Bye-bye (for now) Portland!!
Hello friends and family!
WOW! Your outpouring of support (financial and well-wishing) has been absolutely amazing! I'm very close to reaching my fundraising goal to pay for my volunteer related expenses. Thank you.
Well, my bags are packed and I'm ready to head overseas on Thursday night (arriving Friday morning). My bag is a lot heavier than how I usually travel; between the clinic supplies and reference books there's quite a bit of extra weight. I still managed to pack my things into my backpacking bag, a small handbag and my little carry-on bag.
My first stop is London, England! My cousin Esen lives in Somerset and will be coming to meet me there. We'll stay in London for Friday and Saturday, then head back to his side of town. He'll have to work during the week, but I'll go around and check out the town on my own. I'll be there for a week before I head onwards to Croatia! In Croatia my dear friend Selene will come out to meet me with her husband Marko. I hear Croatia is absolutely beautiful and am eager to see it for myself, but am more excited to see Selene. A week after arriving in Croatia I'll head towards Istanbul, Turkey to stay with my cousin Ruya. I'm hoping to have a trip to the Turkish bathhouse and to the Grand Bazaar, two of my favorite places in Istanbul. I'll be there for only 5 days before heading over to Cyprus to stay with my many cousins, aunts, and uncles. 2 weeks will be a very short time to visit them all, but I'll need to make it to Nepal in time to work in the clinic! My volunteer funds will not be contributing to this part of the trip. Though volunteering helped reduce my travel costs to affordable levels (I included an estimate of a round trip ticket to and from Nepal as part of my costs), this portion of the trip I am paying out-of-pocket.
I'll arrive in Nepal a few days before my volunteer time begins. I'd like to acclimate to the high altitude and buy some warm bedding--the room in the clinic does not come equipped with warm things. My volunteer time in the Bhotechaur clinic in Nepal begins November 17th and will last a full 3 months until February 13th. There are many different organizations to volunteer with in Nepal; I chose Mindful Medicine because of their focus on how treatments are carried out. There is a strong emphasis on bringing mindfulness, or meditative practice and presence to each of your patients. Though there are many people coming in to the clinic every day, reducing the amount of time you can spend with each patient, it is so important to be fully present with each person who walks through the door seeking treatment. Equally important is taking care of yourself as the practitioner. A pracitioner best able to serve patients is one who is well rested!
It's not too late to place your order for yak wool shawls, blankets, incense, or prayer flags! Check out my previous post for item details and pricing. You can still submit donations by mailing a check to 114 Sausalito Dr. East Amherst, NY 14051 (my parents have access to my checking account and can deposit it for me), or feel free to use paypal or donate directly to the Mindful Medicine Worldwide website--just mention my name when you do so.
WOW! Your outpouring of support (financial and well-wishing) has been absolutely amazing! I'm very close to reaching my fundraising goal to pay for my volunteer related expenses. Thank you.
Well, my bags are packed and I'm ready to head overseas on Thursday night (arriving Friday morning). My bag is a lot heavier than how I usually travel; between the clinic supplies and reference books there's quite a bit of extra weight. I still managed to pack my things into my backpacking bag, a small handbag and my little carry-on bag.
My first stop is London, England! My cousin Esen lives in Somerset and will be coming to meet me there. We'll stay in London for Friday and Saturday, then head back to his side of town. He'll have to work during the week, but I'll go around and check out the town on my own. I'll be there for a week before I head onwards to Croatia! In Croatia my dear friend Selene will come out to meet me with her husband Marko. I hear Croatia is absolutely beautiful and am eager to see it for myself, but am more excited to see Selene. A week after arriving in Croatia I'll head towards Istanbul, Turkey to stay with my cousin Ruya. I'm hoping to have a trip to the Turkish bathhouse and to the Grand Bazaar, two of my favorite places in Istanbul. I'll be there for only 5 days before heading over to Cyprus to stay with my many cousins, aunts, and uncles. 2 weeks will be a very short time to visit them all, but I'll need to make it to Nepal in time to work in the clinic! My volunteer funds will not be contributing to this part of the trip. Though volunteering helped reduce my travel costs to affordable levels (I included an estimate of a round trip ticket to and from Nepal as part of my costs), this portion of the trip I am paying out-of-pocket.
I'll arrive in Nepal a few days before my volunteer time begins. I'd like to acclimate to the high altitude and buy some warm bedding--the room in the clinic does not come equipped with warm things. My volunteer time in the Bhotechaur clinic in Nepal begins November 17th and will last a full 3 months until February 13th. There are many different organizations to volunteer with in Nepal; I chose Mindful Medicine because of their focus on how treatments are carried out. There is a strong emphasis on bringing mindfulness, or meditative practice and presence to each of your patients. Though there are many people coming in to the clinic every day, reducing the amount of time you can spend with each patient, it is so important to be fully present with each person who walks through the door seeking treatment. Equally important is taking care of yourself as the practitioner. A pracitioner best able to serve patients is one who is well rested!
It's not too late to place your order for yak wool shawls, blankets, incense, or prayer flags! Check out my previous post for item details and pricing. You can still submit donations by mailing a check to 114 Sausalito Dr. East Amherst, NY 14051 (my parents have access to my checking account and can deposit it for me), or feel free to use paypal or donate directly to the Mindful Medicine Worldwide website--just mention my name when you do so.
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