Farewell Fishtail and Pokhara
Another post with two days in one :) Yesterday we farewelled Fishtail Hospital and today we farewelled Pokhara. Fishtail was very enthusiastic to hear about our experiences in an evaluation session, however it was a little sad when they thought we would be able to tell them where they need to improve. I am not sure if this is because other groups from developed countries come offering suggestions or if they think they need to improve, however we were able to tell them what an amazing time we had had and how it had impacted us. I pointed out that we may do things differently, however that does not necessarily mean that one way is better than another and let them know that I was taking back to Australia the way they involve families in care and how we tend to shut them out a lot of the time.
After lunch I had an hour or so to spare so I was able to spend time doing one of my favourite things in a foreign country- spend time browsing in a local supermarket! It was great seeing the huge range of goods they sold- many similar to Australia, some different. Instead of getting photos of everything, I chose 3 items that I saw that made me smile…
It was sad to see that a lot of products are aimed at negative body image- slimmers honey and rice for the obese? I can count on one hand the number of obese nepalese I have seen in the last 3 weeks and have fingers left over! Quite a few shops sell ‘chilly’ powder- I think it is just a lost in translation moment :)
We were then farewelled by the Fishtail Nursing College students and staff and hospital staff.
The students put on a cultural show with dances and we joined in! It was a lot of fun! Last night we had our farewell dinner and said goodbye to two of our in-country hosts. Today we farewelled Pokhara and took the 8 hour bus trip to Kathmandu. It seemed a lot quicker than travelling to Pokhara, however the traffic as we hit Kathmandu was atrocious! The traffic, driving methods and road conditions are not something I will miss! Sadly the bus ride was too bumpy to knit, however I did bit of reading.
Kathmandu is noisy and dusty. It is probably as dusty as Pokhara, however because there is so much traffic, both vehicular and foot, the dust is kicked up a lot more. Tonight I am repacking my suitcase as this was this morning’s effort…
The next post will probably be from our layover in Bangkok. It is sad to leave this amazing country, but I am ready to head home to my family.
Saturday, 12. November 2016 3:51
And the family look forward to seeing you also Fi. Thanks for the wonderful posts. Love, Mum.
Sunday, 13. November 2016 7:12
Thank you for your blog! I have enjoyed reading your posts over breakfast in the mornings. What an amazing experience you’ve had. I wonder what nursing care would be like here if all nurses had the opportunity to experience hospitals in other cultures and economies? I’m sure this will enhance your growth as a nurse.
Sunday, 13. November 2016 7:20
Travel well.