Picture sharing link...

After everyone gets all settled you may visit our picture sharing link to view some pictures from our amazing trip!!! https://hwbnepal2014.shutterfly.com/

We have finally arrived home!

I awake from my comfy bed with a slight Benadryl hangover to write our final blog. We have finally arrived home from our long and inspiring journey to Nepal. After an "eventful" beginning to an 8 hour flight from Kathmandu to Turkey we raced through a gauntlet of airport security checks to get to our next flight....that's right amazing race style and thankfully due to the size of our group they held the plane so that we didn't have to spend the night in Turkey!! We then endured a 12 hour flight.....which I do not wish on my worse of enemies to get to Chicago....after several meals, movies, "plane" walking to prevent clots, and head-bobbing naps we landed! To our surprise customs was not too bad and ALL our luggage arrived with us!!! Many of the group members met loved ones at the gate and they others made their way to the bus station for one more mode of transportation till they arrived home. For me just 1 more 3 1/2 hour flight from Chicago to Phoenix. I must say that after a crazy and inspiring trip I am just now able to reflect on how much this short but packed journey has accomplished. I must first say that for an assessment trip we did much more than I could imagine.....from seeing and treating over a 100 people at our medical camp, to providing school supplies, backpacks and warm greeting letters from children in Wisconsin to the 87 school aged children at Chunidevi School, to seeing all the sights, sounds, smells, and flavors or Nepal whether from the back of an elephant, by foot, by gondola, or by bus. I must say this trip would not be possible without such an amazing group of staff and students that made this trip what it was as well as the many support people we met along the way that helped plan this trip and make our dreams possible. We want to thank not only Hope Without Borders for the platform and inspiration to do what we did but also Concordia University for sharing in our dreams along with the Medical college for lending us an amazing medical director! I want to also thank each and every student for choosing Nepal over the other trips it would not have been the same without you all!! Also, Rabi Bista for making sure we got to do what we dreamt of doing while in Nepal. And last but not least Dr. Bista from Grande Hospital, Dr. MacKinney from Patan Hospital, Anil our ever talented tour guide, Sandeep and Amun for watching out for us on our trip, S. Nature resort in Chitwan, and lastly Hotel Ganesh Himal for surviving our group :)And last but not least our amazing family and friends who loyally visited our blog, donated time, money, and supplies and supported us along the way! We will be posting a link shortly so that you can all see the pictures we captured along the journey. We hope that his is just the beginning to a long and fruitful relationship with the people of Nepal!! Once again Namaste and dhanybhad (thanks) from the Nepal group!!!

Two days in the jungle...

Good Evening and Nameste to all. Team Nepal has had a very adventurous (to say the least) few days. First of all we should apologize for our absence-- we spent the last two days in the jungle of Chitwan, 5 hours outside of Kathmandu where the internet connection is shakier than a bus ride in Nepalese road construction. After braving the 5 hour ride on a road with 133 of the worlds closest turns, we arrived to a village much quieter than the inner city Kathmandu. The citizens of the local villages put on a cultural show where we were able to see many traditional Nepalese dances and one of our own, Molly, even had the chance to partake! In the morning we had the opportunity of a life time -- a safari though the jungle on the back of an elephant!!!! AMAZING, and quite possibly the coolest thing I have ever done in my life. We also were able to go on a jungle safari via canoes and see much of Nepal's wildlife, including crocodiles, yes real live crocodiles. After a "leisurely" jungle trek, we made it to our final destination, the elephant breeding center. Not only we were able to see the elephants up close, some of our group fed the elephants and taught them how to drink water out of a water bottle (much harder than you might think ... ) In the middle of our 5 hour drive back, we stopped at the Manakamana temple where we took a cable car up 1302 (yes the 2 is important) meters. I know I keep using the word amazing but this really, really was. We were able to see the Himalayan mountains and some of our group had the opportunity to be blessed at the temple. Again, amazing. The rest of our bus ride was relatively uneventful (mainly because we have gotten used to the thrashing that is involved in Nepalese driving) and have now arrived at our home base back in Kathmandu for our last dinner together. It is hard to believe many things tonight. For those of you who are not aware, this is Hope Without Borders first trip to Nepal, and has been in a dream for Jenny and I, and everyone who worked tirelessly to make this trip possible for the past two years. We could not be more ecstatic with the results. We have seen, felt, smelled (sometimes unfortunately) and experienced every aspect Nepal has to offer. We have made a difference, we have helped people but most of all, we have spread hope. As we pack our bags tonight, we leave knowing that this is not the end for us in Nepal -- Oh no, definitely not. We have reached out, made contacts and shown people the power of hope, and what Hope Without Borders can do, and what we are all about. Nameste Nepal, until we meet again.

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#weareone.

