On this day I met up with the whole gang that have returned from the last build. Joh Sergeant, Lianne Manley, Kate Neuss, Janette V, Lisa, Cilla and I all met at breakfast at the beautiful Courtyard hotel and then after went for a quick stroll through Thamel to pick up some last minute supplies and indulge in probably the last great coffee for a week at the Roadhouse restaurant. Despite the name they actually do a great coffee.
Next stop was the airport to catch a flight to Biratnagar. This is where I do truly appreciate the efficiencies and organisation of our carriers in Australia. Never will I say a bad word about Qantas again after a four hour wait for our delayed flight.
Nevertheless we arrive to a warm welcome at the Hotel Xenial in Biratnagar. Sophie and Alex were there to greet & organise us and it was absolutely fantastic to see the 60 odd people that have arrived for this very special project. The Hotel is quite luxurious in comparison to the eastern Star Hotel of 2011. The room I am sharing with Joh is neat, clean and has a balcony overlooking an almost clear blue pool. 😊
After a short rest we were on the bus to the welcome dinner. Sophie and Alex were being very cagey about whether we would meet our old house partners from 2011. There was a lot anticipation about whether they would be there tonight. As we walked through the entrance of the venue, there were our new House partners who presented us with a lovely scarf and a Namaste. Next over a little rickety walking bridge were another group of people and there in the crowd was Tara shrieks of delight from all of us, as we hugged, Namaste’d, took photos and hugged and communicated in the best way we could how happy we were to see each other. Tara looked so happy, so healthy and miraculously 10 years younger than the last time I saw her. It so great to see the really amazing effect a house has been for Tara. I thought that she looked great when we left 2 years ago but she and the other women looked fantastically happy, self-assured and even assertive. We did some dancing to the local music and Tara was up there in the middle showing us all how to turn your wrists and move to the sub-continental beats.
I cannot describe how happy, proud and quite frankly relieved I was to see the ongoing transformation of this strong woman and the other women that were part of the original group of house partners. I now truly understand the real ongoing impact a safe and decent house can do for a family. Tonight was a great opening to the week and set the scene through the wonderful speeches from Sophie, Alex, Aruna and the others. If this is any indication of the week ahead I am positive we are going to have a seriously great week.
Pen Lewin 