Thanksgiving

A friend recently asked me the question “what brings you joy these days?” In the spirit of Thanksgiving I would like to share my response with you.

* School kids in their little uniforms

* The garden next to my house…it smells sooo good at night

* The Boudha Garden restaurant. There is something great about going to a restaurant where people know your name.

* Electricity. You don’t realize how much you appreciate it until you don’t have it.

* Dolma’s beauty salon. Let me just say that every one needs a friend who owns a beauty salon.

* Didi. She is also known as Nepali Ama (mom), house helper, and most importantly friend.

* Skype. It has allowed me to see my nephew sing twinkle twinkle little star and for that I am so grateful.

* Facebook. On any given day I can find out that a friend is pregnant, getting married, or eating a jelly donut for lunch….again, I love technology

* Language with Nermala. I’m not fond of studying or test but I’ve managed to find ways to get Nermala to spend the last 30min of class talking about life, love, arranged marriages, and God.

* Friends. I have been bless beyond all measure

* My family. Thanksgiving memories equal family…although they are notorious for their lack of tradition we at least did our non traditional holidays together.


To my friends and family, I pray you have a happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful start to the holiday season!

Medical Camp

I filled my hiking pack with apprehension. I had gone trekking before but this time was different. This time I would be carrying my own pack and not sure if I would make a fool of myself huffing and puffing up the hills of Helambu. Another difference was that I would have to be on the look out for the medical team from South Carolina….in other words I had to be responsible.

The bus ride on the way up was quite. My new American friends were more apprehensive than I. The last hour in the bus was slow going. The monsoon season had taken its toll on the road and we had to stop every few minutes to fill in the holes. Finally, we came to a place where the road ended and it was time to walk.


The walk up was not so bad. I made it up with zero falls, as did the rest of the American medical team. Once we arrived in the village we were informed that people had been waiting to be seen since morning. So, we dropped our stuff, headed up to the schoolrooms assigned to us and started to unpack all of the supplies. An hour later we were seeing patience.



Our medical team consisted of four American nurses and two Nepali nurses. The rest of the team played games with the kids who were waiting, sorted out supplies, and did any other misc. thing that was needed. I helped with registration, which helped with my Nepali immensely. I can now say very fluently “my head hurts, my stomach hurts, I have gastritis, diarrhea, and have been throwing up. I also know how to say, “You don’t need to show me…you can show the nurse inside.”

After six days of our medical camp we saw 700 people from surrounding villages. While all these patients were waiting to be seen some of our national believers had the opportunity to share stories of Jesus and show the Jesus film. The premise of temporarily healing wounds was why we were there but in all about 20 people had “eternal wounds” healed.


Some of the things I learned during this medical camp were:

*Being a nurse is a true calling and although my nametag said, “nurse” I would never want to be one

*Squatties are not so bad when you hold your breath and close your eyes.

*I CAN BE a no shower taking, local food eating, trekker girl.

got mail?

A few friends have expressed interest in sending me mail. Well, I am happy to say that I have a P.O. box in Nepal and can receive anything the size of a shoebox or smaller. It may take a few weeks to get here BUT it most likely will get here.

Jessica Van Wyk
GPO 8975
EPC 2302
Kathmandu, Nepal

So what do you send a single girl living in Nepal? Here are a few suggestions
1. hand written note; writing notes is a lost art but there is something special about receiving one.
2. Mixed CD; I love music and miss getting new music. My interent is too slow to down load i-tunes so a mixed CD would be much appreciated
3. Food; the US is truly the land of “easy”. I miss those mixes where you just add water, oil, and an egg. Some examples would be brownies, blueberry muphins, and corn bread.
4. American candy; I hardly ever ate candy in the states but there is something about having a bad day that American candy seems to fix
5. t-shirt; I love t-shirts and it is difficult to find ones in my size. I am a fan of tacky, cheesy, or cute. A t-shirt from your state, college, or county fair would be perfect. (I wear a medium)
6. a good book; weight may be an issue regarding this item BUT I love to read and am always looking for a good book. It could be spiritual or just a good easy read.
7. Anything holliday related; I love American hollidays and miss the candy, decorations, and overall commercial hype.
8. A few misc. things are:
Gravey packets
Taco seasoning
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Italian seasoning
Bacon bits
Granola bars

Let me just warn you that sending packages overseas is not cheap BUT it sure is nice to get a little something from home.

