Stewarts in Nepal-The Final Chapter

Thanks to Ally W for the card design

Well 2years and 23 days after we first set out we are again airborne and on our way home! We’re returning a little early due to a combination of no more Irish Aid funding and we’d already planned to come home in February for 3 weeks to apply to secondary schools, so we’ve decided to head for the Emerald Isles. When we first heard the news about lack of funding and decided to leave, we were shocked, more than that, devastated, but gradually we worked through things, got loose ends and hand overs at work sorted, packed up and said numerous goodbyes. In Nepal this meant we had endless dinners of daal bhat( rice and lentils.) The kids are on rice eating strike!
Smriti a Nepali Speech and Language Therapist started at the government hospital with me and we had 2 months together, and I’ve left her LOADS of materials, which we sorted in a week. I just pray she gets time to look at it all. I left SLT materials for PFR where I’d worked.
Stephen finished up with his involvement with the wheelchair project. Polished off his last Irish Aid report and handed over where he could with the other many and random projects he got involved in.
The kids had a great last week at school when friends came to play every day, and we had ‘tea’ the last day at Pokhara’s answer to MacDonanld’s.
So for us, barking dogs,16 hours without electric (it’s reported to go up to 18!),8 people in a taxi has all become a way of life. We’re warned by other returners that shopping at Tescos will blow our minds (so much choice), we’ll take weeks to drink water from the tap and Stephen will have to remember not to try and bargain in every shop.
We made a list before we left of what we will miss and enjoyed most. We’ll miss the friendliness and sense of humour of the Nepali people. The vibrant and very real worship in church. The deep faith of Nepali Christians who think nothing of getting up every day at 5 a.m. to attend a prayer group. The beauty of the country and the Himalayas.
Our life at times was difficult, particularly in the first year as we struggled to learn language and understand the culture (we still don’t). But we worked hard at belonging, we built up good friendships, at work and in the neighbourhood. We both had the privilege of travelling to more remote areas and being involved in work there. It was humbling to see how the majority of Nepalis live, a very basic lifestyle. Working directly with Nepali people in our jobs, both as colleagues and clients was challenging and rewarding.
As we look back on our time in Nepal, we feel it was positive, and over all a great experience for us all. The ‘highs’ and positives are just too many to mention. However the biggest positive, has been not what we achieved or changed, but how we have been changed.
We don’t have any firm plans for when we get back to N.I, but in the immediate future we look forward to, Sunday dinner, Ulster Fry, hot baths, having a T.V, 6 nations rugby, Will and Katie’s wedding (ha ha), and of course meeting family and catching up with all you guys! Open house at the Boyland Road, for anyone fool enough to pop in and let us bore them with our few thousand snaps!
Wonder what the next chapter will be?