July 1 - the first day of residency for most new medical school graduates. I've been looking forward to this day with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. What if I don't have a clue what to do for a patient? What if I make a mistake? What if I miss something important?
Well, the first day has come and gone. I'm still alive, and so are my patients. I am on ER this month - emergency medicine rotation. Arriving in the ER this morning at 7:30 AM, I introduced myself as a brand new doctor. One of the attending docs showed me the ropes, explained the paperwork, answered my questions, gave me some suggestions for managing my patients and was generally very supportive, encouraging and helpful. It was an awesome day!! I may not have done everything independently or in perfect order, but I felt like I sort of new what I was doing - or at least that I could have done it on my own. I only saw five patients today, but each one was completely different, so I got to think through a variety of conditions (extreme hypertension, pancreatitis, a sprained thumb, diabetes/kidney failure, and seizures) and how to diagnose and treat them. At the end of the day, I got to call one of my colleagues, who happened to be on pediatrics, and tell her about a patient we were admitting to her team. That was pretty cool. I know some day I will look back on this post and laugh at how ridiculously naive and it is. But for now, I am loving my job! Of course, tomorrow may be different. I know I shouldn't base my contentment on the circumstances - how people treat me or how much I think I know - those are very transient and extremely changeable factors. Still, I am thankful for a good first day. Thank you Lord!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
I Love God's People!
I have been in Wichita for nearly three weeks now, and I am loving it! First of all, the prairie habitat is beautiful. But more than that, I have met some wonderful people who are making me feel right at home.
Photos of the Wichita Zoo and some of my bike rides (click on photo to link to album).
I titled this post "I Love God's People" because I have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of care and friendship I have received here. Last Sunday, I went back to Heartland Community Church, a church I had visited when I interviewed for the residency program back in December. One of my pastors (Darryl, if you're reading this, thank you!) called one of Heartland's pastors a while back to check it out for me and gave his approval. So I knew it would be a good place to start when looking for a new church home. I was not disappointed. Everything from the centrality of the Word and the gospel in the worship service, to the emphasis on prayer, Bible study, accountability, fellowship and the seriousness of the sacraments reminds me of Sovereign Grace. Even the songs are similar. My prayer as I visited was that I would be able to connect to some godly sisters quickly and in a meaningful way.
Again - I was not disappointed. Several women noticed I was new and introduced themselves to me. On Monday I got an email from a gal I hadn't even met at church but who happened to hear that I was from Houston. Since she and her family had lived in Houston for a while, she felt moved to invite me over for dinner. So I enjoyed a wonderful home-cooked meal, some good ole Texas hospitality, and the start of a warm friendship. I got to know Daphne, her two teenage daughters, and their pets. After dinner, I was entertained watching Bandit (the dog) chase a laser pointer around the yard while the cats (Abby and Tabby) meowed at the window to come out and play. We also spent some time in prayer, and that meant more to me than words can express. Daphne has emailed me every day, took me to the county farmers market on Saturday, and introduced me to lots of new folks on Sunday at church.
And that's not all. There is a group of college and young working singles from Heartland and other churches that meets weekly for bible study. I met several of them last week at church, and they organized a game night at the park so we (one of my fellow residents and I) could get to know a few people. That was lots of fun. I've also had coffee with another lady from church. And on Thursday, I attended a dinner and prayer meeting for the women family medicine residents. So despite being new in town and not knowing anyone three weeks ago, my social calendar this past week looked like this:
Sunday - church
Monday - received email from Daphne, got hair done
Tuesday - chat/walk with third-year resident and her new baby, games at park with singles from church
Wednesday - dinner with Daphne and family
Thursday - prayer/dinner with women residents
Friday - coffee with another lady from church, dinner with first-year residents
Saturday - farmers market, pool party at faculty's house to welcome incoming residents
Sunday - church, dinner with my second-year resident "big sister"
Not bad, huh?
As I prepare to start orientation and work this week, I am feeling both nervous and peaceful. God has once again demonstrated his faithful loving care by surrounding me with encouraging Christian brothers and sisters both in the local church body and in my residency program. There is no doubt in my mind that this is where I am supposed to be and this is what I am supposed to be doing. Thank you Lord!
Please continue to keep me in your prayers. My first day as a "real" doctor is Thursday, July 1!
Photos of the Wichita Zoo and some of my bike rides (click on photo to link to album).
 |
| Wildlife and Scenery |
I titled this post "I Love God's People" because I have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of care and friendship I have received here. Last Sunday, I went back to Heartland Community Church, a church I had visited when I interviewed for the residency program back in December. One of my pastors (Darryl, if you're reading this, thank you!) called one of Heartland's pastors a while back to check it out for me and gave his approval. So I knew it would be a good place to start when looking for a new church home. I was not disappointed. Everything from the centrality of the Word and the gospel in the worship service, to the emphasis on prayer, Bible study, accountability, fellowship and the seriousness of the sacraments reminds me of Sovereign Grace. Even the songs are similar. My prayer as I visited was that I would be able to connect to some godly sisters quickly and in a meaningful way.
Again - I was not disappointed. Several women noticed I was new and introduced themselves to me. On Monday I got an email from a gal I hadn't even met at church but who happened to hear that I was from Houston. Since she and her family had lived in Houston for a while, she felt moved to invite me over for dinner. So I enjoyed a wonderful home-cooked meal, some good ole Texas hospitality, and the start of a warm friendship. I got to know Daphne, her two teenage daughters, and their pets. After dinner, I was entertained watching Bandit (the dog) chase a laser pointer around the yard while the cats (Abby and Tabby) meowed at the window to come out and play. We also spent some time in prayer, and that meant more to me than words can express. Daphne has emailed me every day, took me to the county farmers market on Saturday, and introduced me to lots of new folks on Sunday at church.
And that's not all. There is a group of college and young working singles from Heartland and other churches that meets weekly for bible study. I met several of them last week at church, and they organized a game night at the park so we (one of my fellow residents and I) could get to know a few people. That was lots of fun. I've also had coffee with another lady from church. And on Thursday, I attended a dinner and prayer meeting for the women family medicine residents. So despite being new in town and not knowing anyone three weeks ago, my social calendar this past week looked like this:
Sunday - church
Monday - received email from Daphne, got hair done
Tuesday - chat/walk with third-year resident and her new baby, games at park with singles from church
Wednesday - dinner with Daphne and family
Thursday - prayer/dinner with women residents
Friday - coffee with another lady from church, dinner with first-year residents
Saturday - farmers market, pool party at faculty's house to welcome incoming residents
Sunday - church, dinner with my second-year resident "big sister"
Not bad, huh?
As I prepare to start orientation and work this week, I am feeling both nervous and peaceful. God has once again demonstrated his faithful loving care by surrounding me with encouraging Christian brothers and sisters both in the local church body and in my residency program. There is no doubt in my mind that this is where I am supposed to be and this is what I am supposed to be doing. Thank you Lord!
Please continue to keep me in your prayers. My first day as a "real" doctor is Thursday, July 1!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Off to See the Wizard!
Well, I am now officially a Kansas resident - got my driver's license and my Kansas "tags" (license plate). And I'm pretty much all settled in to my new apartment in Wichita (not Kansas City).
I left Houston June 7th driving a 17-foot U-Haul truck towing my car on a trailer behind me. I definitely have more respect for truck and bus drivers now, realizing how hard it is to pick up speed, slow down, make turns and change lanes with so much stuff behind you. Fortunately, my parents went with me. Mom sat with me in the truck cab, and Dad followed in his car so he could help me change lanes and make sure I didn't lose anything out the back. By God's grace, we arrived with no mishaps!
A crew of family medicine residents was there to help us unload everything and carry it up to my second floor apartment. They were so nice - they even brought cold drinks, watermelon and cookies! For the following five days, my parents helped me get settled in and organized. We made multiple trips to Home Depot, Bed Bath and Beyond and Target to get odds and ends. They were a huge help! In fact, I am so grateful and blessed by all the friends who helped me move on both ends. God has been very good to me!
Click on the photo below to see album of my new apartment.
