BLESSINGS

I left for Nepal with the goal of getting to know a new culture and hopefully making a difference in a few people's lives. What I didn't expect, was that the effect they would have on my life in return, would be much more powerful.

From the moment we arrived in Pokhara, we were constantly showered with blessings, flowers, ceremonial scarves, and smiles from the locals. I was afraid that, this being a blitz build with almost 500 people from around the world, that we would completely overwhelm the village and they would distance themselves from the mayhem. Instead, this was the event of a generation. Even the President of Nepal came to the town for the closing ceremony! They embraced us whole heartedly. We worked side by side with one another and by the end we were family.

Their hospitality knows no bounds. I've experienced nothing that can compare. They have so little, but they gladly gave us the food they had, literally offered us their bed to sleep in when we returned to visit, and without hesitation would hand you the shirt off their back if you were in need. I'd like to think that I could be as selfless in the same situation, but the reality is probably a very different case. I have more than I know what to do with and still get annoyed at times when asked to make any sacrifices.

They invited us to a special house dedication ceremony where they asked each of us up individually to have a handmade flower lei and a ceremonial scarf placed around our necks, a traditional hat or handkerchief placed on our heads, they gave us a bouquet of flowers, blessed us with red powder, and gave us a tearful hug. Their willingness to share their culture with us and the gratitude they so obviously felt touched my heart.

By far, the most humbling moment of all, was when Kamol, a young Nepali guy we were working with on the site gave me a goodbye present. He has practically nothing. He is the sole bread winner for his entire family, and struggles to find enough work to support them. Yet he always had a smile on his face and I never once heard a complaint escape his lips. We got to know him and his story bit by bit throughout the build. He taught us a few Nepali words, demonstrated the local construction techniques, and became a friend. Every day he wore a silver bracelet to work with a Buddhist blessing inscribed on it. It was one of the few possessions he could call his own and it was obviously very special to him. On the last day as we were all saying our goodbyes, he took off the bracelet, placed it in my hand, and just smiled. I was blown away. I tried to refuse, but he insisted that I take this blessing home with me and I couldn't say no. No gift has ever meant more to me.

Culture Shock

I stared at the clean water coming out of the tap and marveled at the fact that I could stick my toothbrush in it without worrying. That was definitely one of the things I was excited about returning home to, but there were plenty of other things that I wasn’t so excited about- like the 480 emails waiting in my inbox. It’s really hard to feel as though the work you’re doing day in and day out is all that meaningful after seeing all the issues people are facing like poverty, starvation, pollution, etc. first hand. I was in Nepal and India not even a week ago and for at least half the time I was there, I really felt like I was making a difference in the world. Back at my desk, trying to choose between one carpet pattern that is slightly more teal than another, I’m not feeling quite so effective.

I’m tempted to complain, rail against the idiocy of western society and all that, but my mom always taught us never to give in to that until you had at least tried to do something to change your situation. But, that means it’s my responsibility to come up with a solution. Yikes. It’s left me on the lookout for opportunities all week. I’ve always tried to do some volunteer work on my own time outside of work, but that just doesn’t seem like enough. Now, I’m looking for something bigger, something life changing, not just an hour every few months. How do I make this a daily effort? I’m an architect and aren’t those skills pretty beneficial to people in need of shelter, education, and community support?

I’m familiar with organizations like Habitat for Humanity (obviously) and Architecture for Humanity, but how do they find these projects? Is there a way for me to get more involved through my current job? Someone just told me about a group in our LA office called gServe that is working on a school in Haiti. It sounds like a great project to be involved in. I don’t need yet another group to distract me, but if it means actually working on some pro-bono projects like the school- that’s what I’m looking for! Last night, I was able to attend a fundraising event for Rebuild Sudan, a group dedicated to building schools in Africa. A few of my friends are heavily involved- actually running the board, working with local architects to design the school, raising money etc. and somehow they find the time to do this outside their day job. Maybe there really are lots of opportunities out there if you just look for them...

Quote of the Week

"Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living."- Miriam Beard

Today's the day! I'm leaving for Nepal in a few hours. I haven't had the greatest start to this adventure- managed to get sick days before departure, but I'm mentally willing myself to get well as soon as possible. Let's hope that my determination (and the medication I'm taking) will be effective enough to keep me from missing a single amazing moment.

Namaste!

Habitat for Humanity Nepal

My trip is coming up fast! I'm starting to get things in order and the anticipation is really starting to build. I just got the construction manual today that goes into great detail about the methods we'll be using to build the homes, their layouts, etc. We'll be using local materials like bamboo that gets woven to create the structure of the walls. It's then plastered over, painted with bright colors, and decorated to welcome the new family. Since it's a blitz build, we will also be using some power tools to make the work go faster. Most of those types of tools are not readily available in Nepal, so our team has divided up each of the items and agreed to share the load. Fortunately, I didn't get stuck with a circular saw in my backpack (I'm not sure how well that goes over with airport security), but there are a few unfortunate souls that did.

For Humanity

Had the pleasure of meeting Silvi at the Rock Make Festival. She's a talented poet that delivers masterpieces with the topic of your choosing in under 3 minutes. I asked for one about my upcoming trip to Nepal & India and was quite happy with the results.

A Picture is worth... a trip to Nepal?

I'm all about contests now. It's not that I think I'll win them all, but it is worth trying, right? Especially if there's a trip at stake. In this case, it's the trip to Nepal that I've just been accepted to. Habitat is sponsoring a photo contest and the winner will get their entire trip paid for! They're looking for an image that embodies the need in the community or the good that Habitat is accomplishing. Unfortunately, I don't think I have a lot of great material this time around, but I'll give it a try and I'm sure I'll find many great photo ops while in Nepal. Maybe I can just enter those in the next Global Village trip contest.

You can check out all the entries here.

NEPAL

My next adventure has just been decided! I've been accepted to the Habitat for Humanity build in Nepal this October. I can't wait!!! We'll be building homes for families in Pokhara, just 200km outside of Kathmandu. It sounds like exactly the opportunity I've been looking for- to see the world and do some good at the same time. I can't wait!!! Time to start planning.

photos by Taylor Miles