Aftermath

They say that adjusting when you come home is more difficult than dealing with the culture shock of arriving somewhere new.

 

I came home in the wake of the April 25th earthquake disaster after spending over five months immersed in Nepalese culture.

The selfish part of me is upset that this overshadowed so many memories, but I won't let it mar my otherwise extremely positive and life-changing experience.

There's so much here that I don't understand anymore, and there's even more that I can't even begin to explain to people.

It's beyond devastating when a place that has so little suffers so greatly - it's just not fair.  But one of the silver linings was seeing the nature of this culture really shine.  The people of Nepal are the most generous and community oriented I have ever met.  They were surprisingly calm in the midst of an ongoing disaster, and everyone was so giving even when, by our skewed Western standards, they "don't have much".  I have a new understanding and appreciation for what "much" is, and what is truly important.

I've had the chance to connect with others who were in Nepal at the same time, and with those who have visited the country at other times.  My Nepali family is staying positive all the time, and I'm consistently astonished at their resiliency.

I feel guilty that I got to leave.  I feel guilty that everyone was giving us food and water, when no one knew if the disaster was going to continue and how low supplies were running.  I feel guilty that I survived probably because I lived in a wealthier area of the city with stronger structures.  I feel guilty that I'm able to come home to Canada where we have top rate health care and housing, while there are still so many who don't have homes or access to adequate health care.

I am grateful that the earthquake happened on a Saturday morning, a day where no one was in school, and many, many people were outside.  This is the one saving grace that prevented so many other lives from being lost.  I am grateful for being in a place where the people were so calm and non-violent.  I am grateful that everyone I knew there survived.

You've seen all the photos of destruction and horrific injury and death in the news, so I thought I'd share some of my favourite photos of these beautiful places from a happy time, many of which are no longer standing.

Monastery at Swayambunath

Swayambunath (Monkey Temple)

Mustard Fields

Ganesh Himal

Namobuddha Monastery

Panauti

Bhaktapur

Nagarkot

Sankhu

Some of the children of Sanga-Sangai School

Fewa Lake in Pokhara

Pokhara

Daal Bhat and Curry

Champadevi

Holi Celebration in Basantapur Durbar Square

Garden of Dreams

Pashupatinath

Lumbini

Trek to Everest

Everest Base Camp

Moon Over Kathmandu

Sanga-Sangai School is still standing, though the inside of the building has suffered severe damage, and is no longer safe to be in.  Rajesh Shahi is the wonderful man who runs Sanga-Sangai.  I had the
honour of working with him and his organization for the duration of my stay.  As it was for the last 6 years, Sanga-Sangai worked as a preparation for government school for children who are at the highest risk for ending up on the street.  They also occasionally sponsored community health programs when funds were available.  Rajesh has shared his dream of expanding Sanga-Sangai to sponsor more children and offer health and literacy programs for adults as well.  With enough support Sanga-Sangai School can be rebuilt, and can offer much more than before.  This is a positive that can come out of this tragedy.

Please consider donating.  Even a small amount can help more than you know.

Visit http://www.givengain.com/cause/2064/ to securely donate now.  You can also visit http://sangasangai.org.np/ for more information on the school and its programs.

Sometimes destruction gives us an opportunity to build anew, from scratch.