Jam-Packed Week One In Laos for Notre Dame Nursing Students

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing
WRITTEN BY: Maeve Hawkes, Notre Dame University

After a long lead up of planning meetings, fundraising events and much excitement, we were almost surprised to find ourselves actually in Laos. Arriving in Luang Prabang airport on Sunday the 10th of May, our group of 10 students and two teachers agreed that it felt surreal to finally begin the experience that we had so long talked about. Our first night we relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful My Lao Home hotel and prepared ourselves for the long journey ahead of us.

On Monday morning we heaved our packs into the trucks and piled in, headed for the Army Hospital in Luang Prabang. We were greeted by the Director of the hospital, who gave us a warm welcome and provided us with information about the hospital and some of the most common health complaints of its patients (in particular respiratory conditions and diarrheal disease), and what he perceived to be the hospital's greatest needs for the future. We then had a tour of the hospital and were interested to identify significant differences between this health care setting and our hospitals at home. In particular we were struck by the high density of patients within each room and the fact that the family is expected to provide basic care for patients such as washing and feeding. It was humbling to see how privileged we are to have the medical resources that we take for granted at home.

Then it was back to the trucks for the two-hour drive to our first home-stay village on the mountainous dirt roads. Although the road was bumpy and dusty, the spectacular views of lush green mountains above us, the smiling faces that waved to us as we drove past and the rushing river below us all took our minds off these discomforts. When we arrived, the children of the village presented us with armfuls of handpicked flowers and welcomed us warmly. We felt overwhelmed by the kindness that we were shown both on our arrival and throughout our stay in the village.

After being officially welcomed to the village by the chief, we were shown to our new homes for the week! The style of housing and living conditions were definitely a big change from our lives in Perth and it took a few days for us to really settle in. It certainly helped to all have each other and to be focused on the goal that we had come here to achieve. The copious amounts of fresh cooked food that we were served at each meal definitely didn't hurt either.

We were also welcomed by government officials including the governor of the Pak Xeng district where we would be working for the next two weeks. The district has a population of approximately 23,000 people and throughout the next four days we visited the villages of Ban Nongfadat, Ban Hadsam, Ban Hadphaod, and Ban Vannguen to set up health clinics for the people living in these areas, where they are largely unable to afford to make the journey to hospital and don't have access to much needed regular health care. Each clinic was set up within school classrooms or meeting halls with only the medical equipment that we had brought with us, supported by our fundraising events and the donations we had collected. Our first clinic was by far the most challenging, as we were unsure of the most effective way to organise ourselves as a team and were unfamiliar with managing such a large patient load and working in collaboration with the translators and Laos health care workers. The lack of health care resources that we were accustomed to also presented challenges at times but we learned to adapt to our environment with the help of our supervisors.

As the week progressed, we refined our technique, became more familiar with the process and worked more efficiently as a team. At times it was overwhelming to be seeing such a large number of patients, in the sweltering heat, with such limited resources, but for every down moment there was an equally uplifting one, such as running health education sessions with the kids on how to wash their hands, or helping even temporarily relieve a patient of a health condition that they'd been living with for many years. We slowly adapted to the heat and the squat toilets and settled in to the rhythm of life in a Laos village. We relaxed after clinics with glorious swims in the river, set to the backdrop of the stunningly green mountains surrounding us on all sides. At the end of the first week we were exhausted and ready for a proper shower in Luang Prabang, but we were also proud of our accomplishments and how much progress we had made.

Griffith University Nursing Students Provide Valuable Healthcare and Promotion in Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing, Health Promotion
WRITTEN BY: Amy Bennett, Griffith University

The day had finally arrived! The third and final group of nursing students from Griffith University were ready to travel over 13, 000 km to Laos to conduct health clinics and health education in the villages along the Seaung River Valley. After 10 hours of travel, our group of 16 students and 4 teachers met up with our wonderful guides at Luang Prabang airport where we were packed into tuk tuks and whisked away to our first stop of the trip, where we met up with group B!

We spent the weekend in Luang Prabang relaxing and taking in the sites. Sunday morning saw us packing the tuk tuks and beginning the 4 hour ride to our village homestay, which was nestled right on the river and surrounded by beautiful, lush mountains! We received a warm welcome from the children of the village and the chief who were all overjoyed to see us!


