From Travelling to Explore to Travelling with a Purpose

Saying goodbye to the team and reflections from the Trek

On 7th December we had to say goodbye to Vi as she was leaving to the US that afternoon. I hope I get to do another trek with Vi. For a nomad like me, it is much easier to do something like this. It is a completely different ball game for someone like Vi who has a family with 2 kids back in the US waiting to see her everyday while we were in the village. I admire her commitment and generosity.

Over the next few days, the 4 of us (Linh, Lani, Danyo and I) decided to see a bit of Nepal by hiring a private car and heading towards Pokhara. On the way we visited Manokamna temple and on return from Pokhara we stayed for a night in Bandipur. The places we visited were beautiful and the times we spent together were memorable and allowed us to bond even further. I feel blessed to have met these 3 people in my life. Each of them are so much fun to hang out with but also so driven and committed to be part of this movement to support education. Danyo and I also share common interests such as electronic music. He is a DJ. Linh and I can talk for hours on philosophical topics. Lani is always fun to hang out with. I really hope we get to do another trek together and I really hope the 3 of us (Linh, Danyo and I) make it to Banjariya one day and visit our family there.

So now that it is all over, wait it is not over yet.. I am still fundraising for the SchoolInNepal project to support the adult literacy program. Given I have first hand experience of the situation in the village I cant stress enough how crucial this program is to the village especially women in the village whose husbands are away from home for work – this is the most common family situation in this village. If you feel like donating, here is the link to it.

https://act.buildon.org/SchoolinNepal

I also want to be part of many more school build projects in the future. This has been a life changing experience for me. Every choice or decision I am making these days reminds me of the village and forces me to change my perspectives on my needs and wants. I have been battling internally on what to do next with my career. When I look at someone like Aaron, it is inspiring and makes you want to take up a similar job but then I know it is not easy to be like Aaron – it involves many sacrifices. When I look at my life journey to date, my strengths, my experience that I can build up on… I feel like I can make the most impact by doing what I do best, making money, being responsible with my spending, giving back whenever I can, being more loving and genuinely empathetic, spreading awareness.

I think from here I will never be the same.. I cant wait to do another school build project. I look forward to raising funds again and being part of another great team like the one I was part of in Nepal, making new profound memories, building new relationships, seeing many kids smile, seeing them learn, making a difference.