Day 7-8: Partying in the Third World

Our big events for the past two days have been the SUU recruitment presentation today at our host college, and yesterday celebrating Buddhas birthday.  Both of these event were fun in their own right, it was very interesting to see how another religion celebrates the birth of their main figure, and how interested the students here at Little Angels are in progressing their learning to obtain masters and doctorate degrees.  I have already written about the great emphasis these students put on their learning in an early post so for this post i will just sum up our day celebrating Buddhas birthday.

Most of the area was pretty excited for this national holiday it involves prayers at shrines, parades through the streets, and a general sense of celebration.  The place that we went was a temple on top of one of the higher hill in the valley.  Once again we had to climb endless steps to reach it, Buddhist and Hindu's really make you work to worship, it is definitely not a religion for out of shape people.  the nickname for the temple we went to is "Monkey temple" due to all the monkeys that live there.  Most were scared away by the crowds today, but there were still a few stragglers.  Overall the atmosphere is similar to any county fair or carnival in the states, you have your vendors selling stuff, people gathering to dance, and families enjoying a day together seeing the sights.  We hiked up the stairs and spent time exploring the temple and enjoying the view looking out over Kathmandu.  I also listened to a choir singing praises to pictures of a prominent Buddhist teacher, and others taking turns in a dance circle very similar to those you see at high school dances in the states.  Overall it was a really fun time just being here in Nepal for such a special occasion, and being able to participate in it with the Nepali people.  I love seeing events like this to remind us just how similar we are.  Tomorrow we start the next part of our trip west from here to Pokhara, and i am looking forward to the new experiences we will have in that part of the country.

What a day

Today has been one whirlwind of adventure after another and I enjoyed it all. As I mentioned in an earlier post I am an Ambassador at our campus at Southern Utah University and to host a couple open houses for SUU. Well today was day number one. The planning for this event was about a month or more in the making, between meeting with a international recruitment adviser and making a presentation it was a very busy month and days up to today.

Today at 12:30 we started our open house for Little Angels. Now with being an ambassador I am pretty used to standing in front of people while talking about things I am passionate about. But when it comes to hosting, setting up, and answering questions that come out of nowhere I was a bit nervous. Luckily I am with some awesome people who not only helped me calm down but also helped set up our room to make it look awesome. For it being my first presentation I think I did ok. I was nervous and struggled in some parts and used a lot of "ums" and "ok". There was around 50 people there for it. I was impressed, and as more people walked in I was all "I don't think we have enough stuff for them." Luckily we did and I feel more confident in my future endeavors.

The rest of the day was spent eating some amazing Indian food at "The Red Carpet" restaurant. It was so delicious. Our professor was best friends in college with one of the partners. We ate so much food and had some great laughs. We also went shopping. My mom might be mad at me at the gift I got her, but oh well. She will love it, plus it was a steal of a deal!

Today one of the big things that really hit me was in Nepal everyone calls each other "brother" or "sister" and they actually act on it. It has been interesting to see how many of these people interact in those ways. Our little group has taken this to heart and we have indeed become our own family. As the trip continues on I can tell we are all going to get closer together. Friendships have been made here that will last forever. So readers of blogs out there, take a risk, get out of your comfort zone and go on adventure. You never know who you will meet, who can become some of your closest friends and what you will discover about yourself.

Days 4-6: Highs and Lows

It has been a very full three days with very different experiences.  I have gone from very enjoyable experiences to yesterday being pretty low.  It is always best to follow the bad with the good so the low point of the past few days was being sick all of yesterday barely able to hold myself up.  I did not want to miss any of the organizations that we were going to see so i suffered through the day, but after going to bed early and having a good rest i woke up today feeling alive again, the mixture of the food, pollution, noise, and bumpy roads just all accumulated to knock me down all at once.  The other low experiences have been not being able to help all the people that really need it, part of the reason i came here was to help people in need but i find myself totally lacking in the ability to help the mass throngs of people stretching out their hands, crying for help only for those pleas to fall on deaf or unsympathetic ears.  It is all very overwhelming, and as much as it breaks my heart to tell someone "no i can't help you" the fact is that as an individual i can't help them all.

