India-Nepal-India

Forgive me family for I have sinned. It has been four weeks since my last confession...I mean post.

It has been a very busy four weeks as well. After leaving Darjeeling with my friend Ava, we made our way to the Eastern Indian-Nepali border. Having crossed over we took an overnight bus to Kathmandu, the polluted capital city of Nepal. We reached Kathmandu early in the morning, and we made our way to our hotel, in the tourist hub of Thamel district.

This area has everything a tourist in Nepal needs, except true Nepali culture. Throughout the next few days Ava and I procured new items that we would need on our trek. Sleeping bags, water bottles, water tablets, socks, long underwear, etc... This 'stuff' is all really good knock-off name-brand goods. I bought a new North Face gore-tex jacket for $40usd. Great buy (it kept me perfectly comfortable and warm on the entire trek).

We moved on from Kathmandu with a flight to literally the most dangerous airport in the world, ask a pilot, they should know about it, Lukla. This airport is situated on the side of a cliff, and is most likely slopped above 30degrees. When we were landing, all you can see out of the cockpit of your twin engine aircraft is cliff face! Then your back wheels touch down and you swing into the tiny airport, about the size of a high school basketball court, okay, maybe two...

We met our guide that morning in Kathmandu. Santosh is a 25 year old Nepali who has done the Everest trek over twenty times. This trek would take us about 11-13 days to complete, and it would be quite difficult. {I will go through the details of my trek on a later date, or I may wait until I get photos from my friends camera, or I may wait until I return to the states to tell all of you in person...Muwahaha, I hold the power of information... So this is what being the government feels like} I made the trek safe arrived in the Everest region on Christmas Eve, did an evening trek to a beautiful lookout where I saw the sunset. This sunset was gorgeous and it lit Everest up in beautiful Oranges Reds and Purples. Nope no pictures. My camera was not with me. This was a spiritual journey, where I didn't really want to focus on taking pictures. 

I met many people on the way. From an Indian lawyer who works in Singapore, to an American Geographer who does her work in the Arctic Circle, out of Barrow, Alaska. The people you meet traveling, give you new perspectives and new concepts regarding life. The conversations you have, the things you see while travelling together, give you a bond that you can not replicate anywhere else.

We arrived back in Kathmandu with the news that my Grandparents health has been ailing. This was some of the most difficult news I could hear while abroad. My grandmother, the doctors had found a brain tumor of some kind in October/November, has been struggling with that for a while. My Grandfather's gout has kicked in 'double-time' and he has been having difficulty walking and getting around their home. The decision was finally made that they should be 'put in a home.' This is a difficult decision for any family to make regarding their parents, and is never made lightly. I see 'nursing homes' as death homes. They are places where people go to live out their remaining days with the care that is necessary for them. This is a new phenomena that is taking place, as nursing homes used to be our homes. The comfort of family near by. The lives they lived, in the homes they lived them in, are close at hand. With pictures and things that they can see and touch, it would allow more closure. This new concept of a sterile 'passing' scares me. In some ways, I find that it takes the love out of death.

I celebrated my new years in Kathmandu with style. Meeting up with friends from the mountain and new friends from the streets, we partied till the bars closed then partied in our hotel room to bring in 2011. My bus happened to be early the morning of the 1st. Needless to say, I was pretty tired and hungover for my bus ride back to Varanasi. After quite an adventure on the bus (once again, more to come later), I arrived in Varanasi on the 2nd afternoon, and made my way to my new apartment. This larger place with a full (by Indian standards) kitchen and a small bathroom was much more of a home than my previous place. I can now cook meals regularly and have a nice bed. My room even has a porch to sit and read on. needless to say, my new place feels more like home than India ever has.

Last week Monday was my 22nd birthday. I celebrated by sitting at home alone reading a book (if you know me, I wouldn't have it any other way). I spent last week organizing and moving in. Getting classes started and working on my field research project.

I came in this morningn to begin my new tutorial class: Indian Martial Arts, Lathi. I will use this to help keep my mind focused and as an outlet for some of the stress I commonly acquire here.

This morning I received this email from my sister:

 Craig,

Grandma helen has recently become a lot sicker. They thought she had a stroke yesterday, but they found out her tumors grew. She is now unable to walk, speak, or swallow. Grandpa made the decision to bring her back to the nursing home for hospice care. I believe the plan is to move her today and stop all life supporting functions. So, I believe she only has a few days left. I know getting all of this over email in a foreign country is bot ideal, but I wanted to make sure you were in the loop because we all know how good dad is about informing people about things. I will be sure to update you with any news I get

I hope you are settle in your new place

I love you

Liz

This is what coping is, I now see it. Having to deal with emotions that come from the otherside of the world. What will I do? Do I go home? Do I stay here and tough it out? These are questions that people who travel have to ask themselves, all the time. We will see, but for now, my thoughts go to my family for this tough time.

All my love, always,

Craig