Leave for Change Blogs

After two productive work weeks with the staff of the Faculty of Business Administration and the Scientific Research and Foreign Affairs Department at Hanoi Community College, I delivered my workshop today. I collaborated with a lovely young man named Tung who undertook the translation of my reports into Vietnamese so that I could communicate my case study reviews and proposals for a new curriculum to the faculty and senior administrators at the college. 

We decided that the students should have a voice in the type of curriculum they wanted, so 1st and 2nd year business students were invited to attend and we had an amazing turnout. The students were earnest and eager to participate and gave excellent feedback.  Ultimately, we were striving to provide an opportunity for dialogue between the students and faculty.   

At a debriefing following the workshop, the Vice-Rector told me and the WUSC coordinator how pleased he was with the progress made, and was effusive in his appreciation. They were very generous with their gifts and kind words, and it was difficult to say goodbye to Thuy Anh and Hue and the lovely people I worked with. Sincere promises were made to stay in touch and to offer continued assistance with the roll-out of the program.

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This past weekend, some WUSC volunteers and I went for a night cruise to Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Halong Bay means "descending dragon bay", a name given by the French for the enormous limestone karsts in this spectacular bay.  We took a 4 hour bus ride to Quang Ninh Province and boarded the Green Lotus junk (boat).  We explored some eerily beautiful caves and grottoes on the islands that were loaded with stalactites and stalagmites, as well as French graffiti from the 1800’s.   There is a community that still live on floating fishing villages; these families make their living selling the abundant seafood to the multitude of tourist boats.  We had a culinary lesson on the boat, and ate the spring rolls we made for supper...so yummy.  We swam on a sandy beach, kayaked on the most placid and gorgeous water, and experienced one of the most unbelievable sunsets amidst the twinkling lights of the other boats on the bay.  Monkeys, too!

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There is a wonderful group of runners and walkers living in Hanoi called the Hanoi Hash House Harriers and Harriettes.  Every Saturday, they meet at the American Club and board an adorable little bus (no AC) and leave the chaos of Hanoi for the surrounding countryside for a 10 km run or a 5 km walk.  They come from all walks of life, but most are long-term residents of Hanoi from Canada, the States, Australia, Sweden, Germany, Holland, and Korea.  They have a wonderful sense of camaraderie and many have been running or walking together for years. 

Last Saturday, some WUSC volunteers, both long-term and short-term, were invited by Ashley, who has been working for WUSC and living in Vietnam for four years.   We travelled about 45 minutes outside of Hanoi and walked through rice fields and climbed rock formations.  We had some amazing encounters with rice harvesters and field workers.  They were unbelievably kind, and took time to pause and share a smile with us - it was humbling to witness how difficult their work is. 

The afternoon was followed by a hysterical bus ride back to Hanoi and then a delicious dinner with the group in a restaurant owned by one of the runners. 

Met an awesome and talented artist named Ben Puah from Singapore.  Check out his website at www.benpuah.com.  Beautiful and inspiring work, and a really great guy.

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Hi Everyone,

I am now down to my final week here.  It has felt like a very long time.  Not so much while I’m at work, but when I am alone the hours feel like days.  My sore throat developed into a horrible cold but I haven’t missed a day of work.  I am for sure being tested on this trip.

Amelie, from WUSC in Montreal, and I went to see Cape Coast and Elmina Castles.   We left early in the morning, taking a cab to Kaneshie Market.  Then we boarded a Trotto for the 4 hour drive.  Hard to describe how many people are here, and how much traffic.  There doesn't seem to be any rules or laws to driving.  If they do stop at a light, then the car is surrounded by people at the windows trying to sell things.  Most of the people carry things on their heads.  I saw one man with at least 8 suitcases balanced and am amazed at the ones who are carrying eggs!  We saw three bad car accidents throughout the day.  An ambulance was trying to pass us and the driver just sped up.  I'm sure he was going 150 km/hr, but he wouldn't even move over for the ambulance.  It was crazy.  I just closed my eyes.

At one time there were 160 castles along the coast.  The two we visited were about 20 minutes apart by cab.  We went on both tours and then visited the museums.  So interesting, but so very sad.  What those slaves went through was barbaric for sure.  I put some pictures on my Facebook.  There is one picture of me standing beside the plaque from President Obama’s visit, and also the door of no return.  Hard to imagine that once they walked through that door, they would never see their homeland again.

