We all woke up at 5am to watch the sunrise over the Himalayas in Nagarkot. We were hoping for a clear morning so that we could see Everest clearly and go up to the watch tower. The sunrise was absolutely gorgeous.

Unfortunately, it still wasn’t very clear so we didn’t go to up to the watch tower. We went back to sleep for a few hours, then showered and headed out to walk the town.

After our walk, we had breakfast at the hotel and checked out. The sausage is very different here. I gave all of mine to Amog. He loves sausage! We were lucky to find another taxi that would take us back to Kathmandu. Sunita said we were VERY lucky as the bus is not fun. I couldn’t even imagine on those roads.

When we got back to Kathmandu, I did some more gift shopping for my friends and family as I will be heading home tomorrow. After shopping, Sunita cooked a farewell dinner and we talked more about Kripa’s education in the US and how we can stay in touch.

Day 15

Today is the day I leave so I spent the day saying my goodbyes, packing, wrapping up any AfID paperwork and getting through all the airport conundrums. I had my final call with AfID two nights ago and we discussed the needs that Sakcham might have. It is AfID’s goal for the partner organization to no longer need volunteers as we want them all run well independently. Sakcham might not need accounting help in their office but they would like more volunteers to help with the training and teaching, like what I did.

I am leaving with so much appreciation for and knowledge of the Nepalese culture. As I am waiting to board my 15 hour flight to Chicago (after a 5 hour flight to Dubai!), I am reflecting back on the last couple of weeks. I feel that I really soaked in the daily life of a Nepali family as I lived it day in and day out. It is a place with no ovens, microwaves, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, or processed food but lots of peace, acceptance, and love. I did things that I would NEVER do under normal circumstances,  like riding on a motorbike with NO helmet everyday through wild and crazy streets, eat goat, walk across busy highways, bathe with buckets of water, sleep without air conditioning  and with mosquitos  and bugs buzzing around, ride on VERY questionable jam-packed public transportation, and more. Although, to an American, Kathmandu might look like a crime-ridden place at first, it is far from that. I have never felt more welcomed, loved, and cared for. Even strangers on the street make it a point to say “Hello” or “Namaste.” They truly love people who come and visit their country. I saw a sign on my last day that read: “The guest is equivalent to God.” They truly believe this and it certainly shows. Everybody I met treated me like a princess! I cannot thank the Rijal family enough for their love, attentiveness, and hospitality.

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*Thanks to my good friend, Adi Schultz, for editing (3) of my posts.

This morning, I woke up at the hostel and went to a yoga class on the top floor in …drum roll…AIR CONDITIONING! I didn’t even know this room existed here. There were only five of us that attended: one guest from Canada, one from Holland, one from the US, one from Italy and me. The yoga instructor was, of course, Nepali. Boy, was this an experience! It was much different than the yoga I do in the US. It was 1.5 hours and we focused more on breathing. In the US, yoga is more about movement and exercise. I’m not going to lie, there were a few times where I had to stop myself from laughing out loud as several of the exercises we did felt so goofy (chanting and breathing). However, I felt great afterward so I think the breathing exercises and chants at least did something!

After yoga, I headed down to the cafe to have breakfast. I had some sort of Indian special, which was okay but not my favorite. It was kind of like a sausage pizza with curry. It did come with fresh mint tea, which was delicious! I had a nice chat with Marissa from Canada and Amit from India. We exchanged Instagram accounts and I said goodbye.

I went back up to my room to shower and pack. Then I checked out of the hostel and Nagendra picked me up on his motorbike, which was a shock because I had all my bags! When I arrived at the hostel, I came in a taxi. He said he will carry my day pack and I will put my large pack on my back and carry my camera. It worked! I was glad because a motorbike is MUCH faster in Kathmandu since you can weave through traffic.

We got back to Nagendra’s house and Nagendra, Sunita, Kripa, Amog and I all squished in a taxi and took the 1.5-2hr drive to Nagarkot!

