Autumnal Air

Let me paint the scene for you.

The leaves are falling.

The cosy jumpers are coming out.

Night time is getting earlier.

And... the fire has been lit.

Yes, that's right. My favourite season has arrived.

I know that a lot of people dread this time of year. The weather begins to turn cold and the nights get longer, but for reasons which I shall bestow upon you, this really is the time of year that I most look forward to and when I'm extremely happy. So I thought, why not share the reasons why autumn makes me and others feel happy too. You never know... it may just turn the frown upside down and allow you to embrace the wonderfulness that is autumn. Starting alphabetically...

Celebrations
I love autumn for the reason that it's Ryan's and my birthday in October. Even though my 25th was a pretty simple affair this year, I had a wonderful weekend celebrating with friends and family. We also went on an autumnal walk in Prior Park in Bath for Ryan's birthday and for anyone who hasn't been before, the views of Bath are spectacular. The staff are particularly friendly as well and really knew their history on the grounds. For instance, the Palladian Bridge is 1 of only 4 in the world and you can find graffiti dating back to the 18th century! Prior Park is a National Trust site, so all the more reason to become a member and take advantage of these beautiful places!

Halloween was spent at a dead celebrity party with friends of Ryan's. I won't lie... I was slightly confused by the theme. Do I go as a celebrity that has passed away? Do I go as a living celebrity but whack on some pale foundation to make them appear zombie-like? Needless to say, Ryan settled on Nicholas Hoult from the film Warm Bodies and I went as Helena Bonham-Carter with a Sweeney Todd look. Washing my hair after being back-combed was fun and Ryan was certainly pleased with having black glitter still on his eyes the following day... HA!

No doubt the sparklers will be making an appearance in the next couple of days too!

Comfort dishes
When it's cold, it's only natural to fancy something a bit warm for lunch or dinner. My favourite recipes and things to go for when eating out are all about creating comfort in my meals this autumn.

I visited The Swan in Swineford on my birthday and had one of the best steak pies I've tasted in a long while. It was a slice of a proper pie with pastry all around. none of this puff stuff just on top. No, no, no. This was a proper pie! I thoroughly recommend this classic dish if you happen to visit this fantastic country pub!

https://www.bathales.com/our-pubs/pid/the-swan/

An unusual comfort craving for me this autumn is lentils. It probably harks back to my Nepal days but I made a really yummy dish with lentils, onions and sausages in a gravy. Here's a great recipe from the BBC Good Food website.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2233/sausage-and-lentil-onepot

There's also nothing better than a warm soup with some crusty bread to warm those bellies on a chilly day. Great for either lunch or dinner, soup can really pack a punch with lots of nutritious ingredients and easy to make recipes. I made a soup with lots of veggies and even my 22 month old nephew woofed it down!
Here's the ingredients that I just cooked and blended together.

• Onion
• Shallot
• Leek
• Kale
• Spinach
• Sweet Potato
• Carrot
• Seasoning: Bay leaf, thyme salt & pepper

Start off by cooking the onion, shallot, leek and carrot until the onion is clear. Add the sweet potato, bay leaf and thyme with enough water to cover the sweet potato. Cook until the veggies are tender and then remove the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper and add the kale and spinach. When they are cooked, use a vertical blender to mix it all together. Make sure you blend the hard bits of kale out too. Ta dah... your own nutritious homemade soup. Another recipe to try is butternut squash, chilli and creme fraiche. My brother made this a couple of months ago and it became a firm favourite in our family. The chilli will also certainly warm you up!

Lastly, you cannot go wrong with the epitome of a classic British comfort food. A roast dinner. Ryan and I will be slow cooking a chicken this week with some cayenne pepper and paprika to give it a spicy twist. Might even try my hand at making an avocado salsa to go with it. YUM!

Cosy jumpers
I'm like any rational human being and find it highly frustrating when the weather is in that transitional zone where it's too hot to wear a coat and too cold to wear just a long sleeved top. Cue a cosy jumper! There's nothing better than having a soft jumper to keep you warm on a chilly day.

My shop of choice for cosy, comfortable jumpers has been and will continue to be GAP. I honestly feel like they don't get enough credit, but I bought two amazing jumpers from there last winter and they are my go to's. Here's a couple of my favourites from their latest collection.

Ooo... I love this one! Has a Scandinavian feel about it. I'm already outfit planning with the cream one... It's £39.95 and comes in black, navy (as shown) and cream - http://www.gap.co.uk/browse/product.do?cid=1003817&vid=1&pid=000718317001

You can't go wrong with a cable knit. I have a couple of jumpers and cardigans in my wardrobe that have lasted me for a couple of years. They are the epitome of autumn and winter. This one costs £39.95 and also come in aubergine'y', white, navy, dark grey and light grey - http://www.gap.co.uk/browse/product.do?cid=1003817&vid=1&pid=000718339001

This is a bit of a splurge but boy oh boy, wouldn't a cashmere turtleneck jumper be a LOVELY addition to the wardrobe this autumn. This beauty costs £109.95 but think of it more as an investment that will remain a classic for years to come. It also comes in grey and navy - http://www.gap.co.uk/browse/product.do?cid=1030782&vid=1&pid=000112225002

Gap always have great sales and discount offers on, so sign up to their email mailing list and you could get a great offer soon to buy these wonderful jumpers!