My parents left on Saturday, June 12th, and of course, I cried. It made everything seem so final. But thanks to good friends - old and new - I made it through that emotional crisis. That evening, I went for a long bike ride with a couple of the upper level residents. Wichita has miles and miles of bike paths. We rode along the Big Arkansas River for a good eight or nine miles up and then turned around and rode back. It's a beautiful path, and at 7 PM it was cool, breezy and very pleasant for riding. Anyway, it was a fun way to forge new friendships and forget my homesickness for a while. Since then, I've explored some of the bike trails near my apartment and had a great time. Wichita is actually quite pretty. The terrain is flat (just what I like for biking and running!), with grasslands and woodsy areas, lots of wind to keep things cool (not so great for biking against), and creeks, ponds and rivers all over.
This past week, I finally met most of my soon-to-be classmates. We all took a pediatric advanced life support training course for two days. It is a really nice group, and I am going to enjoy working with them and getting to know them. After we passed the class on Thursday (thank you Lord!), we went out for dinner and played cards (learned a new game Trump Ten that was quite fun). Most of the folks I met are Christians, so I know they will be a good source of support and encouragement.
Now I need to find a church. I visited a Baptist church last Sunday. The service was great - very Gospel centered with good teaching from the Word. But the welcome and hospitality I am used to was distinctly lacking. I guess I'm spoiled by my 12 years at Sovereign Grace Pearland where you can't walk in the door without being greeted warmly. Well, on to other options this week. Please pray for me to find a church where I can grow and belong.
So I have next week off to explore Wichita. Orientation starts June 28th and work starts July 1. My first rotation is emergency medicine. It's actually a pretty cushy rotation. I set my own schedule, just have to complete 200 hours during the month. And I don't have any call. In a way it's good, but that only means postponing the inevitable first call night. But hopefully I'll learn some good basic stuff that will help me in my other rotations, as well as getting a chance to run codes and other stressful scenarios.
I miss all my Houston friends and family. The Ferry hostel should be up and running soon. I'm still waiting on guest beds (it's a long story), but should have all in place next week. So make your reservations soon!
I left Houston June 7th driving a 17-foot U-Haul truck towing my car on a trailer behind me. I definitely have more respect for truck and bus drivers now, realizing how hard it is to pick up speed, slow down, make turns and change lanes with so much stuff behind you. Fortunately, my parents went with me. Mom sat with me in the truck cab, and Dad followed in his car so he could help me change lanes and make sure I didn't lose anything out the back. By God's grace, we arrived with no mishaps!
A crew of family medicine residents was there to help us unload everything and carry it up to my second floor apartment. They were so nice - they even brought cold drinks, watermelon and cookies! For the following five days, my parents helped me get settled in and organized. We made multiple trips to Home Depot, Bed Bath and Beyond and Target to get odds and ends. They were a huge help! In fact, I am so grateful and blessed by all the friends who helped me move on both ends. God has been very good to me!
Click on the photo below to see album of my new apartment.
 |
| My New Home |
My parents left on Saturday, June 12th, and of course, I cried. It made everything seem so final. But thanks to good friends - old and new - I made it through that emotional crisis. That evening, I went for a long bike ride with a couple of the upper level residents. Wichita has miles and miles of bike paths. We rode along the Big Arkansas River for a good eight or nine miles up and then turned around and rode back. It's a beautiful path, and at 7 PM it was cool, breezy and very pleasant for riding. Anyway, it was a fun way to forge new friendships and forget my homesickness for a while. Since then, I've explored some of the bike trails near my apartment and had a great time. Wichita is actually quite pretty. The terrain is flat (just what I like for biking and running!), with grasslands and woodsy areas, lots of wind to keep things cool (not so great for biking against), and creeks, ponds and rivers all over.
This past week, I finally met most of my soon-to-be classmates. We all took a pediatric advanced life support training course for two days. It is a really nice group, and I am going to enjoy working with them and getting to know them. After we passed the class on Thursday (thank you Lord!), we went out for dinner and played cards (learned a new game Trump Ten that was quite fun). Most of the folks I met are Christians, so I know they will be a good source of support and encouragement.
Now I need to find a church. I visited a Baptist church last Sunday. The service was great - very Gospel centered with good teaching from the Word. But the welcome and hospitality I am used to was distinctly lacking. I guess I'm spoiled by my 12 years at Sovereign Grace Pearland where you can't walk in the door without being greeted warmly. Well, on to other options this week. Please pray for me to find a church where I can grow and belong.
So I have next week off to explore Wichita. Orientation starts June 28th and work starts July 1. My first rotation is emergency medicine. It's actually a pretty cushy rotation. I set my own schedule, just have to complete 200 hours during the month. And I don't have any call. In a way it's good, but that only means postponing the inevitable first call night. But hopefully I'll learn some good basic stuff that will help me in my other rotations, as well as getting a chance to run codes and other stressful scenarios.
I miss all my Houston friends and family. The Ferry hostel should be up and running soon. I'm still waiting on guest beds (it's a long story), but should have all in place next week. So make your reservations soon!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Doctora Pamela
My 12th annual Bolivia medical mission trip was special in a couple of ways. First, this was the first trip in which I could actually be called “Doctora” and have it be practically true (though I don’t officially receive my MD degree until next week). Most of the week I worked with Doctor Doug, a psychiatrist, seeing children and adults with a variety of complaints – from headaches to stomach aches to leg cramps – most of them related to depression and anxiety. We prescribed medications for some, counseling for others and deep breathing exercises for all. More importantly, I had the opportunity to pray for several of these patients, which is a distinct privilege and probably one of the most healing things I know how to do.
Click on the photo below to link to my album.
One mother brought her 9-year-old son with brain damage from birth to see if we could help him. He could not walk or talk and was confined to a wheelchair and dependent on his mother for all of his daily needs. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot we could do for his brain. However, in the course of the visit, it became clear that mom was severely depressed. As you can imagine, having a disabled child is very difficult, but compound that with being poor, alone (her husband worked out of town), and in a town where there are no social services available for special needs children. Often, disabled children are ostracized, and mothers are blamed for doing something to cause the child's problems. Families spend all their money going from one doctor to another in the hopes of a cure, buying endless quantities of expensive "medicines" and "tonics" that they are told will improve their child's brain development. Upon investigation, we found that most of these tonics are simply vitamins that can be obtained in a normal diet. While they may have some role in neuronal function, they certainly are not able to reverse the damage done from oxygen deprivation or swelling of the brain at birth. So this poor mother, after nine years of caring for her son alone, was suffering from guilt, loneliness, hopelessness, poverty and desperation. Through the generous donations of our group sponsors, we were able to offer her a chance to send her son to a special education program in town. At the very least, it will give her a couple of days of respite during the week. We will also be able to help her see a counselor to get some support and have someone to talk with about her daily struggles. I ended the session with a prayer and encouraged her to find a church where she could pray with others and nourish her spirit.
The last day of the week, we went out to a small, rural indigenous community. Half of our group had spent the week there building a brick house for one of the families. Little by little, our partners in Bolivia, with the help of groups like ours, are providing improved houses for these Guarani villagers in order to keep out the vinchuca, a beetle that lives in cracks and crevices of wood and thatch houses and causes the dreadful disease, Chagas. For half a day on Friday, the medical team saw patients in the community health post. To make things go faster, I got to see patients by myself and managed to see 16 patients in 4 hours, which is pretty good for a recent medical school graduate! Of course, I had to ask lots of questions. For example, I had no idea what to do for the 65-year-old grandmother who came in with a blood pressure of 220/80. She was completely asymptomatic - no chest pain, no blurred vision, sharp as a whistle and no complaints at all. She did have a large heart and a heart murmur, possibly from Chagas disease, but she had never seen a cardiologist. She'd had a prescription for blood pressure medication but had not filled it, either because she didn't want to go to town to get the medicine, or because she couldn't afford it (or both). We didn't have any blood pressure meds with us, and I wouldn't have felt comfortable prescribing it for her without adequate monitoring of her pressure and symptoms over the next days and weeks. All I could do was urge her to go see a heart doctor and follow their recommendations. However, I doubt she'll go. She was perfectly comfortable and likely prefers to remain at home with her family rather than spend lots of money on doctors, tests, and medicines that might prolong her days but can't promise an improvement in the quality of her life. It was a humbling experience for me and a good reminder that doctors can't always do something for every patient.
