Days 1-5

Days 1-5 (March 1-5)

A few months ago we decided to go to Nepal to help with the rebuilding of new homes, schools, hospitals or whatever was needed, since a severe earthquake hit there in April of 2015. We were told that there is still great need.

After we made the commitment to go, we didn’t have a clue where to start. So, we started reaching out to people we knew who either knew of someone who had been to Nepal or had been there themselves. It was amazing, to find so many connections. We knew we couldn’t do ‘it all’ and asked for guidance on who to connect with. Three names kept coming up. One was a woman who, for years, has been helping others selflessly, her name is Aparna. Then there was a woman who opened her home to save children that would have otherwise been sold into sex trafficking. Third there was a man who lives in one of the villages who is also helping with rebuilding projects. There were many other leads, but these seemed to be the ones we were supposed to connect with now. We also connected with some people in the US who talked to us about what to expect, what to bring etc. to help us prepare for this journey.

On March 1^st we finally left and arrived in Nepal after three days of traveling. We left Huntsville Tuesday afternoon and flew the Dallas. From Dallas we flew to Doha, Qatar, which took almost 15 hours, and arrived Wednesday evening Doha time. Doha is the capital of Qatar and its airport is fabulous. The money spent on the airport and the buildings is enormous. We spent the night in a Double Tree by Hilton in Doha. We had to leave the airport and paid $35 each for a visa to spend the night in a hotel in downtown Doha. The hotel was fabulous. There was marble everywhere and the breakfast buffet had everything from French pastry to cereal to custom omelets that even included bacon.

At breakfast there were several Muslim families eating there with the mother’s wearing burkas while their young daughters were dressed in western style clothes. After breakfast, we took a cab back to the airport to fly to Kathmandu, which was a 5-hour flight over India to get there. Kathmandu’s airport is very different from Doha’s. In terms of cost, I would guess that Doha’s airport cost more than 1,000 times as much. The contrast between Qatar and Nepal could not be more stark when money is the measuring rod. Many Nepalese have to leave their country to work in Qatar to survive. We were met at the airport in Kathmandu by our hostess, Aparna, and a friend of hers who is visiting from Canada, Michelle. These two ladies are some of the most gracious and loving people you will ever meet.

We were taken to Aparna’s home and then met her son who is a physician and another woman who is translating an article Michelle wrote on Healing Touch - a healing technique that Aparna practices and teaches - for the Nepalese audience. It became quickly obvious that Aparna’s life is dedicated to serving those in Nepal who are less fortunate than she.

Over the next few days, we have walked with Aparna around the area of Kathmandu where she lives. There are more motorcycles than automobiles. As in Africa, the rich drive Land Cruisers or upscale SUV’s built by Mahindra or Tata Motors in India. We visited a tent city that is about one mile from where Aparna lives, where people have been living since the earthquake last April. There is evidence of the destruction everywhere. Some of the temples we visited had also suffered damage. We have taken many pictures but cannot upload them now because the Internet connection is very slow.

On Day 4 we visited a building where older people live with no resources. The government is supposed to provide for these people but there was little evidence of support. They live in modified crates that have been assembled inside the cloister (which is the enclosed walkway surrounding the open area or arcade). Aparna said many of the women have been abandoned by their families. In Nepal the oldest son inherits all of the money even if the mother is still alive. (In the West, we call this primogeniture.) If the family quits taking care of their mother, she is then forced to move to an area like this. There is much sadness and anger here but when Ute asked two women if she could take their picture, two other women who were close moved quickly to be included in the photograph They were all smiles for a moment.

Aparna said she comes to this “nursing home” once a week to bring them food and pray with them. Aparna is quite the angel in flesh. We in West have very little appreciation of what economic poverty looks like but it is ever present in Nepal. Although they have few capital resources, they are blessed with love for each other and there are smiles aplenty for themselves and foreigner visitors.

Also on Day 4 we walked to a supermarket. There are many little shops where specific wares or food are sold but this was like a Walmart in Kathmandu. The prices are fixed whereas in the shops you are expected to bargain. We spent $30 and bought peanut butter from Belize, milk from Australian, muesli from Germany, and crackers from China. Nepal is quite the crossroads. We also bought some local Yak cheese but have yet to try it.

As in all third-world countries, there is a stark contrast between the haves and have-nots. Within a quarter mile from the tent city is the Hyatt Regency. This hotel is surrounded by wire and you have to go through a gate with an armed guard to access it. Such is life in Nepal.

Like India, Nepal runs on a caste system. There are 300 separate castes and each person within that caste has specific duties and responsibilities the culture tries to enforce. Our hostess, Aparna, was born into the Brahman caste which is the pinnacle. However, she rejected the cultural strictures that her family attempted to impose on her and is now a “free spirit” in this land of rigidity. It is a delight to get to know her as she is doing so much to help those less fortunate. She is also and nurse and a mid-wife and is frequently asked to attend a birth because she doesn’t charge.

Here is the cremation spot by the river