The drive to Nagarkot was an adventure itself. We drove through the oldest town in Nepal, Bhaktapur, then took the winding cliff roads up to the top of a mountain where Nagarkot lies. The road was narrow and half “ish” paved and very bumpy. Once we got to the top, it was BEAUTIFUL! The air was crisp and cool, a big change from Kathmandu valley. We checked into our hotel, Nagarkot Holiday Inn, and freshened up.

We had dinner around 5:30 in my hotel room during which we shared chicken wings, momos, chicken noodle soup, crunchy rice (tasted like rice krispies), french fries and vegetable curry. Then I was told we were going to have a Nepali dinner at 9:00pm! Like I’ve said before, they don’t let you go hungry. We tried to go take a walk and explore the town but it was raining pretty hard so we decided to wait until morning.

Today was finally the day I got to share what I had been working on! Nagendra picked me up from the hostel in the morning to head to a school so I can teach young students basic bookkeeping and accounting skills. Since I am staying at the hostel, breakfast was a little more western.

When I arrived at the school, I met and talked with the principal for at least an hour. We had a pleasant conversation and he expressed his concerns for the youth of Nepal. I also met with more friends of Nagendra’s. Then, it was finally time for me to teach!

We walked into a classroom full of approximately 30 giggling teenagers. Nagendra and I were introduced and welcomed with a Nepali scarf.

We were having difficulties with technology so Nagendra gave a lecture while they went to fetch a laptop to share my training materials. While Nagendra was lecturing, I was devising a backup lecture plan in my head in case I would not be able to use my materials (you have to be flexible!). When Nagendra was finished, we still did not have a laptop so I just gave the students a little motivation speech (why I am here, why education is important etc.).

Luckily, after a short while, a lady showed up with a laptop and we got the projector to work! I taught for the next 45 minutes or so and got the students involved. I asked them several questions, we did an exercise together and then I had them do an exercise on their own. They did well!

Afterwards, I sat with them as they asked me questions about the US and its education system. They asked educated insightful questions! Some of them I couldn’t even answer. Some questions they asked included “What is the US currently doing to support education in Nepal?” and “What can we do to better the education system in Nepal?” Tough questions!

We took several pictures and then I was asked to meet with Chiranjibi Niroula, the Director in Edu-network at Inspire Group Nepal and another gentleman. They asked me questions about the education system in the US and we spoke about US-Nepal relations. Nagendra then congratulated me on a job well done. They were so pleased that they will be using my materials for further education purposes.

More pictures and a long farewell and Nagendra and I were on our way back to the hostel!

Back at the hostel, before I even got back to my room, I was immediately invited to dinner by one of the travelers I met night the before. Everybody was very interested in my day as 99% of the guests at the hostel were trekking Everest Base Camp or Annapurna. So, I was an outsider! I had veggie tikka and had another amazing time with other solo travelers. This time, I met some more people: one person from Holland, one from Brussels, one from Italy, one from India and one from the US (New York).

I went to bed a little earlier since I was out so late the night before. Tomorrow, I will be checking out of the hostel and head to Nagarkot for the night, a mountain town where Everest can be seen (on a clear day)!

It has been dreadfully hot and relief cannot be found anywhere. Air conditioning is hard to come by. I actually haven’t been to one single place with AC. Because of that, we have to stay put during the day and then we can finally move around after 4 pm. So, I have spent many days working at my homestay. On Saturday, Kripa and I headed out around 4:30pm to do some shopping. I was grateful to have her as she did all the haggling. They really take advantage of westerners here so I would have paid much more if she wasn’t with me. Regardless, everything here is SO cheap so I really had fun with this. We bought so much. I bought 2 pairs of pants for the price of $3!

After shopping, we came home and made homemade momos!

Now that I have experienced 11 nights of local life, I have decided to experience Kathmandu as tourist. I will be leaving the Rijal home tomorrow to stay in a youth hostel for the next few days. On my last night here, I will come back to the Rijal home to have a farewell dinner.

