Until I see you again, Nepal

See you! (Erin with a Nepali street cow)

I am a professional at approaching airline ticket counters with ultra heavy baggage and extra suitcases. I beg, I argue and I cry to get the agent not to charge me to move my life from one country to the next. "But I'm moving two years here man, give me a break." Luggage packed to the brim and bags hanging off my body like a pack mule, I am usually able to get on the plane headed for the next city.

As I left Nepal this week, after almost two years, it was more than extra baggage that I was bringing back home with me. Along with hiking boots and Tibetan art, I have also packed a fair trade business, millions of memories with friends, and the love of a country. You can imagine how heavy this can all be and why I will not say "goodbye nepal" but rather, "until I see you again."

One and a half years has flown by in Nepal. For a country that is a behind in development, time sure does fly! Some days I felt like dancing in the street in the monsoon rains and some days I felt like lifting taxi drivers up by the throat. It was a roller coaster (of Himalayan proportions) of emotions and experiences. But, not a day went by that I did not know I was alive.

Global Daughter allowed me to travel the country and meet amazing women doing amazing things against all odds. Global Daughter has worked together with women artisans here and built personal and professional relationships with them and their families that will remain the foundation of this project. We started Global Daughter as two and now we have grown into a family. And you know what they say about family, family first! That is why we will continue to communicate with GD artisans and make it a priority to further their professional development.

Even though we are both back in America now, we are charged up and more energetic than ever to grow Global Daughter and continue to impact lives in a place that has become our home. I will now be in Seattle and Erika will continue initiatives in Los Angeles. In two markets, we hope to get maximum exposure for our project and connect more women in America with women in Nepal. Things may be daunting here at home with the economy, but the Global Daughter Movement will march on (now in two cities!).

We want to thank you all for supporting us. We are trying to tell the story of women in Nepal, and we will tell it until we are blue in the face, no matter where we are, to anyone who will listen. Erika and I have connected with women in Nepal, now we want to connect them...with YOU! If you have any comments or suggestions about this project or just have questions about women in Nepal, we would love to hear from you. We could both go on for days about women's issues in Nepal, so hit us up and make our day!

If you are in the Seattle or Los Angeles area and would like Erin or Erika to do a personal presentation about women in Nepal for your organization, friends, church group, or school, please contact us at info@globaldaughter.com.

Help us get blue in the face!