Click on the photo below to link to my album.
After the medical part of the trip was over, I went out to Yapacani (where I lived several years ago) to see my friend Yolanda and her family. Yolanda was my first friend in Yapacani. She adopted me when she was 8 years old. In other words, she followed me home from the town square one day and asked me to be her godmother. I wasn't quite ready to take that on at the time, but over the years I grew close to her and her five sisters - Veronica, Maribel, Karen, Rosandra and Daniela. I have seen them all grow up and done what I could to help their mother, Rosa. Veronica is now a teacher in Santa Cruz (the nearest big city) and has three children. Maribel has a small store in Yapacani and has one little girl. Karen is studying law and wants to be a forensic specialist (like CSI). The two youngest, Daniela and Rosandra, are still in high school. Yolanda spent two years in Houston living with me and studying English, so we have a special relationship. I try to call her every month or so, and we keep in touch by email and Facebook. She now has 4 children - Jeffrey, age 5; Pamela, age 4 (named after yours truly I think); Stacey, age 2; and Matthias, age 3 months. They are all happy, healthy and cute, and I loved spending time with them as their "Tia Pamela". While I was in Yapacani, the youngest three were baptized, and I was the “madrina” (godmother). Although I do not necessarily agree with the Catholic church's view of baptism, I will still take my responsibility as godmother seriously and do my best to influence my godchildren to know and love Jesus.
Over the course of the weekend, Yolanda and I made several of her favorite recipes - meatloaf, apple crisp, brownies, lasagna, banana bread and pancakes with maple syrup! I brought a lot of ingredients with me from the US, and it was fun shopping for the rest in the Yapacani market. From past experience, I know that you should not buy already ground beef in the market - no, you can't find those nice plastic-wrapped packages of ground beef in Yapacani. Picture big slabs of meet hanging from hooks in the fresh air with flies buzzing all around. Several years ago, when my parents were visiting me in Bolivia, we bought ground meat to make spaghetti. After getting it in the pan, my dad commented that the meat was moving. Ha-ha! Good joke, Dad. But he wasn't joking. Turns out, ground meat is probably made from the meat that hasn't been sold after sitting out all day (or several days?) and is bound to contain extra protein (use your imaginations). But Yolanda, having lived in Yapacani all her life, is an expert at buying meat. She deftly selected the best pieces of hanging cow carcass and had the butcher grind it on the spot. And I didn't see anything moving in it at all. Now, making lasagna, which calls for three different cheeses, was a bit of a challenge. There is basically one type of cheese available in Yapacani, so that is what we used. Nevertheless, it came out very tasty, if I do say so myself. Yolanda's mom and sisters seemed to love it, but her children were less impressed. Jeffrey's comment was, "Wak-a-la" - yucky! (I don't think he tried anything I made, actually.)
Overall, it was a fantastic week. The group of volunteers was wonderful - hard-working, creative, and lots of fun. We had a party for the 112 girls in the Sacred Heart orphanage - they danced and sang, and we provided cake and ice cream, a real treat for them. Our group also, through donations, was able to buy all new dishes (plates, spoons, bowls, cups...) for the orphanage, as well as toys, school supplies, arts and crafts items and toothbrushes. The girls are always extremely affectionate and love to spend time with anyone who visits - grabbing your hand to show you their room, their garden, their bed - and hugging and being hugged as much as possible. I wish I could adopt all of them! Some of the older girls from the orphanage who have graduated from high school have a separate house where they live while attending university. The Laura Vicuna house (named after some Catholic missionary lady, I think), was started several years ago and now hosts 22 young ladies studying nursing, law, business administration, and many other subjects. Our group, through my dad's church (Palmer Episcopal), is providing support for the operating budget of the house (food, rent, electricity, etc.) so that the girls can focus on their studies and not have to work. On the weekends they help out at the orphanage with cooking, cleaning and caring for the 112 younger girls. According to the orphanage director, more and more girls are thinking about higher education because of the example of the Laura Vicuna group. Before, many of the girls would leave the orphanage at age 14 or 15 to work (mainly as domestic help) and usually end up pregnant and poor. Now, they see that they have an option and that there is support for them if they choose to pursue a career in teaching, nursing, medicine, law or other careers. We feel very privileged to be a part of such a wonderful and successful endeavor. The orphanage staff and volunteers do all the work, of course, and they do an amazing job of loving and raising all the girls.
Overall, it was a wonderful trip, filled with friendship, service, beautiful scenery and wildlife (we spent a day at an eco-reserve in Santa Cruz with a bird and butterfly sanctuary). I don't know if I will be able to fit in a trip next summer with my residency schedule, but I hope so. It is always a pleasure to share the Bolivia experience with others and to reconnect with the place that has been such an important part of my life.
Click on the photo below to link to my album.
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| Bolivia 2010 |
One mother brought her 9-year-old son with brain damage from birth to see if we could help him. He could not walk or talk and was confined to a wheelchair and dependent on his mother for all of his daily needs. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot we could do for his brain. However, in the course of the visit, it became clear that mom was severely depressed. As you can imagine, having a disabled child is very difficult, but compound that with being poor, alone (her husband worked out of town), and in a town where there are no social services available for special needs children. Often, disabled children are ostracized, and mothers are blamed for doing something to cause the child's problems. Families spend all their money going from one doctor to another in the hopes of a cure, buying endless quantities of expensive "medicines" and "tonics" that they are told will improve their child's brain development. Upon investigation, we found that most of these tonics are simply vitamins that can be obtained in a normal diet. While they may have some role in neuronal function, they certainly are not able to reverse the damage done from oxygen deprivation or swelling of the brain at birth. So this poor mother, after nine years of caring for her son alone, was suffering from guilt, loneliness, hopelessness, poverty and desperation. Through the generous donations of our group sponsors, we were able to offer her a chance to send her son to a special education program in town. At the very least, it will give her a couple of days of respite during the week. We will also be able to help her see a counselor to get some support and have someone to talk with about her daily struggles. I ended the session with a prayer and encouraged her to find a church where she could pray with others and nourish her spirit.
The last day of the week, we went out to a small, rural indigenous community. Half of our group had spent the week there building a brick house for one of the families. Little by little, our partners in Bolivia, with the help of groups like ours, are providing improved houses for these Guarani villagers in order to keep out the vinchuca, a beetle that lives in cracks and crevices of wood and thatch houses and causes the dreadful disease, Chagas. For half a day on Friday, the medical team saw patients in the community health post. To make things go faster, I got to see patients by myself and managed to see 16 patients in 4 hours, which is pretty good for a recent medical school graduate! Of course, I had to ask lots of questions. For example, I had no idea what to do for the 65-year-old grandmother who came in with a blood pressure of 220/80. She was completely asymptomatic - no chest pain, no blurred vision, sharp as a whistle and no complaints at all. She did have a large heart and a heart murmur, possibly from Chagas disease, but she had never seen a cardiologist. She'd had a prescription for blood pressure medication but had not filled it, either because she didn't want to go to town to get the medicine, or because she couldn't afford it (or both). We didn't have any blood pressure meds with us, and I wouldn't have felt comfortable prescribing it for her without adequate monitoring of her pressure and symptoms over the next days and weeks. All I could do was urge her to go see a heart doctor and follow their recommendations. However, I doubt she'll go. She was perfectly comfortable and likely prefers to remain at home with her family rather than spend lots of money on doctors, tests, and medicines that might prolong her days but can't promise an improvement in the quality of her life. It was a humbling experience for me and a good reminder that doctors can't always do something for every patient.
