My second trip with Global Dental Relief was to Nepal in April 2012. I knew Everest was close by, but that was about it. This was my first time flying international for days at a time. And this dental clinic was three weeks long. I had so many questions, but never once if I should go or not. This was the journal I kept from my time in Nepal:
I would like to start out by saying that I do not like to fly. And going to Nepal was the farthest I have ever traveled. Denver International to LAX, then I had a 6 hour layover. From there, it was a 16 hour flight to Hong Kong. I was pretty nervous so I went to my doctors prior to flying around the world for a little help. And I will let you know that I slept the entire flight! Then I woke up when we landed in Hong Kong. And I had 10 hours before my next flight! So, I killed as much time as possible, which was easy to do because the airport was gigantic. So many stores, shops, and restaurants. I also went outside the airport to check it out, but it was raining. When my 10 hours of waiting was up, I got onto my flight, fell asleep, woke up in Kathmandu, Nepal.
I wasn’t sure what time it was or what time I should be on. I had to walk through customs, get a work visa, and navigate this airport.. With about 100 pounds of luggage and equipment! Oh and by myself. So after all that, I spotted my trip leader and driver outside waiting to take me to the guesthouse. Finally! They grabbed my luggage, took me to the van, gave me cold bottled water, and welcomed me to Nepal. This meant a scarf of a silk fabric is draped over your neck as you are told “Namaste.” Pretty amazing! It was dark and late so we went to our guest house. I got my own room and went to bed. I couldn’t wait to see what everything looked like in the morning.
I woke up at 4 a.m. Nepal time, because my estimate on what time it really was, was greatly off. When I do wake up, I notice that.. There is no power. With no power, my 1 oscillating fan is no longer working and its very hot in my room. It is later explained to me that the power there is run on a grid, and they power shed. This meant we had power for 2 hours out of the day at our guesthouse. I guess that was the biggest shock on this trip versus my trip to Guatemala. There was no power! But running hot water I did have! Without any power or background noise, all you could hear was chirping birds and barking dogs. Sleep was out of the question anyway.
On this volunteer trip we worked 6 days and had 2 off. The first day there was one of the days off. Since I was up before the sun, I found my way to our open rooftop and watched the sunrise. During this time, I also got to really check this place out for the first time. It was so beautiful. A different kind of beauty, but still breathtaking. Temples peek out in between crowded houses and clothing lines. There are red, yellow, green, blue flags on all the rooftops. Looking down at the dirt roads, you see and hear dogs, cows, scooters, street vendors, honking horns, and piles of trash lining both sides. There are mountains you can vaguely see in the background. The first day we got to meet everyone and take a trip to a couple popular tourist attractions. First stop was Pashupatinath Temple. Saturday is the holy day there. And it was indeed a Saturday. So families gather to cremate the deceased then wash them back down the river. A little culture shock. Six different cremations were going on while we were there. We also got to see monkeys! Not zoo monkeys in a cage, but just monkeys. On the street next to you. We got to learn some history, see Sadhus, and be solicited my many local artists. We got back on the van and drove to Durbar Square. More history, more amazing architecture, and more temples. We also got to visit a tanka painting school. If you don’t know about these and how they are painted, it is very interesting to see how much work goes into it. Afterwards, we went back to our guesthouse for lunch. Then walked to the clinic where we would be working for the next week for little briefing and introduction.
Nepal is a country basically made up of a mountain range. So roads to towns and easy travel is not really an option. What many parents of children in remote villages do is send their children to “boarding schools,” like the one we worked in. From ages 3-17, boys and girls, live in these dorm style buildings and go to school most of the year. Anywhere from 6-9 children in each room. Walking into this gated school was unbelievable. There aren’t parents or hundreds of teachers to supervise these children. They take care of each other. Typically, they are sponsored by someone who helps pay for books and any other supplies they might need. This organization that helps these children get an education and better themselves is just one of the many that I got to learn about on this trip. Always makes me feel like there is so much more we can be doing to help each other out. After the briefing, we enjoyed the rest of the day. Foot massages, a walk around Kathmandu, the beautiful temples we were surrounded by, the Boudhanath stupa, then the sunset from a rooftop. After dinner, I lit some butter prayer candles, spun some prayer wheels, and sat on the rooftop to take in everything I learned in this one, single day.
