Langtang

I just finished trekking for 7-8 days in Langtang National Park in Nepal. It was really inspiring. I think I'll do it again at some point. Unfortunately, I did not get to enjoy it to it's fullest because I seriously jacked up my knees. I'm a big guy and I had all my stuff in my backpack and I really trucked up those slopes the first day. I really hurt myself. I'm now taking the sporadic oxycodine, so hopefully I get better. I don't want to be hobbling for the rest of my travels.
The Tibetan culture was pretty cool. From colourful yak wool fabrics to neat little curved knives called Khukuri. Pretty interesting stuff.

Mumbai, Nasik, Aurangabad

I' m in India. Enjoying it. I'm uploading my thoughts and spots about it at my travel blog.

Done!

Holy crap! Fraser is done with HAP! I did it, yo! I finished being a Peace Corps Volunteer. On the day of September 2nd, I finished my three years (and change) with the Peace Corps. It was a fantastic opportunity and I enjoyed every bit of it. From the horrible transport to the pesky kids, I loved it. I would not trade my experience for anything. Incredible. It's time to move on, now. A lot of people (mostly Peace Corps types) see our service has an opportunity to postpone life and not do real work. I think I went about it a different way. I accomplished a lot of things and learned a lot on the way. I think the skills I've learned will go towards making me very competitive in the business world. I will apply myself and get the things that I deserve. I'm moving forward, not to say I won't take the scenic way forward. I leave for India on Saturday. I feel I'm typing that a whole bunch right now. India, Saturday, Me, Going. Like I said earlier in the post, incredible.

More Chongwe.

Hello, again. Chongwe is good. We've got a really solid group. A little young but awesome none the less. They seem to come from many different backgrounds but basically all right out of college...which is fine. I like the fresh faces and clean polartec and spotless nalgenes. Good times. I'm really enjoying facilitating them. They are motivated to be here and know they need to know the subject matter. Good for me and them.

Chongwe yay

So I moved out of Lusaka. I'm now living the quasi-village life in Chalimbana, out near Chongwe. It's colder and the power goes out frequently. It's nice though. Preparing for PST is fun. I didn't think much about this change in venue but now that I'm done with Jhpiego and I'm focusing on now on the HAP PST, I'm becoming really motivated - especially because of PACA. O' Participatory Development, how I love thee. Good times. Good times.

Times A Changin'

I've been in Lusaka for awhile now. I've enjoyed my days and I've enjoyed my nights. I really enjoy this place. But next begins a new chapter. More of an interlude before my next phase. I'm moving out to the Peace Corps training centre in Chongwe. It's about an hour outside of town. I will be the HIV Technical Trainer for this year's HAP and RAP volunteers. I'll still be coming in to check out the weekend activities.

I packed up many things and put them in boxes. I'm hopefully posting them soon. Should get to snowy Penn or brisk Tenn in a short month or so. Hopefully. That's if my housekeeper hasn't ransacked them already.

oh, Peace Corps

Every time I enter the office I tend to get the looks. These looks are often immediately followed by, "what are you doing here?" or, "aren't you supposed to be in America?" Yes, many people in the Peace Corps office tend to think I'm no longer a volunteer because I'm like to work. Peace Corps is great but the best part about it is the hands-off mentality. They train and then they let you go. This is good because the actual office is a mecca of bureaucratic mess. Snafu. Shitshow. Call it what you want, it's never efficient. It's a great office, but seriously, do I have to fill out that many forms and talk to this many people to get a refund for 5 dollars? Jhpiego is nice because less red-tape. I get to do what is needed and it takes less time. I often consider myself a Jhpiego intern over PCV. Oh, Peace Corps, you get me every time.