Well, the day of my trip to Nepal is getting closer. It seems it has been a long time since I told people that I was going to volunteer as a Student Nurse to Nepal. My parents had no idea where Nepal was and I had to explain that I was a country close to China and India, that was famous because of the Everest and the monks. So far, I believe this to be true. By my return, I hope to tell you much more.
Now, I have learned that people speak Nepali, and that the week has six business days!! I have only one weekend day :O!. It escapes my comprehension, how a country where people work so hard can be so poor (I hope to understand this later...). I have also learned to say "Namaste" (Hi), and I have a list of other words to memorize. I am confident that I have more than enough time to memorize them in the plane ( total travel time 47hrs, 5min). I just need to finish a couple of online training courses, and then I will be ready to go!!!! :):)
As with every project in life, this trip was encountered a mix of support and set backs. People asked why Nepal and then they were concerned about my safety. Then, there is also the cost of the trip, which is all what I worked this year. And worse of all, the only professor I trusted in University told me that I was irresponsible because I am going to miss one day of classes when I come back (even though she knows that I have attended that class before and that I know the content). I guess she was having a very bad day. Ghost!!, It was not a pretty conversation. Fortunately, I am very persistent, or stubborn, and I did not take a "No" for an answer. I also found my parents, friends, boyfriend and the Dean of Nursing supportive enough to help me fight against the negativism.
Part of the negativity, was people asking me why go so far? This year, I have seen my biggest dream shatter and I feel a little lost. This year I had to take a mandatory break from the books. But, I found that the will of others cannot separate me from the call to help and nurse, and there is no-one who can stop me from doing just that. Also, I could not find a better way to spend my mandatory vacations than "traveling". I really hope to find myself in the service of others. I have found myself in the service of others before, and I am confident that I will do the same this time. The only difference is that this time is a little more extreme and exciting. I am leaving everything I know, and entering a complete new world, and a complete new culture. I will have zero distractions, so I hope to help lots.
But not everything is sacrifices! I have a 22hrs lay over in Hong Kong. I am super excited about this. I will be able to leave the airport and go visit some places. I would really like to see the so called "Symphony of lights" and to visit a couple of monasteries. I will stay there overnight, and I already found a hostel. I will be in a room with 8 other women. I am very happy about this hostel arrangement. In my previous trips, I found that I felt safer this way. I feel that if someone enters our room with bad intentions, I have 8 other women to help me out. (Just in case, my boyfriend is going to teach me some Martial Arts and buy me a pepper spray before the trip :)). And, I always meet interesting people in Hostels!! Maybe someone will like to join my adventures the next day :). PD: At this point I really need to thank my friend JC for teaching me how to say "thank you" and "bye" in Cantonese, and for contacting me with people willing to answer my many questions about Hong Kong (HK). I have planed my only day in HK to the minute, just to maximize my time, and I could not have done it without their precious help. :)-
