Day FOUR

This is the first real day on the project.........we are all full of energy and keen to get something done....anything, c'mon lets do something! Just pick up a spade or pickaxe or wrecking bar and start breaking down whatever is left.......

Wait a minute, after just a few moments of thrashing bashing and smashing...........we need some sort of coordination, there are children on site, no not just us! The children from the village have come to watch, but now they are helping.........

So a moment of calm came over us and we took a look at what we needed to achieve for the day and how we were going to do this safely.  We all donned gloves, masks and in some cases safety glasses, not to mention it was getting hot, sunscreen and hats.

Its amazing how much energy we have and suprising how everyone really gets stuck in and how the children join in..........

There is just a small wall to get rid of...........c'mon lads put your back into it!!! of course we all need a supervisor?

Its an amazing transformation from what was left of the previous school, to what we had at the end of the day....

It took us all day to demolish the remains of the previous school and clear the site of rubble, making for a clean start for the next building.....well done gang an amazing effort, plenty of sweat, no blood no tears, just hard work.

We'll sleep well tonight...........here are some more shots of damaged buildings and members of the team relaxing.

Damaged by the earthquake, the reason they are unsafe and why so many building need rebuilding.  There is an enormous amount of work to be done.

major cracks in almost every building.

a uncef temporary classroom.

Judy relaxing with one of the baby goats.

Rebecca and Judy back to back.

Ashley and Mandy taking 5, I think waiting for shower time!

Day THREE

It was a long day today, we had a 6am start to load up the minibus and start our journey to Toulimadou, a small hillside village in the Ramechap district.  We were soon to be out of the busy hustle and bustle of Kathmandu only a short distance to the countryside, beautiful tree covered hills with the road winding back and forth up the valley.

We stopped on the way to have chia and chapati, freshly cooked by the raodside. A well timed break from the confines of the bus.

Really really twisty turny!

Beautiful scenery..........stunning.

Myself and Manoj are staying in the families accomodation, whilst the females are all staying in the tent.  I feel privilaged to be here sharing with them, they have been so helpful and kind to allow this.  As far as I can tell there are three generations staying in this one bedroom, its a temporary hut made from bamboo with a tin roof, they'll use this until there houses are made safe.  Which in most cases will require a full rebuild.  The issue is, if there is another earthquake then the house will collapse with them all inside.  So they use their houses for cooking and eating but not for sleeping.

We had our first meal with the family, making us all feel very welcome, it feels so natural to sit and share our stories while they share their food.  It highlights, for me, the way we are less interactive with each other in our culture.  This is by far the better way to interact with each other, family friends or neighbours, seeing people smile and hear them laugh, sharing all that is good.

It has been a long day i'm glad to get in my sleeping bag and put my head to rest.  We have a spot on the floor near the door, the family have wooden beds.  I don't know why i'm surprised but they have a TV in the room which they watch for about an hour before all retiring to sleep.

Day TWO

First real day on the job so to speak, meeting all the volunteers and finally getting to meet Kate and Mandy the in country management team from VSN.
I have to say Mandy is a character, full of energy with a steely determination to get things done,  Kate is more overseeing from the sidelines, making sure all is OK.  They both get my respect for what they do and how they achieve, what some would see as the impossible.

                                                  The first meeting and brief.

The volunteers then are; Ashley from Canada,  Judy from New Mexico,  Manoj from Philadelphia, Rebecca from UAE,  Melissa from Canada and Toddy from Melbourne.

It was great to meet everyone, we were briefed about all kinds of things, everything from toilet use to having a flexible and positive attitude.  (if anyone wants to know more details please add a comment) It was a good and thorough brief, being introduced to Balaram and Pradip who are the project interpreters and organisors coming with us into the field.

I was pleased to learn VSN/GVN have a long term view of their projects, infact its a lifelong program as they place teachers into their schools, provide equipment, books, pencils and desks.  Along with this they also have a learning program for empowering women in the countries they work, full details are on their website.  I'm glad i'm part of something that will change lives..........including mine.

After the brief we had a few hours to ourselves, not knowing when or if i'd have opportunity again I took the chance to go to the Pashupathi Nath Temple with Manoj.  Its an amazing Hindu temple and i'm so pleased and honoured that Manoj shared this experience with me, he took the time to help explain some of the things around us.  We also had a guide who was very helpful explaining all aspects of the temple and beliefs, really fascinating.  I'm so pleased I took this chance to go, of course I acted like a tourist at times but its hard not to in these circumstances.........

I'm not allowed to enter the main Temple as i'm not a Hindu, at its centre there is a golden cow and the inner doors are covered in silver, a very beautiful place a very spiritual place.  The whole experience was a highlight, the architecture age and symbolism of this place was very moving and memorable for me.

We later all met up for dinner and got to know each other a little more, it was good to spend this time with them all as a group, all having different passions and interests, all with a common cause; at least for the next two weeks.  I'm full of optimism and keen to get this project started with this delightful group of people.

Day ONE

Flight was good, overnight from London to Delhi then onto Kathmandu.  I feel I'm part of something now, I'm glad to be travelling, all my worries are gone.  Its exciting to be here.
I met with Judy at the airport, I recognised her from the photo sent by VSN of the group.  We shared a taxi from the airport to our hotel in Thamil, a district of Kathmandu.  We talked about how and why we volunteered. She is a nurse from Albuquerque New Mexico in the states.
There wasn't much traffic, not really what I expected but then there is a fuel shortage in the country! Its warm too, about 26/28C roughly.

                                            A view of Kathmandu on approach to landing.

                                          The Mighty Himalaya! So close yet so far.............

Close to the Himalayas, would the next time I visit be the time I get to climb one of these beautiful mountains?

At the hotel I also met Manoj, another of the volunteers, after a quick introduction we decided to have dinner together.  It was great talking with these inspiring people, we all got along straight away with stories of our reasons to volunteer and the excitement we shared.  We retired early, ready for our first day of volunteering.