the last trimestre

I don't believe I received the "JO! you're moving continent! Stop faffing around uploading photos and start making some PLANS!" memo! and yet somehow I'm only 10 weeks til D-Day with a not-so-completed list in the 'planning department'...

What should I do? Where do I start? When do I start? What do I need? What don't I need? Should I worry? Should I act worried? When should I worry/start acting worried? What happens if I forget something? What happens if I take too much? What's more important: looking good or keeping warm/cool? What's more important: Don Quixote or my reference bible? Debit card or travellers cheques? VISA or mastercard? Immodium or laxative tea? Diary or Macbook - he he? Suitcase or backpack? Scarpas or espadrilles?

ABORT ABORT ABORT -> SOMEBODY TAKE THE PRESSURE DOWN

I'm still adjusting from my last move. Yes I'm serious...I've still got unpacked boxes, and not just the 'stowed out of mind in my parents' garage' variety; unpacked boxes in my room: fully visible!!!!!!! Not to mention the stuff I left...ah-hum I mean, lent to my old housemate:)...how can this be happening again?!

It may be cliche but there is truth in the words: 'time flies'

This time a year ago I was pondering what to do with my life; casually reading a past year book about how the preaching work started in India, weighing up what would be harder - Vietnamese or Nepali? weighing up what would be more of an experience - Barcelona or Nepal? considering whether or not 'I'm that kind of person'? or is it even possible?

And now, I'm here. Leaving for Bangkok in 76 days, and arriving in Kathmandu, Nepal (my home for the next 12 months) in 87 days.

But the exciting news is:
'guess who's back? back again?
[Chasty's] back, tell a friend,
guess who's back? guess who's back? guess who's back? guess who's back? do do do...'

Yes, my partner in crime (AKA Alana) just returned from her 4-month stint in Nepal, and we are now getting down to business-> 'it's business, it's business time!'

I've booked my flights, and just got my leave of absence approved - thank you Gilbert! (insert French accent), we've got a place to live (high-5s for Chasty!), we're discussing different VISAS (the permit, not the CC), and are investigating ways to heighten language absorption (rapping is a possibility). So yes, we appear to be in 1st gear!

Unfortunately each time I open my check-list it seems to lengthen rather than reduce...which is a little unnerving as I was hoping this would be the 'once in my life' where I'd have everything all-together and terrifically sorted before I hit the tarmac. Is it too much to ask that I can be well-rested, neatly packed, beautifully dressed, on time and under the baggage weight limit???

I hope not friends, as this is my mission!

Nepali group goes official

It is now Wednesday afternoon, just over 24 hours left until we pass the next frontier, our first Nepali congregation book study.

The whole affair will last only 15-20 minutes and yet, the preparation, the anticipation, the heartbeat: intense!

Opening night we are inaugurating the meeting in a study from the ‘Growing Older Together’ chapter in ‘The Secret of Family Happiness’ book. I think I was sub-teen when we studied this in the English, and as I prepped (prepared) my appreciation for advice on a 'not so spoken of' subject soared: How to maintain our happiness as we grow older.

I’m on the precipice of 25, so not quite dependent on a walking stick, but it is apparent in society that youth and beauty are synonymous with happiness, and as these fade so can contentment in one’s self and/or mate. (Incidentally the first subheading is entitled, ‘Adapting to Your Children’s Independence’…hmmm could it be that for some, letting go of their children is like letting go of their youth - hence the knot in the apron strings?)

Though this topic interests me in Times New Roman, once the Devanagari script appears, meditation is quickly transferred from thoughts such as ‘a man will leave his family and stick to his wife’, to, ‘does this word end in “sha”, “sa”, “sh” or “s”!?’ – who needs a mintie?

I've undertaken the task of finding my own answer so I actually learn something...but given the length in time I've spent perusing my dictionary for words like 'buddhi' (wisdom) and 'buudhaa-buudhii' (FYI folks: the elderly), I'll be satisfied with just the one comment - short and sweet.

Someone shared a tip with me once that they always answer right at the beginning so they can relax for the rest of the meeting. I have stolen this plan and am endeavouring to answer in the second paragraph (think I'll need my scuba-tank;)...