Hand creams
When the cold starts to set in, I notice the difference in how my skin feels and looks. My hands were looking in a sorry state a few weeks ago, but since then I've been using a couple of creams to get my hands and nails looking healthy again. Here are some that I've been trying out.

For my birthday, my Aunt and Uncle got me the Burt's Bees Tips and Toes set and I've been using the Thoroughly Therapeutic Honey & Grapeseed Oil Hand Cream. I find it a brilliant everyday cream as it doesn't leave your hands with a greasy feeling. I will admit, some people might not like the smell as it can be an acquired scent, but it does work wonders. The kit also comes with a hand salve and an almond and milk hand cream which I'm yet to try.

http://www.burtsbees.co.uk/natural-products/body-hands-and-feet-care/

Another hand cream that I would highly recommend is Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Concentrated. One year my hands were so bad that my knuckles were cracked and red raw. They were so severely dry that the Neutrogena, as well as E45 at night, were the only things able to relieve the soreness. Don't let your hands get into that state! For more everyday useage, their Fast Absorbing Hand Cream is great by being light and non-greasy.

http://www.neutrogena.co.uk/product/hand-cream

For a more scenty hand cream, I become a bit of an old lady. That was my nickname in work anyway, but everyone wanted a bit of this hand cream! I absolutely LOVE the smell of lavender and Yardley do a hand cream that smells absolutely sublime. It dries quickly and leaves the hands feeling super soft and yes there may be a little more mature scents in their range, but the product is fantastic and actually works. That's what we want isn't it?

http://www.yardleylondon.co.uk/classics-body-hand.html

Hot water bottles
Whether you're ill, experiencing cold toes tucked up in bed or it's that time of month, a hot water bottle solves problems. On Christmas day last year, I started to feel pretty rough. Come Boxing Day, I had a full on ear infection with excruciating pain in my left ear. My sinuses were severely blocked and before I was able to get my hands on Sudafed, my Mum got me a hot water bottle and told me to rest my ear on it. It didn't instantly relieve the pain but it really did help to ease the pressure slightly. Don't underestimate the good a hot water bottle can do!

Leaves
I love when the leaves start to turn. The explosion of rich colours that delicately fall to the ground and make a crisp sound as you walk through them.

I think I have such found memories of autumn as my parents would often take me on walks into woodlands or through parks, where I'd kick through the vast amount of fallen leaves. I also remember being at my grandparents flat picking up all the conkers in their garden from the HUGE horse chestnut tree. Subconsciously, this is probably why I love autumn so much as these happy memories are so vivid in my mind.

This year I decided commemorate my favourite season with my creative flair. I made a leaf collage using leaves I found in Leigh Woods and took inspiration from the affordable art fair I visited a few weeks ago. It conveys the transition of the leaves from the lush summer green to the rich burgundy red, which is something I always get excited seeing at this time of year. Just ask Ryan...

Pumpkins
There's something particularly cheery about pumpkins. I saw some mini ones in the supermarket a few weeks ago and they were very cute!
But not only are they cute, they make some really great dishes too.
For a start, when you scrape the insides out, make sure to keep the seeds. These taste really great and are highly nutritious. All you need to do is bake them with a bit of sea salt, or if you're feeling a bit adventurous, add in some chilli flakes.
Jamie Oliver has a how-to guide to make sure you get them absolutely perfect!

http://www.jamieoliver.com/news-and-features/features/how-to-roast-pumpkin-seeds/#!4

Waitrose have a superb recipe for pumpkin which incorporates an Indian influence. Why not try this on a Saturday night instead of reaching for the takeaway menu. It's always good to know exactly what goes into your food, plus I find cooking really sociable too. Ryan and I have fun cooking together and it's good to experiment... most of the time. Flashback to extremely peppery pulled pork because the pepper lid fell off. Oops...

http://www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/home/recipes/recipe_directory/p/pumpkin-spinach-coconutbiryani.html?wtrint=1-Content-_-2-Recipes-_-3-hearty-mains--_-4--_-5-hotspot-_-6-pumpkinbriyani

Warm drinks
How satisfying is it getting out of the cold to be welcomed with a hot beverage? The answer... VERY!
Whatever takes your fancy - a cup of tea, a mug of coffee or a pint of hot chocolate (I won't judge... promise!) - on a cold, bitter day, these drinks not only warm our insides but bring us together for cosy chats. Ryan and I visited the Bristol Coffee House on Whiteladies Road in Clifton and I had a scrumptious hot chocolate. They use dark chocolate shavings but I spiced mine up a bit with chilli chocolate shavings too.

So there's my list. I hope I've managed to remind you of the great things that autumn brings to our lives, not just the chilly weather or dark evenings. I think we're also very lucky to have the clear transitional seasons and all the beauty it brings. Finally, I'll leave you with this autumnal quote:

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree." - Emily Bronte

Now if that doesn't conjure up a beautiful image, I don't know what else will!

