An Early Thanksgiving

It’s been said that you don’t fully appreciate your life until you have lived in someone else’s shoes. I can tell you from experience that this is so true. I am so grateful for my time in Nepal and for the knowledge it has given me. It has made me so grateful for things that I had never really noticed before. It’s an early Thanksgiving this year for me as my heart is full with the many blessings I have each day.

Below are a few of the very first things I was grateful for as we arrived back in the United States.

Toilets: 

Yes I really missed my bathroom while I was gone in Nepal. And toilet paper. In Nepal the toilet is a hole in the ground and you use a hose to clean up afterwards. Now we were very blessed to have western toilets available to us as volunteers however there was not always toilet paper available. 

Stop Lights:

We did not see a single stop light while we were in Nepal. We almost died multiple times as we got into a taxi or bus and they rushed off, not obeying any traffic laws at all.

Ice Water:

Clean, pure, cold, ice water! Enough said.

Padded Carpets:

I didn’t miss this – I don’t think. However coming home and being able to stick my toes in the carpet it was amazing. Next time you are home, if you have carpet in your house go stand barefoot on it and enjoy every second of it. Also sitting on the carpet. In Nepal you sit on a mat that is as thin as ever. Or you just sit right on the ground.

Mirrors: 

I still have not decided if I am grateful for this or if it’s a mixed blessing. No one in Nepal owns a mirror. So you just go as you are. It’s great and people are not worried about how they look all day long. So it was a realization of how much of our time we spend trying to look good for others. I was however grateful to have a mirror when I got home.

Washing Machine:

My clothing has been washed in the shower or a bucket for the last 6 weeks. It was so nice to have a washing machine that actually ‘cleaned’ my clothing. Everything smells so good now.

Jenessa