Inspiration

I invite you all to join me in a journey far away, to pristine beaches, to remote forests, into the homes of kind and wonderful people. I invite you to join me in the mystery of new cultures, unfamiliar rituals, and new relationships. I hope you will accompany me in discovering these new places, and learning about the people that call them home.

Before we depart on this journey so far away, I would like to tell you a bit about my inspiration for traveling, and this journey in particular. There is a certain family that has driven me in this direction, toward the Himalaya. They are Bhutanese refugees, ethnically Nepali, who I met a year and a half ago. I was chosen to be their Family Mentor, to help them integrate into American society. I hope that I have helped them in that goal. The relationship has ended up being a two-way street, with them teaching me much about Nepali culture, a bit of the language, and answering my many questions about their journey that brought them from Bhutan, to Nepal, to Tukwila, Washington.

With them in mind, I've found myself seeking out an opportunity, to spend nine months in a remote, ethnically Nepali village in northern India, at the border of Nepal, Sikkim, and West Bengal. I will be staying with a family, in a village with no electricity, plumbing, or roads.

I prefer a meadering path, so before I make it this small village outside of Darjeeling, I will spend two months wandering, wandering...

I invite you to join me.