In Doha

So I'm in Doha, I arrived at 11 in the evening and it is now 28 degrees, so nice :) Now I just need to wait until tomorrow morning to go to my final destination Kathmandu, I have about 10 hours to kill first.

 It was a bit funny cos I and my friends use to joke about why doesn't we never get a "Mr Nice guy" next to us on the flights.

Today I didn't either, instead a got a woman in her best age next to me. My first expression was that she was a bit grumpy. But after 20 min she looked at me and asked; - are you gonna go for voluntarily work? My gosh, how can she see that?

But she has a company working with volunteer projects world wide. And did for a long time. So we had a great talk and super nice company. Now she is of to India. And I'm here in a crowded airport and will try to get some hours sleep on the floor.

How does it feel?

I am surly blessed, I have so many nice friends, family & people that are wishing me good luck, telling me, Anne-Li you have to take this or that with you, asking me for addresses & phone numbers  and /or giving me. More than half my time goes to that :)

 And most of them ask the same question: -How does it feel?

Honestly, I don´t feel, think or nothing, I just DO!!

Right now it feels my flat is like an hurricane (and i´m so pedantic) I have laundry all over, my bed is covered with possible clothes. And that seems to be my issue I have no idea what to wear!! Aaaghhhhhh... So now I need to keep on packing, than cleaning my whole flat cos I rent it out.

But tomorrow on the plane :) then I will know how it feels!

Carpe diem, catch the moment, and live every second in the present.

more or less 24 hours until I leave...

Barely 24 hours before I´ll leave my apartment to go to the airport! And I can say that I have not packed a single thing, yet. But my suitcase is lined up and just waiting to be packed. It should be quite concealing clothing,  no short shorts or tank tops only, it does not work on the monastery. I must cover legs, shoulders etc.. And to think of using jeans when its 30 degrees or more fells not that tempting...

Now I'll go out and get the last things on my "to do list", as well as arrange with extra keys to my apartment, buy all the medicine I was recommended to take with me. I also got the  advised to bring a kettle, its good to boil the water before drinking it.


Well well well, we'll see what happens, but I'm sure that if about 24 hours, I will be both hugely tagged and tired, so is ideal when to make a long flight of 22 hours.

Next blog will be written in Nepal guess hihihihi ....

only 4 days to take of....

My god, time is flying, but I´m also very exited to go, so its okay hihihi...

Now I been doing a lot of my must- do- list-before-GO

I took some UGLY passport photos yesterday hahaha, why on earth does this kind of pics always gets so ugly?

Never mind, they are done, ugly or not! They will work for my VISA anyway...

I also got so much answers about the questions I had on my mind about my trip, but the people in the Litttlelamas organization are so nice, helpful and kind!

I been talking to a teacher that was volunteering last autumn and she/he (its an Taiwan name, so I actually don´t know if it is a woman or man) recommend me to bring a water-boiler  to clean the water, so that I will go out and buy today.

I just must give you a quote from my last e-mail from this person as explains a bit about how it is: ...

...The little lamas are very respectful, thoughtful and very naive. You will feel comfortable being with them. Some of them can speak good English, but the younger lamas who haven't learn English yet, will just smile at you. They will be curious about you. Just speak to them no matter they understand or not and use body language to communicate with them. They will be curious about where you are from...

Yeah, in 4 days I'm on my way, and in 5 days I am there, so I will see for myself :) 

And right now I got a message from another person from the organisation that the Monastery have INTERNET :)

 Woohooo meaning I can be in contact with my friends&family and do my blog. Life is beautiful, don´t you think! 

Searching & finding information...

Now it¨s like 2 weeks left before my take of to Nepal! Woohoo

And I´m trying to get info about all necessary  preparations  I must do before I go.

this is what I found out:

Weather:
Mar – May = good weather, tourist season, but not as busy as Fall.
Jun – Sep = rainy, and July & Aug. Monsoon. Not the best time to come. 

Okay, this is when I do go! So, no pasanada! Then I´w be there during the monsoon, so what :) Anyway, Now I know and It will be good.

Thribuvan Airport – Visas, Customs, and Transportation

The visa and customs are easy to get through, but you need to be a little prepared. Visas to Nepal are issued upon arrival; here is what you will need:
1) A pen to fill out the forms (there are none available in the airport).
2) Two passport size photos (bring plenty of spares as you will need these for trekking permit, visa extensions, and any other official document in Nepal.)
3) US dollars or convertible currency (15 days is $25; 90 days is $100).
4) Address and contact of where you will be staying.

Ok, then I have to get some photos, pen, and I need to get my address, cos that I still don´t have. 

Ant the people from the monastery will come and pick me up. So this is nothing to worry about, but good to know.

And then comes the toilette issue :) which is rather fun! When I told my flatmate about this she said:
 - Oh my god, that could make a "normal person" not to go!

Sorry, this is a lot of text, but rather funny (or scary if you want)

Toilet – This is the obvious next topic. Some Westerners will understandably never be able to break the toilet paper habit and totally go native, but here’s what to expect and what to do. 