Click on the photo below to link to my album.
 |
| Yapacani Bolivia 2010 |
After the medical part of the trip was over, I went out to Yapacani (where I lived several years ago) to see my friend Yolanda and her family. Yolanda was my first friend in Yapacani. She adopted me when she was 8 years old. In other words, she followed me home from the town square one day and asked me to be her godmother. I wasn't quite ready to take that on at the time, but over the years I grew close to her and her five sisters - Veronica, Maribel, Karen, Rosandra and Daniela. I have seen them all grow up and done what I could to help their mother, Rosa. Veronica is now a teacher in Santa Cruz (the nearest big city) and has three children. Maribel has a small store in Yapacani and has one little girl. Karen is studying law and wants to be a forensic specialist (like CSI). The two youngest, Daniela and Rosandra, are still in high school. Yolanda spent two years in Houston living with me and studying English, so we have a special relationship. I try to call her every month or so, and we keep in touch by email and Facebook. She now has 4 children - Jeffrey, age 5; Pamela, age 4 (named after yours truly I think); Stacey, age 2; and Matthias, age 3 months. They are all happy, healthy and cute, and I loved spending time with them as their "Tia Pamela". While I was in Yapacani, the youngest three were baptized, and I was the “madrina” (godmother). Although I do not necessarily agree with the Catholic church's view of baptism, I will still take my responsibility as godmother seriously and do my best to influence my godchildren to know and love Jesus.
Over the course of the weekend, Yolanda and I made several of her favorite recipes - meatloaf, apple crisp, brownies, lasagna, banana bread and pancakes with maple syrup! I brought a lot of ingredients with me from the US, and it was fun shopping for the rest in the Yapacani market. From past experience, I know that you should not buy already ground beef in the market - no, you can't find those nice plastic-wrapped packages of ground beef in Yapacani. Picture big slabs of meet hanging from hooks in the fresh air with flies buzzing all around. Several years ago, when my parents were visiting me in Bolivia, we bought ground meat to make spaghetti. After getting it in the pan, my dad commented that the meat was moving. Ha-ha! Good joke, Dad. But he wasn't joking. Turns out, ground meat is probably made from the meat that hasn't been sold after sitting out all day (or several days?) and is bound to contain extra protein (use your imaginations). But Yolanda, having lived in Yapacani all her life, is an expert at buying meat. She deftly selected the best pieces of hanging cow carcass and had the butcher grind it on the spot. And I didn't see anything moving in it at all. Now, making lasagna, which calls for three different cheeses, was a bit of a challenge. There is basically one type of cheese available in Yapacani, so that is what we used. Nevertheless, it came out very tasty, if I do say so myself. Yolanda's mom and sisters seemed to love it, but her children were less impressed. Jeffrey's comment was, "Wak-a-la" - yucky! (I don't think he tried anything I made, actually.)
Overall, it was a fantastic week. The group of volunteers was wonderful - hard-working, creative, and lots of fun. We had a party for the 112 girls in the Sacred Heart orphanage - they danced and sang, and we provided cake and ice cream, a real treat for them. Our group also, through donations, was able to buy all new dishes (plates, spoons, bowls, cups...) for the orphanage, as well as toys, school supplies, arts and crafts items and toothbrushes. The girls are always extremely affectionate and love to spend time with anyone who visits - grabbing your hand to show you their room, their garden, their bed - and hugging and being hugged as much as possible. I wish I could adopt all of them! Some of the older girls from the orphanage who have graduated from high school have a separate house where they live while attending university. The Laura Vicuna house (named after some Catholic missionary lady, I think), was started several years ago and now hosts 22 young ladies studying nursing, law, business administration, and many other subjects. Our group, through my dad's church (Palmer Episcopal), is providing support for the operating budget of the house (food, rent, electricity, etc.) so that the girls can focus on their studies and not have to work. On the weekends they help out at the orphanage with cooking, cleaning and caring for the 112 younger girls. According to the orphanage director, more and more girls are thinking about higher education because of the example of the Laura Vicuna group. Before, many of the girls would leave the orphanage at age 14 or 15 to work (mainly as domestic help) and usually end up pregnant and poor. Now, they see that they have an option and that there is support for them if they choose to pursue a career in teaching, nursing, medicine, law or other careers. We feel very privileged to be a part of such a wonderful and successful endeavor. The orphanage staff and volunteers do all the work, of course, and they do an amazing job of loving and raising all the girls.
Overall, it was a wonderful trip, filled with friendship, service, beautiful scenery and wildlife (we spent a day at an eco-reserve in Santa Cruz with a bird and butterfly sanctuary). I don't know if I will be able to fit in a trip next summer with my residency schedule, but I hope so. It is always a pleasure to share the Bolivia experience with others and to reconnect with the place that has been such an important part of my life.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
New Year's Reflection
During my quiet times in 2009, I read through the book of Isaiah. Recently, Isaiah 62:6-7 really spoke to me. It reads, "You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in all the earth."
Those verses were written for the Jewish people centuries ago, but I believe they are still applicable for God's people today. I was particularly struck by the words "take no rest." Since I am a person who loves and craves rest, especially when life gets busy, which seems to be all the time in medical school, I had to stop and think about what that verse means. Surely God wants us to rest and be refreshed. His Sabbath is certainly a day of rest and a time to worship him and refocus and refuel for the week. But I think this verse is talking about a different kind of rest. There are Biblical passages that talk about God's eternal rest, which those who believe in Jesus will enjoy when he comes again and ushers in his kingdom. However, I think this verse calls for a mindset or attitude of perseverance and steadfastness in our pursuit of God's kingdom.
Sometimes I grow weary of life - always adding to my to-do list but never fully completing it. I think I am entitled to some "down time," and I long to just "veg out" with a good movie and ice cream or a long, hot bath. While there's nothing innately wrong with these things, they quickly become idols and stumbling blocks when they take priority over spending time in God's word, calling a friend, or praying. Ephesians 5:15-16 says, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil." And Galatians 6:9 says, "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Pursuing godliness, doing good, serving God and others, fighting my sinful tendencies to be selfish and lazy - this is a constant battle requiring effort, vigilance and perseverance. Am I really to "take no rest"? Yep. That's the idea. God is always at work (John 5:17), and I want to be like him. So I need to "press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:14).
Thankfully, Isaiah doesn't stop there; he goes on to say, "and give him no rest." We are not alone in our labors. God is also working alongside us and in us. And he promises to complete the good work he began in us (Phil 1:6). So when it seems exhausting and useless, and I am overwhelmed with the burdens of everyday life, plus trying to please God and love my neighbor, and when I think I will never change - then I remember that "he who watches over you will not slumber" (Psalm 121), and Jesus bids me come, exchange my burdens for his yoke, which is easy and light, and I will find rest for my soul (Matt 11:28-29). Thank God that even when I choose to "veg out," he continues to work to establish his kingdom.
For that is the endpoint of the verse in Isaiah, what we are to strive for - that God will establish Jerusalem and make it a praise in all the earth. In other words - that God's will be done, his kingdom come, and glory be to him forever and ever, Amen.
2010 promises to be a year of big changes for me. On May 25, I will become an M.D., and shortly after that, I will begin my residency training in family medicine. People will look to me to make decisions about patients' lives. The idea is both humbling and terrifying. I long to be the kind of doctor who can make calm, wise decisions, even under duress and who can inspire trust and hope in my patients whatever the circumstances. But the reality is that I am far from being the doctor, or even the person, I want to be.
So, I think I want Isaiah 62:6-7 to be my theme verse for 2010. This year, I want to press in and pursue God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. I want to take no rest and give God no rest but make the most of every opportunity to grow and change and pray for God to work in me and do through me the good works he has prepared for me to walk in.
Looking back on 2009, I am thankful for so many blessings.
My family - despite many trials (illnesses, financial struggles), we have a close, loving and supportive family. It is wonderful to be so near my parents and share in their daily lives. They have been a marvelous help and blessing to me during the busy and stressful medical school years. My nieces and nephew are precious and fun - always growing, changing and learning new things. (Photos from Christmas in Washington, DC.) Jenny and Bryan are expecting their second child in February - my nephew John Douglass. This is truly an answer to prayer for a safe, successful pregnancy and a healthy baby!
My church - always a blessing through great, biblical teaching and sound doctrine, worship in spirit and truth, and accountability. Our monthly ladies accountability group meetings are great, and I've started praying regularly with one of the ladies in the group. I wish I had more time to devote to fellowship and serving our church body. Our girls discipleship group is meeting monthly, and it is so encouraging to see what God is doing in the lives of our young ladies.
My roommates - I love having someone to come home to and cook for! But more importantly, having housemates provides ample opportunity to grow in selflessness and humility.
