APW: Trips to Places You Dreamed Of

Nepal.  I've been truly excited in the airport a handful of times in my life.  Going to Australia and Hawai'i for the first time for example.  Generally feelings of anticipation, reflection, uncertainty float around with the butterflies in my stomach.  This time, as I walked through Delhi Airport International Terminal to the gate I was boarding, and approached the area where all others were waiting to get on a plane to Nepal, I was beaming. 

Seeing all the trekkers, diverse group of international travelers, Nepalese returning home, and beautiful vibrant faces of others excited about this trip became a very contagious feeling in the air.  The plane ride was smooth and short, and after 5 flights and 20+ hours on the bus the last 16 days, this destination felt very welcoming.  And though I've never been, and perhaps because I have no ticket to leave right now, I had this strange feeling that I was coming home.

I stayed my first 3 days in Thamel in the touristic, crowded, haggling section of Kathmandu.  Rode on a motorbike in the madness of the Far East traffic.  Spoke with Nepali Sarangi (beautiful Nepali violin like instrument) players and makers, wandered the streets at marveled at all the gear shops, and talked story with most shopkeepers and children and elderly who approached me on the street. This is a very apparently developing country and there are some terrible, unpublicized, practices that occur here.  However, The culture is very friendly, and sharing, and always smiling.  Ma Nepali seekday chu (I am learning Nepali), and it is going well.

After 3 days, I met up with the volunteer program Tevel B'Tzedek that I'll be working with the next 4 months.  After 2 full days, the group already has bonded and knows each other well.  The first month entails orientation and training and the next 3 are going to villages and working in the fields of Youth, Education, Women's Empowerment and Agriculture.  They work with a partner Nepali NGO in establishing holistic sustainable and realistic solutions.  They are generally involved for 3-5 years in an area and the planned structure includes a phase out period where a single staff member oversees the maintenance of the established systems until the Nepalese can self-govern.  I will be focusing on Agriculture and helping establish a demonstrative organic farm in a rural village that has not yet had contact with a developing country.

I'm having a wonderful experience here thus far with the Nepalis and Israelis (two new languages to learn!).  I moved into a house in Swambayu, Kathmandu, home of the Swambaynuath, The Monkey Temple, named after all the monkeys that inhabit and swing and steal food from around the area.  (Of course, the monkeys are all reincarnations of 15th century Lama's head lice).  It is on a forested hill with beautiful mountain views, and I can see the top of the temple from my bedside window.  If I step onto the balcony I can also see water buffalo grazing below.  There are extraordinarily large Buddha statues and Hindu Gods a 5 minute walk away.

Nepal santi ra dere ramro cha.  Nepal is peaceful and very beautiful.
I am grateful to be here, to learn, to assist and to give back.

I hope you all are following the paths that your heart leads you to.

Namaste.