Sherpa wedding

Weddings are a whole different ball game on this side of the world.

They are steeped in age-old traditions and take time. In the villages a traditional wedding would take 3 days. Here in the city they cram it all into one day…thus making it normal to be at a wedding party for at least 8 hours.

After my Sherpa friend fixed my Sherpa dress we headed to the party house. The afternoon started out with snacks. At first I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the snacks and drink offered…

Butter tea

Cookies

French fries

Cheese balls

Chicken wings

Coke

Fanta

…but then I quickly lost count. Every time I finished one thing there was something else set in front of me. I did however become very skilled at politely refusing the home made liquor. Even if I did consume alcohol the fried eggs floating around in it would have put me off.

Around 4pm the bride and groom finally come out. They sit under umbrellas while a Buhddist monk marries them.  You know when they are “officially” married when the chanting and cymbol banging stop.

5 o clock the servers come around with mushroom soup.

At 6pm dinner is served. The best thing about Sherpa wedding dinners (and funerals) is that it is buffet style. This means YOU get to chose what and how much goes on your plate.

7pm dessert and tea and then…dancing!

After dancing you take an envelope with money and give it to the bride and groom.

8pm the bride and groom start the ceremony of saying their goodbyes. This is a long and involved process and I opted to leave around this time.

I will leave you with a few quotes from the night

You are the biggest person here

They are not truly married until we eat dinner

OMG! You are such a good dancer (Nepali referring to my mad skills)

“bored lagio” are you feeling bored?

Go up to the stage and make a movie…nobody cares because you are a foreigner

Happy Birthday Dad!

I can’t remember the last time I was home for your birthday…sad.

I want you to know that I am thinking about you and praying that you have a great day.

I have felt extremely blessed this past year because I have gotten to spend some quality time with you while you were here in Nepal and while I was home at Christmas.

This may come as a surprise to you but you are not the only one celebrating you birthday today…

My friend Andrea shares this day with you AND her dad’s birthday was yesterday.

My friend Michelle is currently at the hospital having her first child.

And in 1965 DJ Jazzy Jeff was borne…famous for his song “Parents Just Don’t Understand”

(sorry, I was hoping for someone more famous but Jazzy Jeff will have do to)

LOVE YOU DAD!

favorite things

My favorite past time is to spend time with friends. Ideally it would be in a coffee shop or restaurant with our only agenda being to sit and talk. My trip home granted me this pleasure in abundance.  I can’t even begin to explain how this sort of thing fills me up and encourages me.

My friends and family have all gone through so many changes over the past year and a half. Being in Nepal often makes me not feel only physically far away but “spiritually” far away …I just feel a little disconnected. Thanks to my little vacation I was able to reconnect.

I was granted in abundance time and conversation with friends. I ate plenty, laughed heartily, and basked in the warm comforting sun that is friendship.

Thank you friends and family for the time you spent with me

Thank you to those friends who drove a long way to come and hang out with me

Thank you church for paying for me to come home.

My three weeks in America were AMAZING! When I came to the states I was feeling tired and a little worn out. I left the states feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the second half of my time here in Nepal.

Here are a few of the highlights ....

Spending time with my Portland family.

Bunco at Beth's

Quality time with my FAMILY

Catching up with old college friends

Karaoke in Portland

back in America

I'm back in America for three weeks!!! My amazing church in Portland  gave me a gift that allowed me to fly home to celebrate the holidays with my family. The day that I flew home was looooong and a little bit crazy. Here are a few of my thoughts that I wrote down when hanging out in the LA airport.

*As the wheels hit the LA runway I could not help but smile. I was now on American soil.

*Stood in line with a man wearing camoflouge and a CHEVROLET camo hat.

*After being grilled on wether or not I brought yak poo or meat into the country I was then given a "welcome home"...love that

*I love that all the announcments in the airport were in english. It almost seemed too easy finding my luggage carosel.

*Although I managed to find my way to the United connection there were a few moments of confusion, getting off at the wrong stop, and trying to go in the wrong line.

*It is nice to know that a smile and a thank you still goes a long way in the states.

*So thankfull that there is a Starbucks at my terminal as I wait to go to Portland.

*When asked if I wanted whip-cream on my drink my waist line made me hessisitate for a secconed before saying YES with a big grin.

*Starbucks is playing Christmas music and has Christas decorations...I luvs it.

*While searching out a toilet I walked into the middle of a airport security trying to subdue a drunk man. Everyone around was keeping a safe distance, almost creating a sort of bubble that blocked me from getting to the bathroom. Security did not try to stop me so I kept on walking through the "safe bubble"...I mean, I just came from Nepal, one drunk and dissorderly American is nothing!

*although Portland was FREEZING the welcome home hugs were warm.

Thanksgiving 2009

I have always been a fan of the holiday season. I love the way Thanksgiving kicks off the season's festivities and brings anticipation for things to come. Thanksgiving is uniquily American. Those poor pilgrims back in the day took time to recognize that God had truly provided for them. God allowed them to survive and eventually prosper in a place that was far from "home."

With that in mind how fitting that I should celebrate Thanksgiving with American friends here in this foreing land far from home. Although I love spending the holidays with my family I truly believe that I have been given the unique opportunity to celebrate the "important days"over seas.