Medicine - I love medical school and am so grateful to be able to pursue such an exciting and fulfilling profession at this stage of life. God has granted me much favor this year, allowing me to win two awards/scholarships for academic excellence and leadership - very humbling and entirely God's doing. Every gift I have is from him, and I hope he will use those gifts to his glory. Spending two months at a mission hospital in Nepal renewed my desire to serve God and the gospel through international medical missions work. Many of the residency programs I am considering have a strong focus on missions. I can't wait to see where God leads next!
Thanks for your prayers and encouragement! I hope to keep up my blog in 2010 with stories from medical school, residency and more.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
India - Journey's End
As you may know, I am already back on American soil - glad to be home, but sad to see the end of a wonderful trip. The final leg of my journey took me to India to see some amazing palaces/monuments and some dear friends.
Delhi-Agra
Since my flight to and from Nepal was routed through Delhi, I just had to see the famous Taj Mahal. I must admit, despite my usual adventuresome nature, I found traveling alone in India rather intimidating. I had booked a tour to Agra (where the Taj Mahal is located) via internet and was a little nervous about how things would work out.
I arrived in Delhi at night and was transported to my hotel, which seemed to be in a very busy commercial part of town - not a place I wanted to walk around by myself at night. I didn't have much cash, but I couldn't find an ATM nearby, so I ordered a small snack for dinner and went to bed. The next morning, my driver met me at the hotel for the trip to Agra (about 5 hours from Delhi). It was a long trip with just me and the driver, who asked a lot of personal questions - did I have my own car? a house? was I married? why not? did I have a boyfriend? Understandably, these questions made me rather uncomfortable, but I figured the driver was professional and would never try anything impertinent and risk losing his job. He was probably just making conversation. Still, I would much have preferred either a female driver or to be traveling in a group on a bus. (I could have taken the train to Agra, but then I would have had to figure everything out for myself, and the timing didn't work out as well.)
Anyway, we made it to Agra where I met my guide for the Taj Mahal and Red Fort (the two monuments everyone visits in the area), found an ATM that worked, and had a delicious lunch of veg curry and garlic nan. Then we went to the Taj Mahal, which is really a tomb for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's most beloved wife. The gardens and grounds are beautiful and peaceful (even with the hordes of tourists), and the red sandstone and carved white marble with inlaid jewels are amazingly massive and intricate. I can see why so many people from all over the world, including India, visit this place, and I'm glad I came. After the Taj, I went to see another monument - the Red Fort, which lies across the river from the Taj Mahal in perfect symmetry (supposedly). The story has it that one of Shah Jahan's sons took power forcibly and put his father under house arrest in the Red Fort, where he could not visit his wife's tomb but only see it across the river.
As it's name implies, the Red Fort is built mostly of red sandstone. There are various sections of the fort, including palaces for different wives and halls for public and private audiences. As with the Taj Mahal, the sheer size of the fort and the amount of work that went into cutting and carrying all that sandstone and marble are impressive. But the architectural features (arches, turrets, scalloped windows, etc.), symmetry, colors, patterns, and carvings are truly pleasing to the eye. I took hundreds of photos (fortunately, I won't subject you to all of them!). I would have loved to just sit and soak in the peacefulness of the place (after all the tourists left).
After the Red Fort, my guide took me to a shop where I was able to see the process for making the inlaid marble as well as woven carpets. The work is so precise and painstaking, but the result is beautiful. They have to carve the marble images just right and then cut the malakite, lapis lazuli, and other semi-precious stones to just the right shape and size to fit into the marble so that it looks seamless. And the carpets are gorgeous as well. Of course, at the end of the show, I was encouraged to buy something (they could ship it to me anywhere in the world...). Actually, I wish I could buy a marble table top or an Oriental rug. But even the smallest of items was out of my price range.
Finally, I ended my day with a dinner buffet at a five-star hotel (I stayed in a two- or three-star hotel). It was a little weird to eat by myself while my driver waited outside (don't know where he ate), but I thoroughly enjoyed a sumptious Indian buffet (and a glass of wine - the first in a long time). And, though I wouldn't have admitted that I missed it that much, I have to say the vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate sauce was really, really good.
On the way back to Delhi, we stopped at the monument of Fatehpur Sikri, another emperor/shah's palace. Actually, this shah had three wives - one Hindu, one Christian, and one Muslim - and built separate palaces and temples for each of them on the grounds. Like the Red Fort and the Taj, Fatehpur Sikri is all red sandstone and white marble. It's enormous - bigger than either the Taj Mahal or the Red Fort (I guess you need all that room for three wives not to quarrel or get in each other's way). Apparently each wife got one week a month with the king, and the fourth month was for his concubines. Hmm. I wonder what the Christian wife thought of that?
After a long drive back to Delhi, I begged my driver to take me directly to the airport and not to any more shops. He wanted me to "just look" at some marble and carpet factories in Delhi (I am sure he gets a commission or kick-back for bringing tourists to certain stores), but I just couldn't face any more shopping pressure. Everywhere I went in Agra the hawkers badgered me constantly to look and buy - jewelry, animal figurines, religious artifacts, whatever. I kept saying "no thank you," but some of them just wouldn't take no for an answer, pushing things in my face and begging me to consider their poor parents whose sole livelihood was making these fine hand-crafted whatevers. I felt mean saying no and ignoring them, but there's not much else you can do. Boy was I glad to get to the Delhi airport and relax. I was even happier to see my friend Colette waiting for me at the other end, in the Bangalore airport!!
Bangalore-Coorg
Some of you may know the Fraziers - Brian and Colette. They were members of Sovereign Grace Church for a while before heading to India as very non-traditional missionaries. Brian works for an Indian micro-finance company, providing loans for low- to middle-income people (mostly women) to start small businesses as income for their families. So, although he is working in business, he is interacting with Indian and non-Indian people all the time with opportunities to serve God as a witness through his life, work and relationships. Unfortunately, Brian had to leave for a business trip to Delhi the day after I arrived, so I only got to hear a little about his work. But I had a great time hanging out with Colette and the boys, seeing what their life is like in Bangalore. We visited a beautiful park/gardens in the city, ordered Indian take-out food for dinner, had a pedicure (bless you, Colette! My feet sorely needed pampering after my trek in the Himalayas), and took a short but very relaxing vacation to a farm and elephant camp in the hill country around Coorg.
I have to admire Colette for her spunk and courage. She has jumped right into life in a strange land, despite cultural, religious and language barriers. She even manages to drive her own car around the streets of Bangalore. Besides driving on the wrong side of the road, Indians rarely respect lanes, and cars compete with trucks, buses, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians and cows, even on "highways". But Colette seems to have a gift for getting around the city. God's grace was abundantly evident on our trip to Coorg, about a five-hour drive from Bangalore.
We stayed on a small farm owned by a couple from Bangalore who decided to give up city life and a high-tech job to live in the country. They have a beautiful farm with animals and agriculture - a vegetable garden, vanilla trees, coffee, and other exotic fruits and spices. To supplement the slow process of making a living from agriculture, they have built a little paradise with comfortable bungalows, sumptious meals and warm hospitality where city folks can get away to the country for a relaxing weekend. There are lots of touristy things to do in the area - the elephant camp, where you can ride and bathe the elephants, jeep safaris in the jungle, the local Buddhist temple and monastery, waterfalls, the river, dam and reservoir (good for rafting, boating and bird-watching). The boys spent hours playing with the puppies and throwing rocks into the water from the top of the dam. Colette and I enjoyed the sunshine and tranquility of the bungalow and beautifully manicured lawn (while the boys were busy with the puppies). And the meals were sooooo good. We were treated to a different Indian dish at every meal, including breakfast, and the owner's wife hovered over the table offering seconds and thirds of every dish, so it was hard to refuse. And of course, on the way to and from Bangalore, we had to stop at the MacDonald's (a highlight for the kids).
What a relaxing and enjoyable way to spend my last days in Asia before heading home. On Sunday morning, I got to attend church with Colette and the boys - all in English!! It was great to sing and hear a message that I could understand, and fun to meet the Frazier's pastor and small group members. Colette - if you are reading this, thank you so much for a wonderful time. I loved seeing you and spending time with the boys!
