My Himalayan Trek

Imagine walking steep uphill for a week. Imagine carrying everything you need for that week on your back. Imagine getting soaked every day and at night it being too cold for your clothes to dry. Imagine having tea and Tibetan bread every day overlooking mountains upon mountains upon mountains. Imagine looking out at those mountains and realizing you had just hiked those. Imagine being above, below, in, and so close to clouds constantly for a week. Imagine leaving the noisy, polluted city of Kathmandu and going north into the beautiful peaceful lands near Tibet. Imagine doing all this with 3 great friends and breath-taking scenery constantly around you. These imaginative thoughts were my reality for one week spent trekking through the Himalayan Mountains.


The trek started in Sundarijal, just outside Kathmandu, at Shivapuri National Park. At first I expected the first few days of the trek to be a cinch since we would be going through the Kathmandu Valley. Boy, was I wrong. And if I would’ve thought more about this I would’ve realized that a valley to the Himalayan Mountains, the largest mountains in the world, would simply be smaller mountains. So the first few days were spent climbing through these “valley”-type mountains only to introduce the big Himals. We hiked to the edge of Shivapuri National Park and stayed in Chisapani (Nepali for “cold water”) that night. That evening, as many of our evenings, was filled with dutch blitz, tea, and warm blankets. The next day we trekked to Kutumsangu. This day we were in a cloud the entire time so we couldn’t enjoy the view very much. And the last 3 hours of the trek it just pouuuuuured down rain. This was the most miserable and difficult part of the trek, as the water adds extra weight, it was freezing cold, and it’s very difficult to hike up steep terrains when it’s so wet and muddy. However, this marked the entrance to Langtang National Park, containing a few of the gorgeous Himalayan Mountains. The next day we hiked to Tharepati where we had a gorgeous view of the distant last mountain range to conquer. We could finally see the highest point we would be reaching, Gosainkunda Pass. The next day we hiked to Phedi. These last few days and nights will always stick with me. On the way to Phedi we passed so many beautiful waterfalls. And they were a bit more fun here in Nepal than in the U.S. because there are no big bridges. We just climbed through the rocks and every now-and-then use a short questionable set of tied logs. That night our guesthouse was nestled in the side of the cliff just under Gosainkunda Pass. The 3 of us girls shared a room, which consisted only of a bed, meaning not even walk space. It was more like a closet with a bed in it for 3 to sleep on. But it worked out great actually because it was soooo cold so we helped keep each other warm! The next day was the big day! We would be going up up up and finally reaching Gosainkunda Pass and all the lakes surrounding the area! It normally takes 5 hours to reach the Pass from Phedi, but we made it in 3 ½ hours! At 4,600 meters (apx 14,000 ft) high, I made it! I climbed all that way! I was so overwhelmed… by the amazing beauty surrounding me, and the accomplished feeling of all that sweaty and exhaustive work. Ah, it was so beautiful and I made it to the top! Right beside the pass was one of the many lakes (kund), just adding to the beauty of the 2 high peaks we stood between. We then started the flat (finally!) and downhill trek to Gosainkunda Lake. Wow, was it gorgeous. Words can’t describe, which is why I included pictures! After enjoying lunch on the lake, we hiked down down down. This is another one of those moments I’ll never forget. We were sooo completely surrounded by clouds, those fun fluffy ones. Ah, just so amazing! That night we stayed at Lauribina where we were pleasantly surprised with an indoor squatter! But what was even more amazing were the sunset and the sunrise. WOW. Here in Nepal it is so exciting anytime you get to view the Himals (snow-tipped mountains) and that morning we just had the best view of them and were so close! We were in some of the lower Himals, but our view was of the Himals that humans aren’t even able to climb because they’re too steep, dangerous, and sacred (if you ask Hindu-believers). It’s incredible how beautiful God made this land. That day we hiked down down down down down down… basically all that we had just hiked up in 6 days. Then we finally reached the city (which you’d probably see as a village) of Dhunche. Ah, how exciting! We made it! That night we enjoyed not only an indoor squatter, but one that was attached to our room! And it had a shower! But don’t get too excited for us… it wasn’t hot haha. The next day we loaded a public bus for a memorable but not-so-wonderful trip back to Kathmandu. It took us over 10 hours to get back (which shows how far we trekked!) on VERY bumpy and honestly scary roads. The bus was overly packed with people and things… such as the aisle having potatoes lined up and then people using these as seats, people claiming spots on top of the bus, and a very low use of deodorant and showers. The bus and the mountain roads would both not pass on American terms, which just makes it a very scary ride for an American. At one point the bus could not make it up a hill, leaving a cliff for it to roll down towards. After trying and trying and unloading everyone and finally men helping pull it with a rope, the bus finally made it up the hill. It was also typical to have a baby passed through the window to poop off a bridge, have its butt wiped with a rock before being passed back through the window with no pants on, and a lady who kept throwing up openly in the aisle alllll over the sacks of potatoes. So after a week of beautiful mountains with intense hiking and a very miserable 10-hr bus ride back to Kathmandu, we were very happy to finally reach home.

