Week in Paradise: St. John, USVI

Now that summer's over and my blogging skills have been pretty sub par, I thought it might be a good idea to share my pictures from another amazing trip, to paradise :)

From Nepal to Qatar to St. John, USVI in less than 36 hours. It was a crazy experience to see so many different (in every meaning of the word) parts of the world in such a short time. And also an experience that included two long layovers, two nights in a row sleeping in a plane, a twelve hour time difference and tested my patience. I also honed my ability to fall asleep sitting up and broke my movie marathon record (five in one flight!)

We stayed in a beautiful resort, got to visit gorgeous national parks, snorkel for hours on end, and eat in pretty great restaurants. I loved every second of the trip but the juxtaposition between this vacation and Nepal was hard to get out of my head. It's crazy how different the lives people live, and what people have is - and the main deciding factor is where they are born....I'm a strong believer in the importance of hard work, dedication, and working to improve your own life, but I could not stop thinking about my class in Nepal and how - without a lot of change in the economic, political, and social circumstances of their country - they would never be able to experience this. I'm not sure if I have any of the answers, but it did make me think.

That being said....St.John's beautiful! Gorgeous. Exactly identical to the idea of paradise that floats around in my head. And it was nice to spend a week with family after being away for nearly a month.

Around Nepal

So, it feels semi-inappropriate for me to continue to post about my time in Nepal now that I've been home for almost a month (CANNOT believe that it's been that long!)...Here's a little bit about some of my other excursion in Nepal. It's impossible to share everything, and even harder to describe how much the it changed me, but I'll try to post about some of the experiences I haven't shared yet and let the pictures do the talking...

My first full day in Kathmandu was spent at an ancient stupa nicknamed the "monkey temple", and it isn't hard to figure out why. Excuse the National Geographic-esque photos, but these monkeys were everywhere! The Himalayan prayer flags and ancient sculptures were beautiful also.

In the Jungle...

My entire time in Nepal was spent trying new things and exploring new places, so it is almost impossible to pick a "favorite" experience. That being said.... the weekend trip took I took to Chitwan National Park in the south of the country was definitely a highlight. From riding an elephant (more on that later), to trekking through the jungle, to watching the sunset over the river, everything was fascinating and a once-in-a lifetime experience.

Nepal: Why I Went and What I Learned

This  past winter, when the fact that I was going to be actually graduating from college hit me, I started to seriously contemplate traveling somewhere for an extended period of time. I've spent the past four years learning about public health: health in communities, primary prevention, maternal and child health, and environmental health but never had the chance to experience the conditions and lives of those living in a developing country first hand. While  I began to look at different opportunities half-heartedly, the final push was traveling with my best friend and boyfriend of (almost!) six years, CJ, to Santiago, Chile in January. I was only able to stay in the country for ten days, but the sights, smells, tastes, and places I experienced during that short time was enough to give me an itch to experience cultures other than my own.  CJ stayed in Chile for almost two months, and hearing his stories  after his return sealed the deal - I was going to take a few weeks after graduation to learn more about how others live across the world, taking enough time to be immersed in another culture, and helping in any way I could. So that (with a lot of help from my parents) is how I ended up in Nepal for three weeks  to spend my time working with at-risk children at a school.
Fast forward to June - after reading (a little) about the country, buying my tickets, and packing (not enough clothes) I said goodbye to my family and friends and boarded a plane to Kathmandu, Nepal, not really sure what to expect but excited to experience, learn and volunteer my time.

This is Kathmandu!

Arriving in Kathmandu, especially for someone who has never been to Southeast Asia, can only be described as an experience. When I arrived, hopped in a small cab with several other volunteers, and left the airport grounds, the sights and sounds of the city enthralled me. All I can remember of my first taxi ride was staring out the window -both fascinated and terrified-  as the driver wove in and out of traffic constantly honking at other cars.