News

  • VOLUNTEERING AGAIN!
    10 Mar, 2025

    VOLUNTEERING AGAIN!

    After a gap which spanned from Autumn 2023 over to the New Year 2025 and a locational transition from Kagbeni in Upper Mustang to Dulegauda in Shuklagandaki, about an hour's drive east of Pokhara, I was finally back teaching at the Mustang Buddhist College again. I had missed doing so in the previous year as there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the college's move from its temporary location in a Kagbeni hotel to 'somewhere else' while its permanent premises had finally started to be built. That 'somewhere else' turned out to be in the so-called Mustang Camp, Dulegauda, a very low-lying and hot region alongside the Seti River. Only during a few months in Winter did the temperature drop and so it was finally agreed that I should volunteer there for about a month, from early February to early March. In spite of the new surroundings which were neither as attractive nor as amenable as Kagbeni, it was wonderful to be back  with the student monks again, with lots of familiar faces and a new in-take as well. It was a bonus that Lhosar, or Tibetan New Year, fell during my time there, allowing me to witness and participate in various rituals and ceremonies. 

  • KONNICHIWA, JAPAN!
    30 Nov, 2024

    KONNICHIWA, JAPAN!

    It is always a joy for me to return to Kagoshima, Japan, where I lived and taught for eleven happy years (1989 - 2000).  Seldom visited by tourists, Kagoshima Prefecture is located in the far south of Kyushu, the most southerly of Japan's four main islands, with Kanoya, the small town in which I used to live, being situated in the prefecture's Osumi Peninsula. Here, far away from the hustle and bustle of mega cities like Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, one can experience the 'real Japan', traditional and yet modern, in the shadow of one of the country's most active volcanoes, Sakurajima. It was my first time to return to Japan in Autumn for many, many years, having favoured Spring, the time for cherry blossom, for my three or four previous visits. As always, I was welcomed with open arms, as a sister by my dearest friends and as an erstwhile teacher by my former students, and my days past in an indulgent mix of eating Japanese cuisine, drinking coffee and, of course, green tea, talking and, yes, visiting many of my favourite places in the region. The only disappointment was the weather, with temperatures remaining unseasonably high for November throughout my stay. One friend, my beloved Aunty Masako, was sadly no longer there, having passed away just a few months previously. Perhaps it was this loss, combined with the seasonal yellowing and falling of the leaves, that made me resolute to return within eighteen months or so. Nothing lasts for ever, so best to seize the moment and have no regrets!

  • Nepal_Day_Manchester
    26 Jun, 2024

    NEPAL DAY IN MANCHESTER

    Louisa is happy and proud that some of her images will be included in the audio visual displays that will accopany the Nepal Day event to be held in in the South Asia Gallery of the Manchester Museum, part of the University of Manchester complex. Of course, being a native of Manchester and an alumni of the university made her all the more determined to participate. She was provided with details of the expo very much at the last minute and had only 24 hours to select the 15 photos and arrange them as a PowerPoint as requested. She succeeded, and the organisers were happy with her work, so that made it worthwhile! The event will be held from 11am to 4pm, Saturday, 24 July; it is family-friendly; admission is free; and it will include cultural performances, displays of artefacts, and open-mic sessions. Do spread the word if you have friends in the Manchester area who might be interested in attending!

  • BOOK SIGNING @ PILGRIMS BOOK HOUSE TOMORROW!
    03 May, 2024

    BOOK SIGNING @ PILGRIMS BOOK HOUSE TOMORROW!

    Tomorrow, Saturday 4 May, Louisa will be available to chat and sign copies of both her books, A Rainbow of Chaos and Rainbows in the Eyes, at Kathmandu's pre-eminent book store, Pilgrims, from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. Why not drop by if you have some free time!?

  • with-aakriti-at-the-book-launch
    01 May, 2024

    LEAD WRITER & MENTOR FOR NEPAL CONNECT

    Louisa Kamal is delighted and honoured to have been appointed Lead Writer and Mentor for Nepal Connect, an innovative online platform aimed at discerning readers who enjoy well-written, illustrated and informative articles about all aspects of life in Nepal. With a commitment to submit a maximum of 8 articles per month, illustrated with her own photographs whenever possible, as well as volunteer as mentor to coach the next generation of upcoming young writers in Nepal, Louisa is undoubtedly going to be busier than ever before. How does she feel about that?

    "Right now, I am not sure how I am going to fit all this in," she admits, "but the imminent arrival of the Monsoon, which automatically limits my travels, will certainly help.

    "As for the mentoring, well, as they say, 'once a teacher, always a teacher,' and, just like my voluntary teaching at the Mustang Buddhist College, it is always a joy, a duty, even, to give back.'

    Photo caption: With Aakriti, a Nepal Connect team member, who interviewed Louisa at her recent book launch with skill and charm!