Thank you so much for your sponsorship......

So I want to share with you some of my experiences with the Deaf Global Exchange.



In UK Part 1

When the Nepalese people arrived in Preston from Nepal they were so lovely and so shy. So were we, we didn’t know what to say to them and also our sign languages were so different then finally, we started to sign International Sign Language and they told us about their flight. They had been flying to India from Nepal, waiting for few hours for next flight to London that was 14 hours all together.


Later we had training and we got to know each other’s names, where from, sign name etc. It was good. I met two boys; they were called Kul and Binalay. Then later Kul was to become my counterpart and I was quite pleased because he was a clever boy, unlike me!


Our Host home lady was called Ulrike, she was hearing and born in Germany, she had a 13 year old son called Daniel. We lived in Broughton, just 20 mins away from Preston. We lived there for only a month and then Kul and I moved to Lytham, it was so beautiful and Kul very much enjoyed it around there, our host home lady there was called Judith and deaf and a British Sign Language user.


It was so interesting that Nepal culture is now year 2067 and our year is 2010.


My work placement was in Royal Cross Primary School with Babita, we were helping with deaf children. Babita and I had so much fun working together and I wouldn’t want to of been with any other work counterpart.


Moona, Dee, and I were responsible for Social Events, so we had lots of Social events, like Ice Skating, fun fair, Xmas show; to see the different places and many more to show Nepalese people around.


In Global Citizen Day, Kul and I did a presentation about Political War, I did not know anything about it and Kul chose it, but then I didn’t mind, so I did a presentation about WW1+2 and also about Deaf Policies.

It was beautiful to see Nepalese people so excited to see the snow as they never had it in Nepal. It made me smile.

I brought Kul down to Cornwall for Xmas for two weeks; I showed Kul around Cornwall, Kul loved being on the beach with the sea as there are no beaches in Nepal. It was also good for my family, because only mum can sign. I did enjoy being an interpreter for Kul to my family…but it was hard work!


When we got back to Preston and just before we flew to Nepal Red (One of the British volunteers) and I shaved all of our hair off to raise money. All my black long hair was gone!


I was so excited to arrive in Nepal but also nervous, it was my first time out of Europe and three months to stay in Asia!


In Nepal Part 2

When we arrived in Nepal….I was so shocked because there were lots of Nepalese people there waiting for us and also they had gave us Marigold necklaces to give us good luck. We were doing the ‘Namaste’ to everyone, it’s where you put your hands together (as if you were going to say your prayers) and bow in greeting.


Kul and I arrived at our new host home, The Sherpa Family, Aanja and Jeety, our host parents and their sons Chheji and Siddratha. Chheji is Deaf, like me but then of course he uses Nepal Sign Language another sign language to learn. We lived in Buddha, just two mins away from Bouddhanath Stupa, it was a beautiful view, I was so lucky to live there, however I was poorly or homesick but soon cheered up when I saw the sights! We arrived at our host home, we had a maid who cooked for us, she cooked rice and vegetables every morning and evening, at first I wasn’t hungry because I was homesick, I just ate a little bit and the maid gave me more, I was like ‘No no more’ but they did give me more, I had to explain to Jeety but she wouldn’t listen to me and made sure I ate well, she had to explain to me that she didn’t want me to get too thin or be hungry later so I had to respect her, so I had to eat!! But later that week, I was hungry so I could eat the rice, after that I just loved rice and veg so much so I asked for more, so Jeety and the maid were so happy that I ate well! It gave Jeety a big smile and also me! I was so lucky to have her as my host mother. Once she told me ‘You are my son for now’ and it touched me so much and she was my Nepalese mother! Chheji, the deaf boy, he was like my brother that I never had. He could annoy me and I annoyed him, it was great! Aanja and Sid were never there very much, as they were either working or at college. They were great guys too.


Kul was so brilliant to me because he was looking after me so well in Nepal we were so much closer than in Preston so I was grateful for that.


My work placement with Babita was in Lalitpur for Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (WEAN) we were doing accounts, normally I was rubbish with maths but then when I was doing the accounts, I quite enjoyed it and learnt so much for that. They were selling the things for women, like foods, clothes etc, and all of it were handmade.


We went to so many different places, like Panauti, Thamel, Pohkara, Malehu, Sarangkot- (I saw the mountain - ‘Annapurna’), Bhaktapur and many more. We had learnt so much about Nepal Culture. One day, we went to Swayambhu, it had so many monkeys there, they were not very nice and were very cheeky! My friend offered me a sweet and as I was going to give them back she walked away, and it just happened, the monkey jumped on my hand and I screamed out lots of people were watching, I was so dead embarrassed!


We used lots of buses, one problem is, the buses were so small and I was too tall! So I had to lower my head under the bus so I could sit down, everybody was always so squashed but after three months I got used to it and didn’t mind about it.


The worse thing that happened to me was to see lots of children and adults begging us for money every day, it was so upsetting to see that, and I so wished I could give them money but we were not allowed to because of VSO rules. The little children used drugs too…it really upset me; they had no family, no work etc so they just used drugs and didn’t care anymore. It was very upsetting and there was also such poverty alongside the beauty of the country.


There is a lot more I could say about all my experiences in Nepal but I think it would take too long for me to write and for you to read! It was an amazing time for me to experience a culture like Nepal and one I will never forget and it is thanks to your generosity that I was able to do so! I have made lifelong friends – and you never know I could go back!!!!


Before I finish I have some sad news, One Nepalese girl from DGX died last week it was such a shock to us all and we are so upset. She was such a beautiful girl and always smiling I will never forget her, I was so grateful I met her and to be with her for the six months. God Bless Rita.


I want to say thank you so much again, for without your support I could not have gone.


मत्ठेव ब्रे - Thats is my name of Nepali Language