So those have been the lows but we have had some very good times here as well.  We have delivered our toys from "Happy Factory" to two organizations here out of the three that we brought them for, and the kids have been thrilled.  Along with the stickers, soccer balls, postcards, and money that we have brought for them they have been very appreciative. It has been great to see these kids and the adults who run their organization be so happy.  Another surprising high for the past few days have been the live music we have been able to go see, the music scene here is just as alive as it is in the US.  We saw a couple groups led by "What the Funk" which was a great funk group playing songs from the seventies and eighties, as well as another more folk style singer who was also very good.  We had a great time spending our evening hearing their talent.

 So i guess the take away from this blog posting is that we may not be able to help everyone, and some days we ourselves may feel really horrible, but we do what we can to help who we can, and the next day the sun will rise.  Our lives are filled with both bad an good, highs and lows, and what makes the difference is how we balance the two.  There may be a lot of outstretched hands needing help, but when more hands start reaching back to give that help, that is when the problem begins to be fixed and long term solutions can be made.  That is what the organizations we have been working with here are doing, and the more people like them that are out there the better our world will be.

A National Holiday

Happy Buddha Jayanti (Buddha's birthday)! No real updates since last night but today is a national holiday so it's pretty cool that we get to be here for the experience. Later today we will go to a temple and see the monkeys, which I love and adore, so I'm pretty excited for that :) A little bit homesick since it's also my sister's birthday today but I am still loving this incredible experience.

Every Road in Nepal is a One Way Road

I've mentioned before that there are many differences but also many similarities between the US and Nepal but the one main difference to me are the roads. In the US there are so many traffic laws, stop lights everywhere and seat belts are required. Here in Nepal, it's a free for all! No traffic laws (or very few) and no lanes. You just drive and people are respectful of each other. There are people walking all over the road and motorcycles zipping in and out of traffic. While I'm glad I'm not driving and that we have a very excellent driver, it's cool to see how things that are different from what I'm used to can work and effectively.

A lot of things that I thought would be hard to get used to because they aren't done "the right way" are actually some of my favorite things. Aside from the driving, which I love, the cold showers after being hot and sweaty all day feel nice. I'm sure there are times that hot water would be more appropriate, but for the time I'm here I quite enjoy it. I haven't had the chance to eat without silverware yet but today when I walked down to the orphanage the kids were eating with their hands. Messy but efficient.

I am really loving my time here in Nepal and wish that I could spend more time in a specific organization- hopefully I'll be able to come back soon and do that!

Applied Learning in Nepal

The last two days have been my favorite yet in Nepal.  On Thursday we started our day by doing yoga, which always makes me feel like a million bucks.  Then we had a chance to go to a free clinic in Kathmandu.  The most interesting part of this trip has been going into these social institutions, like schools, orphanages, hospitals non-profits, and seeing how they work with the problems facing Nepal.  Its applied sociology.  For example at the free clinic we heard about the major health problems facing Nepal right now.  The president of the clinic said that diabetes and hypertension are on the rise.  He said it was from the newly intensified urbanization facing Nepal, and the Kathmandu valley in particular.  We also talked about how Nepal is one of the only countries in the world where women’s life expectancy is shorter than that of men.  He said this was because in Nepalese culture women do a lot of the work while “the men play cards”.  We then went to an orphanage called Ama Ghar.  It was a home that focused on raising orphaned children to become complete Nepalese citizens.  So they focused on a tradition life style, and educated the children though primary school, and into either vocational training or undergrad studies.  They had created a family type environment with kids ranging from age 4 all the way to 21.  This was nice because I have seen many programs in the US that disregard some of the people in program once they “age-out”.  They are then kicked out and often times put into a worse situation that they where before.  But Ama Ghar focuses on making sure that the people coming out of the orphanage are in a better place than when they found them.

