Vignettes

These photos will make more sense after reading my entry, but here goes: first, a photo from Happy Holi; second, me standing in my first hot springs; third, Tibetan woman weaving a rug in a loom; fourth, a little boy we met along the trail; and fifth, one of the avalanches we crossed along the trail.

I spent the last two weeks in Dolpo, one of the remotest regions in Nepal. After a fifteen hour overnight bus ride across rocky dirt roads to Nepalgunj and after a heart pounding thirty-five minute plane ride over mountains in a twin otter fifteen passenger plane, we finally arrived to teach English at a school in Juphal. Unfortunately, only one of the five teachers returned from winter vacation and school was delayed for a week and a half.

We (Blake, a fellow volunteer and I) made the best of our situation and befriended Nundaram, who was willing to act as our guide on a five day trek to Phoksunda Lake, the deepest lake in the Himalaya. We crossed avalanches, rock falls, mud slides (not scary at all, I swear!) and thirteen different bridges, and discovered yak, vultures, mountain goats, and even prints from a snow leopard!

The most amazing part was meeting villagers. From Tibet,the villagers welcomed us into their homes for meals and sleep. Families lived in a one room home with a sacred fire in the middle of the room. We sat around the fire, drank Tibetan tea (herbal tea mixed with butter and salt), ate dal baht, and learned as much Nepali and Tibetan as possible. Most villagers wore traditional Tibetan clothes and many women had looms for weaving gorgeous rugs and blankets. Their warmth was unconditional and inspiring. And as it is springtime, we also found ourselves surrounded by baby goats, chicks, and other fun livestock.

As an aside, one night on our trek to the lake, I awakened because my bed shook and the windows rattled in my room. In the morning I told Blake I was either dreaming or felt an earthquake during the night. Upon my return to Kathmandu, I found out that there was an earthquake in Tibet and that is what I felt that night!

When we returned to Juphal five days later, the teachers still had not returned to school. We again tried making the best of our situation and taught for three days. Unfortunately, and very long story short here, Blake and I found the liabilities too great, and agreed to return to Kathmandu.

With one more day to spend in Dolpo prior to departure, we hiked to my first ever hot springs. After two weeks without a shower, even just rinsing in the hot water was wonderful.

On our flight back to Nepalgunj, we met a Nepali woman and her daughter. Of Tibetan descent, she spoke Nepali, Tibetan, Hindi, English, and Dutch. She "knew someone" in Nepalgunj who would be willing to serve us tea and lunch, would purchase our bus tickets for us, and allow us to lounge until our bus arrived to pick us up. She took us to a family running a restaurant in the front of their home. They were incredibly warm and treated us like family. They even allowed us to lounge in the rear of their home in their bedroom to watch tv with their children. The home was constructed of wood beams and a tin roof and despite so little, they offered so much!

Our day in Nepalgunj was Happy Holi, a Hindu holiday in which the kids play in the streets with water and teeka paint (a vibrantly colored/dyed flour of some sort). It was an all out paint fight and anyone is fair game. After just a few hours walking around, Blake and I made countless friends under four feet tall and found ourselves covered in teeka paint!

We are now back in Kathmandu. With two more weeks time for service before my trek, I am focusing my time on Akriti, the orphan from BalMandir that I mentioned earlier. We found a school for the deaf and blind that is ideal and we will find out Friday if they are willing to accept her. She would be provided with a full time staff member to tend solely to her care and development. She would also receive physical therapy once a week so that in due time, she should be walking too! We are still working out the vast majority of details, including cost, which I will be absorbing as well as a few other volunteers. This is a long term commitment because Akriti is only two years old! I keep hoping and praying that this all works out. She keeps me awake at night and even when I sleep I am finding myself dreaming about her. I don't want to leave Nepal without her situated, however, I also understand that everything here takes lots of time to accomplish. Therefore, I really need to work on my patience skills.

I am also going to try and obtain her medical records. Perhaps she is eligible for cochlear implants? My sister Katie, as well as a few others, are trying to find organizations who might review her case and who might fund the procedure. That way, Akriti wouldn't have to work with blindness and deafness?? Do any of you have thoughts? Maybe after an evaluation, all she needs is hearing aids?

I have attached some photos for you! I hope you like them and I hope they give you a taste of what the last few weeks have been like!