Wadi Rum

If you ever visit Jordan, please promise me you will visit Wadi Rum. It's an amazing part of the desert that has a strong energy to it. Being a true nature lover, Wadi Rum was at the top of my list while in Jordan. I shared this experience with 7 others, from Finland, Belgium, Korea and Japan. Our Bedouin driver and guide, 20 year old Mohammed, gave commentary at each stop. He had 28 brothers and sisters. His dad has 3 wives.

Starting bright and early, we explored the desert by open air jeep. We traveled through the pinkish orange sand for hours, stopping frequently to explore canyons, caves and dunes. We tackled short hikes that gave breathtaking views of Wadi Rum. We slowly made our way to the Bedouin tent where we would be sleeping for the night. Lunch was on a blanket in the middle of the desert, followed by a short cat nap in the warm sun. It was so peaceful and quiet.

The desert was spotted with solitary camels. The orange iron rich sand stained our shoes as we frolicked in the dunes.

Bedouins are Arab tribes that live in the desert. Mostly all of the Bedouins that live in Wadi Rum are related.

The owner of the camp where we stayed was named Zidane. A charismatic youthful Bedouin. He never gave a straight answer to how old he was. He said "today I feel 30, yesterday I felt 20, tomorrow I might feel 40". I estimated him at 45. It's difficult to get a correct age from locals. I found that a lot of them didn't truly know how old they were. Sometimes they would have to look at their ID to see what year they were born. Age is just a number to them. I like that concept....

Zidane with his camel

We arrived at the camp shortly before sunset. We had just enough time to hike up the rocks that would provide a stunning view of the sunset. Around 4:30, the sun gently dipped behind the impressive rock formations in the orange sky, turning the night chilly.

In the dimly lit main tent of the camp, we ate a filling supper of rice, vegetables, potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes and tea. The food was cooked under the sand by the heat of the sun. It was so interesting to see the traditional Bedouin way of life.


After supper, the night was pitch black. With a small flashlight in hand, I emerged from the large toasty tent in an attempt to walk back to my tent to retrieve my bottle of water. My fears did not permit this and I sheepishly returned to the main tent to ask Zidane to accompany me. Laughing at my fear, he reluctantly agreed to walk me back to my tent. I felt much safer with him. He told me I couldn't live my life in fear. I can travel alone all over the world without any fear, but I crack when it comes to slinking through the dark desert. Jeesh.


I'm well aware of the irrational fear I have when it comes to things such as bears, sharks and heights. But I do my best to confront them head on. That's the beauty of traveling, it helps us overcome some of these fears.


As we walked, I looked up and saw the most impressive sky of stars I have ever seen. Wadi Rum is well known for its view of the stars. Zidane explained which stars were which and which ones were planets. It was evident that he had spent many nights with these shining stars. He invited me to sit on a rock with him as he educated me about stars and Bedouin life. He showed me endless pictures and videos on his cell phone. Yes, even Bedouins have cell phones! I saw pictures and videos of his father, his wife, and his friends. What I found most interesting was of his trip to Mecca. It's a city in Saudi Arabia that is considered to be the holiest Islamic site on earth. It's believed every muslim must make this spiritual journey at least once in his life.


I really enjoyed getting to know him, and realizing that he's just an ordinary guy. He told me how many camels he owned, how long they live and that they are pregnant for a year. He said his camels roam freely near his camp and sometimes they even cross over into Saudi Arabia 12 miles away, without a passport or visa! He said "someone will say, 'hey Zidane, I saw your camel over by the Saudi border the other day". Haha. I don't know why, but this was very hilarious to me. Each camel has a special brand to identify them. We could see the lights above the mountains from Saudi Arabia in front of us and the lights from Israel behind us. I felt so far away from home. It's a shame how there can be so much strife and fighting in such beautiful land. Can't we all just get along? To me, war seems so idiotic. I know there are many bad men in the middle east, but I'm yet to meet one. The media paints a picture that the middle east is so dangerous, but I've never believed this. I wanted to see for myself. I'll make my own judgments.