In the villages we walked through, the children are adorable.  They all wave and smile, and love to have their picture taken.  The living conditions of some people are much worse then I imagined.  But it doesn't seem to matter to them.  The children are playing in the mud or running, but always laughing and happy.  The British influence is very dominant here.  It seems that everyone is dressed very nicely each day.  No matter their status, they appear to look after themselves.  I don't know how they can reside in a lean-to, but dress so nicely in clean clothes.

I now have three days off and I was going to go on a trip but it seems no one else wants to do anything, and I’m too much of a coward to venture out on my own.  As a white female, I feel like a huge target that stands out.  This makes it difficult to walk along the streets or look at things because everyone tries to get your attention to buy things.  They all want my name and phone number, and want to know if I’m from Toronto or Vancouver.  They all want me to go with them on trips to different places, so it is hard to be polite but turn them down as well.  Sundays are very quiet because everyone is at Church.

John’s mother wanted to meet me so we discussed travelling to see her but John said it would be too difficult as it is a 4 hour drive on very bad, bumpy, dirt roads.  We did a few of those roads on the way back from the Coast and it is not fun.  In some areas I was sure that the Trotto was going to tip over, so I think we made a good decision.

I've been able to make lots of changes while I've been here, so am feeling much better about things.  I’ve been able to help out two families with a few purchases, thanks to some help from family and friends.  Also, the Director lost all his files on his laptop and luckily I was able to find a way to retrieve them for him.  He was very relieved and grateful.  No one at the office has a backup copy because they can’t afford to buy USB sticks.  Also, the website is almost complete which will help everyone at NFED, I hope.  And they fixed the air conditioning in my office, which made a difference for all of us.  The people I have met at work give everything they can, each day, to try and teach with no tools, and they never, ever complain.  I need to learn so much more from them.

Since Monday is another holiday, Islamic Christmas, and yesterday the power was out all day, I will have to work double time next week to get the website done.

Thanks for all the emails, messages and comments.  It sure has given me strength to keep on going, knowing that everyone is helping me through this trip.  Have a great weekend!

• LFC

Hi everyone,

I did it again.  I just wrote an update and then tried to post a picture and it all went away :(  So here I am again with a new attempt to blog.  Must remember to keep saving.

I haven't been able to write this week because I've been really busy at work trying to get the new website built.  We have over 40 pages now and it's all coming together.  Now we are into reviewing the documents, updating and editing, and verifying the statistics with source information.  Then we get to do the fun part of making it look attractive and adding pictures etc.  I've been working hard with the IT here at NFED so that they are learning how to do everything and will be able to maintain the website after I leave.  Big thanks to our Brad who has found me free software and is even going to host the site for them.  He has a huge Heart.  I'm hoping to have the website up and running within the next 2 weeks, God willing.  They are all Christian here, or Muslim, but all religious.

I met with all the department Heads the other day and they listed all the things they would like me to do for them.  I had to explain how much time it takes to just do a website, and then I gave them all the documents that I needed reviewed, so now I think they realize.  They have switched their thinking and are now developing a proposal to keep me here, or to bring me back, LOL.  I'm still not sure if I will make it through this trip....

I've been sick since I got here so I haven't eaten much at all.  My weight will be down for sure.  Happy :)  Now I've developed a sore throat to add to my stomach ache.  Not a hardy traveller afterall.  A couple of nights ago, Ken and I worked until late so he walked me home as it was pitch black.  They do not have street lights here.  BIG mistake, now I have hundreds of mosquito bites on my legs as I didn't have any protection.  I better not get Malaria to add to everything....  Cholera is the real problem here right now.  Still no Ebola, so that's one thing I don't have to worry about.

During the week, the driver for one of the Heads drove me all around Accra.  Had a tour of the National Theatre, browsed for an extended period at the Art Centre, and then on to visit the Beach which was not what I expected at all.  My new husband John, who is all of about 30 yrs. also came to escort me.  John is a photographer for NFED.  Needless to say, he probably took 100 photos of me at all the places we went to.  I had to beg him to please stop.  Then he bought me a beautiful "black stone" neclace.  When I receive some of the pictures, I will put them up.  Everyone was trying to sell me things, so John kept them back, protecting me from them so I could at least look.  So that is why they all thought he was my husband.  I told him that it was great for me :)  Not so good for him.  Maybe Jenn?   Don't panic JB, I meant my daughter :)

On Sunday I am finally going to see the slave castles at Cape Coast.  Can't wait.  More to come soon.... 