After settling in to our homestays, exploring our home of the next 6 days and working out the squat toilets, it was time to get down to the business of sorting through our clinic items and donation bags, ready to begin our work with villages who have had little or no access to healthcare.

The 5 clinic days saw us learning, educating and delivering basic health care to an overwhelming number of people and experiencing how the majority of the world lives first hand!

The end of week 1 saw us saying goodbye to our village homestay and saying hello to our home in Pak Xeng for the next 5 days. Our home in Pak Xeng saw us delivering clinics and health promotion to a number of remote villages along the river and up into the mountains!

On our first day in Pak Xeng, the team was woken up to the loudest wedding in history! Pak Xeng was bustling with guests and visitors and our team of 20 as we explored the town. The weather, which we were becoming accustomed to, was refreshingly cool in the morning and warm during the day which made for the perfect day to relax and prepare for the next 4 days of clinics. Tuesday was one of our busiest days at clinic with the assessment teams assessing and treating 104 patients and conducting health checks on an unknown number of infants, children and extended family members. Wednesday saw our group travel up into the mountains to reach the villages of Nong Kham, Nad Kham and Houay Wat.

The trip into these villages took over an hour in the mornings, which meant early starts for the group. Although it was early, the drive up into the mountains was amazingly picturesque! We travelled up above the level of the clouds and often caught the sunrise on the way up. The roads and weather proved challenging for our experienced tuk tuk drivers with one breaking down twice on the way up the mountains! These drives up the mountain were when we experienced some seriously cold weather with temperatures nearing single digits! The four clinics saw us assessing, health-checking and treating over 400 local people which was an amazing effort from our team of students, facilitators, interpreters and health care workers!

Our third week began by returning to Pak Xeng after a wonderful 3 days relaxing, shopping and doing the ‘tourist thing’ in Luang Prabang. With two clinics left, the group was beginning to realize it was coming to an end. Monday’s clinic saw us returning to the mountains in bitterly cold weather to the highest village on the trip.

The clinic was conducted in a one-room hall, which was bustling, loud and at times chaotic. The return to Pak Xeng in the mid-afternoon saw the group being invited to Pak Xeng High school to be guests at a cultural event and dance. The students graciously danced with us and taught us a number of Lao dances. The night also saw our group singing and dancing for the students with our rendition of the national anthem and the Macarena.

We returned to the high school the next day, with half of our group conducting sexual education sessions, and the remaining students conducting the clinics. Before we began, we were welcomed by the students, teachers and the director of Pak Xeng high school. We were presented with certificates of appreciation and in turn, we presented the students with three donation bags for the students who spend the week living in the ‘dormitory’ accommodation at the school.

Our Final Memories in Cambodia

COUNTRY: Cambodia
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: University of Newcastle Nursing Placement
WRITTEN BY: Justine Nicholson and Nikki Smith

Our group spent the weekend in Siem Reap, which was a new and exciting experience for all of us. Temples, temples and more temples! We watched the sunrise at Angkor Wat, which was well worth the early start and the wait for the sun to come up through the clouds. This was followed by climbing the stairs of Angkor Wat for a majestic view and exploring the city of Angkor Thom and its three temples. It was also great to spend the afternoon in Ta Prohm, which placed us right in the middle of Tomb Raider. Equally as spectacular was the sunset at Angkor Wat which some of the group got to enjoy. We flew back to Phnom Penh on Sunday ready for our second round of health assessments at a new venue.

Day 16
We travelled to a different part of town where our next placement was situated. We all got a shock as we walked down the alley toward where we would be spending the next 4 days. We were introduced to the co-ordinator who educated us about the organisation and its aims to help the surrounding community to stop child sex trafficking and educate those in need. Their objectives also include education for work and improving living standards of the surrounding community.

On the first day, we were told we would be seeing around 50 kids in the morning and 50 in the afternoon. As the day went by it became clear that the differences in health needs for this community were much different to our first placement. We also had the opportunity to undertake health care assessments on women as old as 97 and babies as young as 2 months old. The reality of the poor health in this community made us grateful for the healthcare in Australia by comparison.

For Australia Day we organised with our hotel to have a BBQ. We invited our new Cambodian friends, who were our interpreters, to join our fun. This was the first time they had experienced an Australia Day celebration. We enjoyed the BBQ with fresh prawns, BBQ beef, pork and vegetables and Cambodian beer. We also made lamingtons with the ingredients we had access to and some very creative chefs! A great night was had by all and it was a great opportunity to show another culture how we celebrate our beautiful country.

