This post features student writing by Sara.

Our last full day as a group in Nepal was a great day of reflection and appreciation for our community. After breakfast we hopped on our bus to the artist Lok’s home and studio. On the ride we observed construction, advertisements, and commercial buildings which dated the streets of Kathmandu. At Lok’s we learned how to paint in a traditional Nepalese style. Although everyone was filling in the same detailed sketch, lotuses rising out of water with a big sky, we had freedom to add different colors to the various objects and explore our artistic creativity. We focused on painting for a while, with breaks for delicious cookies. When we finished and said goodbye to Lok, we were ready for lunch! We walked through the busy streets and arrived at Nexus cafe, the location where yesterday we’d listened to two artists present about their artwork. The food—chicken, greens, momos, and more—was delicious. Our group continues to be hungry for more and more rounds of momos 🙂

Full and satisfied, we went upstairs to the room we’d been working in with Ashmina. We began with a ten-minute meditation in which we practiced our skills of mindful breathing and keeping our legs crossed for a long period of time, things we’d learned in the monastery at Taksindu. We were instructed to retrace our journey, from leaving our homes three weeks ago to the spot we were sitting at this very moment. To enhance our reflection, we had a two-minute walk in which we focused on the feeling of being in our own bodies.

Next, Ashmina provided instructions for the afternoon art project. Everybody painted an image in one of the 16 circles on a long canvas, representing our identities and how we’d changed after this adventure in Nepal. When we finished our individual drawings, we drew connecting lines to all the other circles to show how each person in our group was connected and bonded in some way. We stepped back to appreciate our beautiful work. Our leaders John and Natalie then joined the room and tried to guess the painters of each circle. They were mostly successful! Overall, it was so cool, over the course of these two days, to be able to meet Lok, a famous traditional Nepali artist who preserves the history and traditions of Nepal, and Ashmina, a contemporary Nepali artist who has paved the way for women in the future with her “artivism.”

After a short refreshment break, we gathered downstairs to participate in more group activities that helped us reflect on our trip. Students and guides drew a chart, graphing each day of our journey and our corresponding emotions, ranging from “feeling stoked” to “not feeling so great.” We each briefly presented our highs and lows and then recorded them all on one big graph. We learned the importance of understanding that everyone was and could be in different moods throughout intense experiences like this; someone’s highest day might’ve been someone else’s low point. It’s important to be supportive of everyone, and as we reflect back, to respect all these beautiful “feeling so stoked” moments as well as “not so great” moments.

Next, Natalie led us in a writing exercise with a prompt: what will you take away from our adventure and what will you leave behind? Writing quietly for a bit and reflecting also allowed us to process the transformative experiences we’ve had in Nepal.

Though some people may have seen us as privileged tourists, I hope my actions presented us as curious learners and hardworking volunteers. — Ethan

I am leaving Nepal with so many new friendships and experiences that have me take a second look at my life and how I’ve been living it. — Alexa

I’m taking the ability to appreciate the little things and show gratitude; to be compassionate despite differences and to take a second to step out of my comfort zone and listen to what the people around me are saying. — Sofia

I’m taking home with me everything I learned here in Nepal. I will be constantly reminding myself of how special this trip was. — Anna

Everyone has their own way of life. Taking that into consideration is an important part of developing into a more caring individual. — Maia

We wrapped up the afternoon by changing into slightly fancy clothes—outfits that were very different from our usual hiking pants and slightly dirty t-shirts that we wore to the work site—and headed to dinner. For our last night, our special dinner was at Bhojan Gina, an old palace that’s now a beautiful restaurant with great food and entertainment in the form of live traditional cultural dances. We sat on cushions around a beautiful table and had great conversations. Near the end of dinner, we presented Natalie and John with cards we’d made for them, which was exciting, especially because they were not expecting them!

Back at the guest house, we had our final family meeting. The group shared meaningful thoughts and words of gratitude, since our time together is nearly over. Afterward, we all said goodnight and headed to bed, to pack and sleep and prepare for our real last day tomorrow.

— Sara