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I’ve been in Hanoi almost a week and I’m starting to feel settled after dreadful jetlag. It is insanely hot, and the humidity makes it feel close to 40 degrees. Tried pho (soup) for breakfast by day 2, and I love it. I admit that it seemed peculiar to have hot broth with veggies and noodles first thing in the morning, but it’s delicious.

The streets in the Old Market are chaotic, but exciting. There are so many colours, smells, motorbikes… people. Lots of ex-pats and tourists in this area, too, and it’s not uncommon to see young globetrotters with enormous backpacks that have flags from all over the world; hearing lots of Aussie accents.

Had my first full day at the college on Friday after doing research at the WUSC office all week. The semester begins for the students this coming Monday, and Hanoi College installed a new Rector (our equivalent to a Chancellor) today. The entire faculty and senior administration took part in this ceremony, and I was honoured to be included. The Rector kindly invited me to lunch and everyone, especially Thuy Ahn and Hue, were stellar. I can’t wait to work with them next week.

Other volunteers and I have been taking taxis to and from our hotel in the Old Quarter to both the WUSC office and the college, but today, Thuy Ahn insisted she drive me back to my hotel IN RUSH HOUR on the back of her motorcycle. She’s a fantastic driver and she weaved in and out of traffic like a rock-star, but I closed my eyes a few times and prayed I’d be able to hold on. There is a constant blaring of car and bike horns. An insane cacophony of noise. Crazy, but exhilarating.

A group of volunteers and I went to "snake market" last night for dinner. Douglas and Katrina, our intrepid foodies ate the cobra after a shotglass of blood and rice vodka…Ronnie and I watched and took pictures.

Looking forward to taking part in the Hanoi Hash House Harriers event this Saturday. Check it out. http://www.hanoih3.com

Missing my boys like crazy.

• LFC

I just found out that Monday is a holiday.  A long weekend already. :)

Today I moved into SSNIT Guest House which is a block away from NFED.  I chose to move to save on time as it took me 1 1/2 hours to get to and from work when I was in Haatso.  Ken, the IT guy that I am working with likes to start work early and leave late and I was always having to leave early to get home before dark, and then arriving late because of the traffic. The cabs are 20 Cedis each way, so I started taking the Trotto for 2 1/2 Cedis.  That's an experience but so are the cab rides.  The other day we watched a car pull over right into a motor bike and today while we were in the cab the driver tried to squish between 2 cars and scraped both sides of his car and their cars.  There doesn't seem to be any rules on the road.  They didn't even stop and exchange names or anything.  Just kept on driving.  They can't fix it.

I've adjusted to the power outages each day, and am adjusting to the way they live.  Last night I wasn't well though, so I haven't eaten again for the past 24 hours.  I need to toughen up.  They eat a lot of rice, chicken and stews here.  I'm always a bit nervous because I never know what the stews are made from.  I tried Red Red yesterday which is one of their favourite foods.

In the new place I can walk to work in 10 minutes but I have to be careful as it's not safe here being O'Brunie (meaning white).  The only time I am safe is if I am walking with an O'Bibini (meaning black).  Everyone has been great though.  The men usually walk me everywhere and carry my bag.  I could get used to this very easy. :)   I'm hoping that this new place will be better.  It is just a room and washroom, but it looks clean and has everything I need, air conditioning, tv (LOL), internet and hot water.  There is even a tennis court outside, just in case one wants to play tennis when it's 100 Degrees!

It's a beautiful day today.  Very hot but nice blue skies.  Yesterday was extremely humid and rained a lot.  I met another volunteer who has been here almost 2 years now and she is teaching me the ropes.  She is only 28 and plans on taking me out on the town next week to show me the fun spots. 