Yes nerve-racking as they are; exciting times they be!

If y'all ever find yourself in Marrickville on a Thursday evening circa 7:30 pm, feel free to drop by (315 Enmore Road).

I ♥ ASIA

This week I've been thinking about living in ASIA and some of the things that I'm looking forward to experiencing day to day.

Granted I've never been to Nepal before so can't say that it'll be exactly the same. But it has to be said that there are more than a few inimitable aspects copyright to this subcontinent which keep us coming back for more!

My 'desert island top 5' bits I love about ASIA in no particular order are:

1 the ability to wake up in the middle of the night, walk down the street, and obtain your midnight snack from a lively street vendor - hooray for 24 hour cities!!!!!

2 the informality - (cotton fisherman pants and thongs: relaxing and comforting the wayward traveller for decades...)

3 the food...

4 the transport - be it bicycles, rickshaws , scooters (occasionally carrying everything, AND a kitchen sink), unforgettable train/bus-rides in 2nd class ...there is something so enlivening about their rustic approach

5 the people - we have a lot of travellers come to Australia but I can say for a fact that we aren't nearly as interested/welcoming as the people you will meet it in ASIA...many wouldn't even dream they'd ever be able to travel somewhere as distant as Sydney, yet their lot in life never hinders their genuine interest and innocent appreciation for the unknown. This contentment with life's simple pleasures always moves me.

I'm sure that there's a piece of ASIA left in all of us...even if it's a parasite lying dormant until your next greasy, late night kebab!

Feel free to indulge me with yours...

trekking/hiking/bush-walking/tramping?

I've been reading up a little in my LP (don't laugh...we've all got to start somewhere) about different treks to do in Nepal and in doing so have stumbled once again upon something not that many people know about me, but which is nevertheless the naked truth...

I have a sick fixation about being original...

To be embarrassingly honest and idealistic, I'd love to do a trek which no one has ever done before, and which will of course be completely unique, mind-blowingly beautiful etc etc etc...

I am learning, however, that there is always a reason/s and decided advantages of taking the road more commonly travelled: beauty, attainable challenges, safety...to name a few...

So after reading with some eagerness about the extreme treks in the 'Restricted Areas' in the NW region of Dolpo (sacred pristine lakes, remote villages, razorbacked Himalayan peaks...), I've had a second thought and 'cut-back' to a section containing some more 'user-friendly' yet AMAZING treks closer to KTM.

The Langtang region has caught my interest this week, it is just north of KTM (and doesn't require a helicopter - yessss!) stretching to the border of Tibet...tough gig indeed!...
I'm reading about Rhododendrons (officially the hardest flower name to pronounce...I sound like I've got a stutter every time I attempt it and end up having to fudge an ending so it comes out more like 'Rhodododododenendronnnngs!'...but as I said to Alana the other day, perhaps the name gives the flower more appeal...it sounds somewhat romantic...hmmm)...Together with GLACIERS, the SACRED LAKES of Gosainkund, rhododendrons are on-route in Langtang and only require about 2 weeks out of our busy schedule...and I'm SOLD!

Only 2 weeks!...it's amazing how caught up you can get reading about these treks/hikes/bush-walks/tramps - whichever way you want to call it...suddenly 2 weeks seems so 'easy' and comfortable...if you're going to go for 2 weeks, why not 3?...which again is another symptom of my personality...yes, a little extreme...I forget that I haven't actually ever trekked 2 weeks...

I'm not a complete stranger to the sport though...when I was 16 my sister and I completed a 3-day trek (applause) in the hilltribes in the North of Thailand, which we were very proud of and to this day continue to bask in its victory!

Apart from the odd 'death-march' style day-trip (a moment silence for Jonesy and Felic), we didn't find ourselves officially back 'on-piste' til 4 years later...this time we graced "El Camino de Inca" and cursed ourselves for not training beforehand as we clambered up "Dead Woman's Pass" (rest assured 'she' died for good reason...those steps were murder!), but with "Living on a Prayer" cheering us across the finish line, we defied physics (our physics...) and those horrendous steps to the "Sun Gate", and, champagnes in hand, watched Macchu Picchu appear through the clouds!

