From the fog drifting through the forest on the hill above to the valley of rice slowly growing below, Tansen is a very peaceful place. The dogs and crows make the most noise. Well, there is one exception: the bazaar. Everyone does their shopping here. Fruit and veg, bangles, digital clocks, bright fabrics and chunks of goat are all for sale. People walk the streets loaded up with goods and move over for the motorbikes, which beep their way through the crowds. Most of the shops sell brands from Nepal and India, but a few stock some familiar items like Berri juice (made in Australia!), Toblerone chocolate and Kellog’s cereal. In my spare time I like to hang out in the bazaar and practice my Nepali with the shopkeepers. We talk a lot about the FIFA World Cup! The common questions are: Which country are you from? How long are you here for? Do you like Nepal? Are you married? And I attempt to answer them in Nepali! The sentence structure is different to English, making it hard to become fluent. Mero desh Australia ho translates my country Australia is! But the Nepali people are extremely patient and forgiving, helping me out. There really is no rush to do anything here. Tomorrow might even mean next week, but that’s okay. I find it very liberating not having deadlines! So it is a very peaceful life in this lovely little place in Nepal.
Holidays!
Already? I hear you ask. Yep, and I’ve made the most of my two weeks off, travelling by jeep, bus, taxi, motorbike and on foot to various places in Nepal. Back in Kathmandu for a week meant stocking up on supplies not available in Tansen and catching up with the people I first met when I arrived. I joined 500 locals to watch the World Cup Final on a huge screen in a suburban street. Luckily Spain scored just before the rain started to bucket down. I spent two nights in Pokhara with Rachel, a med student from England. We swam in the hotel pool, rowed a boat on the lake, and while she was paragliding, I went off to a waterfall and a Tibetian refugee camp. I also enjoyed a day nearby Tansen, exploring an old palace by the river with a local friend. I’m so appreciative of the opportunity to enjoy the special things about Nepal, particularly its beauty, and I give glory to God for making such an incredibly cool, mountainous place! Come and visit any time; you know you want to!
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Moving to Tansen
After 10 days of language lessons and orientation in Kathmandu, I got up early to catch the hospital bus to Tansen. The journey was very hot and it took 10 hours. However, the scenery was incredible. I still can’t believe we made it up and down the steep mountains on those windy roads. The river ran along side us for most of the trip, changing colour along the way. On arrival, many of the hospital staff were there to greet us. The bus only comes and goes once a week (bringing people, mail and hospital supplies) and it is a highlight for many.
So I spent a few weeks staying in the guest house (there’s always room for visitors!) waiting for my room to be ready. Now I’m on the top storey of a big house with a housemate and a didi (big sister), who comes three days a week to look after the house work and cooking. I'm not complaining!
The School
The Tansen Tutorial Group is a lovely bunch of six children. Their parents are working in the hospital in various roles: surgeons, medical doctors, pediatrics and the training of Nepali nurses and interns. It’s not always an easy life, being the child of missionaries. However I am encouraged by the kids and how happy they are to be here serving with their families. They all have an eagerness to learn, which makes the school day a very good day indeed! We are looking at the Bible from the start to finish, learning many things about the ocean and practicing our maths and English skills. I am looking forward to a fun and successful year!
So I spent a few weeks staying in the guest house (there’s always room for visitors!) waiting for my room to be ready. Now I’m on the top storey of a big house with a housemate and a didi (big sister), who comes three days a week to look after the house work and cooking. I'm not complaining!
The School
The Tansen Tutorial Group is a lovely bunch of six children. Their parents are working in the hospital in various roles: surgeons, medical doctors, pediatrics and the training of Nepali nurses and interns. It’s not always an easy life, being the child of missionaries. However I am encouraged by the kids and how happy they are to be here serving with their families. They all have an eagerness to learn, which makes the school day a very good day indeed! We are looking at the Bible from the start to finish, learning many things about the ocean and practicing our maths and English skills. I am looking forward to a fun and successful year!
Sunday, January 07, 2007
When you lose a friend
Life is no easy thing to be in. I guess that's why many people opt out. Other times it seems that things in life just don't make any sense. Like how my best friend from Uni had to die in a car crash just before Christmas. What the heck was the point of that? She left behind her boyfriend who was about to propose, her family that loved her dearly, and a job as a teacher that she was about to start. Talk about being cut down in one's prime. I'm not neccessarily angry about the whole thing, I am more frustrated that I cannot understand why a tragedy like this has to occur. I guess that sometimes its not our place to ask why. If we knew everything that God did and why he did it, he would fit into our human head, and then he would no longer be God. My housemate taught me that. I don't know how I would have coped if I hadn't had all my beautiful Christian friends around me, supporting me through the tears and questions.
