What is it about Nepal?

I’m sitting on a rooftop in Boudhanath, Kathmandu.  Tibetan prayer flags blow in every direction.  Though the sounds of motorcycles, the hum of electric tuk tuks, barking of dogs, honking of every kind of vehicle, children playing are amidst, it is the deep echoes of Buddhist chants on speakers from a nearby monastery that resound the most.

I’ve been in Nepal for a week; we are scheduled to stay yet another week.  Nepal had not been on the top of my list of destinations.  It was Maya’s vision that brought me here.  What was it about Nepal?  She surely was drawn to the Indian culture upon our trip to India in 2014.  She fell in love when we visited a girls’ residential school called Binipani.  Maya was just 13 ½ at that time.  When she was 14 years old, she read a book that took place in Nepal.  She had always been a book vacuum.  Many books didn’t even make it on her “reading lists” as she always read well beyond the requirements.  I had known that she read a book that moved her deeply about the treatment of girls in Nepal.  It took us a while to find the book; and we finally did.  I found “Sold,” so hard to read.  The story was horrific; I cannot imagine how our profoundly empathic Maya had coped with the images, culture and feelings.  It is the story of far too many girls; one would be too much.  This is what had motivated Maya to graduate from high school in three years, and come to this country as soon as possible to be of service.  She had a vision to stop the sexual trafficking that is so prevalent here.  So here I am.  Along with twelve others, some who knew Maya and other who did not.  For a variety of reasons, we all felt moved to go on this journey.  And a journey, it is.

I have Maya with me always.  Did she leave some of her cells in my body from carrying her for nine months?  I know that she left her heart with me, and took a big part of my heart with her.  What part of me has my own lens on?  What part is that of Maya’s?  What part is my work?  And what is hers?  What does it mean to be doing work in Maya’s name?  I continue to carry Maya.

I am challenged to find the thread of this very rich tapestry to share.  There is so much, so very, very much!  With my mind swirling, the best that I can express is a few moments from this intense time:

• The light in the eyes of the children at Khushi Ghar, a home that is run by the Himalayan Children’s Charities (a nonprofit that we love). We’ve had a couple of visits so far.  And will have another long day tomorrow, visiting children in more remote regions.  This organization does life changing work.  There is so much work to be done!
• I feel my loss so deeply. I can only imagine the loss that these children live with.
• I’ve been greatly disturbed by learning of the tradition of “Kumari”. These are living goddesses.  Girls are chosen at a young age and are revered until they menstruate.  During those years, she does not interact with anyone but family, lives in a dark area of a palace and cannot put her feet on the ground.
• Thanks to seven-year old, Jonah, we discovered a “Singing Bowl” shop. At first, it was simply fun, watching the water bubble as the bowls resonated.    If our bodies are 70% fluid, what would happen with the singing bowls vibration on our bodies?  I had a chance to experience the vibrations of the bowl on my head, and then later, throughout my body.  It was a transformational experience.
• The poverty is overwhelming.
• The kindness of new friends is overwhelming, too.
• Monkeys, monkeys, monkey! “Maya” and “monkey” will be synonymous forever.
• Being among so people of so many different cultures.
• Worshipping and spiritual practice to me seems to be the glue that keeps this society together. Temples, shrines, Stupas are everywhere.  They are alive with people at all hours of the day and night.

I am trying to make sense of it all.  What is my work?  What is our work?  For now, I will end from where I began.  With the prayer flags blowing, prayer wheels spinning and chanting in the background.

(Due to technical difficulties, I’ll post photos at another time.)