Day 11

Today is Sunday, so after breakfast we went to a catholic church ceremony. Surprisingly, it was exactly like a Catholic church service back in the states. I even recognized most of the songs. There was a sermon, offering, communion and worship songs. The only difference was you had to take your shoes off of course and there were no pews.

After church, we came home and had momos, but fried this time.

After eating, I completed the training manual presentation and sent to Nagendra. We will present and finalize this week.

Now that I have lived like a local, I have decided to move my location and stay at a youth hostel. So, I packed up my bags and took a taxi up to Thamel to stay at Zostel Hostel. It’s a wonderful place and boy did I have fun!

When I arrived, I took a long shower, got dressed and walked down to the cafe at the hostel. I ordered some food and sat by myself. After about 15 minutes a group invited me to come sit with them, so I obliged. This was the start of a very fun night! We had some food, beers and good conversation. I met some amazing people from all over the world and heard some incredible stories. Every single person I have met at the hostel is traveling solo so I am not alone. One man, who is my age, was severely burned from a kitchen fire a year and a half ago. He was then laid off from his big corporate job in Canada. He is now traveling the world and has been for a year. He has also been to Antarctica! Another man hitch hiked across South America and shared some INCREDIBLE stories and pictures.

After a few hours, we rounded up a group and went out on the town to experience the nightlife. Yes, even the birthplace of Buddha has some wild nightlife. I was shocked as well! We headed to a place called “Sam’s Bar.” It was cute and quaint and I felt right at home. I wish I would have remembered to take a group photo. Although we only just met, I will remember these people and our conversations forever.

Today we were supposed to leave at 6:45am to take the 8 hour bus ride to Pokhara. However, as somewhat expected, I did come down with some tummy issues :-/. Fortunately, mine has not been that bad and I am in no severe pain. I just have to be near a bathroom at all times :-). I know I could not be on a bus for 8 hours with this so I was dreading having to tell Nagendra in the morning as I did not want to disappoint him. However, Nagendra approached me first as he was having the same problem! We actually ran into each other on the way in and out of the bathroom once in the middle of the night. It was comical to be honest.

So, today was another day of mostly rest as going to the office probably wouldn’t be a good idea. Good thing I can do everything at home. It’s hard to “rest” when you’re traveling as you feel like you are missing out on precious time. But you have to take the good and the bad. Kripa kept me company and made my favorite snack, popcorn! It was EXACTLY like how I have it at home, which was a nice treat.

That night, we had decided to go to Chandragiri Hills the next day, which was Amog’s idea. Chandragiri Hills is an area in Thankot, Kathmandu that you can either hike or take the gondola up to see views of Mt. Everest. I’ve never seen a kid so excited about something. He talked to me all night about it and even took me up on the roof to show me the mountain we will be on tomorrow.

Day 9

After breakfast, we took a hot and dusty 45 min taxi ride to Chandragiri Hills. We rode a cable car (gondola) up to the top of a mountain. If it was any cooler (and I wasn’t with the kids), I would have loved to hiked this. You could see the hiking path from the gondola. It was a hazy day (which it has been everyday) so it was hard to see Mt. Everest but it was still cool to know it’s there! There is also a temple on top, bars, restaurants, horseback riding and a big play area for kids.

Nagendra and his family were kind enough to buy me a canvas photo of myself in front of Mt. Everest. Since it was hard to see with a raw photo, edits had to be made to see the mountain. Now I have a special souvenir to take home!

When we headed back down the mountain, I was once again shocked to see that the same taxi driver waited for us. We had been gone for almost 3 hours! We took an even hotter ride back home. That night, we had a meal of goat again, in which I only had about 2 small pieces.

Today we visited the site where a training center will be housed. Right now, it looks like an abandoned old building in an overgrown jungle although there is a man living there right now to look over the place.

The site is outside of the Kathmandu valley and is approximately 20 km away from our house. We grabbed a taxi and took the winding scenic roads out of the valley. When we finally got there, we first stopped at a restaurant/hotel and grabbed some water. There was an outdoor swimming pool that looked so refreshing…I just wanted to jump in!

Then, we walked up to the future training center building, which used to be a mediation center, Nagendra gave me a tour and talked of his plans for renovation.

