by Jim Garvin, SeedSafe Financial LLC Lead Planner
Stepping away from work and the normal American life for an entire month to travel isn’t the norm. It gave me a lot of headspace to think, reflect and experience life with new people and new cultures. If I could summarize the theme of my reflections, it would be “Gratitude”.
Gratitude
A few days ago I got back from Nepal, where I hiked the Everest Base Camp Trek, explored Kathmandu (Nepal’s capital), and Chitwan National Park.I love hiking and going on extended backpacking trips in Colorado, New Mexico, etc. but none of my U.S. adventures compare to Nepal. Experiencing the Himalayas is the most challenging and fulfilling adventure I’ve been on yet!
This was my first time traveling to a third world country, and my experience was incredibly positive and very reflective.
Being born and raised in the United States, a first world country, can make it easy to forget the true blessings that are around us every day. Infrastructure, drinkable water & access to fresh food anytime anywhere. The low level of widespread poverty, the opportunities we have, etc. are very easy to take for granted.
The biggest difference was opportunity. Long ago, Nepal & India followed a very strict caste system. You would be born into a caste level, live and get married at your level, and die at that level. It was near impossible to change your caste level. Recently, there are efforts to change this system, but culture takes decades to change a system that has been in places for centuries.
In contrast, in America and other first world nations, you have the ability to change your economic status. This doesn’t mean it’s easy to change, but it is still possible. In third world countries, if you are born poor or into a bad situation, you most likely will die in the same or worse situation.
This resonates strongly with me, as my personal background is from humble beginnings. Without the support of the Pell grant, the right mentors in my life, and other positive life-changing factors, my life would be very different.
Regulations
Other big differences include regulations. Environmental laws and auto emission laws were either nonexistent or not enforced. Smog and certain areas of Nepal’s poor areas were trashed. We either bought bottled water or purified our own with iodine. Electricity was spotty at times and their roads were rocky dirt paths with no pavement (talk about super bad motion sickness during every bus ride). These are observations of Nepal only – I had a wonderful time and I plan to travel back to the country in the future. I mention these items to reflect on my gratitude for every day living in the United States. I am thankful we have fresh water, clean air, and environmental laws to help preserve our environment.
Based on my experience in Nepal, I’ve added to my bucket list to volunteer with the Peace Corps in their Economic Development program.
Other Notes
The trip gave me the headspace to reflect on myself, life, philosophy, and more. If I were to write about each individual reflection, this would be a super long blog post! I choose to speak about gratitude because it is one of the most relevant reflections (especially around the Holidays! 🙂 but also because it resonated with me.
Another strong reflection item was how much people from around the world are all alike. We trekked with people from South America, Western and Eastern Europe, and of course a few Nepalis. We laughed together, overcame challenges together, and related to each other on the most personal level. Even though we all came from all different backgrounds. It was magical 🙂
For the technicalities of the trip, we trekked about 70 miles and our highest elevation was 18,500 feet at the summit of Kala Pathar. At this altitude, you have about 50% of the oxygen compared to sea level. I carried a backpack of 35 pounds and we stayed in lodges and tea houses along the way (so we never had to use or carry a tent). We ate noodles and rice at every meal but we felt satisfied the entire trip. I also visited Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and joined in several different ‘services’ where the monks chanted and played music.
Nepal is a beautiful, wonderful country that I encourage anyone with a hunger for adventure to explore. You will not be disappointed. 🙂