Day 17 and 18
We continued our work, learning some valuable lessons about paediatric care, as well as the value of our limited resources to a community with reduced health care opportunities. In addition to our general health checks, some of the team also provided excellent oral and hand hygiene and baby washing education sessions for all ages. We are finding the work quite liberating. Together we are battling the heat, different emotions, varied health issues coming to our door, and the challenging opportunities to provide some treatment for these beautiful Cambodian people.

On Wednesday night we had our final group dinner. Here we presented our in-country partner, Linda, with her first ever bunch of flowers, and all of the interpreters with a group photo of our entire team from Australia Day.

Day 19
With some of the money fundraised within the team, we were able to provide the organisation with a new fridge, medicine cabinet, various medical equipment, 30 tetanus and 3 rabies vaccinations, and money to fund transportation of sick children to the hospital. The happiness of all the staff and community was overwhelming for all of us. We were also been able to finalise our donations and sponsorships to various organisations after speaking with founders and directors earlier this week.

We all got to enjoy our last night out in Phnom Penh. We savoured our last taste of traditional Khmer food, and many ventured to the local theme park for some fun!

Day 20

The final day was bitter sweet. Many of us left for home, with the exception of a few adventurers. However, none of us are quite ready to leave this amazing country and our amazing new friends! All of the interpreters woke up bright and early to give the most heart-warming send off - right up to the entry of the airport! After this experience we are all heading home feeling proud and with a sense of achievement for making an impact on the lives of so many deserving people.

WE WILL MISS YOU CAMBODIA!

Reflections On My Time In Chitwan

COUNTRY: Nepal
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Medical Placement (Radiotherapy & Paramedicine)
WRITTEN BY: Thanh Vu

Reflecting on the experiences I have had during my placement in Chitwan, I believe I have developed in the following aspects of my life:

Personally
Coming into this trip, I had already made a few personal goals to achieve. In the 3 weeks here, I feel like I have met these goals, all the while becoming more self-aware of my own personal strengths and weaknesses. I have learnt that I do have the capacity to become more patient, and with this, learnt how to compromise with others, when to agree and when not to, and how to do this in an amiable manner.

Professionally
I have learnt how to better incorporate my personal lifestyle into the way I view myself with colleagues, in the workplace and with my superiors. To expand on this, I find that I am able to readily distinguish what type of appropriate behaviour to follow while still enjoying my time. Even when faced with topics that are closer to the controversial side of the spectrum, I have improved my ability to diffuse tension by showing more understanding and empathy on the subject matter, and to opinions of others.

Socially
Who runs the world? Sadly, it is not girls, as Beyoncé sings about in her song "Runs the world (Girls)". Rather it happens to be the dollar bills. Nepal is such a country that lacks vastly in wealth, and as such, it is no wonder that the people living here place certain things we normally don't in high priority. Living in a neighbourhood that faces these challenges, coupled with a culture where an individual's appearance is everything, was an immense challenge for myself and for many others on this trip. While we would have complaints about pimples, and knotty or greasy hair, they would have it about items of clothing, food, and of course the intense desire to become white. I think many of us have realised what little they have, and as cliché as it would be to say, we have learnt not to take anything for granted, that is entirely and of the utmost truth.

Emotionally
We have learnt to feel more compassion towards the Nepalese. They have the saying that they treat their guests as if they were gods, and this sentiment could not be more true. I, and so many others in the group, was taken aback on many occasions by the wonderful hospitality that these people have showed us. Although we had met only a few times, many of my colleagues invited me to their house for dinner and to meet with their family.

Spiritually
Having been very interested in different faiths and beliefs, I was so excited to learn more about what the major faith in Nepal was, and if there was any particular system that it followed. I have stayed with a traditional Hindu family for the past few weeks, and I have been able to learn so much about their traditions and the beliefs that lie behind them. There is just something extremely fascinating about understanding and being exposed to such a beautifully sacred practice that on normal occasions one would not get the chance to learn about first-hand.

UniBreak Nurses Arrive In Thailand

COUNTRY: Thailand
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: University of Western Sydney Nursing Placement
WRITTEN BY: Rachael Bobbin

We have arrived, and although we may be sleep deprived and hunched backed from 10 hours of flying (9 hours from Sydney plus 1 hour from Bangkok airport) we are in Chang Mai. We have survived the first part of our journey with only some minor customs mishaps along the way!