When we went inside, I met the man who is living there whose name escapes me. He was painting a canvas of Mt. Everest when we interrupted him. It was a very serene and peaceful vibe.

After talking business for an hour or so, we walked back down to the restaurant with a swimming pool. Nagendra and I had some drinks and had a very nice talk about life. I learned some incredible things about his past and he talked about why he is where he is today. On top of Sakcham Rural Nepal, he developed another program, Girls Not Brides which advocates against arranged child marriages. The story behind how and why he got involved was heartbreaking and I could see the tears in his eyes as he told it.

We stayed at the restaurant for quite some time. When we were getting ready to leave I asked Nagendra if we were calling a taxi since we were so far out of the city. He said no and pointed to the same taxi we arrived in. The taxi driver waited for us that entire time! I was shocked. The amount of kindness the people of Nepal have is remarkable.

We headed home and of course had another delicious meal prepared by Sunita! This time, we had chicken, tofu, veggies, rice, soup and papad. Tomorrow, we are going to take the 8 hour bus ride to Pokhara!

Monday was quite uneventful as there was a strike on the roads. We did not leave the house until 4pm so we worked remotely, read and enjoyed each other’s company. After 4pm, Nagendra, Kripa and I headed out to look for fabric for her new uniform at her new school and for more sightseeing. We went to several different tailor shops and finally found one that had the required off-white color. Kripa was accepted into a very prestigious secondary school called St. Xavier’s. Approximately 10,000 students applied and only 120 got accepted. She will start at the end of the month. Nagendra and Sunita’s first priority is the quality of education for their children. They sacrifice many other wants and needs so that they can get a good education, which comes at a hefty price. Eventually, they want to send Kripa to the United States for her college education (they call it University as her “high school” is called college) and I have had discussions with them to help her in that process.

Once Kripa purchased the fabric for her uniform, we hopped on a bus and headed to a festival. At the festival, a chariot is pulled to represent the end of the dry season and beginning of the rainy season. The chariot procession was instituted to celebrate the arrival of Bunga Dyah in Nepal and the end of a devastating drought.

We also walked through a new shopping mall and had drinks at a nice rooftop restaurant.

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The temperature is perfect in the evenings so we walked all the way home and made a couple market stops for vegetables. Nagendra had me pick out a vegetable that I eat at home. I pointed out eggplant and broccoli and he chose the broccoli! We also got some tomatoes, green beans and potatoes and brought it home for Sunita to cook. We ate dinner and had some more Nepali beer.

Day 6

Breakfast included a new lentil soup that was made with yellow lentils this time. We also had another “pickle” (sauce). Strange that they call sauce “pickle.” This sauce was another amazing one. I am now seriously LOVING this food. When I arrived in Kathmandu, I was hesitant about eating the food in fear of getting sick. Now, I look forward to eating everyday. I am now writing down Sunita’s recipes.

Nagendra and I hopped on the motorbike and headed to the office. Today, I spent all of my time creating a presentation that I will use to teach to kids in rural communities. With the instruction of Nagendra, I used LOTS of google images to demonstrate what I will be teaching–basic bookkeeping. English is not the students’ first language so it is important to be as clear as possible. Most small entrepreneurs in these communities “keep track” of their revenues and expenses in their head! This is why we are emphasizing the importance of sound records for investment or expansion purposes. The brainstorming work I had done at the beginning of the week was probably a little too complicated. With the language barrier and cultural differences, it takes a few days to completely understand the context of what is needed. After having a call with a representative from AfID, I learned that this is completely normal and part of the challenges that all volunteers face. She made several helpful suggestions.

AfID is an organization based out of the UK that places volunteer accounting professionals like me with partner organizations around the world. I was first introduced to this group by a colleague of mine that does volunteer work with USAID. The process to obtain an assignment was actually seamless. AfID seems to have an organized process and they’ve been wonderful to work with. I had several phone calls with individuals from AfID and went through an application process. You list your priority locations and organizations and AfID will come back with several location options. My first choice was Nepal and I got it!

http://www.afid.org.uk

After work, Nagendra took me out to do more sightseeing. This time, we headed to another area of Kathmandu: Boudha. There, we saw the Boudhanath Stupa, the center for the buddhist community, and walked the circular drive of restaurants and shops, where you must walk clockwise.

