My Nose Misses Nepal

I think my nose misses Nepal the most. People who live in Nepal, or who have been there, just read that sentence and probably thought to themselves, “Really, are you serious?”

I’ll clarify.

I don’t miss the smell of the Bagmati River or the dusty air of Kathmandu. Not really. No, I miss the smell of hot chicken momos or of almost-boiling chiya handed to me in a little mettle cup, so full of sugar that you can smell it in the steam.

I miss the smell of my friend Tanuja’s salon — clean and cozy and safe, the air flavored by whatever essential oils are in the diffuser today.

I miss the way the air smells in the cool, humid mornings before the scooters and taxis start kicking up dust.

I miss the smell of heavy rain on a bustling (and now muddy) city.

I miss the taste of spices that start a slow-burning fire in the back of my throat, the sound of a cacophony of horns echoing into each other, the feel of my hands pressed together, as I grin and say “Jaimesi!” or “Namaste!” I miss the sight of houses upon houses, sprawling in all directions, resting in the embrace of Himalayan hills.

But I miss the smells the most.

I find, more often than not, I miss Nepal in sensory ways. I have memories stacked high on the shelves of my mind and I have moments stored in almost every corner; I miss the physicality.

In just under seven weeks, I’ll be back there — a thought I’ve still yet to completely believe. This trip will be much different than before. Instead of a team, it will be just Torrie and Luke and me. Instead of traveling, Torrie and I will be staying in Kathmandu the whole time. And instead of learning, I’ll be teaching. (Well, I’ll still be learning — I’m always learning. But that just went really well with the parallelism of that last sentence:)

Despite its differences from last summer, I’m excited. I will miss my team terribly. I’ve never experienced Nepal without them. And yet we learned so much last summer that has prepared me for teaching this summer — and they are still with me, just in different ways.

A lot needs to be done in the next seven weeks — it’s hard not to get so overwhelmed by all the life that will happen between now and May 27 that I forget to savor the anticipation.

There’s something I’m learning: healthy anticipation. Hopeful expectation. I’m not so good at it now, but that’s why I’m learning. Today, at least, I’ve decided to hopefully look forward to all the joys and difficulties that this summer will bring. We’ll see about tomorrow when it gets here.

If you’d like to be praying with me while I (mostly) wait hopefully for Nepal, these are some little (big) life-things that could use your loving prayer:

— Fundrasing! I’m not worried about this, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to pray about it! The Lord has provided and will continue to provide — he always does. If you’re a specifics person: God has provided $2,752 of the $4,000 I need by May 13th. He’s providing generously so far — I won’t rush Him:)

— Apartment! As many of you know, I live off-campus in West Ridge (aka Little India), Chicago. This has been my favorite experience at Moody thus far. However, this also means that I have an apartment. An apartment that we pay rent for. An apartment whose rent needs to be paid regardless of whether or not I’m there this summer. So, I either need someone to sublet the apartment for two-ish months this summer, or I need rent money for two months, or I need a miralce. I am open to any option. I am also less-great at trusting God in this area than I am about fundraising. So it’s kind of stressful right now.

These are the two main areas where I would greatly appreciate your prayer. And thank you. For praying. For reading through this blog. For caring. You’re a gem, and I’m thankful for you.

~Deo Volente~