Zidane had a gentle nature. What I liked most about him was his humor, he was very quick witted. I felt privileged that he was taking so much time to talk with me. I felt like I was talking to a good friend. This is what I strive for while I travel, getting to know the locals, and I was soaking in this one-on-one opportunity. The night got progressively colder so Zidane started a fire and served me hot tea. Such a hospitable host. The sky was like a giant tv as we watched the countless shooting stars. The night was indescribably silent. A shout would echo off the rocks surrounding the camp and sound like it traveled for miles. I watched the light from the fire flicker on Zidane's face as we talked under the stars about everything from camel milk to Facebook. I knew this would be an experience I would always remember. Sometimes when I travel I need to stop, sit back and reflect on the situation from an outsiders point of view. A situation can seem so normal, but actually in retrospect it was such an important event in my life. Before we knew it, it was after midnight. I retired to my tent, knowing it would be an early morning rise. This experience will be etched in my mind forever and was without a doubt the best memory I have from Jordan.

In the morning I bid farewell to my new friend and traveled back to the small village nearby to catch the bus back to Amman.


It's nice to know that I have a friend in this impressive corner of the world :)

Petra, Jordan

Arriving in Jordan, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was equipped with a "I'll figure it out when I get there" mentality. I had so many countries to research before I left, it was impossible to fully explore all of them. Most of the information I had gathered came from Dr. Battah, a handsome Jordanian now living in Alaska, working at the same hospital as I did. He talked highly of his mother land. He told me that all the boys will want to marry me, so I can bring them back to the US with me. I told him that if they looked anything like him, I might consider taking them up on their offer. Haha.

But in all actuality, he was exactly right. There was a large supply of randy Jordanian men with black eyeliner "Jack Sparrow" eyes, throwing a marriage proposal or an "I love you" out there a little too quickly. I politely shake my head and say no. I'm such a heartbreaker :)

He also said that Jordan was safe. Coming from such a credible source, I was happy to hear this. The main motive for me visiting this middle eastern country was to lay my eyes on one of the seven wonders of the world, Petra, the ancient city built in 1200 BC, made most famous by the Indiana Jones movie. It bewilders me that so many people are unfamiliar with this amazing city. When I text my mom to tell her I was going to see Petra the next day, she texted back "OK. Who's Petra?"

At my hotel in Amman, I met a guy named Pavan. We had similar itineraries so we took the 3 hour bus to Petra together. Although I travel alone, I am very rarely by myself. He was Indian but was living in America at the moment, attending Duke for his MBA. Once again, I find myself in the company of Indians, which I don't mind one bit. They must gravitate towards me, or vice versa.

Petra is spread out over several kilometers. Make sure you bring comfortable walking shoes if you ever decide to visit. Your other option is to hire one of the many donkeys readily available from eager Jordanian men. It was heartbreaking watching these small donkeys struggle as they transported overweight slothful tourists, their backs bowing from the load. I have 2 healthy legs that get me around just fine, a donkey shouldn't have to take the brunt of my laziness. Objecting to contribute to this animal cruelty, me and Pavan walked... and walked.... and walked. I bet we walked over 10 miles through Petra.


The occasional gluttoral gurgle from a camel or the hee-haw from a donkey could be heard as we navigated our way through the archaelogical city.

In between all this walking, there was lots of picture taking, conversation and laughs. I got to know Pavan fairly well during the day we spent together, and I have to say, this guy is all right. There were many laughs as we navigated the ancient city together. As a male and female together, we were automatically dubbed as a couple. The Jordanians selling souvenirs would say "buy something nice for your wife" or "very beautiful wife" as we passed by, which made us giggle. It happened so frequently, we just decided to go with it. We found humor in making up different stories to inquisitive locals. Sometimes our fabricated story would be that I was living in india with him, sometimes he was living in America with me.


While asking someone to take our picture in front of the monastery, I said "geez honey, it's our honeymoon and we don't even have a picture of us together." The lucky man taking our pic enthusiastically said, "It's your honeymoon?!! Cool!" We didn't have the heart to burst his bubble. We snuggled up close as we posed for the photo, snickering inside.