Here are some random things about our trek:
• Each night we stayed in a guesthouse, which is the only option while trekking. They are very small, with only a few rooms separated by thin boards, a dining room with one heater in it, no electricity, one outdoor squatter, plenty of tea and coffee, and always in a location with a beautiful view.
• The food cost more than staying at the guesthouse! One meal would cost about 80-250 rupeeyas ($1-4) while one room cost 100 rupeeyas ($1.25) per night!
• We normally got up around 5:30-6:00 am, trekked between 6-8 hours a day, arrived at the next guesthouse by 4 pm, and went to bed by 7:30-8:00 pm!
• The weather was very rainy and cloudy for the first few days of the trek. However, the mornings were usually clear. The higher we climbed, the colder it became. Nights were freeeezing, especially with no heaters or electricity!
• It’s one thing to hike for a week to high altitudes. But it’s another to carry your bag all that way!
• It was very interesting to watch the terrain change depending on our altitude. Sometimes we were in rainforests, jungles, rocky grounds, and desolate barren land.
• We saw red pandas jumping around the trees!
• Since we were at a high altitude, we were closer to the sun than what I’m used to… sooo not only did I get sun burnt, but I also got sun-poisoning. It was so itchy for a few days and is now in the peeling stage. I look like I have a skin disease on my neck and face.
• Bridges don’t really exist, weather on a hiking trail or main road. I already told you about the hiking trails, so let me tell you that it is the same for roads, even on steep mountainsides. The water just falls across the muddy road and the bus (hopefully) goes right across it.
• I’m not sure exactly how far we trekked, but we were averaging 20-25 km per day, which makes about 75 miles through the mountains in one week.
• Our highest peak was 4,600 m (apx 14,000 ft). This is higher than the height I skydived last year! We climbed mountains before this one… so basically I CLIMBED HIGHER THAN MT. EVEREST!
• Trekking was hard on my breathing. Going up up up all the time + thinning air = not so fun time on my lungs.
• Our guide could not seem to remember my name. So he kept calling me “Sely”. Haha.
• It was typical for the squatter outhouses to hang over the edge of a cliff with the backside wide open. At least there was a nice view!
• Food offered along the trek: noodle soups, rice, egg/omelets, pancakes, porridge, Tibetan bread, chapatti, chowmein. Plenty of starches and no meat.
• My very in-shape MCC Nepal leader did this trek in 8 days. We did it in 6. Hehe.
• The trek was a reminder of my thankfulness for life. 3 years ago was my car accident where I nearly escaped permanent injuries… but 3 years later I was using those legs that once couldn’t walk and that lung that once was collapsed to trek the Himalayas. Praise God!

And that, my friends, are my adventures thus far in the Himalayan Mountains : )

Now school has resumed and I have 7 classes a day! It’s a bit overwhelming considering I’ve never taught before 2 months ago and I have to come up with full material for 4 of the classes. More to come on this later, but prayers would be appreciated. Thank you for tuning into my trek and I hope you all are well!