Alice x

Making the most

I firmly believe that weekends should be spent being productive.
This is especially true of Ryan and I as he spends a lot of the week away with work, so we always embrace the weekends and try to make the most.

For the last 3 weeks, I've been finding fun things to do that get us out and about.

Week 1
Sat
We went to Bristol museum to see the New York apartment exhibition they have on at the moment, and although not my cup of tea, I thoroughly enjoyed walking around and remembering visits from my childhood. Ryan and I have also developed a new game called 'Contemporary Captions'. For example... for this guy we found below, we decided his caption should be:

"Grab your coat love. You've pulled".

See what caption you can come up with for this one. Comment below.

"Whaaaaatever!"

Sun

Sunday was an absolutely beautiful day so we decided to venture south and go to Exmoor for a picnic. It was honestly glorious sitting in the sunshine eating sandwiches. Bliss!
Afterwards, we headed to Dunster Castle where Ryan FINALLY signed up as a National Trust member. Now I can take him EVERYWHERE! I thoroughly recommend becoming a member because not only is it completely worth the money, you really are doing your bit to help preserve the properties, garden and land for future generations. They're all part of our heritage and culture, so why wouldn't you want to preserve our history?

Week 2
Sat
Saturday was an absolutely glorious day so we decided to go out for lunch. We went to the Primrose Cafe in Clifton and managed to get a seat outside. We then went for a mooch around Clifton looking at the overpriced antiques. My grandparents would've had something to say about the prices... haha
We then headed over the suspension bridge to Leigh Woods. We were going to have a look at the exhibition that is currently on show there but we couldn't find it. Instead we went for a LONG walk (mainly because we lost our bearings... oops). It was such a nice day and the woods are kept beautifully, again because it's National Trust owned. They have a mountain bike trail so I might have to try that out in the next couple of weeks.

Sun
We went away for the night for our 1 year anniversary to Tortworth Court but I won't bore you with the details. I did beat Ryan at monopoly though!

Week 3
Sat
Saturday was quite a fun day as we went to play adventure golf at Pirate Bay. As you can imagine, it was pirate themed and even had boats on pulleys to add to the experience! Plus, I won... much to Ryan's dismay.

We then went for a drive out into the country where we had a cold drink and homemade cake from a farm shop. We're really lucky in Bristol where it's easy to do that. We're surrounded by green!

Sun
Bristol was holding an affordable art show so Ryan and I went along. It was £5 for a ticket and it honestly got me in a really creative vibe. I'm now looking for a canvas to bring out the inner artist in me!

This weekend was a bit hectic with hospital visits but Ryan and I did manage to squeeze in a visit to Leigh Woods again. Still didn't find the exhibition but we did manage to collect some beautiful autumnal leaves. Watch this space for my artistic flair!

As you can see from my activities, it's really not hard to make the most of the time off. Don't be that person that sits in front of the TV all day. Get out and about come rain or shine. That's what wellies and waterproofs are for!

Make the most!

Alice x

We've been Active Citizens!

We did it!

Team Lamjung climbed Mount Snowdon and had a GREAT amount of fun doing it =)

Ryan and I hiked the Snowdon Ranger path in January, but this time I took the team up the Llanberis path. It pretty much follows the mountain railway track up to the summit which I think makes a lot of people look on enviously at the train as they shuffle up the steep incline. Having said that, it feels great getting to the top knowing you've just climbed the third highest mountain in the UK. Plus this hike was more significant for us as we knew this is what the people in Nepal have to do a lot of the time.

I thought it would be a nice idea to carry red balloons (the colour of DEC and Nepal) to garner some attention and get people talking to us. A good idea in theory but the gales liked to take the balloons into the team's faces somewhat...
And let me just clarify to the countless amounts of people that asked us... I WISH the balloons helped take us up the mountain, but really we were just carrying extra air. They still looked good though as you can see in the pictures.

We also managed to hand out our awareness leaflets at the summit to spread our message and give people an idea of what people of developing countries may have to go through. It's worth bearing in mind that people climb Snowdon for fun or a sense of achievement. The people in Nepal climb up and down because they have to. I would say that the team spoke to approximately 70 people on the day which is great towards healthcare awareness in Nepal. I even managed to get a couple of tweets with our hashtag #hikeforhealthcare!

The team have also had great success in raising over £400 to go to the DEC Nepal appeal.
There's still time to donate if you haven't which you can do either online:

www.justgiving.com/hikeforhealthcare

Or via text:

LAMJ75 £(plus the amount you would like to donate) to 70070

You may think that £400 isn't a great deal considering there were a lot of people climbing Snowdon on Saturday, however the whole point of the climb was to raise awareness to those that may not have been already aware. The people I spoke to were genuinely surprised by the healthcare facts I presented to them about Nepal, which hopefully means it will stay in their minds for longer. I always find that when I'm told something surprising, I remember it for much longer... but that's just me.

Just thought I'd also point out that the final group photo was courtesy of Reiss Parmar. Thanks Reiss!!!

Thanks for everyone's support and I'll keep you updated with further VSO/Nepal updates =)

Alice x

Hungry Hiker

My apologies as I thought I had already posted this before!

