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Published: November 16th 2007
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I spent my last weekend in Nepal at Royal Chitwan National Park. This is at the Indian border and is a complete contrast from the Tibetan border. It is really warm and there are banana trees everywhere. The best part was sharing the streets with elephants. The elephants are the main mode of transportation here and are very tame and docile. We were able to ride them through the jungle and bath with them. On our ride in the jungle, we spotted four one-horned rhinos which are rare to see. We got within a few feet of them while safely riding the elephants. Next, we were taken on a canoe ride where we saw crockerdiles and some local birds. Afterwards, we went on a jungle tour and spotted some white monkeys and a variety of interesting insects. It was also really cool to just take a walk through the jungle. The grass was really tall and the forest was thick and lush. It was really realxing to walk through and hear all the exotic birds...which is much better than listening to the sound of squeeky tuk tuk horns.
After the weekend, my time in Nepal was at an end. It
makes me sad to leave Nepal behind because I truely fell in love with the country. Although my first impression came from my experience in Kathmandu, and was not a pleasant one, the city really grew on me. If you have a little patience and take the time to talk to the locals, you will see all it has to offer. The locals are just trying to make money during the peak trekking season. After their initial sales pitch, they really make an effort to get to know the tourists. They are very interested to find out where you are from, why you are in Nepal and what you think about their country. They are also really hard workers. They wake up about 5 am and immediately open their shops for buisness. The stores remain open until ~10:00 pm every night. The entire time they are standing outside their shops saying, "yes please...you want to buy...what do you want to pay...I give you good deal". I almost feel bad trying to bargin them down but that is the name of the game.
Out in the fields, the days are filled with planting and harvesting. It's amazing how much they
are able to carry on their backs and never complain about pain. Their lives are so difficult but simple and they seem truely content with that, which is more than I can say for people back home. It seems people in New York are always wanting more. They are never satisfied with what they have and always have to have something better than everyone else. In Nepal, people don't have the option to have a lot so they don't want or need anything more than just the necessities. There is no competition, only loyalty and friendship.
Nepali people are also very spiritual. They devote their whole life to their religion, whether it be Hinduism or Buddism. They go to the temples as often as they can, saying prayers and giving offerings. It's not like in the west, how you celebrate holidays and go to worship because that's what your religion tells you to do. They really feel their religion and their devotion comes from their hearts. Through worship and prayer, they try to receive good forture for themselves and their family, as well as ensure a better rebirth. Although I do not plan on changing my religion from Christianity,
I am very interested in Buddism and plan on incorporating some of the teachings I have learned into my life for a more simple and happy way of living.
Although I am taking a lot with me from my experience in Nepal, it feels good to have given a little back. Through volunteering, I have met so many wonderful people and feel good about being able to help them. In the hospital, I wasn't able to assist the nurses too much since I am not a registered nurse yet. But it was nice to just be there with the patients, nurses and doctors. They all wanted to know every detail about me and my life in America. Then they would tell me about themselves and their family. They seemed happy just to have a simple conversation and learn about the world through the volunteers.
Nepal is such a beautiful country and I am very happy to have visited it though the volunteer program. Besides meeting the wonderful Nepali people, I also met so many nice volunteers which truely made my time here amazing.
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Raina
non-member comment
Our country isn't that bad...well, the coast are maybe.
Your comments about Nepal really made me think of the center of our country. If you have never been you really should spend some time here. Many of the people here are like those in Nepal. Their lives are also quite difficult always trying to make ends meet, but it is this simple life that they lead with acceptance that makes them seem truly content and at peace with the world around them. I agree with you about people in New York. The coasts are very different from the rest of the country, though. Come spend some time with us in Tennessee and you will see. As in Nepal, out here in the fields, the days are filled with planting and harvesting where there is no competition, only loyalty and friendship. Everyone really and truly looks out for everyone else. It's like being part of a huge loving family...even if most of the people are complete strangers. The people here are also very spiritual. They devote their whole life to their religion and unfortunatly get a very bad rap for doing so. They go to the temples and churches as often as they can, saying prayers and giving offerings while the rest of the country refers to them as extreme-Christians. If only they would take the time to meet them and get to know them. It's really sad.... I absolutely LOVED your photos with the elephants!! They are my FAVORITE!! I wish I could have ridden with you on one and pet a little baby elephant. So sweet!! Everest sounded absolutely amazing! Your descriptions really made me feel like I was right there with you!!! Thank you for that!