Namaste!

I met my Bhutanese family yesterday, but not before getting seriously lost in the city... So lost that we were nearly an hour late for our meeting. Let me tell you, Mapquest is not my friend.

My partner for this Bhutanese adventure is a very sweet freshman by the name of Arielle. Actually, everyone I met yesterday was really sweet... Which just made me feel all the worse when I got super stressed at the driving messes. But, boy! Were they messes! Lost on the way there. Lost on the way back. The only place I felt "found" was at my family's apartment.

They don't have a lot, but they're quite content. They seemed so happy to have us there working with them. We all spoke together for a little, getting to know one another. At the end, Arielle sat with Govinda, the head of the home. He can read and write in English a bit, so they were working together reading and spelling words from his lessons.

I sat with Hadi, his wife. She cannot read or write in Bhutanese or English, so I spent my time with her pointing to various objects. She would tell me how to say it in Nepali, and I would then tell her the word in English. This became rather challenging, because again, not a lot of items in the room. I've never had to practice English like this before, so I'm thinking picture flashcards might be a good investment for her.

I did teach Govinda how to say "Thank you" and "You're Welcome." I wrote them out after saying it a couple times. Thank you is such a commonplace thing to say... So, being able to teach it made me feel really nice. The ability to express gratitude is a gift and I'm happy to say that Govinda taught me how to say thank you in Nepali, too! Dhanybhad, Govinda!

Speaking of gratitude: I am outrageously grateful for all the exciting developments in my life, this Refugee volunteering included. As my days fill up, so does my heart. I'd like to do it all, but sometimes choices have to be made. Options weighed. And I can do it all... Just not all at the same time!

As I start to fill my time with things I genuinely love to do, my life grows in richness. I can't wait to share my riches with the world that has made such a wonderful existence possible.

So, Namaste and Dhanybhad, world!