Welcome Dinner, Monkey Temple, Tea & Sunsets

Yesterday was our busiest day so far (and, also, our worst day of jet lag...go figure). We spent the morning learning some of the Nepali language and then took a bus trip to Nagarkot to have lunch and watch the sun set over the mountains. Much to our disappointment, the skies refused to clear, and we were unable to see the range. Bummer. The night got better, though, as we moved on to our official welcome dinner. We were served a traditional Nepalese meal consisting of multiple courses of delicious food. The momos were my favorite (they only served us three and I wanted some mo ;-) A group of musicians provided us with some great Nepali music while dancers performed some traditional folk dances. It was a great time to relax and enjoy some Nepali culture!

Today we had a class on Nepali culture and then visited a monkey temple. It was such a beautiful place! We were allowed to go into the temple to a room filled with monks who were sitting around a low table chanting to the striking of drums. We took our shoes off and silently walked around the room (clockwise). The whole place was vibrating to the sound of their voices and the drums, and it left everyone in a state of awe. It was such an incredible feeling and one of the neatest experiences I have ever had.

After our busy day of classes and site seeing, Rachel and I climbed to the rooftop of our guesthouse to relax with a pot of milk tea while we watched the sun set over the Himalayas. Kathmandu is in a valley and most of the time I have been here it has been difficult to get a good view of the hills/mountains. Today, though, was an exceptionally clear day, and we were blessed with a gorgeous view. It is such an incredible feeling to look out everywhere around you and be surrounded by mountains. The sun poured over them in a sparkling gold color that can be captured by neither words nor pictures. This country is so beautiful. As I reflect, I cannot help but see the juxtaposition between this beauty and the poverty here. As I look out at this country, there were unbelievable views--gorgeous mountains and buildings--a panorama of scenery that takes my breath away. Then, looking directly in front of me, within arm's length, is a hill strewn with trash and debris, is a street of decrepit buildings and shacks serving as houses for families, is a dirty three-year-old boy with a screaming 4-week-old baby in his arms begging for money. It doesn't make sense. Such beauty and such disrepair. Such awesomeness and such sadness. It is a hard thing for me to wrap my mind around. Yet I see that even in the most poverty-stricken areas, there is beauty to be found--beauty in a little boy, laying in the dirt next to his shack drawing in a notebook; beauty in kids playing and laughing no matter the place; beauty in the people who work so hard all of the time--chopping wood, fixing roads, fixing houses, washing clothes, always doing something. Most of the people here are so kind, so hard-working, so servant-minded--so beautiful.