Life Lessons of Nuwakot Nepal

Walking through the rice fields to the next village

It's move to the back of the bus here. And move on top, on the side...underneath :)

The rooster crows at 4:30 in the morning ....a kind of 'organic' alarm clock for the village people because they all get up at this time. Joelle and I managed to once. This is the sunrise of proof.

Evening walk with our lovely sisters.

Our village. Nuwakot, Nepal. Charming - isn't it?

Our time in Nepal has been nothing but spectacular. It is extremely hard to leave this country- I wish I could stay for the whole year. I have completely fallen in love with the beauty, the people and the culture that we have been surrounded by.

Joelle and I have gotten the opportunity to get a fairly well-rounded glimpse of what Nepal is made of. We traveled around to different parts of the country, we visited many development centers that Himalayan Encounters has built, we lived with many different families each sharing a special part of their culture with us, we have made countless numbers of new friends from around the world, we helped with community development of a tiny mountain village Nuwakot and we hike the magnificent Himalayan range to Mount Everest.

Each day I am thankful for the good that every new experience has brought to me. I must give a special thanks to the people and children of Nuwakot Nepal when I spent most of my time. They taught me some very important life lessons that I hope to carry with me on my journey.

Lesson 1: Live Each Day in the Present
This is actually much more difficult then you think! Too much of the time you and I are focused on what needs to be completed during the week. Our minds are overloaded with so much information that many times we live more in our heads then on the present ground.

While here in Nepal, too often I would worry about what kind of lesson plans to prepare for tomorrow, or what time I could set aside to get chores done or go hiking. I worried about what time to get up in the morning or what day of the week it was to calculate how many days I have left and what new projects I could get accomplished. I would worry about snapping a photo so I would not forget this moment - so silly because in actuality these little things were causing me to not fully experience my surroundings.

Joelle and I got frustrated with planning grammar and conversation lessons for these children very early on. We had absolutely no resources to work with and we were teaching practically every class and most with very little English. This is can be challenging!! Eventually we just forgot about it and we thank God we realized that life is more important in the present.

We would have missed out on the wonderful things we got to experience. Anytime we walk anywhere we would get engulfed by the people of the village - and that's all they wanted to do was talk with us. Even with the very little English they knew, each moment they became more confident, and we were able to shared thoughts, life stories and many many laughs.

Even the children, every free moment from class they would follow us around. They just wanted to talk with us. When Joelle and I stopped worrying and started living - every moment with the children was so much better. In between class, we would play games with them or teach them about the world with maps. Try handing a 15-year old a Goodnight Moon story book. They are fascinated! It was precious and extremely rewarding. They soaked up every moment like a sponge - they just want to learn.

In conclusion, it is very important to remember - you really have to force yourself to free your mind of thoughts or worries. When I stepped back, took a deep breath and really started living, so many greater things came my way!

Lesson 2: Humanity
Possibly the most important aspect of living life: recognizing that you and I are nothing more then the same exact thing.

At one point during our stay some students from Hong Kong visited the school in Nuwakot. In the evening Joelle and I would join them at their "round table meetings" to reflect on the day and shared what everyone experienced. Basically they spent the night crying on one anther's shoulders pondering on how little the students had and how simple their lives where. For some reason, this became extremely frustrating for me!

What these students from King George X International School didn't realize was that they don't need to be sad for these children. In a way, these children are richer then you and I will ever be. They can appreciate the true necessities of life, while mine and your mind have already been polluted by greed.

When you have to carry 50lbs on water on your hip 3 -4 -5 times a day from the tap - you appreciate its importance. When you count on the sun to grow your food, warm your body, dry your clothes- you appreciate its importance. I never realized how little you need to survive.

These citizens don't need luxury things. Luxury to them is getting the opportunity to connect with people. What a wonderful thing. They honor human interaction more then anyone I have ever witnessed. Their lives are full and happy and they have human connection - in its simplest form of life - to keep on surviving.

Lesson 3: Be Shameless
Something I will not forget is the memorable time Joelle and I created with 14 inspirational students. These 14 kids were deaf and cannot hear or speak any words. They lived at the school in the most god-awful living quarters I have ever seen. However, these 14 kids taught me a very crucial life lesson - be shameless in everything you do.

