| Tuesday |
| the excitement bubbles |
In less than one month’s time, or more accurately, in another 19 sleeps, I will be setting foot in an unknown and foreign country, Nepal. At the end of 3rd year of our Physiotherapy degree, we are required to undertake a global elective placement, aiming to broaden our horizons and develop an insight into how physiotherapy works in other countries. I’ve chosen Nepal. Don’t ask me why.
Given the high degree of alert and caution advised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia, along with recent reports of bombings and riots in the lead up to Maoist elections, I can completely understand why my parents are worried to the extent that it seems like they are losing sleep. Every conversation involving my travel arrangements, Mum will bombard me with constant reminders regarding safety issues, what not to do, not to eat, not to drink. Perhaps she expects me to sit in a five-star hotel room for the entire month. But what some of us fail to realise is the simple fact that when you are given constant reminders, we subconsciously desensitize ourselves to the so-called reminders so that in effect, it loses its intended purpose to remind the person.
I have been trying really hard these days to contain my excitement, but it somehow slips from time to time. My travelling partner has probably witnessed these moments a few too many times, and now it seems like I have greedily taken over his share of excitement, that he is no longer excited. Sometimes I wonder whether or not he is the slightest bit excited – or maybe boys are just ten times better than girls at controlling their excitement. To which many would disagree.
Sometimes, when the excitement fades, usually after spending a lengthy time staring blindly into a laptop searching for maps and navigating through websites for cheaper flight and accomodation deals, but doing so in vain, a niggle of fear sets upon me. The prospect of being away from home for a long two months is rather unnerving, but it is this combination of nervousness and anticipation and excitement that turns this experience into a thrilling brew. And it is the most comforting feeling to have a travelling partner whom you are sure you can rely on – to carry your luggage – and most importantly share this lifetime experience with. Worked shared is halved; joy shared is doubled.
Spending the first three weeks completing my volunteer placement at a couple of different hospitals in Kathmandu, I will then ascend to over 4.5km above sea level at the Annapurna ranges of the Himalayas. Every time I mention that I will be trekking in Nepal, I suddenly feel like I’m the fitness person ever however self-deceiving that may be. I have never trekked before, and didn’t quite plan to before planning to travel to Nepal, but what the hell, why not? A bit of nice scenery and Poon Hill flowers along with a tad of DOMS, nausea and altitude sickness – I mean, what more can you ask for? But more than anything, I am looking forward to sitting on a plain field on the mountain top above the hustling, polluted city and quietly watch the sunrise whilst rugged up in my sleeping bag. Strangely, I feel somewhat foolish to think I can muster up the energy to get up so early after a day or two of trekking – but if I do manage, I know who will have to suffer with me.
I have been eating vigorously recently to put on some subcutaneous tissue before I subject myself to the freezing cold ranges when I arrive in Nepal. I am banking on losing all that subcutaneous moosh over the two months of travelling – and if I don’t, uh oh.
On completion of the trek, another three weeks is spent backpacking through India. Our flight arrives in Delhi on the 29th December, and leaves Bangalore on the 17th January. That gives us a total of 19 days to travel from Northern India to Southern India, and boy, that’s a hell of the distance to cover. Ambitious travellers we are indeed. Anything is possible; but nothing is easy.
Then, a relaxing holiday on Phi Phi Island off the coast of Thailand to wrap up my trip.
Unfortunately, I am yet to pass 3 theory exams and 1 clinical exam, complete a case presentation and my final clinical block before any of that can happen. So close, yet so far. |
posted by sciurine @ 1:17 AM   |
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| ABOUT |
Thoughts, ...flowing slowly and gracefully, ...awakening the senses, ...keeping you up in the night, I sometimes wonder why people write. To express? To reflect? To be heard? I write, to free myself from a world of thoughts.
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