So... it's just under 1 month away that I leave to go to Nepal and China for 105 days. Wow! The journey will be amazing and I hope to experience some amazing things. Culture shock will be guaranteed and the fact that I'll be in a foreign country for over 100 days will soon hit me pretty good. I am excited, nervous and optimistic about the trip... here are the details for you to follow me on my travels:
Where:
BaseCamp International Center
PO Box 24721
Khusibu, Naya Bazaar
Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel: 977 (1) 2160571
Email: nepal@basecampcenters.com
SKYPE: basecamp_nepal
Website:
http://www.volunteerabroad.ca/va/index1.cfm?pagename=Home&category=55&page=294
What I do:
I will develop recreational activities for the patients, teach them skills, interact with then, work in day care facilities, prep school classes and conduct vocational training along with various admin tasks on site. With the support of West Vancouver Little League, I will try to teach these kids coordination and other daily skills through sport needed to enhance their current mental or physical state.
Not only will we be volunteering, my girlfriend and I will be traveling around Kathmandu experiencing their culture, their way of living and their back country hiking areas! In November when the volunteer placement is finished, we will be taking off for 25 + days to hike the Annapurna Circuit, visiting tea huts, small villages and other areas of Nepal.
This blog will act as my main point of contact along with email. Photos will be posted here and you can write your comments as you see fit. I hope you can enjoy this trip as much as I will!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
"I am versus I should"
2009 has been a year with many ups and downs, but on the whole, has taught me how to maximize opportunities when they come and leave when it's time to leave. Having moved back from Toronto in August of last year, I've been back in Vancouver for a full year now and wanted to look back on the year that it was. I am doing this not to boast on some of my good fortunes (and mishaps for that matter) but to reflect on how making choices each day affects living in the 'now' and setting things up for down the road.
After being hired for my job as a personal trainer, my lifestyle went from being less-than-physically fit to being in the gym everyday, pushing people to unleash their potential to maintain body weight and uphold a healthy lifestyle. In turn, I was able to rekindle my passion for sports, training and staying physically fit. This lifestyle parleed into becoming more optimistic, less reserved and more outgoing, something that got tucked away in 2008!
Having then worked for almost a year with this company, I found myself questioning why I was there and found that it was for all the wrong reasons... I was having fun but wasn't able to make ends meet financially. The writing was on the wall and I chose to leave, looking for some options.
My first goal for the year was to purchase a home before May 2009 in the Vancouver area. With the markets being so volatile, new buyers had an upper hand in negotiations and were able to find better deals compared to those of the past few years. I had no such luck. Having placed three offers of three separate properties, all close to asking price or above, I found myself questioning whether or not I should rent or buy outside of the GVRD. That all changed when a person I had been training for a while calmly told me about his property for sale and that he didn't want to take it public therefore would rather sell it to a friend to get them started. I was skeptical of his proposition as the square footage was under 400 feet but took a chance, took a look at it then took it off his hands as mine. The opportunity presented itself, I saw the potential in the property and have confidence that this acquisition will make me a profit within 1 year. I bought that condo and can now tell others that I am an owner, not that I want to be one!
As one door closes, others may open - and open they did. Having helped coach the West Vancouver Little League throughout their season, I met the managers of the all-star team and started talking about their outlook for the summer and if I could be of any help. After a few quick emails and a solid handshake, I was helping coach the all-star team for the summer. It worked out perfectly as my schedule had completely opened up, I wasn't looking for work and my passion for coaching was able to finally be used. All of this sounds strange as I am now volunteering for 2 months when my original intentions were to leave my previous company looking for work that would pay better... go figure!) The group of people that I came across this summer were amazing. They all were very kind, very supportive of their kids and very generous to those around them. For my contributions to their team, I was offered a stipend. I chose to turn down this money as I wanted to give back to the game for what it's given me over the years. A few weeks later, they came back to me and offered to pay for my volunteering position in Nepal and make it a donations stipend on behalf of the Little League. This was an amazing opportunity and they wouldn't let me say no to the offer. I was ecstatic for their generosity and will now be travelling to Nepal to volunteer for 8 weeks.
One very cool option that we're looking at during this program is to teach kids the value of teamwork through sport and will be providing the locals with West Vancouver Little League gear to learn to play baseball. I am travelling; I am coaching; and I am giving back to those less fortunate with all my ability and time. It feels very rewarding to say this as before, I would always say these are things I should be doing and never made the choice to do them.
