There have been so many important life lessons that I have learned in my first week in Nepal. Completing one week of my one month internship in Nepal has not only reminded me, but taught me so many values and important moments that need to be cherished and celebrated as each day passes. I live in a predominately Hindu community where families get up before the sun to pray for their blessings. Running water is a luxury. Electricity is not promised. Families utilize the daytime to get chores done and do work. Breakfast and dinner are made of rice with fresh vegetables that are often picked from the family garden or bought from a nearby local vegetable and fruit market. My heart and my stomach smile each day because July is mango season. Sweet and freshly peeled and cut mangoes are served after the main course of each meal. Company from family makes meal times even sweeter because meals are never eaten alone. Families come together to talk, laugh, joke and catch up on life’s daily events. Conversations last until 8 o’clock because the best sleep happens between 9 p.m and 5 a.m.

Early morning temple bells gently wake early risers at four in the morning. Watch dogs bark throughout the community as if to compete with hens that boldly take on the job as the community alarm clocks. Honks from motorcycles, mini-vans and taxis fill the atmosphere as the morning progresses. Each day that life brings is a blessing. Thankfulness can be felt as casual conversations often mention the April 2015 Nepal earthquake that claimed over 8,000 lives, injured over 20,000 people. Daily hardships are often comforted with respect, love and kindness that is shown through family, community, school and work interactions.

In Nepal people respectfully greet each other by saying “Namaste” with a smile and hands joined together as if preparing to pray. The kindness that I have received has made my short stay feel like home away from home. A few days ago, a teacher from one of the schools that I was working in gave me a plate of noodles for lunch. Shortly after I received my plate, one student and then another student in the second grade brought me portions of their lunches to add to my noodle plate. They often transferred the food from their hands to my plate or my hand. I was overwhelmed with kindness as I ate each bite of love that the students shared with me.

Yesterday, I arrived at one of my visit schools early to set up for a teacher’s training workshop. I was focused at the task at hand. In a blink of an eye, a middle school girl stood in front of me with a gorgeous red flower. She handed me the flower and told me that she had picked it for me after praying at a temple near her home. I thanked her and felt humble through her act of thoughtfulness. Later on a teacher explained that the gift meant that the student saw me as a flower. I thought how wonderful it would be if more people treated at each other as beautiful flowers.

The acts of kindness that I have witnessed and experienced in Nepal thus far have touched my heart. The students who I have met have demonstrated a high level of thoughtfulness that should be exemplified throughout every nation on a global scale. We often rush through our daily events, activities, jobs and responsibilities in a way that makes it easy enough to forget the power of a simple act of kindness. As you proceed through your day, please remember the students who hand shared their food or the lovely flower that was hand-picked. Let’s follow these simple acts of kindness with our own.. Our powerful actions will foster relationships and environments that are built on the foundations of unbreakable love, respect and kindness.