My Trip to Nepal

With all the craziness of our move and settling in Wisconsin, I have really fallen behind in my blogging. So - before another week gets by - I wanted to stop and chronicle an incredible opportunity I had to go to Nepal this spring through my former job at Southeast. The picture above is of most of our team (the trekking group with our Nepali guides and translators and our MountainChild team leader, Scott on the far left).

The trip was life-changing, and I'm glad I went. While it was physically exhausting and challenging, it was definitely worth it. Now that the dust has settled a bit - but before distance clouds my memory any further - I wanted to chronicle it for you, dear family and friends.

Our first full day on the ground as a team was challenging for me. We went to see two holy sites in Kathmandu. The first was Boudhanath Stupa, the holiest Tibetan Buddhist stupa outside of Tibet. Everywhere I saw idols, prayer wheels and flags, pigeons, and Tibetan Buddhists walking around the stupa in a clock-wise fashion with family and friends like it was an evening stroll. This was my first time seeing in person the primary demographic that MountainChild is working with, since the majority of people who live in the remote mountain areas are ethnically Tibetan Buddhists who were pushed out of Tibet into Nepal. They are easy to spot because of their clothing as well as having a very different physical appearance compared to Hindu Nepalis.

Afterwards, we visited Pashupatinath, a Hindu temple on the banks of the Bagmati River. There we observed several bodies being cremated on cement slabs right next to the river and another body being brought to the river, carried by relatives. I confess it was shocking to see so much death close-up, but what was also strange was seeing so many people - total strangers and tourists just like me - standing around watching what felt like it should be a private and personal experience. And while I did not understand what they were doing, there was much ceremony about it. I left the place overwhelmed by the oppressive sense of darkness and death there. I cannot even put it into words. It was difficult to breathe... and not just because of the smoke and pollution of Kathmandu. 

With that in our minds and hearts, our team divided into two groups: an small anti-trafficking group, and the larger trekking group of which I was part. The anti-trafficking group stayed in and around Kathmandu and focused on learning what MountainChild and its affiliate organizations are doing to address the issue of trafficking in Nepal with the hopes of gaining a vision for what Southeast could do long-term to partner with them. Our larger group took a bus out to the more remote areas and hiked/trekked to Khorlabesi, which is a small village on the Manaslu Trekking Circuit and the location of MountainChild's first Gateway Project. Our team checked on the progress of the construction of the Gateway Project, did WASH (Water and Sanitation Hygiene) surveys, took water samples at any village we came across, and so many other things.

A few things stood out to me.

The Nepali people (ethnically Tibetan or not) are so beautiful. I saw pictures beforehand, but it was confirmed when I was there. They are precious people who have very hard lives. The more remotely we went, the more I began to think about how challenging it really is for them to stay alive. Getting clean water, having access to nutritious food, using the restroom - everything is substantially more difficult in the mountains - and yet here they are.

If I did it all over again... I would need to train a lot more aggressively to really be equipped to get into the more remote areas. When MountainChild says that you need to be in great shape to go into the remote areas, they're really not joking. If I'm really honest with myself, I was semi-prepared when I went. But not nearly enough. I confess I was a bit disappointed with my physical limitations. When I go again, I will train much, much harder beforehand. I will take my pack to the gym and stay on the Stairmaster until the gym kicks me out. Seriously. And I will take Cipro and Immodium with me. Oh, and probiotic pills to take every stinkin' day. I got the stomach bug while out in the semi-remote areas... and it's not fun.

The need IS great. Almost every week another news article is released sharing such horrific things occurring in Nepal that it is difficult not to despair. About Nepal's war widows. About organ trafficking, specifically kidneys. About nightmares in the orphanages of Kathmandu - including the one the ladies in our group visited during our trip. And here are a few heart-stopping statistics:

• In Nepal's rural areas, 3 in 4 lack adequate sanitation. 84% don't have access to improved water.
• 24,000 children under the age of 5 died from water-related diseases within Nepal in 2012.
• In Nepal, 16,000 boys and girls are trafficked into the sex and slave trade in India every year.

I could go on and on. The need is great. Hope is definitely needed in Nepal.

The need is great, but MountainChild is doing things correctly. I cannot fully express how awesome it was to see that MountainChild is going about finding solutions the right way. There are right ways to go about helping people, and then there are wrong ways that actually hurt the people more than help them. MountainChild is going about it the right way. While our team didn't *do* much (i.e. "Look, we built 4 houses!"), I saw MountainChild equipping Nepalis to help their own people. It was nice as a Caucasian North American to not feed into the "rich white man savior" complex that unfortunately plagues us. As I'm reading When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, I cannot help but applaud MountainChild. They're doing it correctly. This picture is of team member Tiffany working with a graduate of MountainChild's program to test water quality. We met Nepalis who are recognizing that it is more effective and best when they are equipped, empowered and released to reach their own people. And below are pictures of the surveys we did with various people in the villages. What fascinating information. And incredible conversations that resulted of our *boring* questions about water, sanitation and hygiene. 

