what happened to June and July

I'm not exactly sure what happened to June and July. I don't know about you but they were super busy months for me.

I started off June by having a birthday. My friends were great in helping me celebrate. My friend Tammy made me a funfeti cake (one of my faves) and then a few days later some friends and I spent all day at the spa. A day full of massages, manicures, pedicures, swimming, and good food...I can not think of a better way to celebrate a birthday.

In the midst of all the celebrating I was also preparing for a medical team to come. The Medical camp was a huge success as was reported in a previous blog. What I did not share however was how pretty much EVERYTHING came together at the very last minute. I had plenty of days when my prayers where "God, only you can work this one out".


As I was working on organizing the medical camp I was also working on obtaining my Nepal visa.
Getting a long term visa in Nepal is not easy and when your computer crashes and the offices go on strike it is even more difficult. Again, this became a situation when my prayer was "God, only you can do this". Sure enough, on the day my tourist visa expired Nepal gave me a 10 month visa.

After my medical team left and I got my brand new visa I boarded a plane for Thailand. Now, there is something that you should know about my trips to Thailand. I don't truly interact with the Thai culture when I visit Thailand. I might have one plate of pad tai and say thank you in Thai but that is about it. You see, for those of us Americans that live on this side of the world Thailand is the closest thing to our culture that we have seen in months. So my time in Thailand is spent going to the theaters, eating, and shopping.

Some of my favorite parts of this most recent trip to Thailand where...
*First class theater. Imagine, reclining chairs, blankets for the AC, and all you can eat popcorn and Coke. You just push a button and they come to your seat with a refill.
*Eating. Outback Steakhouse, Burger King, Mc Donald's, Subway, Pizza Hut...I got my fill of beef, pork, pepperoni, and greasy food.

*The Flight of the Gibbon. One day a group of friends and I went on this adventure located in the Rainforest of Chaing Mai. We spent two hours zip linening through the forest. It was so much fun.
*The 4th of July. The American consulate hosted a 4th of July party in Chaing Mai. I ate a hot dogs, line danced, and watched fireworks. It truly felt like an American celebration...I loved it.

Now, I'm back in Kathmandu. I had a week off and it was a great time of rest and adjusting back to life here. This week my schedule has picked up again. I am teaching english 3x a week. Tutoring English students 4x a week and still taking Nepali classes 2x a week. I will have this schedule for the next 2 months. It is going to be busy but I know that it will be a good busy.

One Year

The past couple of months have been crazy to say the least. I have either been without a computer or far away from home thus preventing me from updating this blog of mine.

The problem with being away for so long is now I have all these things that I want to write about but am not sure where to start. Should I start with today and work my way backwards? Yes, I think it would be best if I just started with today...

Today marks my being in Nepal for one year. I've known for some time now that time flys by. This is especially true in the states. You see, Americans jam pack their lives so full of stuff that they don't have enough time in the day to complete everything. South Asians on the other hand view time completely different. They are all about stopping in the middle of their busy work day to drink tea and shoot the breeze. So what, if there is a line of people waiting for them. A tea break is a tea break.

So although in hindsight this year has gone by quickly, I've got to admit that there were days and weeks when time seemed to slow down and an hour felt like an eternity. If you have ever lived in a third world country for any amount of time you know what I am talking about.

You may be wondering how I am going to celebrating this one year of living in Nepal.
First on my list is to get the car tire repaired. I punctured it on a rock coming home from the store yesterday.
Second to do on my list is to walk my scooter to the mechanic because it will not start.
Also on my list is try to figure out what happened to my Word and Excel programs for the did not seem to make it with new hard drive. I would not mind too much except for the fact that I can not do my financial reports without the Excel program.

Today is truly a Nepal day...i.e.. nothing will come easy, sweat will be poured, and there will be some confusion. I guess there is no better way to celebrate being in Nepal then to have a "Nepal Day". Maybe if I'm lucky I will get stuck in a traffic jam, run into a protest, fall in a hole, and the power will go out.

Stick with me readers for I promises the next couple of blogs will be much more positive. I just had to get that off my shoulders before I could move on.

Medical Camp in June

Yesterday I returned from a week long trip to an area of Nepal called Helambu. I took a team of 10 Americans from South Carolina to put on a medical camp. The medical camp was great...hard but great. Here are a few facts about the camp


* In four full days we treated 1,111 people
* Four people had bugs pulled out of their ears (insert shiver)
* Every morning I would wake up with mysterious bites on my arms and legs
* One toilet for 1,000 + people emits an oder that one cannot begin to describe
* I have seen enough fungal rashes to last me a life time
* People from the village+hot weather+standing in line= flies flies and more flies
* I still believe ridding on top of the bus is the best way to travel
* although at times my faith is small God constantly shows up in BIG ways


On a different note....

some of you know that I have been having visa problems. You will be happy to know that I am just a few days from obtaining my visa. Tomorrow (Sunday is a work day here) I will drop off one document needed to complete my visa process and then barring any strikes I will pick up my visa on Monday.
The visa will arrive just in time for me to board a plane to Thailand on Wednesday. I will be in Thailand for two weeks for training.

