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:
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.
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 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.
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*
