I've reached the end of this Nepal journey.. Tomorrow I start the long trek home. I had many hopes and goals for this trip, and as with all travel, there remains some unmet needs...
- My first goal for this trip was to survive. Traveling in a country like Nepal was a whole new experience for.me. I'm happy to report that I'm still alive!!... I did manage to sprain my ankle, which is still swollen and bruised, but did not let this derail my work with Habitat.
- I hoped to gain an authentic understanding of Nepali culture. This goal has been exceeded with my Habitat work, as well as pre and post Habitat experiences. Nepali culture is complex, of course, but I leave with a genuine appreciation for the resilience and genuine goodness that I've seen repeatedly during my stay.
- I hoped to build a safe/secure home for a family in need. This goal was partially met. My Habitat team worked tirelessly to get the foundation completed on our family's home, but will leave the remainder of the build to the next team. While I was disappointed that we did not complete the home, we started the process that will result in a new home for our family.
- I hoped to see the Himalayas on this trip. This goal has been realized many times over. Most recently, I've been staying at a lodge overlooking the Annapurna range. My hikng has been curtailed due to an ankle injury, but I was able to get out for a three hour hike today.
- My last goal was to return home slightly transformed by this experience. This goal has been exceeded, probably to a much greater degree than I realize. I can't imagine anyone traveling in Nepal who would not be positively impacted by the experience !
In sum, Nepal is a beautiful, chaotic, challenging, kind, gracious, poor, sad, happy, energized, dirty, ancient, loud, wonderful country that I hope to travel to again someday soon.
Thanks for following along with my travels. I hope you enjoyed the journey 😊 I also hope thay at least some of you will consider trips like this in the future!!
Happy Thanksgiving
Kate
