April 2010

13/04/10 or 066/12/31
Today’s dates, depending on wether you’re in Western world calendar or Nepali calendar. Everyone in Nepal is wishing each other Happy New Year Wishes! Today was one of those days in Nepal when all that effort at learning the language and drinking tea to develop relationships is starting to pay off! Namrata the assistant at WRH has been on leave so I’ve been doing the SLT work there alone. This has really helped my relationships with the other staff. I’ve been chatting with Bishnu the audiology technician and he’s been telling me how he would love to get training in digital hearing aids-Great!
I went to a ‘leaving do’ at P.F.R where I’ve found it very slow to make progress with my work. I’m expecting an informal pop in! It’s meant to start at 3, so at 3:30 I think I’m late, but arrive and nothing’s happening! I’m told Nepali time’s like elasctic. Then someone remarks, ‘Oh are you invited?’ Well I spend a lot of time in Nepal uncertain of the protocol and so I then wonder if I’m meant to be there at all. As I’m dwelling on my insecurities, one of the facilitators, gives me a key ring marked with my name and the new year, and some ear-rings which he has made, as my new year gift.
The good bye, is a formal affair, should’ve known, how the Nepali’s LOVE a boring programme with plenty of speeches. Starting at 4, it’s only an hour late. So I hang in there following the gist until about 4:30, my brain is fried and gives up trying. Hom the man leaving is wearing flower garlands, and we all have to present him with a flower-so far out of my comfort zone now. Speeches ended I try to leave, but no, they insist I must have the compulsory snack, which is served at all do’s. So I try and eat knowing that a friend has cooked tea for us, how will I eat that? But despite not quite knowing what’s going on all the time and being the definite outsider, the reward, is that now they are making an effort to include me, they chat to me in Nepali, they discuss how I can be involved in their projects. I’ve worked with Hom enough to be sad that he’s leaving.
Then to top it all I arrive home and open 2 parcels form home, full of beef oxo cubes and various packets to help me cook N.I style. There are also news paper clippings from the local paper about how the Model primary school raised money for one of the H.I patients Sristi to receive a Cochlear Implant. We are very close to our target and I think at very positive that we will have been able to achieve by being here. To all the staff, pupils and friends and who got involved THANK-YOU.