I'm also going to be travelling with Ken to the Central Region one day, and then the Western Region on another day. Both areas are about a 4 hour drive in different directions so I am hoping to see a lot more of the Country.  Ken is going to bring me to meet his family who live in the middle of nowhere so that should be an eye opener for me.  We need to go and collect some information for our project.  The information could be sent through a computer if they had one in the regions, but they hardly have any equipment working at the head office.  The funding has been cut for over 4 years and most of the people working at NFED don't even have a computer.  They write notes or type them on an old typewriter.  The computers they have are also ancient and with all the power outages it is very hard to keep the server up and running.  And I'm going to create Webpages for them. If anyone has an old version of DreamWeaver that they can send, it would mean a lot.  Or better still, if someone wants to donate a new copy.  I had no clue how bad things were here and yet the people are always positive, happy, thankful and hopeful for the future.  I wish I could give more to them.

Hope everyone at home is doing well.  Oh, did I mention that they want me to stay for the year?

• LFC

After weeks of preparation and anticipation, the time has finally come to embark on my adventure to Hanoi, Vietnam early Saturday morning, the 20th of September.  Found out yesterday that the college has altered my mandate to include some additional training for students applying to co-op and internship programs, as well as for instructors.  I'm nervous about making a very tight flight changeover from Tokyo to Hanoi and hope desperately that I don't get lost in the airport.  Hope I can sleep on the plane...I won't be arriving until late Sunday evening.

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Great start.  I plugged my laptop into a new surge protector, into a converter plug and then into the wall socket. Everything blew.  In panic mode now!

Today I had my orientation at the WUSC office and was introduced to all the staff.  Then they took me for a late lunch and helped me buy a sim card, phone time, and a dongle to increase my internet speed, and a new converter for the laptop.  All is good again.

Grace, a young woman at the office said that she can't stop looking at me because I am so pretty, and she loves my hair colour. I was taken back because so many people keep staring at me and I was thinking they didn’t like the way I looked.  She sure made my day.

Tomorrow they are driving me into work for my first day. This is so different then what I even imagined. I will try to put some pictures on Facebook and my blog today, but the power has gone out three times in the last 24 hrs, so who knows how much time I have online.

• LFC

Hi everyone, I made it.  What an exciting trip so far.  The first thing I’ve learned is that I don’t get out enough.  I was stunned at how big the Atlanta airport is and how many people are in it.  Like another City.  I took a subway train 5 stops to get to the next terminal.  During my wait for the next flight I had a glass of wine and after the hectic week it was so nice to wind down.  I chatted with a nice young woman who was heading back home to Australia.  Then she had to run and catch her next flight but she gave me a hug when she left J So nice when you are all alone in a new place.

On the next flight to JFK, I met a man from Peru who was very interesting to talk to.  Once we landed, it took 45 minutes to drive to the terminal.  Another huge airport.  I will never complain about our little Toronto airport again.

The final flight was much better than I had anticipated.  I was seated in the middle of a bunch of children who were all fighting.  Then I realized that it was because one of the children didn’t want to sit down the aisle, so I asked if she wanted my seat and we would switch.  To my relief, the children ended up very happy, and I ended up sitting beside a very good looking, young US Navy man.  He is coming to Accra because they are doing research on Malaria.  Very interesting discussion.  I also managed to read all my paperwork for my Mandate and watch 3 new movies.  A very productive trip.

The heat hit as soon as we stepped off the plane.  Only took 3 minutes to walk from the steps of the plane to the terminal, and I only saw 1 other plane so it was far different than the other airports.  It did have an air conditioner on the wall in the main area while we went through Customs.  I was met by two men from WUSC who drove me back to the hotel.  What a trip that was.  I felt like a 5 year old with lots of excitement, anticipation and curiosity as we drove through the streets.  Not many roads are paved, no sidewalks, no stop signs, traffic lights or street lights.  Cars were going every which way and if there was a 3 foot gap, then you pulled in with a beep.  Not a nasty beep but just a courtesy beep.  People, chickens, goats and cows were also on the road.  Amazing to see all the people carrying all kinds of supplies on their heads.  I even saw one lady on a motorbike with a basket balanced on her head.

It was so nice to arrive at the hotel where I had a much needed sleep.

• LFC

7 cooperative visits and 4 farms= field visits done! The new plan is to only give one presentation next week on Tuesday. For the most part my powerpoint presentation is done except for the additions of pics and proofreading. So I’m off to Chitewan for the weekend!  Thanks to Kumar (manager at MDMPCU) and Gele, all arrangements have been made and I just need to get there.