Unreal Reality

October 11th-13th I had the honor of being part of the Vision Network Nepal conference in the small town of Surkhet located in western Nepal. Going into it, I thought it would be a time to finally go beyond Kathmandu and get some fresh air. I had no idea how intense of an experience this would be.

I boarded a Nepalgunj-bound plane early Monday morning with Rita, the principal of Elims school, and Tanja, an American learning about different organizations in southeast Asian countries. An hour later we arrived in Nepalgunj, a very poor and dirty city in western Nepal only 20 min from the India border. We then drove in a bumpy small van to Surkhet, about 3 hours north of Nepalgunj. The ride was sooo beautiful! I was able to see rural Nepal… the many rice fields, small villages, and bundles of Nepalis walking the streets or riding in rickshaws. The drive also went through Bardia National Park… incredible! Bardia has about 100 Bengal tigers, 75 wild elephants, 22 one-horned rhinos, and many common animals. Sadly I didn’t see any, but the mountains and valleys were gorgeous.

After arriving in Surkhet, a lovely rural small town, getting lunch and a hotel room, we were provided transportation via motorbikes (so awesome!) to the Vision Network Nepal (VNN) conference. VNN started in 2003 to link the Christian churches and organizations throughout Nepal while providing them with a common goal: building the Christian community with a holistic focus. Rita was one of the main speakers over the next few days. They also took advantage of Tanja and I’s presence. We were notified that on Tuesday, the following day, we would be speaking in front of 200-300 women. What?? I am not qualified for this! I came along to see rural Nepal, get away from the city, and support Rita. But this is the Nepali way… taking advantage of everyone’s capabilities (even lack thereof) and just using them to build the community of Christ. It was okay that I am not a public speaker. I am a sister in Christ who is trying to be a servant of God, therefore qualified to speak to these women. The church in Nepal is so new. These Christians are mostly 1st generation Christians, so they are fighting the majorities of society. The women especially struggle because they are 2nd best in Nepal. So the empowerment given to them through Christ is not only new to themselves, but is new to others around them, causing struggles in their families, especially with their husbands. A new and higher value has been placed on them through God that was not present before. So the conference wanted to use Tanja and I, two American women who have previously learned a lot about the Word and share it with these women. So that evening was busy spent thinking about what I would be talking about and fighting off rising nerves!



Tuesday came and it was the day to speak for the conference! On our way to the church we were informed that they were now expecting 400-600 women. Oh by gollies! When we arrived there were about 200 women there, which was a disappointment to VNN, but I won’t lie, it was a relief to me! When comparing 200 to the possible 600, it doesn’t seem like such a large number. Entering the church was such an emotional experience. It was during their worship time and I’ve never seen so many women so passionate about our God. That morning many of them walked hours from their village just to come to this conference. They show such dedication to learning more about Jesus. And what an honor for me to stand in front of these women who are fighting cultural and gender norms because of their passion for Christ. The Spirit was so present and I was just so moved. Then it was our turn to speak for an hour with a translator. Considering their situation, I spoke about how important each one of us is in the body of Christ and encouraged them to explore their own gifts that God has given them and use them to grow in their personal relationship with Christ and help bring others to Christ. I especially placed emphasis on how beautiful they are, as I think this gets overlooked quite often. And there I did it, I spoke in front of 200 women. But only through God’s power was that possible, as that is waaaay out of my comfort zone! But it was such an honor to encourage them and walk side by side with them, Christian sister with Christian sister.

