worth waiting a lifetime for...

Tunnel trails.

When my brother was five and we got our first puppy, he announced, "I've been waiting my whole life for a dog!"

When I saw the Himalayas yesterday, I felt like I'd waited my whole life for that moment.

Something was different yesterday; I could feel it when I walked out of physical therapy.  I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but as I walked with Parvati, my Nepali teacher, I really had to squint to see in the bright sunshine.  I told her it felt like I'd just walked out of a dark room - and maybe I had.

As my Nepali lesson ended, my housemate, Marlene walked in and asked if I'd like to go for a hike.  Well, yes please!  We'd both been falling asleep all day and figured this would be a good way to wake up.  Together with Tobias, another German med student, and Dr. Lota (also from Germany), we started out, taking the trail that climbs above the temple at the end of Banepa.  As we started walking, I finally figured it out - this was the MOST blue sky I'd seen since I've been here!  It was beautiful.  (The trails here are really fun to hike on too; the wet clay soil is covered in moss...which makes for fun walking conditions.)

About half way up the hill, I thought to myself, Are we going to see the Himalayas today?  I've been here so long, and it's always so cloudy - I'd nearly lost hope of seeing them anytime soon.  Maybe 3/4 of the way up, I saw my first Himalayan mountain...I don't even know which one it was.

Words, pictures, nothing can describe how excited I was at that moment!  I kind of started shrieking, and taking pictures, because you never know how long the mountains will stay in sight.  I started running up the trail.  When I got to the tower, and the clouds had already started to roll in a little, but it was beautiful nonetheless.  The mountains were a lot closer than I had imagined.

The already disappearing mountains.

Even two years ago, I never pictured myself in Nepal.  It was one of those things....too good to be true. Now I'm here, and in less than 3 weeks I'll be right next to Annapurna, which has long been my favorite mountain.  I feel like I've waited all my life for this view.  The Himalayas!!!  And it can only get better from here on out.  Today felt different too....maybe we really are kissing monsoon season goodbye! ..... I certainly hope so.

Marlene and I