But the appearance of being a couple didn't subdue the lewd comments that came from the Jordanians. I wanted to hose these overzealous fellas down with cold water. Walking alone as a female in Jordan is very tiring. I'm subject to leers from the male dominated environment. Testosterone is thick in the air as they call out "Habibi" (meaning "my darling" or "my love" in Arabic), and other sweet nothings to me, but it falls to deaf ears. It may be flattering the first few times, but it gets old very fast.


All the sun and walking left us feeling famished as we made our way back to the entrance. Our extreme hunger gave us thoughts of tackling a family of French tourists to steal their fruit roll-ups. We restrained ourselves from resorting to this tactic and arrived at a local restaurant in our hypoglycemic states. We revived ourselves with falafel sandwiches. It was the best thing I've ever ate.


Besides narrowly escaping starvation, we had a blast in Petra and I genuinely enjoyed spending a day with Pavan at one of the wonders of the world.

Arabian desert safari

My most memorable experience in Dubai was partaking in an Arabian desert safari. The driver/guide picked me up from my hotel and after conversing a bit with him, he tells me he's from Kerala, the southern part of India. I told him of my travels through Kerala last year and expressed my liking for the area.
We filled the vehicle up after picking up a group of 5. They were also from Kerala! I couldn't have picked a better group to spend the tour with. We drove an hour into the desert, stopping a few miles from the Oman border. The busy city slowly faded and the exotic desert was all that remained.

My Indian peeps

We stopped at an area where we were allowed to rent 4 wheelers to drive until our hearts were content over the sand dunes. But I was more interested in a group of Arab men sitting on a large carpet laid on the ground. They were sipping something from small glasses. I watched them intently from a distance, intrigued. They seemed so mysterious and intimidating. I had yet to speak to one of these gowned enigmatic men since arriving in Dubai, despite my strong desire to. For some reason, my normally gregarious self was feeling too shy to approach them and start a conversation. As if making the decision for me, I noticed they were all staring at me. This made me a little nervous and I quickly looked away. When I looked back, I saw 5 pairs of brown eyes looking at my 2 blue. They were gesturing for me to come over. I looked behind me, there were quite a few people around, but they pointed at me, like saying "you, silly". Cautiously, I walked over to them. They told me to sit with them on their magic carpet. I was offered oranges and Arabic coffee as we chatted. I was stunned at how friendly they were. My wondering notion was soon put to rest as I discovered these seemingly unapproachable men turned out to be very amicable.

Shortly after, we were back in the jeep, tearing around on the sand dunes. At times, we were tilted so far to the side I was amazed how we didn't roll over. We all screamed over the loud Arabic music playing as we slid sideways, making the orange sand spray over the top of the jeep. After the adrenaline rush was over, we halted at a tent set up in the middle of the Arabian desert, where we were entertained by a belly dancer and dervish dancer as we noshed on Middle Eastern cuisine.

As the night wound down, I parted ways with my new found Indian friends. A smile left on my face from the thrilling day and night spent in the desert.

Dubai~ a desert oasis

As much as I love Nepal, I needed to get out. It's a country with bewilderingly nice people, but it also requires you to rough it. This princess had had enough. Nepal is also hard on your lungs... and your colon. I had washed my clothes once (by hand) in the last month and a half and I felt dirty. Ahh the life of a backpacker. I needed something to rejuvenate me, so I booked a nice hotel in Dubai for a week for a little R&R before I jetted off to Jordan.


My flight included a 2 hour layover in Dehli, India. I was happy to be back in my beloved India, even if it was only in the airport. I found it very coincidental that I was in this same airport 1 week short of a year ago.


We had significant turbulence as we flew over Pakistan. Flying isn't something I enjoy, but it's an unavoidable requirement of my chosen lifestyle. A rough ride producing sweaty palms only adds to this dislike.