So after yet another 4 year reprieve (is this a cycle?)...I'm ready for my next mountain to climb!

the Nepali group

Last Saturday a lot of the ones associated with the Nepali group got together for a Nepali-themed night. Meaning that many us wore Nepali kurtas, some wore saris (traditionally these are to be worn by married women) and a couple of the men doned the dhaka topi (traditional hat).

As I was customarily late (let's not go there), me and my chicken saag arrived as the main course was nearing completion. I did, however, manage to fill my plate up with some really delicious curries which flavours were a little new to me. One of the Nepali sisters, Anju, is vegetarian and she made a couple of dishes, one of which had chickpeas in it really blew my mind! I'm starting to appreciate the different spices they use a bit more now, and how addictive they are!

Actually, in the afternoon I had gone shopping in Ashfield (Australia's answer to Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh, New Delhi and KTM in one make-shift suburb!) and I went into this Indian grocer to get some 'brown' cardamom (let the reader note: AKA 'black' cardamom)...wow...I never ever thought I could go on a spice shopping-spree...I really had to show some restraint and leave the green cardamom and black sesame seeds for next time! Lucky these joints only take cash;)

After dinner some of the Nepalis danced for us, some needing more coaxing then others! One of the studies, Bhawana, led the procession roping Anju in for a couple of Hindi numbers where they basically dance all the lyrics so you don't really need to understand the language at all...it was pretty hysterical but also very graceful, and Anju, against her wishes put on a convincing performance as a bit of 'tease' to her pursuer, Bhawana (who wore a dhaka topi to distinguish her as the male)!

Bhawana is super out-going! I really love her and her husband, Amos (too cute: theirs is a 'love marriage'; their parents still don't know they're married!), they bring some of the other shyer Nepalis out of their little cardamom husks:)

I was fairly surprised to meet the alter-ego of our little 'shishak' (teacher), Surendra, who will now be eternally known to me as the 'tiny dancer'. He threw off his scholarly restraints for the evening and got 'jiggy with it'! I feel like I know him so much better now:)

It is really special to be able to see the beginnings of the work in the Nepali field in Sydney. At the moment it is like a big family, made up of only two baptised Nepalis, several languages learners and many studies. There is an Australian couple who really mother a lot of the studies showing them a lot of love, which I think is really lovely as most are on their own in Australia. This is something which I want to contribute to, showing lots of love and support, especially while my Nepali is 'naramro' - bad:)

an experience

The day after we got back from PNG Alana and I had a really nice experience. We were doing Nepali RVs, and of course, no one was home - Nepali Witno Challenge No.1.

So we decided to call on this Iranian girl I'd met a couple of weeks earlier. When we rocked up at her place a guy came to the door and said he'd never heard of her but that they'd just moved in...instinctively Alana and I were looking at him thinking, "hmmm, $50 this guy is Nepali"...so I said, "where are you from?"...to which he replied, "Nepal"...to which we replied..."Namaste!", followed by a quick succession of sentences until our Nepali was exhausted (approx. 30 seconds later).

He was so shocked that we were speaking his language (though he clearly thought we spoke more than we actually can!) and asked us how we knew Nepali. We explained we are learning so we can teach the Nepali people the Bible in their mother tongue...at which point his draw dropped and face literally lit-up simultaneously, before he managed to blurt out, "I'm a Christian..."!^ - YESSSSS -> Big tick to Nepali Witno Challenge No.2 (culture v religion)

He's from KTM and became a Christian when he's was doing his A level in India* but...cut back for a second: in 1991 he went to a meeting near his home in KTM!!!! He remembered the Prahari Dharahara (watchtower) and remembered thinking at that time (as he was a teenager and still a Hindu) that the witnesses were so happy and nice. So, the little seed had already been sown!

Alana and I got out the BT and were able to show him some scriptures in the Nepali Bible, whereby he proceeded to look wide-eyed and giggle every time we showed him the books in Nepali.

During the next few weeks we met up with Pahal several times in a local park and were able to finish the first chapter of the BT, discussing how Jehovah is unique as a god and how we can have a greater relationship with him.

