TODAY is my last day as a Nepali Peace Corps Volunteer. I went to the office and had my ID card punched through with a hole. I am free...
Here is a journal entry from exactly one week ago in my village:
10/21/16
Today I was honored at the District Office (Alital VDC, Dadeldhura, Nepal) for my 2 years of service. Sir told me to arrive at 12:30pm, so I did. Then I had to be patient and wait through a 2.5 hour meeting about indicators that the government had set for our VDC. The Female Community Health Volunteers talked about how many households reported on the different indicators. Honestly, I was 1/2 sleeping through most of it. Then, sir talked about me. I busted out the video recorder on my phone like a true narcissist and took in the love. He talked about how I went home two times. Once after the earthquake and once for my brother Nathan's wedding. He mentioned how I walked all over the VDC for my job and worked in the food security sector. He mentioned how I selected mother's groups and did a mushroom project, about how I helped my family and about the 3 goals of Peace Corps. I also held an English class and was not allowed on motorcycles. I don't like motorcycles anyways, so that was OK with me. Sigh...parting is such sweet sorrow.
I tried to teach many people in my village about how to grow vegetables, trees, etc., but if there is one thing that Nepalis' know how to do it's grow a lover. Grow a person that is focused on family, protecting each other, loving each other and hands down, pitching in anything you can do to help a friend or family member carry out his or her dream. Friends literally are family here. I am leaving feeling like dreams can come true.
I miss my family and the winds of change are calling me home. I've been blessed to have the freedom to dance by the rhythm of my own soul and share my dance with others. To those who listened carefully enough to my messed up, backwards Nepali-I touched. I understood that many of them might not have been able to receive my language, so I tried to do acts of service such as giving and planting trees.
If I were to measure my success the way Peace Corps tries to do it (measurements like how many people did you teach x, y, and z to), it would not be accurate. Just yesterday, I went to see how many trees were still surviving after we planted them at the school and about 3 of the 20 are still there. One got ripped out because a kitchen was built, many of them didn't get watered during the dry season, etc, etc. This is not my success.
My success and privilege was time. Time to open my hands and heart. Time to have countless glasses of tea with friends. Time to observe:
1. 3 successful litters of kittens born by my sweet sweet cat June.
2. 2 monsoon seasons which came with different diseases every time. The first year I got erythema nodosum and couldn't walk. I was hospitalized for a week on IV antibiotics. The second year I got two gnarly infections. One on my hand and one on my toe.
3. 2 MANGO seasons! Yum
4. 5 visitis and 3 swims in my village's sacred lake named "Alital". Trekkers welcome!
5. 3 visits from honored guests of the office. Two from the country director, one from our director of programing and training, and one from a government inspector general right after the earthquake (who I was assuming would be super intimidating but was actually very kind, balanced and receptive to feedback.)
6. 3-5 memorable pig meat feasting events. One was a wedding, others were at my neighbor friend's house where it was always accompanied by local rice wine, beer, or vodka.
What do I go home to? I have been showing pictures of my family to everyone here. Thanks to my mom, I have 2 beautiful Christmas cards that I've been carrying around. I told people in my speech today that I am going home for them.
Here is the rest of my speech...
As this chapter in my book comes to a close, I can only imagine, and am lucky to have the gift of imagining the future. Wherever I walk, I hope there are gardens, wildflowers and the sound of crickets.