A hungry hiker makes for a horrendous hike.
I've had a look at the weather forecast for Saturday, and as it's supposed to be sunny, why not take advantage of a glorious day and go for a walk or hike.
For my experiences of hiking, I've always found it more of a struggle when I haven't had complimentary snacks to keep me going. I thought I'd share with you what I took with me to Snowdon a few weeks ago.

* I started the day off with scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast. I normally wouldn't recommend anything other than porridge but WOW those eggs were good. And in fact, they were relatively filling and kept me going until my first snack around 13:00 (which is pretty good going considering I had breakfast at 08:15).

* When we got to the halfway point, I tucked in to a couple of plain oatcakes and a banana. Oats are a great source of energy and they keep you fuller for longer. Why do you think the Scottish soldiers could march for longer? Bananas, like oats, release their energy slowly. Plus their rich in potassium which helps keep the cramping pangs at bay.

* Once I was 3/4 of the way up Snowdon, I found that a couple of squares of dark chocolate were a welcomed boost of energy, especially as the path started to get steeper.
* Reaching the top meant it was time for some dried apricots. A solid favourite from my previous time of climbing Snowdon. Dried fruits are packed with carbohydrates which help for an energy boost.
*Most importantly, I drank water the entire way. I drank a 500ml bottle before breakfast, a 500ml bottle before the hike and a 1.5l during. I then made sure I drank water afterwards. I'm certainly not feeling as sore as I have been after previous hikes, and I think the water helped.

* Other foods I would highly recommend...

1. Mixed nuts - so many health benefits to nuts, but like everything else they give you a boost and fill that tummy!
2. Soreen banana malt loaf - these are great! Plus you can get them in a handy lunchbox size too. I had specifically written banana because it's my favourite but the original malt loaf is scrumptious too. I'm yet to try the orange one but I'm sure they've hit the nail with that one too.
3. Eat natural bars - my favourite has to be the almond and apricot yoghurt coated bar. Delicious...

*Foods to avoid...

1. English Breakfast - as tempting as this may be with an impending hike ahead of you, it really doesn't fill you up in the right way. Imagine it like this... are you ever really hungry, and then you have fast food and it satisfies you there and then, but an hour or so later you feel hungry again? That's because the fast food
2. Fizzy Drinks - just don't drink these. They make you bloated with unnecessary gas and it will make the climb so much harder than it needs to be.
3. Foods high in fat or protein - these will take much longer to digest and could upset your stomach in the heat.

Hope this information helps you out on your next hike and remember to keep hydrated and eat a little bit often.

Happy hiking everyone!

Alice x

Being an Active Citizen

Part of the ICS programme sees us be Active Citizens once we arrive home, and by this they normally mean spread awareness on an issue that you faced in your country of placement. Back in May, I mentioned how Team Nepal were doing a charity event called Hike for Healthcare, that would see us raise awareness on the lack of access to basic healthcare.

Well...

That day has arrived and Team Lamjung will be climbing Mount Snowdon. Hike for Healthcare will be a great opportunity to spread awareness on how far people have to travel for basic healthcare in Nepal. Snowdon has an elevation of 1,085m. The Lamjung district has an approximately 81.3% elevation above 1,000m, with many people living at or above this height. If people need healthcare, they will have about a 4 hour round trip to see a doctor. Most of the time, they won't travel down.

This event isn't to highlight how lucky we are for the NHS or that we're lucky to live in the UK. It is simply to raise awareness on how healthcare systems in developing countries aren't all they could and should be. Countries in dire need of development need their health systems reformed so that everyone has access to basic healthcare.

In preparation, Ryan and I went for a big walk in Stoke Park. If you live in Bristol, you'll recognise it as the green space by the big yellow house off the M32. Everyone in Bristol will know exactly where I'm talking about now.

Now I know what you're thinking.

How is that preparation for climbing the third largest mountain in the UK?

Simple answer? It isn't... but it sure was a lovely walk. Plus, it was good to take the time out and not have a care in the world apart from that moment.

I'll tell you what's also not good preparation. Eating a pizza on Thursday night. Cue massive food guilt...

Nonetheless I'm ready for Snowdon again! Plus, I get to see my fabulous team! Yay! We'll be at Llanberis Mountain Railway from 10am and we'll be starting our climb at 11am. We're trying to spread awareness on Facebook and Twitter by using the hashtag #hikeforhealthcare so use it where you can! We also have an event page that anyone is free to join.

http://t.co/lb7Dc0G1Wv

I'll also be live tweeting the entire event, so visit my Twitter page @alicelgarland for updates.

If you would like to make a donation to our cause, then visit my Just Giving page.

www.justgiving.com/hikeforhealthcare

Or alternatively, text LAMJ75 £(the amount you would like to give) to 70070.

Thank you to everyone for their continuous love and support. Bring on Snowdon!

Alice x

Summer Sunshine

(I've been massively rubbish with blogging recently, but there is a big post all about Indonesia on the way. In the meantime, I thought I'd share with you some of the activities I've been doing since being back from Nepal and Indonesia.)