Alana told me before I decided to join "team Nepali" that they are a very humble and approachable race but this is becoming more and more evident the more Nepalis I meet. Pahal is a very educated man (as are most) and yet when it comes to learning he is not afraid to ask questions or even admit that he does not understand many things. I really appreciate how Jehovah draws these ones. This is a quality of Jehovah's I am very drawn to and hope to imitate.

We were really pleased when our CO recently visited and he came with me on Pahal's study, as he was able to explain more about our organisation, and his public talk (which Pahal also attended) was all about how the kingdom is affecting us now. Yes, spine-tingling stuff, and Pahal luuuurved it!

This has been a definite highlight ministrywise and I guess demonstrates how we never know who we are going to meet when we knock on an Iranian's door!

^all enquiries respecting embellishments in this story may be directed to my eye-witness, Bahini Alanaji (big sissy Alana)

*incidentally before he became Christian he was a kick boxer which may or may not have been influenced by the fact his name "Pahal Man" means "strong man"...but he's told me the story a few times;)

meanwhile back at the ranch...

so I'm officially back in "Fully-sick 5-Dock"!

I moved back on Tuesday/Wednesday and have only slept there twice, but yes, technically, back in "the dock"...

Changes "the dock" has seen in 2 years are as follows:

+ My parents have a 3D 40" digital TV I currently don't know how to use...

+ If it's possible...the piano is even more off-key - hmmm will I go tone deaf if I play it in it's current condition????;)

+ I now have to compete with my niece's rubber duckies when having a bath;)

+ Sydney Buses has finally relented and added a 502 that comes just on 8:00 am...meaning I'm only banging my head against the window in fatigue for half an hour as opposed to the 50+ minutes on the L38*

In all seriousness, considering I've moved home to simplify my life, I've got to admit...home is pretty good...In 2 days my clothes were washed, dried and...folded on my bed for me. Should I ever hit my 'sleep' button on my alarm the maximum amount of times, someone will always ensure I don't miss my bus, and of course, I'll never die of hunger or pine for variety in 'Cafe Marguerite'...

It's funny that it takes moving out of home, washing your own clothes, taking them out of the washing machine yourself, hanging them out to dry, getting them off the line, thinking about what you'll cook (albeit for 1 night a week), going grocery shopping (definitely my most hated task), cooking and then doing your own dishes...to realise how much your parents have loved you. Sometimes my mum and I have fights in an effort to make her stop doing work for me! And I think that really says something:

"my parents are a blessing from Jehovah!"

I just hope these 6 months don't make me too soft...hmmmm.

Another aspect of life "back at the ranch" I'm enjoying is our family worship. I appreciate how mum and dad are incredibly deep thinkers, and have a love for digging for the "solid food".

We've been going through the Acts book, and last week we were reviewing Stephen's speech before he was stoned. I never fully realised what a courageous witness he gave, and yet at the same time, how logical his argument was. The account really impressed on me, how Jehovah uses people who have done their research and examined the scriptures, and then he can empower them to "bear thorough witness."

A moral from that story: Personal Study

* NB there is nothing Limited about the L38 - what a public transport sham!)

two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both...

Along with the excitement of changing circumstances also come moments of nostalgia for the present. And I'm not the only one embarking on an exotic destination in our house.

Sarah, my sister and truly, my best-friend, is bound in less than a fortnight for Bella Italia. Yes, life is such that the one sister who didn't study 'la bella lingua' should find herself an Italian Stallion, land herself an Italian working visa, shortly to see herself a temporary resident in the alien land of Trieste...che bella cosi!

This is an experience I welcome for Sarah, albeit with a little envy when I daydream of anywhere in the EU;)

I've never doubted that Sarah would embrace living abroad in a foreign culture in its entirety. At times I can see a remote sign of apprehension, but her quiet strength and perhaps her love for a challenge are quick to distill any fears and she is left undeterred.

Sometimes I think of us as the foreigners living in Australia, and these distant places, are our homelands calling us back...