Lessons from my Mommy

Over the last few days I have learned about a few social problems facing Nepal, particularly women’s rights.  We visited a group called Women for Human Rights.  They work with women that have been widowed.  They help these women to get all of the inheritance they are legally entitled to, they provide micro-loans to help women start their own businesses, and give vocational training, just to name a few of the services they offer.  It was incredible to see all of the complicated parts of this NGO working together to really make a difference in the lives of women.  The group was instrumental in changing a law that a woman needed the permission of a man in their lives in order to get a passport.  It was exciting to see the progress that they had made.  This was especially interesting to me because I would one day like to start my own non-profit that helps women with these same problems, especially the micro-finance portion.  Giving women a sustainable income where they are their own bosses, and not in a huge amount of debt to a corrupt money loaner is something that I think could solve a lot of problems in the world.  It is when people get desperate that they are willing to go to extreme, sometimes dangerous and illegal, lengths to provide for themselves an their families.  And women are at even more risk.  They may have children they need to feed, or they may not be able to get as high paying of a job as a man could.  The issue of women’s work equality is one that strikes very close to home for me.  My mother raised my two siblings and I alone, and I watched first hand the struggles she faced in competing for jobs.  I also watched her resilience as she rose to the occasion.  She worked full time while being promoted, and raised three children by her self.  My mom is truly an inspiration to me.

Some recent experiences

These past days have almost become a blur with all of the activities we have done. During it all, I have been amazed and inspired by visiting some amazing nonprofit organizations like Women for Human Rights and Maiti (pronounced like mighty) Nepal and seeing how one person’s dream can make a dramatic difference in people’s lives. Take for example the remarkable woman Anuradha didi. She recognized that something needed to be done, and she started something that has changed the lives of many Nepali women. Nepal is home of some major Human Trafficking. It is incredibly sad. We met with her and her office today and they have rescued almost 32,000 people. To put that in perspective, that is just below the population of Cedar City Utah. She has shown us that if you are passionate about your ideas, good things can happen. 

The other organization that showed that actually isn't linked above. I was impressed by the orphanage we visited that is across the street from where we are staying. It is called Ama Ghar. The lady that runs this orphanage is Bonnie. She grew up in Nepal, worked in the United States and has since retired and moved back to Nepal and set up this orphanage. She currently has 50 children with her. We asked her if she has had any of the children adopted and she emphatically replied "NO! They are my family!" And they really are a family to each other. We took some candy with us to give to the kids and it really was a family. The older ones were helping the younger ones, and everyone was pulling their fair share. What really impressed me with this organization is the fact that in this part of the world they are trying to make sure they are clean. Example: they take their black water (sewage) and has it flush to a holding tank where it sits. They are then able to harvest the gas from the tank and use it for fuel for their stoves. The water continues on to a filter flowerbed. This flower bed has a variety sizes of rocks that break up anything big and the plants roots go deep into the soil killing any bacteria that is present so when the water exits to the stream it is clean.I am so impressed with these guys.

I am loving this experience. It is making me more and more appreciative of what I have at home. I am currently missing: water pressure, toilets that can flush toilet paper, ice, washing machines, and tap water.

I want to finish with a story about what happened last night. We had just finished our day and I decided I would do some wash really quickly. As we walk in the front door there is a huge spider near the ceiling (it was currently a record amount of rain that Nepal was getting, 1.3 meters). We originally were going to let it be but we found another spider on the screen door. Drew and I decided we would take it upon ourselves to kill these huge creatures (sorry i forgot to get pictures). Drew killed the one on the screen door with a toilet brush, and we decided that I would kill the other one. Drew got the floor squeegee and knocked it onto the ground where I tried to kill it. I finally got it after 5 stomps, it was a quick thing. We felt accomplished and kept calling ourselves "Nepali Men". After a while we were in the sitting room and another surfaced. After much searching, couch moving, and stomping we got that one too. It was a good day.