In two weeks I will be riding my bike from the Ontario provincial border to the BC provincial boarder, raising money for Juvenile Diabetes. As I'm not working, this event was another opportunity to give back to something that has been a passion of mine for years - cycling. Through sport, this event enables me to raise money towards a very positive cause. It will raise awareness to those unfamiliar about JD and will hopefully gain the support of local groups to raise the needed money. The ride will take a lot of mental and physical commitment and will demonstrate that when you put your mind to something, nothing's impossible!
Being able to take risks and go with your gut feeling sometimes make life interesting. It puts that spark back into relationships, it make for a great weekend planned last minute or it allows you to drive from Alberta to Vancouver, stop in for a party then fly to China the very same day!
My personal mission statement for 2009 was "I am versus I should." This statement expresses the ability to tell others that I am doing something instead of contemplating whether or not I should take that leap of faith and make things happen. 2009 has been exactly what I had hoped for and I'm living this mission statement every day - I am living the dream right now!
After being hired for my job as a personal trainer, my lifestyle went from being less-than-physically fit to being in the gym everyday, pushing people to unleash their potential to maintain body weight and uphold a healthy lifestyle. In turn, I was able to rekindle my passion for sports, training and staying physically fit. This lifestyle parleed into becoming more optimistic, less reserved and more outgoing, something that got tucked away in 2008!
Having then worked for almost a year with this company, I found myself questioning why I was there and found that it was for all the wrong reasons... I was having fun but wasn't able to make ends meet financially. The writing was on the wall and I chose to leave, looking for some options.
My first goal for the year was to purchase a home before May 2009 in the Vancouver area. With the markets being so volatile, new buyers had an upper hand in negotiations and were able to find better deals compared to those of the past few years. I had no such luck. Having placed three offers of three separate properties, all close to asking price or above, I found myself questioning whether or not I should rent or buy outside of the GVRD. That all changed when a person I had been training for a while calmly told me about his property for sale and that he didn't want to take it public therefore would rather sell it to a friend to get them started. I was skeptical of his proposition as the square footage was under 400 feet but took a chance, took a look at it then took it off his hands as mine. The opportunity presented itself, I saw the potential in the property and have confidence that this acquisition will make me a profit within 1 year. I bought that condo and can now tell others that I am an owner, not that I want to be one!
As one door closes, others may open - and open they did. Having helped coach the West Vancouver Little League throughout their season, I met the managers of the all-star team and started talking about their outlook for the summer and if I could be of any help. After a few quick emails and a solid handshake, I was helping coach the all-star team for the summer. It worked out perfectly as my schedule had completely opened up, I wasn't looking for work and my passion for coaching was able to finally be used. All of this sounds strange as I am now volunteering for 2 months when my original intentions were to leave my previous company looking for work that would pay better... go figure!) The group of people that I came across this summer were amazing. They all were very kind, very supportive of their kids and very generous to those around them. For my contributions to their team, I was offered a stipend. I chose to turn down this money as I wanted to give back to the game for what it's given me over the years. A few weeks later, they came back to me and offered to pay for my volunteering position in Nepal and make it a donations stipend on behalf of the Little League. This was an amazing opportunity and they wouldn't let me say no to the offer. I was ecstatic for their generosity and will now be travelling to Nepal to volunteer for 8 weeks.
One very cool option that we're looking at during this program is to teach kids the value of teamwork through sport and will be providing the locals with West Vancouver Little League gear to learn to play baseball. I am travelling; I am coaching; and I am giving back to those less fortunate with all my ability and time. It feels very rewarding to say this as before, I would always say these are things I should be doing and never made the choice to do them.
In two weeks I will be riding my bike from the Ontario provincial border to the BC provincial boarder, raising money for Juvenile Diabetes. As I'm not working, this event was another opportunity to give back to something that has been a passion of mine for years - cycling. Through sport, this event enables me to raise money towards a very positive cause. It will raise awareness to those unfamiliar about JD and will hopefully gain the support of local groups to raise the needed money. The ride will take a lot of mental and physical commitment and will demonstrate that when you put your mind to something, nothing's impossible!
Being able to take risks and go with your gut feeling sometimes make life interesting. It puts that spark back into relationships, it make for a great weekend planned last minute or it allows you to drive from Alberta to Vancouver, stop in for a party then fly to China the very same day!
My personal mission statement for 2009 was "I am versus I should." This statement expresses the ability to tell others that I am doing something instead of contemplating whether or not I should take that leap of faith and make things happen. 2009 has been exactly what I had hoped for and I'm living this mission statement every day - I am living the dream right now!
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