us, where we learnt how to introduce ourselves, how to bargain with taxis or when shopping and many other useful expressions.
•  Preparing a presentation about teaching methodology in Europe: Together with the other European volunteers we prepared a Power Point presentation about the teaching methodology in our countries.
•  Visiting the schools: We took our first introduction visits in four schools: Societal Higher Secondary School, National Academy, Rising Star, Guheswori School.
• Preparing our schedules: We discussed with Yagya and Yamkala our preferences about our working place and prepared our schedules. Regarding my schedule, we decided that I’m going to work two days a week in Guheswori School, one day in Societal School and two days in CCN office.
• Preparing time frame for specific tasks: Having our schedule regarding the working place, we defined specific tasks to be done, assigned them to individuals and prepared a time frame for it.
•  Preparing concept papers: I prepared different concept papers about workshops that I would like to do at CCN – they included photography workshop, psychodrama workshop and communication and conflict management workshop.
• Starting to work on CCN project: In the time spent in CCN office, together with Estela we starting working on a possible project for CCN to be sent for call of proposals. We started this by background research about the social situation in Nepal and discussions with local volunteers about the topic. Later we made research about discrimination, especially cast and gender discrimination.
•   School activities:

o   First introduction lessons: I conducted my first lessons at Societal School.

Other experiences:

•  Arriving to Kathmandu, first dinner: Arriving to Nepal I got the first sights and experiences of Nepalese culture, as well as we had a common dinner with Yamkala and Yagya in our apartment on the first day when we arrived.
• Getting engaged in the cleaning campaign in Swayambhu: Through Laura, we got to know some local people who are running a cleaning campaign at Swyambhu area so we started taking part in the campaign every Saturday.
• Trip to Ram Mandir: We all visited Ram Mandir together with Yagya and Yamkala for the festival dedicated to Ram.
• Visiting Thamel, Patan, Boudha: During the first weeks we explored parts of Kathmandu while organizing big walking tours with the other European volunteers.
•  Nepalese New Years: We got to experience the New Years according to the Nepalese Calendar: for this event we went to Durbar Square and listened a bit to a Nepalese concert.
• Easter: We celebrated Easter with the other European volunteers and a few friends.
• Tattoo Convention: We went to see a Tattoo Convention with Laura, Estela and some friends.
• Leaving of Laura

Activities of May

Work related experiences:

• Conducting Communication and Conflict Management Workshop: We organized at CCN office a workshop for college students coming from different background on the topic of communication and conflict management. For this event I developed the activities and played the role of the facilitator while the local volunteers took care of informing and inviting the participants and writing reports of the event. After the workshop I prepared certificates for the participants, sent them feedback questionnaires and analysed the results.
• Preparing possible workshop titles, developing concept papers: I developed concept papers for workshops on family therapy, anti-discrimination and conflict analysis.
• Updating CV: I prepared Euro Pass CV
•  Proceeding with the project for CCN: Together with Estella we made further research about possible projects to be developed and also made research about how to develop and write a project.
• Updating blog: I reviewed the blog written by the former volunteers, changed the outlook and updated it with new information.
• School activities:

o   Societal School:

§  Teaching about European countries, Hungarian traditions and cuisine.

§  With Class 7 we started a cultural exchange program with Hungarian children: for this I asked them to create a poster that represents Nepal and also write introductions about themselves – I did this with the promise that I would send their poster to Hungarian kids who might answer to them as well.

o   Guheswori School: Teaching English through Aesop’s fables and stories, as well as practising writing and talking about different topics in English. For this I used several games to make the lesson more interactive and interesting.

Other experiences:

• Continuing Swayambhu cleaning campaign: With the other volunteers we regularly spent our Saturdays at Swayambhu. Slowly the campaign gained new content: lots of children from difficult background and living in the area of Swayambhu got involved in the campaign as well, so the organizers started having different activities with them, like explaining about the importance of cleaning, the history of the temple, as well as conducting learning and extracurricular activities, too. We all also got involved in these activities and also spent most of the day with the organizers who got closer to us.
• Visiting a Buddhist monastery near Swayambhu: One Saturday we also visited a small Buddhist monastery close to Swayambhu with our friends from the campaign and practised some tai chi there.
• Visiting Pokhara and trekking: Together with Estella we took our free days to go on a trip to Pokhara and also do a five-day-long trekking on the route of Nayapul – Ghandruk – Tadepani – Ghotrepani – Thiketunda – Nayapul.
• Visiting Sundarijal Waterfall: We went on a trip to Sundarijal waterfall with the other volunteers, when unfortunately Aurelia and Estela had to return because of Aurela’s being sick, so only Stefania and me continued to the falls and the villages above it.
• Photo trip to Patan: On a bank holiday at the end of May I went alone to Patan to collect some pictures of the daily life in this amazing area.

Activities of June

Work related experiences:

•  Further work with project development: At CCN office, together with Estela we did further work to proceed with a project. Considering the background we decided to work on child labour, so we conducted research on this topic, looked for projects that have already been done about child labour and searched for workshop materials and ideas about how to use arts and photography with children to work on this topic.
• We also decided to contact some local organizations already working on child labour. We wrote and sent emails to several organizations and finally we visited an organization, called CWIN – where unfortunately we didn’t get too much information about their ongoing projects.
• Finally based on the material that we found about the topic, we prepared a project plan about a possible project based on international collaborations round the topic of child labour, using arts, discussions and photography. We also prepared –as part of it – an activity plan for schools in Nepal.
• School activities:

o   Societal Scool:

§  Conducting Hungarian language lessons

§  Finishing the poster as part of a cultural exchange between Nepalese and Hungarian children and sending it by mail to Hungary (for the children of a club at a child welfare service).

o   Public School:

§  Continuing with working on improving English through stories, games and conversations

§  I also started a project with two classes where the classes are creating their own sketch together that is hopefully going to be performed in front of the school in August.

