September is soon
Time races forward, and our start in Nepal stares us directly in the face. A number of people have asked to join us, and three NGOs have expressed a clear interest in hosting our work. The common thread is documentary video — two think they’d like us to develop video footage to promote their work and help with fund-raising. One is ETC, which is now working in Dolakha district. The second is VEC-Gangkharka, in some remote valleys of Helambu. Are we ready to take on the challenge? Both situations will mean communication challenges, as English is virtually un-spoken in both regions, once away from the main trekking routes. We’ll be hiring an interpreter, if we can find one. Our Nepali is coming along — we study every day. But it’s not up to the task, yet. And we’ll have to wait until we’re there to begin picking up phrases in the local dialects, which are related to Tibetan languages. Our big goal is to keep this fun and light. There will be set-backs and difficulties, for sure.
We’re also working on the Kathmandu end of things. One apartment possibility has come up, which makes us look more closely at the time we’ll be spending in town, re-charging our ‘batteries’ from the months in the field, and taking care of logistics and legalities. Kathmandu is a great city, and we’re looking forward to getting to know it better.