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.

a few of my favorite things

some of my favorite things....

the nightly down poors that the rainy season brings. love falling asleep to the sound of rain

the way my 5 year old friend says "see you tomorrow" rather then just good bye

2hr full massage for only 1,000 Nepali rupies  (12$ USD)

chacos. just about every American living in this country has a pair. chaco's home page

The DVD rental store. Two DVDs for 70 rupies (90 cents)

Skype = weekly chats with friends and family

skype home page


Sermon series on Ruth...you have to check this out Ruth sermons

the song "Faithful" by Enter the Worship Circle

I WANT TO SING YOU A LOVE SONG, YOU ARE THE THIEF OF MY HEART

RHYTHM AND RHYME TRY TO DESCRIBE IT

NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY...I CAN`T HIDE ITFAITHFUL, YOU ARE FAITHFUL

I HAVE FOUND NOTHING BUT GOOD IN YOUR HEART

LOVING, YOU ARE LOVING

I AM IN LOVE WITH THE WAY THAT YOU ARE

THANKFUL, I AM THANKFUL

I HAD BEEN RUNNING AWAY ON MY OWN

AND THEN YOU FOUND ME, OH HOW YOU LOVE ME

I KNOW YOU`LL NEVER LEAVE, LEAVE ME ALONEI WANT TO SING YOU A LOVE SONG, FOR YOU

ARE THE LOVE OF MY LIFE

RHYTHM AND RHYME TRY TO EXPLAIN IT

NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY, I CAN`T CONTAIN IT

weekend trip

This past weekend my team decided to take a little retreat. We went to Pokhara, a place known for it's beautiful lake and and the Annapurna mountain range. Due to the rainy season it was too cloudy to actually see the mountains but that did not inhibit our team from having a fun weekend. 

Pokhara is only 124 miles from KTM but it takes between 5-7 hours to get there...depending on traffic.

Being from the West Coast I constantly find myself missing the water. Although Pokhara's lake is nothing compared to the Pacific Ocean having breakfast next to the water was bliss. It felt nice to sit and relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery. 

On Saturday our team decided to go out for a "team building" experience. We had no idea where we were going or what we were in for. After seeing a few key signs we all realized that we were going to check out some caves. As I flip through the files of my memory I'm pretty sure that I have never been in a proper cave...and to be honest with you  have never longed to do so. I am however usually up for an adventure so I was pretty excited about this cave experience. 

The first cave was pretty small. As we followed the "EXIT" sign we started to become a little leery of the so called exit and it's Nepali size opening. After a few well placed foot steps and a little maneuvering we all made it out and we were off "to the Bat Cave."

Now, in Nepal, one NEVER knows what to expect. Will this Bat Cave have hundreds of bats or did they just name it the bat cave for kicks? Will the exit be small again? How important will it be to have a flash light? These were just a few of the questions we had. As we walked down the stairs to the cave we saw a little hole with an "exit" sign above it. We all briefly looked at this hole and thought "surly, this is not the exit. there is no way a person could fit through that hole there is probably another exit some place else." Folks, let me just tell you that western thought and logic has no place in Nepal.

As we deceded into the cave it was big and did indeed have some bats on the ceiling. All in all it was pretty neat...that is until Tammy decided to check out a trail she saw. This trail took us UP. Climbing over rocks we came to a small opening with a tiny bit of light coming out (I forgot to mention that our flashlights were indeed essential due to the pitch black interior of the cave) After a small debate we realized that this hole was the way to the exit. The hole would lead us to a small cavern that in tern had another small hole also known as the exit. 

We decided to send the biggest person through first. Our logic being, if he could make it out then the rest of us could make it as well. After two people successfully made it out it was my tern. Getting out was more difficult then I had anticipated. It involved wedging myself in this hole, twisting into a position where I could get on my belly and then belly crawl out. 

There was a moment of panic when I thought that I was gonna be stuck in that little crawl space. All I could imagine was my two team mates on the outside pulling and the other two teammates below pushing. No way was I gonna be the sad chubby team mate that had to be pushed out. At that moment I refused to be like Whinny the Pooh eating too much honey and having to be pushed out of the tree. With sheer determination I squeezed through the hole and with a shout of joy and relief exclaiming "I made it!! I made it through."

Everyone made it out. We were all dirty and sweaty from the experience but it was fun. It was indeed a team bonding experience and one of those Nepal moments that I will fondly look back on. 

