change

This past weekend I delightfully ventured out of the city for a night to Dhulikhel (that may be spelled wrong...). It was such a pleasure to get out of the pollution and see some snow-capped mountains in the distance. It reminded me how beautiful this country is and how diverse the environments are! From the jungle to the mountains- it's so rich! We hiked all around the area up and down what I'd call mountains but are apparently hills. We passed through many villages, but stopped in one to join in a game of volleyball. It was a blast, but I decided to be a champ and tae yself out of the game for the sake of my team's honor. Turned out to be a good decision (not just for my team) because I was immediately surrounded by the village kids with two 1month old puppies in my arms. I tried to comunicate in my broken Nepali, and now I am realizing how much these little interactions form the substance of my experience here. One (beautiful!) 10 year old girl kept asking me if I would take these tw little girls back with me. Though funny at the time it is really sad- they assume that I would be able to take care of these girls because of my status given the color of my skin. I declined the offer, but continued to hang out with the kids and even walked to one of their homes. It was an amazing day- both aesthetically and culturally eye-opening.

Now that I'm back in Kathmandu I have begun to realize how time is super tricky- it is always either zooming by or inching forward. So all at once I can't believe it's March and I'm shocked it's not April. Whatever the date, I have tons of work to do! This week I have been getting my act together and visiting different organizations that work with family planning. I went to the Women's development Training Center which is funded by the government and promotes women's empowerment through educaton and program training (literacy, skills, etc.). I just sort of walked in and was greeted warmly and with tea! The hopitality and friendliness of the country is a real treat (though at times they can be too friendly...). I talked with three people who work there, in English, about their projects and what they think of development. I left feeling hopeful and excited to have made some new contacts! Today I went to the Family Planning Association of Nepal which is an NGO that provides 5 main areas of spreading information awareness: Abortion, HIV/AIDS, Adolescents, advocacy and access. I was able to meet with the Department Director for 45 minutes which was amazing! This organization focuses on spreading awareness through education and information to remote areas of Nepal. They also provide contraceptiveservices- both temporary and permanent- to any woman who wants. This organization totally inspired me and I may want to spend some time during my Independent study volunteering with the at one of their clinics in rural Nepal. Their aim is to provide services to marginalized communities with little access to or information about family planning. However, they have not been able to start more clinics in more districts because of the Bush-era aid cut of any family planning organizations abroad. Thank goodness for Obama's reversing that policy! They are hopeful that with more funding they will be able to start a sex-ed project with the government for public high schools.

The definition of development is no clearer still, but I am aware that a community can create change when there is access to resources and information. I cannot wait to start learning more about these organizations that are really working and developing theselves and their country. What a cool thing to witness and hopefully be a part of!

Tomorrow will be a bit different because I will be meetnig with USAID Nepal. It will be the first foreign organization that I meet with, and I am looking forward to hearing about their plans and views. It is so great to be able to have the freedom to exlpore my passions and hopefully volunteer my time and energy to something I believe in- it is my own little way of giving something back to Nepal :)