Nepal is amazing. You
could probably find out the factual things from Wikipedia if you want to, like
population and size and percentages of religions yadda yadda yadda. But here’s what I can tell you from our experiences so far:
It’s cold most times of the day and night except for when
the sun is out, then it’s practically perfect.
The air is crisp and fresh, even though there seems to be an endless
wrap of pollution hanging around the bases of the mountains and valleys of the
towns.
We are SURROUNDED by mountains. I know Everest is here somewhere, but I can’t
see because the other mountains (and smog) get in the way. By the way, we want badly to be able to go
to/see Everest, but it’s looking more and more like it will be very far out of
our budget (personal and team combined).
So I might have to settle for a postcard or something like that.
The houses remind me of Cambodian buildings in a way, tall
and sturdy and cemented. Leslie says they remind her of
Europe. Neither surprise me, because the
population is Asian but there has been a large influence from European countries
like Germany over the years. German
organizations and people support things like the Buddhist monasteries etc to
help build and run them. Weird?
The houses have gardens, pretty much every house has a small
garden. A variety of things can be grown
in their climate (which reminds me of BC in some ways…even the landscape reminds
me a bit of home too, it’s quite lovely).
For instance, sugarcane and avocados grow here, but so do things like
mint, coriander, onions, garlic, beans, cauliflower and cabbage. Tomatoes and potatoes, bananas and apples,
papayas and watermelons – yum, yum, yum!!
The food is amazingly flavorful and not at all like African
fare, where salt and grease seem to be their own food groups. It’s influenced by Indian cuisine and spices,
but still has Asian hints and impressions in it. I love it, if I weren’t careful I could get
very fat very quickly here. Food is well
priced, not as expensive as some of the other countries, and people love to eat
large portions here! The amount they can
pack away is crazy!! But when you think about all the hills that you have to hike up to get anywhere, and the mountains everyone seems to climb effortlessly, the amount of food they eat doesn’t really shock me.
Their national flower is the rhododendron, which also grows
where I live and in Washington – Mom & Pop, remember rhododendron park? (I’m sure it grows in other parts of North
America, too). The flowers are this deep
red-pink color, almost like cranberries but more fuchsia. Apparently the flowers are edible, which I
did not know, they taste a bit like cranberries. Very tart but enjoyable no less.
The people. Oh guys,
the people are so beautiful. Probably
one of the most beautiful races I’ve encountered since leaving home. They are varied and unique in their looks (a
sweet refreshment after the dark homogeneity that Africa seemed to be), they
remind me of Cambodians sometimes, of Thais at other times, of Indians, or even
Korean or Chinese. The spice of life
here is variety, not only in cooking and eating but in the way people
look. Absolutely gorgeous.
From what I’ve encountered thus far, the people here have amazing senses of humor. They love to joke and pull your leg. For instance, I was in the middle of bartering over pashmina’s with a man in town, and he got this very serious look on his face and named an outlandish price, only to slap my arm and say, “I am having a laugh with you!” I love laughing.
The children. Joyous, hilarious, beautiful bundles of fun! It’s obvious that joy is something that starts in the Nepalese when their hearts are still small and captivated by the wonder of this world.
One thing that is not very pleasant: the people here – men,
women, and children alike – hawk loogies at all hours of the day in all
possible situations. It’s very
gross and makes me cringe every time I hear it. Our neighbour sounds like he’s hawking and puking all at once, usually in the early hours of the morning. What a lovely way to rise and shine!
I love Nepal. And I love that God knew it was exactly what my heart needed, with the exact people I needed. I couldn’t have dreamt up a better contact family, they make us laugh until we cry and feel loved until we swell with happiness.
