November Tales

Ok, it's early November and I have just come home from a six week stint as Acting Manager of the  Point Grey Guest House, a rather sophisticated bed and breakfast venue near the University of British Columbia, a few blocks away from the sea.  I love this residential area and felt very priviliged to have had this time here.  This photo shows Rowena, the PGGH wonderful assistant, and Shelby the dog.  It was definitely a pretty concentrated period of 'appropriateness'; no schlepping around here!  Large and fancy breakfast preparing, serving, schmooozing, phone calls, e-mails, general catering, walking the dog and just pulling out my own style of, and very welcomed, "Irish hospitality"!  I met wonderful people!  The photo below is in the living room after supper, taken with my Glengara Park, Dublin, school friends, Hilary and Heather (from Aus). The three of us were feted graciously by Hilary's husband, Patrick.

Now its back to my condo in North Burnaby (east of Vancouver) and the final touches of renovations in the kitchen and bathroom.  I started tutoring English yesterday.  Arran and Teresa and their two dogs continue to move through life happily.

Now, stepping back one hour in time tomorrow, and reaching out to whoever is following my story!

hugs, Dyane

Penticton Western News - First female in Ironman reflects

Penticton Western News - First female in Ironman reflects

Its the day after Mum's (dec) birthday and also Mary's and I wonder, Lesley, why I have 12 of your blogs on my blogspot site, and 4 or 5 of your blog, Wilma?!!   One of these days I will work out this blog thing and also catch up with family, friends and my news on Facebook!!  Ok, June 17th, and I am staying with friends, a large tres francais family in the French countryside.  They live outside the beautiful, wanna-live-here town of Annecy.  This past week went with Raymond on a 2 day hike up two mountains, through forests and bypassing fields of wheat, corn, poppies and delicate flowers, following the Le Chemin de Saint-Jacques (Compostelle) route alongside and sometimes away from the Rhone.  The break away in nature was something superb for me.

Time to be a bit retrospective ....  the month (April-May) in Nepal offered for me more wonderful teaching  English/ communications experience.  I was invited this year to be part of  a medical  (midwifery) team from UBC (University of British Columbia) working with several medical (nursing/midwifery) teams in Kathmandu.  I gave english and communication classes to nurses, midwives and teachers in four hospitals.  It was a most rewarding experience.  I am happy and honoured to be invited back to teach these people who are anxious to improve their English skills.  I also revisited the Childhaven home in Ari Bari, a small village outside Kathmandu where I taught in 2010.  Thanks to friends and welwishing donars we were able to buy and install a projector and screen in the Green Tara School Library as well as set up the internet for educational purposes only.  I was honoured that the founder of Childhaven International, Bonnie Cappuccino, attended our official opening.  Indeed, these were, I think, exciting and hopeful times for students and teachers alike!

After Kathmandu, Cathy and I met some friends in Paris, and after schmoozing around the city for a day, we took off on bicycles along the Loire River for five days to follow meandering peaceful routes and to visit various endroits, and not forgetting to taste the various wines and cheeses.  After this so-pleasant interlude I took off on my own on the first of my Eurorail paid-in-advance train trips through Europe!  First,  to visit  Ghislaine and Regis in Pradinas, a small village in the south of France, not cited on most maps,.  It is near to Rodez and Toulouse.  In these few days I got a taste of what it is like to live in the south of France..... mmmmmh!!!!  Second, to briefly check out by tourbus the glorious city of Barcelona and immerse self with the wonderful architecture of Gaudi.'s, still unfinished, cathedral. Third, to spend a week with school pal Rosemary, and taste what it is like to live in a small village outside Palma, Mallorca!  Again I was surrounded by an active extended family.  Despite the various activities the two former Glengara Park School friends managed to break away and spend quiet times on beaches, soaking up the sunshine and indulging, every few hours,on the local fresh foods (and me) the wines.  We snorkneled around rocks, watched amazing flamenco dancing, and spent an overnight together in a monastry called  Santuario de Bonany, Petra.  Oh yes, and so much more...  Then ferry and third set of train trips to Annecy, near to Switzerland.  Here I am!  and, I have been, for the past 4 or 5 days, with Raymond and Linda and their family and enjoying the traditional living in the French almost Swiss countryside.  I leave for Paris tomorrow and then on to London and will stay with Meriel and Tom Forsythe for a week before taking, on June 22, the last adventurous leg of my European sojourn, to Dublin to see Auntie Evelyn, now 93, relatives and friends.  I will return to Vancouver on June 30th.

So, ca y est!  and now to finish my packing and to the last daylight hours in Annecy!  This is only a soupcon of what these past two months have been for me.  How privileged I am and I pause a moment or two to give thanks...   Now, back to my particular drawing board, and to beans and rice and to the next phase of my life! 

Thanks for your interest.  hugs,  Dyane

Wow!  here I go!  or, plutot, je suis arrivée! after our  five day cycle and wine tasting stint with Canadian friends along the Loire Valley.  Here I am in an endroit called Pradinas in the mid Pyrenees with Ghislaine who climbed with me to the top of Throng La in the Himalayas in 2010!  Ghislaine and her  husband Régis are giving me a restful, tasty and interesting week in this most beautiful countryside in S of France.  They live in a lovely old farm mill house beside a river with lots of green and verdant pasture for miles around:  Various members of this well known, respected and ancienne family live close by in different nooks and crannies on same property.  Hard to decide which petite maison is the most idyllic!  the birdsong is continuous and  Ghislaine and Regis place has a pool built by Regis beside a big rock.  There are two friendly goats here and a dog that I am in love with.  When I first arrived the family and village community zere hosting a gathering of the TOUAEG, folks from Nigeria (Touareg), Mali, Maroc (Berbère) and Algeria (Kabile).  When this was over Ghislaine and I walked and driven to various local chateaux, cathedrals and quaint places.  Now we are off again!  A plus tard!! 