After that, I got on a plane and spent the next 30 hours traveling back to Houston. I thank God for a safe and smooth trip from start to finish. I miss Nepal and India, but it's so good to be back home in my own bed, to see my parents and roommates again. I think it will take me a while to adapt back to life in the USA, but hopefully the memories of the people and experiences I've had over the last two months will be with me for a long time.
Thanks for keeping up with my blog and for your prayers and encouragement during these last months. I hope you have enjoyed hearing about my travels. I can't wait to see you!
 |
| Delhi-Agra |
Delhi-Agra
Since my flight to and from Nepal was routed through Delhi, I just had to see the famous Taj Mahal. I must admit, despite my usual adventuresome nature, I found traveling alone in India rather intimidating. I had booked a tour to Agra (where the Taj Mahal is located) via internet and was a little nervous about how things would work out.
I arrived in Delhi at night and was transported to my hotel, which seemed to be in a very busy commercial part of town - not a place I wanted to walk around by myself at night. I didn't have much cash, but I couldn't find an ATM nearby, so I ordered a small snack for dinner and went to bed. The next morning, my driver met me at the hotel for the trip to Agra (about 5 hours from Delhi). It was a long trip with just me and the driver, who asked a lot of personal questions - did I have my own car? a house? was I married? why not? did I have a boyfriend? Understandably, these questions made me rather uncomfortable, but I figured the driver was professional and would never try anything impertinent and risk losing his job. He was probably just making conversation. Still, I would much have preferred either a female driver or to be traveling in a group on a bus. (I could have taken the train to Agra, but then I would have had to figure everything out for myself, and the timing didn't work out as well.)
Anyway, we made it to Agra where I met my guide for the Taj Mahal and Red Fort (the two monuments everyone visits in the area), found an ATM that worked, and had a delicious lunch of veg curry and garlic nan. Then we went to the Taj Mahal, which is really a tomb for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's most beloved wife. The gardens and grounds are beautiful and peaceful (even with the hordes of tourists), and the red sandstone and carved white marble with inlaid jewels are amazingly massive and intricate. I can see why so many people from all over the world, including India, visit this place, and I'm glad I came. After the Taj, I went to see another monument - the Red Fort, which lies across the river from the Taj Mahal in perfect symmetry (supposedly). The story has it that one of Shah Jahan's sons took power forcibly and put his father under house arrest in the Red Fort, where he could not visit his wife's tomb but only see it across the river.
As it's name implies, the Red Fort is built mostly of red sandstone. There are various sections of the fort, including palaces for different wives and halls for public and private audiences. As with the Taj Mahal, the sheer size of the fort and the amount of work that went into cutting and carrying all that sandstone and marble are impressive. But the architectural features (arches, turrets, scalloped windows, etc.), symmetry, colors, patterns, and carvings are truly pleasing to the eye. I took hundreds of photos (fortunately, I won't subject you to all of them!). I would have loved to just sit and soak in the peacefulness of the place (after all the tourists left).
After the Red Fort, my guide took me to a shop where I was able to see the process for making the inlaid marble as well as woven carpets. The work is so precise and painstaking, but the result is beautiful. They have to carve the marble images just right and then cut the malakite, lapis lazuli, and other semi-precious stones to just the right shape and size to fit into the marble so that it looks seamless. And the carpets are gorgeous as well. Of course, at the end of the show, I was encouraged to buy something (they could ship it to me anywhere in the world...). Actually, I wish I could buy a marble table top or an Oriental rug. But even the smallest of items was out of my price range.
Finally, I ended my day with a dinner buffet at a five-star hotel (I stayed in a two- or three-star hotel). It was a little weird to eat by myself while my driver waited outside (don't know where he ate), but I thoroughly enjoyed a sumptious Indian buffet (and a glass of wine - the first in a long time). And, though I wouldn't have admitted that I missed it that much, I have to say the vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate sauce was really, really good.
On the way back to Delhi, we stopped at the monument of Fatehpur Sikri, another emperor/shah's palace. Actually, this shah had three wives - one Hindu, one Christian, and one Muslim - and built separate palaces and temples for each of them on the grounds. Like the Red Fort and the Taj, Fatehpur Sikri is all red sandstone and white marble. It's enormous - bigger than either the Taj Mahal or the Red Fort (I guess you need all that room for three wives not to quarrel or get in each other's way). Apparently each wife got one week a month with the king, and the fourth month was for his concubines. Hmm. I wonder what the Christian wife thought of that?
After a long drive back to Delhi, I begged my driver to take me directly to the airport and not to any more shops. He wanted me to "just look" at some marble and carpet factories in Delhi (I am sure he gets a commission or kick-back for bringing tourists to certain stores), but I just couldn't face any more shopping pressure. Everywhere I went in Agra the hawkers badgered me constantly to look and buy - jewelry, animal figurines, religious artifacts, whatever. I kept saying "no thank you," but some of them just wouldn't take no for an answer, pushing things in my face and begging me to consider their poor parents whose sole livelihood was making these fine hand-crafted whatevers. I felt mean saying no and ignoring them, but there's not much else you can do. Boy was I glad to get to the Delhi airport and relax. I was even happier to see my friend Colette waiting for me at the other end, in the Bangalore airport!!
Bangalore-Coorg
Some of you may know the Fraziers - Brian and Colette. They were members of Sovereign Grace Church for a while before heading to India as very non-traditional missionaries. Brian works for an Indian micro-finance company, providing loans for low- to middle-income people (mostly women) to start small businesses as income for their families. So, although he is working in business, he is interacting with Indian and non-Indian people all the time with opportunities to serve God as a witness through his life, work and relationships. Unfortunately, Brian had to leave for a business trip to Delhi the day after I arrived, so I only got to hear a little about his work. But I had a great time hanging out with Colette and the boys, seeing what their life is like in Bangalore. We visited a beautiful park/gardens in the city, ordered Indian take-out food for dinner, had a pedicure (bless you, Colette! My feet sorely needed pampering after my trek in the Himalayas), and took a short but very relaxing vacation to a farm and elephant camp in the hill country around Coorg.
 |
| Bangalore |
I have to admire Colette for her spunk and courage. She has jumped right into life in a strange land, despite cultural, religious and language barriers. She even manages to drive her own car around the streets of Bangalore. Besides driving on the wrong side of the road, Indians rarely respect lanes, and cars compete with trucks, buses, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians and cows, even on "highways". But Colette seems to have a gift for getting around the city. God's grace was abundantly evident on our trip to Coorg, about a five-hour drive from Bangalore.
We stayed on a small farm owned by a couple from Bangalore who decided to give up city life and a high-tech job to live in the country. They have a beautiful farm with animals and agriculture - a vegetable garden, vanilla trees, coffee, and other exotic fruits and spices. To supplement the slow process of making a living from agriculture, they have built a little paradise with comfortable bungalows, sumptious meals and warm hospitality where city folks can get away to the country for a relaxing weekend. There are lots of touristy things to do in the area - the elephant camp, where you can ride and bathe the elephants, jeep safaris in the jungle, the local Buddhist temple and monastery, waterfalls, the river, dam and reservoir (good for rafting, boating and bird-watching). The boys spent hours playing with the puppies and throwing rocks into the water from the top of the dam. Colette and I enjoyed the sunshine and tranquility of the bungalow and beautifully manicured lawn (while the boys were busy with the puppies). And the meals were sooooo good. We were treated to a different Indian dish at every meal, including breakfast, and the owner's wife hovered over the table offering seconds and thirds of every dish, so it was hard to refuse. And of course, on the way to and from Bangalore, we had to stop at the MacDonald's (a highlight for the kids).
What a relaxing and enjoyable way to spend my last days in Asia before heading home. On Sunday morning, I got to attend church with Colette and the boys - all in English!! It was great to sing and hear a message that I could understand, and fun to meet the Frazier's pastor and small group members. Colette - if you are reading this, thank you so much for a wonderful time. I loved seeing you and spending time with the boys!
