And I'm back! For those of you who kept up with my blog during study abroad in Ecuador and the hardest 6 weeks of my life in India, thanks for returning. And for those of you who are new to the dreadhead diary, welcome!
I wanted to write the cliche "night before I leave" blog entry the night before I left, but instead I was making CVS runs, hanging with friends and family, and putting off packing as long as I could. So, greetings from the Istanbul Airport! I am only 1/3 of the way to my final destination, but I'm pretty surprised I made it this far...
First, it was the fact that I was still packing 5 minutes prior to our scheduled departure to the airport. Second, it was the uncontrollable sobbing in my mom and dad and sister's arms that almost caused me to crumple up my boarding pass and cancel this trip. Third, it was my "50 lb" bag that actually weighed 100 lbs. See, the Kopila Valley team had asked me to bring just a few supplies - you know, 30 pounds of screws and nails, 15 books, 2 dog leashes, 200 pages of construction paper, children's scissors, some dog toys, a couple of boxes of reduced fat CheezIts, coffee, sriracha, the usual. All those things + my year supply of shampoo (jokes), really put my bag over the allotted weight. Luckily, dad anticipated this as he almost threw his back out loading my bag into the car and gave me an empty suitcase just in case. I tried convincing the Turkish Airlines desk clerk that all my time on the phone with the airline's customer service reps this week had actually been worth while and I was allowed to bring up to infinity pounds worth of luggage, but that didn't work as my bag was still over the TSA maximum by 15 kilos. He told me my bag wasn't going to go to Kathmandu, and therefore, neither was I. Matt and I quickly rearranged, transferred the tools and books and dog leashes to the extra bag (thanks Dad!) and told the clerk my three bags were light enough. Perfect! Now all I had to do was shell out $220 to check a third baggage. Just like magic, I burst into tears again when I heard this news (at least I already had mascara running down my cheeks from emotional goodbyes) and somehow convinced the clerk to check all three of my bags, for free, "just this once." Voila!
So one more tearful goodbye, 15 hours, 2 sleeping pills, one coffee, and 5214 miles later, I've made it to Turkey. Unfortunately, my flight to Kathmandu has been delayed; what was supposed to be a quick 3 hour layover has turned into 8 :( I'm making good use of this 1euro wifi though, and if I don't die of boredom, I should be in Kathmandu in a short 13 hours, and in Surkhet 35 hours after that!
So, what the hell am I doing in Istanbul? Where in the world is Kathmandu? Why am I even heading to Nepal? I'll make it short and sweet: Kopila Valley Children's Home & School was started by Maggie Doyne (modern day Mother Theresa as my mom calls her) in 2008. My sister told me to start following Maggie's blog back then. Seeing Maggie on the back of a Doritos Bag really sealed the deal and I've been a fan ever since. Came to my senses and realized a fellowship at KV was a way better opportunity than joining the circus in Italy. I hope to be in Surkhet for about 10 months to a year, although that time could change upon arrival. I'll be teaching English at first, then maybe coaching, helping with the curriculum, and doing whatever is needed around the home and school. I'm extremely blessed and excited about this next chapter in my life. It should be filled with many trials and tribulations, but I know I will learn so much, see a beautiful part of the world, make unforgettable friends and memories, and hopefully be a great big sister to the children at KV!
I hope you keep up with this blog and please check out Kopila Valley and Maggie's journal at http://blinknow.org/about-kopila-valley/
I can't believe all the support and love and well wishes sent my way, thank you all so much!
For now, xoxo, shannon
I wanted to write the cliche "night before I leave" blog entry the night before I left, but instead I was making CVS runs, hanging with friends and family, and putting off packing as long as I could. So, greetings from the Istanbul Airport! I am only 1/3 of the way to my final destination, but I'm pretty surprised I made it this far...
First, it was the fact that I was still packing 5 minutes prior to our scheduled departure to the airport. Second, it was the uncontrollable sobbing in my mom and dad and sister's arms that almost caused me to crumple up my boarding pass and cancel this trip. Third, it was my "50 lb" bag that actually weighed 100 lbs. See, the Kopila Valley team had asked me to bring just a few supplies - you know, 30 pounds of screws and nails, 15 books, 2 dog leashes, 200 pages of construction paper, children's scissors, some dog toys, a couple of boxes of reduced fat CheezIts, coffee, sriracha, the usual. All those things + my year supply of shampoo (jokes), really put my bag over the allotted weight. Luckily, dad anticipated this as he almost threw his back out loading my bag into the car and gave me an empty suitcase just in case. I tried convincing the Turkish Airlines desk clerk that all my time on the phone with the airline's customer service reps this week had actually been worth while and I was allowed to bring up to infinity pounds worth of luggage, but that didn't work as my bag was still over the TSA maximum by 15 kilos. He told me my bag wasn't going to go to Kathmandu, and therefore, neither was I. Matt and I quickly rearranged, transferred the tools and books and dog leashes to the extra bag (thanks Dad!) and told the clerk my three bags were light enough. Perfect! Now all I had to do was shell out $220 to check a third baggage. Just like magic, I burst into tears again when I heard this news (at least I already had mascara running down my cheeks from emotional goodbyes) and somehow convinced the clerk to check all three of my bags, for free, "just this once." Voila!
So one more tearful goodbye, 15 hours, 2 sleeping pills, one coffee, and 5214 miles later, I've made it to Turkey. Unfortunately, my flight to Kathmandu has been delayed; what was supposed to be a quick 3 hour layover has turned into 8 :( I'm making good use of this 1euro wifi though, and if I don't die of boredom, I should be in Kathmandu in a short 13 hours, and in Surkhet 35 hours after that!
So, what the hell am I doing in Istanbul? Where in the world is Kathmandu? Why am I even heading to Nepal? I'll make it short and sweet: Kopila Valley Children's Home & School was started by Maggie Doyne (modern day Mother Theresa as my mom calls her) in 2008. My sister told me to start following Maggie's blog back then. Seeing Maggie on the back of a Doritos Bag really sealed the deal and I've been a fan ever since. Came to my senses and realized a fellowship at KV was a way better opportunity than joining the circus in Italy. I hope to be in Surkhet for about 10 months to a year, although that time could change upon arrival. I'll be teaching English at first, then maybe coaching, helping with the curriculum, and doing whatever is needed around the home and school. I'm extremely blessed and excited about this next chapter in my life. It should be filled with many trials and tribulations, but I know I will learn so much, see a beautiful part of the world, make unforgettable friends and memories, and hopefully be a great big sister to the children at KV!
I hope you keep up with this blog and please check out Kopila Valley and Maggie's journal at http://blinknow.org/about-kopila-valley/
I can't believe all the support and love and well wishes sent my way, thank you all so much!
For now, xoxo, shannon
DC - ISTANBUL - KATHMANDU - SURKHET
I got stuck in the Istanbul airport for about 20 hours when Hurricane Sandy slammed the East Coast and if you're still there and paying 1 Euro an hour for wifi, there should be free wifi near the steps that lead up to the food court. It was my saving grace when I was trying to reach Delta in the US to re-route me!
ReplyDeletehahhaha awesome!
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