Oh boy, it was such a great day today!  after a pretty terrible day yesterday and a long sleep in and organizing self in the morning I went to KGH to do internet and went to a bookstore and met a wonderful young man called Dave, who, I told you, reminded me of Arran, Colin, Julian .....   mechanical engineer, very smart, shy and seemed thrilled to come with me to Childhaven.  As prearranged I met with about 15 young boys and one girl of school and CH leaving age to discuss interview skills, and how to get a job, get into uni, college, etc.  This guy Dave spoke and answered questions as a uni graduate going in to a job; Wade (the IT guy,volunteer), represented a school grad going into university, Maurice (the old guy, a former high fallutin CEO type) spoke and cautioned the kids on various aspects of interviewing.  Avril, of my age, also volunteer, supported her husband Maurice and Carole the French Canadian volunteer, nurse,was there too.  At first most of the 'kids' appeared sort of disinterested and shy with no opinions or questions.  But as the session progressed you could hear a pin drop, everyone was engaged, listening especially to Dave and Wade who had such great things to say.  I asked everyone to introduce themselves around the circle and to give one thought each on what is important in an interview.  Hard to describe, but,once again, I felt a real sense of joy that new ideas and thoughts were being considered.  Most of the guys came up to thank me for arranging this.  Avril said she thought I should work for the BBC for my interviewing skills!  great compliment!

Oh yes, I bought plastic slip on shoes for the 12 women-moms working at Childhaven.  Great fun and joy with getting a pair of shoes, trying them on, photos, kids piling on top of each Mom ..... 

All in all a terrific day and what a respite after a horrible 24 hours! I think I feel better again!  Its the love of the kids and the staff and the didis that do such wonderful things to me!!

Avril, Maurice, David, Wade and I went out for a lovely dinner and beer after our "interview skills" CH workshop!

Tomorrow, Sunday, I have two classes, one to teachers and one to nurses.  Last class for the nurses/ midwives before I leave.  Cathy returns tomorrow, if she is not stopped by ongoing strikes.  We will do dinner tomorrow evening.

Monday, help Cathy set up a workshop for midwives in the morning and, in the afternoon, teach CH kids at the Green Tara School.  Will check in also at the library to ensure that the internet is working and see that Utsav is getting it together.

Tuesday, the four of us will try to get to the top of Everest again, and hope for clement weather and extreme visibility!  Then Avril and I go for a massage, then continue to wind down, with Cathy and whomever .....

That leaves Wednesday, one day left before we leave for Paris......!!

ahhhh meee!!!

Three weeks in Kathmandu 1 1/2 to go ...

It is slightly crazy, and I don't know if anyone is listening or accessing this old blog of mine; I have been writing you individually but for the aule soul wat is wanting to know what the hey I am up to ...  well, it is been, three weeks of teaching at three different hospitals here in Kathmandu and loving every moment of it.  The past few days I have been assisting in the MIDSON or Midwifery society of Nepal office with their preparing a news release for the IMD, or International Midwifery Day(s).  I attended an advocacy event and a health clinic in a small community outside Paton, East of Kathmandu.  I have enjoyed the ESL classes especially with the BN nurses at the Bir Hospital and feel really honoured to spend times with them.  They tell me that they have benefited from the various discussions, opportunity to speak, discuss, write on contraversial issues, like abortion, the sex trade, cancers, sexual health problems, mental health and ....  I can see that many of these all empowered nurses midwives will be directing their energies towards human rights in womens health.  Very exciting indeed.  I am teaching in two more hospitals and, because these folks are less fluent in English that the BN lot, we have different types of classes.  All in all, everyone wants me back to give them more ESL classes.  Women are hungry to learn and grow.  As I said, I am loving every single moment in the classroom.  I could go on but I wont here!  I have been invited to Nepalese homes, a hospital for the night and hung out with others living, studying, working in Kathmandu.  Today, Buddah's birthday, I attended a most inspiring mini retreat nearby.  Most appropriate and the message is empowering to me!  Tomorrow I am off trekking to Chisapani and Chauki Bhanjyang areas, north east of Kathmandu.  I have only these three days to play around, do this, before returning to help Cathy with a workshop when she returns from her midwifery clinics and workshops in a very remote part of Nepal called Jumla.  When I return, in three days, four of us are FLYING AROUND MOUNT EVEREST for an hour!!!  Seeing as I dont have time or probably the wherewithall energy and intelligence to reach the top of this amazing mountain I am going to LOOK DOWN at it, and send my prayers of gratitude and request for wellness for certain family and friends.  Cathy and I will leave on May 17th and meet some friends to cycle some of the Loire Valley in  France!  then I take the first of 5-days train pass to the mid Pyrenees to visit with Gislene and her family.  Gislene and I trekked the Annapurna circuit in 2010.  And after that ...  well, you will just have to re log on to my web and follow my European venture!  ....  enough for now, must go get ready for early start to trek tomorrow.  Thanks for reading.  Please comment or write an e-mail about YOUR doings.  love and hugs, Dyane

Kathmandu, April 20, 2012

Ok, I am revitalizing my blog for those of you interested in my current activities! I am here for a month to teach english to a few groups of nursing students and midwives in 3 or 4 teaching universities/ hospitals! I feel very priviliged to be here and part of this very dynamic team, led by by friend Cathy Ellis, who is an instructor at UBC. Cathy is a midwife and coordinator of UBC Midwifery Students for Global Citizenship project. We are right now celebrating her getting her licence to practice nursing as a midwife, in Nepal. I will write more later and wait for your comments.
Great to be back blogging. And until we meet and or greet!! Dyane