These past couple of years, however, have brought us a peace and happiness living together in our actual home in our actual homeland, and though we are moving on...I couldn't say I wouldn't enjoy and love our life together as much today as I did 2 years ago...



'yet knowing how way leads onto way
I doubted if I ever should come back' - Frost

learning

so the language...

Well officially 6 months into my studies I wish I could say that I have made some ground...technically, yes, I have made "some ground"...but we are talking millimetres not miles;)

I've decided to blame this on the beginning of the year (yes...just remembered it's July hmmm) make that, the last 6 months having been hectic!

All excuses aside though, when an English couple recently visited from Nepal I was utterly shamed into revising my "study routine"...which on revision was neither study nor routine - pfft!

So...I've decided to defy my own history and rise that extra bit earlier (c. 6:30 am) and endeavour to study Nepali then!

(See below for a glimpse into my early-morning-Nepali-study-sessions - why is it that the same month I attempt to 'defy my own history' Sydney has the coldest June day on record since 1967??? - burrrrrrrr)

At present the process is as follows:

6:30 am - Wake to the sounds of Onella Vernoni
6:30:30 am - Turn alarm off before I start to hate the song
6:31 am - Turn on espresso machine
6:32 am - Put oats in microondus (ooops slipped into Spanish mode...actually I just like saying "microondus" - mi-crrrrrrrro-on-ddus;)
6:33 am - Espresso shot
6:35 am - Froth milk - always a challenge before quarter to 7
6:40 am - Hop back into bed with coffee and oats...take a sip, have a mouthful, breathe contently
6:42 am - Open my Nepali "Examine the Scriptures Daily" and endeavour to read the scripture quoted - I'm getting better at the Bible books and numbers (only know up to 20 though so I'm stuffed on the 21st of the month he he)
6:50 am - Check the English that I've at least got the scripture right - huge disappointment if I get Proverbs (Hitopadesh) and Ecclesiastes (Upadesh) mixed up;)
6:55 am - Copy the Devanagari and attempt (key work: attempt) to romanise...
7:00 am - Attempt to recognise some words - my favourite words I've learnt thus far are:

Tantra Mantra - Practice of Spiritism
Saaraa - Whole
Agrej - English
Bhaawanna - feeling (one of our friend's name...she's a pretty feeling person so it's perfect - possibly an NF too;)
Shanti - peace...as opposed to
Ashanti - unrest - yep just like the singer!
Bharosa - trust/confidence
Thanna baia - apparently it means you're completely stuffed, as in, full...think this expression may come in handy;)
anything ending in "haru" (it pluralises the word - huge sense of satisfaction knowing the word is a plural despite not knowing what the word is;)

impressions

A definite influence in my life has been the experience of my mum and dad in full-time service in Papua New Guinea for many years in their youth.

Recently, my elder sister and I had the blessing of returning with our parents for the week to PNG, and finally visualising the land, people and culture which shaped our parents. The whole trip was an experience, part of which I had expected, but for the most part PNG lived up to its reputation:

"The Land of the Unexpected..."

The event which occasioned our journey into the past was the Dedication of the JW Branch facilities in Port Moresby. The Dedication was conducted over an emotional 2 days, wherein Sarah and I met, embraced and were bestowed with hand-crafted biloms by literally hundreds of local brothers and sisters mum and dad had studied with or known over the years.



I could go on for ...posts;) about the different characters we met and the experiences we heard but what has stayed with me is seeing how Jehovah’s spirit is universal, and even in remote PNG is the driving force behind the harvest work.

Over the years, many foreigners have shared in spreading the good news to the people of PNG, but now it is the local brothers and sisters who are doing the majority of the work and they are doing wonderfully. Many of the ones we met have over 20 bible students and willingly sacrifice much to serve Jehovah. Their happiness is manifest in their beautiful 'MacLeans-white' smiles, which along with their simple yet immaculate appearances, distinguish them from the average.

PNG is not your typical tropical island, where in all probability you might find yourself relaxing in the sun by a body of water (pool, ocean, lagoon...) with a piña colada in hand. In many instances we were fortunate just to glimpse someone selling coconut milk amongst the throngs of beetle-nut peddlers! And unfortunately the polluted water in the city was anything but inviting.

