Back from Nepal... Now What???

My time in Nepal was so incredible and life changing...  I don't want it to fade in to the past like so many other trips.  In order to follow through, I will be working on several things this Fall. 

Interviews - I conducted several more interviews while in Nepal, and still need to edit the footage.  I am excited to complete these, post them, and share their interesting stories.  Make sure to check periodically on my YouTube Channel for new posts. 

Presentations and slide shows - I am creating a slide show with video clips about my experience.  I will present it in my hometown of El Portal in December, and in several other locations soon after... likely in the Bay Area.  

Sponsoring "my student" - Sweet 3 year-old Tenzin Choedon's education is now my responsibility.  Thanks to the generous donations from many friends and families, I was able to sponsor this young student's 8-year education at Manasarovar Academy.  I have enough funds raised to cover her first 4 years of schooling, and will do whatever it takes to pay for the rest. If you are interested in helping, please contact me.

An Adventure in Nepal??? - Immediately following the earthquake, donations and aid were essential.  Now, several months later, life has stabilized for many Nepalis.  Some friends in Nepal said that they felt awkward or embarrassed to still be receiving donations and assistance.  Shankar told us "...taking donation now feels to me like begging.  It is better to earn my money in honest hard-working way.  Please tell your friends not to send money, but now please send tourist and clients!"  

     Nothing would make me happier than to return to Nepal.  I do not know if that's possible for me this year, but bringing business to our friends in the tourist industry would be a huge benefit.  If someone makes a donation to Nepal, they might write a check for $50 or $100, but if someone takes a trip there, they will spend $1,000+ in a couple of weeks.  That money gets spread around between drivers, cooks, hotels, guides, porters, etc.  Then they get to earn their money in an "honest hard-working way."  

     So many wonderful people will benefit... and if YOU were to go to Nepal, you'd be experiencing such a beautiful culture and incredible landscape!  My Dad is putting together a cost estimate for a 2 week trip at Christmas break that would include Kathmandu temples and schools, trekking, rafting, and jungle safari by elephant and canoe.  Anyone out there interested?   I know it's only a few months away, but if 5 or 10 people are seriously interested in visiting Nepal, we can make it happen!!!  Let us know... 

     --->>>TRIP UPDATE:  Life has been just too full to organize a group trip to   
    Nepal on such short notice.  And although I feel like I could drop everything, 
   and fly over tomorrow, most people need many months advance notice to go 
  on a big international trip.  Hopefully we can make this happen in the next year.  

The people of Nepal have become such an important part of my life.  I hope that by continuing several aspects of my project, I will be always be able to stay connected to Nepal. 

Back home... but my heart is still in Nepal

It's hard to believe that just over a month ago I was in Kathmandu.  I miss everyone in Nepal so much that it hurts, and my experience there is always on my mind.  Although it is difficult to re-adjust and get back into the swing of things back home, I wouldn't trade this summer's experience for anything.

At the beginning of my journey, I was under the impression that I was going to volunteer for a lot more causes and organizations in Nepal, but I ended up focusing on just a select few.  Instead of being disappointed, I feel better that I was able to focus my efforts and energy on what I thought most important.  

During my 6 weeks in Nepal, we accomplished many things:

• Taught 12 classes per week at Manasarovar Academy.  We taught third, fourth, and fifth grade classes with approximately 30-40 children per class.  Subjects included; Poetry, symbolism, plate tectonics, solar system, seasons, eclipses, ecology, predator-prey relationships, carrying capacity, ocean life, and more science topics.

• Demonstrated several science experiments to go out with a BANG!  These included baking soda & vinegar explosions, balloon inflation, the classic Mentos and Coke explosion, and the excitement of high and low pressure through the "egg, fire and bottle experiment."

• Played games with the students to teach them about ecology in a fun but educational way!  These included "Bird beak buffet" which taught the students about adaptations and competition. "Sharks, Fish, & Plankton" was another game during which the kids chased each other while learning about food chains, predator-prey relationships, and carrying capacity. 

• Organized and set up weekly movie nights at the Kailash Home and two movie nights at Manasarovar Academy for the boarding students.  

• Led bird watching hikes with the older students at the Kailash Home every Saturday morning. 

• Organized and played soccer with the Kailash children culminating in a trip to a "futsal" soccer arena with emphasis especially on getting the girls out on the soccer field. 

• Created an audio/visual projection room to remain permanently at Manasarovar Academy for use of the teachers.  This included donating a projector, computer, projection screen, figuring out the electricity complications, and tidying up an old room. 

• Visited quake damaged villages to see relief donations in action. This was a crazy adventure!! We trekked for two days with Shankar Lohani through rice fields and steep muddy terrain visiting too many damaged houses to count.  We were invited into countless villager's houses to eat homemade curd, chai, or Jack fruit and stayed in Shankar's sister's temporary tin house. 

• Committed to use my remaining donated funds to sponsor a young Tibetan girl's education for 8 years.  Tenzin Choedon is three years old and her poor family could not afford to pay for her education.  The funds are only enough to pay for four years, but I am determined to raise enough to get her all the way from Nursury through class Five.  Any additional donations are greatly appreciated and will be channeled into supporting her education.

• Participated in many activities at the Kailash Home such as the annual rice planting, their bread baking training program, and frequent spontaneous games with the younger students.

Overall, my summer spent in Kathmandu was one of the best times in my life! I will definitely do everything I can to go back, to visit friends and continue helping and volunteering there.  I will always treasure the relationships that I built in Nepal.