After 3 long days of travel via Istanbul, we finally made it to Kathmandu.  On our drive from the airport to Boudhanath, where we are staying, I was really surprised at how little earthquake damage I could see.  There were some collapsed brick buildings and a few "tarp villages" where people who lost their homes are camping out.  Some are still sleeping outside, even though their house is standing, because they are too afraid of aftershocks. Overall, the damage was not nearly as bad as I was expecting. I'm sure there are parts of town that are much worse. 

  

Our taxi driver had some difficulty finding the way to the school, since the road we are familiar with was overflowing and muddy due to a broken pipeline. We had to take a different route, but we finally made it to Manasarovar Academy, the school we will be teaching at.  

The headmistresses of the school gave us such a warm welcome and really made us feel at home.  I am so excited and honored to be able to help these wonderful women and all the students!

   The greatest shock for me was seeing the Boudhanath Stupa, where hundreds of Buddhists come to worship every day, all cracked and covered in scaffolding.  It is still a lively active place, yet the drastic difference from what it looked like before was a lot for me to take in.  The stupa was such an important focus for me when we lived here 5 years ago. It was very emotional to see it damaged and under repair.

It will definitely take a lot of time, but, like the whole country of Nepal, it is in the process of being restored.

 In the afternoon, we felt the first of the monsoon rains and it became evident to me how different this trip will be than any other. Seeing a place that I adore, in such a state of rehabilitation is extremely difficult to fathom.  I think that gives me all the more reason to help in the process. 

 I lit a butter lamp as a simple prayer for Nepal, in hopes that my time here can, in a very small way, help in that healing.