Beyond the surface though I couldn’t get over how much in places it reminded me of parts we’d visited in Colombia...the rich green and mountainous terrain were reminiscent of a bus ride between Medellin and Cali...as were the potholes and humidity!. It was truly beautiful.



After the Dedication we ventured c. 300 kms NE to a place called Kerema in the Gulf Province, where my dad was sent when he was 21. On route we passed 13 huge Amazonian-like rivers together with large rubber plantations (interesting fact: rubber trees slant in the directions of the sea!) and other impressive trees such as the rain tree and the coconut tree of course, all of which gave impact to PNG's vastness.

To get to Kerema we drove for 4/5 hours on a semi-sealed road, then from a place called Malalawa we took a dinghy down the Tauri River for close to an hour before arriving at the mouth and proceeding a couple of kms off-shore along the coast past several villages and arriving an hour later in Kerema Bay...all the while I kept thinking how my mother some 40 years before had walked this trail as a newly married woman of 24 (my current age)...



Kerema gave us further insight into especially my dad's life pre-kids and pre-marriage. On arrival, we were met by many local brothers and sisters and many villagers who were astounded (as, in truth, were Sarah and I) at dad, a now older white man fluent in their local language. I remember dad noted that this was an aspect which impressed the locals about the Witnesses, how they 'became all things to all people', and treated them as equals: conversing in their language, staying in their homes, eating their food...



The local congregation really extended themselves for us, from waking pre-'crack of dawn' to light the fire and make us breakfast, to taking the day off work to boat us several hours upstream to an isolated group, to arranging a post-meeting Papuan-style 'luau'. I can't really express how grateful I was and am. In farewelling these ones, it felt like leaving family, which of course is hard, but is just another reminder of the beautiful blessings in being part of Jehovah's international organisation.



The whole experience reaffirmed the truth in Jesus' words 'there is more happiness in giving than receiving'.

However, seeing the reality of the country made me admire my parents for their endurance and reliance on Jehovah throughout the years. It also taught me that sometimes we can idealise the adventure or mystery of serving abroad, but having the right motives and relying on Jehovah are ultimately what will make our endeavours successful. I really hope that I can follow their example in Nepal.

momos

this Wednesday Alana and I went to visit one of her Nepali rvs and she decided to return the favour with...momos!

momos apparently are Tibetan which explains why they look exactly like "dumplings"...except that rather than being served with soy sauce, they're served with this kinda spicy pickled sauce...hmmm might need to give Shanghai Nights a heads up...

dheri dheri mitho!

Can't wait for the next visit!

beginnings

Being my first entry I would like to give an insight into how this has all come about, why exactly am I planning to move to...Nepal...of all the places.

And so here I begin.

Last year I was privileged once again to travel across the world with my elder sister, Sarah, and thrown into our mix was guest traveller "Waydo", our cousin, who gave that masculine edge to our adventures...

After meeting, and rendezous-ing with so many wonderful people, soaking up their stories and visions, tasting a couple more enriching cultures, I arrived at the same old conclusion I have been arriving at since my early teens...

"'I have a dream...' I have a dream to learn another language, live overseas and serve where the "need is great-er".

The destination having been reached in my mind, however, did not translate to a specific location...and the headache returned - where is this dream going to be realised???

Enter Alana: Pioneer school alumni and housemate

Alana has been to Nepal twice and from living with her I could tell it had had a huge impact on her life. Her love for the people, the topography and the culture runs deep, and left the plan in my mind, to, at the very least, visit her when she would move there.

Alana also opened my eyes to the presence of a large enclave of Nepalis in Sydney. She had been associating with a Nepali group attached to Dulwich Hill congregation of JWs for c. 1 year, when I listlessly mentioned one day that I would like to attend the next meeting with her...which I did attend, and which I did enjoy...a lot:)

Having a housemate so like-minded, pursuing such similar goals finally made me consider something I had been fighting against, something which fell outside my European ideal...and after much prayer and 'consideration', I reached my conclusion: ideals, just like laws...are sometimes made to be superseded...

Let the games begin...