We stopped at a rooftop restaurant with a beautiful view and had some beer and chow mein. Kathmandu is not short of rooftop bars and restaurants!

For dinner, Sunita made something new, Bamboo soup! It was different but tasty.

Today was finally my first day of work! The morning was eventful. I showered and washed my hair for the first time since my arrival…that felt good! We had breakfast of the same soup from last night, rice, an egg omelet, vegetables, a croissant, an apple and a banana (I know…A LOT). Again, I was stuffed. After breakfast Nagendra and I headed out to the office on his….wait for it…..MOTORBIKE! My friends and family that know me back home are going to be SHOCKED. I am a cautious little anxiety ridden cat when it comes to things like this :-). Yes, Tyler, I got this on the GoPro.

After about 15 minutes, we arrived at the office, around 10 am. Nagendra first instructed me to use a certain toilet in a nearby restaurant as the toilet in the office is “not good.” We took our shoes off, and they showed me to my own room. In Nepal, you always take your shoes off before you go inside. To walk on hard ground or in the bathroom inside, there are inside shoes we wear. I met some of the accounting and tax staff and we got my computer set up with some minor difficulties. The office is not the main office of Sakcham. It is just a workspace. Nagendra and I talked about what we will be doing this week. I created an excel spreadsheet for him for a projet he is currently working on and then I began brainstorming ideas for our training materials. We are developing a booklet of accounting and finance materials to teach to youth. I will be meeting with more accounting and auditing professionals this week to talk through this.

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Around 2pm, the entire office walked to the next door restaurant and had momos, a dumpling filled with meat and/or veggies. I had the veggie momos. They come with about 5 different sauces! I asked Nagendra if we were going back to work and he said no. Their work hours are VERY short in Nepal, I feel like I barely did anything! They typically work from 10am-2 or 3pm. This is something I could get used to, although it was hard for me to feel like I accomplished anything. I felt like I should have done so much more at this point but that probably says more about me than anything. It is a much more relaxed atmosphere and I should probably embrace it. I feel as though the US could learn something from this.

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Before we left, there was an ATM near the restaurant so I attempted this again. No luck. Nagendra and I hopped back on the motorbike and headed to the Thamel district, the main tourist area. This was the FIRST time I actually saw Europeans and/or Americans. The area was full of all different types of restaurants and shops. I tried about 3 different ATMs here and still no luck. Thank goodness I have Nagendra to borrow cash from! Some places take credit cards but not many. I bought several souvenirs for my myself and family. Nagendra helped with the negotiating, which was great, as I hate haggling. I told him I’d like to shop more later once I figure out my cash situation (my husband will most likely have to wire money to Nagendra) so we headed into the Garden of Dreams.

At this point, the weather was perfect and the Garden of Dreams was just that–like a dream! It was serene and peaceful and a nice break from the bustling city. We had some refreshments at the nice cafe within and tooks lots of pictures.

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We hopped back on the motorbike and Nagendra drove through several areas of Kathmandu. Riding on the motorbike has been my favorite experience so far. Traffic is a chaotic mess and people are just driving in areas they see open. It is certainly an adrenaline rush and I have never seen anything like it. Somehow I felt safe the entire time. Nagendra has been driving his motorbike for 16 years! He drove slow and I was amazed by how he could weave in and out of traffic.We rode to Patan and stopped here. This was such a cute little area! Again, there were many restaurants and shops but it seemed a little less touristy. Nagendra showed me where Sunita’s high school was and talked a little bit about the history of the area. It was built in the 13th century as the king’s palace. We walked by the Krishna temple where only Hindus are allowed in. Several of the temples were under construction due to the destruction of the 2015 earthquake.