After that, I got on a plane and spent the next 30 hours traveling back to Houston. I thank God for a safe and smooth trip from start to finish. I miss Nepal and India, but it's so good to be back home in my own bed, to see my parents and roommates again. I think it will take me a while to adapt back to life in the USA, but hopefully the memories of the people and experiences I've had over the last two months will be with me for a long time.
Thanks for keeping up with my blog and for your prayers and encouragement during these last months. I hope you have enjoyed hearing about my travels. I can't wait to see you!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Trekking
Warning: This is a long blog covering my three-day trek in the Annapurna region. There are 94 photos in the album linked below, so beware!
Day 1: Pokhara to Landruk
Backpack stuffed to the gills, hiking boots on, I meet my guide, Bhagwati and get into a tiny car to head to the mountains to start my three-day trek. Along the way, the entire Annapurna range is visible in the crystal clear morning sun – snow-capped peaks rising above green rice paddies. It is glorious and I get excited about seeing them up closer.
After an hour’s drive, we arrive in Kande, a pit stop on the road where we will pick up the trail to the village of Landruk, where we will spend the first night – about a five-hour hike. The trail starts at about 1200 meters above sea level. We walk through fields and beside homes and farms, then begin to ascend into more forested terrain. Part of the trail leads through jungle, past many small waterfalls. Much of the trail is lined with stone, creating one long stone stairway. I am surprised at the sheer number of steps. The stone is some sort of slate material, apparently native to the area. But someone must have cut it and moved it and leveled the ground for each step – an amazing feat considering how many miles of trail are so laid out. At one spot, we see a sign attributing a section of the trail to the nearby village. I suppose the villagers benefit from the trails, both for transporting themselves and their goods and for bringing tourists.
Along our path, there are several small villages boasting quaint restaurants and guest houses for weary trekkers. All have flower gardens, sunny patios, and colorfully painted rooms. My guide knows people at many of these spots and exchanges friendly conversation with other guides we pass on the trail. Despite seeing a number of other trekkers, guides and porters, we are often alone on the trail with just the sounds of the jungle and the occasional bells of a goat herd or donkey train. The porters carry baggage for trekkers, as well as all of the food, drinks and supplies for the mountain inns, tied in a bundle or basket and attached by a strap around their foreheads. They walk at an amazing pace – up and down – despite their heavy loads. Once or twice we pass a train of donkeys carrying supplies (especially gas canisters), but the human porters do much of this hard labor.
After hiking for two and a half hours, mainly uphill, we stop at a village called Pothana for lunch. It is windy and cold on my sweaty, tired body. We order hot tea and momos – delicious! Renewed, we set out again. The next hour is almost entirely downhill – again on the beautiful stone staircase that seems to never end. By the time we reach the bottom, my legs are shaky. Only a little more to go, says Bhagwati, mostly flat. She’s right. There are short ups and downs, but my shaky legs get me safely to Landruk. Across the valley – on the opposite hillside, my guide points out the village of Ghandruk, where we will sleep the second night. It is higher in elevation than Landruk, but to get there we must descend to the valley floor and then up again to nearly 2000 meters (Landruk is 1500 meters). I have thoughts of going home – is helicopter evacuation possible?
We check into the Tibet Guest House – cozy but primitive. At least it has a nice hot shower (feels nice on my tired back and legs)! The food and tea are warm and tasty. The daal bhaat comes with a delicious chutney made of home-grown mint, chilis, and tomatoes – and the daal is made with two types of tiny lentils. There is a large French Canadian group staying at the lodge, and they have ordered apple pie; it smells divine.
Our room (Bhagwati shares my room because the inn is full – normally the Nepali guides and porters have separate quarters) is equipped with two twin beds, which appear clean, and very thick, warm-looking duvets. The evening is cloudy, so I don’t know where the mountains are or what kind of view to expect. I pray it doesn’t rain and the clouds clear by morning. When I get up at 3 AM to visit the facilities, the sky is full of stars, so I know my prayers have been answered.
Day 2: Landruk to Ghandruk
Sure enough, when I go out to brush my teeth in the morning I find myself facing these magnificent peaks dominating the landscape – they look so close! Amazing to think that something so huge could have been completely invisible in the clouds the day before.
Breakfast is chiyaa and a banana pancake. Fortified, we pack up and head down, down, down, to the bottom of the valley before ascending up the other side. Our trail consists of about a million stone steps, past fields of rice, millet and mustard. All I can think of is the up, up, up awaiting me on the other side, but I decide not to let it worry me. The descent takes 45 minutes, and my legs are not too shaky.
At the bottom of the valley, we cross a bridge over a raging green-blue river fed by numerous waterfalls on both sides that we see from the trail. Stalling for time before the steep uphill climb, we stop for another cup of tea at a guest house in the village of Kumi. Then off we go up a billion stone steps. We go very slowly, resting frequently to enjoy the scenery. The mountains are visible now and again. At one point, we see a whole flock of monkeys leaping through the trees overhanging a cliff. I envy their agility and easy ascent/descent. We also pass several groups of trekkers, including one family with a young daughter who appears to be counting the steps (do you really want to know?).
Finally, two hours later, we arrive at the top, at the charming village of Ghandruk. Our lodge – the Trekkers Inn – is a three-story building with a beautiful garden. I choose a room on the third floor, which turns out to be quite nice because there is a nice little deck up there with a table and chairs. After a (cold) shower, I bask in the sun on the deck, enjoying the view of the valley and the glorious Himalayan peaks still visible through the clouds. I can hear the sounds of rushing water, crickets, goat bells, children playing. The breeze is chilly, but the sun feels warm and soothing on my shoulders. I could sit here forever. I am so glad I came!!!
Lunch is served on “my” deck (I have the place to myself until a large group of trekkers arrives) – chow mein with veggies, egg, and cheese. I don’t know if I am just really hungry after a rigorous day of trekking, but this I one of the best meals I’ve had in Nepal!
After lunch, Bhagwati takes me on a walk to “Old Ghandruk,” the part of the village where people actually live (as opposed to the part with the guest houses). We stop in a small museum showing how the Gurung people of this region live. Then we wander along stone paths through the village, seeing people harvesting rice in their fields, children playing in the “hay” created by threshing the rice, and others peeling potatoes or washing clothes at communal taps. One of the most charming features of the houses here are their uniquely carved wooden window frames, usually painted in bright colors. Many houses have large straw/bamboo mats spread with rice or corn drying in the sun. There are vegetable gardens and colorful flowers adorning the yards. It really is quite picturesque and idyllic. We wander past the local school (empty for the recent holiday) and health post and eventually make our way back to our inn for a cup of tea and a rest. Dinner is pizza and rice pudding – everything seems to taste better up here. Bedtime is early, as it is dark by 7 PM and there isn’t much to do.
Day 3: Ghandruk to Pokhara
I get up at 5 AM to see the sunrise, counting on the clouds clearing out overnight, leaving the mountains visible. I am not disappointed. It is cold, and my hands are numb by the time the rest of the hotel wakes up. But I enjoy the peaceful quiet of dawn on “my” deck on the third floor, reading Psalms 8 and 19, and meditating on the majesty of God seen in the mountains, yet his grace to one such as me whose life is fleeting and small.
On this last day of my trek, we meet up with another 3 Sisters Trekking guide and her client, who is from British Columbia and turns out to be a veterinarian. We enjoy the company on the trek out to the main road – about five hours of gradual descent and relatively flat trails. Today we share the trail with many other groups, but it doesn’t detract from the beauty of the scenery. The mountains remain visible off and on, and the green-blue Modi River winds its way through the valley, gradually getting nearer as we descend toward the valley floor. Closer to the town where we will be picked up, and almost at river level, we begin to see Nepali families taking a day’s outing to the river or nearby waterfall. Down on the valley floor, the air is warm and humid, and the sun feels stronger somehow. We stop for lunch at a restaurant on the river – only 30 minutes to the end of my trek. My feet are sore, but I am sad to return to civilization. Nayapol is a dirty, commercial little village on the main road, and I find it somewhat ugly after the charm of Ghandruk and the other mountain villages. But soon we are back in Pokhara enjoying a hot shower and cold drinks.