Gele got me to the bus station just in time to catch a local bus.  Now this was going to be an experience! I wish I had videotaped it. It was just like I have seen on some travel shows - I shouldn’t be shocked but now I was living it.

Yes, the “conductors” hang out the door looking for passengers to pick up along the way.  Yes, there was  loud Nepalese music and yes, it was crowded.  But there were no chickens that I know of, maybe one duck.

Again, I was the only non Nepali on this bus.  A bit intimidating for this sheltered girl!  The conductor did take advantage of this situation and did not give me back my change. I wasn’t sure what to do. It was definitely not about the money but the principle. A young couple cross from me noticed this and spoke a wee bit of English so after a short conversation she asked the conductor to give me my change. How sweet! The man sitting behind me offered me his water when he saw me popping pills (Gravol), but they were chewable so I was good.  The people of Nepal are so wonderful and friendly.

I arrived at my destination to only be more confused and feeling lost. I was approached by several people offering rides and hotels, etc.  I fended them off and eventually, with some help (again friendly people), found one of my contacts and got hold of the Resort I was to stay at. Maruni Sanctuary Lodge is wonderful.  It’s peaceful, clean, super friendly staff and manager, other tourists, and, best of all, air conditioning!

My cabin

My stay started with a meal.  I didn’t really need it but they thought I did and I ate the chicken. That was a mistake. Next was a walking jungle tour.  Not likely to see anything dangerous other than the leeches attacking my feet! EW!

Back to the resort for more food, and to meet a group from Australia (I seem to attract Australians on my adventures), then bed. I had a great sleep.

The next day was full of “programs”:  a jungle safari on an elephant, elephant washing, canoe ride, another jungle walk and more leeches, and cultural event in the evening.  On our jungle adventures we only saw different deer, birds, leeches, and alligator but we heard a tiger, or so we were told. I shared the day’s fun with a very nice family from Kathmandu who spoke English.

I’m on the front of the elephant; this was so fun and refreshing!

Sunday was relaxing reading on the verandah and then heading back home. This time on the local bus the driver thought he was driving on the 400 series of highways! He cut 30 minutes off the time and I really was not sure if I would make it back in one piece, or without chucking my cookies or other nasty things happening (reference the eating of chicken).  Upon finally arriving safely in Hetauda I managed on my own to hire a “peacock” to take me back to the hotel. What a much need reprieved from the city. I was recharged for the week!

• LFC

After a bit of discussion earlier in the week, the plan has been revised, phew!

Today was our last field visit to a cooperative and I have been taken to see some farms and some milking! Today we went to a newer Cooperative, all female that is up in the hills … another interesting ride on the motorbike.  Oh, and heads turn as I am the only passenger on a motorbike in Nepal that wears a helmet (safety first!).

This Cooperative is about 2-3 years old. One of the biggest hurdles is they have a chilling vat but no power to run it. They also had small production/collection volume so depend on a local truck to come and pick up their milk vessels to deliver them to the DDC (local milk product producer). This truck may be late, or may break down (the roads are crazy) so it could delay the delivery which decreases the quality of the milk. We really do not know how good we have it in Canada! The women were all quite chatty which was great.

The view from here is wonderful.

Local truck to pick up the milk

Women’s Cooperative, with Gele

The rest of the day was spent compiling my scribbled notes and fighting with my computer which had a meltdown.  Note to self: make sure the computer you take on work trips actually works!  I really think, like me, it doesn’t like the humidity … did I mention how hot it is?!

• LFC

Boy, it’s hot here!

Sunday started with an early rise which was ok since my internal clock was so off that it was easy (normally I do not do mornings!). We met at the office and were greeted by Kavi and Bindur who would be accompanying us (Gele and me) on our field visits.  

Kavi was my faithful and careful motorbike driver and occasional translator. So off we go. The benefit of riding on the back of bike is there is a breeze.  I was suffering from the humidity; why did I think it would be cooler?!

The first cooperative we visited was in the middle of the morning milk collection. I turned heads since they don’t get many North Americans round here! Everyone was friendly and let me look around. I didn’t have much to say but I did have lots of questions - what is this, what are they doing now, what does that machine measure, etc.  

Our meeting with the cooperative board members was next-and tea was served. There was a good turnout and some of the women were present and were quite vocal (not that I had any clue what they were saying).  As we were trying to leave one woman invited us for lunch at her place however the Manager had arranged snacks for us already…next time!

