A Stroll Through Lahan (Still With the Same Underwear)

Yes, it's true. Tyler remains in the same pair of underwear as when he arrived. His bag is still missing, and we have received no updates. We can only assume that some very lucky person in Vancouver, China or Kathmandu is wearing his nice Columbia jacket. Or maybe some very unlucky person is using his retainer as a mouth guard. Either way, Tyler remains in high spirits, despite the fact that he cannot smell good...at all.

He did, however, venture out of the hospital compound by himself to exchange a pair of pants that were too big. Below are images documented from his adventure:

I asked him how people reacted to him taking their picture. He said that he asked most of the people and that they do this thing with their heads instead of nodding. He said it's left to right instead of forward to back. My response? "Ummmmmmmmm honey. That's them telling you no." He swears that was their way of agreeing to be photographed. Whether or not he's right, he still only has one pair of underwear.

At the hospital he got to spend some time in the blindness counseling department:

This man had been blind for six months and was receiving counseling. Part of the counseling was done by a blind woman, a brilliant strategy given the level of empathy and understanding this woman has towards others in the same situation. She was telling him that he could still be part of society, and that he didn't just need to sit in a corner.

Tyler also wrote me a classic language mixup story. It has to happen at least once in a foreign country, or you can't really say you've traveled. Like the time my mission companion said she had men (exclamation mark) but really wanted to say she was hungry. It keeps things colorful!

He writes, "So here at the hospital there are numbers for each department so patients know where to go. For example, Retina is 12, Glaucoma is 13, etc. So I have heard the nurses tell patients the whole time I have been here, 'No number.' I assumed this meant, 'You don't have to go anywhere. You are done.' But I started seeing patients who needed to prep for surgery get told 'no number' and thought, 'What?' So I asked. It turns out 'no' to my ears is actually the number nine in Nepali, which is counseling so the patient knows how to prep for surgery or get eye drops, etc. Then I explained it to some of the staff and they thought it was hilarious. Yeah, it was a cute moment."

Tyler, I really hope you didn't send people home because you thought they were done. I could see how this would be cause for concern. It's amazing how much we rely on clean underwear to be able to think clearly...

Here are some more shots of the hospital, including outpatient, and an example of how the departments are numbered.

  In addition to working at the hospital and doing eye exams, Tyler saw all of his dreams come true when he got to compete in badminton with some of the other doctors. He did not say whether or not he did well. That might have been on purpose. But he did say he got sweaty! And he was really excited about that. I don't think he's gotten much opportunity to exercise. I'm sure when he realized how many pairs of underwear he had, though, his excitement was short lived...

Meanwhile, we have been finalizing plans for our grand Nepali reunion. He flies out Saturday to Kathmandu and I will arrive Sunday night. The itinerary is still being perfected, but the packing is done (with extra underwear in the carry-on). Two more days!

Namaste.