8 weeks have come and gone.

I just completed my last week in Nepal.
As today, I have officially been in Nepal for 8 weeks. Crazy!
This week in the hospital I spent time in the Radiology Department. It's been extremely interesting thus far. Two days I've spent in the ultrasound room, watching numerous ultrasounds on different parts of the body, even the BRAIN! Wednesday, we spent time in the office looking at CTs and X-Rays while the radiologist wrote the reports for each individual case. I went into this week thinking that radiology would be somewhat boring, but I've actually enjoyed it a lot, and learned so much already! Radiology is a part of medicine that I never thought about perusing, but after this week it might be something I have to look into.
Wednesday afternoon I made the decision to go with two of the volunteers (Sindhu and Suku) to the villages to do a day of volunteering. We hopped on a bus bound for Devghat around 3pm. Since it was afternoon, and it being monsoon season and all, it was pouring rain extremely heavily. About 30km outside of Kathmandu, our driver was going way too fast, passed a car on the wrong side, struggled to gain control due to the ruts in the road, hit a rock our tire blew out and the bus tipped and slid along the road, into a ditch. No one was injured, PRAISE GOD, and other than a few bruises and a little bit of shock I'm okay. Frankly, that was one of the scariest moments of my life. It was all a blur when it was happening and I can't even remember the moment I realized we were crashing. I fell out of my seat onto the floor and grabbed on to another seat to prevent falling down onto the window that was sliding onto the road. I was in the back row, and the windshield behind me was completely shattered. As soon as the bus stopped moving I remember standing up, making sure my friends were okay, and then calmly asking the mother that was sitting in front of me if she and her baby were okay. Then I proceeded to climb out of the bus, and was assisted by two men to jump down from the side of the bus that was now facing upwards. Once I stepped back and took a look at the bus, I was overcome with emotion- and began uncontrollably crying. Partially out of fear, partially out of pure joy and amazement that we weren't dead. Since we were all quite shaken up, we were able to catch another bus, and we came back to the city. 
Just another experience in Nepal that has taught me how truly blessed I am. 

Our bus in the ditch

Our bus in the ditch, another view

I've spent the last view days doing some last minute shopping, and just relaxing with my friends here in Nepal. In my opinion it's an excellent way to end such an amazing journey here in Nepal. 

I head home for the states tomorrow morning (Nepal time), and arrive to Chicago Saturday evening (Chicago time). Once I'm settled back in Nebraska, I'll write a follow-up post, to the amazing 8 weeks I've spent here in Nepal.

It's the final countdown...

It's been awhile since my last post, so sorry about that! 

I just returned from a little "retreat" in Pokhara, Nepal (about 200km from Kathmandu). I spent a few calming days there, a much needed break. It lies in the more mountainous region of Nepal. I was even able to see the Himalayas early one morning and as I was leaving on the bus, beautiful!

Himalayas

I was able to go and see Devi's Falls, a beautiful waterfall in Pokhara as well as the Gupteshwor Mahadev Gupha Cave. 

Devi's Falls

Staircase down to the Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave

Not only that but I took a beautiful boat ride across the Fewa River, to the base of the "hill" that leads up to the World Peace Pagoda/Stupa. After steep, rocky 1.25 km trek up the hill I arrived at the Peace Pagoda, which was truly beautiful and a very calming and moving experience.

                                          Fewa Lake                                      

World Peace Pagoda

Overall, Pokhara was an amazing retreat from the noise and pollution of Kathmandu, and an excellent way to kick off the last two weeks of my time here in Nepal. 

Fewa River

Friday I completed the four weeks that I spent shadowing and assisting the resident unit at Kanti. It was a bittersweet goodbye, because although I'm excited to be in a new part of the hospital for the last two weeks, I learned so much from them and formed relationships with the group, that I will definitely miss them.

I can't believe I have less than two weeks left here in Nepal. In just 10 days I will be boarding a plane and headed back to the United States. I'm so excited to be back home! A big part of my experience here in Nepal has been learning to be okay with the choices I make. This journey and time here in Nepal is my own, and I don't have to worrying about pleasing others, I just have to do what's best for me and what makes me happy. Because even if I've spent afternoons in my room reading or journaling or watching the world go by out my window, it's still an experience because I'm in Nepal. Every moment is an experience, one that I won't have anywhere else, and being able to remember and hold on to that has been a life-saver here in Nepal, especially as I cling for comfort. Whenever you travel, you open yourself up to something new- a new place, a new culture, a new opportunity. And of course, having traveled to many places in the United States, I already knew this (to a certain extent). But let me tell you- going 8,000 miles away from home, crossing the ocean, and taking on my first abroad experience alone, has definitely been a challenge. Especially the first week, when I had it all planned out to change my plane ticket and fly home a month early. And now, that seems crazy, because I would of been gone by now. I wouldn't of had the chance to have some of the hospital experiences I have, I wouldn't have been able to see some new parts of Kathmandu and Nepal, and I wouldn't have these last moments to soak in everything about Nepal- the culture, the people, the hospital and most of all the lessons.
The countdown is officially on. See you in 11 days, America. 

Whoa, we're halfway there! Whoa, livin' on a prayer!

It's official. I'm halfway through this crazy adventure in Nepal. In some ways it seems like just yesterday I hopped off a plane- tired, confused and a tad grumpy to start my journey here. In other ways it feels like I've been here for months! I have learned so much about Nepal, myself and life and I thought the halfway point would be an excellent time to share some of my wisdom. 

** Keep in mind, some of these are more serious than others. :) 

1. Always pack toilet paper when traveling to a foreign country.
2. And Kleenex. 
3. I have an extremely blessed life. And it's nice to be reminded of that. 
4. Children have hearts of gold, and imaginations as big as the sky- let them explore and be themselves, unapologetically. 
5. Patience is something that is best learned in times of hardship. 
6. Always bring your rain jacket, you never know when you'll get caught in a rain storm. 
7. However, make sure you dance in rain... It makes life more fun!
8. Don't forget to breathe. 
9. Live your life day-by-day, that's all one can do. You can't predict or control the future. 
10. Don't apologize for your emotions, but don't let them dictate your life. 
11. God will challenge you, let him, it only strengthens you spiritually. 
12. Eat more rice- it helps the digestive system and makes you feel fuller than other foods. (Plus you don't have much of a choice when you're in Nepal, ha!)
13. Don't take the little things for granted, you'll miss them more than you think. 
14. You're never too old to call your mommy. 
15. It will become clear who your true friends are, when they still make the effort to talk to you even when you're 10 hours and 45 minutes ahead of their time zone. 
16. Pray often and honestly. 
17. I have the best support system ever. Thanks for the prayers guys! 
18. There's no place like home. 
19. But try to make a home wherever the wind takes you. 
20. Dare to make a difference. Dare to see the good in people. Dare to see the good in you. 

This is just a snippet of all I've learned, but definitely some of the more important lessons that have become clear to me. I'm sure this next month will fly by, and sooner than I know it I'll be back in the United States, and headed off to my junior year of college (wow that sounds weird). But for now I'm living day-by-day, praying often and having the time of my life here in Nepal. 

It's paying off in more ways than one that's for sure.