After the conference was done for the day, they wanted to show us guests what their church is doing and have us pray over it. Just thinking about it, as I’m writing this, is bringing me to tears. We were just chatting with some of the ladies when we were called over to a mother and daughter. They had the saddest expressions on their face. The 9-year old daughter had a very unusual growth around her knee and starting on her elbows. She could hardly even stand, let alone walk. Her mom had walked an hour from the village that morning carrying her daughter on her back and would soon be heading back home the same way. I wish that I had medical knowledge, but there was no advice I could pass on except that they needed to keep going to doctors. They had been to a few local doctors, but they do not have the knowledge to help and told them they needed to go to Kathmandu. This advice is nearly impossible for them though, and having come from Kathmandu I could understand why. The mother would have to walk an hour carrying her daughter on her back to a small town, take an uncomfortable crowded bus for 3 hours on very bumpy windy roads to the airport, and then fly an hour and a half to Kathmandu- which is so far out of their price range as the area is so poor. Or they could choose to take a 12-hour + bus ride on even bumpier and windier roads to Kathmandu. Once in Kathmandu they would have to pay for transportation to the hospital. Even upon arrival, who knows if the doctor could even help or how long it would take. They would then have to also pay for a place to stay, for food, and for all the medical help. During this time the daughter would continue to miss more and more school, playing with friends, and just being a kid. The mother would not be able to do the work to feed the family. A lot would have to change for who knows how long. Even if the doctor figured out what was wrong, who knows if the growth would continue. They may have to make several unaffordable and difficult trips to Kathmandu. But all we could do was pray for them. I wanted to help them so badly. Just seeing their faces and tears… I wish that I could build a hospital clinic in western Nepal so medical help would be much easier for all those in need. Or even just be a traveling doctor to provide assistance to the very poor. (So if anyone reading this feels compelled, they are ready for you!)

We then learned about 2 awesome ministries the church has started. First, they are in the process of building a home beside the church for widows. They will have bed rooms, a common living room, and a kitchen. They will no longer be living on their own hardly able to make it. They now will have more friends to help them emotionally and physically through life. Second, they have a house for recovering alcoholics. The men live there for 6 months to become clean, grow together in friendships struggling with the same thing, and receive counseling. They also get back on track with their previous work or find new work so when they are done they can provide for their family again. We prayed for both of these ministries. I was just so inspired by the works of this church and dedication to including all those in society, particularly the broken.

While walking from the widows’ house to the men’s recovering house on a dirty path, a girl ran beside us. Her family left her because they thought she was no good. The church has taken her in and gives her a bed and food. Suddenly at that moment this girl fell to the ground and her body was shaking. One of the church leaders stood beside her fallen body while pointing and yelling for the demons to come out of her. However, with my training and experience at a camp for people with disabilities, I knew that what was happening was not necessarily a demon attacking her. She was having a seizure. After about 30 seconds her body stopped shaking and her body went limp. Her eyes glazed back and forth as her body fought to come out of the seizure. Her body was exhausted from what it had just gone through. The church leader tried pulling her up right away to get away from the demons. But she was not fully out of the seizure yet so that would only end with her falling again. So Tanja and I carried her off of the dirty and rocky road into the church where there’s at least carpet (no chairs or pews in these churches) where she could rest. We tried to explain to them that she should see a doctor because seizures are medical. I can’t blame them for thinking she was demon-possessed, after all biblical concepts are new and they don’t have adequate medical help nearby therefore they strongly lack in medical knowledge. But it’s important they recognize that this is medical otherwise this girl who has already been kicked out of her home will keep hearing that she is demon-possessed. And that is not good for her mental health.

Our time at the conference finished Wednesday morning. We squished into a jeep and made the 3-hr journey through Bardia National Park back to Nepalgunj. We had an hour before needing to go to the airport so we met with a Nepalgunj church to discuss the problem of human trafficking. Oh, it is just so sad. This part of Nepal is so poor that children and parents are very desperate for income. A man will come by that promises a job in India that pays well. The family trusts him and sends their child off to make some money. But he is a man of lies. He takes the child over the India border just 20 min away and sells her into sex trafficking where she is drugged and forced to have sex every day. This is a huge problem in the area. The church and local organizations are working to fight it, but it’s not very easy. Even if they rescue the children and capture the men, what do you do with them in a corrupt society? The children are often too ashamed to go back home because they come back with no money and now have a new stigmatism. The men, if caught, are thrown into jail, but are often let go or pay little to get out. Without accurate discipline, sex trafficking will keep happening. How do you fight it in such a poor area where families are so desperate for any income and the government is corrupt? The church we spoke with works on rescuing the trafficked women and returning them back home. They are doing great things, but it surely takes much more work than one church can handle.