At 10pm, we land safely (as always) in Dubai. The airport was exceptionally busy at this hour. I was immediately impressed with the airport. It was so clean and new! This was a huge contrast coming from Nepal. The line for customs moved at a snails pace, so I passed the time talking with a friendly Belgium businessman. Dubai is composed mostly of expats, a hodge-podge of nationalities.


After an hour in customs, I was whisked away by a crazy Egyptian taxi driver, who called ME crazy for visiting Egypt solo. He drove like a bat out of hell through the city at night, managing to get lost despite the fact that I had step-by-step directions to my hotel printed out for him.

I was feeling positive vibes from this Middle Eastern city. The history behind this city laying on the Persian Gulf is fascinating. It's had an incredible amount of growth in such a short amount of time. It's growing as I type this, and has no plans of stopping. Because of this, construction is a common sight. If I had to choose one word to describe this newly emerging city, it would be "new". It's also very clean and has an amazing energy to it. There are no bums, no graffiti, no trash in the streets, and no stray dogs, unlike Nepal. It's a pleasant 80 degrees here. Maybe my senses are heightened after leaving Nepal, but Dubai smells good. It has a tropical scent to it, mixed with musky perfume smell. It's hard to describe.


It's evident that the residents of Dubai are not struggling to get by. I'm dubbing it as the "Beverly Hills of the Middle East". Porsche's and Lamborghini's zip along the palm tree lined highways. Initially, Dubai's economy was built on it's oil industry. Today it thrives mainly on tourism, construction and real estate.

Although it feels very westernized, Islam is still very much prevalent. Many large, beautiful mosques can be seen throughout the city, and the call to prayer is blared from loud speakers 5 times a day.


Islamic men dress in traditional attire, wearing long white gowns, called a kandura, with head scarfs. Many women can also be seen wearing abayas, or long black gowns, along with a scarf covering their head. Some cover their entire face, while others mysteriously let their eyes peep out.


English is spoken fluently by most, which makes things much easier. Most things are written in Arabic, along with English. Safety is not a concern either.

The metro is squeaky clean and very easy to navigate. It gives a nice view of the city when going from point A to B.

My plans when I got to Dubai were to wash my clothes (in a washing machine), take a long hot shower,take it easy and to go shopping! Dubai has the largest mall in the world, the Dubai Mall. You can shop til you drop. Which is what I did.

The Dubai Mall also has a nightly fountain show every half hour. This is very similar to the show at the Bellagio in Vegas, except with an middle eastern twist. I was fascinated as I watched the lighted water dance to an upbeat Arabic song.

If that wasn't enough, Dubai had to build the tallest man made structure on earth, just to show off a little bit more. The Burj Kalifa stands proudly at 2,716 feet.

The Mall of the Emirates has an indoor ski slope... a very tiny ski slope. I wouldn't waste your time. However, it was nice to see snow again. Earlier in the day, as I shopped at a local grocery store next to gowned Arabs, Christmas songs were playing overhead. It was all very odd.

One negative aspect of Dubai is the cost. Maybe I'm used to cheap-o Nepal, but it feels so expensive to me here. Dubai is definitely not on the backpacker's budget. I'll pretend I'm splurging for my birthday so I feel better about spending so much.


Perhaps the most iconic image of Dubai is the Burj Al Arab, the luxurious "7 star" hotel, a suitable accommodation for rich Arab oil sheiks. A night here will cost you at least $1,500 and as much as $30.000 for a suite. I was going to stay here, but they were all booked :) just kidding. Instead, I strolled along the beach outside, admiring the beautiful structure.

I have to say, I managed to score a pretty posh pad myself. I had no idea what I was getting into, as goes with booking over the internet, but was pleasantly surprised when I arrived and discovered it was nearly a mansion with 5 rooms! This was a drastic change from the rat and cockroach shared room I had in Nepal. I couldn't get over how nice it was. I danced merrily along the marble floors as I checked out each room. It came with it's own washing machine, a kitchenette, 2 bathrooms, 2 balconies, 2 flat screen TVs and HOT water! I feel like an Arabian princess in my palace!!

