Here I am at my goodbye party in Baglung. After a snack and tea, Chandi Sharma, the focal point coordinator of CYC, said a short speech and put a garland of flowers around my neck. Each member of CYC then came up to say farewell individually: first they took a pinch of red paste (used by hindus for religious purposes) and made a mark on my forehead, then offered a handful of flowers before saying Namaste or goodbye.

This will be one of my last blog entries and one that I’ve not been looking forward to writing. It means that my time in Nepal is over, my fellowship near completion.

There are so many people that I need to thank for making this one of the most fulfilling, difficult, and valuable summers of my life. First, I would like to say thank you to everyone who supported me, financially and morally. My father, Costas, and sister, Markella, who initially had their doubts about my safety, but as always, they were there to help (Michele and Chris too!). Peter Hesp, a family friend and one of my main benefactors, thank you for your advice and support. You and your foundation sponsored a large part of my fellowship, helping me to reach my goals this summer. And thank you to all those who made their contribution: Joe Mele, who I hope one day will become a politician and friend to our Nepali brothers; Chris Shian, who despite our distance has always been a great friend; Mr. and Mrs. de Vries for your (hopefully not too coerced) support; Robert Jacobs, a great marine and friend, thank you for your support and service. Rita, thank you for first steering me to the application and all your support thereafter.

A special thank you to The Advocacy Project for the amazing opportunity and support throughout. Through all the questions, concerns and requests, you were always patient and helpful. Iain, I hope we were able to accomplish some of those sustainable results and have something to build on for the future.

Thank you to everyone in Nepal. While things didn’t always run as smoothly as hoped, COCAP Kathmandu, I wish you all luck and hope that you give all the support possible to the focal points (especially the facilitators) for their successful operation. But without doubt, your work during the people’s movement is truly inspiring.

Thank you to the other peace fellows, Nicole, Mark and Jeff. I had an epic summer and learned a great deal from you all and respect your dedication to the work and the cause. Devin and Ted, while we didn’t work together directly, thanks for the room, the hospitality and the laughs. And thanks for teaching me so much about Dalits and your incredible work with the newsletter.

Finally, thank you to everyone in Baglung. Yogendra, you are truly a man of character and I’m proud to call you my friend. You taught me a great deal this summer and I have to congratulate you on your hard work and dedication to the radio program. Know that with each program, you are helping to build a better Nepal. I wish you and your family all the love and success in the world. I know we will meet again soon. And to everyone else in Baglung, I miss you and hope to visit again in the near future.

Namaskar and dhanyabad!

Here I am with Chandi after everyone was done with their goodbyes. Thanks to Yogendra for taking the photos!