The Rain Goddess Awaits the Monsoon

Perhaps I didn't mention that I am a rain goddess. My immediate family and friends are aware of this, it has always been so, so it seems. It always rains on my birthday, on days that I embark or return from significant journeys. On days that are of emotional significance. It's quite predictable. I do love the rain, the only problem is that now sometimes I suffer migraines with it - not always.

We don't have a lot of choice about the time of year we will be traveling to Nepal - I finish classes in early April, and start again in September. The monsoon season is a result of the largest climatic cycle on earth, beginning in mid-June, and running until August, so about half our trip will be flooded with rains like no other on the planet. Initially this had me worried, monsoons bring mosquitoes, leeches, mud and washed out roads, and cloudy skies to ruin the views of our surroundings. But then I was guided to a wonderful book, "Chasing the Monsoon," by Alexander Frater. I am just at the beginning of his odyssey, as in 1987 he set forth to follow the course of the Monsoon from the tip of southern India where the first raindrops fall, to the wettest spot on earth. His personal story is unique: finding himself ill and rundown, one day he is suddenly inspired to throw caution to the wind and pursue this mad goal of following the monsoon, one I very much identify with. In many ways, this is what we are doing, trying to leave our troubles behind, and go on a quest for some new dream, a pursuit that may seem crazy to some, although I have to say, many people have been supporting of our planned adventure, especially of the fact that we are taking our young daughter along. I keep A book about Nepal in the bathroom now, and when she's doing her number twos, she likes me to show her the pictures in it.

Rain is different in different places. Michael is from Northern Ireland, where we think it rains a lot - and it does, but it doesn't rain a lot for prolonged periods of time, and it doesn't often truly pour. It might rain many days in a row, but only briefly, followed by rainbows and leprechauns. He was surprised to experience Nova Scotian rains, true cats-and-dogs pouring rains, rainy streaks that last a week. I always regretted missing rainy season in Africa - it only rained once when I was there - and it poured, it was tremendous. One of the best outpourings from the sky I recall was in Phuket, Thailand. We were so drenched in the market place I had to buy new things when it ended, my shoe broke in the mud.

I love all the thrills the earth can give us - with the possible exception of snow - I'm not a winter person, but even I will admit awe at the storm termed "White Juan" here in 2004, where the blizzard dumped over 3 feet of snow. I've been in hurricanes, and most thrilling of all, one of the most exciting moments of my life thus far, an earthquake in Guatemala. Small by the local standards (5.0), a mere tremor, but enough to wake me with the sound of roaring thunder, shaking the bed and the room - oh it was awesome. For days afterwards I dreamt I was in another one, I would wake up unsure if there had been an aftershock. Michael slept through the whole thing!

Making the Plans

We are going to volunteer in one of the world's poorest countries, where we have been accepted to work with INFO-Nepal (www.infonepal.org), which runs a variety of projects around the country. We plan to be near Pokhara, Nepal's second largest city, set on lake Phewa Tal reflecting the snow-covered Annapurna mountain range, described by more than one source as what Eden must have looked like, Heaven on earth.

I am so excited to see Naomi go to school with the local children as we teach or help at the local medical clinic. The daily grind of our daily commutes, never seeing each other (I go to university mornings, Michael works nights) and the general stress of First World living is wearing us thin and putting a strain on us all. We need this trip, to give back a little something to the planet, but more to find our way back to ourselves as a family again.

Unfortunately, even to volunteer, it costs a lot of money. It works out something like this:

Airfare for 3: $5,000
rooom and board in Nepal for 3 months: $3,500
immunizations $1,200 (estimate, may be worse, rabies shots for Naomi alone cost over $500!)

**UPDATE** I seriously underestimated this factor. Called my local pharmacy today with the list of suggested vaccinations: Hepatitis A and B for Naomi, TB for Naomi, flu shots, polio, typhoid, meningitis, rabies and Japanese Encephalitis for all of us. I thought the price of rabies was bad until I heard the cost of the Japanese Encephalitis shots: $1,200 for each of us! Hep A and B are going cheap at a mere $100 for three shots.

(And to make it sound like a Mastercard ad, "Trip of a Lifetime = Priceless!)

As you can see, this is no small undertaking, but we are committed to going, even if we have to remortgage our house! We have ordered our Nepali language tapes already and are anxiously awaiting their arrival (yes, all I need is something else to study while being in a full-time master's program, not to mention another language when I have studied 7 others already, and we all know the wide applicability of speaking Nepali outside of Nepal...), and I'm planning on preparing myself for celebrating my next birthday in the midst of monsoon season, which comes with leeches and mosquitoes.