My internship director told us to think of three words to describe our Nepal trip. Since my experience in the cities and trekking were both so different I got him to let me use 6 words-3 words to describe each experience. So here they are.
Kathmandu/Pokharra
Vibrant Chaos- We got into Nepal late but even though it was dark, the phrase that instantly came to mind while we drove through the mobs of people and cars was vibrant chaos. Kathmandu’s colorful, jammed packed buildings combined with Nepal’s mountainous (when you could see them), green tropical geography contribute to Kathmandu’s pulsating life and energy. Monkeys and cows and dogs roam free, eating up trash and litter that lie rampant on the grounds. Wherever we went there was never a dull moment, no moment of stillness. Growing up in Africa I thought I was familiar with aggressive, defensive driving but Kathmandu was multiplied 10 times over. I had lots of fun trying to cross the streets.
Extremes-Nepal is quite the tourists attraction for trekkers. Amid the pollution (second most polluted city in the world!), dirt, shanty towns, beggars and lame men lying on the the street, there are pristine coffee shops playing American acoustic music in the background and lovely rooftop restaurants that offer falafel and pad thai. Right next to an earthquake emergency shanty town is a gated, heavily guarded American club with tennis courts, only open to American members. It doesn’t make sense. How can such a place afford such “luxuries”? It just seemed so strangely out of place and it saddens me to think that perhaps it primarily is only to cater to and benefit Western tourists.
Bondage-The first two days of going through Kathmandu were so spiritually weighty. We spent the first day learning about Nepal and spirituality and the second day learning about trafficking in Nepal. The first night during debrief we all felt overwhelmed and burdened by the vast lostness, striving for nothing and really, the sadness of such religions that would worship such selfish, demanding, sexually driven gods. So much darkness, oppression, poverty, and trafficking on virtually every corner made the song and prayer “break every chain” play over and over again in my mind like a constant mantra.
Trekking
Kingdom Seeds-Within the first 30 minutes of trekking the heart and purpose behind this trip really clicked. Our guide stopped to talk to a 14 year old boy about Jesus. I got to sit behind and watch this beautiful, over an hour long, interaction. He was so hungry and greedy to hear and learn. When we gave him a tract he snatched it up and wouldn’t even sit still to let us pray for him first. We had to pray for him while he greedily read loudly and quickly every single word on that oh so little pamphlet. It reminded me of the parable of the hidden treasure. My heart broke as I realized how God cares so much for boys like him. And yet what are the chances that boys like him will ever get the opportunity to hear such good news? He lived almost in the middle of nowhere. His chances of getting much more in life are so slim. Just a simple little village boy who has never ever heard of Jesus in this way. How do boys like him come to know of this great Treasure? Kingdom seeds. We scatter the seeds, wastefully, faithfully and pray that somehow God would rain down water and prepare the soil to make them grow. From the first 30 minutes to our last day, our Nepal trip was such an experience of scattering seed and I have come to realize the absolute pricelessness in doing that in a way I had never known or understood before.
Surreal-Breathtaking, Beautiful. Words are insufficient. During lunch breaks this word, surreal, always hit me hard in the stomach. After a grueling morning trek we would always enjoy a lengthy lunch break. It would take our hosts at least an hour to prepare our everyday meal, dal baht, from scratch. But there was no hurry. While we waited I got to enjoy sipping sweet milk tea while looking over the Himalaya Mountains and colorful, terraced fields. It was in moments like these especially that I kept asking myself, “Is this for real?”
Surprising- From a personal standpoint the trip was utterly surprising. While I had resigned myself to going I was fairly certain I would not enjoy it. I hate being dirty. I can’t stand not taking a shower at least once a day. While I enjoy swimming and some working out, I am by no means the most physically fit, especially compared to my other team members. When I found out we had to have the mindset of training for a marathon I especially freaked out, “Great, I’m going to be the weak link, I’m going to bring the whole team down and everyone is going to be frustrated with me.” I thought I was going to be cold, sore and miserable the whole time. I kept hoping that maybe once I got to Katmandu they would decide I would be much better fit to stay in the city. My prayer became one of “God, I only think I don’t like this stuff because I haven’t had much experience...but maybe, just maybe, could you make it so I actually find I like it, at least a little bit?” I more than liked it. In fact, I think I may have almost loved it. The whole experience of Nepal was so wonderful that I honestly had a hard time coming back. Who would have thought?
