What can be said about a journey that changed my life? I have been home for over a week now but it feels like minutes, like my heart isn’t yet back in this “real world.” So I’m finally taking the time to sit down and really write out my experiences, hopefully I can bring them to life enough that maybe they’ll influence you in a few of the ways they’ve influenced me.
I tried writing this about the trip in its entirety but after 3 hours of detailed drafting, I was 5 pages in and only 4 days into the story. So, I decided to cut back a little and focus on the people I met and the influence they have had on my understanding of this culture so very different from my own. These are some of their stories.
Upon arriving, I met some of THE coolest people that I’ve met in a long time. These were the people who blessed me with this once in a lifetime opportunity to serve alongside them/their company. The teams from Proof Eyewear and HELP Intl. were all so accepting and welcoming and though I travelled all the way to Nepal on my own, I never felt alone when I got there. Within the first hour of meeting someone I was already talking about some of my drama I left at home that I was pretty emotional about… they, along with the rest of the team, were just willing to listen and be friends and I grew comfortable with them immediately. This was the case for almost every person there, there were no boundaries it seemed and everyone was willing to talk about their passions and their lives.
We made the journey to Kumari, a village in the foothills, about 4 hours from Kathmandu. The ride was bumpy and dusty, as we scaled the man-made cliff side roads in our little scorpios- I kept comparing it to the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. When we arrived, this was my first real experience with the Nepali people, and it really was the best first experience. When we got to the gates of the clinic, at which we would be staying and working, we were immediately pulled in, our bags just left at the cars. They offered us blessings in the form of tikas and sat us down for a meal. The tika or tikala, (I’m not really sure how to spell it, I just googled it) is important in many Hindu cultures, especially Nepali. The people hold much power in the red dot you often see on their foreheads, and you usually see it applied after visiting temples or to welcome or honor guests. It was something I had never been a part of before, so every time we were blessed in this way was really special to me. Everyone working at the clinic was so happy to help us in any way, and although we were there to serve them, the “guest is god” mentality was still present. Jagget our host was one of the kindest men I have ever met. He told us his story of growing up in the village and always experiencing the struggles of being so far from healthcare. When he was younger, his father, a farmer, had fallen from a terrace and become life threateningly injured. No one knew where he was and when they finally found him, there was really nothing that could be done. Jagget made it his life goal to make healthcare available for people in these rural villages to avoid more incidents like this. It took his whole life (up to this point) but he succeeded and has developed a beautiful and successful health clinic for the village of Kumari.
The next day, you could see the impact he had on the lives of the people in the village. People flocked from miles away, climbing up the hills and dusty roads to get a couple of exams we offered. It was crazy seeing elderly people slowly stroll in and I wondered how far they had to have come to be there. Their garb was entrancing- lots of bright colors (mostly greens and reds) with very similar smells of mothballs and tobacco all around. Oh and almost ALL the women had nose rings- I fit right in! Even little kids (probably not even four years old) had nose rings! Unfortunately, the language barrier held us back from much communication with the people, but sharing smiles with people after thanking us was all that really mattered then and there. My favorite part of the time at Kumari though, was when they asked for volunteers to help a local man prepare his farm for planting. I jumped on it with a few others and we climbed down the terraces to a small but beautiful home. I was fascinated learning and seeing how everyone grew the food that they ate. While we were tilling the ground, all you could hear were the bugs, animals, and the wind going through the trees and grass. This utter QUIET hit me and I felt so much peace in that moment, I wondered what it would be like to live in that environment every day. The SUNSET was truly the best part of this day… There was NOTHING quite like climbing up the rice terraces, seeing the sun set over that hazy valley…
We left Kumari and made our way to Pokhara. After a long and terrifying 8 hour car ride, we got to the hotel and finally had food and showers. The next day we sort of adventured independently in this tourist city, a group of us went to a couple of Buddhist temples and then mobbed up a mountain to go paragliding. You all know I’m somewhat of an adrenaline junkie and I love trying new and dangerous things so of course I had to do this! It was pretty rad to see almost everyone in my group up there, trying it with me. We squished into a van with our jumpers and were almost immediately off the mountain by the time we got out, the whole system was so quick and easy, yet terrifying because I had no idea what I was getting myself into and suddenly we were running at the edge of a cliff with our parachute filling with air. Next thing you know we were up, catching winds taking us higher and higher than back down over and over again, it was the coolest thing. THE COOLEST part though was that view… we had a perfect view of the Annapurna mountain range and I truly wanted to cry. In the midst of all of this, my guide, Baloo was whistling and singing traditional Nepali songs and I felt everything in THAT moment.
The next and most significant part of the trip was our time at Raksha. This was a safe haven for girls and women rescued from sexual exploitation and abuse. These kids were some of the sweetest little faces you’ve ever seen and they had no hesitation in coming right up to us and pulling us to play with them. With every girl you passed by, any time of the day, you were greeted with a “hello sister, how are you?” and this felt so beautifully intentional. The girls truly cared about each and every one of us and I felt the sisterhood within this place. The person I think I should talk about this most from this place is the beloved Aama, the rescuer and caregiver for these girls. Aama is so SO passionate about this cause because it is so ridiculously inexcusable for women to be treated the way they are in much of this culture. They are abused, raped, taken advantage of in every way, left for dead… And once they have experienced any form of sexual exploitation, they are completely ostracized within not only their family but the entire society as well. Aama sees their value though, avidly seeking out girls of any age who need help and pulls them back to the light. It was horrifying hearing some of the girls’ stories… I can’t even write those things down but I know they will stay with me forever… But at the same time, I am filled with an uncontested hope, knowing that there are people out there fighting FOR people, humans just like you and me, who are unjustly treated as though they are less.
Like I said before, it’s hard to put into words an experience that truly changed my life. Sometimes the words give my emotions even more power so I avoid them. But I guess if I could leave you with one statement about Nepal, it would be that there is so much bravery and so much hope within the hearts of the people I met, they stand for justice and peace, and I stand with them.