We are spread out all over the hotel that will be our escape back to hot showers and wifi on the weekends, with two to a room. The view from the rooms is very different to back home: a mix-mash of old and new buildings, with temples and shrines thrown in here and there, against a backdrop of mountains. You could look at it everyday and always find something you've never seen.


Walking around Chang Mai with our guides Nicky and Nate was exciting and interesting. Seeing the temples was like stepping back in time. The monks where chanting and blessing, left, right and centre. Although we could not understand what was said, it was a hypotonic experience. The Chang Mai Museum was small but educational on the origin and history of the Lan Na Kingdom (Chang Mai). We stopped for lunch at a cafe-type-restaurant-thing that wasn't in English, but the pictures were mighty helpful and the food was delicious. With time to kill until the night markets, we split up into smaller groups to explore, get massages, grab a drink or rest.

For those reading who have not been to the Sunday night markets, let me just say I now know exactly how it feels to be born again. The squeezing through tight spaces, bumping into things, the claustrophobic effect of all the people. It was definitely a new experience but one I wouldn't want to trade in for anything. The wares they where selling ranged from Thai silk scarves to fried insects, and included everything you could possibly want (and many things you didn't!). The people and the culture are welcoming and fun to be with. It was a whole new experience for many of us, but familiar at the same time, as laughing and smiling is something that is universal among all cultures.

Leaving Chang Mai and heading into the mountains there was a collective feeling of nervous excitement. What are we going to find? What will the people be like? Will we be good enough to help? The three hour drive to the hospital and our dorm rooms was winding, bumpy, and very, very long. We stopped just outside of the hospital at a little coffee shop decked out in Harley Davidson posters. We had fried rice and sweet sausage for lunch.

After lunch we went to a community health centre that caters to 2,200 people from a number of villages. The nurses were welcoming and eager to show us what they do and how they have combined western medicine with their traditional medicines, such as using seasonal fruits and herbs to make medicinal tea.

The hospital we have been placed at is an inspiring place. It is a 10-bed hospital that sometimes sees hundreds of outpatients a day. We were fortunate enough to meet and work with the nurses and doctors as they went about their normal routines. These wonderful people were so patient and understanding with our never-ending stream of questions and mispronunciation of Thai words. The nurses in reception thought it was particularly hilarious to teach us Thai phrases and laugh when we got them wrong.

Dr. Pranjin is the most patient man I have ever met. He freely gives up his time to those who need it and works tirelessly for better health for all via his many projects such as water sanitation and health clinics in remote areas.

This past week of working in the mobile health clinics alongside an amazing Thai medical team has been one of the best and most rewarding experiences of our lives so far. The hill tribes are curious and strong people, who live in the most remote areas and work mostly as farmers. The clinic consisted of a registration where the people first came, then an observation area where their vital signs where taken. Next they were assessed by the doctor and students, then it was off to pharmacy where they picked up their prescriptions and compared what they got to what everyone else had. Going on amongst all of this organised chaos were the children's health checks, health promotion and games. They were taught hand washing and teeth brushing and in turn we were taught a song about roasting a chicken over a fire.

The people here are just as willing to laugh at us as we are at them. The Thai phrases we learnt are helpful in figuring out what the villages are not saying as the Karen people do not speak Thai. Communication has therefore been limited to hand gestures, smiles and a lot of guess work, but we manage.

The week has passed quickly and now we are back in the land of McDonalds, margaritas and the miracles of hot showers.

Relaxation here we come!

Update from Newcastle Uni students in Cambodia

COUNTRY: Cambodia
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: University of Newcastle Nursing Placement
WRITTEN BY: Justine Nicholson and Nikki Smith

After a long hard week last week we all enjoyed a weekend relaxing and going on tours and of course doing some shopping. It was back to work on Monday though, we were eager to continue the health checks on the children at the school.

During the afternoon we needed to collect the data and put it into the database the school had provided for us to analyse. We all enjoyed the afternoon sitting around the pool and entering data for a few hours (Cambodian time). Not all the data was able to be entered in one go as we had already seen over 800 students, but we planned to finish it the following day as we only had one more class to visit.