The worst part though, is that I don't think I will see my friend again. So many times I shared with her about Jesus and his love for her, and how he can save us from being separated from God for eternity. Yet she didn't want to accept it. She almost self-condemned herself, acknowledging areas of her life that would have to change if she was to have Jesus as King of her life. She didn't want to give up these things, and so turned away from the gift of eternal life. I cannot blame myself because I know I told her everything that I could, and showed her how much I loved her by being her friend. I just don't understand. But what I do know is that my God, my Heavenly Father is completely good, and perfect, and just in all he does, and he has a reason for everything he does, even if I cannot know it. I cling onto these truths and realise how very short life is, and that this life is only like the blink of an eye, preparing us for eternity. I have confidence that Jesus' death on the cross has paid the price due for all of my sinful rebellion against God. I know that he has given me a new life to live, in his service, and that he has made a place for me in Heaven. He is my Rock, and on this foundation I cannot be shaken.
Where will you be after this life is over? Don't sit around and wait to find out, and don't be like my friend choosing to turn away from God--run to Jesus. He will change your life forever!
The worst part though, is that I don't think I will see my friend again. So many times I shared with her about Jesus and his love for her, and how he can save us from being separated from God for eternity. Yet she didn't want to accept it. She almost self-condemned herself, acknowledging areas of her life that would have to change if she was to have Jesus as King of her life. She didn't want to give up these things, and so turned away from the gift of eternal life. I cannot blame myself because I know I told her everything that I could, and showed her how much I loved her by being her friend. I just don't understand. But what I do know is that my God, my Heavenly Father is completely good, and perfect, and just in all he does, and he has a reason for everything he does, even if I cannot know it. I cling onto these truths and realise how very short life is, and that this life is only like the blink of an eye, preparing us for eternity. I have confidence that Jesus' death on the cross has paid the price due for all of my sinful rebellion against God. I know that he has given me a new life to live, in his service, and that he has made a place for me in Heaven. He is my Rock, and on this foundation I cannot be shaken.
Where will you be after this life is over? Don't sit around and wait to find out, and don't be like my friend choosing to turn away from God--run to Jesus. He will change your life forever!
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
To Italy or not to Italy...
You know when you apply for a job or some kind of commitment, and you don't really think very hard about it, and then it comes up as a real opportunity, even though you thought deep down, "I would never be good enough", and you are in this mess of deciding what to do? Well that is me. I applied for my 'dream job' as a nanny in Italy, and, well, I got a call from the agency! The woman was totally impressed with my resume and informed me I could get a top nanny position with qualifications like that. (Uni has been useful after all!) So she gave me one day to decide. Not long I know, but I set about thinking, praying and asking family and friends what they thought I should do. My Dad and Mum were like straight away "No, don't go! We will miss you too much!" Most of my friends said it would be an awesome experience and that I should do it. But something didn't sit right with me...
Eventually I found myself thinking, "What is life all about? What is it for?" and I realised that it was relationships that I live for. Friends, family, kids at Sunday School, housemates, aquaintances, even people in my community that I might only meet once in my life; if I up and leave and run away to Italy I would be leaving all this behind. Yes, at least half of those people would still be here when I got back (God-willing), but my relationship with them would be lacking. In a way, it would be broken. And what would going to Italy achieve? An excellent, unique experience for sure, but what do experiences prove to the people I love when I am not there for them, and they miss me so much it hurts?
As you can see, I am faced with a difficult decision. But ultimately, as my pastor said, I need and want to be where I can best live and breathe the gospel of Jesus. So I think it is here in Tassie that I will stay. I'm excited about the holiday club Nonie and I are planning for the needy kids in the area, I want to spend more time with my sister and see her get better, and my Opa is rather sick. I need to be here for these people. This is where God has plonked me, so it is here I will serve him and do my best!
Eventually I found myself thinking, "What is life all about? What is it for?" and I realised that it was relationships that I live for. Friends, family, kids at Sunday School, housemates, aquaintances, even people in my community that I might only meet once in my life; if I up and leave and run away to Italy I would be leaving all this behind. Yes, at least half of those people would still be here when I got back (God-willing), but my relationship with them would be lacking. In a way, it would be broken. And what would going to Italy achieve? An excellent, unique experience for sure, but what do experiences prove to the people I love when I am not there for them, and they miss me so much it hurts?
As you can see, I am faced with a difficult decision. But ultimately, as my pastor said, I need and want to be where I can best live and breathe the gospel of Jesus. So I think it is here in Tassie that I will stay. I'm excited about the holiday club Nonie and I are planning for the needy kids in the area, I want to spend more time with my sister and see her get better, and my Opa is rather sick. I need to be here for these people. This is where God has plonked me, so it is here I will serve him and do my best!
Saturday, August 19, 2006
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