goodbye sankhu, hello himalyas, a proven nepali rule

Saying goodbye is never easy, but it’s always harder when you don’t know if you’ll ever see someone again. This is the hardest part about traveling in Nepal: you may meet someone only for one night that you really connect with, and despite unrealistic “maybe I’ll visit your country sometime” conversations, the chances are high that you’ll never set eyes on that particular person again (unless it’s via facebook). Living in a children’s home creates even greater challenges because the kids don’t have e-mail or access to internet, thus making it nearly impossible to ‘stay in touch’. Even a month before I was set to leave I already got the question “You come back, Auntie?” While I don’t like to make promises in situations like that (who knows what the future holds, especially in terms of Nepal-visiting opportunities?) I usually say yes, but the next question is always impossible to answer: “When you come back?”
The problem is that the people in the home I am closest to are mostly 15-18, and children generally leave the home to start standing on their own feet after they turn 19. Thus, returning to Nepal makes the most sense in the next couple of years, but those years are already pretty full with a summer working at home, a final year of college, and getting some kind of career-oriented job after i graduate. How much time and money does this leave for nepali visits? That's essentially the question I had to evaluate every time one of the kids asked. Thus I promised only that I WILL return, especially because Nepal, and most notably the people I met here, finally stole my heart. My last trip I often felt so homesick and out of place I could hardly imagine coming back, let alone returning and finding real happiness and contentment here. It took a lot of reflection after my first trip into the unknown, and more adjustments to finally appreciate Nepali culture and fall in love with it, even when I occaisionally disagree with some aspects.
Having my father come to visit, fresh from the states, reminds me of the challenge i will face when i try to have the same 'chill' approach to life when I return home. It's not just at college, the environments I find myself in and especially the roles I play in the US are often stressful, over-scheduled and hyperactive. I certainly enjoy that state a lot of the time, but finding more of a balance is something i strive for, and hope to fight for when I get home. I'll have lots of time to think about this in the next ten days, as my dad and i leave for our trek in langtang tomorrow, which is eight hours (by bus) north of kathmandu near the tibetan boarder. My dad (gratifyingly) proved the 'Nepali rule' (everyone who comes here gets sick) so we didn't leave today as planned. I am excited to do some reading, breathe some fresh mountain air, and finally grill my dad on his life story (he'll be trapped- it's the perfect plan!). sometimes i'm amazed at what i don't know about my parents... hopefully after this week i'll know some of the crazy stuff he did in his youth that was too risque to tell me before i turned 20. If not, i'll have to ask his sisters when I get to seattle in a couple of weeks... regardless, wish us luck in the himalayas! I can't wait to get there.