I also loved being able to see the work that was (and still is) in the process of being built at the Gateway Project in Khorlabesi. At the time, this is what it looked like.

When it's completed, it will be a guesthouse to house thru-trekkers and those wishing to reach the even-more-remote areas of Himalayas. I'm not positive, but it may also serve as a health/medical post, and perhaps even a school will be built there. Nepalis will be staffing and maintaining the whole facility.

Kathmandu was a dirtier, more chaotic version of Korea. Apparently, Kathmandu is one of the most polluted places ever. As in 177 out of 178. That's second to last. Check out this article that the Guardian wrote on March 21, 2014 about this very topic. After living just south of Seoul, South Korea, I was prepared for poor air quality, but this is something that pictures and even video don't quite capture. Here's Carter on the 11 hour bus ride (aka the bus ride that never ended) from Kathmandu out to Arughat.

Also, I found it hilarious the way they would string electrical wires in the city. I saw it a bit in Panama (and I even took a similar picture there, as well), but Nepal took it to a whole new level. It was a common question in our group, "What happens when your power goes out? How do you know which wires to check?" I'm guessing they just string new ones on top of the old ones. Ahhh, Western logic applied in the East. East and West: ne'er the twain shall meet, I think.

I loved dal bhat - the default food in Nepal. It is a combo of Indian and Asian foods, and I thought it was delicious. It was also fun to compare differences in the way dal bhat was prepared, depending on where we were in the country and what foods were available (i.e. could grow) to the people there. And having lived overseas, liking the food is actually a big deal. I did, however, have to be a little picky to avoid eating gluten as much as possible. No noodles for me. Just rice. So in some ways Korea would probably be far easier than Nepal to stick to a gluten-free diet.

Nepal is truly beautiful. Once you get out of the chaos of Kathmandu and start making your way to the more remote areas, Nepal is a beautiful country. Here are some pictures that our team leader Josh captured. In fact, any of the awesome pictures you see... just assume that Josh took them. :)

So many other amazing things happened on the trip, and there is just no way I can share about it all. But if you'd like to hear more, please let me know! Give me a call or shoot me an email, and I'll fill you in on lots more! You can email me at ruth@mountainchild.org.

To those who haves supported me along the way, thank you. When an individual goes on a trip, people at home want to know what has changed as a result of going. I am grateful that the change in my life is dramatic. While I went as a representative of Southeast and a support leader for Josh, on a personal level, I would say that I went because I knew God had called me to go. And so I went, not being able to offer any particular skill set or gift, but simply being obedient to His voice. While I was there, my friends at MountainChild offered me a job to work remotely as part of the administrative arm of MountainChild USA. Since I knew at that time that Jody had accepted a job in Wisconsin, and I would therefore have to leave my awesome job at Southeast in Denver, I decided to accept it. As of today, I've been working for MountainChild for three weeks! Craziness! 

There is so much buzz about finding a job that is an intersection of gifting and passion, and I am truly humbled and grateful that God has blessed me in that arena beyond what I could have ever dreamed. From teaching English to Korean kiddos in Korea, to encouraging people to step out in faith in the Missions Department at Southeast, and now to MountainChild. It's not hard for me to work for something I am passionate about! 

A perk of going on a trip, too, is the new friendships you form, especially with your team members, and those who are serving long-term in the country. Miss y'all!

P.S. There were lots of chickens there. Looking at all the chicken pictures from the trip (Ha - yes, there were several!) makes me miss my chickens all the more. *Sigh*

Chicken Update

Well, I've done it. I've officially become the chicken lady. People send me pictures and blog posts about chickens. Empty egg cartons show up on my desk at work, and I have no idea who left them. When I catch up with friends and co-workers, one of the first questions out of their mouths is, "How are your chickens?"

It's true.

And I love it!

The update on the chickens is that they are doing quite well. As of mid-February, they were officially seven months old, so they are called 'pullets.' (They will be considered hens at one year of age.) They are also consistent egg-layers. One day we may get four. Another day we may get six. Overall, I think we're averaging between 3 and 3 1/2 dozen eggs a week. Incredible! 

It was a 6 egg kind of a day!

The first time we had our chicken's fresh eggs!

We've thoroughly enjoyed having our own fresh eggs, and we love being able to give them away to friends, co-workers and neighbors. I've decided it's one of the coolest ways to have an excuse to get to know your neighbors and to start a relationship with them!

