Peers!

Our New Year started out very prosperously.  The morning of, the entire hospital woke up with no water.  None.  Apparently the well had gone dry.  I had almost nothing to drink throughout the entire day, and had to pee so badly, but had no water to even flush my toilet!  It was a major relief when, late in the evening, the hospital managed to tap into another small water source.  Over the next few days, we had water only sporadically, those times mainly being the early morning and evenings - when the laundry wasn't using up all the water!  After that, the hospital began buying water - an expensive commodity.

That week also started off the 2 week Winter Vacation for most of Nepal's schools.  Completely unrelated to school, or the lack of it, my week began to head downhill VERY fast.  Being a volunteer at this hospital has not been ideal, and I won't go into too much detail, but I was ready to come home.  I've dealt with each prior situation with God-given strength - and phone calls home - but this time, I was done.  I seriously contemplated what I was going to tell my friends here and the people at home when I left 8 weeks earlier than planned.

Well, long story short, I'm not coming home early.  And I'm glad about that.  But I did need a temporary escape from the whole mess, and that came with the short notice arrival of Lisa McMillan and Kelsey Zuppan!  They are also student missionaries from Walla Walla, working at an orphanage in Bangladesh.

Can I just say that this was the most amazing thing that has happened to me lately?!  It was wonderful to have peers.  Girls my same age, from the same country, from Walla Walla!  It was a much needed break for all of us actually, and we had a blast.

First thing when they arrived, we headed out to play soccer with the guys.  Lisa and Kelsey enjoyed getting to know the boys (and learning their challenging names) and I enjoyed being able to share these awesome friends I've made in the last 6 months.  We ate a delicious meal of spaghetti, salad, and cinnamon rolls at my aunt and uncle's house.  We talked late into the evening, even though we were all exhausted.

The next morning we hiked up the hill behind the hospital to see the Himalayas, returned to eat lunch, and play a couple games of UNO with the guys before leaving to Kathmandu.  We ate in the black-lighted Or2K, and spent the night in Thamel (the touristy part of Kathmandu).  It was so nice to laugh with fellow Americans over things like the "Maxi" on the list of things the hotel laundry service would wash.  Like, what does that even mean?!!

Early the next morning we drove to Pokhara, where we managed to strike a huge deal with a hotel manager because we were volunteers - they gave us their best, top-floor room for a REALLY good deal.  We then decided to pay a boatman to take us across the lake so we could hike up to the World Peace Pagoda.  This random man also hopped in our boat, spoke pretty decent English, and tried to convince us we needed a guide on our hike up.  He says, "I think maybe you haven't read about this hike."  "No, we read about it before we came."  "There have been muggings sometimes..."  "I know, but I am strong.  I have big muscles," I say, pointing out my biceps under a sweatshirt and a fleece.  He busts up laughing and says, "No, you look like a big chicken!!"  Well.  Of all the nerve!

We got out of the boat on the other side and began hiking up the other side, and he yells out, "You say you are strong, but even from the back you look like BIG CHICKENS!"  I wanted to tell him he looked like a water buffalo, but sometimes my comebacks aren't very fast in coming.  Turns out, they wanted to go home early, so they left us the canoe, one life-jacket, and one paddle for our return trip.

We hiked up, watched the sun set over the Annapurna Range, and headed back down the hill.  Took turns paddling back across the lake, and Lisa helped out by using the life-jacket as a paddle.  When we returned to the opposite shore, who was there to greet us but Chicken Man.  He shouts out for the world to hear, "Hey!  The chicken came back!"

The next morning we got up at 4:50 am to hike up another hill to watch the sun rise over the Annapurnas.  It was beautiful.  We ate breakfast next to some water buffalos.  Did you know water buffalos have a very strong prejudice against cows?  We then rented a paddle boat (why aren't they called peddle boats?) and spent the rest of the afternoon out on the lake.  We may have gotten sunburned.

We shopped around in the evening, and left early the next morning to Chitwan National Park.  We convinced the driver of the already-full bus to let us sit on a small bench in the very front of the bus.  Not so comfortable, but a lot less challenging than finding 3 other buses and a horse cart to get us to the same destination.  We faced backwards, and the lady in the first row threw up most of the trip.  It's a wonder I didn't get sick!

In Chitwan, we fished around to find the best deals on the things we wanted to do.  Our hotel manager/promotionalist/creeper tried to con us into all sorts of terrible deals.  Ones that included a free head massage.  "I'm trying to learn how to give a head massage so my wife will like me someday, when I have a wife."  Oh yes, please!  Sign me up!  You can practice on my head.......NO THANK YOU!  That head massage became the joke of the trip.

In the end we rode bikes to the elephant breeding center - which wasn't all that impressive - but riding bikes was REALLY fun.  First time in 6 months!  We rode elephants!!!  Saw rhinos, monkeys, peacocks, wild pigs, deer, and birds.  We took a jeep safari that was kinda lame - in that we didn't see more than a crocodile and a rhino from VERY far away, but we did have the company of a British family and their kids had the cutest accents.

We drove back to Kathmandu, shopped a little, drove back to Banepa, ate some food and crashed for the night.  The next day we relaxed playing Dutch Blitz, UNO with the guys, soccer with the guys, and made a delicious meal.  Cooking is a lot more fun when you have people to eat with!  The next day we took a couple of buses into Kathmandu in search of the Mexican restaurant.  With very little trouble (I am so proud of myself) we found it and enjoyed the Mexican food we'd all been craving.  I sent them off in a taxi to the airport and I took a bus back to Banepa.  A bus that, got in a minor accident, so I got on another bus and rode on the roof - a much better experience than being jam-packed inside.

This little/long story doesn't even come close to summarizing how amazing it was to have Lisa and Kelsey here.  I loved being able to use my sarcasm again!  Hah.  I don't know how I've managed to be here for 6 months completely solo in the way of peers, but their visit gave me strength for the next 6 1/2 weeks.  They gave me, in a way, assurance, and I quote from a book I am reading,

"Assurance that I am still the same girl that left home a few months ago.  Assurance that this is temporary and it will not last forever... Assurance that, while this is hard, I am strong and can do this." - Heather Bohlender in her book "Honestly, I'm Struggling"


Thanks Lisa and Kelsey!!!  I loved having you!