There is a pressing issue facing Nepali society, but I was never really that interested in it: Over 10% of Nepalis (and over 50% of young men) are currently working abroad. In addition to the “brain drain”, where Nepal’s brightest minds go to live permanently in other countries, many low skilled workers are attracted to […]
Four-Year-Olds are (not) so Cute I had secretly always wanted to teach little kids, just a few times, but I didn’t have time to add another class onto my teaching schedule when I lived there. So last week, when a primary-level teacher asked me to fill in for their first grade class of 45 four […]
As I was saying my goodbyes to everyone in Nepal, I was always asked one question, “when are you coming back?” And my answer was always the same: I’ll be back in two or three years. My sister was with me when I was saying goodbye to the village, and as we drove away, she […]
A lot of my posts have been successes that I had, but life rarely, rarely, felt like success. Progress and change occur the same way you climb a mountain: you huff and puff and wonder if you’ve actually moved at all. But once in a long while, there’s a parting in the trees, and you can […]
I would often go outside after dinner to take pictures of the stars. Since there was no electricity, the bright stars contrasted profound, all-encompassing darkness around me. I loved astrophotography. I would return to my house talking about different constellations and showing my host mom and sister the wonders my camera could capture that our eyes […]