We had a 1 ½ hr delay at the airport (which isn’t too long, but it is in a small airport that has nothing but a few benches) but finally made it back to Kathmandu on Wednesday night. I gratefully was taken home by Rita after discussing taxi prices with the taxi drivers that were so obviously very drunk. This is not unusual for public bus or taxi drivers at night, another reason why it is important to not travel at night. But luckily I made it home safely after 3 days in western Nepal. It was a trip that I expected mostly rejuvenation out of, but it ended up being an incredible trip of being stretched, feeling so broken for those people, learning so much about what this country needs, and being inspired by the passion that the 1st generation Christian church has for God.

Tomorrow morning I leave for an 8-day trek through the Kathmandu Valley into Lang Tang Himals! There's a great group of 4 of us and I'm rather pumped :) Hope you're all well!

Exams, sickness, and music!

Namaste, Saathi-haru!

This week and last week the students at Elim have been taking intense exams. They have 1-4 exams every day for 3-6 hours for 8 days in a row. Since I had only been at Elim’s one week before exams, I am not personally giving any exams. I have been on rotational duty, meaning I go around to each class to see if any of the teachers need anything. Sometimes all they need is a bathroom break, or sometimes they need me to watch the class near the end of the exam period. The children become sooo restless at the end of exams, so the kids jump out of their seats wanting to play games and talk to one another and do anything but just sit quietly! It’s really tested my ability to speak up to 30 children. I’m trusting God to build the assertiveness/sternness-quality in me! It is so hard for me to be straight-faced and nearly mean to children, but as an authority figure to so many children who just want to interact (both fun and bad) with one another even though some are still taking tests, that’s what I need to do! I am enjoying being around so many children, but I definitely have realized that managing large groups of children is not my forte. When I start teaching full time I will have small classes of international students, so I’m very relieved! I am still teaching the young adult Somalian students everyday and LOVE it… smaller classes are more my style!

I will also be taking sort of an administrative position at the school throughout the year and have also been designated the “Resource Leader” who is to push the teachers to be more creative in their classes. Nepalis tend to follow the guidelines very well, but never go beyond it. They’re very book-focused, but do not include much fun in the classrooms. So I am to push the academics by encouraging new styles in the classrooms. I’m excited about this, yet a little nervous because I’ve never worked in a school before. However, the more I understand the Nepali education system, the more I see how I can advise them in certain areas. So as much as I do no want to be the selfish-you-must-do-it-our-way American, I also am excited to hopefully push their academics that will be truly beneficial to the children.

I also had my first sickness. Boo! I’m not sure whether it was the momos (boiled dumplings), unfiltered water, or (gulp) unpasteurized ice cream, but I had quite a miserable 24 hours! And let me tell you, there is nothing fun about being sick in a 3rd world country! That same day I was planning on playing keyboard in both a Nepali and English church service, but realized right beforehand that it probably wasn’t the smartest idea. However, after sleeping a nice long 12 hours (which is very unusual for me) I felt sooo much better.

Also, very exciting… I bought a guitar! They are cheaper here, than the U.S. yet it’s still a good one. I will be donating it to the school and using it all year. This week Tabea (a volunteer from Germany) and I have been leading worship during devotions on guitar and violin. It’s soooo wonderful to have music included in my life here! I can’t explain to you how HUGE this blessing is!

The students have exams this week and then it’s Dashain (pronounced Duh-sigh). Dashain is the big holiday here in Nepal. It’s equivalent to America’s Christmas! So I will have a 2-week vacation! I plan on getting some much-needed fresh air and nature outside of Kathmandu! One week of it will be spent around the Kathmandu area, maybe visiting some friends and family parties. The second week will be spent trekking! I’m sooo excited for this! 3 of my friends and I will be trekking through Kathmandu Valley north to LangTang National Park in the LangTang Himals. I’m so excited to see another side of Nepal, the more rural and natural side.

So that is the update on my first few weeks on the job. After Dashain I will start teaching full time and am truly excited for it. Since it’s a small school I’ve already gotten to meet and know many of the students, and so I’ve met many of mine, and they seem wonderful. I hope all of you are doing well! I’m so thankful for your support!