Back to the city centre and time to regroup and organize before our afternoon/evening cooperative visit.

Again this was a good visit, although somewhat overwhelming…I kept hearing the words investment and finances … um, I deal with animals … not money!  This is where Gele started to help me greatly! He clarified that this was not my expertise … phew!  These two cooperatives were fairly progressive for Nepal, and offered a fair amount of incentive programs for farmers to become members. They were not perfect but working towards it.

The next day was more cooperative visits and meetings, but I wanted to see some farms!

Farmers waiting in long queue line to have their milk analyzed and weighed. Milk quality and therefore payment is based on SNF and fat, not bacterial levels like Ontario!

Me trying to take it all in!

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After an interesting hilly, twisty drive we finally arrived in Hetauda, Makwanpur district. Now I know why it takes so long to get here. If you were to draw a straight line from Hetauda to Kathmandu it would be about 80 km, however the road we took goes up through the hills, lots of back switches, gravel (rocky) potholes, pretty much single lane, with vehicles going both directions, so it takes 4 hours. There is also a highway that can be taken to get here but it takes 6 hours! We have arrived. It is Friday night, I think!

Saturday morning started with a meeting with the Chairperson, Manager, another board member and national volunteer with the Makwanpur DMPCU, along with Babbina, my program sector leader and Gele, a CECI national volunteer that was staying here with me to translate and help facilitate the mandate.  We discussed my mandate and what they expected of me in the next 11 days.  It seemed like a lot and I was quite intimidated, but thought I will give it a go and see how things work out.

The plan was to visit 14 Primary cooperatives that acted as collection centres for milk, some having proper weigh scales, milk analyzers and chilling vats, and some not. This included visiting two women only cooperatives, something fairly new in Nepal but something they were encouraging as the women do a lot of the work including collecting the milk and looking after the animals.  Not sure how we are going to get all these visits in plus I have to make two presentations. Hopefully it will all fall into place.

Makwanpur DMPCU

View from the balcony of my room in Hetauda … greenery!

And yes, there are barking dogs and roosters here too but I’m getting used to them.

• LFC

Today is Day 3 in Nepal, I think. I keep losing track of what day it is and am still hurting a bit from jet lag.  So here is a long winded catch up on what has been going on.

My flight from Toronto was great. We left on time and arrived in Hong Kong at 5 am their time (5 pm Ontario time). I had great seat mates, a couple from Toronto that were heading to the Philippines to visit family.  They even checked up on me in the airport when I was looking lost. Really what happened at that point was I was pointed in the wrong direction and ended up in departures when I wanted to escape the airport and tour Hong Kong. Well eventually when the information desk opened I put on the charm (joking) and they escorted me back to arrivals so I could leave the airport.  So once through HK customs off I went and I had picked up a new friend along the way, a younger woman from Russia that was in the same predicament as me.

We had a quick tour of The Peak, ate some gelato, checked out the botanical gardens then headed back to the train station as the heat and humidity were doing us in, combined with jet lag. Getting on the correct train was a bit of a challenge ... I will never be a good candidate for the Amazing Race!

Back to the airport where I splurged for a shower before waiting for my next flight. On boarding I met up with Jesse, a long term volunteer with CECI, who was just starting his adventures too. We both had lots of questions but I knew (hoped) the answers would come once we arrived at CECI in Kathmandu.

After a couple glitches at the Kathmandu airport I made it officially into the country ... oddly my new passport wouldn't scan ... that made me a bit nervous ... was I going to get stuck in the Kathmandu airport for the night???

We were greeted by Antoine, another long term volunteer at CECI who made us feel welcome, showed us our "digs" for the first few days and then it was time for bed.

Night 1- I have discovered I have roosters, dogs (many) and canaries as neighbours ... so not much sleep.  Day 1 involved orientation for the day, a visit to the local medical centre to speak with the doctor, and a meet and greet luncheon with all the staff at CECI.

Day 2- Today was our City Tour ... this is where culture shock sets in further ... you see all these pictures in Lonely Planet, etc. but now it is reality. We (in Canada) do not know how good we have it. Having said that it was very interesting observing the different cultures and traditions. Oh and yes the dogs were still barking all night ... they get fed at 4:45 a.m. so very noisy wake up call (and early!). That evening we were off to a jazz bar ... somewhere around here, I could never find it again but Antoine seems to be a master of the streets!