All in all, I love Dubai!!!

One year wiser

This year I spent my birthday with my Nepali host family. It was a perfect day. I've grown so close to my pseudo-family. They've taken me in like their own. An added bonus is that my Nepali has greatly improved since moving in (it's a fairly easy language to learn), likewise, their English has improved. I see the most improvement in my host mom.
On the morning of my birthday, I woke up and opened the door to my bedroom. My host sister, Ashmita was there to greet me, saying "Happy Birthday, Rachel!" My host mom came around the corner and gave me a big hug, also wishing me a happy birthday. I knew this had to be the start of a good day. I was presented with presents of flowers, fruit and hair barrettes. I was touched by their thoughtfulness and generosity. I knew they couldn't afford much. After supper that night, everyone piled into my room, like usual. Except tonight, there were more than usual. My small room was packed with my host mom, dad, sister, aunt, uncle and cousin. Time flew as we spent hours talking and laughing. They wanted to make sure my birthday was special. My host dad brought me a large bottle of Tuborg beer and a plate of sliced apples. I laughed and waved my hands in protest and said "pugyo" (I'm full). They had already stuffed me to the gills with rice and vegetables. I suggested that everyone help me drink the beer. They happily obliged, so we split the bottle between all of us. They were so funny, they acted like college kids at a frat party. They wanted to take pictures, so we took a slew of goofy pictures and laughed until our stomachs hurt after viewing them.

They are so much fun to be around, having a unique way of making you feel comfortable. As the night wound down, they admitted they were sad I was leaving in the morning and asked when I will come back to visit.
I told them I will never forget this birthday, and I will never forget them. They were tickled pink when I told them I've shown their pictures to my family back home. They said "In America?!!", then laughed hysterically.
I was sad to be leaving them in the morning. They have been so good to me. As far as when I will return, there's no telling in this unpredictable life I live.


Remember the "mouse" I thought I had in my room? Well, I finally caught a glimpse of the little shyster. Before supper, I had went with my host cousin to her aunt's house down the road. Upon returning, I opened the door to my bedroom and flipped on the light. I then saw a RAT run over the top of my bed and scramble down the side of the wall to the floor.
Earlier, I had assumed it was a mouse causing all the noise at night. I was wrong. This thing can easily be classified as a rat. The monster was the size of a squirrel! I screamed loudly (just as I predicted I would) and bolted into the living room and jumped on the couch. During situations like these, there is no thinking involved, just a quick reaction.
During the last week, I noticed some strange occurrences happening. At the end of the day, my belongings I had on the bed were not where I remembered placing them. I knew for sure that I was missing 2 bras. Which is a lot when you only have 4 to begin with. One day I noticed that one of my shirts was crammed tightly into the crack between the bed and the wall, as if a human had done it. I thought "hmmm, that's really strange", then disregarded the fact.
So there I was, standing on their couch screaming "Rat! There's a rat on the bed!" I lose all sense of control and judgement when it comes to rats. (Why do I have so many run-ins with these things?) I totally spazzed out, but you would've too if you saw this thing. Ashmita, Asma and Sankantala run into my room worriedly to investigate. They look under both the beds and see nothing but dust bunnies. After prancing around on the couch chanting "Oh, God" for a while, I get enough courage to creep hesitantly back into my room. I told them I saw a rat, I know I saw a rat, there was no mistaking it. They kept saying "no, no rat, don't worry". I told them it was probably behind that board leaning against the wall.

They move the board and that's when they find my 2 bras, torn to shreds! This was my proof! "See", I said, "the rat stole my bra and chewed it up!" Behind this board, we also discover a large nest of cockroaches. Oh Lord, I can't handle this right now, I'm still trying to deal with the fact that a large rodent just ran over the top of my bed! I didn't even let the cockroach nest register in my brain because I knew it would drive me crazy knowing I had to sleep in this room.
After more searching, we found 2 pairs of undies and a shirt. That damn rat. How can he just steal my things like this?! I barely have any bras and undies the way it is! They're Victoria Secret, it's not like I'm going to find one of them in Nepal!
Just then I saw a shadow move on the floor, which made me scream again and jump on the bed at lightening speed. But, as I saw earlier, the bed was not safe. I was in panic mode. My host mom was laughing so hard she was holding her stomach and crying.
But I'm glad the mystery is solved. I now know what's causing all that ruckus at night. A BIG FAT RAT that likes to steal bras and undies! This is one birthday that will be difficult to forget.


