It’s Moments Like These

Posted on January 30, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“When you stop doing things for fun you might as well be dead.”

There are teens and adults behind me playing a fast moving game of football, there are children in front of me playing badminton, and beside me, there is a very sweet fourth grader serenading me with Nepali and English songs in her beautiful voice. It is one of those surreal moments where time stops because you realize that everything is perfect. The sun is beating down on the field, the children are laughing and playing, and a small girl is holding hands your hand while singing to you.

The Hopeful Home: A Typical Day

Posted on January 29, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“When we are young, we don’t take anything too seriously. But slowly, this set of daily rituals becomes solidified, and takes us over. We like to complain, but we are reassured by the fact that each day is more or less like every other.”

6h00-6h30: Wake up! I usually write or read a bit in the mornings while the children are getting out of bed.

6h30-8h30: Homework time. Many of the children, predominately the younger ones, use this time to finish up homework, while some of the others use this time to sleep in as others draw or clean.

8h30: Breakfast, which always consists of rice and dal. Normally the dal (which is a broth with a few lentils) has chickpeas in it and occasionally pumpkin or potatoes. I then do the dishes as the
children put on their uniforms and gather their books.

The Hopeful Home: An Introduction

Posted on January 28, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“Meaning is not something you stumble across, like an answer to a riddle or the prize in a treasure hunt. Meaning is something you build into your life.”

These children are artists, singers, dancers, football lovers, Nepalis, and students. They also happen to be orphans, though that is the last way I would think to describe them since they are so much more than that. There are sixteen children between the ages of seven and seventeen currently living in Hopeful Home, an orphanage in Kathmandu supported by two teachers (and their organization called Ten Friends) from my home town in Oregon. It is not an orphanage in the traditional sense (or at least not how I think of one) as many of these children still have mothers. Thought I don’t know all of their stories, many of the children have told me about their situations and there seems to be a bit of everything: some fathers left, others were murdered, and one committed suicide. Unfortunately it is still hard for women to work and support a family here, especially if they come from small villages (as most of these children do), so the children were sent here when they were young (normally between the ages of three and five) in order to be fed and given the opportunity to have an education. The ones with families see them once or twice a year during festivals, though they all seem to consider Hopeful Home and the community who lives here their real family.

What I Appreciate About The USA

Posted on January 26, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“Live, adventure, bless, travel and don’t be sorry.”

Everytime I leave Oregon I learn to appreciate it more. Where else can you ski, cycle, fish, sail, and run all in the same day? It is a beautiful state with wonderful people, and through my travels I have grown proud to call it home. Here is a list of things I appreciate about Oregon and the USA in general.

Living A Double Life

Posted on January 24, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“The journey itself is my home.”

It has been nearly two months since I have cycled, and it will be a few more until I start again. I say I am cycling around the world, but that simplistic answer really doesn’t capture my current lifestyle as the cycling only accounts for a a small part. I am also living, and living takes time.

Lumbini: The Birthplace of Lord Buddha

Posted on January 22, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“Your life is the message to the world. Make sure it’s inspiring.”

Lumbini is widely accepted as the birthplace of Buddha and has become a pilgrimage site for Buddhists around the world. There are temples representing over a dozen countries, and it was interesting to see the different representations of Buddha, the styles of architecture, and the diverse rituals that were performed based on the temples origin and type of Buddhist sect it represented.

Two White Girls At the Back of the Bus

Posted on January 20, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.”

“Go away!” Milea, a nineteen year old solo traveler from Oregon and I yelled rather angrily at the Nepali man who had just laid his hand on my knee. He awkwardly scooted away as half of the other passengers turned around and glared at him. After seven hours of constant attention we were more than ready to find a hotel, lock the door, and shut out the world around us.

A Man-Loving Leg Shaving Feminist

Posted on January 20, 2014 by The Wandering Nomads

“Well behaved women, rarely make history.”

Man-hating. Hairy legs. Career oriented. Unattractive. And ready to take over the world. Unfortunately these stereotypes have taken over the image of feminism by a majority of the current generation of young men and women today. The negative image this word invokes had lead most females in Generation Y to deny the fact that they are indeed feminists, including myself up until recently. Now let’s look at what the dictionary has to say about the word: