After a short plane flight from Delhi, we arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal. Immediately I had a great feeling about this portion of the trip. Nepal was already like nothing we'd experienced. Even the airport was unique to this place: it was wooden and homey, and on the way to customs hung little banners that read, "Relax, you're in Nepal!" Reading a message like that was an incredible contrast to the chaotic and hectic streets of India that we had become so used to.

We wandered through the cobble-stone streets, passing shops filled with wool sweaters, silver jewelry, singing bowls, and hiking gear . Reluctantly, we resisted the urge to shop and continued on towards Freak Street where we would find our hostel, Monumental Paradise. I don't know if I'd call it paradise, but it was pretty awesome having a clean, nice place to sleep, especially after our long bus ride from Dharamsala, our one-night stay in Amritsar, the overnight train to Delhi, and the flight to Kathmandu. We were definitely exhausted and happy to be in Nepal. 

The next morning we had time to explore. Aside from the really interesting blend of Asian and Western architecture, the many shops, Durbar Square, and the collection of small temples, there was so much to see in the back alleys: men playing cards in tiny, dark rooms, little sewing stores, a multitude of hole-in-the-wall butcher shops--raw meat laying out on slabs of wood, piles of bones in metal buckets. 

Later, we all met up to go to the Monkey Temple. After climbing up what seemed like hundreds of insanely steep stairs, we arrived at the top. It was a beautiful view: mountains surrounding the unique urban landscape of Kathmandu, monkeys climbing in trees all around you, and the sound of the "Om mani pad me hum" chant playing from the little souvenir shops . 

The next day, we visited the Royal Palace, which was not really what I expected it to be. Rather than a grand, old, lavish palace with extravagant, ornamental decoration, it felt more like an old person's house from the mid 1960s: wood paneling, pastel colors, low curtains,and floral bed spreads. What did stand out, though, was the abundance of rhino foot end-tables, deer hoof candlesticks, and tiger rugs. The most insane part was how in 2001 the royal family was murdered, and the building the massacre took place in was torn down, leaving the property with a very eerie, haunting vibe. We had heard the prince killed his family in a drunken rage, but later, our homestay contact, Jeevan, told us that no one wants to admit it, and it's considered a national secret. 

Our next stop was the Great Stupa of Bodhinath, which is considered one of the most important places of pilgrimage for Buddhists. Today it towers above a small Tamang village, established by Tibetan refugees in the 1960s. 

Our final stop before we got to the village was the Pashupatinath Hindu Temple . Running parallel to the temple is the Bhagmati River. On the banks of the river, cremations are performed, and the ashes are swept into the water. It was not only shocking, but truly disturbing to walk past these burning bundles of bodies covered with firewood and hay, to breathe in the yellow smoke that billowed from them, to be showered with the ash that the wind picked up...What struck me most was how casual of an affair this was. People were just walking past the cremations like it was nothing. I couldn't help but think about death and how much of a reoccurring theme it seems to be in these countries. In Thailand, India, and Nepal, death is an open topic of conversation. For the most part, it is not feared; it is a natural part of the cycle of life. During the meditation retreat in India, we were taught that Buddhists try to not have an aversion to death. They try to accept and embrace it. While that is an easy concept to understand, it's a whole other story when that concept is staring you in the face. In a way, the burning bodies along the Bhagmati river were a physical manifestation of the idea that death is a natural part of life, and that life goes on . It made the differences in how our cultures treat death abundantly clear.  

As disturbing as it was, I'm grateful for these intense experiences, and at the end of the day, putting yourself in uncomfortable situations is a huge part of taking a gap year, and the fact that we are all experiencing this together makes it incredibly special. 

Ellie

When we arrived at the village school, a group of teachers and children were waiting eagerly to welcome us. They put rice and vermilion on our foreheads and long necklaces of flowers around our necks. They gave speeches welcoming us, we gave speeches thanking them, and then we were assigned to our homestay families. We all scattered to our homes away from home, some of which were a 45 minute walk away! 

One interesting thing about the lives of the villagers is the schedule they follow for meals: tea and biscuits for breakfast at 6:30 or 7 AM, lunch at 9:30 AM of dal bhat (kind of like lentil soup over rice) and vegetable curry, a snack of tea and curry at 1 PM, more tea at 5 PM, and dinner of dal bhat and curry at 7:30 or 8 PM . They cook all their meals over an open fire inside their houses, so it can get quite smoky inside. They also serve you mountains of food, mercilessly heaping your plate until you physically cannot keep eating. They are an amazingly hospitable, kind, and welcoming people.

During the day, we all hiked back to the school for our service project. We painted the classrooms and the outside of the school a cheery sky blue color. We also built a fence, repaired a broken fence, and leveled ground. When we had some extra time at the end, we painted a mural on the school as well. 

It was truly a blessing to have the opportunity to work and spend time in such a beautiful place. The view from the schoolyard over the Kathmandu Valley and the Langtang mountain range was absolutely breathtaking. Terraced landscapes and fields of yellow flowers dotted the hills, and villages sprawled impossibly high up the mountains. The craggy, snow-covered Langtangs towered above the clouds. It almost looked as if the mountains were floating above the sky. At night, the city lights twinkling in the valley looked like stars, and it seemed as if there were stars beneath the mountains. 

Claire