It seems that the sunshine has followed us all the way from Indonesia, so Ryan and I are really making the most of it. I'm currently looking for work so don't have much cash lying about, so I thought I'd compile a list of summer activities that won't break the bank balance.

1) Bike ride - I'm REALLY lucky to live next to the Bristol Bath Railway Path, so last Saturday I got the bike out and pedalled to my heart's content. Bath is about an hour's ride from my house and the cycle path is a beautiful setting the whole way. Plus, I got a good workout, didn't struggle or have to pay for parking and I did my bit for the environment! WARNING: your thighs won't particularly like you on the way back to Bristol, as it's a slight incline the whole way.
Get your bikes out and create a route of your own. Just remember to be safe when cycling on the road, and wear a helmet. Better to be safe than sorry...

2) Fish & chips at the seaside
What's better than a classic British tradition? Again, I'm very lucky to live where I live as the coast isn't that far away. If you too are lucky to live near the coast, why not spend a sunny summer evening there?
On Monday evening, I went on a spontaneous adventure to Weston-super-Mare for fish and chips. It was glorious weather that didn't deserve to be wasted. We had fish and chips on the seafront and then went for a walk all along the promenade.
Tip: If you head to Weston, make sure you go to Papa's fish and chip shop on Waterloo Street. The fish was amazing!

3) Tennis
As it's the season of Wimbledon, why not follow form and swing the racket yourself?
I'm going to be playing a game tonight and will celebrate my win (always the optimist) with some strawberries and yoghurt (trying to be a bit healthier by not having cream).

4) Picnic in the Park
Admittedly, I might have embraced the sunshine a bit too early when I had a picnic on a May evening (I think the coats and blanket wrapped round me was a sure giveaway), but when the sun is out, grab the picnic blanket and head to your local park. You could even jazz the picnic up a bit by having a theme - a Spanish surprise, an Italian indulgence, a French feast or a British belly-filler.

5) Summer festivals
Oh Bristol... you are an epic city. Home to numerous FREE festivals including Bristol harbourside festival (mid July), Bristol international balloon fiesta (early Aug) and Eat Drink Bristol Fashion, which was held in May.
If you're not situated in Bristol, why not visit us for the weekend?

6) BBQ
What I love about summer is how acceptable it is to have a BBQ practically every day! We had one last night with the fire pit going later in the evening, which meant I was in the garden until 11pm. Our recent BBQ's have also seen us replace the classic burger for marinated chicken pieces on skewers with mixed vegetables - delicious!

7) Search for Shaun
After the success of the Gromit trail, Shaun the Sheep is making an appearance on the streets of Bristol. He's been spending his time in London, but from the 6th July until the end of August, he'll be in his hometown providing a fun and free trail for all.

8) Gardening
After I returned from Nepal, I spent an afternoon helping my Mum in the garden. Yesterday I looked on it with a big smile as it's absolutely beautiful. Gardening is very therapeutic and by planting flowers, you're helping our declining bee population. Why not also try your hand at sustainably growing some fruits or veggies? I've got myself some strawberries to enjoy this week! If you haven't got room, why not enquire about an allotment?

9) Swimming
Being active is important for a healthy lifestyle, that's why swimming is a great option for the summer. Your whole body gets moving and swimming certainly keeps you fit. I love swimming, and if you don't know how to swim, now is a great time to learn.

10) Photo walk
For both adults and children, this activity can helps to highlight the beautiful country we live in. Take photos of flowers, buildings, the countryside... whatever you like. Enjoy your surroundings and who knows, your photography skills could capture a thing of beauty.

I hope this list has given you some creative ways to enjoy the summer sunshine without a great expense. And remember... don't forget to wear the suncream!

Alice x

LONG journeys

As you may or may not know, today is the start of my holiday! Ryan and I are in going to be in Bali for the next 18 days, which will be a lovely and relaxing break before I get back to the reality of being a grown up.

I'm currently sat in Kuala Lumpur airport writing this with my eyes barely staying open. A 12.5 hour flight with barely any zzz's is never any fun and now I feel like death warmed up. Eye bags are never a good look. However, KL airport is very awesome with it's own outdoor rainforest walkthrough, conpete with a waterfall. Bristol airport doesn't even have a fountain... shocking!

Typical Alice fashion, I left packing to the day. When will I ever learn? Obviously my packing was a lot different on this trip to Nepal, so I'll let you know what is good for the climate like Indonesia and what was a clothing disaster right from the get go.

I've just had an energy juice to try and wake me up a bit, but really I think I just need a good old fashioned kip. I'll try to blog as much as I can about our little adventure but don't blame me if the massages take over!

Alice x

A big bag of emotion

It's been a while since my last blog post and I'm really, really sorry for this, but a lot has been going on, and to be honest, emotions have been all over the place. Today was actually the day I was supposed to come home...

I've struggled with how I was going to write this post and what it was going to be about, so it's been sitting in my drafts box for a couple of weeks, and initially it started off pretty doom and gloom.

