What is and what was...

I leave for Nepal on September 14th, 2013, that is also my mom's birthday and a mere 15 days after I graduate from OCOM. I feel like things are getting down to the wire and I'm dedicating August to guerrilla fundraising techniques (think of me standing on street corners heckling and wearing shirts saying things like "how would you like to help Nepal?").

As the departure date creeps in I find myself reminiscing on my previous travels in Nepal. As many of you may know, I spent three months in Nepal in 2009 volunteering at Harka Self-Sustaining Orphanage. The experience was profound and eye opening. This was the first time I spent a significant amount of time in a third-world country. I felt as though every experience was new and foreign. Squat toilets with a bucket of water to wipe with? Crazy! Throwing trash in a dry ditch and having it sit there until someone released a damn that flushed it away? Unsanitary! This created a challenge for me to throw anything away and put my trash output in perspective. If trash wasn't thrown in the ditch then it was burned, including plastics. I found myself horrified at first, then became habituated to what the masses were doing. I think habituation is necessary, as well as remembering little changes can make a huge difference. I couldn't change the trash disposal in an impoverished country, but I could make a difference for the kids I was spending three months with. This is what I told myself. I would love to write heaps of soliloquies about how wonderful and positive my time in Nepal was, which is true. But I would also like to write an honest account of a few of my experiences and how they tie into my next adventure in Nepal.

The kids at the orphanage: Almost all of them had some type of oozing boil, cut or infection, while sometimes simultaneously having profuse diarrhea. While I was overly concerned about these issues, more times than not, the kids never went to a doctor. Diarrhea for longer than a day would make me nervous about dehydration and eventual malnutrition with these kids. I used my first aid kit regularly to treat most puss-related situations and obsessively washed my hands. Only once did I see one of the children go to the hospital, the prospect terrified the kids. Despite these factors the kids were amazing, happy, adorable beings. 

I was fortunate enough to avoid illness during my stay, but the person I went to Nepal with got sick and had to go to the hospital for treatment of intestinal issues and a fever. Although I didn't go to the hospital with him, he returned home with a look of shock on his face and determination to get better so he wouldn't return to the hospital for blood work.

Lice! They were terrible and ran rampant. Somewhere along the way I got lice and it took returning home and several treatments of nasty smelling delousing shampoo to finally get rid of them. Needless to say, I'm very strongly considering shaving my head before I return. It was a traumatic and gross experience I never want to have again.

Transportation: One word- terrifying. I walked almost everywhere I could to avoid getting in a moving vehicle, but even that was scary. Cars, motorcycles, buses, people and livestock all roaming the streets in chaotic rhythms narrowly avoiding each other. There are two transportation options for travelers, the local bus or the tourist bus. In an effort to have an authentic experience and save money, we opted to take the overcrowded local buses over the luxurious looking tourist buses (with air-conditioning!). Local buses are brightly painted behemoth chunks of metal from an era before I was born. People are sitting, standing, leaning and hanging on each other to stay in the bus. When the inside is full people crawl on top of the bus, which is also where everything from live goats to luggage is haphazardly stored in a manner that looks as though it will fall off. It took hours to get anywhere and the locals endure this daily.

On a side note, a legal system is not entirely set up in Nepal. For example, if a bus driver hits you, said driver must pay for your care for the rest of your life. To avoid this, bus drivers will re-run over someone to ensure death. They would rather kill you than deal with your expense the rest of their life. Vehicular manslaughter is not a criminal offense, it happens. Often.

Staring and wardrobe: Being a white female, the Nepalese blatantly stared. It was awkward and uncomfortable, but I got used to it. Some of these people have never seen a white person before, much less someone who doesn't dress like them. Most women wear comfortably looking outfits of pants and a longer tunic style shirt or a sari. Seductive clothing including sleeveless tops, shorts, and skirts above the knee are inappropriate for women to wear, but I believe people mostly stared because I wore western clothing and staring isn't a social disgrace.

How does this tie into my next experience in Nepal? For starters, we'll be some of the first white people to spend time in this area of the country bringing strange needles and electronics. The challenges start before we even arrive. The packing list is short and succinct, aside from personal items, I have to bring up to 100 pounds of gear for the clinic. As a chronic over-packer, this means I have to keep my personal items in check. No extra clothing or shoes, no jeans, no laptop, and no books. Every ounce counts, the more personal items I bring the less I can carry for the clinic. Altruism starts with personal discomfort.

Aside from the mass amounts of gear and an incredibly long flight, we will have to schlep ourselves to a very remote area of the country. I hear tales that this clinic will have internet access, but I am skeptical. I anticipate periodic blackouts, cold cement buildings and an endless array of mountains. I've started preparing myself now for reduced distractions. We won't have a TV, cell phones, mail isn't reliable and contact with friends and family will be limited. The nearest town, which we will operate a satellite clinic is a few hours away.

During my time at the clinic, I'll be treating people 6 days a week and must also teach a class to the interpreters on bloodborne pathogens and clean needle technique. I am expected to treat over 15 patients a day, with the hopes of getting up to 20. Everyone who comes to the clinic is to receive treatment. More times than not these patients have walked for several hours to the clinic, despite whatever their ailment is. It would break my heart to see them walk away without any attention.

This is simply the beginning. Over the next few weeks before I leave, I will do my best to continue to inform everyone on how my preparations are going.

Here is the link to donate. Remember, all donations are tax deductible and go directly to the Acupuncture Relief Project! 

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Thank you for reading.