Fear is the Devils Greatest Illusion

I’ve been living in Montreal for a little over a year now. I moved here to study and life in Montreal is absolutely amazing.

There is something about Montreal that just feels like home. The atmosphere of this city is addictive. It’s a drug that feels so good you want to take all the time. I’ve returned home a few times since moving here and every time coming back to Montreal is the greatest feeling. It has nothing to do with my family. Montreal would be even more amazing if my family were here. As much as I miss them all, it feels like home when I see Montreal from above.

Montreal is a city that literally has everything to offer you. There is an amazing night life, way too many festivals to keep up with, countless types of events, people from any ethnic background you can think of, and so much FOOD. This city is flooded with amazing food. The fact that it is so fluently bilingual is also a huge bonus.

Before I moved here, I thought, “I studied French in school… I’ll be okay”…. boy was I wrong.
Quebecois has such a strong accent that it sounds completely different from what we learned in school in the east coast. On top of that, they speak so fast that one sentence sounds like one word. Differentiating between words is next to impossible. But, because they are so bilingual here, they don’t mind switching to English if they see that you made an effort to at least try to have a conversation in French.

This picture is taken from Mont Royal. I am embarrassed to admit that it took me a year to go to to the top. The view was beautiful and it is a place that I would like to go to more often.

There Is No Greater Love

Since I’ve been home I have had many emotions. I am mostly wanderlust and angry at our society.

The countless luxuries we have are taken for granted everyday.

We are depressed, programmed that we need a stable job, income, house, car, marriage, kids…

The expectations of our society are infinite. Life is monotonous, pointless. We live for money and money lives for greed.

I am happy, but unhappy. I am happy that I am Canadian and have all of these luxuries. That I have a choice to live the way I do. If I want to leave, I will.

I am unhappy that so many live under fear, torture, and dictatorship. I am unhappy that we believe, as North Americans, that we are greater than the rest, and that we have the power to keep the oppressed poor.

But are they poor? They have nothing but they give you everything. They see the beauty for what it is. The good in the bad. The health in the sick. They live off the land, not destroy it.

To travel is a wonderful thing. Your mind, body, and soul open up, leaving you naked and vulnerable. You see the world for what it truly is.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

When I left Bangladesh for Nepal, I was sick. I had lost my voice and was in the beginning stages of a respiratory infection. I went to Nepal by myself, not knowing anyone, and no idea where to go. I was 18 and terrified.

The flight that I went on to Nepal happened to be the same flight as the Nepali cricket team. Cricket is a huge deal in South Asia and the Asia Cup was going on at that time.

When I went to pay for my visa, the ATM machine wasn’t working. So what was the logical solution to the problem according to the airport staff? Leave my passport with them and go outside of the airport to go to the ATM. Well. Here I was, alone, unable to speak because I was sick, into this mob of fans waiting to greet the Nepali cricket team. There was military, police, fences, too many people, and marching bands. Of course the ATM was way on the other side of this human fence. I literally crawled underneath of people and gates to get to that ATM machine.

When I finally had my money, I crawled underneath this human fence, again, to get back to the entrance. The security would not let me go back into the airport until the cricket team had come up. I was frustrated, tired, confused, and afraid. But when the team came out and I saw everyone’s excitement, I laughed at myself, smiled, and lived in the moment.

I guess the moral of this story is that sometimes there will be plenty of obstacles in your way. But, sometimes those obstacles lead to moments that you never would have experienced otherwise. Embrace the uncomfortable and unfamiliar. Live in the moment and enjoy it.

Sea, Air, & Sun.

Dubai was probably one of the coolest places I’ve been to. It’s rich, hot, and beautiful! Dubai is a place that I would go back to any day!

Kathmandu, I’ll soon be seein’ you. And your strange bewilderin’ time will hold me down.

This city may look crowded and condensed to you, but it is completely beautiful to me. I’ve been home in Canada for about a month and a half now, and how much I miss Kathmandu is unbelievable. I never thought that this country would mean so much to me. The streets are dirty, people are everywhere, and traffic is insane, but it is still so peaceful and beautiful.
Since I’ve been home, all I talk to people about is “when I was in Nepal”. My poor family, coworkers, and friends, they are all too nice to tell me to stop talking about Nepal.
My friend in Nepal, Shreeti, has a lot to do with my attachment to Kathmandu. She took me under her wing and showed me everything I need to know about Nepal. If I could take Shreeti to Canada I would.
Someday I will be back in Nepal, I know that for sure. When, is the only thing I don’t know. Hopefully someday soon.