Totally in awe

If I wasn't in awe of Nepal before I am now. For the last three days since my last blog post we have been visiting various organizations that are working to solve the social issues of Nepal. Each of these organizations has graciously welcomed us and allowed us to tour their facilities and learn about what services they have to offer.
Day 4: On our fourth day in Nepal we were able to visit Women for Human Rights (WHR) and learn about the work these women are doing to help out widowed women in Nepal as well as to advocate for Nepali women's rights. From the moment I walked through the door I was amazed by the work that this organization has done to create such an effective system for offering help to women to educate and get them jobs as well as working to advocate for better legislature. I was most thoroughly impressed however by the fact that this was all started by one amazing woman who herself became a widow at a young age. Her story was amazingly uplifting and it was clear that her work has paid off.
Day 5: This day we spent our time divided between Chhatrapati a free health clinic and Ama Ghar a local children's orphanage. At Chhatrapati we were able to tour the facility and get to question the clinic's president Mr. Shrista. Not only are the services offered by this free clinic admirable but it was also great to hear Mr. Shrista's insights as to why he believes the mortality rate for women is lower than that of men in Nepal. He talked about the amount of work women do as well as the rising issues of hypertension and diabetes as the environment becomes more stressful. At Ama Ghar we met with Bonnie and her 50 "kids" that have been rescued from across Nepal and are taken care of at her orphanage. Bonnie was another admirable woman who you could tell truly loved the kids she looked after. She also was fascinating to talk to as she discussed the issues she faces through the government and legislature.
Day 6: Today we got to visit Maiti Nepal (or as Shaun calls it Mai Tai Nepal). Maiti Nepal is a shelter for women and children victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. Because I work at Canyon Creek Women's Crisis Center back at home, a local shelter for women and children victims of domestic violence, I was most interested in this organization. I was also amazed that they are currently housing 475 women and children and that they manage to rescue 3,000 women and girls a year. Coming from a small shelter this was particularly surprising. However, I think I was most surprised to find out that the work they do at Maiti Nepal is so similar to the work I do at home. They serve as a shelter, offer counseling and legal services, educate local communities, and advocate for victims however, they also go above and beyond by having other locations across Nepal, helping send children to school, and more. Needless to say I was thoroughly impressed.
Trivial updates: In other news I'm pretty sure we almost all got eaten alive by tarantula-like spiders last night....perhaps a slight exaggeration but the things were huge. Luckily, spider hunters Drew and Shaun were nearby to save us all.On day 4 another highlight was shopping in Thamel and I'll just say that while fun shopping in Nepal is NOT like shopping in the U.S. On day 5 we did yoga again which was a-mazing and we were also lucky enough to have a guest speaker come and talk about Buddhism and answer all of my questions :) And last but not least, today, day 6, we got in a little more shopping which meant two Buddhas for me before having a delicious lunch of woodfired pizza at a little restaurant where we could see the local Buddhist temple from the window and were able to listen to Buddhist monks chant.
Okay well that's all for now, dhanybhad (thank you) for reading! :)

I lost track of the days...

The past few days have been very educational. We have visited many social organizations in Nepal who all focus on specific issues. Although I really respect all of the organizations that we have visited and think they are all doing very amazing things, I'm drawn to the Women for Human Rights. This organization focuses on helping Nepali widows become financially, emotionally, and mentally ready to take care of themselves when their husband passes away. There are many cultural practices in Nepal that make being a widow almost unbearable- and definitely  not liveable. Their website http://whr.org.np is also very insightful and does a much better job explaining their mission.

Another organization that has really inspired me is Maiti Nepal, which focuses on the prevention, rescuing an rehabilitation of trafficked children and women. They had almost 500 people living at the center and are very self-sufficient- they have medical and school on premises. I got to hold the cutest baby while we were there- so obviously I liked it.

The thing that has most impressed and inspired me is the passion here in Nepal. There are so many people here who are striving for human rights and equality for all people and also to make Nepal an even better place. We met with a group of sociology students here in Nepal today and it was great to see that most of them want to stay in Nepal to continue making it a great place to live.

Mostly I am just amazed at the resourcefulness of the organizations and the people who are running them; they definitely know how to get things done, even with the limited resources they often have.