I got home on Sunday 3rd May and had a lovely two days with my family. However, I think I was in total denial over the bank holiday weekend. It wasn't until Tuesday that it really hit me that I left Nepal behind. I left my friends and host family in a devastated country, both physically and mentally. I wasn't waking up to the buffalo or the sunshine beaming into my curtainless room. Didi wasn't there to make dal bhat at 9am or dal bhat at 7pm. There were no more team meetings and our ideas and planned projects weren't going to happen. I felt very drained and a huge sense of guilt overwhelmed me, as I was home and safe, and because that's what I wanted.

VSO offered all Nepal teams a chance to attend a presentation and counselling session with Interhealth. They discussed post traumatic stress disorder and ways in which we can deal with the after effects of the earthquake. I'm really not into therapy sessions and I felt that this session was needed moreso for the Nepalese, but this actually helped me and explained things I have been experiencing since being back e.g. trouble sleeping, feelings of guilt, apathy and trouble concentrating. My decision making has been completely out the window.
Even though the session helped me, in a way I felt like I was being selfish as my problems weren't on the same level. I felt that my feelings were pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things as our counterparts and the people of Nepal had suffered a hell of a lot more. I think a big part of the recovery and the rehabilitation of the country should focus on people's mental health. They are still experiencing the trauma of more earthquakes and numerous aftershocks, as well as having their homes destroyed.

However, having said all that, my mental health is important too. I don't think I began to feel entirely happy again until our return volunteer weekend (RVW) with VSO. I think it helped me in a lot of ways. We were able to talk about our emotions and what was happening to the Nepal teams. This weekend genuinely put a smile back on my face as I got to see my team and they showed their affection in the form of constant ridicule... thanks guys... haha, and it helped to remind me of all the good we can still do at home.

This brings me onto a fantastic fundraising opportunity that a few of us will be doing in July. When I climbed Snowdon in January, I felt not only a personal sense of achievement, but it felt exhilarating doing it for charity. The motivation was with me continuously as I was climbing up the mountain, so naturally, I wanted to do it again. At the RVW, Cally, Hamish and I were set with coming up with a challenge that would raise awareness for our Action at Home. I proposed to the others that I wanted to climb Snowdon but didn't know what angle to go with. Hamish came up with the healthcare approach, as many Nepalese have to walk the distance and elevation (if not more) of Snowdon to get access to healthcare. Cally aptly named it our Hike for Healthcare, and voila... we have our event!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1572091313039465/

Follow the link to the Facebook Event, and please do join us if you'd like. We will be setting up a Just Giving page once we get the details together. There will also be a hike going on in London (hopefully).

I could say a lot more about Nepal and I'm happy to answer any questions or tell you more, but I'd like to try and keep my posts as positive as I can. My blog was started to talk about my adventures, and that's what I'll continue to do.
Nepal will always be a big part of my life and it helped develop me as a person. For that, I will always be thankful. It is not goodbye Nepal. It is see you later!

Alice x

An earthquake that has shaken the world

Today I start this post with an extremely heavy heart. What should have been a post about my teaching experience in school has now become about a major natural disaster that has absolutely devastated a country and it's people.

I've had many concerns from a lot of family and friends from home, and let me assure you that I'm perfectly safe and well. Thank you to everyone who has contacted me to make sure I'm doing ok. Luckily, my network and data was working so I was able to make contact with people as soon as the earthquake struck.

As a lot of you know already, I am currently volunteering with VSO in the Lamjung district in a place called Duipiple. We were only approximately 35km from the epicentre of the earthquake so we could really feel the impact when it struck at around 12 noon on Saturday.
At the time, I was having a nap. I haven't been sleeping well in Nepal so was making the most of a quiet morning. I was awoken by what I thought was a large construction truck going past the house. It was shaking the house considerably, so I got up to investigate. I then realised after seeing people running out of their houses shouting or screaming, and other houses shaking along the street, that I was in the middle of an earthquake. I ran downstairs into a doorway and found my Didi clutching her children. We all ran outside to an open area and waited for the earthquake to be over. This earthquake measured (the measurement seems to change from source to source) around 7.8/7.9 on the Richter scale. 30 minutes later, another big aftershock struck the community.
It was a very surreal experience. I have never felt an earthquake before and I certainly won't forget this one in any hurry. It's an unnerving feeling when the ground moves beneath you. It wasn't as if it was a little bit; the ground was violently shaking everyone and everything. The tremors continued on average every 30 minutes for the rest of the day.
When I look back, I actually surprised myself with how I remained calm and collected. If I'm honest, it felt a little exhilarating feeling an earthquake, however this feeling very quickly disappeared when I heard of the destruction it had caused to the west of the district.

Tragically, Kathmandu suffered immensely with a lot of their World Heritage sites having been destroyed or damaged. But the real loss here is the lives. As I write this now, I believe the death toll has surpassed the 5000 people mark, with 1000's more injured or missing. The prime minister himself has said that the death toll could reach 10,000. A horrific number to even think about. Whole villages have been wiped out due to both the earthquake itself and landslides triggered by the aftershocks. The landslides have also meant that rural, mountainous villages are inaccessible. Trekkers and their guides on Mount Everest have been killed due to the onset of an avalanche the earthquake caused, with many more people trapped and waiting for a helicopter to lift them from base camp. This has been the biggest earthquake in Nepal for 80 years, and what's more, it was long overdue.

