MY JOURNEY TO LOVEFEST AND BEYOND - Part 4

On April 25th 2015 a devastating earthquake hit Nepal which affected over 3 million children, most of which were in remote hard to reach places. Whist this was happening I was living at Ocean beach on the Central Coast, feeling lost with what I am doing with my life. I had a big landscape picture in my lounge room of a village near Annapurna, Nepal that was gifted to me by one of my coaching clients. I would look at it everyday and would wonder what happened to the people that lived there. Are they even alive? What must they be experiencing?

Even though I had my dream job of Nature Based Coaching Sessions at the beach, I felt very lost and that there was something missing. I asked myself, nature and the universe a question. “What do I do with my life.” I wrote the question down and went for a long walk on the beach. I kept feeling into my emotions and especially feeling my heart. A new technique I had learnt as a result of connecting with my emotions and my body through meditation.

So I kept touching my heart and asking the question. I bumped into this very strange lady who looked and acted like a witch. I told her that I wanted to change the world and be more like Jesus was. (I’m not religious at all by the way). Her response was “Well it’s such a massive task to be like Jesus on your own. Maybe you can just be one of the toes of Jesus and with others you can make up the whole body together. I said bye to her and kept walking along the beach to get home and the answer came to me through my heart. It was very loud and said “GO TO NEPAL AND HELP PEOPLE”

That night at around 10PM I called Noor, the only Nepalese person I knew, and I hadn’t spoken to him in years. I thought the chances of him answering were very slim but he did answer with the first ring. I told him I felt like going to Nepal and helping. He said he was leaving for Kathmandu within 2 weeks and that I can meet him there and stay at his place. I said “ok great I’ll book my flights”. I got off the phone and thought to myself “What…. Just…..happened?”

Next day I started telling others what I was planning. I was told by many not to go. “ It’s too dangerous, you could get stuck or even killed by other earthquakes”, “The people there would be crazy from the panic”, “You will get in the way of other volunteers”, “People from overseas have been asked not to go to Nepal” ,“What if you go there and make things worse for them”. I then became very afraid myself and I started questioning my decision to go.

Some people that were close to me tried to talk me out of it. I just kept connecting back to nature and my heart. I did my research and put a post up on Facebook saying “I am going to Nepal. Who would like to come along and/or help.” Within 2 weeks I had a plan, connected to a charity in a remote village in Nepal, raised funds to build classrooms, and had a team of 6. Cherena who had done the same coaching course as me said that she can join me for the full trip and we booked our tickets. I was full of both fear and excitement.

From the moment I arrived in Nepal the synchronicities and the flow I was experiencing was incredible. Every day there was another miracle. The Government was not helpful for the repair so it was up to the people to support those in need. I witnessed a WHatsapp group chat that was filled with business owners that provided goods to help. For example a businesss that sells ovens would donate a bunch of ovens to look after a whole street. People that could give time to help neighbours did exactly that. I also facilitated a coaching workshop for University students to support them with a framework for their mental health post-earthquakes. I asked the students how everyone is going in Kathmandu after the earthquakes and the response was “not good”, “there is much PTSD” “People are afraid to go back home so they are camping with others in parks”.

I was also filmed to be on Nepalese TV. I visited Hindu Temples and Buddhist Stupas and witnessed so much prayer and kindness.

It was a just a few days into the trip and we were faced with danger and uncertainty. We needed to leave for a small village called Deurali, it was that remote that there was no support there yet, however the destruction was huge. With Noor’s help we had organised material and workers to build the classrooms at the school. There was the risk of landslides blocking our path or harming us in some way, especially if there was rain as it was monsoon season. The timing of the materials arriving on time with the truck was uncertain as well.

I learnt from the Nepalese Hindu faith. We pray, and have faith and things will work out. I prayed to Indra the God of weather for clear weather. We started our 9 hour drive to Deurali with the last 3 hours being very dangerous hills on the edge of cliffs. Scary stuff. However we made it to the Deurali school safely with clear weather. Thank you INDRA.

Within 2 weeks alongside the contractors we built 6 classrooms and held several English classes for students and workshops for teachers and principles. I asked my English translator who’s name is Om, how everyone is going after the earthquakes, his response was “Everyone is good and doing well” I asked why it is that everyone is ok here in the villages where there is even more destruction and less help and people are not ok in the city. His response was “Here everyone helps each other, we are a community. In the city it is not this way”. This is the first time I really learnt about the importance of community and how it actually supports connection, mental health and humanity. Cherena and I were invited to lunch at a school helper’s home. When we arrived he came out with his family and brought out all of the little food they had in their home and gave it to us. I was a little teary and felt very humbled by the experience.

Cherena and I completed our trip by visiting places like beautiful Pokhara, Limbini the birthplace of Buddha and staying in the middle of Chitwan jungle seeing Rhino’s and Tigers. We were also commended by the Australian Embassy for building classrooms in such a short period of time as the government hadn’t even started yet.

After I arrived back home on the Central Coast near Sydney, I shared my story in a presentation called “The Path Least Travelled” It took me about a month to integrate back into my life. I struggled to do anything and needed much rest. Observing my thoughts and feeling my emotions. So many new learnings, including that I actually have an ability to bring people together to take action for something good. The most important learning however was the power of community.

I thought to myself we have so much beauty in abundance in Sydney that I am grateful for and in the villages of Nepal there was so much beauty with selflessness and community that I experienced. So the question I asked was "How do I bring together the best of both worlds?"

LOVE FOR COMMUNITY.