I will be getting my computer back soon and hopefully will be able to keep up with e-mails, skype, and blogging. (thank you Ang Holy and friends for helping me with lil Mac)

Happy June and I will talk to you again in July.
(thanks Stacey for the pics)

if I could...

A few weeks ago my Mac lap top died. It has been sent back to the states and I hope to have it back soon. Until it's return I am now forced to use internet cafes and phone booths to make contact back home.

If I had my computer here are a few things I would take more time to tell you about...

*my sisters birthday

*Nepal's first lack luster independence day

*how I miss Mac's automatic spell check

*the history of my electronic curse (6 digital cameras, 2 lap tops, and countless copy machines have fallen prey to said curse)

*pray request for my Nepali visa. If I don't have one soon I will have to leave the country for the rest of the year

*a congratulations to my friends who have recently graduated

if I could write about these things I would but as it is I have been at this computer cafe for an hour and I need to go home.

It's a BOY!

On Monday morning at 4:11am my sister gave birth to a perfect baby boy. His name is Justin and although I've only seen his picture on facebook I lOVE him so much. Here are a few thoughts about my new Nephew...

I can't even begin to explain how my heart aches over the fact that I can not hold him.

I need to start ordering WSU baby t-shirt on line.

my sister is beautiful

I'm thinking about writing a love song to baby Justin...must learn how to play guitar and write songs

wondering how easy or difficult it would be to sneak onto a plane. I'm pretty sure I could get sneak on in Kathmandu but after that may prove to be a problem.

"welcome to the world baby Justin...I'm not sure when I'll get to see you and hold you but MAN do I love you!"

April happenings

The month of April has seemed to pass me by...

Before I knew it, I was stepping into May and looking at all the things I have to do by June.

April brought about change. The weather started to feel distinctly warmer. The evenings started to last a little longer and I packed away my sweaters.

My roommate Amanda left for the states. Her last week here was a busy one. It seemed that every friend she had ever made wanted to sit and have tea with her one last time. I’m sure I’ll see Amanda again soon but I must admit her leaving put me in a little bit of a funk...gone are the days of dancing to Beyonce and singing along to early 90's songs.


April also brought “hellos”. My team went from two to five. Some of these hellos were old friends and some were brand new. None the less, getting to know eachother and settling into life here were all apart of April.


The last week in April had me packing for the mountains. Not to mention working on a visa application, setting up a bank account, and working on financial reports.


Here are a few other things that happened in April…
Ran out of gas due to the gas shortage.
Gained a few more hours of power a week
Got sick and can now fit into my “skinny” jeans again
Purchased a new chair
Set up my guest room
Celebrated Easter
Ate pepperoni pizza (compliments to Ang for the pepperoni and to Andrea for the idea to take it to Fire and Ice)

To all the fans out there, sorry I neglected my blogg. Hopefully this month is better. I have already started writing about this most recent trip to the mountains. Talk to ya about it soon!

Thame in May

 

Leaving the mountains is bitter sweet. You are excited to go home to the amenities that Kathmandu can afford. Hot showers, clean sheets, and good food are just a few of the things one craves. Yet, as you get ready to board the twin prop odder plane you take one last breath of clean air and one last glance of the mountains knowing that these are two things Kathmandu is without.

They say that the Lukla airport is one of the highest and shortest in the world. If you look at the short strip you travel down you don’t debate the “shortest” claim. The plain starts to shimmy as it gears up to head down the runway and before you know it you are in the air. The flight home is amazing. If the weather is clear you can see the whole Himalayan range.
Unlike the trip to Lukla the return flight is filled with an intimate knowledge of the mountains. They are no longer things seen in the far far distance or on a post card but rather they were home to you. You have walked amongst their majesty and splendor. You have spent ours walking up, only to lose your breath, and realize how small man is. They are not intimate like a friend, but rather it is the sort of intimacy that comes from a relationship where you are fully aware that it could take your life and are due respect.

Once you arrive in Kathmandu there is no easing into the city life again. After haggling for a taxi you hit the crazy streets, swerving in and out of traffic littered with bicycles and cows. Once you reach your destination it is assumed that you are a tourist so you are surrounded by those trying to sell you tiger balm hindu statues, and other nick nacs…to me it is Kathmandu’s way of saying hello and welcome home.

This most recent time home as I approached my house the blowing of horns, beating of drums, and the hundreds of people surrounding my place tipped me off that something was up. It turned out that my Landlord’s father had died four days earlier. In Sherpa culture when a family member dies they have puja (a sort of worship to Buddha) for four days. On the fourth day they take the body to a Buddhist holy place to be burned.

As I approached my gate and swam through the crowd of grieving Sherpa my heart felt heavy. My friends were grieving over the loss of a loved one. They had just spent the past four days praying that that Grandpa would make it to a better place, unsure if their prayers would be heard. In that moment God soberly reminded me why I was here. He reminded me why I go to the mountains. He reminded me that I have a hope for a future and I am not to keep that a secret.