You see, we try our very hardest to make the holidays special. We search high and low for the one turkey in town and I won't even flinch when asked to pay a ridiculous amount for things such as turkey, ham,or cheese...but we do it because we want the day to be special.

Thanksgiving Eve was celebrated by going to the grand opening of Pizza Hut. How better to celebrate being a blessed American than with an American style pepperoni pizza. When my friends and I arrived at the new Pizza Hut (first major chain to come to Nepal) we were giddy. Seriously, you could not slap the smiles off our faces if you had tired. Money was not an issue, all that we cared about was the pizza. We ordered appatizers, sodas, and pizzas as if it was our last meal. Needless to say we went home stuffed and happy.

Thanksgiving day was orginaly supposed to be hosted at my neighbors apartment. Thanks to a case of typhoid fever my poor neighbors were in no condition to host. So, with a few last minute phone calls and e-mails it was decided that I would host Thanksgiving mostly impart to my apartment's big yard not my culinary skills.

My friend Kristin came early to help me set up and before I new it about 30 American friends decended on my house. There was food galore and an all around good time was had. We had some singing, football, and just good fun.

Everyone was just plain happy. Happy to be with friends, happy to eat good food, and happy to acknowledge how God has provided for us in this foreign land.

Have I said yet that it was a great Thanksgiving?

Strange Days

When applying to move over seas I had to take this crazy long mental test. I then had to go over the results with a counselor. One of the questions on the test was "Strange things happen to me." I answered TRUE. The counselor was concerned with this answer so he questioned me...

Counselor "Do you feel that strange things happen to you all the time?"

Me: "No, not all the time"

Counselor: "Well, what sort of strange things happen to you?"

Me: "At the moment I can't think of anything specific but I work at a nursing home and I lived in South Asia."

Counselor: "maybe if you gave me an example I could better understand."

Me: baffeled as to why he could not understand I said "today Clarence, who is 101 years old, came into my office and told me a story about how while he was walking in the forest he saw a naked woman singing to him. He was wondering if I had seen her and why she was naked." I then went on to tell him a few strange moments that happened to me while living in Bangladesh.

These stories seemed to appease him but I could tell that he was still not happy with my TRUE answer.

If I were to run into that counselor I would tell him about the past couple of days....

Day 1

I hit a frog with my bathroom door. The frog lost a leg in this mishap and then proceeded to bleed all over the floor. After some debate as to wether I should euthanize it I decided to put it outside and hope a natural predator would take it out of it's misery.

Day2

While driving my scooter a man next to me decided to spit thereby covering me in his mucus. Thankfully my visor was down but still...YUCK

Day3

while walking home in the dark I could hear someone following me. As my foot steps quickened so did the persons behind me. I turned to see who it was and let me guard  down when I saw that it was a Buddhist monk. As I turned and started walking again the monk ran to me and grabbed me. I proceeded to hit him and started yelling "thief thief"(a word used for bad people in general). This worked, he started to run away. My fear quickly turned to anger causing me to run after him. I kept yelling in hopes that someone would come out of their house. When I ran out of Nepali words I  then started yelling in english "DID BUDDHA TEACH YOU THAT....RUN COWARD". By the time I reached my house he was long gone.

There are times when I am tired of the "strange" and wish for normal and easy. That however is not my life nor do I suspect is anyones. During these times I just have to remember who it is that brought me over here to Nepal.

Mom and Dad take on Nepal

The first time I lived in South Asia was back in 2003-2004. Ever since that time I have longed for my family to experience South Asia. When my parents found out that I would be moving to Nepal again they started saving with the promise to come and visit. These past two weeks Mom and Dad made good on their promise.

This was their first time over seas and they were real troopers. They were up for just about anything. They ate everything set in front of them and followed me into new and very different places. They walked the streets I walk every day and experienced the sights, sounds, and smells that are apart of my life.

I know that there were times when their senses were overwhelmed and the newness of it all left them speechless. It would be safe to say that they will be forever changed by their two weeks here in Nepal.

I must admit that they tired me out. I so badly wanted them to experience as much as possible but at the same time I wanted to protect them. I was certain that Mom would fall in a hole and Dad would get lost but, they came through physically unscathed.

 Nepal has been apart of me from the moment I stepped off the plane. Now, that they know Nepal they in turn know my heart a little better.

They have seen and experienced the extreme lostness that surrounds me daily.

They have met the people that I love and during the hard days remind me why I am here.

They have seen the beauty of the majestic Himalayas and have witnessed the dirty streets of the city.

They have looked into the eyes of beggars and have been recipients of Sherpa generosity.

They watched as the lost walked in circles in hope of salvation and sang and clapped as believers praised the One True God.

As my parents fly back to the states I know it will take some time for them to truly process all that they have seen. Those who are friends of my parents will be hearing stories of their time here. As I write I am reminded of a song called "Albertine" by Brooke Fraser. The words of her song are my wish for my parents. (I hope Brook does not mind but I would like to use her lyrics with one small change)

"now that I have seen, I am responsible

Faith without deeds is dead

I am on a plane across a distant sea

But I carry you in me

and the dust on my feet

I will tell the world, I will tell them where I've been

I will keep my word

I will tell them Nepal"

Mom and Dad, my friends are already asking when you will be coming back again.