So how are we going to communicate with 14 young children who can't hear, cannot speak and only know sign language in Nepali?

Our experience with them was so memorable because every moment with them was incredible. In fact, it was easier to communicate with them then it was with people who could hear and talk. These children rely so much on everything that surrounds them. I have never met anyone more full of enthusiasm and life then these 14 students.

(Making paper creations with 3 deaf students. They are so much fun!)

Unfortunately, they can communicate with such few people and are kind of locked into the schoolyard like a prison that they thrive on human interaction and the littlest bit on effort goes a long way. Joelle and I had an amazing time with these students. They had such a passion for life. They had the biggest smiles and the brightest eyes and were so overjoyed with anything you told them to do. When they understood you or got an assignment right they would throw their arms up in the air, squeal and jump with excitement. The second they saw us walk through the school yard, their faces would light up and give us the biggest animated wave and chase us down. Thankfully, Joelle and I both know the alphabet, which is universal, in sign language so immediately they felt they had a special bond with us.

Most importantly, they have taught me to become completely shameless with myself. They are completely un-judgemental and honor everything about human life. The more big boisterous and silly we made ourselves, the more happy they became.

Lesson 4: Be Passionate
Let me introduce to you the most inspirational man I have met in my lifetime; his name is Sir Shyam Shrestha and he is the Headmaster of Shree Bhairaba Higher Secondary School in Nuwakot Nepal.

Joelle and I were very privileged to get the opportunity to live with him and his family during our stay in Nuwakot. Not only has he built this school in his village practically from the ground up and ran it almost single handedly - but he in the most respected man in his community - hard working, honest, dedicated, and extremely passionate.

He is passionate for life, for people, for community, for education. Joelle and I cherished every moment we spent with him, for we learned so much about the country of Nepal and its' people. He is extremely brilliant and has so many wonderful ideas that he can turn into reality with such limited resources because of his passion for it.

Joelle and I learned more from him then we could ever imagine. We would spend hours talking with him over dinner and would just soak up his wisdom. In the evening, after closing conversation he would suggest a "5 minute circle" around the village. Three hours later we would come home after dancing and singing with the people of the village in the streets, or sipping tea at the farmhouse with the local workers, swinging with the children on their bamboo sets, (or even helping the drunk milkman who fell off the cliff and into the bushes home!) every time it was something new and amazing. Every time Joelle and I witnessed what a wonderful person Shyam was.

His passion for his work, for people and for life in general has made him an incredible person to meet. If I could make my life only a quarter of a reflection like his, I would be a very happy.
Mommie giving Shyam tikka on his birthday.

Lesson 5: Fear only Fear Itself
Sometimes in life, fear can be your greatest enemy-fear of the unknown or fear of the unexpected. It is a strong psychological mechanism that can really stop you from experiencing life to its fullest.

Here is something Nuwakot taught me; in some cases, fear is something you should fear the most. Why? It can stop you from doing some of the most amazing things on earth.

Stepping out of the airport and into Kathmandu can be pretty fearful. Dodging moms with babies, cows, potholes, buses packed with livestock and people hanging off it can certainly create fear. Having small children cling to you leg and beg for money or watching the 60 year old man with no legs scoot down the busy road on his stomach can be - well - nerve racking. Walking into a classroom and having 60 pairs of eyes stare at you hoping for some kind of enlightenment...okay that's not fearful - just pretty humorous :)

Nuwakot taught me not to fear my fears, but rather embrace them. Joelle and I found this to be true in every aspect of your Nuwakot life. Joelle and I became extremely close with the family we lived with, our Aamaa and 3 of the 7 daughters that spent time in Nuwakot while we were there. They were so wonderful and helped us to see that fears are silly detours. Take a simple thing - going to the tap to wash your clothes. This may be difficult to visualize, but I know Joelle will know exactly what I am talking about. When you got the entire village staring at you to see if you perform this menial task correctly - you better brush off the fear and put on your game face :)

Citizens of Nuwakot, children of Shree Bhairaba, Shyam Sir, Aamaa, Minarva, Salu and Srijana - thank you for enriching my soul! Namaste and not goodbye, but see you again!

All my love,

Jilian