Heading to the Himalayas

Today we are flying out of Kathmandu!!! Finally leaving the city behind us! We will be flying to Nepalgunj a town that is about 5 miles from India and apparently ridiculously hot. Not looking forward to the hot but very excited to start our journey. We spend the night in Nepalgunj and then take a flight around 5 am to Simikot where the trekking actually starts. We will spend our first day in Simikot building a chicken coop for the local people before we go, so that we acclimatise to the elevation (about 12,000 ft) and help their community. After that it is all uphill! I am so ready to get to the Himalayas and start seeing how beautiful they are, not to mention not having to play frogger to cross a street. Seriously though crossing roads here is the scariest thing ever, and people probably don't drive over 30mph ever. I'm going to come home and feel like speed racer going 60. The task today is to play musical bags so that we get our weight down to 33lbs per person which may sound easy but you try to pack for the Himalayas with that limit. This is my last for sure day with internet and so it may be my last post for a few weeks but I will have so much to say when I get back you wont be able to shut me up. Remember if you follow that link a few posts down you can physically see where we are in mountains. Keep praying that all us girls stay healthy throughout the trip too, a few of them already have a bug that hopefully will go away soon. I have been lucky knock on wood. I'm ready for the experience of a lifetime to start, and I can't wait to share it with you!

Last Full Day in Kathmandu

Hey all, this will be a short post because I am on a time crunch. I went to Mt Everest yesterday on a flight and it was by far one of the best experiences of my life. I have never seen something so beautiful. It was the first time in my life that I was actually speechless. After that the whole group went to 2 Buddhist temples and a Hindu temple. At the Hindu temple we watched families as they were cremating bodies which was really intense and interesting, it was strange that it was a tourist destination. There was also a lot of rain yesterday, and it was very sudden. I also fell down some marble stairs and have a very colorful bruise on my lower back. Hopefully that goes away quickly cause sleeping last night sucked. Today we are heading to the palace where the former king lived so that should be interesting and then tomorrow we are heading to the mountains. I cant lie I am ready to be out of the city. Well I have to head out now but Hopefully I will post later today! Just wanted to let everyone know that we are having a great time!

First full day in Nepal

So today the Everest flight was cancelled because of the weather so we are trying again tomorrow but we went to Kopan which is a Buddhist Monastary! It was absolutly amazing, we had a lesson from one of the monks. He had such a great sense of humor and was really insightful. After that discussion we were eating lunch and llama came back! He had a stroke a month ago and while we were at the monastry he returned. It was so amazing to see all the monks lined up for him and come to find out he is a very high ranking llama in the Buddhist faith. We were lucky enough to be in the line which he went by and blessed everyone. While I do not practice Buddhism it was a very powerful moment. Tonight we are going over to Eva's house (a Nepali girl from SNC) for dinner. I am so excited to get going on the trekk, this whole city thing is fun and so eye opening but I want to get my hike on! After the Everest flight (cross your fingers for good weather) we will be going to a Buddhist Stuppa that is gorgeous and I can't wait to get pictures. By the way I took such a great picture of monkey today, he was so close to the car it was unbelievable! Miss you all already xo from Nepal!

Made it safe!

Well, turns out I can update this in the lobby of our guest house! So we made it safe and sound, 30 hours of traveling later. The flights weren't too bad the first one to Bangkok took 16 hours which was far too long to sit on a plane but we survived. We got in around noon local time (12 hour 45 min ahead of CA) and then spent the rest of the day getting into our rooms and did some shopping. We are about to go to dinner and then bed which is what I am excited about. I will try and update this everyday till we leave, I am going on a flight to Everest tomorrow so lots of pictures I'm sure! Well signing off from Kathmandu!

Waiting in the airport

So our flight was delayed a little bit so now I'm sitting here waiting with Erika and Amye. Amye is practicing braiding her hair without a mirror and is failing. But overall it's going to be an awesome experience I can already tell. It's scary that this trip is starting now. Hopefully this next month is filled with excitement.