Nameste and blessings from beautiful Nepal. We did many, many amazing things today. First, we made the 188 step journey to the top of Swayambhu Temple (the Monkey Temple), which I should preface by saying 188 Nepalese steps (and yes it makes a difference... ). The view overlooking the city was indescribable and we learned very quickly how much monkeys adore shiny objects. We then hiked through Bungmati village, a traditional farming community on the outskirts of Kathmandu. This was incredible to witness the day to day life outside of the hustle and bustle of the inner city. We observed women making wool yarn, men farming and school children laughing traveling home on a their break during lunch. Breathtaking. After our break from lunch, our work began again at Chundevi School. We brought the children lunches from a local restaurant thanks to donations, and then the real fun began. We came to the school with 150 donated backpacks filled with school supplies, toys and candy, as well as other donated games including soccer (which, surprise, none of us are that great at). We worked together as a team to handout handmade cards (courtesy of two of our team members), and sat down with the principal and the other 9 teachers to determine future needs including clean water, uniforms, WiFi and health care. Even a couple patients from our previous medical camps stopped in. The experiences was overwhelming, heartwarming and overall life changing. We came into this journey as 14 strangers but left Chundevi school as a team, as one. We are so excited to begin this partnership with not only Nepal, but also with its people. Tomorrow we head on a long journey to Chitwan National Park to get out of the city and experience the beauty the countryside of Nepal has to offer. Can't wait! Blessings, Team Nepal

Sunday Funday

Wow. Just wow. Today we had the opportunity to see many exciting sites of NEPAL!!! Our journey started bright and early with a trip to the Pashupati Temple. Imagine the most amazing things you have ever seen ... okay got it? Now triple it. This temple, or Stupa as it is known commonly in Nepal is breath taking (good thing we are in the medical field in case this does in fact happen). The sky is covered in the colors of Nepalese prayer flags symbolizing earth, water, air, fire and sky. We had the chance to do a little shopping (or for some people, a lot of shopping ... )and visit a Buddhist temple. We then journeyed to Bhaktapur square and enjoy a traditional Nepalese lunch. The sights, sounds and smells were overwhelming -- in a good way (most of the time) and we engulf the culture wholeheartedly. Our nerves were put to the test on our next trek up to Nagarkot. Imagine slowly climbing a mountain with a van, on a road that is the size of a tooth pick. Literally... among many other drivers. After making the ascent to the top, we saw the glorious Mt. Everest from a distance as we took in how much we have done and seen thus far. AMAZING. Nepal and its incredible culture is etched in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls forever (and ever). Team Nepal -- Out (if the dogs allow ... )

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life lessons

Greetings and namaste from Nepal!! I would like to share a few life lessons our hwb Nepal team learned today ... 1. AK knows best. Always has, always will. For those of you who do not have the privlage of knowing this wonderful man you are missing out. He has been our tour guide, translator, and overall saving grace in Nepal. He has made sure we have had everything we have needed and have been able to see everything Nepal, and its culture has to offer (including persuading a museum to stay open late so we would be able view some Hindi culture). Thank God for him. 2. When running a medical camp a always, always expect the amount of patients to triple. We had the opportunity to see many patients today, substantially more than expected and with the assistance of two local providers, had a resounding sucess!! 3. When it rains in Nepal it pours. Hard, and usually when your running a medical camp 4. Dogs, birds and cats don't sleep, and won't allow anyone else to either 5. Everyone should be exceptionally proud of everyone here. We walked into a area, worked our butts off, and accomplished amazing feats. Team Nepal is amazing--hats (and fanny packs) off to us. Much more work ahead of so blessings from Nepal. Team Nepal out.

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day one

Greetings and blessings from beautiful Nepal!! We all survived our first day (despite a hardcore bout of jet leg) and have accomplished many things. First and formost, we survived Nepalese traffic--which is more impressive then you may think... and dove headfirst into the vast culture of Nepal. After settling in, we travelled to Grande Hospital. This is the privately funded, 500 bed hospital with state of the art equipment including Kathmandu's only CT scanner. We had an opportunity to tour the facility including their new wellness center,inpatient and outpatient units ICU, nicu, er and helipad. After our tour we were able to sit down with the medical director to discuss Nepal's healthcare system, and future partnerships with Nepal. Super exciting!! We also had the opportunity to explore and see many temples an have a traditional Nepalese meal. Well its back to work for us, we will be packing medications and mecical supplies for our medical camp in the am. Hope all is well back home -- fingers crossed everything goes well tomorrow!!! Nameste, Team Nepal

namaste......finally arrived in nepal!

We are finally here in Nepal after a 11 hour flight to Turkey, a 4 hour layover, and another 7 hour flight to Nepal!!! Surprisingly everything went smoothly and we got through customs with ALL our luggage Yay!!!!! We are all eating in the hotel garden as our internal clocks are off i dont know if its breakfast/lunch but its tasty!!! I believe the time difference is almost 12 hours ahead! We will be heading to the Grande hospital after we get a much needed shower and change then some sightseeing and dinner with the group! More to come on the blog as we finally have internet hope it stays this way!

It's official we are on the plane.....

So after much waiting and luggage checking we are aboard the flight to Turkey!!! I think we can all give a sigh of relief that we are here and all ready to get to Nepal! Thanks to all the families and friends that helped us prepare for this amazing trip!!!!!

Our bags are packed, we're ready to go.....

Our packing party was a success. Thanks to everyone who helped us pack and who donated items.

The countdown begins....

We have 11 days left before we leave for Nepal and 7 days before the packing party! I hope everyone is as excited as I am about our new and next adventure. Those of you who don't know what the our adventure entails we will be traveling to Kathmandu, Nepal for 10 days to explore and build lasting friendships that will enable us to provide medical care and hopefully much more in the future to those who need it. For those who have never been on a trip with Hope Without Borders you will be in for lots of fun and much learn about culture, friendships, and sustainable aid. Also, remember the craziness begins with the packing party and continues from there!!! Can't wait to see all the Nepal members again SOON!!!

Welcome

Welcome to our adventure. We look forward to sharing it with all of you in the next few weeks. There are always days when we have difficulty getting online, so don't panic if we don't blog for a day. We will try our best. Thank you to everyone who has supported each team member. Without all of you this would not be possible. The people of Nepal also thank you!!

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