I think I might have asked my roommate twenty times if the books I ordered had arrived in the mail. I might or might not have walked outside to check if the mail truck was coming…I felt a bit ridiculous, but I was just really expecting for that mailman to bring my package! Fiiiiinally it came, and as I opened the package I could hear myself say “Wwwooooaaaaah” – there it was: my first travel guidebook to Nepal. Slowly but surely my stomach felt it was being pulled in two different directions. I took a deep breath while it slowly sank in: We’re going to Nepal!

The more I read and investigate about Nepal, the more eager I get about the trip… I’m feeding myself hurdles of documentaries and readings so I can start feeling more comfortable about the two weeks we’ll be spending there. And I guess I’m also feeling a bit anxious because there’s just so much to learn, and so little time to do it in. You see, it is not only about understanding the roots and effects of the conflict in Nepal, because since this is a peacebuilding course, we’re actually going to be studying and analyzing the immense work Nepal is doing to free themselves from the burdens and memories after 10 years of violent conflict. They were able to stop the bloodshed and even carry out democratic elections, but there are still so many more pressing tasks reconstruct a country that strives to achieve a poverty-reducing development process, to protect the safety and security of its civilians, to respect and represent all sides and faces of society, to reconstruct a war-weakened economy, the heal the wounds of their past… the list goes on and on … so much to do.

“People only see what they are prepared to see”... In order to maximize my learning and actually “see” everything I want and need to see in Nepal, I need to leave prepared. Really prepared. For now, I know I’ve only scratched the surface.- and with that I’m off to dig some more…!