Sunday afternoon came all too soon and we piled into the car to head back into the city. If you are ever in Nepal I would highly recommend taking a trip into Pokhara. I know it's on my list of places to visit again. 

flat tyre

If you know my family very well then you would know of the Van Wyk curse. (stay with me if you are not superstitious)

You see, my family has a curse of the vehicle. By the time my sister and I were driving there was always at least one out of the four cars that was not working properly. When my sister married a mechanic we all breathed a sigh of relief thinking that the curse had been broken....that was until I moved to Nepal. For you see, the curse followed me half way around the world to Nepal.

It seems like a weekly event that there is something wrong with my scooter. Two weeks ago the battery would not charge. Last week I managed to tangle up the kick stand with the kick start...it was weird.

After that was fixed I managed to almost hit a pedestrian but rather then slam into him I laid my bike down nocking the right light out and causing some cosmetic damage.

The other day I needed to get to the bank by 3:30 before it closed due to my severe lack of funds. As I left my side of town I noticed something was wrong. I quickly realized that I had a flat tyre. The great thing about Nepal is that if you walk long enough you will indeed find a shop that will fix your tire....they are everywhere.

Thankfully there was a place not to far from where I had pulled over. As the tyre boy pulled out the tube inside my tire I quickly realized that I this was not going to be an easy fix. It was obviously old and had been patched up more than once. So the tyre boy started the process of patching up the newest hole. The whole time I am looking at my watch while agreeing with the owner of the fine tyre establishment that yes, indeed I need a new tire. At this time it was almost 2pm...leaving me 1/1/2 hours before the bank closed.

Finally the tyre was patched. All that was left to do was put some air in it and hold it under water just to make sure their were no other holes.

As the boy headed to the water the thoughts in my head were "please God, let this be done so that I can get to the bank"...but that was not Gods plan....there was another hole.

So the tyre boy went through the whole 30 min process of patching up the tyre for the second time. After he was finished he put air in it and headed for the water. This time my thoughts were "please please please God, let this be the last time. If it is finished now I can still make it to the bank...I even promise to blog about the miracle you performed by making my tyre as good as new"....but this was not Gods plan....another hole was found.

To sum up this story I sat there for a while longer watching the boy patch up two more holes. Needless to say I never made it to the bank. Ridiculous sequence of events? maybe...Surprising? not really.

So, why do I blog even though there was no "miracle"? Although there was not a "miracle" per say I can still see God's provision. The bike shop was literally just steps from where I had pulled over. I had just enough money to cover the "patch job" thus allowing me to go to the bank the following day. Although it took a lot of time to get it done is was for the most part an easy fix.

My parents have always taught my sister and I to be self sufficient. I learned how to change a tyre when I was 17. I have had to put snow chains on my tyre in the middle of a storm.

Although there are times when I would love to call my Dad, Brother in Law, or Husband (no, I don't have a husband but it sure would be nice to call out for one) that is not an option for me here in Nepal. God, however has always been faithful to take care of me...even in the midst of the Van Wyk vehicle curse.

muddy mess

last monsoon season I blogged about my road turning into a river. It has taken a year but the powers that be have decided to pave our road.

Before the road could be paved a new drainage system needed to be installed. So for the past two months "they" have been digging up the road and laying pipes. It is a long tedious process that is slowed down by the rain. (making one question why did the start during monsoon)

I just recently found out that the black top can not be laid until the dirt is packed and completely dry...in other words this road will not be paved until JANUARY!

So for the next five months my road will continue to be a muddy mess.

As I squeeze along the side of the road in order to avoid the mud pit I repeat to myself "this will be paved, this will be paved...good will come of this."

loosing a toe nail

I don't know what it is about the country that makes me loose my toe nails....

maybe it is because I am constantly in sandals or flip flops.

This most recent occurrence happened when I had to jump start my scooter while wearing flip flops. My foot slipped and I jammed my toe into the bike.

I knew thew there was something amiss with my toe when the toenail turned black surrounded by shades of yellow. I had painted over the ugliness only to have the nail fall off.

Now, I am left with nine painted toes and a nubbin of a toe nail. (sigh) It is not the first time I have lost a toe nail and I'm sure that it is not the last.

BTW ...
yes there is mud on my toe...I did not wash my feet before taking the picture

I did not realize how ugly my feet were until I took an up close photo of them