In all seriousness, I feel so grateful as I look back on where I've spent the last few birthdays.
27th: Hawaii
28th: Virgin Islands
29th: New Zealand
30th: The Maldives
31st: Nepal
I feel like I'm living a charmed life. However, as the saying goes: You are in control of your own destiny. At 26, I remember thinking about how great if would be if I could travel the world and live the life I'm currently living. I will never forget where I was at that pivotal moment. I felt butterflies in my stomach as I daydreamed for what seemed like hours, imagining myself at all these magical places around the world. With this overwhelming feeling of joy, I also felt a mixture of sadness and anxiety. Why haven't I started doing these things I've always wanted to do? What am I waiting for? If these are my dreams, what's stopping me from going out and making them happen?! I snapped out of my daydream and felt a strong rush of ambition. This is my life, I better get busy living it. I was sick of letting my dreams remain dreams.
I was on the phone with one of my nursing recruiters shortly after I had this epiphany. 3 days later, I had broken up with my boyfriend and was living in Hawaii, the happiest I've ever been in my life. I was free! Free to roam, free from this boring mundane predictable life I was living, free to be me! I was finally starting to live!
As I reflect on how much my life has changed since then, I think about how the Nepalese are shocked and saddened when they discover I'm single at 31.
But let's get something straight, my friends. I don't own a home. Right now, my home is wherever I lay my head for the night. I'm not married. I don't have kids and I'm not living the "American dream".
I am, however, living MY dream, and that makes me very happy.
My advice: Do what you love and love what you do!

True happiness

Elephant safari and bathing

This weekend I took a break from my strenuous volunteer work (yes, that's sarcasm you sense) and traveled about an hour down the road to a town called Sauraha. It's known for it's National Park, where elephants, bears, rhinos and tigers lurk in the lush vegetation. My travel companions included Rim (Lebanon), Emily (Australia), Nichole (Switzerland), and Evo (Germany). We had a fabulous time. I was stoked just to have a hot shower at the hotel, after going 5 days without one. We did an elephant safari through the jungle and found ourselves a wild rhino. It's a little intimidating coming face to face with a rhino, even if you are on top of an elephant. But amazing, nonetheless.




The rhino we ran into



Us 4 in the elephant basket

Crossing crocodile infested waters

There was also an option to give an elephant a bath. In actuality, the elephant gives YOU a bath! It's so amazing to be on such a magnificient creature, but the elephants were treated so poorly that it was hard to enjoy towards the end. This made me feel guilty for being any part of this. The mahout's have a steel poker than they use on the elephants. While I was doing the elephant bath, the mahout next to me hit his elephant in the head and it let out a scream. You can actually hear it on the end of my video above, and see my look of horror that follows it. This scared me so much that I asked to get off my elephant. I told him to stop hitting his elephant. I know how elephants can be. They frequently go haywire and there is a long history at this park of tourist deaths every year from this. I feel so bad for the elephants, being mistreated their entire lives. I'm already skittish around these giant creatures, after being charged by a wild elephant while in India. (I'll tell you about that another time).

Me and Emily

elephant bath

All in all it was a fun weekend spent with good company. On the ride home, we all rode on TOP of the bus, as the locals do. We are so cool :)


On top of the bus



We are family

While I volunteer in Nepal, I live with a local host family. I didn't have high expectations as far as the accomodation goes, this is Nepal after all. After hearing some of the other volunteer's tales, I knew the host family experience had the potential to be unpleasant. But I was lucky enough to be matched perfectly with a wonderful family.