Holy Cow I leave Tomorrow!

So the past few days have been full of sleepless nights and hasty preparation! I can't believe I am getting on a plane for Nepal in less than 30 hours! I am all packed and spent the day getting all my financial stuff done, making sure my cards will work if I need them and getting spending money. I looked at the weather report for Simikot (where we will be trekking) and it has not been warm but it can't be much worse than the snow in Tahoe so I think I can handle it. It apparently rains for at least an hour every day so I am preparing myself to be wet but I have good gear and a lot of faith that everything will work out perfectly! I am so thankful for all the support and prayers from everyone it means so much to me that I know you are behind me during this journey.

I am so close to leaving now that I'm not even thinking about getting sick or not being fit enough, I am just so excited. I think about it and I can't stop smiling my face actually hurts because of how big my smile is. I know it is cliche but I am really going to miss my family, I hadn't thought about it before but this is probably the longest time period I will go without seeing my parents. Going to school so close to them I see them at least once every 2 weeks and if I don't I talk to them constantly. But I doubt that will happen while I am there. I really owe them so much for allowing me to do trips like this, not that I would let them ever say no. Ever since I was little my parents have let me follow my passion for helping others and traveling, I can't thank them enough for their belief in me!

On a less serious note.... I am going to NEPAL TOMORROW!! I hope to be able to update the blog a few times in Kathmandu but if I don't you will have to check my facebook I'll have my mom put updates on my wall when she gets them. Oh and if you are really wondering where in the world I am going the organization that I'm going with has a GPS that they are bringing on the trek so if you click on the link below you can actually see where I am! I wont be leaving Kathmandu till the 10th (US time)  because we need a few days to adjust to the time change, after that though we will be getting down to business. Thank you again for all the support and see you in a month!

The Bodhi Tree Foundation GPS... Follow us!!

 http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0dPtUGJjtlkzVOvqd4xZFArngpbv8oRlB

Only 5 more days!

It is incredible that I am only 5 days away from the biggest adventure of my life. It's like an out of body experience when I start to talk about it with anyone and let me tell you I'm telling everyone now. Before this week I would talk to people about it when they would ask me but now I find myself bringing into every conversation. I was in wal-mart trying to find another memory card for my camera and the sales associate walked up to unlock it for us he hadn't even said anything when I just blurted out that I was going to Nepal and that is why I needed so much memory for my camera. He was stoked! He gave me a fist pound and told me that I was awesome! Let me tell you I felt really awesome!

This weekend has been really great actually, my family and I went camping! I know... why on earth did I go camping a week before I'm going to be backing for a month in the Himalayas? It was worth it though even though family bonding can happen anywhere there is something special about being stuck somewhere together. My parents had gotten a "new" 1970's motorhome complete with shag carpeting and wanted to take it out on its first trip. We didn't bring any extra cars so once are camp was set so were we, which made us hang out the whole time. We went on a family hike that was a good 4 miles and I felt on top of the world and we were no higher than 7000 ft, so I can only imagine how I will feel in the mountains in Nepal. Of course we stopped for a few photo ops on top of the hill we climbed and my brother and I climbed a tree together. I feel better knowing that I did something like this with my family before leaving them for a month, just makes me feel closer to them. It did snow on our camping trip which was not expected, we had planned to go somewhere warm and changed plans last minute so instead we got snow! Waking up to snow on the ground when I had packed shorts and flip flops was not a great feeling but it certainly made it an adventure. I am feeling less and less nervous about going to Nepal and more and more excited, I feel more ready than ever! I just can't wait to get over there it feels like it has been an eternity since I found out I was going and now it is only 5 days away...It's crazy how time works like that, but I know as soon as I get there it will fly by so I'm enjoying waiting and experiencing every moment.