In Nepal, when there is an actual toilet, it is usually a “squat” toilet, which if you think about it, is great because you avoid the issue of the dirty seat that no one wants to sit on anyway. So learn to love the squat toilet, it is your friend in Nepal. Beside the toilet, there is a bucket of water with a little pitcher hanging off the side. You are meant to fill the pitcher with water, pour it over your backside and wash yourself with your LEFT hand (never the right hand, that is the eating hand). Then you are supposed to wash your hands too. Remember to hold your hands over the toilet, and NOT the bucket. Most places will have a sink or tap with soap, somewhere nearby, so use that too to wash your hands – you can’t be too careful. If you want to use toilet paper, you need to bring it yourself and be prepared to dispose of it yourself if you are in a rural village. You can carry a plastic bag for trash, and then dispose of it at an appropriate location; ask if there is a place to burn trash. Remember, a lot of the rural villages have no plumbing or septic system, so where are you going to through all this paper? And NEVER throw feminine hygiene products in the toilets, just make yourself a durable trash bag, and get rid of the contents later. Trash is a big problem in Nepal, so if you can get used to the local way of using the toilet, then try, but if not, then just take care of your own trash. My recommendation is carry some anti-bacterial soap, and use if for this purpose. Keep your hands and nails really clean and you will not have a problem and you will actually be cleaner than the other way. Sorry, if this grosses anyone out, it is a reality that I felt I had to address. 



If you are on the bus or micro, you hold up your pinky finger and let the driver see to tell him you need to stop to urinate. On these stops, usually several people get off the bus and go. The men go right next to the road and don’t try to hide anything. The women try to go behind some bushes or what they can. This is normal. The sign for “long toilet” (defecation) is your thumb, but I have never seen anyone hold this up on the bus! But think twice about giving someone the “thumbs up” sign if they ask you if you are okay, or if you liked something. Sometimes your guides will say, “Do you need to do long toilet or short toilet?” Short toilet means urination. They are not embarrassed to talk about or ask about this. It’s just normal. So, you have been forewarned about the basic needs…

all of this info I found an this link:  Before I Came to Nepal, I Wish I Would Have Known..., Do's and Don'ts -- Scams & Jams to Avoid in Nepal its a westerner woman that wrote all info and so much more that I added here, and today she is married and lives in Nepal.  I just must say Thanks to her, cos this was so valuable for me!!

jajaja... now I have to keep on planing, fixing and prepare for this journey! 

Does it scare me of? No way!  I can do it, I will do it and Im looking forward to it :)

Food & Table Etiquette...

I am going to live my 3 month at the monastery and eat there as well, but I also want to do some travelling around, to see Kathmandu, and other places in Nepal. I don´t know my work schedule yet, but all will be as it is suppose to be :)

So now I have been searching a bit on the internet about the food, table Etiquette etc, just look at this, not so much different from other places i been to before, but, it´s good to know :)

Table Etiquette in Nepal

There are a few dining rules that visitors to Nepal should be aware of including:

• It is considered taboo for non-Hindus to enter a Hindu kitchen.
• It is considered bad manners to touch anyone else’s food in Nepal.
• The local people use their left hand for cleaning themselves after the toilet so only the right hand is used for eating. It is also bad table etiquette to pass food to someone else using the left hand.
• It is traditional for the Nepalese to eat two main meals of the day – one at about seven in the morning and one around eight in the evening.
• In recent years the Nepalese have tended to snack more. They refer to this type of food as kha ja which translated means eat and run.

Dal Bhat is the National Dish of Nepal

Dal Bhat is the National Dish of Nepal

The nearest thing to a national dish in Nepal would be dal bhat. The basic ingredients of this are rice and lentil soup. Many Nepalese will eat dal bhat twice a day. There are many different versions of this meal, but the most popular is dal bhat tarkari which also comes with curried vegetables.

the info I found at volunteer Nepal

Is it a new positive" trend" on the rise?

Working as a volunteer is nothing new. Throughout the ages, people have become involved in volunteer work to help vulnerable people, places, etc. Many have worked in silence, and without the knowledge of the rest of the world.

But it seems like it's starting to be a change. For instance in Sweden, where people are very quick to adopt  to  "new trends", we can see this phenomena increase a lot. Sweden is among the five countries involved mostly with aid work. It has become more common to take a part of their holiday to do volunteer work.

While this information reaches me, Madonna (the strongest trend creator ever) post lots of info & pictures on her Facebook page, about her  school project she runs in Malawi.

I also see that I have many readers in this blog, so it is sure an interest increasing about this issue.

Is it just a coincidence?

Is it just because of the phenomena "that what we are focusing on, attracts more?

Or could it be that we have now entered "the Aquarian age", and that we are actually starting to wake up, open our hearts to our sisters & brothers and want to help make values ​​a better place?


No matter what the cause is, I hope it's here to stay!