No title...read my stuff

Day three: My main pondering for the last day or so has been about how quickly perceptions can change when you enter into a new environment. We've only been here just over 48 hours, despite the feeling that its been at least a week, but even in that short amount of time I have been forced to reevaluate my perceptions of things. For example, my idea of what I consider to be safe in the U.S. has been greatly challenged here. My first thought when I witnessed these crazy bikes and cars flying around each other with no street signs in sight was that there was no way this could be safe, but miraculously it seems safer, and more effective, than the system I'm used to back home. There's also the perception of necessity. Yes, I miss my shower curtains, brushing my teeth from a sink rather than a water bottle, and toilets that flush toilet paper but I'm quickly realizing that they're not necessary. However, before this trip I know that I wouldn't have been able to wrap my mind around such a concept. The idea of necessity was stretched one step further today when I felt pretty awful sweating and dirty with my hair in desperate need of a wash. But when we made it to Little Angels to play with some of the young kids that live in LA's hostel and they began complimenting me, playing with my hair, and telling me that I looked like one of their Barbie dolls I realized that perhaps always looking, and feeling, your best also isn't a necessity. Yes, it would be nice to have showered and had makeup on but I think what was most important in that moment was interacting with these kids and having a life changing experience which is what this trip has already become to me.
So maybe Nepal is good for me. Beyond getting to see a gorgeous new country and eat amazing food I'm already having the chance to challenge what I know, meet some incredible people with so much to teach me, and even starting to learn how to relax a little more and go with the flow. I am so grateful for this opportunity and have thoroughly enjoyed it thus far. I mean how can I complain when I get compared to a Barbie, eat curry potato porridge for breakfast, buy new Toms shoes for six American dollars, and get blessed by a living goddess all in one day? Life is incredible here and our trip has only just begun. As Shobha would say, "I think it will be good."

*Note: This entry was a struggle for me, so if it was a struggle to read I apologize. We've been blaming everything on jet lag lately and if there are any major problems with this post I would like to continue to go ahead and blame jet lag.

Day 3: Learning Lives Forever

Today we got the opportunity to tour Little Angels School, and visit the classrooms.  It was a lot of fun to see these kids, and see this great facility that has been provided for them.  As we met with their principal we learned about the various areas that these kids come from, many have traveled from rural parts of Nepal where schools are not provided solely to obtain an education.  Also we learned about their curriculum and how nearly all students who attend here graduate and go on to productive careers, only a few leave early to attend trade schools. Several continue on to higher education usually abroad in Europe, or America.  It is amazing to see the change an education can make for the people living here, the things these kids learn in schools like this are what is helping Nepal to improve into a more developed nation.  This little nation is sandwiched between two of the biggest economies in the world (India and China) and there are high hopes here that Nepal can join those nations, or at least reap the benefits of their success.  Those sorts of changes begin with education, one of the most impressive things about this school is that they teach bilingually.  All the children at least have a basic knowledge of English, although some are either to shy or not confident enough to use it.  All of them want to practice speaking with us, and are very proud of themselves when their English is clearly understood.
It has been amazing spending time with these kids, they are so full of joy, and hope.  This facility gives them a family and a home, which several of them did not have prior to coming here, but most of all it gives them knowledge and that is what will in the long run be the most valuable to them in the future.  When may kids in the States may say their favorite subject is gym, recess, or lunch, when i asked these kids it was Science, Nepali, and Math.  If you wonder why the U.S. seems to be getting passed by all these other nations i think you can look at the enthusiasm that our kids have towards education.  The kids here love it, and realize the great privilege they have in being given an education, if all of our children in the U.S. understood how lucky they are to be receiving an education and education also and were as eager to learn perhaps we would be back on top when it comes to our ranking in global education.  Lastly i found myself very grateful for all the great schools i have attended from Kindergarten now up to Grad school, and the great educators that instilled knowledge in me making it possible for me to be where i am now.  Southern Utah University's motto is "Learning Lives Forever", and i am beginning to truly understand the truthfulness of that statement.  Wherever you obtain knowledge whether it be Harvard, or Little Angels, what remains constantly true is that education will change your life, and provide opportunities for your future.  So readers be grateful for your education and realize like these kids here have realized that it is such a privilege to have.  You can never truly put a price tag on a good education, and no matter what happens the things you learn will be with you forever.

48 Hours

The past couple of days have been so crazy to me! So far in Nepal I have spent less than $40.00 and have purchased a Nepali outfit, 3 t-shirts, a sweatshirt and a pair of Toms; this all equaled less than 3000 Nepali Rupees. To me it seemed like nothing until we went to a nice private school today and found out their tuition is 2000 Nepali Rupees a month- that includes room and board. In US dollars that is only about $20.00 a month. After finding this out I felt a little guilty for just throwing money around like it means nothing- some people don’t even make  that much in a year!!

