good byes

God has blessed me with some amazing friendships here in Nepal. It sort of feels like I have two sets of friends. I have Nepali friends and "foreigner" friends. My Nepali friends live in my neighborhood. I see them on a regular basis and I usually I get to know their friends and family.

My foreigner friends are in the same boat as I am...i.e.. a foreigner trying to make Nepal home.  Some of them are here for a limited time only and some are in it for the long haul. For me, this past year in Nepal has truly been blessed by these "foreign" friends. We have church together and eat beef at each others homes. We can let our guard down and share our struggles of being a foreigner in this land. We encourage each other and help one another navigate through this journey. It is a sure bet that we will be together for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Birthdays and other major events.

Although this past year has brought me some amazing friends, unfortunately I have had to say goodbye to four of them.

I knew the goodbyes were coming. There were no surprises but I was sad to see them go. What their future holds is a mystery but I do know that God is going to do some great things in their lives.

Amanda was my roommate for six months. We weathered the dark/ cold winter together. We sang, danced and laughed a lot. God truly brought her into my life at just the right time. I miss working with her.

Jenn was a kindred spirit from the beginning. The minute I met her I knew we would be friends. God's call on her life is amazing and I know that He has big plans for her in the states. I miss her stories and laugh

Matt was the little brother I had always wished for. There were plenty of moments  when Matt got me out of a jam or two. I loved watching God work in his life and watching him grow.

Betsy is a young woman to be admired. Although she makes a quite first impression she is far from shy. Her drive blows me away. I can't imagine that she will be away form this side of the world for very long.

It is tradition with our group to see one another off at the airport providing one last hug and goodbye before going through the Kathmandu security.

God continues to bring people in and out of my life. I am always changed and bettered by the friendships that He blesses me with.

Although this blog may sound a little sad I don't write with a sad heart but rather I write with a heart of gratefulness.

I could go on and on about these friends...but I will spare you. Who knows, maybe one day they will come across your path.

Kathmandu 5k

The last time I ran a 5k was in college. The night before the 5k I busted my nose playing ultimate Frisbee in the middle of the night. The morning of the 5k I dawned a baseball cap in hopes of covering up my swollen nose and black eyes...fast forward 7yrs...

We were all surprised to hear that Kathmandu actually had a an "annual" 5k. A few of my friends decided it would be a fun experience and I agreed. The day before the 5k I wrecked my scooter providing some nice road rash on the left side of my body. I was however still determined to run the 5k so the morning of the race I bandaged up my wounds, took 2 extra strength tylenol and headed out.

The race started at the national stadium. The participants were an interesting mix of Nepalese and foreigners. For the 5k event my friends and I were the only foreign women running. Everyone was excited thus making the 5am wake up call much more bearable.

Kristin was a 5k virgin and had surfed the web the night before to get running tips and make a runners play list for her i-Pod.

Summer had run a 5k before but came a little over prepared. We all had a good laugh as she pinned a map of the race to her shirt just incase she, the one white woman amongst 500 Nepali runners, got lost.

Carol was there for the same reason I was...the experience and because everyone else was doing it.

When the race started it was crazy to be running down the blocked off streets that were usually packed with busses, cars, motorcycles, and bikes. At times you had to run around cows, mysterious puddles, and garbage piles. My goal was to just keep running. I did not care so much about speed I just knew I did not want to walk as I always end up doing on the tred mill.

As I neared the end of the race there were locals applauding and encouraging us to finish strong. They yelled out your time in Nepali so I think I know how fast I was.

Once all my friends arrived at the finish line we headed over the the water station. There were no cups, just communal pitchers. So we Nepali styled it and drank it by pouring the water into our mouths never letting it touch our lips.

The event as a whole was fun yet a little bazar. Nepal's pollution and congested streets do not lend itself to the ideal location for a race. If anything it was fun getting to experience it all with some good friends.

I hope to run it again next year...maybe even improve on my time.