All I can say at the end of my journey is that this was a wonderful, spiritually and physically renewing three days. I am grateful for this time to soak in the beauty of God’s creation and get away from the hustle and bustle of life. And I am especially thankful to have arrived safely with no injuries, heat stroke, frostbite, or any other mishap. I hope you enjoy the photos (there are quite a few, but I had many more).
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| Trekking |
Day 1: Pokhara to Landruk
Backpack stuffed to the gills, hiking boots on, I meet my guide, Bhagwati and get into a tiny car to head to the mountains to start my three-day trek. Along the way, the entire Annapurna range is visible in the crystal clear morning sun – snow-capped peaks rising above green rice paddies. It is glorious and I get excited about seeing them up closer.
After an hour’s drive, we arrive in Kande, a pit stop on the road where we will pick up the trail to the village of Landruk, where we will spend the first night – about a five-hour hike. The trail starts at about 1200 meters above sea level. We walk through fields and beside homes and farms, then begin to ascend into more forested terrain. Part of the trail leads through jungle, past many small waterfalls. Much of the trail is lined with stone, creating one long stone stairway. I am surprised at the sheer number of steps. The stone is some sort of slate material, apparently native to the area. But someone must have cut it and moved it and leveled the ground for each step – an amazing feat considering how many miles of trail are so laid out. At one spot, we see a sign attributing a section of the trail to the nearby village. I suppose the villagers benefit from the trails, both for transporting themselves and their goods and for bringing tourists.
Along our path, there are several small villages boasting quaint restaurants and guest houses for weary trekkers. All have flower gardens, sunny patios, and colorfully painted rooms. My guide knows people at many of these spots and exchanges friendly conversation with other guides we pass on the trail. Despite seeing a number of other trekkers, guides and porters, we are often alone on the trail with just the sounds of the jungle and the occasional bells of a goat herd or donkey train. The porters carry baggage for trekkers, as well as all of the food, drinks and supplies for the mountain inns, tied in a bundle or basket and attached by a strap around their foreheads. They walk at an amazing pace – up and down – despite their heavy loads. Once or twice we pass a train of donkeys carrying supplies (especially gas canisters), but the human porters do much of this hard labor.
After hiking for two and a half hours, mainly uphill, we stop at a village called Pothana for lunch. It is windy and cold on my sweaty, tired body. We order hot tea and momos – delicious! Renewed, we set out again. The next hour is almost entirely downhill – again on the beautiful stone staircase that seems to never end. By the time we reach the bottom, my legs are shaky. Only a little more to go, says Bhagwati, mostly flat. She’s right. There are short ups and downs, but my shaky legs get me safely to Landruk. Across the valley – on the opposite hillside, my guide points out the village of Ghandruk, where we will sleep the second night. It is higher in elevation than Landruk, but to get there we must descend to the valley floor and then up again to nearly 2000 meters (Landruk is 1500 meters). I have thoughts of going home – is helicopter evacuation possible?
We check into the Tibet Guest House – cozy but primitive. At least it has a nice hot shower (feels nice on my tired back and legs)! The food and tea are warm and tasty. The daal bhaat comes with a delicious chutney made of home-grown mint, chilis, and tomatoes – and the daal is made with two types of tiny lentils. There is a large French Canadian group staying at the lodge, and they have ordered apple pie; it smells divine.
Our room (Bhagwati shares my room because the inn is full – normally the Nepali guides and porters have separate quarters) is equipped with two twin beds, which appear clean, and very thick, warm-looking duvets. The evening is cloudy, so I don’t know where the mountains are or what kind of view to expect. I pray it doesn’t rain and the clouds clear by morning. When I get up at 3 AM to visit the facilities, the sky is full of stars, so I know my prayers have been answered.
Day 2: Landruk to Ghandruk
Sure enough, when I go out to brush my teeth in the morning I find myself facing these magnificent peaks dominating the landscape – they look so close! Amazing to think that something so huge could have been completely invisible in the clouds the day before.
Breakfast is chiyaa and a banana pancake. Fortified, we pack up and head down, down, down, to the bottom of the valley before ascending up the other side. Our trail consists of about a million stone steps, past fields of rice, millet and mustard. All I can think of is the up, up, up awaiting me on the other side, but I decide not to let it worry me. The descent takes 45 minutes, and my legs are not too shaky.
At the bottom of the valley, we cross a bridge over a raging green-blue river fed by numerous waterfalls on both sides that we see from the trail. Stalling for time before the steep uphill climb, we stop for another cup of tea at a guest house in the village of Kumi. Then off we go up a billion stone steps. We go very slowly, resting frequently to enjoy the scenery. The mountains are visible now and again. At one point, we see a whole flock of monkeys leaping through the trees overhanging a cliff. I envy their agility and easy ascent/descent. We also pass several groups of trekkers, including one family with a young daughter who appears to be counting the steps (do you really want to know?).
Finally, two hours later, we arrive at the top, at the charming village of Ghandruk. Our lodge – the Trekkers Inn – is a three-story building with a beautiful garden. I choose a room on the third floor, which turns out to be quite nice because there is a nice little deck up there with a table and chairs. After a (cold) shower, I bask in the sun on the deck, enjoying the view of the valley and the glorious Himalayan peaks still visible through the clouds. I can hear the sounds of rushing water, crickets, goat bells, children playing. The breeze is chilly, but the sun feels warm and soothing on my shoulders. I could sit here forever. I am so glad I came!!!
Lunch is served on “my” deck (I have the place to myself until a large group of trekkers arrives) – chow mein with veggies, egg, and cheese. I don’t know if I am just really hungry after a rigorous day of trekking, but this I one of the best meals I’ve had in Nepal!
After lunch, Bhagwati takes me on a walk to “Old Ghandruk,” the part of the village where people actually live (as opposed to the part with the guest houses). We stop in a small museum showing how the Gurung people of this region live. Then we wander along stone paths through the village, seeing people harvesting rice in their fields, children playing in the “hay” created by threshing the rice, and others peeling potatoes or washing clothes at communal taps. One of the most charming features of the houses here are their uniquely carved wooden window frames, usually painted in bright colors. Many houses have large straw/bamboo mats spread with rice or corn drying in the sun. There are vegetable gardens and colorful flowers adorning the yards. It really is quite picturesque and idyllic. We wander past the local school (empty for the recent holiday) and health post and eventually make our way back to our inn for a cup of tea and a rest. Dinner is pizza and rice pudding – everything seems to taste better up here. Bedtime is early, as it is dark by 7 PM and there isn’t much to do.
Day 3: Ghandruk to Pokhara
I get up at 5 AM to see the sunrise, counting on the clouds clearing out overnight, leaving the mountains visible. I am not disappointed. It is cold, and my hands are numb by the time the rest of the hotel wakes up. But I enjoy the peaceful quiet of dawn on “my” deck on the third floor, reading Psalms 8 and 19, and meditating on the majesty of God seen in the mountains, yet his grace to one such as me whose life is fleeting and small.
On this last day of my trek, we meet up with another 3 Sisters Trekking guide and her client, who is from British Columbia and turns out to be a veterinarian. We enjoy the company on the trek out to the main road – about five hours of gradual descent and relatively flat trails. Today we share the trail with many other groups, but it doesn’t detract from the beauty of the scenery. The mountains remain visible off and on, and the green-blue Modi River winds its way through the valley, gradually getting nearer as we descend toward the valley floor. Closer to the town where we will be picked up, and almost at river level, we begin to see Nepali families taking a day’s outing to the river or nearby waterfall. Down on the valley floor, the air is warm and humid, and the sun feels stronger somehow. We stop for lunch at a restaurant on the river – only 30 minutes to the end of my trek. My feet are sore, but I am sad to return to civilization. Nayapol is a dirty, commercial little village on the main road, and I find it somewhat ugly after the charm of Ghandruk and the other mountain villages. But soon we are back in Pokhara enjoying a hot shower and cold drinks.
All I can say at the end of my journey is that this was a wonderful, spiritually and physically renewing three days. I am grateful for this time to soak in the beauty of God’s creation and get away from the hustle and bustle of life. And I am especially thankful to have arrived safely with no injuries, heat stroke, frostbite, or any other mishap. I hope you enjoy the photos (there are quite a few, but I had many more).
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