Picture 94: memories

I didn't take a picture today.
But I really miss my family.
And Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland.
So...without getting any of their permission to use said photo - I thought I'd reminisce a little about the glory days.
If I didn't have to work tomorrow - I'd sure love to hike up to the Schilthorn!
Or grab a Rösti up at the Mürren.
And go to Trummelbach Falls.
And eat some Lola chocolate.
And play on the seesaw.
And lose to my brother on the giant chess board.
And wake up to the sound of waterfalls.

Or just sit at the campground and play cards.
I'm not picky. I just miss it. And I miss them.

Picture 17: deboarding

So....what if, hypothetically, this was the only picture I took on my phone for the day because I kind of forgot to take any other ones. Oops!

But, it is honestly my least favorite part of traveling. Deboarding the plane. You are ALMOST to your destination. So close. You can feel the cold coming on to the plane if you've just landed in Minnesota or Illinois. Or you can feel the heat finally flooding the plane and beginning to thaw out your poor little feet if you've just landed in home sweet home California.

But for some unknown reason, it takes forever for everyone to pile off the plane. You know that the person next to you is just as eager to get off - so why is it always this long process?

I guess it could be worse. You know, like those times you have to sit on the tarmac for hours before you can get to a gate. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? Did they forget they had a plane coming in? Did too many people call in sick for the day? Or my personal favorite - when the person next to you is just content sitting and waiting for the whole plane to unload before getting off. I mean, that's really nice for them, but if they'd kindly let your impatient self pass then you wouldn't mind so much! :)

Sorry the picture is terrible. I was taking it but then realized that my flash was on so I moved the camera before it was actually done capturing the photo - cause I felt like a stalker. Also, there was the cutest woman on my plane that had pretty much never flown before and had ALL these questions as we were going through security and getting ready to fly "they are going to make me take my SHOES off???" "I have an unopened bottle of denture cream in there - they won't take that will they? it ain't never been opened!"

I love new flyers.

I'm still here

Hey! I’ve been off the map for a while. I’m still here – I’m just trying not to fail my LAST QUARTER of graduate school. Seriously, after being in graduate school for five years, you are so unmotivated at the end I think they should provide you with a personal assistant. And I am taking one of the worst classes I have taken my entire time here – that does not help the motivation at all. And yet I press on. 4 weeks left – I have no idea how I will get all the work done, but I say that every quarter so I am sure I will somehow manage. (HOWEVER, if any of you wants to write a paper or two, I am more than willing to delegate!)

Anyway, I graduate on June 12^th – you’re all welcome to send me money, flowers and presents to say congratulations!

Then I will head off to MEXICO for about two months. I get the privilege of staying with and observing Becca Wynia who is the interim director of the Interaction Language School. I am excited to refresh (er…learn) Spanish and the other various things we have planned for this time. It will be nice to just get away, relax, debrief and begin to contemplate this next phase of life. What am I planning on doing? No idea – if you have ideas, let me know (but I kind of need a paycheck!)

Pretty crazy all that Maoist activity going on in Nepal right now, yeah? I remember a couple years ago, when I was trekking the Annapurnna’s, getting stuck in Pokhara for a few extra days because of a strike. Those strikes are no joke – everything gets shut down and food begins to become scarce. I hope things get resolved soon. It is pretty frightening how much damage those Maoists can cause when they get together. I fear for that fragile country.

On a totally unrelated note – I am real excited about how popular my blog is becoming with spammers. 51 comments in two months…not one of them real. Awesome.

That’s all I’ve got for right now. Pressing on….

