A Reawakening
Yesterday morning as the plane circled over the Himalayas, preparing to land at the Kathmandu International Airport, my heart began to race with excitement. After five months of being in the US working on things with Saprinu, I was moments away from being back in Nepal, a place I call my home. As I sat in the back of the taxi headed home from the airport, I began to sweat. Dust was flying as the monsoon has officially come to an end. The sounds and smells of Kathmandu were something I had come to miss dearly.
My first day back, a friend and I found a beautiful home, just a bit outside the congestion of the main city. Our new neighborhood is filled with greenery, clear mountain views, roaming cows and a perfect space for our garden. We plan to create a space where friends, and volunteers can come to stay. It will be a space where all of us will live together, cook, eat, garden, create, practice yoga, enjoy one another and much more.
All in the same day we found a wonderful office space just a 20-minute bike ride from our home. I’ve been back in Nepal for about 36 hours and the blessing have been many. I woke early this morning to go for a walk and reconnect with my surroundings, and feel incredibly grateful. As I meandered down winding lanes, I was quickly reminded of what I missed so much about Nepal. In a big way people in Nepal live their lives outside their homes, offices, and cars. Outdoor spaces are bursting with life everywhere you turn, in the markets shopping for daily vegetables, riding public buses, working in their gardens, spending time with friends while sipping tea at the local pissal, walking to and from school and work, the list goes on.
As I woke this morning it was as though all my senses were being reawakened. I woke to the sounds of birds chirping, ringing bells and chanting by mothers and grandmothers during their daily worship, children playing, bicycle bells and motorcycle horns honking. It was a wonderful way to start the day!
This time of year Nepal is painted a brilliant green as the rice patties have had a long monsoon season enabling them to flourish. I walked a bit further and stopped outside a small spice shop to take in the intoxicating aroma of freshly ground turmeric and cumin, two spices found in almost every Nepali dish. I ended up sitting under a tree to gaze upon the terraced farmland, and grazing cows. At that very moment I would have wished to be nowhere else in the world. I appreciate and love Nepal for countless reasons. I realized finding the beauty in the small things is so important, that is if we choose to open our eyes to what is often times right in front of us!
Love & light,
Brooke
