Staying in touch

I haven’t been to Nepal since March 2019. Anyone who knows me knows that I’ll be finding this tough. Since 1998, I have been at least once every couple of years and usually twice a year. And then there are the years we lived there. There is a real ache of sadness about not being there. Others are obviously doing it much tougher but I am acknowledging my sadness!!

So…how have I been connecting with these wonderful women? The rest of the world Zooms and we Viber! We tried Face Timing but it kept vanishing every few minutes and we always have way more to say than two minute’s worth!! Viber is an App beloved of Nepalis and it seems much more stable. We Viber often. We discuss problems, new designs, board decisions, the state of the world, the latest conspiracy theories and gossip. All of the women cram into the screen to share the moment.  

We have done some polymer training with Viber. Mal has been our camera bloke and I have demonstrated new designs or worked out what was going wrong with others.  It is not as good as being there but we are getting better at it and we make do.  It has highlighted that the absence has meant a deterioration in my Nepali so THAT is a project for this year!!

One thing that has brought joy amidst great sadness is the training the women are getting from Kathleen Dustin, a fabulous US artist who is collaborating with us when we are in the studio.

 Staying in touch is what we hope to do with this website too. We hope to keep connected with the many people who help keep Samunnat Nepal the special organisation that it is.  And we’d love to hear from you! Ramrosanga januhos…go well!