NEPAL RETURN

A few days before Thanksgiving I will be off once again to Nepal. For the fourth time, on my fourth build in the country. for Habitat for Humanity. Previously we worked in Pokara, the second largest city, then in the Kavre district, and in 2014 we were in the southwest in the Chitwan area.

This year we return to the Kavre district. The only person of our 15 member team who I know is another long-time volunteer and good friend from Chicago, James Vargo. This will be the sixth time we will be working together: three times in Nepal, once in Thailand and once in Cambodia.

On the final day of the build we hold a house dedication ceremony to celebrate and to give the family good wishes for them in their new home. In turn, the volunteer builders are given thanks. And in Nepal, this means draping each with the light yellow silk scarf and applying the tikka to our foreheads. It is always a very moving time as we spend the last moments together with family members who have worked alongside us on the job site.

Photo of me, house dedication, Nepal 2014.