"For this is what America is all about. It is the uncrossed desert and the unclimbed ridge. It is the star that is not reached and the harvest sleeping in the unplowed ground. Is our world gone? We say "farewell". Is a new world coming? We welcome it." - Lyndon B. Johnson
Here is a journal entry from exactly one week ago in my village:
10/21/16
Today I was honored at the District Office (Alital VDC, Dadeldhura, Nepal) for my 2 years of service. Sir told me to arrive at 12:30pm, so I did. Then I had to be patient and wait through a 2.5 hour meeting about indicators that the government had set for our VDC. The Female Community Health Volunteers talked about how many households reported on the different indicators. Honestly, I was 1/2 sleeping through most of it. Then, sir talked about me. I busted out the video recorder on my phone like a true narcissist and took in the love. He talked about how I went home two times. Once after the earthquake and once for my brother Nathan's wedding. He mentioned how I walked all over the VDC for my job and worked in the food security sector. He mentioned how I selected mother's groups and did a mushroom project, about how I helped my family and about the 3 goals of Peace Corps. I also held an English class and was not allowed on motorcycles. I don't like motorcycles anyways, so that was OK with me. Sigh...parting is such sweet sorrow.
I tried to teach many people in my village about how to grow vegetables, trees, etc., but if there is one thing that Nepalis' know how to do it's grow a lover. Grow a person that is focused on family, protecting each other, loving each other and hands down, pitching in anything you can do to help a friend or family member carry out his or her dream. Friends literally are family here. I am leaving feeling like dreams can come true.
I miss my family and the winds of change are calling me home. I've been blessed to have the freedom to dance by the rhythm of my own soul and share my dance with others. To those who listened carefully enough to my messed up, backwards Nepali-I touched. I understood that many of them might not have been able to receive my language, so I tried to do acts of service such as giving and planting trees.
If I were to measure my success the way Peace Corps tries to do it (measurements like how many people did you teach x, y, and z to), it would not be accurate. Just yesterday, I went to see how many trees were still surviving after we planted them at the school and about 3 of the 20 are still there. One got ripped out because a kitchen was built, many of them didn't get watered during the dry season, etc, etc. This is not my success.
My success and privilege was time. Time to open my hands and heart. Time to have countless glasses of tea with friends. Time to observe:
1. 3 successful litters of kittens born by my sweet sweet cat June.
2. 2 monsoon seasons which came with different diseases every time. The first year I got erythema nodosum and couldn't walk. I was hospitalized for a week on IV antibiotics. The second year I got two gnarly infections. One on my hand and one on my toe.
3. 2 MANGO seasons! Yum
4. 5 visitis and 3 swims in my village's sacred lake named "Alital". Trekkers welcome!
5. 3 visits from honored guests of the office. Two from the country director, one from our director of programing and training, and one from a government inspector general right after the earthquake (who I was assuming would be super intimidating but was actually very kind, balanced and receptive to feedback.)
6. 3-5 memorable pig meat feasting events. One was a wedding, others were at my neighbor friend's house where it was always accompanied by local rice wine, beer, or vodka.
What do I go home to? I have been showing pictures of my family to everyone here. Thanks to my mom, I have 2 beautiful Christmas cards that I've been carrying around. I told people in my speech today that I am going home for them.
Here is the rest of my speech...
My time here in Alital is coming to a close, but the memories I have made will last me a lifetime. I will never forget all of you and how you have stood behind me and helped me in every endeavor I have undertaken. In the US, I worked as a Veterinary Technician for 5 years. I woke up around 11am, went to work at 3pm, and came home around 2am. I wore the same uniform every day and was part of a machine. I slept, and repeated the cycle everyday. I got bored. I came here to experience something new, to help contribute to the community, to learn your culture, and to teach my own. Each day has been different. Sometimes I would plan something, and have that plan not work, so I would try plan B, if that didn’t work, there was a plan C. The day did not always go as I had originally planned, but I think I accomplished what I came here to do. I can say that the past two years have been the best two years of my life that I can remember so far. It is hard to walk away from that, so I won’t say good bye, but see you again soon.
Take your friend’s, lover, partner’s hand in strength, love, and peace. Love can save the wold.
Thank you for making me feel welcome. To see my soul look towards the moon. You have made my heart like a diamond.
Namascar
________________
"For this is what America is all about. It is the uncrossed desert and the unclimbed ridge. It is the star that is not reached and the harvest sleeping in the unplowed ground. Is our world gone? We say "farewell". Is a new world coming? We welcome it." - Lyndon B. Johnson
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