I’ve been told that you don’t really understand the United States until you’ve travelled abroad. I think it must have something to do with being removed from the “Western” comforts that we become accustomed to, and to witness life from the perspective of another. To walk in someone else’s shoes grants you a whole new way to see life, and gives you “new eyes” in a way. It would be comparable to living with poor eyesight for most of your life and then getting glasses for the first time. You actually see things for what they are. You notice details that escaped your limited viewpoint; you begin to understand all that you had missed.
I remember my great grandmother getting a hearing aid after suffering from hearing loss for many years. After getting the hearing aid, she was able to hear the leave crackling in the cool, autumn breeze. It gave me a new appreciation for my sense of hearing and all of the other things that God has placed in my life. Living in Nepal has given me a new perspective on my life back in America. There are SO many things that I take for granted and I think many would be shocked if they were to travel to a Third World country and attempted to live like they do even for a week.
Our contacts daughter Christina ran up to us one day after we arrived home saying “Julie, Julie!!! Fridge is coming! Fridge is coming!” Excitedly she pulled me into her bedroom, proudly showing me the fridge (that had actually arrived) and had such a joy in her eyes. “Christina, the fridge is here!!” I said, sharing in her joy. It was humbling to realize that in her 7 years on this earth it would be the first refrigerator that she has ever owned in her home. She would remember this moment for the rest of her life and tell her grandchildren about it, jut as my great-grandfather told me about when his family first got electricity in New York City.
Living the village life it has become normal to only have running water for six hours a day (in the early morning and in the evening), and we consider it a blessing if the electricity stays on for four hours or longer (at night it can be very hot if the electricity goes out and we don’t have fans – there’s no AC of course here in the village). In America, we take the blessing of AC for granted. We barely have to walk outside in the “heat” for any reason, while a world away in Nepal, the people work hard no matter how hot the day becomes. We are lucky if the dial-up internet works steadily here and we can accomplish the basics of e-mail, etc. In America Wi-Fi is found everywhere and most have it to some extent.
I’ve noticed other differences too such as the use of commodities and consumption. In the US if you need a bed you simply go to the store and buy one, have it delivered and subsequently have it set up in your home. You barely life a finger save for writing out the check for payment. Here in Nijgadh, Nepal if you want a new bed you build one. That’s right, I said BUILD. And no it’s not one of those Target beds that you buy, bring home and put together yourself. The people here literally collect their own timber, chisel the wood down and construct their own beds. Talk about an eye opening experience. People here grom their own food, many being farmers of maize, wheat, tobacco etc., and they raise goats. They also use oxen and water buffalo to pull carts to their destinations.
The one last but certainly not only other thing I have noticed is that there is not access to medical care as there is in the States. You are lucky if you have a doctor near but if you don’t not much can be done without having to travel many kilometers to get there. I never realized how much I really lack appreciation for basic medical care and health insurance. Here if you're sick there isn't really much you can do to get better except hope that it goes away and pray. This month has been a major turning point in my life and I am so thankful for the "simple things" in life that I had once taken for granted. I only hope that I can inspire others to appreciate what we have while also learning to embrace simplicity. While life in America is easy, there is something so beautiful about a simple life just trusting the Lord. The fire has been kindled. May it never go out in my life.