Tuesday was our last day at the school. It was bitter sweet. Our last class were kindergarten, the kids of which were incredibly cute, sweet and trusting. After this we enjoyed walking around and playing with the children and discovering more places around the school. During the afternoon we were able to enter the rest of the data and enjoy a dinner out together at a Japanese buffet (with a Cambodian twist!). This dinner has left quite an impression on us all and we would love to find them in Australia.

On Wednesday we were able to enjoy a day off to regroup and relax before going to the Russian hospital on Thursday. We had a tour around the hospital which really made us appreciate the health care system we have at home. In saying this, it was also good to see the difference between the health care systems and even be slightly surprised at their level of cleanliness and professionalism. After this we were privileged enough to visit the Technical School of Medical Science which is one of our interpreters previous schools. We got to meet current students and teachers to discuss the difference between education in Cambodia and Australia.

Tomorrow we are all very excited to be heading to Siem Reap for our long weekend to enjoy the historical sight of Angkor Wat and its surroundings.

This week has been much more relaxed but we are all still learning and developing skills and knowledge of health abroad everyday, enjoying the experiences of Cambodia.

Griffith University team wrap up in Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing, Health Promotion
WRITTEN BY: Jourdan Lofthouse, Griffith University

All good things come to an end, right? Well in our case, that's half correct. Group A have now left Laos leaving Group B to pick up where we left off. Group B will go deeper into the mountains and brave the cold.

Group A saw a total of 1350 villagers in some 10 villages. The most common complaint was back and neck pain (from farming for hours on end). We saw around 40 pregnant mothers and gave a month supply of folic acid and iron. Jess, midwifery student was able to perfect her auscultation skills without the mod cons we are normally afforded in Australia. I know you are wondering about the two patients we sent to Luang Prabang to get treated. Well so are we! The hernia repair and cataract removal have been completed but yet to know of the recovery process.

Group B will be following this closely and providing further assistance in the form of medication and pain relief when they arrive. The goodbye and bhasee ceremony was an incredible spiritual journey of health and happiness well wishes. It was sad to say goodbye but so rewarding to know we made such a huge impact.

On reflection, we learnt the correlation between education and health is strongly linked. It is our dream that one day each and every villager will have access to primary healthcare. It is a basic human right that is so easily forgotten when living in such a fortunate country. Although our impact was small, it won't ever be forgotten.

Thank you Laos for your hospitality and kindness, we look forward to returning when we are fully fledged Registered Nurses!

Jourdan and the Griffith University team

Griffith University in Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Nursing, Health Promotion
WRITTEN BY: Jourdan Lofthouse, Griffith University

The day finally arrived, the day we were all waiting and planning for: the day our journey began. There was excitement, tears, laughter, joy and nerves as we went down the departure escalator at Brisbane International Airport. We made it to Bangkok on the very first day of the Kings Birthday celebrations. The night sky was filled with an array of beautiful night lights and the streets were buzzing with life. After a good nights rest we were on our way to Luang Prabang, Laos. The descent amongst the mountains and rice fields was truly magical. It was a touchdown, our home for the next three weeks.

We were greeted with open arms by Chipsing, Kk and Kl our interpreters. The open-air trucks were stocked with our bags, clinic supplies and donations before departing to the city centre. We were given a city tour and visited a local temple built in the 1500s. Kk myth busted the pronunciation of Laos as we learnt that the S is in fact not silent. Lao people and language is pronounced without the S.

It was our last chance to use a Western toilet and a hot shower. We were just two hours away from our first week of placement in Pak Xeng village. Face masks and scarves in hand, we began our journey along the windy, dusty road. It was teeming with life as we passed through the many villages. We saw children lining up in the distance as they prepared for our arrival. We walked through a welcome line of flowers and songs as the village cheered our arrival. The chief and healthcare workers welcomed and thanked us for supporting them over the past 6 years.

We were then placed in our home stays and given our beds on the ground. A few toss and turns worked a treat before exhaustion kicked in. Our first day of clinic saw our language abilities quickly improve. The word 'jip' meaning pain became a commonly used word. We gave analgesics for manual handling related injuries as the farmers worked hard to harvest their crops. Health promotion on the importance of pre-stretching and correct body position were also shown.

A young 8 year old girl with a peculiar white right eye lens was sent to Luang Prabang with donation money. After a few attempts at getting her on a local tuk tuk into town (they fill to the brim!) and blood tests we were told that she would have to wait until next week. It appears to be a cataract that can be treated for around $400. We are also sending a chief of a village with a hernia to be repaired next week. We'll know the outcomes next week and I hope to be the bearer of great news when they come!