We continue to learn a good deal, as new situations present themselves. One recent challenge was the cold temperatures, even for our cold-hardy chickens. When the temperatures were dropping to -15°F with a windchill of -30°F, we put a heavy painting drop cloth around the coop, and then a tarp over that to provide further insulation. Then we put a heat lamp inside the coop. 

There are differing opinions on providing heat sources for the chickens during cold temperatures, but we decided to help them out when I found dried drops of blood on the top of our heated water bowl inside the coop. It scared me enough that I decided I wasn't going to chance frostbite or anything worse by telling the chickens to "tough it out." 

In the end, they seem fine and are doing well. Here are some pictures from the last few weeks, as they've been enjoying the warmer temperatures post-polar vortex. :)

Proud Grandparents

Every morning I get up, throw on my coat and my gloves and head out to the chicken coop to check on the girls (in chicken speak, this means 'hens'). The past few weeks have been especially challenging due to the low temperatures. The chickens have had absolutely no desire to leave the coop, so we have to be careful and make sure they've got food, clean (and thawed!) water, and that the coop is warm enough so they don't freeze to death.

So this past Sunday was no different... except I was in my bathrobe and PJs. I was in a bit of a hurry to get it all done before Mosaic's combined service at Englewood High, and I was running a little behind.

Food? Check.

Clean water? Nope. Okay, gotta change that out.

HOLD UP.

WHAT IS THAT I SEE OVER THERE?

Snow goes flying. Chicken poo is everywhere. Chickens are squawking... I'm all up in their business in that coop. 

I see eggs. 

Our chickens are laying eggs!

I run back in the house, because - of course! - I have to document this momentous occasion. I'm grabbing my cell phone (have to send a picture to Jody!), my camera for better quality pictures for the blog (of course), and not to forget a stinkin' container to hold all the eggs. Who cares about clean water when there are eggs?!!

We are so proud. Proud grandparents, as Jody likes to say. 

Six whole eggs. A treasure trove. An early Christmas! (Because it really is like Christmas to find presents every morning when I go out to check on them.)

And here's the only stellar container I could find to hold the initial bunch of eggs. I know. A Christmas cookie container was all I could find. (Hobby Lobby, here we come!)

Thursday Update: Including these six eggs you see, since Sunday we have gathered a total of 18 eggs. Yay!!

It's so true!

In the past few years, Jody and I have grown in our desire to make small steps towards self-sustainability. We recognize our limitations, as we live in what feels very much like a city-suburb.

Nonetheless, we know there are a few changes we can make to move towards shrinking the gap between us and the food we eat.

And then we saw this video. Hilarious.

  

 

What makes it so hilarious is that it is so true! Our minds naturally move in that direction, and what seemed preposterous a few years ago seems so normal now.

I never would have imagined a few years ago that I would have chickens....

Who knows? Check back with us in a few years, and we might just be living on a farm in the middle of nowhere. :)

Moving Outside!

I get several questions about the chickens on an almost hourly basis. So, despite the busyness of life, I did not want to fail to provide an update. Ha!

We purchased our coop from a lady on Craiglist and picked it up last month. It's made of reclaimed wood and should house 6-8 hens. It has several roosting polls, a large door for easy access and cleaning, a door and ramp for the hens, a window for ventilation, and a door on the opposite side to access the nesting boxes  to get the eggs. Overall we have found the coop to be a huge success. We love it!

For the run, we decided to go with a chain link dog run, plastic corrugated roofing and hardware cloth / mesh around the base and open spots. The chain link dog run we got off of Craigslist, as well. It's 6'x10', which is the average amount of space recommended for six hens. For the safety of the hens, we dug a foot deep and ran the hardwire cloth (2' total in height) around the base of the run. We also put a slanted roof on - for complete protection and so the snow and rain will flow right off. 

All last week Jody worked hard to put everything together. We made several trips to Home Depot for odds and ends, and last Saturday while I was at work, Jody finished everything up. He made this awesome waterer that will keep the hens' water clean.

The food container is nothing special - just a suspended container we were able to pick up from Murdochs - but it seems sufficient thus far.

Jody constructed this dusting box (pictured below on the left), made of diatomaceous earth and sand, for the girls to take dust baths in. We'll see if they use it.

With everything in order (as far as we could anticipate without really knowing what we're doing!), we felt confident that we could transition the chickens from the brooder in our laundry room into their new home. 

They moved out last weekend. 

Jody did such and incredible job! We are both tired, but we are thoroughly enjoying watching them as they explore their new place. :) Hopefully all the research and hard work is going to pay off. 

Feel free to stop by and visit! The chickens LOVE visitors! :) 

Oh, and we're still accepting name suggestions.