That brings me to today. Today I met with the chairperson of the Central Dairy Cooperative Association LTD Nepal (CDCAN) and also my contact at the Makawanpur District Milk Producers Cooperative Union.  This was mostly just an introduction to the partner association but also my introduction to (Nepali) sweet tea!

After our crazy drive back (the driving is crazy) to CECI I had the afternoon to finish up a couple of tasks and more reading as I head out tomorrow for Hetauda, the location of my mandate partner for 10 days or so. I really hope I can complete my mandate in such a short time! I feel like I am finally settling in here ... sort of ... I still feel lost walking around and have not been too adventurous on my own, but I have sort of figured out how to get across the streets alive!  Everyone here is so friendly!!!

Well time for bed, as I think the dogs are quieter ( music + ear buds have been my saving grace) and my computer battery is running low ... it is load shedding time so no power for now.  I will try and post pics in my next post ... my computer was cranky when I tried to do it today!

Namaste

• LFC

Well here it is, the big day ... well actually the big day starts at 1:45 am ... ugh! I hope I sleep on the plane!

So as like all the other L4C volunteers it has been a bit of a emotional/stressful/exciting few weeks getting ready. Lots of questions and fortunately I have had lots of good answers.

Packing has been challenging ... I seem to have more stuff than clothes ... snacks just in case, meds of every kind, stuff to bring to my volunteer placement, notes and notes on information I have researched ... in case my computer is proving more frustrating than normal. In all of this I tried to remember what a good mentor used to always say K.I.S.S. = Keep It Simple Stupid!  Really, is anyone going to care that I am not a fashion statement while I am there? No, afterall I am going to stick out like a sore thumb anyway!

By the way in case I didn't mention it in previous blogs, I fly to Hong Kong, 12.5 hour layover so hoping to do some touring, another 5-6 hours to Kathmandu (a stop in Bangladesh?). 24 hours in Kathmandu for orientation and then I am shipped off to Hetauda which is in the Makawanpur District. Not quite Terai but close. I have been told this is the cleanest, greenest city of Nepal although very industrial. Apparently I will only see tourists if they are lost.  Past participants have given me a few tips on the area.  It also sounds like I will have a lot of time to myself! Yikes!

But all in all I am looking forward to this trip and very grateful to the University of Guelph for its support, as well as Uniterra, CECI and WUSC and to all my friends and family that have put up with me this summer while preparing for this.  Hmm once I find my instructions I will add links to these organizations as well as pictures!

Well, time to do last minute packing

Namaste

Mandy

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I am starting to get anxious as there is so much to learn before I leave.  What to pack?  What to wear to work?  What will I be doing?  What equipment and software do they have for me to be able to do the job?  What will I be eating?  What, what, what?  I also have to ensure that I leave the office, and the house, in good shape while I'm gone for a month.  I can say that I survived all the vaccines needed to travel to Ghana and my Visa is set up.

For all my friends who are worrying about the Ebola virus, it is not in Ghana, and I will wash my hands just in case.  I've met with several people who live in Accra, or have spent time there and the stories that they tell make me excited about the trip.  

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Well I am FINALLY getting around to starting this blog. Where has summer gone?? I leave August 31, and get to Nepal September 1 and am there for 3 weeks. It is a long haul to get there but I think it will definitely be worth it and I am looking forward to my mandate.  My mandate is Dairy Quality Control Advisor to the Makawanpur District Milk Producers Cooperative Union (MDMPCU).

I have been busy researching for my mandate as well as the country-what to bring, what to wear, and on and on it goes! I did a "mock" packing today...made more lists of to dos and to buys...I am a known procrastinator so thought I should get on with this now!

I have been fortunate to have had a chance to chat with 2 L4C candidates that have been previous years in similar roles, Mary and Luke. they have both been very helpful and encouraging. There is still "lots" (in my mind) to figure out but I get the impression that once I am there everything will fall into place.

Stay posted!

Mandy

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My three weeks in Botswana are over. I am back in Canada and, to be honest, I am having a hard time readjusting. The culture shock coming home feels much more severe.

