This post features student writing.

Waking up to the authentic Nepalese music is always an amazing way to start our days. After getting ready for another full day of smiles and commitment, we headed for a tasty breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast—definitely enough energy to last the day. Half of our group headed to the construction site and worked hard with cement while having a blast. The other half, including me, stayed behind at the girls dorm for an hour to plan the lesson we’d teach at the nearby school. We talked about what we thought would be best for the children and young teenagers. We decided to exchange cultural facts as well as sing songs and read books. Then it was time to head to the school. My independent project is focused on dance and so today I had the opportunity to learn a traditional joyful dance from two wonderful nine-year-old girls who we saw preform at the recital a few days ago. Interacting with these two Nepalese children made me feel amazing and filled my heart with love. After about an hour the nine of us—including Natalie and Krishna—hiked back to the dorm where a delicious lunch was waiting. The talented and hardworking kitchen staff made spring rolls and vegetarian side dishes. We enjoyed another group lunch full of laughs and interesting conversation. When we finished, the girls from the dorm arrived in our dining area. They kindly volunteered to give us beautifully detailed henna tattoos [editor’s note from Natalie: not permanent!]. They gave us henna and we got to chat one-on-one. After joking around and doing henna we had free time to play volleyball, shower, and rest. Just before dinner we began prepping and packing for our trek, being mindful to pack only essentials and mentally preparing our bodies. Then we ate naan, rice, and Nepali-style apple pie. Our day ended with a fulfilling family meeting during which we shared our favorite moments of the day and talked about tomorrow’s schedule. Joy and love filled the room as we ended our day.

— Maria

A note from Natalie & John: Tomorrow we start our three-day trek! Right now the students are packing their backpacks and getting excited for an early start tomorrow. We’ll post again when we’re back at Solukhumbu Girls Dorm in a few days!