Seattle, USA

I have had the pleasure of being home in Seattle for the past two months. Originally, I planned to just come home for one month over Christmas and New Years. I thought that while I was home it would be a good idea to apply for a new visa for India (since I've been told it is easier in one's home country). This required mailing my passport to San Francisco, and unfortunately, it got lost (or stolen) on the way back to me. So I had to change my plane ticket and get a new passport and visa. I ended up staying in Seattle for two months.

During this time, I got to reconnect with my family, friends, and community in greater Seattle. This included the Bhutanese-Nepalese refugee family I have served as a mentor to for two years. I enjoyed speaking Nepali with them and showing them what I have learned. It was also a joy to meet some new additions to their family!

He is the future

My mom and I shared an American tradition with them...

The kids took it very seriously

I got the chance to reunite with the Teen Refugees United & Empowered (TRUE) girls' group that I helped start and led last year through the International Rescue Committee.

Inspiring group of young ladies

We saw the gingerbread houses in downtown Seattle.

Very impressive gingerbread houses

While I have been in town there were two work parties for the Beacon Food Forest, an urban food forest in the making. I've been involved in the BFF since its groundbreaking in September 2012, and always find the work parties to be incredibly rewarding and community-building.

In all, it has been wonderful to have been home and to reconnect with all that I know, as well as take time to reassess my goals for travel and volunteering. For now, it's time to go back to Daragaon Village, via Kathmandu and the Bhutanese refugee camps.