Other experiences:

• Continuing Swayambhu cleaning campaign
• Visiting Boudha: Together with Estela we took a trip again to Boudhanath and enjoyed the sunset at the temple.
• Patan –Kirtipur trip: One weekend we set up with Estela to take a walking trip from Patan to Kirtipur. Finally because of the long way after Patan I continued my way alone to Kirtipur and had a nice afternoon discovering the village.
• Trip to Bhaktapur – Nagarkot – Changu Narayan – Bhaktapur: On another weekend I decided to take a trip to Nagarkot and also visit Bhaktapur on the way. While coming back, finally I walked from Nagarkot to Changu Narayan from where I again decided to walk to Bhaktapur.

Adapting after two month: Being the European ~ Being both Insider & Outsider

I think I have written a pretty similar post to this few years ago when I was in Ghana. Well, the fact is that so many times it feels so similar to be here in Nepal than what I experienced in Ghana...

Well, anyway having spent here more than two month now, I feel half being extremely involved and half still being an outsider – which I think is never possible to be changed. On one side I feel like that I know how things work here: I know how to cross the road which seemed impossible at the beginning, just like I know how to get around in Kathmandu and the places nearby. I have no problem with stopping the buses shouting loudly: Hey Dai, Swoyambhu janchha? (=Hey brother, are you going to Swoyambhu?). Usually I have no problem with bargaining either, I can repet it continuously “Derei mahango, sasto dinus, paisa chaina” (Too expensive, give me cheaper, I have no money).  And it’s so sooo nice to be able to get around like this, know the place, have a real experience.

On the other side I can more and more experience what kind of a life a star could have, which is not easy to get used to. Any time you walk on the street you can take it for sure that somebody will either stare at you or say hello or offer to take you somewhere or invent any other kind of way to get in contact with you. The kids are waving on the street saying “Hello, Namaste, bye” and there are more and more people who recognize us on the way that we usually take.

We are meeting more and more people who are so nice that we are not used to in Europe, seemingly without any expectation in return. Bringing us presents, doing favours, inviting for dinner and even asking the mum to come and cook for us dal bhat, the typical and everyday part of the Nepalese cuisine. These are the experiences when you stand there and don’t understand, thinking that they have no reason to do all these for you. Until you finally get the reason: you are European. European who is thought to be a good person, probably a rich person too and also one who could be nice to contact once in Europe. I know, this is generalization, there are exceptions – finally we know some, too. But still, it’s  common experience that I feel that I would like to change my skin sometimes, I would just like to be normal and not a “star”. I would like to be seen as who I am and not what is shown on the outside....

It’s an interesting mixture of being an insider and an outsider that you balance between every day, minute by minute and which will also make you try to define and stabilize your own position, your own picture of yourself in this interesting, different and sometimes crazy context. :)

A manual for the post office in Nepal

After my recent adventures at the post office of Kathmandu, I thought it would be worth to write a manual about how to send a package from here.

1. Well, the first challenge is to find a post office itself. While offices of different couriers like DHL, TNT and Fedex can be found at almost every corner, it turned out, that there is just one main post office in Kathmandu, where it’s possible to send a package, which is called General Post Office and situated at Sundhara. At least, this was the first information I got. Later I got to know that parcels can be only sent from the Foreign Post Office that can be also found at Sundhara, just in a different building.
2. The second challenge is to find the office actually open. After three days of visiting the post office and finding it closed – once because of bank holiday, other day just because it was Friday, then it was too late... – finally I got to know that although the post office itself is supposed to be open usually from 10am to 5pm on most days, parcels can be only sent between 10am to 2pm, which is not too easy to manage with your working hours...
3. The next step: keep in mind that the opening hours here should be considered in Nepali time – the fact that the office is supposed to be open at 10am doesn’t mean that you will actually find open gates then... Maybe around 10:30..:)
4. Once you found the post office open, count on spending around one hour there. Well, this part is going to be again a real adventure. :) Getting there, the post office workers remembered me from the previous days when I was trying to send my package with no success, so they greeted me warmly, even remembering that I wanted to send a package to Hungary. First I got a form to fill out – of course in Nepali, but fortunately I got an English manual next to it, too. For this be prepared, that you have to declare the content of your package that is going to be checked, too and you will even need your passport and the expirery of your visa to present. When you are done with this, you have to go to the “packing person”, who, even though your package is already packed, will make a white cotton cover for your parcel and sew it around it. And the best part is just coming after this: red wax is going to be melted over some candles and stamped on the sealing of the package, just to make it extra safe – really, just like in Harry Potter! :) When you are also done with that, there’s still another form to fill out and maybe, just like me, you will still have to wait again a bit for the “boss” to arrive who might be there only an hour after the official opening hour...

But don’t worry, if you follow these steps, you will have a real experience of Nepali time and administration, you can get a chance to have a chat with fellow foreigners waiting for the office to open and you will feel extremely successful and satisfied after knowing that your package is already on its way to the destination!  (hopefully :P)