I am so humbled by and grateful for this experience.
Kathmandu/Pokharra
Vibrant Chaos- We got into Nepal late but even though it was dark, the phrase that instantly came to mind while we drove through the mobs of people and cars was vibrant chaos. Kathmandu’s colorful, jammed packed buildings combined with Nepal’s mountainous (when you could see them), green tropical geography contribute to Kathmandu’s pulsating life and energy. Monkeys and cows and dogs roam free, eating up trash and litter that lie rampant on the grounds. Wherever we went there was never a dull moment, no moment of stillness. Growing up in Africa I thought I was familiar with aggressive, defensive driving but Kathmandu was multiplied 10 times over. I had lots of fun trying to cross the streets.
Extremes-Nepal is quite the tourists attraction for trekkers. Amid the pollution (second most polluted city in the world!), dirt, shanty towns, beggars and lame men lying on the the street, there are pristine coffee shops playing American acoustic music in the background and lovely rooftop restaurants that offer falafel and pad thai. Right next to an earthquake emergency shanty town is a gated, heavily guarded American club with tennis courts, only open to American members. It doesn’t make sense. How can such a place afford such “luxuries”? It just seemed so strangely out of place and it saddens me to think that perhaps it primarily is only to cater to and benefit Western tourists.
Bondage-The first two days of going through Kathmandu were so spiritually weighty. We spent the first day learning about Nepal and spirituality and the second day learning about trafficking in Nepal. The first night during debrief we all felt overwhelmed and burdened by the vast lostness, striving for nothing and really, the sadness of such religions that would worship such selfish, demanding, sexually driven gods. So much darkness, oppression, poverty, and trafficking on virtually every corner made the song and prayer “break every chain” play over and over again in my mind like a constant mantra.
Trekking
Kingdom Seeds-Within the first 30 minutes of trekking the heart and purpose behind this trip really clicked. Our guide stopped to talk to a 14 year old boy about Jesus. I got to sit behind and watch this beautiful, over an hour long, interaction. He was so hungry and greedy to hear and learn. When we gave him a tract he snatched it up and wouldn’t even sit still to let us pray for him first. We had to pray for him while he greedily read loudly and quickly every single word on that oh so little pamphlet. It reminded me of the parable of the hidden treasure. My heart broke as I realized how God cares so much for boys like him. And yet what are the chances that boys like him will ever get the opportunity to hear such good news? He lived almost in the middle of nowhere. His chances of getting much more in life are so slim. Just a simple little village boy who has never ever heard of Jesus in this way. How do boys like him come to know of this great Treasure? Kingdom seeds. We scatter the seeds, wastefully, faithfully and pray that somehow God would rain down water and prepare the soil to make them grow. From the first 30 minutes to our last day, our Nepal trip was such an experience of scattering seed and I have come to realize the absolute pricelessness in doing that in a way I had never known or understood before.
Surreal-Breathtaking, Beautiful. Words are insufficient. During lunch breaks this word, surreal, always hit me hard in the stomach. After a grueling morning trek we would always enjoy a lengthy lunch break. It would take our hosts at least an hour to prepare our everyday meal, dal baht, from scratch. But there was no hurry. While we waited I got to enjoy sipping sweet milk tea while looking over the Himalaya Mountains and colorful, terraced fields. It was in moments like these especially that I kept asking myself, “Is this for real?”
Surprising- From a personal standpoint the trip was utterly surprising. While I had resigned myself to going I was fairly certain I would not enjoy it. I hate being dirty. I can’t stand not taking a shower at least once a day. While I enjoy swimming and some working out, I am by no means the most physically fit, especially compared to my other team members. When I found out we had to have the mindset of training for a marathon I especially freaked out, “Great, I’m going to be the weak link, I’m going to bring the whole team down and everyone is going to be frustrated with me.” I thought I was going to be cold, sore and miserable the whole time. I kept hoping that maybe once I got to Katmandu they would decide I would be much better fit to stay in the city. My prayer became one of “God, I only think I don’t like this stuff because I haven’t had much experience...but maybe, just maybe, could you make it so I actually find I like it, at least a little bit?” I more than liked it. In fact, I think I may have almost loved it. The whole experience of Nepal was so wonderful that I honestly had a hard time coming back. Who would have thought?
I am so humbled by and grateful for this experience.