We then went to Eros Ink, where two members of our group got tattoos. As we waited for a tattoo to be completed, a small group of us went to Fire and Ice, where we got pizza and pasta for lunch. We then walked around to the shops in Thamel and got last-minute gifts and souvenirs. 

For our final dinner, our whole class group went to Flavours restaurant, in Boudhanath, and were joined by Khenpo and Lopӧn, our two favorite monks, guides, and teachers who have helped us throughout this whole trip. As a final dinner celebration, we all went around the table and said what we were thankful for and what we learned on this trip. We then had to rush back to Shechen Monastery to catch our bus for the airport.

We said our final goodbyes to Khenpo and Larry before hopping on the bus for the airport at 10:15pm. 

Everyone on this trip is so incredibly thankful for having Khenpo to guide us throughout Kathmandu and help teach us Buddhism. Khenpo is one of the kindest, funniest, and smartest people we have ever met -- we will greatly miss our conversations with the “Selfie Monk.”

For our last day in Kathmandu, it was critical for us to begin our day at Himalayan Java (the community’s favorite cafe). Why was it so critical? you might ask. Well, other than the most amazing view of the stupa, they have the best coffee, breakfast, and staff. 

Consistently going to this cafe has been one of many fruitful experiences I have had on the trip. While also being able to engage with the community in Kathmandu, it has been wonderful to meet the fantastic staff. They were fantastic in their never-ending loving-kindness toward our large group in the mornings and hilarious in their excitement to see us order the exact same thing every day while in Kathmandu. 

It was the utmost difficult task to relay to them that it would be our last day eating breakfast there, our last good morning, and our last goodbye. When we told them, they immediately asked, “When will you be coming back? Next year?” 

When they asked this, I think my heart broke, not in any sad way, but because of how much kindness and compassion everyone we have crossed paths with has shown us. It caught me off guard -- how it was a mutual sadness between all of us and the staff. I knew I was going to miss them and their absolutely delightful coffee, but I had never anticipated that they might miss us travelers. 

This has been reflected in so many of the connections we have made in Kathmandu and Pokhara. It invites me to emphasize further how the idea of impermanence has made every experience we have had during this Jan Term more valuable. In the span of three weeks, we began our journey feeling that we had so much time to explore and engage. It might be my own view, but this last day of our trip really snuck up on me. 

With living in the present, it was easy to enjoy and be delighted by what the new day had in store for us, lose track of the days because of the amazing experiences at hand, and sort of forget that this experience is not forever. 

The idea of impermanence has been the most valuable Buddhist teaching that I have had the opportunity to actively understand. When I initially viewed this idea, I felt it more in a detached perspective: that since we all will die anyway, none of this really matters. It is comical to think, now, that the teachings emphasized the complete opposite of this. 

Because everything is so impermanent, such as our Jan Term, it invokes us to be more present with life and less attached to it. This wholeheartedly altered my own perspective because of how able I was to find so much happiness in the moment and throughout our journey. Knowing that this was going to end, it invoked me to really take each moment and hold it forever in my heart. 

While our trip is ending, it has sparked a new beginning for me -- to really emphasize living in the present moment and finding value in every moment and opportunity.

Our overall visit came to an end -- after all the love and laughter that had been created over the last 3 weeks. We wanted to start our morning with a memorable goodbye by seeing our “brothers and sisters” who run the Himalayan Java Coffee House. 

Doing our usual morning walk around the Boudhanath Stupa, we heard again the morning prayers that the Tibetan refugee community members speak as they circumambulate to get their many blessings and chant compassion for all. 

At the cafe, I ordered the french toast that came with a side of bacon and fruit salad -- this being my go-to breakfast every morning we stayed in Kathmandu. Enjoying the jokes and friendships that have been created, we got hit by the time, as a few of our peers had to head off to Thamel. As they caught their taxi over to the Thamel area, downtown, the rest of us enjoyed finishing our food, then finally headed back to the Shechen Monastery Guesthouse. 

We had to quickly pack our bags, as we had to check out by noon. After putting our bags in the one room we were given till our flight later that night, we called a taxi to meet our friends in Thamel. The taxi came out to $4 for the trip, which split 5 ways, was 90 cents per person. 

As we arrived at the tattoo shop, we waited as one of our friends was finishing her tattoo, and we walked to a nearby pizza shop to get pasta and pizza -- the staff was always so heart-warming with us. Having split a pizza with my friend, Hayley, we also each got a pasta, in order to get the best of both worlds. After we were all stuffed, we walked around the blocks on the way back to the tattoo shop, shopping for our final gifts and knickknacks -- getting more Kukri knives for friends and family, rugs, rings, bracelets, and more. We then hurried back to Kathmandu to make it in time for our group dinner.