I’m also having a hard time making sense of all my thoughts and feelings, so I will talk technical stuff for this post. I somehow I managed to wrap up nearly all the things I promised Stepping Stones International (SSI) and Lisa. I just need to put some finalizing touches on the organizational marketing plan to round off my work. I should have this sent to Lisa in a week or so.

As part of my requirements as a Leave For Change volunteer I had to fill out reports prior to leaving on the capacity development activities completed.  It was stressful at the time, trying to fill out complicated forms while I was still wrapping up my mandate work, but a good recap exercise. I conducted 40 interviews, created four guideline documents and eight tools for the staff to utilize. I also led a formal staff training that was well received (phew). We talked about SSI branding and marketing, how they can help support the brand and marketing efforts, and the importance of story telling in their organization.

In the final report I also had to reflect on my own most significant professional take-aways. They were obvious: 1) Remembering how much I love working for small non-profits. 2) Remembering how much I love facilitating trainings.

Overall I feel good about what I accomplished, but I also feel overwhelmed by what else could be done. As cliché as it sounds, I know my future purpose is linked with Stepping Stones International and their mission.

Some of the SSI staff and I on my last work day.

Lyan, myself and Garrett pose in a truly Batswana way: tea mugs in hand. Lyan is the Administrative and Education Assistant I wrote about in an earlier blog post, and Garrett is an American who came to volunteer for three months. He just signed a one year work contract to continue with SSI.

Isaac, myself and Lila. Isaac is the SSI Social Media Advisor. Lila is the Program Manager for SSI and a fellow Canadian.

And here I am with the Jamus. Lisa hosted me in her home for the majority of my stay. She has two children who are away from home attending school (one in South Africa and one in the US) and two children, Abby and Alexander, who are still at home and pictured here. They were amazing hosts who I know made my time in Botswana even more life changing.

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Over the last week I’ve been busy working on the deliverables of my mandate. With three full days to go I am feeling the pressure. I am trying to be positive and just focus on wrapping up as much as I can.

I am working on several documents and templates that can be utilized by the staff and management team as tools and guidelines. This will hopefully alleviate some stress and worry so there is less guessing and more doing. The team here has the capacity, brainpower and imagination to execute the plan, but as usual it is time that is the enemy. I think more than anything I am pointing them in a direction to ensure efficient use of their time and resources. I also think part of my purpose here is building the staff's confidence in their own skills and direction.

Here are the deliverables I have set out for completion by the end of the week:

• A general marketing plan accompanied by a yearly work plan
• A branding guidelines document, including guidelines for protection of their brand when collaborating with other organizations (almost complete)
• An annual report template (almost complete)
• An e-newsletter plan and template (half way complete)
• Refreshed PowerPoint template, letterhead template (almost complete)
• Suggestions for a revised promotional brochure (half way complete)
• Suggestions for steps and priorities in the future (almost complete)

Many of my tasks are in collaboration with my SSI colleague Isaac. He works part time on Stepping Stones’ website and social media. He has a degree in marketing, and we have similar thoughts around best practices, which is helpful when it comes to meaningful collaboration. Since he only works part time he doesn’t have a lot of opportunity for strategy. Together we are working on goals, guidelines and objectives for the website and social media platforms employed.  We are collaboratively working on the following:

• A number of website content and structure updates (almost complete)
• A social media strategy (complete)
• Social media community and administrator guidelines (complete)

I am also presenting to the full SSI staff team on Friday. The goals set for this presentation are: conveying basic points on branding and marketing, the strategy created during my time here (and how their suggestions fit into this plan) and how each of them can contribute to the strategy in simple ways.

Because my interviews are wrapped up and space is limited at the centre in Mochudi, I’ve been working from Lisa’s home as of late. Her home operates as the head office, with staff coming in and out during the day. It really is a hub of activity.  Especially when funders drop by, deliveries are made and her kids come home from school. It is unconventional but works somehow. The casual approach gives a real “team feeling” as though we are all working on one big mission rather than isolated projects.

On a random note, Lisa’s home is also like an icebox. I’m guessing the house was built to naturally keep the temperate cool during Botswana’s extremely hot weather. The issue is that it is winter right now in Botswana and the house is very cold. We’ve all been working covered in blankets or in rooms with heaters. I never expected to be covered by a heavy blanket and drinking hot tea to keep myself warm while working in Botswana, but here is the photographic proof:

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