TAX EXEMPTION

For those of you who operate under the faith business, here is some uplifting news.
For a year now I have been struggling with trying to get the Tax exemption form filled out correctly. Well this morning I had had enough and I rang the Tax office and wanted someone to help me. 1 Hour late and the form was completed and is on its way back to the Lawyers for the last check before it goes in. Now heres the blessing, the guy that helped me complete the form and answer all the question to comfirm that we should get the Tax exemption was a guy called Sushi, who hails from Kathmandu.
Thank you Lord.

Thursday 08/01/2009

Today Rajesh (civil engineer), Himal (President of Muscular Dystrophy Centre Bhaktapur), Narayan (Muscular Dystrophy Association Nepal member), and myself had a meeting today in Darbar Square, Kathmandu over lunch in order to bring each other up-to-date with the going-on’s surrounding the plans for the Respite Centre, and also to introduce Rajesh and Narayan as they had not met prior to the meeting. The meeting was a great success as we put our heads together and collaborated ideas and necessities with regards to the land needed to be purchased by S.W.A.P. After the meeting was over, I arranged another time to meet with Narayan with the purpose of finding out what, if any, government policies we need to run under, what administrative forms are required by the government, what M.D.A.N’s (Muscular Dystrophy Association Nepal) role will be regarding the centre, and if there is anything else I need to organise before heading back to Australia.

Saturday 03/01/2009

Steph and Monique’s last day! Noooooo! We woke up and Steph and Monique finished packing the last of their things while I pitched in one last attempt to convince them to stay, haha failed =[ After they’d finished we met Rajesh (the Nepalese engineer helping S.W.A.P. with the Respite Centre) for breakfast at Java. He arrived on Nepali time and was full of smiles as always. He told the girls that it was too soon for them to be leaving to Australia, and that his wife had said that it’s too soon as she wanted to have us all over for dinner one last time. This brought tears to mine and Steph’s eyes! I resisted the urge to bring up the Respite Centre but was stoked when Rajesh started talking about it. Between him and Rei, whenever I talk with those two I always get incredibly excited as to what 2009 has to come! After their final goodbye’s to Rajesh, us three girls jumped in a cab and headed off to the airport. Since I was getting the same cab back to Thamel after dropping them off, we had to make our goodbye’s extremely quick as we were worried he might drive off with my bags still in the car haha. Tonight is the quietest our house has ever been! I miss the girls already!

Friday 02/01/2009

Today we all woke up with a tinge of sadness in the air, it’s Stephanie and Monique’s last day in Banepa as we’re staying in Kathmandu the night in order to not have to rush to get to the airport tomorrow. After packing their last bits of luggage, and me pleading with them to stay till February with me, we wandered up to the canteen for breakfast and for the girls to say their last goodbyes to our friends in Banepa. Steph and I started crying at breakfast, she didn’t want to leave as much as I didn’t want them to leave! The girls had formed many great friendships here in Nepal, not only with the Nepali people but so too within our group. We three girls came to grow and share such amazing and strong friendships with each other, and it was so hard to think that it would be at least a month before we came together again to share more good times. We decided to go to dinner at Or2K in Thamel then head out after for one last game of pool. We retired to bed pretty early so we wouldn’t have to struggle to get up in the morning.

Wednesday 31/12/2008 New Years Eve!

New Years Eve is here yeah! After contemplating whether or not to go to Kathmandu to celebrate, or stay in Banepa, our Nepali mates in Banepa told us they were organising a bonfire on the hospital grounds so that made our minds up for us, Banepa it is! The evening started off with us S.W.A.P. girls helping Yvonne prepare the food for everyone; mushroom soup (seriously Yvonne makes the BEST mushroom soup I have ever tasted! Sorry mum..haha), egg rolls, banana cake, fruit salad, and hot chocolate! Talk about a feast! Once it was all prepared we rounded up some of the guys to help us carry the food over to the bonfire. When we got there we were surprised at how many people had arrived. All together there was roughly 40 people, nearly all hospital staff, it was great to see! Charlie, Brandon and Shree had mixed together some cd’s and after we ate, they chucked them in the cd player and everyone was up dancing round, it was so much fun! Slowly people started to sit down as we were all getting tired from dancing haha once that happened, Charlie grabbed the guitar and everyone sat around the fire singing a mix of Nepalese and western songs. When the clock hit midnight everyone jumped up and down, running round to their friends giving them hugs and wishing them a happy New Year! It was such an amazing night! What better way to bring in the New Year than with your good friends around a bonfire?

Tuesday 30/12/2008

We’re definitely making the most of our time off while it lasts! This morning we were able to sleep in again, though after all the walking we’ve been doing the past few days I think it’s definitely needed. Today we headed off to Nama Buddha, which we found out is 2 bus rides away from Banepa. The first bus we caught from Banepa took us to Punouti, the village which MDAN (the Muscular Dystrophy centre S.W.A.P. funds) is located. Then from Punouti we caught another bus which was meant to take us to the base of the mountain Nama Buddha is on top of. On our second bus Monique befriended an old Nepali man who told her he was also going to Nama Buddha. So we opted to hop off at his stop and follow him to Nama Buddha. Sounds like the perfect plan right? Wrong haha! After following the old man through 2 villages he disappeared. So with my basic, VERY basic Nepalese, I kept asking locals we came across on our path what the way was to Nama Buddha. We came across one man who spoke basic English (4 kms after hoping of the bus mind you), so between his basic English, and my basic Nepali, we had a general understanding that Nama Buddha was right around the corner. After saying goodbye and rounding the corner we discovered 2 things. Firstly the bus we had been on ends around that corner, and secondly we were now standing at the base of the mountain which Nama Buddha is on top of, and might I add that this was no little mountain either! So we decided to take a vote, majority wins, as to whether or not we attempt the mountain. Today we attempted Nama Buddha, but after a 5km walk due to us getting off the bus far too early, we did not make it up the mountain to the monastery haha! Oh well, at least we tried, right?

Monday 29/12/2008

Monique caught the bus into Banepa this afternoon and we met up with her at the Scheer canteen, our usual meeting place. Brandon took us girls for a walk up to a lookout tower situated on a mountaintop behind the hospital. The walk was really nice! Once again we had beautiful views of countryside’s and villages on the way to the tower, oh and not to mention the public bathing spot we caught a glimpse of on the way. It took us about an hour to reach the tower and once we did the views were amazing! Nepal never seizes to amaze me at just how much natural beauty it has to offer. Monique decided to stay the next few nights in Banepa with us as we’ve got a few things on our sight-seeing to-do list we want to tick off. Tomorrow its off to Nama Buddha, a Buddhist monastery located out past Punouti.