Eye-opening opportunity

5 weeks in Nepal as a high school student was a catalyst for much needed and life changing introspection and inspiration. Traveling in a country/culture so vastly different than my own pushed me into patience, acceptance, wonder, and gratitude. My heart grew, my determination blossomed, and I began to see that there is a place in the world for me with all my specific passions.
I look back so grateful for our instructors, who pushed us while supporting us. Who lead us both through meditation, and silly games to play with our host families. I laugh when remembering trying to communicate with my host family- the time I showed off a whistling trick, and was eventually told it was disastrously bad luck. The wonder of meditating with monks in a monastery on the side of a mountain. The feeling of walking home, crawling up the rice paddies to devour our host mother's dinner. The feeling of homesickness as we walked down the rice paddies for the last time.
I cherish all these memories, the beautiful and the challenging; and embrace the confidence it's given me to keep searching for both beauty and challenge.