Down to single digits

So we are finally on single digits people! Now is where I begin to loose my mind about the fact that I will be in Nepal in 9 days! I think everyone is going a little crazy though, in a good way of course. Amye (one of our leaders and admissions counselors at the college) makes faces or begins marching in place nearly every time she sees me. Which I love because it makes me laugh and realize that we are going to have so much fun! Call me crazy for being excited to spend a month with mostly all females but we are going to have some serious girl bonding time! Plus all of these girls are awesome! I wish I had more free time right now though so I could spend some quality time with them before we go, but then again I will have lots of that very soon. I laid out all of my equipment and clothes this morning before I came into work and realized how little I am actually bringing for an entire month away. I feel like I should need more but there is something so calming to know that my entire life for a month in a foreign country fits on my kitchen counter. This last week here I am going to be focusing on getting myself centered and fully prepared, hopefully spending it with family and friends that I will have to be away from for so long! Oh and of course camping for memorial day weekend because that is the best thing to do with the family! 

No more Shopping

That's it folks it's all over, my race to get all my gear is all over! I officially finished last night and it is a glorious feeling! There is nothing better than knowing you don't have to spend anymore money. I even bought snacks which may have been premature because now I have to try and not eat them. Everything is slowly coming together and is allowing me to breath so that I can actually prepare my head for the trip. Traveling is just as much mental as it is physical and this type of trip is going to weigh on my mind heavily. When it comes down to it I just don't want to mess up, and that may sound strange or odd but it's true. As we all know i'm not the most medically sound person in the world and I would hate to ruin someone else's experience because something went wrong. That is what I am most afraid of, myself and getting sick. It's scary enough for me to have something go wrong at home i don't know how I'm planning on handling it in the Himalayans. The reward is so much greater than the risk here though, we are going to be doing something wonderful for these people and I know I say that in nearly every post but it is true. The worst part about volunteering is honestly the negativity that sometimes comes from people who don't know me that well. People assume that you are doing this to get recognition or that we are hypocritical like the oil tycoon who drives a prius. We are doing good but it's just for show, but frankly that is no where close to the truth. Based on my interactions with the girls going on this trip everyone is dedicated to cause and is only trying to make a difference. I wish everyone would just look past who were are and look at the big picture. That there are women out there who have to give birth on a dirt floor and cut the umbilical cord of their child with the same knife that they would kill their chicken with. It is not about us as all it is just about what we are doing for these people and why that is important.

Less than two weeks!?

It is officially less than two weeks till I am in Nepal! I am excited to say that the end of the world did not happen yesterday as predicted, so that we can still go to Nepal. Now all I have to do is make it past 2012 and graduate! It is crazy to me how much hype can be made by someone deciding the world is going to end but so little information and hype about maternal health care in developing countries. If people cared half as much about helping others as they did about crazy rumors I feel like we could really be making a difference.
I'm starting to pile everything up in my room to make sure that I have everything I need and it is just making me realize how much I really have. Not for this trip but just in general I mean I am able to go out and buy new things to bring to another country. How crazy is that!? So many people in this world have the same shoes for years and I bought two different pairs for this trip alone. I can't help but think that if I feel this way now how incredibly selfish I will feel when I get back. I can't wait to experience everything there and learn about myself.

News on Nepal

So I think my immune system is deciding it wants to scare me before I leave. Or it might be the fact that Tahoe is having bipolar weather patterns. Either way I'm not feeling the best. I keep looking at my calendar and seeing how soon June 4th is and it's a little bit terrifying. I get really excited and then really scared in a matter of minutes,  I just don't know how to feel about leaving for an entire month. Especially with what is happening in Nepal right now, and if you haven't heard Nepal is writing a new constitution or it is due soon. There have been rallies in Kathmandu which makes going there nerve racking. No worries it's not like the protests in Egypt or anything but still scary. It is making me realize how different it will be while we are there. Here is a short article I read today on it http://www.hindustantimes.com/Nepal-govt-under-pressure/Article1-699937.aspx.
I have been looking up news on Nepal everyday or at least trying to and some days I'm really excited but today was a scary day all around. I mean I found an article about sex trafficking in Nepal which is not something you want to hear about a country you will be spending a month in. All of us girls have talked about how careful we have to be when we are in the city and to never go anywhere alone but it's just not something you worry about here. However the article also talks about education in women and how that is a major reason for the power of these men over the girls. That made me realize that what we are going to do will make a difference even though it may be small at first. We are a group of strong young women who want to inspire and educate these women in the villages we go to. This is the article on sex trafficking if you are interested http://blogs.forbes.com/worldviews/2011/05/19/sex-trafficking-in-nepal-its-a-global-problem/.