My host family includes: mom (Sankantala), dad (Sankar), sister (Ashmita, 17), and 2 brothers (Amul, 21 and Prithvi, 16). Their English insn't the best, but we get along just fine. A mixture of English and Nepali can be heard during our conversations. Once again, charades is a crucial element. My host dad speaks the best English.


My host mom is a robust woman in her 40's with a heart of gold. She always has something cooking in the kitchen, kind of like my own mom.

My host mom making roti (bread)

She doesn't work and she's the one you will always find in the home, at all hours. I was able to spend a lot of time with her, so naturally we grew close. She treated me like a daughter, even smooching me on the cheeck when I would leave. My host dad is a great person. He works as a taxi driver. My host sister, Ashmita, is a typical Nepali teenager. Giggly and girly. She likes fashion and worries about her looks too much. She's always hanging around me whenever I'm home, sitting so close and watching everything I do intently. She also holds my hand if we are walking somewhere. Even the boys hold hands here. It's funny to see this, but this is just the way of the culture. Very affectionate. Ashmita is the little sister I never had. She attends school, where she learns English, but still it is difficult for her to speak it. I help her with her English homework after school, hoping her English will improve. Amul is rarely home, he's 21 which means he's pretty much flown the coop. He goes out with his friends at night, drinking and chasing girls, from what I could get out of him. Prithvi is quiet, but very smart and accells in school.

my host home

Their house is located in a village on the outskirts of town, a 20 minute walk from town. The houses sit very close to each other, many of them with a water buffalo tied up in front or a few goats or chickens hanging around the yard (or street). The gravel roads have a steady flow of scooters, buses, cars and large trucks, making the air hazy with dust. It has a close community feel and everyone knows each other well. They are hard workers and can frequently be seen doing everyday chores such as cooking, caring for the animals, gathering hay, cutting wood, repairing their house..... all by hand.


Across the small footpath from my host family's home is a small house about the size of my bedroom, where a family of 6 lives. They are very poor and usually outside doing some kind of manual labor.

with the neighbor kids in their home

Sankantala's sister lives next door. Guess what her name is?
Sankantala.
I'm not kidding.
I have no idea how their mom kept them apart when they were younger. She floats in and out of the house at all hours of the day. She has an infectious laugh that creates a light mood. She has a daughter named Asma, who is a delight, such a sweetie. She's often at the house and is like a second daughter to my host parents.

Asma

Sankantala's sister, Sankantala

I have my own room, which isn't the Hilton, but it is private. I take that back, I do have to share it.... with a mouse. He's not too keen on me being there, either. The little bugger chewed a hole in my scrub pants and pooped on my bed, just to show me who's place it is. Late at night I'm awoken by his midnight mischief. He seems to be a night owl. I hear him scratching and running around, so I shine my flashlight under the bed to catch him in the act. But he's smart. It becomes silent. I'm desperately hoping I don't see him though, because I know I would let out a scream that would wake up everyone in the house. Or the neighborhood for that matter. As soon as I turn off the light, he's back at it again. I give up and put my ear plugs in.
There is no hot water. Guess what that means? Cold showers. It's so painfully cold it makes you let out a yip, uncontrollably, when you try to stand under it. The small cement shower room is located in the backyard, along with the squat toilet I haven't figured out how to flush yet. Our shower is full of daddy long legs, and has no light inside. A cold shower in the dark. That's creepy. Needless to say, I don't take many showers. Besides, you just don't feel clean after a freezing cold shower. I promise I'll never take hot showers for granted again. It's a joke among us volunteers that you throw personal hygiene out the window when you come to Nepal. But it's true. It's nearly impossible to be clean here. I'm craving the next times I can wash my clothes with a washer and dryer, or take a steaming hot shower, or bath, or fix my hair, or wear makeup....


But you just get used to these unpleasant realities of Nepali life. The warmth and welcoming spirit of the Nepali people make having to be dirty so worth it. If that's what I have to endure to experience this culture, so be it. This intimate experience with my host family has given me such a good grasp on the culture.