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I did not bring my camera today since we toured straight from work so I apologize for the fuzzy pictures. We will most likely be back and I will update with clearer pictures.

I woke up feeling SO much better. Thank God! I was afraid I was going to get a true fever and things would go downhill. Lots of sleep, plenty of water and ginger tea did the trick. After video chatting with my husband, the family served me a breakfast of cornflakes, hot (buffalo) milk, boiled eggs and fruit. Only an hour later, I was called to the kitchen again and I ate a Nepali breakfast with the family. This consisted of soup, mushrooms, bitter root, potatoes and rice. I was STUFFED at this point! I honestly enjoyed the Nepali breakfast more. Nepalis eat a big breakfast and then a light snack in the later afternoon. Then they eat a normal sized dinner. They eat rice with most meals. The majority of the day I am resting with Kripa as she is on holiday. Then around 3 pm we are going to go to Sunita’s brothers house to stay for Mother’s Day, which is tomorrow in Nepal.

Kripa and I took a bus to her uncle’s house out in which I would call the “suburbs” of Kathmandu where there is lots of new residential construction. Sunita’s brother’s family lives in a new modern home. It felt a little more familiar to me. I met Sunita’s mother (who was SO sweet to me despite her not knowing English), Sunita’s brother, his wife and their 7 month old baby boy. We had dinner of rice, bhat, sauteed mushrooms and potatoes, sauteed pumpkin leaves, an omelet, pickled veggies and papad (my favorite). Lots more tea and we were off to bed! The beds here are MUCH harder than they are back at home, see photo below. Surprisingly, I have slept like a baby on them. Maybe that’s saying something? Or I am just incredibly tired!

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I woke up before 6 am to roosters crowing and birds chirping and the sun was already up. Almost everyone was already up except the kids. Since the sun rises early here, I think most people naturally wake up early. Some family members did their morning prayers and blessings. They put colorful powdered dots in between their eyes, which is called a tikka. We had breakfast of corn and peas sauteed with butter and then a morning snack of pomegranate seeds. Since today is a special occasion, we will have a big lunch. Some of the family went to temple and then around 11:00 am we ate rice, soup, sauteed vegetables, goat! and papad.

Sunita explained to me that they don’t eat meat very much–about once a week or on special occasions and never beef. The day was all about spending time with family, just as special occasions are back in the states. It really was no different. It’s fun to see that even on the other side of the world our values and activities that reflect those values are no different.

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One thing is for sure, I will not go hungry! I am constantly being fed. On our way home, we stopped at a bakery and got cake and cookies. When we arrived back home, Sunita made snacks of fried potatoes and more papad. Then we had dinner of a potato bean and cilantro soup, pan bread washed down with local (delicious!) Nepali beer. Here, they call cilantro “coriander.” The kids entertained us with dancing to both American, Latin American and Nepali songs.

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It’s a rainy afternoon in Kathmandu, Nepal. I only arrived a couple days ago and it has taken these days for me to adjust to the time change and cultural surroundings. With that, I am resting today to be fresh for the start of my volunteer assignment. AfiD (Accounting for International Development) suggested that volunteers keep a blog of their experience so here we go! Let me start with the warning that I am NOT a writer. Bear with me if my writing is not up to par. I simply want to document my experience here in Kathmandu and with the Sakcham Rural Nepal organization I am working with. If you’re interested in why I am here and what AfiD is you will find out in later blog posts!

I arrived in Kathmandu on a Wednesday at 6:30 in the evening. Nagendra, my homestay host, and his son, Amog, were kind enough to pick me up from the airport. They welcomed me with warm smiles and a Nepali scarf.

That night and the next day were a whirlwind to say the least! When we arrived at the house, there was no electricity as there had just been a thunderstorm. I was welcomed by Nagendra’s daughter, Kripa, who is a lovely 14 year old well beyond her age. Inside, Nagendra’s wife, Sunita, welcomed me with tea and milk. She then cooked us dinner of chicken, rice, dal bhat and cooked vegetables—my first Nepali meal. It was delicious!