No more Doctors!

So I am officially done with doctors visits until I leave! I have gotten all my prescriptions which I feel like I have so many now I could start my own pharmacy but better to be safe than sorry. I have finally gotten all my shots too!! Yay except yesterday I received my Typhoid shot which has since given me a dead arm, but it's all worth it.
I love seeing the reactions doctors give me when I tell them what I am going to do, it makes me realize how little people think about this kind of stuff. When I went to get the Typhoid shot, the doctor came in and she asked "Will you be traveling, is that why you are getting this vaccination?" When I answered that I was going to Nepal, I don't think I've ever seen someone's eyes get so wide so quickly. The next question is always Why? I have been asked if I am going for fun, with school, with a church which are all valid reasons but I think I shock them again when I tell them that I'm trekking over 200 miles to deliver clean birthing kits to women. It honestly makes me feel so powerful and strong and proud to be a part of it!
I've always loved helping people and this trip is giving me another chance too, it's also helping me show people that it doesn't matter what you look like or how old or strong you are because you can make a difference. I'm more and more excited about the fact that it's just 7 young women from our school going to do this. I know that sounds bad and I would love if a boy was coming too (and actually we do have one male on our trip he is a member of the Truckee Rotary Club) but I think there is something inspiring about a group of women traveling together and trekking through the mountains. I still can't believe it is happening so soon! I am starting to get so nervous about not being ready, which reminds me I still need to buy socks. I never knew there were so many different types of socks before but let me tell you there are like a million!
I am currently taking the Ethics course at the school, which at first I was not that excited about but I honestly think it is going to help me a lot of the trip. There are so many different ways to see what is right or wrong and I think it will help me see that they way the people act and react in Nepal is neither "right or wrong" it is just different than what I am used to. The more I read about the culture the more I am excited and can't wait to be able and see it. I just really hope that I am ready for it.

18 Days and Counting

So I have never had my own blog before but I felt that this Course allows me a good reason to start! If you are just now joining me I am going to Nepal on June 4th 2011! Why? I am going with 6 other students from my school and we are delivering clean birthing kits to women in a region you can only reach by foot. The region is Humla Nepal, so here is some information about the area:

About Humla, Nepal

·         A very remote Himalayan region where residents subsist on basic agricultural and nomadic herding practices.

·         Residents practice a blend of Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism.

·         Literacy Rates: 5% female, 28% male.

·         Infant mortality rates are 8.1% (as opposed to 3.8% in Nepal generally and 0.7% in the U.S.).

·         12 women and 75 babies die during childbirth every day.

·         1 doctor per 46,000 people, more than 4 days walk for many.

So needless to say it will be a little different than the paradise I call home in Lake Tahoe. I'm nervous and so excited for the experience that we are going to have I am ready to be blown away. I have had so much support from my family for this trip its unbelievable and I can't thank them enough. I am so very blessed to have the support around me and the opportunity to make a difference in the people's lives that we meet.

It is becoming increasingly real as we get closer to leaving, I mean I'm going to be on the entirely opposite side of the world in less than three weeks, climbing the Himalayas! How many 20 year olds can say that? I'll be posting a bunch before I go with my  concerns and how I'm getting ready in these last few weeks and then whenever I can in Kathmandu before we head to the mountains. So come back for more! If you want to read more about the course or the area that we are going check out the school's blog at : http://www.travelstudysnc.blogspot.com/.