I have been trying to soak everything in and try to comprehend how different life in Nepal is and yet how similar it is at the same time. The people here are so kind- to me and to each other. Yesterday at the school we visited I gave a little girl a juice box and she led me down 2 flights of stairs, to another classroom, to give it to her brother. I’m not sure why that small gesture stuck with me but I’ve been thinking about it so much for the past 24 or so hours. This little girl, covered in a few days (at least) worth of dirt was willing to share her juice with her brother.

I have realized how selfish I can be and how I can learn a lot from being here in Nepal. The things that I consider to be “needs” at home are luxury here. From  the toilet paper (or lack thereof) to hot water, the electricity coming and going and not having clean water everywhere-  but the one thing I have seen is that people here are genuinely happy. I have been soaking it up and trying to disconnect from what I consider to be “normal”. I snap pictures of everyone I see because I want to remember that people are happy everywhere, despite not having what I consider to be an essential thing/object.

I want to remember that happiness is definitely not connected with material objects. I want to remember that relationships with people are far more valuable than anything else. I also want to remember that I have so much to be grateful for and that I don’t always need more- I have more than enough. Life here in Nepal is definitely different from what I am used to but it’s wonderful. I want to be like the little girl sharing her juice with her brother.

Food, Culture, and a little dash of Perspective.

I am a firm believer that food and culture go hand in hand. You can learn so much from taking part of the food anywhere you go. Today has been full of culture, and also food.  Today we had one of the most delicious breakfasts ever. It was Puri (a Nepali fry bread), a lentil/chick pea/curry soup and some curried potatoes. If I had to choose one meal to eat for the rest of my time here it would be that. It was not what you think a breakfast should be. You see, I grew up in America with the typical breakfast of hashbrowns, eggs, bacon. Yet this was so nice to eat and simple. When we came back from Yoga we were starving. Just over an hour in a humid studio with incense burning the whole time can really work up an appetite. We came back and had at least two plates of it.

After breakfast we went for some straight culture back at the Patan historic center to be blessed by a living goddess, Pumari. It was really interesting to dive deep into this cultures beliefs and traditions. It makes me wish I brought shoes that were easier to take on and off as we enter classrooms, homes, and temples. Luckily things are cheap here so it will be easy to get some more. I am taking big drinks of this culture and I love everything I am seeing and participating in.

Today we spent time here at the LA group observing kids and playing with them. Seriously though these kids love cameras. I wish I was joking with this but i’m not. The kids had such goofy smiles and addicting laughs. Once one of us would start laughing it would carry on to the others around. The new application for this program should ask “Are you able to be a human jungle gym for kids? Why/why not” because that is what we end up being.

We were able to have a good conversation with one of the runners of the program here, Shristi. I was curious since I am an ambassador at SUU, how much is their tuition. Her answer still makes me think more and more. She said it was 2000 Nepali Rupees per month for the tuition, plus another 100 Rupees per month to live in the hostel. 2100 Rupee’s for their education at a very strong institution here in Nepal. That comes to about $25 USD per month. That shocked me. As a college student, my paychecks are maybe 200 or 300 dollars per month and I run out of that money quickly.

To end this post today I want to share one of the many quotes that are displayed all around this beautiful campus. “Live gloriously, not glamorously.” This describes the Nepali people I have met perfectly. They do not have much, but they have it all. And then here I am, thinking before my trip everything I need to keep me entertained for a long flight and not about the experience that is happening before my eyes. Namaste.

Day 2: When it rains it monsoons, and the human jungle gym.