Travel

I am sitting at LAX airport right now – thinking about the movie “Trade” and Nepal and girls I have met and books I have read. Thinking about the current state of the sex market and how things are shifting. The traffickers are always just one step ahead. They are entrepreneurs at their best. They have a great product and know how to market it in many different arenas.
As I boarded the Flyaway bus to get to LAX there was a young girl that didn’t speak any English that got on with me. A man who didn’t look a whole lot older dropped her off. I hope he was her brother, or boyfriend, or trusted best friend – but I can’t be sure. And even if he was, I can’t be comforted. She held one small bag and a paper with ?directions? on them. I don’t know what was on the paper but she was sent somewhere alone and it looked like she was told she would be taken care of when she got there. I can’t help but wonder how much goes on right under our noses. Maybe that was just her brother and she was just going to visit some family or do something else fun – but how can I be sure?
There are signs you can look for, sure. But it is difficult when your time is so limited. And it is frustrating beyond all get out when you cannot communicate with a girl that you have suspicions about because of language barriers. Although I obviously would not have asked her straight out if she was being trafficked or sexually exploited – there are other questions you can ask around that issue that will get you the answers you are looking for. The clues and the pieces to the puzzle – that they might not even know they are giving you.
And so I sit her at LAX looking at all the young boys and girls traveling alone – or with a quite older companion. And I wonder. What can be done? When is suspicion good? When is it offensive or over the top? And why have we come to a place in a world where we have to suspect a father traveling with his adolescent daughter…

Home Sweet Home

Well, I am back in Nepal right now. And it feels ramro cha to be back! Stepping off the plane was like coming home. For those of you two don't know my father has never been to Nepal before and made the "mistake" of saying to me, "I feel like there is a part of you I do not understand since I have never seen Nepal before, so if you plan a trip I will get us there." BAM! Itinerary in his inbox the next day :) Needless to say we have been having a great time.
Nepal is cold, of course, but the people make it warm and it has been a delight to introduce my father to the many friends I have here.
On the day we landed Kumar met us at the airport to give us a ride into Thamel and get us all situated. He has always had a huge hand in anything that has taken place on my previous trips here so it was good for my father to meet him - and so good to be able to see him again and catch up. As we drove the crowded streets of Nepal one of my father's first comments was "they sure like to honk their horns here!" - haah! It was only the beginning I told him. We grabbed dinner at the Rumdoodle and called it a night.
On the 14th we headed to the Leper Colony that I visit each time I am here so I could introduce my father to Igeio - one of my favorite people on the face of the planet. I have to admit each time I travel there I get a bit nervous that he might not be there - his health continues to deteriate each time I see him. But he was there and was looking good. I was able to spend a good amount of time with him and my father was able to see the colony, meet Igeio and see the church. We spent the rest of the day walking around hanging out with many of the street kids and rickshaw drivers I am lucky to call friend. My father was able to meet Rita, Sangita, Maya, Raju, Mr Om, Casey, Saroj, and many more!!
On the 15th we arose EARLY in the morning and took a sightseeing flight with Yeti Airlines over Everest. It was BEAUTIFUL. Pictures did not capture and words will not be able to describe. And I got to see Everest from the cockpit of the plane. It was an exciting expereience. We then grabbed some breakfast at the Mandap Guest House which is where the Peak Performance teams eat breakfast each morning when they are in Nepal. We got to eat sitting next to a wood burning fire and of course enjoyed the hilarious company of our favorite Nepali waiter! When we got back we were able to hook up with Harka - a friend from back home in California. He is working on his doctoral studies in El Monte which is real near Pasadena. He is back in Kathmandu for about a month to check up on his family a ministry. It was fun to see him in Nepal and actually visit the ministry I get to hear so often about. I was able to meet the many kids that are a part of his orphanage and then visit the church that he pastors. We also took a walk over the the plot of land that they have purchased with the hopes of building a church and then one day a school on. His wife cooked my father and I a delicious meal of dal baht!! It was a wonderful afternoon. We shopped a bit in the afternoon and ended our day with dinner at the Roadhouse.
And now today my father and I will take a car to Nagarkot for a little R&R. I hope we get a good view of the beautiful mountains. It has been great weather so far so I am hopeful. We have many more exciting meetings when we return to Kathmandu and then as we move into Bangkok and Popiet. I'll be sure to fill you in on it all - including some thoughts and reflections on why I love Nepal, the needs in Nepal and the tensions I feel in my heart.