This post features student writing by Anna.
Hello, everybody! Today (Tuesday, July 30) was a day full of different emotions because this is the day we left Salleri. We’ve spent the last two weeks in Salleri and at the Solukhumbu Girls Dorm and each and every one of us grew a special connection with someone or something from this region. It’s been extremely difficult for us to say our goodbyes—or, as our guides would say, our “see you laters.”
Today we were all early risers, waking up at 4 AM to get ready for our long journey back to Kathmandu. After a quick breakfast in the dark, we said our final goodbyes to our Salleri friends. Then our Putney family hiked for about 30 minutes to where jeeps were waiting. We piled in as the sun rose and began the drive to Kathmandu. Some of us were extra sad because our guide Mingmar wasn’t going to be joining us for our last few days in Kathmandu. But as we walked to the jeeps, Mingmar told some of us who were sad/upset not to be sad but to be happy. Throughout our time in Salleri, Mingmar always sang “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”—and he always meant it. What Mingmar said to us this morning really stuck with me because he is absolutely correct. We shouldn’t be sad that we are saying our See You Laters but rather Be Happy because we all got to experience these amazing memories during our weeks in Salleri.
Our 12-hour jeep rides began. If you were to think about a 12-hour car ride, you’d probably picture dozing, listening to music, and the like. But these 12 hours were hectic, dusty, bumpy…quite an adventure. Two hours in, our three jeeps had to cross and river and drive through low water. The first jeep made it; the second jeep got stuck in the water; the third jeep popped a tire and needed it replaced. We laughed through the stress and heat of being stuck—being stuck is something no wants to have happen to them but afterward, we realized what a funny situation it was. About 10 minutes after we all managed to get out of the river and on our way, a jeep in front of our three got stuck in the middle of the road and blocked all other cars. Then, lots of people got out of cars and came to help push the jeep out—including our male guides. This struck me as a very touching moment, because to see people who don’t even know each other help one another truly inspires me. It shows that you don’t have to know someone to be respectful. This hit most of us Putney students hard, in a good way.
Six hours later, after these incidents and a lot of winding, beautifully scenic roads, we finally had lunch. Lunch was very needed by most of us so we could relax and also try not to think about the five hours to go ahead of us. During the jeep ride, many of us had time to reflect and think. One student in particular mentioned how she’d gotten very emotional realizing how privileged we are, because sitting in the jeep and looking out the window and seeing how local Nepalis are living is completely different to what we are used to. It was very interesting to watch because every small thing we thought they did was a very big thing for them. For example, seeing someone laugh, seeing someone smile at their phone, or even seeing someone have a simple conversation with someone. These things sound like such small things to us but they may mean the world to others. That’s something that’s been on my mind. Looking out the window and knowing that each person has a different life than I do is something that will always stick with me, that I won’t ever forget.
After many hours, we finally reached Kathmandu! Immediately after we arrived back at Sechen guesthouse (the monastery) we quickly changed and headed to dinner. At dinner we celebrated Katie’s birthday! It was a special time because we’d all had a very long day and it was relaxing to sit and have a good meal and cake. As dinner came to an end, we walked back to our guest house and went straight to bed. As our last few days of the trip come to an end, many of us are thinking about what Mingmar said many times: Don’t be sad, be happy. We all need to try to not be sad, because this trip is full of happy, happy memories.
— Anna