The importance and value of family are easily seen in Nepal. Every night, we eat supper together in the main living area. They eat with their hands, I use a spoon. They eat the same meal 3 times a day, called dahl baht, which is white rice with lentil soup poured over the top. There are usually vegetables involved, but never a fruit. Dahl baht is tasty, but I couldn't imagine eating it for every meal of my life. I like variety!! It's difficult for me to eat so much white rice when I would never dream of eating it back home. Let's face it, it's not the healthiest choice. My diet at home consists of mainly fruits and vegetables, so the switch to this type of diet is a little drastic. My host dad asked me if I eat rice in the US, I told him very rarely. (mostly in sushi) They were astonished. They also asked me if I ever wear a sari. I laughed. It's cute how innocent they are.

Ashmita putting henna on my hand

Everyone in the house is asleep by 10pm (except the mouse), since the electricity cuts out by 9. This is a good thing, because I'm unable to sleep a minute past 7am, not by my choice, however. For some ridiculous reason, in Nepal it's considered lazy to sleep in. The day starts at 5 am for this community. So at 7am, through my ear plugs, I hear my host mom yelling "Rachel?!, Rachel?!"
Ugh.
But she's so sweet I can't get upset with her for interrupting my beauty sleep. So I slowly swing my legs out of bed and walk over to open the door. She's holding a cup of tea, smiling ear to ear saying "tea?!" nodding her head fiercely as she shoves the cup into my hand. I look at her with my hair in a rat's nest, literally. I smile and say, "Dhanyabad", which means thank you, then politely shut the door. I set the cup on the nightstand and climb back into bed. Hehe. I don't mind driking cold tea, as long as I can sleep in :)

family pic~ Sankar, Sankantala, Ashmita

She's an excellent mom. Her and Ashmita are very close. They can frequently be found hanging out with me in my room. I'm rarely alone. We have lots of laughs. One night, they discovered my eyelash curler laying on the bed. Sankantala picked it up, obviously very intrigued by this contraption. I showed them how it worked and their eyes lit up. They enthusiastically looked in the mirror after I had curled their lashes for them. Next they picked up my razor. I showed them how it works by pretending to shave my legs with it. In unison, they loudly said "ahhh!"


Next I showed them a small magnified mirror. They peered at themselves through it and let out a shriek of surprise. They conversed in Nepali as they touched their face. If I had to guess what they were saying, it would be something like, "oh my gosh, with this mirror you can see everything! I have so much hair on my face!" It was like showing a mirror to a cave man for the first time.


After the excitement from the mirror was over, they started talking excitedly to each other in Nepali. They said to me, "Rachel, you wear sari!" Then they swiveled on their heels and were gone down the hall. They came back a minute later with a red sari, a box of jewely and makeup.
Oh boy.
It was a makeover whirlwind. I was their Barbie and they were playing dress up, and loving it. They feverishly wrapped the sari around me. Ashmita methodically wrapped the beautiful piece of fabric around my body, then Sankantala tugged at it, giving it the finishing touches. Ashmita went to work on my makeup as Sankantala put bangles around my wrists. My hair was French braided so quickly it made my head spin. A red decorative rope-like ornament was placed at the end of my braid, typically used for occassions such as weddings. I was totally decked out. They stood back to admire their work. They looked so proud. Then they started hopping around, saying "camera!, camera!"

They asked me "Why you not married, Rachel?" It's hard for them to comprehend why I'm unmarried at the ripe old age of 30. I just shrug my shoulders, knowing it's too complicated to explain to them with their limited English. The typical age for a female to get married in Nepal is 17-20. Males are usually mid to late 20's. My host mom says Ashmita will be married in 2 years, at the age of 19. She will choose the man Ashmita marries. I couldn't imagine...
From the minute I arrived, I instantly felt at home with my host family. They genuinely made me feel like I was part of the family and I enjoyed every minute I spent with them. They treated me with so much respect, making sure I was always comfortable. I'm going to miss them, but I know I'll be going home to a family I love... when I decide to go home.....