Day two in Kathmandu, i can't even describe how good a full nights sleep in a bed feels after three days in a plane.  It made all the difference, and i awoke bright and early refreshed and ready to go.  The morning we had some free time so we decided to hike to a large golden Buddha shrine on the edge of the mountain near where we are staying.  We had our guide from the school, and a ten year old boy who's family works on the farm where we are staying lead the way.  The walk took us through the surrounding village where we had the great opportunity to interact with the local people.  Their homes are made of clay bricks, and cement slabs, and they look like a strong wind from the big bad wolf could knock them over, they sit along a dirt road climbing the steep side of the mountain.  Most of these people have small greenhouses and every home has several goats wandering in the yard.  It is a very rural feel, and these people seem perfectly happy with what they have however small it may be.  Everywhere we looked there were smiles, and the whole area was busy with children walking to school in their blue shirts and ties.  It was a very enjoyable walk even though it was a bit steep, then finally we made it to the shrine to find a steep and very long staircase leading up the hill to the statue, imagine the opening scene of "Ace Ventura when nature calls"  it was not nearly that long but the same idea.  As we began to walk back to the house suddenly it started raining, (it happens to be monsoon season right now) and before we knew it it was a downpour and we were drenched.  We chose to walk through it and got the laughs of the locals as they sat on their porches completely dry watching the line of drenched Americans parading down the street.  It was quite an experience, it was definalty one of those times where you can be miserable or just laugh at yourself and enjoy it, we chose the latter.  It really was a fun start to the day.

After we dried off we headed out for the day to our first school, a small public school of maybe 30-40 kids.  It was nothing to impressive two floors with about 3 classrooms each floor, and a roof where they had their music and dance class going on.  as we entered our first rooms we started out playing with the kids and i got my but whooped at this game kind of like pool but with flicking little disks in this wooden square with pockets on each corner.  You flick the shooter at the other disks trying to get them into the pockets the one with the most at the end wins.  I got maybe 5 disks in the span of 4 games, the kids were pretty delighted in their conquests, but it made me some friends.  The rest of the day those three boys were glued to my side, one dragging each hand, and a third hooked to my belt, arm, or anything else he could grab.  They quickly dragged me through the school giving me a tour then we ended up in the yard for their recess where i became their human jungle gym. I seldom had a second where i didn't have 2-4 kids on my back, one hanging on each arm and others hopping around me wanting to be picked up next.  It was exhausting to say the least but i had a blast.  My three new best friends never left my side for a second and the game became seeing how many of them could get on my back before all falling off into a pile of children, after that got old it was spinning them in the air, then seeing how high i could toss them.  This was probably the most fun they had ever had on a recess because the only things in the yard was two pullup bars, and a flat platform, how they had five college kids to play with as new human toys.  After that the school day was over and we got some pictures with them and left with high fives, and "nameste's", it was a great time, but i left totally exhausted.

The lesson learned today is that we really choose to be happy, no matter how much it may rain or monsoon in our lives.  The people in that village, and the kids at that school were perfectly happy with what they had, but they also didn't mind the novelty of a few weird Americans brightening up their days.  I thought about now many people in America are depressed with their lives, and can't find happiness in anything they do.  What they need to realize is what these people in Nepal have realized, and that is that happiness is a choice.  It is not wanting more then you need, its loving yourself and the things you have been blessed with, however small those blessing may be, and most importantly of all just enjoying life.  If you can't seem to find happiness in that go volunteer at a school and play with some kids, because they will show you how to be happy again, they certainly brightened my day.  Don't let the monsoons of life get you down, you can choose to be miserable or you can choose to laugh and enjoy it; I hope you choose the latter.  Life is to short to be unhappy, especially when it is so easy to achieve.  At the very least go be a human jungle gym for some kids, and i guarantee you will leave with a smile.

What I know so far

Day 1: I have fallen in love with Nepal. I don't know what I expected before I came, but it wasn't this. Although the ride from the airport to Little Angels College was short I swear my mouth was wide open for the entire time. The thing that struck me most were the colors, everywhere you look you can see vibrantly colored buildings and clothing. But while the colors are amazing the way our driver weaves the van in and out of the crowded, narrow roads is mind boggling. For my fellow Harry Potter fans I keep saying that I feel as though we're on the Knight Bus, and it's shrinking to fit through impossibly spaces. My amazement continued yesterday when we came to our “farm house” which is nothing like my American perception of a farm house. Surrounded by gorgeous flowers and trees our temporary home is a relaxing getaway from the city’s craziness.