Riding on top

November in Nepal is absolutely perfect. The sky is blue and the Himalayas stand proud in the distance. The weather is cool in the morning and evening and perfect during the day.
I am absolutely in love with November in Nepal.

I recently returned home from a trip to a region called Helambu (more about that to come) On the way home the journey was slow due to the poor roads. A friend and I decided to ditch our seats and climb up to the top of the bus. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this mode of transportation.

I must tell you that the absolute BEST way to see Nepal is on the top of a bus. Yes, you will walk away a little dusty but the view is amazing and the November sun covers you like blanket.
passing another bus
view from the top
harvesting the rice

trip to India

I’m finished with my trip to India and it was interesting to say the least.

Much of my travel was spent relying on strangers. Often I would disembark a plane or cab and pray, “God, pick someone to help me get to the next place.” God was always faithful and I was constantly amazed at how he chose unsuspecting persons to go above and beyond to help me navigate the crazy that is India.

During my travels I saw new lands, was introduced to new tribes, and made new friends.
The Shanks were kind enough to put me up in their house and allow me to walk beside them in their daily lives. I enjoyed my early morning talks with Kari and was in awe as I saw Hanna take some of her first steps.

Kari took me to some girls hostels were I got to share my story and listen to them sing and share their testimonies.
We also had lunch with some friends. It is truly a humbling experience when a friend makes you a meal that she could not afford for her own family but shares with you.

After leaving Shillong I enjoyed a few days in Delhi were I was reunited with my friend Wendy and the Boss family.
Delhi is great at providing some amazing shopping, American movies, and most of all American food.


My last night in Delhi happened to be Diwali. This is a probably India’s biggest holiday. It is the festival of lights and celebrated by lighting candles and setting off fireworks. If you can imagine what a war zone sounds like then you can imagine Deiwaili.

Some things I learned on my trip:

*Indian restaurants are obsessed with 90’s music…and I love it.

*I’m so glad that I live in Nepal and not India.

*I should give my parents a detailed travel schedule and contact numbers so the next time an “East Indian” calls them to sell something they do not think that he is actually calling to tell them I’m injured.

At the end of my trip I still prefer to travel with other people but what God taught me was He is faithful to take care of me and bring people across my path to help me.

leaving the country

Due to the type of visa that I currently have in Nepal I am forced to leave the country for a few weeks. On Monday morning I found myself sitting at the travel agents making arrangements to go to India.

My plans are rough to say the least. What I have planned so far is to make it past customs, board a plane, and hope to find a phone when I arrive at my destination. From that point I have a name and phone number to call…and pray for the best.

I would like to believe that I am flexible, laid back, easy going etc. thus making me a pro at navigating through “rough” travel. The truth be told I don’t trust myself to travel alone. It is in times like these that I cling to the knowledge that God is traveling right along side me.

He asked me to sign up for this adventure “single” fully knowing that He would be my travel companion.

meet my friend

It was turning out to be a bad day. It was another rainy day; I had errands to run, forcing me to drive in the rain. By 5:30pm my errands were finished but I was cold and wet. I decided to go to my favorite restaurant for some Tibetan soup called tentuk. As I indulged in my warm hearty soup the owner, a friend of mine, came up to me and asked if I would help her friend. She explained to me that her friend was getting ready to go to Korea for more beauty school training and that she was nervous about her English and wanted someone to practice with.

Now, you should know that for days I have been walking around the streets of my neighborhood praying for a friend…wondering how I could connect with single girls my age.

I told the restaurant owner that I would be happy to help and the next thing I know we are walking down the street to the salon to meet my new friend. After drinking some tea at the salon we came up with a plan. I would meet Dolma at 8am at her salon. We would talk for and hour and a half and then go get lunch. Yes that’s right lunch at 9:30am. During lunch we would speak Nepali, thus helping me out. (The Restaurant owner, Me & Dolma)

Although I have not been a fan of getting up early and eating lunch early I have enjoyed our conversations. During our language practice I have found a lot about Nepali and Sherpa culture. I have also had the chance to share a little about my life and the things that are important to me.

I am so thankful that God dropped this friend in my lap. Due to my visa I have to leave the country for a few weeks. The bad news is that when I come back into Nepal Dolma will have left for Korea where she plans to be for six months.

I plan on continuing to visit Dolma’s beauty parlor while she is gone in hope to form friendships with the employees. I will miss my morning chats with Dolma but I am thankful for the few weeks we had. We have already set plans for dinner when she returns to Nepal in April.

               "Marinoz" beauty salon