The aftershocks have caused as much damage as the earthquake itself. As I've previously mentioned, there have been landslides in the Kathmandu valley. Houses that hadn't initially fallen down from the quake then collapsed in the aftershocks. The aftershocks have even caused damage emotionally and mentally. Saturday night/Sunday morning was horrific for trying to sleep. The tremors were pretty constant and it meant that practically the whole community I live in slept outside. Everyone was on edge, waiting for the next tremor to come. When it did come, you could hear men shouting, women screaming and children crying. In those situations, you really just wish you could take their suffering away. We also had a 6.7 after shock on Sunday afternoon, which again shook the village to it's core.
The community have slept outside since Saturday night out of fear of even more tremors. You can see in the pictures their makeshift tents they have been using.

What's even more worrying is the rainfall and snowfall that could potentially cause more destruction. Nepal is notorious for landslides and if the country has more rain and snow as it is predicted, it could cause further chaos and destruction, thus taking even more lives.

Thankfully the family and friends of our Nepalese volunteers are safe and well. Most of our counterparts are from Kathmandu itself and naturally the images of devastation have broken both their hearts and ours. The main thing is that their family has their health, which can't be said for a lot of other people.

The priority for us now is to get our counterparts home to their families. Unfortunately, this means that we too will be leaving community and flying home to the UK. We've had confirmation that we will be leaving in the next couple of days so we've been asked to be packed and ready to go at any moment. It makes me incredibly sad that we can't help with the disaster relief in Kathmandu as I am just simply getting on a plane and leaving it all behind. Sure, I can do fundraisers when I get home, but I'm leaving having seen the devastation and pain that a whole country is going through. It makes me feel guilty that I can't do something in Nepal itself, having called this place my home for 2 months. I write this in tears because I'm leaving not only the Nepalese counterparts and host home, but people I now call my friends and Nepalese family. It really has affected me more than I ever thought it possibly could. Nonetheless, I have to think that I am not trained for this situation nor am I medical professional. I have goodwill to help out, but it is not what is necessarily needed at this exact moment. All I can say is that I hope Nepal remains strong and strives to come back from this extremely unfortunate natural occurrence.

The disaster relief has been incredible with numerous countries sending over helicopters to reach those in rural areas and medical teams to deal with the vast amount of people injured. They are also providing safe drinking water and items such as blankets to those sleeping outside. If you would like to donate to the disaster relief fund, then please visit these websites and donate to one of the many great charities that are all currently on ground in Nepal.
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/apr/27/nepal-earthquake-how-you-can-help-donate-aid
http://time.com/3836242/nepal-earthquake-donations-disaster-relief/

I've also shared a post of photos on Facebook that tell Nepal's Earthquake story.

Let's do what we can for a country that is in dire need of human compassion, and let us also remember to show as nations what Nepal stands for:

Never Ending Peace And Love.

Alice x

"Whatever you do, don't do it halfway"

What a milestone! Halfway through the project and everyone seems to have achieved a lot already. However, as the blog title states, we all have a lot more to do in our remaining few weeks. I'm really sorry it's been a while since my last post, but it's been pretty busy with Mid-Phase Review, our Community Health Programme CAD and team meeting on Sunday.

So... let me fill you in on what's been happening.

We left for Pokhara on Sunday 12th April and it took approx 2.5 hours to get there. We had lunch straight away and got stuck straight into our training. The first session (and probably my favourite session of the 3 days) was reflecting on our personal development. I was looking forward to Pokhara mainly because of the change in scenery and western food, but actually, I took a lot away from this session and the whole training in general. With the amount of physical work we're doing in community, its really easy to forget about the personal changes you go through on a programme like this. This experience has definitely made me reconsider future career prospects, and has helped me develop work skills. For example, project management has been vital for planning and implementing our CAD's within community. We as volunteers are solely responsible for the programmes, and if we weren't able to manage with this responsibility, we definitely wouldn't get things done. The second session was reflecting on our counterpart relationships and host home environments. Meetum and I are lucky to have a good relationship, and if we've ever had any issues, we've talked about it. This session was good to bring up anything that might need to be addressed. For example, Meetum openly admits to me that she thinks I don't eat enough, but I reassured her that if I was hungry or if something was wrong, then I would tell her. Plus we also talked about not relying on each other too much. Also, Meetum and I came runner's-up in the Mr & Mrs quiz. She assumed I couldnt ride a bike. She thought they meant motorbike! The third session was presenting on what we had done up until MPR and what's to come. For this, Meetum and I wrote a poem:

We arrived on a Tuesday in our community home.
We got off the bus and were all alone.
Duipiple, the centre of the country we're in.
At once we noticed, "Where was the bin?".
It got us thinking the waste needed picking,
So we went to VDC to get our brains clicking.
A litter picking day was planned for all to come.
It would make the town merry and a lot less less glum.
Litter was picked off of the streets.
Tea and biscuits were provided as the treats.
Managing the waste was the issue now.
We provided a workshop to show them how.
Mini greenhouses were fun to do.
The ladies had answers to give us too.
Bins are the next step for this small Lamjung town.
Recycling their products will mran they have waste management 'down'.
These are the CAD's we have done for far,
And now we are here for MPR.
A lot has been planned for the next five weeks.
It's crazy to think how quickly time creeps.
School sessions have been planned. We are ready to train.
The children can make a change from the knowledge they gain.
Menstruation, reproduction and the confidence to speak out,
The children will benefit from this, I have no doubt.
A community health programme was to take place in week four,
But issues arose that closed this door.
Worry not, this programme will be back.
It's taking place on the fourth of Baishak.*
This is what we've completed up until now.
Hopefully the second half will make you think "WOW"!

