Read more about Scott Harper’s trip to Nepal here.

Monday, 25 November 2013, 10:15 a.m.

The wheels on the bus fall off, off, off,
off, off, off,
off, off, off.
The wheels on the bus fall off, off, off
all through Nepal!

It’s a good thing that back wheels come in pairs. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t be giving this update. Somewhere on the winding highway between Mugling and Kathmandu, the outer left rear wheel dislodged itself and spun off into the darkness towards the Trisuli River far below. An extra two hours in the middle of the night while the bus crew added a spare conveniently gave me some time to call home in the middle of their afternoon. That was how the conclusion to my stay in Sisautiya was followed up. But at least I made it. I don’t think I’ll be intentionally taking night buses again anytime soon.

Anyhow, my last week in the village went well. There is more to say than anyone probably cares to hear, but also more than I have time to tell, so I’ll keep it brief. As my time wrapped up, students began to invite me to their homes for tea. By this point, I had gotten used to the awkwardness I used to feel about being the only person sitting having tea and biscuits. It seemed like students and their families enjoyed the novelty of entertaining a foreign guest. And if I can make someone happy by sitting and drinking tea while they laugh at my Hindi, hey, I could do that all afternoon.

Rahul and I in our matching homemade sweater vests

Rahul and I in our matching homemade sweater vests

Then, with only a day or two left, the departure gifts began coming, which ranged from small notebooks with pens and chocolates to the hand-knitted sweater vest and hat customized with my name on it, presented by Rahul’s family. I was honored to accept all the gifts, but in my mind no one owed me anything more than the generous hospitality and friendships I had already received.

Myself with many of my regular students the day before leaving

When the time finally came to depart, I was surrounded by many of the students and people I had met and spent a lot of time with. I suppose they must have learned something from me, but it couldn’t have been more than what I learned from them about language, culture, religion and all the unteachable knowledge acquired simply through the experience of sharing parts of their lives for a short time.

Saying goodbye to the Jhas just before the bus

Saying goodbye to the Jhas just before the bus

I’ll go back some day and hopefully it won’t be too far into the future. In fact, here’s a message to my future wife: We have already been cordially invited by Dadima, Prabhat and Prashant’s grandmother, to come visit once we’re married. Honeymoon plans complete.

One of my last sunsets in the Terai

One of my last sunsets in the Terai

I won’t forget the people I met, nor the time I spent in the village of Sisautiya. And I am looking forward to continued collaboration with Eejot from the U.S. At this point, though, I am beginning the final stage of my journey. Starting tomorrow, I will be on my way to Langtang National Park for 16 days of trekking, personal time and mountain air. There’s a chance that this could be my last update from Nepal, but I’ll definitely finish up with a final one once I’m back home.