I have been back in Canada for one week – adjusting back to daily life and the local time zone. It has been a busy week catching up with work and gardening at home. The last week I was in Nepal my internet access at the local house was spotty which prevented me from posting …
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Work interrupted
Today is a bandha day. A bandha is a general strike. It basically means we are not going to work. I will be doing some computer work from home. Since I was helping to identify insects on Saturday, and thought to share a picture.
Lab work, part 2
Yesterday, we made use of the media. The students helped us find some field crops – beans, potato, wheat, citrus, tomato and cauliflower (apparently, the whole field looks like the picture to the left – not a good crop. The leaf spot spread to the head of the cauliflower). We were hoping for late blight …
Lab work
The plant pathology section at HICAST does not have a huge amount of resources. I have documented the media (agar) recipes used to isolate plant diseases at the Plant Diagnostic Clinic in Canada. Unfortunately, most of the antibiotics required are not available here including V8 juice (it is an ingredient for nutrient purposes in one …
Adjusting and change
The mandate has changed somewhat from the initial post-harvest pest/disease management advisory role. Last week was a bit confusing, frustrating and overwhelming. I wasn’t quite clear what the HICAST people were discussion in Nepalese but it turned out that I should participate and give a workshop for 60 students plus government officials. I could have …
Unexpected
The work week is 6 days in Nepal. The day off is usually Saturday, however at HICAST, the day off is Sunday. I had unexpected long weekend because Saturday was a religious holiday – Buddha’s birthday. Happy birthday Buddha (born in 623 BC in the area of Lumbini, Nepal)!
The commute
I’m lucky to have a driver that drops me off and picks me up everyday at the work location. I might never complain about the traffic and driving skills of others in Canada again (maybe). Traffic here is organized chaos. That is NOT an understatement. Nepalese drive on the left (like England), here the comparison …
HICAST initial visit
This morning I visited my partner site for the first time. The Himalayan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies (HICAST) has two campuses (one for veterinary sciences and one for the agriculture and food sciences). I’m stationed in the temporary location for agriculture and food, which is located right beside Ring road (the busiest highway …
Jet lagged
First full day in Kathmandu. Feeling slightly jet lagged, but okay. Woke up at around 5 am and could not get back to sleep. Having barking dogs throughout the night didn’t really help. The three intern students and I (who are all sharing the house) had our orientation today, and Uniterra (CECI) organized a lunch …
One day left
It is my last day at home in Canada before the big adventure in Kathmandu, Nepal. I’m feeling a bit aprehensive about the unknown, but the assignment at the Himalayan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies as a Post harvest insect/pest management advisor will be a great adventure and experience.
Christine in Nepal 