Day 2: Today our introduction to Nepali life continued as we passed through a local village on our hike to see Shanti ban (Peace Jungle) a GIANT BUDDHA STATUE, hooray! But first about the village, each day I feel as though I’ve entered into a different world as life here seems so peaceful. On our hike we learned, or attempted to learn, to say how to say “Can I take your picture?” so that we could take pictures of families, kids on their way to school, and local carpet weavers. Luckily, even with the language barrier everyone is incredibly friendly. This includes the man that came and unlocked the gate in order for us to go see the Buddha statue an hour before it opened. For those of you who know me you can only imagine how much I’m loving the Buddha statues both big and small, I haven’t added a new one to my collection yet but I will before the trip is through.

My adoration for Nepal and its people only grew more this afternoon when we went and volunteered for a short time at a local public school. We played mostly with the younger kids who were shy at first but opened up quickly when they realized we had candy and cameras. These adorable kids kept me grinning from ear to ear for our entire time as they eagerly grabbed my hands to lead me wherever we were heading to next. Outside they became even more eager when they learned that Jill and I could pick them up and swing them around. We lost out to the boys though who were able to pick up multiple kids at one time. We also got to sing and play games and one young girl attempted to teach me the Nepali alphabet which was informative for me and hilarious to her as I struggled through the new sounds. My favorite part though was taking pictures of the kids and showing it to them it kept us all endlessly amused. I feel like we’ve already done and seen so much in the short time that we’ve been here and I cannot wait to see what else Nepal has to show us. :) Namaste! 

It's my first international adventure, join me as I write

So my name is Shaun. Senior studying Sociology at Southern Utah University. My journey to Nepal is different from these other students that are here with us. I was invited by Shoba Gurung to go after the applications for study abroad at SUU had been turned in. My main purpose in coming to Nepal is to host an open house for Southern Utah University where people can come learn about our institution while here in Nepal. I jumped on this opportunity and it has been a roller coaster to get here in Nepal. Between finishing my courses at SUU, learning about how to host an open house for international students, and just a general focus on the Ambassador side of this trip. Hectic.

So fast forward to May 17th, 2013. Our first leg of our journey was scheduled to leave Vegas at 8:00 am. That meant that we needed to leave good old Cedar City Utah at 3:45 am. Which meant leave my apartment at 3:30. Eck. If you ask my family I am NOT a morning person. If something has to start before 9:00 am I am not a pleasant person. Surprisingly I did great with this. We got to the airport and I had no issue checking in my bags. As we waited for our flight I wrote this blog post on my personal blog here.

I was surprisingly a great airplane flyer. I am gonna go right ahead and contribute that to the numerous cups of Ginger Ale I drank. I believe the stewardess got tired of bringing me cup after cup of it and ended up giving me a full cup of it and also a full can. No motion sickness, I could sleep fairly easily (for about 20-40 minutes at a time). The rough stretch was from San Fransico to South Korea. South Korea to Singapore was easy. I slept the entire time basically.

This picture here is from when we got off the plane in Singapore.

Bitbull (our Nepali friend), Drew, Justin, Lauren, Jill, Me

Our flight left Singapore at 8 and I had maybe 10 minutes of sleep. It wasn't the best of things but it was enough. The welcome ceremony we had when we came to Little Angels was purely stunning. They donned us with Mala, a flower wreathe, and Khata. It was awesome to learn some interesting facts about Nepal like they have 10 of the 15 families of butterflies. Who knew? I didn't. The first day was very fulfilling and easy. The LA group understood that we had little sleep and they wanted us to get settled and get some rest. We all desperately wanted some showers to get the airport smell and air off of us.

It is easy to say that since Nepal is my first adventure outside of the USA, all other future trips have a lot to own up to. Our first day we went hiking to a Buddha statue that overlooks Kathmandu (and got it unlocked early for us), we have 2 Nepalese guides our Professor Shoba Gurung and and our Little Angels guide Bhupendra Raut, we are having amazing food, seeing some beautiful temples that have lasted years and years with eye catching detail, and I personally am never going to complain about traffic again and got caught in a monsoon. I will leave it up to my friends that are here to give you more detailed update of our first two days here. I wanted to share my personal experience of flying for the first time across the world.