Week 2 has seen our amazing group cumulatively treat 500 people! This nursing placement is all about learning, right? We've learnt some important new clinical skills, as well as how to live by the chilled 'Laos time'. Our group also learnt that Laos was once the land of a million elephants. We went on a day trip and discovered that elephants really like water and will dunk you at any chosen time! We saw incredible waterfalls and rode on elephants in their natural habitat. Yesterday saw us rafting down the white waters of the Mekong Delta on bamboo slabs. Luckily, we had locals steering us or I'm sure we would have ended up in the South China Sea! We will head out for our last week of placement this afternoon after one last hot shower and Western toilet.

Apoh village is around 3 hours by open air tuk tuk from the city and apparently quite the picture. We look forward to sharing our last blog with you next week.

Until then, soktee!

Jourdan and the Griffith University team

A typical day for a UniBreaker in Nepal

COUNTRY: Nepal
PROGRAM: UniBreak - Kathmandu
PROJECT: Teaching, Health and Health Promotion
WRITTEN BY: Tessa Rawolle

We have finally arrived in Nepal! We're two girls at the end of our degrees in physiotherapy, ready to volunteer abroad and immerse ourselves in the incredible culture. After a few days in Thamel sightseeing, and two nights in the program house with the rest of the group, we are now staying with our host family in Dhapasi. Here's a typical day for us:

6.30am – We wake up to the sounds of dogs barking, roosters crowing, bells ringing, and these are just some of the many sounds. The light shining through the window signals the start of the Nepalese day. After a very quick and refreshing shower under cold water, we sit down to a breakfast of fried rice on toast.

7.30am – Our walk to placement is through brisk morning air, but with the sun shining down it is a beautiful way to start the day. We quickly warm up as the walk leads us up and down many hills, as we greet people with ‘Namaste’, and wave hello to many adorable children along the way.

8am – Arriving at our placement, the rehabilitation hospital, we begin our day of volunteering, helping and assisting the local physiotherapists. We treat in-patients and out-patients, with conditions such as stroke, fractures, brain injuries, back and pain, chronic pain conditions, and other musculoskeletal conditions. Every day we're learning a little more of the language; the locals talk about us without us understanding a word they say, but hopefully soon we'll be able to join in!

12pm – As the morning session of patients draws to a close, and the in-patients have completed their morning sessions, the physiotherapists head out to lunch. We make our way up the hill to the local Sahara hospital to have our lunch at the canteen. Initially, trying to converse with the man at the counter about what we wanted proved difficult to say the least! After some time, and with the help of another person acting as our translator over the phone, we were able to order from the non-existent written menu. A typical meal would consist of fried rice, dahl bhaat made of rice, dahl, curried vegetables, saag, and radish pickle arrived, with more rice than we could possibly handle! Nevertheless, it was ramroo (delicious).

1pm – We head back to placement for the afternoon block of patients. Treatments are similar to the morning, however our supervisors have recently been giving us more independence in our choice of exercises. In Nepal they value electrotherapy, such as ultrasound and electrical stimulation, quite highly- especially for pain relief. However, manual therapy and exercises are still used. We all shared our ideas as to what physiotherapy treatment is best to give the respective patients. As the patient flow slowed down, we chat more, learn about the sights and sounds of the surrounding area, and get handy tips that help us travelling around.

3pm – Leaving the hospital, we often purchase fresh mandarins from the roadside stall before wandering through the some of the backstreets. As soon as the sun begins to set we can feel the chilled air again, but more hills never fail to warm us straight back up again! The roads are very confusing, they twist and turn and curve in a very disorientating manner. Needless to say we've got lost one or two times on the way back to the family's house. Although walking through the streets like this gives us an experience of the Nepalese culture.

4pm – We relax at home, bring in any washing from the roof and sit down to chat with our Nepalese mother or play cards with our brother.

7pm – We sit down as a family, including Aunty, to a meal of rice, potato and bean curry and spinach. Eating with our hands as the Nepalese do! Questions are directed back and forth as we find out more about each other and our respective backgrounds, cultures and values. We've only been here a short time but are learning so much every single day.

8pm – We organise our room before doing our own things and heading off to bed. A new country, with so many new and different experiences, takes its toll. Our eyes and bodies are tired, but excited at what the next day in Nepal will bring.

Until next time,

Tessa