Updates from Katie

A darling little girl that I met visiting one of the temples

The woman lying next to me has fallen from a ladder and now faces internal bleeding and may have broken her arm. She is pregnant and in excruciating pain. We’re in a rural village and night has fallen. . I, with my $14.95 first-aid kit, seem to be the most knowledgeable person in the village… As they ask me if I can massage the arm that may be broken I try to explain, in failed attempts at Nepali, that it is not a good idea. The closest hospital is hours away and so she must wait until morning to make the journey to be seen by a doctor... Overwhelmed by the situation and the ease to which the people of the village accept what is going on I’m faced with nothing short of culture shock. As I sit there gently wiping the hair out of her face I see the pain in her eyes and am overcome with an utter sense of hopelessness… she is pregnant and in pain and there is nothing I can do. I've, once again, been immersed into the realization of how vast and immense the issues of this world truly are…

I have so much more to write but have to get to sleep... more later...

Much Love,

Katie

"In the present circumstances, no one can afford to assume that someone else will solve their problems. Every individual has a responsibility to help guide our global family in the right direction. Good wishes are not sufficient; we must become actively engaged." - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Katie's first blog from Nepal

Hello Fam and Pals!

I made it to Nepal, life here is quite nice...

I’m sitting on the roof of my home in Ekantakuna writing out this email by candlelight on beautiful handmade Nepali paper while I sip on Nepali Milk tea. It’s 3AM and I’m so excited about my second full day that I can’t sleep.

In two hours time I will be navigating my way through the dusty dark streets filled with people preparing their shops for the day ahead. I will press my hands together and say a few “namastes” (hello in Nepali) as I head to meet my new friend Kamala for a 2-3 hour yoga/meditation session with the people of renowned disciple Ram Dem.

Yesterday, surrounded by hundreds of Nepalese I struggled to follow along as they spoke a language so utterly different from my own. Then as the sun inched higher the color of my skin elicited the instructors to come over and kindly translate and give me some special instruction. Between each breathing session everyone stands up and does a silly dance… Kamala grabbed my hands smiling and we skipped around in circles like school girls. I felt myself letting go of my inhibitions. That is when I met my new Nepali friend and when I came to the realization that I was in love with this country.

Like any developing nation trash consumes the streets, diesel fumes make it almost impossible to breath, and there are beggars, frail and hungry, who never fail to form an unshakable knot in your stomach as they grasp their small children covered in filth.

It’s such an oxymoron to be surrounded by such poverty and to then look up and be consumed by the breath-taking beauty of Mt. Everest… my work begins on Monday… until then…

Lots of love,

Katie

Something to ponder: "One shouldn't worry about anything and everything (instead) to take thinks in stride and gain the faith that all things work out" - Mike Lilly

Bye, bye Katie

Katie is on her way to a far away country - Nepal!

Let's keep her in our prayers.

We will update when we hear from her!

Safe travels Katie!

Soon they will be done...

I have more images to post on the site from the Miss Heart pageant, but not enough hours in the day to prepare them. I still need to post the rehearsal images and the rest of the pageant. Soon, they will be done!