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In the meantime, Nagendra went out and bought me big bottles of water and red wine and I did not even see him leave! We all conversed over candlelight (and iphone flashlights 🙂 ) and had some of the local wine.  I gave them their welcome gifts, which I’ll have to give props to my husband for the ideas: A Harry Potter Alex and Ani bracelet for Kripa, a Barcelona soccer (football) jersey and shorts for Amog and True/False film festival t-shirts for Sunita and Nagendra. Side note-the True/False film festival is an annual festival that takes place in Columbia, MO, the town I currently live in. The funds for the merch I bought goes towards helping a refugee family escaping the perils of Afghanistan. The film, Midnight Traveler, was shown at this festival which documents the family’s journey all through the video camera on the father’s iphone!

My host family lives in a 2 bedroom apartment on the second floor of a building. Kripa was kind of enough to let me have her room. I felt so welcome and my anxieties went away after meeting this lovely family!

Day 1

I had a hard time sleeping due to the time change and sleeping in new places so I “woke” up not feeling the best. I had a headache, sore throat, stuffed up nose and felt a little feverish. I believe the combination of the time change, 13.5-hour flight, a night in Dubai and the dry season in Kathmandu resulted in a shock to my immune system. I sucked it up as we had plans to explore the city today. The only way to get over jet lag is to keep up with the time zone, right?! After breakfast of hard boiled eggs, fruit, bread and pan (a DELICIOUS pancake type thing with potatoes and onions) and a bathe (scrubbing with buckets of water), Nagendra, Kripa and I went out and ran some errands; we tried but failed to find a working ATM so unfortunately I am borrowing cash from the family. We then went to a printing shop as Nagendra needed some documents for our first meeting. We then took a long taxi cab out to the home of Sunjata Koirala, the daughter of prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala. I met Sunjata, the amabassor to US and ____.They discussed the plans that Nagendra has for a new training center funded by Journeyman, a California architect and engineering company. Hot green tea was served, which was very refreshing and I felt it brought me back to life for a moment even though it was scalding hot on an 85 degree day!

I think it is worth mentioning the impact that Sunjata had on me even though I had only spent about an hour of my life with her. She is a caring, thoughtful and strong woman whose goal is clearly to better the lives of all people. She immediately could tell that I was tired from my journey and opened up to me about some personal aspects of her life. I then opened up to her about some of my personal health issues. She then gave me some ayurvedic medicine and other advice. She spoke about the importance of meditation and yoga and how it saved her life. It was inspiring and I felt there was a reason why I must’ve met her that day.

After the meeting, Nagendra had some more work to do that I couldn’t help with so Kripa and I hopped on a public bus (story in and of itself!) to head to the Swayambhunath Stupa. It was hot and dusty. We had to wear pollution masks which did not help with the heat of the day. The stupa was spectacular, however. We saw the statue of Buddha and then made the long walk/climb to the Swayambhanath Stupa. Also known as the Monkey Temple (there were monkeys everywhere and Kripa told me to watch out as they steal your bags!), it has stood as a hallmark of faith for centuries. It was built in the 13^th century and is one of the holiest Buddhist temples that stands.

The heat and exercise we were getting was not helping my throat and headache. Once we reached the top, I told Kripa I was ready to go as I was afraid I would truly get sicker if I did not rest. We climbed back down and threw coins in a bucket located in a fountain. If you get a coin in the bucket, it is said you will have good luck. I didn’t get any in the bucket (no surprise there), but Kripa did! Then we got back on a bus and headed home. The bus we got on stopped randomly and told us to get off as the bus was needed elsewhere…then we got back on another bus and didn’t have to pay again since we already paid the first bus. Oh the things you run into when you travel! When we got back to the apartment, it was almost 4 pm. I drank plenty of water, turned the fan on and laid down. I must have fallen asleep at some point as Sunita awaked me around 8:30pm! My headache was gone but my throat was still raw. The family took such good care of me. I ate a light dinner of rice and bean soup and Sunita made me ginger tea and a vapor for my nose. I went back to sleep and actually slept the entire night!