**Disclaimer: Just wanted to say a quick thank you to all of you who are following my blog! Especially this week when I am bombarding you with videos…I am honored that you would take time follow my stories. I also really appreciate all your comments and encouraging feedback. I wish that I could write back to each one of you individually! It makes me feel so connected to you, even a world away.
Weird story for the day: Tonight I was sitting in a random restaurant in Romania with a couple of friends when I saw this guy across the room looking our way. He came over to our table later with his friend and told us he had seen us singing earlier in town (belting the Sound of Music) and he knew we were the Americans with the World Race team! The weirdest part was when he turned to me and said, “Yes, I have been following your blog.”
How crazy is THAT??? So, Reuben, if you’re reading this, it was nice to meet you!
You just never know what kind of new friends you’ll make. Okay, enough Rambling…
The World Race for Dummies (Nepal Edition)
- As a good missionary to Nepal, you must learn to live like the people. When riding the village bus, be prepared for random strangers to sit on your lap or lean on your shoulders. You will become good friends in no time!
- When you are in the middle of an ice cold shower and the water runs out as you are lathering up, be sure to shut off all the knobs even though there is no water coming out. Otherwise, you will flood the entire house when the water comes back on full force and you are long gone. (This really happened on Valentines Day and I accidentally flooded all 3 floors of Asha Nepal. But don’t worry, the floors needed a good scrub down 🙂 I spent the afternoon scooping up water with a dust pan and bucket because they had no mops)
- You must remember that in Nepal, they are in year 2067 so you are actually living in the future. When the school says, ‘Established in 2011’, it was not built this year but, in fact, 56 years ago.
- Nepali people on the street will run up to you and say, “Hey!! You there, I remember you!!” …but don’t worry, you do not have amnesia. They are just trying to sell you a tiny wooden violin or singing bowl and want to get your attention. Do not be fooled!
- When in the local internet cafe, be sure to safely remove any hardware you have inserted or when you go to pull it out you will accidentally short circuit all the computers. They will all shut down simultaneously and all the lights will go out. This would be a good time to quietly slip out the back door! Remind your team mates not to run away laughing, as this will draw even more attention to yourselves.
- When your hosts offer you some fried chicken for dinner, inspect the size of the bones and proceed with caution. It is more likely some scavenger bird like black crow or the pigeon they caught on the roof that day. Watch for beaks and feathers!
- Be sure to always keep up a good stock of toilet paper in the squatty potties or you will find yourself in the middle of the night with a ‘digestive emergency’ running from bathroom to bathroom looking for TP. This will most likely happen just as your headlamp runs completely out of batteries and you will find yourself without any light so always keep AAA batteries on hand. [See previous tip to avoid such digestive emergencies.]
- Remember that the electricity in Nepal only comes on during selected hours of each day and the schedule is different every day so be sure to charge those electronics during the night if you want to have any use of them during the day. Also, shut the lights off before you go to bed or you will wake up suddenly at 3 am when the power turns back on and there is a heavenly light shining in the night!
- Above all else, remember to enjoy every moment, as this is sure to be one of the greatest experiences of your life. Soak it up and take notes because you will definitely want to return in the near future!
