That's really really where I'm going to. If I ever get out of here, that's what I'm gonna do. K-k-k-k-kathmandu! (You youngsters reading this have no idea what I'm talking about, while you old farts are annoyed I got another bad Bob Seger song stuck in your heads). My apologies to all generations...
Just thought I would kick off the blog once again since tomorrow marks my departure date for my move to Nepal!
For those who aren't up to speed, here's the plan: after over 2 days of air travel, I'll arrive in Kathmandu on Monday dead-eyed, dehydrated, and well-versed on the entire Ken Follett series. I'll spend the next day and a half at a hostel in the center of Thamel bartering for rental sleeping bags and used gloves (not everyone can travel in style like this), and then fly up to Lukla on the 10th to begin my 13 day trek to the Mt. Everest Base Camp. According to my research (wikipedia), Everest's Base Camp sits at a whopping 19,900 feet above sea level, which is about 600 feet higher than the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Claiming I've stuck to my training plan is about as truthful as Bill's 'I did not have sexual relations' speech. If you are in any way religious, please keep me in your prayers. (Mom, if you are reading this, that was a joke... I've been training everyday with professionals for many hours and will be absolutely fine. I love you!).
Upon my descent I'll return to Lalitpur, a suburb about 10 minutes outside of Kathmandu. There I'll spend a week living in a Nepali home and celebrating Dashain with my lovely host, Milan, and his kind and generous family.
After a week of homemade sweets and culture shock, my micro finance training program will commence in Kathmandu. The official curriculum runs from October 28th to December 31st, and aims to execute micro lending practices and micro loans in rural villages for women (mostly widows) hoping to start small businesses. This is the main focus and purpose of my time in Nepal, and will occupy the majority of the blog entries, so if you don't like women or money then you should probably close out of your browser right now.
From there I am both embarrassed and elated to admit I have plans to flee mountainous Nepal just as winter sets in, and spend a month travelling around Southeast Asia. The next leg of my travels is not yet finalized, but includes destinations like Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, India, and Indonesia. Rather than explain myself, I'm going to leave you all in suspense - breathing heavily, at the edge of your seats, having had the uncomfortable urge, for hours, to go to the bathroom, but unable to tear your eyes away from the gripping blog before you. Consider the open-endedness a cliff hanger (practice for my first novel).
One last thing: why am I writing this blog? What's the goal? To be honest, I'm not sure. Logistically, I want to keep everyone updated on my whereabouts/assured I have a pulse. But more importantly, I am hoping to maybe pass on a some smidge of something. I'm not sure what it will be yet, but something that makes you take notice - if even for just a millisecond - of something you've never dwelled on before. When someone is placed this far out of their comfort zone, growth, good or bad, has to occur, right? It is not just the food and dress code that make Nepal different from the US, and I'll do my best to pass on whatever I gain from working through those differences and tensions, in the least preachy bullshitty way I know how.
Thank you to everyone for all your support. I have been overwhelmed with the show of love, faith, and compassion from all corners and I don't know how else to say it: thank you. Thank you so much. Namaste!
Just thought I would kick off the blog once again since tomorrow marks my departure date for my move to Nepal!
For those who aren't up to speed, here's the plan: after over 2 days of air travel, I'll arrive in Kathmandu on Monday dead-eyed, dehydrated, and well-versed on the entire Ken Follett series. I'll spend the next day and a half at a hostel in the center of Thamel bartering for rental sleeping bags and used gloves (not everyone can travel in style like this), and then fly up to Lukla on the 10th to begin my 13 day trek to the Mt. Everest Base Camp. According to my research (wikipedia), Everest's Base Camp sits at a whopping 19,900 feet above sea level, which is about 600 feet higher than the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Claiming I've stuck to my training plan is about as truthful as Bill's 'I did not have sexual relations' speech. If you are in any way religious, please keep me in your prayers. (Mom, if you are reading this, that was a joke... I've been training everyday with professionals for many hours and will be absolutely fine. I love you!).Upon my descent I'll return to Lalitpur, a suburb about 10 minutes outside of Kathmandu. There I'll spend a week living in a Nepali home and celebrating Dashain with my lovely host, Milan, and his kind and generous family.
From there I am both embarrassed and elated to admit I have plans to flee mountainous Nepal just as winter sets in, and spend a month travelling around Southeast Asia. The next leg of my travels is not yet finalized, but includes destinations like Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, India, and Indonesia. Rather than explain myself, I'm going to leave you all in suspense - breathing heavily, at the edge of your seats, having had the uncomfortable urge, for hours, to go to the bathroom, but unable to tear your eyes away from the gripping blog before you. Consider the open-endedness a cliff hanger (practice for my first novel).
One last thing: why am I writing this blog? What's the goal? To be honest, I'm not sure. Logistically, I want to keep everyone updated on my whereabouts/assured I have a pulse. But more importantly, I am hoping to maybe pass on a some smidge of something. I'm not sure what it will be yet, but something that makes you take notice - if even for just a millisecond - of something you've never dwelled on before. When someone is placed this far out of their comfort zone, growth, good or bad, has to occur, right? It is not just the food and dress code that make Nepal different from the US, and I'll do my best to pass on whatever I gain from working through those differences and tensions, in the least preachy bullshitty way I know how.
Thank you to everyone for all your support. I have been overwhelmed with the show of love, faith, and compassion from all corners and I don't know how else to say it: thank you. Thank you so much. Namaste!
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