The mountains are calling, and I must go.

I long for the mountains. Where the clouds touch the Earth and the sky meets the ground. I have never been so happy as when I was standing on those mountains looking across the beautiful planet that we are so fortunate to live on. Our Earth is beautiful. We should love it the way that it loves us. This is what life is supposed to look like. Not buildings, structures, and factories. Just greenery and mountains.

Someday I hope to return to these mountains and build a lodge, so that I can return whenever I want and live in the tranquil happiness.

On the other side of these mountains, there is a village. I personally believe that those people live life the way that it should be. Imagine living in a place where you can look up and see the Himalayan mountains. Amazing.

Please, if you ever get the chance, go to Nepal. Observe how they live outside of Kathmandu. That is how life is meant to be.

The Streets Are Never Quiet

In Dhaka, Bangladesh, the streets are never quiet. Rickshaw drivers ring their bells, shopkeepers yell at the side of the street, trying to get you to come into their shop. Dhaka is majorly overpopulated. The streets are dirty; full of garbage, dust, and street dogs. People live on the street and half naked children beg you for money.
People are everywhere in Bangladesh, there really is no structure. It’s chaotic, noisy, busy. But, in it’s own way it is beautiful.
You fall in love with the prayers that illuminate the city five times a day. Dhaka is known as the City of Mosques, they are absolutely everywhere.
Bengali people are very proud of their culture, but not in an insulting way. They fought for their freedom and want to maintain their culture that they sacrificed so much for.
Amidst all the poverty in Dhaka, they have a richness that we as Westerners will probably never experience. They are so thankful for what they have, and even when they have nothing they will give you everything.
Bangladesh has governmental corruption that they need to fix that I have seen with my own eyes. It’s a problem that needs to be resolved and I pray that somehow I can help.

Getting Used To Home.

I’ve been back in Canada for a little over two weeks now. It’s still so weird for me to wake up in the morning and realize that I’m in my own bed in my own room. Honestly, I feel that it was easier to leave home than it was to come home. I’ve experienced sadness, anger, excitement, envy… all of it. I’m a big ball of emotion.

Mostly, I’m angry. I’m angry that we as North Americans take most things for granted. While in Bangladesh I mainly used a bucket of hot water for a shower. I was fortunate to stay in a place that had a shower head, but the water was freezing. I also couldn’t brush my teeth with water from the tap, and had to drink bottled water the whole time.

Everything was so different in South Asia, but so easy to get used to. It’s amazing how our body and mind adapts to fit our surroundings. But it’s interesting to see how hard it is to go back to how things were before you had to sacrifice everything you were so accustomed to. Before I left Canada I went to coffee shops everyday, spending way too much money on a chai latte. Since I’ve been home I’ve only gone once, and that was because my mom wanted a coffee while we were driving to the valley. Otherwise, I could have gone without one.

I’ve seen a few things while I was away. Families who live in huts made of garbage with children playing in the garbage surrounding them. Children and the elderly begging you for money, but mainly to get drugs instead of what they say they need. We even take the air we breathe for granted. Most people wear surgical masks so that they do not breathe in the polluted air and get sick.

As an 18 year old young woman, travelling by myself was sometimes a bit scary. But it also enabled me to take everything in and meet so many people. Travelling alone made me grow up and see things for what they really are.

I long to be back in a place where I can see real mountains and true happiness, even through the poverty. People are happier over there, so thankful for what they have and understanding of those who are also struggling to live. You will meet some of the most amazing people in those kinds of places, truly inspiring people.

I hope that I never get used to living in Canada again, because I never want to take things for granted ever again. I am thankful to God everyday for what I have been blessed with.

Garden of Dreams

My first few days in Nepal I was by myself. So, I basically just walked around trying to get to know the place a little better. On one of my adventures I went to the Garden of Dreams. It’s a beautiful garden that a Nepali man built a long time ago. This place is really just a couples spot, so it wasn’t as exciting by yourself. All the same, it was beautiful and I definitely enjoyed it.

Momos!!!

I have to say that momos are definitely my favourite Nepali food. They are dumplings stuffed with either vegetables, chicken, or beef. They are served with a chutney that you dip the momos in. They are delicious and can’t wait to return to have some more.