We worked in the clinic the next 3 days. Here, students work as dental assistants and help us with sterilization. This meant, as a dental assistant, my job was taken. So with only one other hygienist there, I got to help clean 200 children’s teeth in 6 days! I also did sealants, helped the doctors when needed, and filled fillings when we got backed up. We helped young children, teachers from the school, monks, nuns, and hundreds of other first time dental patients. Helping these people is the reason why I go on these trips, so I would hate to go on about the other activities I was privileged to participate in without telling you about what kind of work we did in that clinic. In 6 days, we treated 1,047 patients. Performed 850 fillings, 200 extractions, 716 sealants, 672 fluoride treatments, and 807 exams. THAT is the reason each of you have helped me. THAT is the reason I continue to sign up. Being able to see the land and experience their lives is just an added bonus to me. I could tell you about each decayed tooth, the severity of gum disease, or the hundreds of children we had to pull out teeth on, but that’s just a typical day of work. What I will tell you is that I have never met a kinder, more respectful, thankful people, than the people of Nepal. Every person we helped was tolerate and beyond thankful. Every volunteer wanted to be there just as much. And its on these trips that I realize how lucky I am to live this life that I love.
One of the mornings before clinic, I woke up early so that I could participate and witness the Buddhist monks and nuns performing their morning prayers. This is called a puja. Photography isn’t allowed there and whatever description I give you won’t even begin to touch the beauty. Walking into the temple, there are a few Buddha statues on the walls, a large drum in the center, and rows of monks and nuns sitting on the floor chanting. Everyone is in red robes with shaved heads. The walls and ceilings and floors are all covered in reds, yellows, golds, greens. For 1 hour, I sat there and listened to the soothing hum of the chants and the prayers. It was so incredible to be a part of that, and I am glad I woke up early to experience it.
On the second day of clinic, the children of the school put on a performance for all the volunteers. The girls in Nepali dress, did a traditional dance for us. Then the boys joined them for another traditional dance. There was an adorable skit with 2 costume yaks, a little Gangnam style, and the next Justin Bieber. They had been practicing the dances for weeks and it really was an honor to have them do this for us. After 3 days of working, we got a day off. We got to visit Bhaktapur and Thamel. In Bhaktapur, we got a walking tour of the town, temples, a paper store, and learned tons about the people and land. In Thamel, we got to shop! You may think this was a fun time and although, it was slightly. There were tiny streets filled with hundreds of stores, street vendors, people following you trying to sell you their products, children begging for money, and simultaneously, vehicles driving down these tiny jam packed roads. I was stressed. THEN, after dinner, we had to take a taxi back home!! This meant the smallest 4-door Suzuki, going as fast as possible down dirt roads with no lights, full of holes, construction, cows, and people. I have never been so happy to be back to our powerless home.
We worked 3 more days in the clinic. But had evenings off. I typically spent those on the rooftop, with a Everest beer in hand, talking with other people on this trip. It is one of my favorite things I have found on trips like these. There isn’t TV, or even power to turn on that TV. There is hardly internet. No texting. Just actually sitting down and talking with people. There are so many walks of life, so many stories, so much to learn from each other. I am so blessed that I got to met the people I did on this trip. Each and every one have inspired me in some way. How lucky for me that I got to sit on a rooftop and get to know them. I am honored.
One evenings, a few of us went to a traditional Nepali dinner. There were bottles of wine, dancers, live entertainment and music. We received bindis, a brass shot glass of some type of clear liquor, and popcorn. Then a male and female dancer performed for us. In between performances, different courses of the meal were brought out. The food wasn’t horrible. But lets face it. I’m Colorado girl and I really like red meat! Most of the dairy products were made from yaks milk. So there was a different taste. And after a few days of yak cheese and yak cream and yak yogurt, I was missing steak.
We had an appreciation dinner the last day of clinic. All of the volunteers and all of the students and volunteers from the school. Everyone got to exchange gifts and take pictures. We had an acoustic jam session in the restaurant with Nepali students and American musicians. A monk individually thanked us all with a silk scarf and a Namaste. It was a perfect evening. Then on the way home one of the doctors and I heard some music. So we walked towards where it was coming from. There was a wedding reception going on. We were just standing there watching and 2 men came and asked us to come in and join. So, of course, we did! We danced for a few dances and left. It was a very nice gesture to ask us in. The people here continue to leave me in awe.
The last day in Nepal, we had to be out of the rooms by noon. But 3 of us didn’t have to be to the airport until 8 p.m. The student volunteers were invited to breakfast with those of us that were still at the guesthouse. We took pictures, and of course, I cried. To be able to be even a small part of these children lives is such a privilege. They taught me more than I taught them, of that I’m sure. So we said goodbyes then packed. I realized during the packing process I brought a lot of junk food I never got around to eating. And I had a lot of clothes and shoes with me that I really didn’t need. Myself and 2 other ladies walked to the school and gave them 3 bags of food, clothes, and shoes. Then we went to the market and bought soccer balls, ping pong paddles, and used the rest of our rupees on whatever else the school needed. It was the perfect end.
Every time I come home from an experience like this, I am humbled. And all I can do is think about what I can do to help out even more the next time I go. Thank you helping me get this far. It is because of all that help that I get, that I am able to help so many others. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.