As we were writing our cards to thank all the people who have made our journey possible, I felt emotional due to the impact this trip has had on me. I had learned and questioned more things about life, and how to navigate how to live life, due to this trip. 

Seeing the amount of compassion and kindness that the people in Nepal have for each other has opened up my eyes to the differences in society between the East and the West. Saying our final goodbyes at dinner, sharing our best moments of this trip, individuals were getting emotional. I had really thought about what to say, but all that could come to mind were how all the people on the trip were so open to each other and new experiences.

There was not a moment in this course when people were closed off or unwilling to try new things. Seeing that this trip has put everyone out of their comfort zone, it has brought us close to finding new parts of ourselves. 

This opportunity has been an honor -- o come and experience the community and people of Nepal. I believe that we all have learned more about ourselves and the world from this trip, rather than teaching the children in the schools where we volunteered. 

January 22nd, Our Final Goodbyes and The Long Journey Home

We started our 22nd day in the airport waiting to board the plane for Qatar. I (Avery) felt a mix of emotions about leaving Nepal; I was sad to leave the beautiful country and all of the lovely Nepali people we met, I was sad to be leaving the friends I had made in the group, but I was also so tired and ready to sleep for days in my bed at home. 

Nepal has made a huge impact on me, and I hope that I will be able to bring some of the Nepali compassion and kindness back home with me. I am so thankful for having the privilege to go on a once in a lifetime trip to Nepal and to be able to have met all of the wonderful people along the way. 

For our travel day back to San Francisco, there was a sort of subtle energy among all of us students. I’d like to think it was due to the mix of emotions I believe we all felt when leaving -- the excitement to go home and share these experiences and the sadness that we all felt from having to leave. I know on our bus ride to the airport, it was hilarious that we kind of were plotting to run away to Pokhara instead of coming back to San Francisco. 

It made me realize how all of us were heavily impacted by the community in Nepal, and how all of the moments we had and people we met along the way touched our hearts. 

It was Lama Rigzin during our last moments in Pokhara who said, “It was not rare for us to meet people during our journeys, but it was rare to meet people who can touch your hearts and change it for the better.” Thinking about his goodbye speech honestly makes me want to cry, not because we left, but because of how right he was. 

I have traveled many places and passed many faces on the street, but never have I felt my heart touched by so many people. Beyond the people we met during the trip, it was also an incredible opportunity to meet the people on this trip. Four years at Saint Mary’s College and I never would have been able to get to know such amazing people, whom I am thankful to call my friends. 

It is quite literally impossible for you to go to Nepal without feeling that softer heart when you leave. It is this "soft heart" that allows us all to find our compassion and really awaken our own dignity. These qualities were taught to us by Phakchok Rinpoche, though they were not thoroughly understood until we all felt them from those around us -- inspiring us all to really incorporate them into our lives! 

The culture and people there really changed me, and I hope that I hold all of it close to my heart forever.

Traveling back to the United States, you could tell our journey was coming to an end -- discussing the items that we missed the most in our homes, like a nice warm shower, a normal toilet, as well as our normal food. This has gotten us thinking about how privileged we are with our lives and the little things. 

A big reminder that came to mind was something that Lama Rigzin said, “Our first teachers are our mothers.” This really hit me because we take advantage of the unconditional love that we receive from our families, but these children whom we met, who go to school away from their families, do not receive this love. Personally, that is the largest realization that I had -- how much we take advantage of our relationships with people. 

Having this be one of the first January Term courses that I have not taken at home, this has really opened my eyes to being pushed far out of my comfort zone. 

Since we had a lot of different class discussions, we had discussed whether enlightenment happens instantly or over time. A key way we were able to understand this was explaining that enlightenment comes over time in small, instantaneous moments. During this trip, there have really been small moments that have opened ourselves up to life. 

Now we have to navigate life with our new changes within ourselves. 

Going into this trip initially, given that a small group of us were not even supposed to come to Nepal, I am overwhelmed by the amount of love that people on this trip offered when we joined at the last minute, without knowing with whom or what we would be doing. 

These will be memories and life lessons that will forever have an impact on our lives, especially in the moments in life when we may lose ourselves. Our life lessons that have had an impact on us have come through compassion, dignity, impermanence, and interconnectedness. I can not emphasize enough how much this course has taught me about myself and pushed ourselves outside our comfort zones.