*17th April in the English calendar - just to let you know.

I think I have a future in writing poems for Hallmark. It went down a treat ;)

Speaking of treats... have I talked about the serious stuff enough to now divulge into the details of FOOD?!? Our first dinner was actually dining out in a bamboo restaurant overlooking the lake. In true British fashion, and to obviously make us feel more at home, it completely tipped it down. It was emphasised even more by the metal sheeted roof. A downpour and a half!!! Now imagine if you will... a moment where you've been so overwhelmed, that a little part of your brain goes into overdrive, and you go a tad crazy. This was exactly what happened to me when I saw the menu. I ended up sharing a plate of cheesy, salsa nachos with Rosie, and I had bbq chicken sandwiches with chips and salad. Let's not forget the cheeky two cocktails that accompanied this meal as well. They were polished off in no time and measures are DEFINITELY stronger in Nepal! Day two I got actual cornflakes with cows milk. COWS MILK! And toast. Glorious toast. Only thing that would've completed the toast would've been marmite. Lunch was a pizza. I obviously would've had one for dinner the night before, but it wasn't on the menu. A sweet Danish in the afternoon. Pasta in a tomato sauce for dinner. Day three. Omlette on toast. Chargrilled chicken wraps. Chocolate cake shared with Rosie in the afternoon. Stir-fry noodles. Day four. Lots of toast. Chicken schnitzel sandwiches with chips and salad (these were unbelievably AMAZING!) and a frozen yoghurt. I also managed to get a lot of fresh fruit juice into me from this trip which was so satisfying. Miss lots of fruit and veg! However, after eating all this glorious food, I don't think the stomach could handle the western food overload. I felt a little bit sick in Pokhara but as soon as I got back to Daal Bhat in community, it actually settled... This is just my luck, and I guess that means no binging on burgers or lasagne when I get back then.

We also had some really lovely free time in Pokhara whereby we had a bit of an explore of the city. It was New Years whilst we were there and Nepal is in the year 2072 now. There were lots of things going on in the streets with people dancing, playing instruments and oddly, there was a large parade of motorbikes down the lake road. Loud motorbikes too. On New Years Day, the whole team headed down to the lake and we boated around for a couple of hours. It was honestly so peaceful with the Himalayas and the Peace Pogada in the background. Plus, it was sunny so topped off the boating experience even more. On our last day, Rosie and I went to a supermarket. Yes... an actual supermarket that had refrigerated cabinets and shopping trolleys. But the nicest part was our long walk back chatting the entire way. Let me just emphasise that it was a LONG way. Nice to have a heart to heart now and again isn't it?

Thanks for planning a good MPR Aweg, Kuldeep and Miranda =)

After we got back from Pokhara on the Wednesday, we had to start prepping for our Community Health Programme on Friday. It was a very successful day with approximately 30 people turning up from 13 households. The community is a Dalit village who are a group of margainalised people shunned from Nepalese society. The purpose of the programme was to allow the Dalit community access to healthcare and to build a better relationship between the community and health post. The general feedback from the programme was that they were very happy to get check ups and required medication, and the community would now go to the health post and see the health assistant if they were ill, instead of travelling hours to Pokhara. They also felt happy that their care would continue having now developed a relationship with the health assistant.

Our team meeting was really interesting on Sunday, as Jita and Soti Pasal team members; Rosie, Jeshmina, Nisha and Keah, led their ACD on female empowerment. One really good idea from Rosie was a world map that had facts about the limitations on women around the world. It was surprising how close to home some of the facts were and the shock factor of how women are treated globally. Good job guys! It really was an informative and thought-provoking session. One you should be proud of too!

Lastly, Duipiple are currently hosting a Dutch organisation called Medical Checks for Children, who have worked here for the last 4 years (this being the 5th and final year). They have noticed reoccurring problems with children in the area and these include anemia, worms, malnutrition and dental problems. As we have roughly 4 weeks left in community, we made them aware that if they would like us to discuss a particular topic within the school, we'd be more than happy to help. Meetum and I have also produced leaflets on ten common childhood illnesses, which will hopefully contribute to the great work this organisation is already doing.

So that's about it really. Meetum and I will hopefully be teaching some school sessions by the end of the week, which include menstruation, general sexual and reproductive health, climate change, female empowerment and healthy living, and... we have a few more CAD's to run which are commercial vegetable growing, healthy livestock, cervical cancer awareness with a pap smear and the unveiling of the new community recycling bins.

Sorry once again for not posting something sooner, but I promise the next post will be within the week.

Alice x