Before leaving on this venture, I went through many emotions and sometimes felt a sense of guilt. Worrying if I was doing the right thing for Winslow and how it would impact our family. The truth is, it was probably the best thing I could have done for all of us. Winslow is learning a new culture, seeing people of a different ethnicity, and eating foods that he would not have in America. The people here adore him! Its been a blessing for me because people are drawn to us (to Win, not me). People approach us and initiate conversation because of Win. Also, I find myself venturing out more, taking walks, which I may not have done if it were me, alone. Winslow has opened doors for our family. We have met many people and seen many things because of him.
Life is slow in Nepal. Some days feel long for me. This has been the most challenging aspect. There is not a lot on our daily agenda. There isn't a Target, Mall, not many restaurants, few commitments. It is good for our body, mind and health but it sure is an adjustment. Sometimes I feel like I should be doing something more but then I remind myself that it is okay to just be.
Mommy challenges!!
***Having to boil the water before giving Win a bath. The water here is not good to drink, I don't want to take any risks. When Win splashes in the tub, water gets in his mouth. I also bathe him twice a day-Winslow is crawling EVERYWHERE and he gets into EVERYTHING.
***Laundry! We do not have a washer or drier. We are lucky, Meena washes our clothing; however, with all the moisture in the air the clothing takes days to dry! We hang them outside but it can rain at the drop of a hat so some days I am literally running outside to grab the laundry before it gets wet again!! It sure makes me think twice before throwing an item of clothing into the laundry basket.
***Cloth diapers!! The reason this is a challenge is because the cloths takes a very long time to dry before we can use them again. They do sell pampers at the market. A bit pricey but I might give in soon. I told myself I would give the cloth diapers some time to grow on me. ;) Time will tell!!
***Win has not been sleeping well since we arrived. Naps are going great but he has been waking up several times a night. This is very unlike him. Not sure if its all the changes, teething, ears (with the high altitude) or just comfort. We have done what I swore I would never do. We brought his crib in our bedroom!!! It has helped a bit. I think him knowing he is close to us is comforting for him. If any one has advice on this topic- please contact me!! I dont have access to any sleep books.
***Being flexible. Since becoming a mother I have noticed that I am a bit more controlling. I like to think of it as being protective ;) I have to surrender and go with the flow. As mentioned above, people in Nepal LOVE Winslow. Everyone wants to hold him, touch him, pinch his cheeks. In Kathmandu, the servers at the restaurants would hold him and play with him while Ryan and I ate! It felt weird at first but it was sort of nice. At first, it would make me a little upset because I didn't want Win to contract any germs but there is no two ways around it. Win loves the attention and it hasn't seemed to affect him, health wise. The kid has zero stranger anxiety! Not sure if that is good or bad. ;)
I have been thinking about what it is that brings a person happiness. I thought about the old saying, "nothing good comes easy". I correlate this to having a baby. The challenges of being pregnant, the labor and then comes a beautiful baby-happiness. I relate this to our time here in Nepal. For me, there have been and will be challenges. But this time and these challenges will shape me into a better person; wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend. Though its hard. It is good to challenge ourselves.
Nepal is sort of a throw-back. Our milk is delivered to our home every morning. Meena brings us fresh fruits and veggies, daily. On friday, at the market I did not have enough money and they told me I could pay next time. AND if I call the market ahead of time, I can place a delivery order. A man will fill a large basket with our groceries and bring them to us!! I tried this once. I asked for 4 chicken breasts and they brought his 4 packages of hot dogs!!! Still learning.
Good thing I just started language lessons!! A tutor comes to our home twice a week and teaches me how to speak Nepali. This has been great because I am learning how to communicate some with Meena. Languages are so tough but I am trying really hard. The Nepali people really appreciate when foreigners try. Ryan is also taking lessons. We do separate lessons as he wants to know more medical and I want to know more household.
Saturday is a holy day in Nepal. No one works. It is a day of rest. Sunday is like our Monday. Weird for me! Last Saturday we went to church. The service was beautiful. The first hour was music and worship. I really enjoyed this part. The second hour is the sermon. A pastor from Australia came to give the serman. They also had a Nepali interpreter. The serman was about marriage what it takes to have a healthy marriage. It was nice to reflect and remind myself how to be a good wife and how Ryan can be a good husband.
This time has been great for our marriage. Like I explained, there are not a lot of distractions so we really get to focus on us as a family. In the evenings, we sit, drink tea, talk, read books, study the language, journal or watch movies. Its very nice.
A few photos of our life in Tansen.
Watching Tom & Jerry with new friends.
MoMo making party. MoMo are like pot stickers. The mission families gathered to make veggie, and meat Momos. So YUMMY!!
Walking to church. This is the view from every road.
Sorry for the long winded update!!!
Thank you for reading!!!
