Coming to Nepal

I came home to Canada in April, happy to leave Vietnam behind and see my family again. They had not yet met Rémi, and I was proud to bring him to Quebec. We stayed at my parents' house and visited friends, ate all my favorite foods for one month. Then, I was ready to leave again (it's in my genes), get to Nepal and see my allowance come around again. Staying in Canada was a luxury I could not afford for too long. But just when we were ready to go, the political situation got very unstable. There were manifs in the streets, people killed and the monarchy was overthrown. All this happened in a very short time, and CECI declared a state of emergency and evacuated all volunteers. I was devastated and I was offered as an alternative to return to Vietnam for a short posting. I had just left after an intense year, and had no intention of returning. But if I had no other choice, then I would. At the last minute and beyond anyone's "realistic" expectations, the political situation in Nepal got resolved and peaceful, and at the last minute I was allowed to go. I had anticipated coming to Nepal for months, and I was thrilled to see it happen.

The flight was a long, long haul, leaving with my 7 overweight hockey bags, Roxy in a big cage, Rémi and the stroller, as well as 2 carry-on bags (the bare minimum). The only hitch we got was in Frankfurt, where I had to transfer to a new airline and had to get Roxy and check her at the new airline counter. Well, I had to go through customs to get to Roxy, but they wouldn't let me by. Not that I am a terrorist on their black list, or a notorious drug dealer they had been trying to catch for years, but simply because my son has a vietnamese citizenship and could not go through without a visa. They suggested I leave Rémi behind and go through, which to me was not even an option. Finally, I went to the airport police and explained the situation to them, and they allowed me to pass through with Rémi. My heart had never raced so much. I crossed what seemed to me the longest airport to get to the baggage claim, but once there no one would tell me where I could find Roxy. The airport staff was rude and suggested I return to my airline's counter to ask them! Meanwhile I knew that Roxy was somewhere waiting and I was freaking out. I walked around, and eventually "bumped into her" and almost cried on the spot. My family was united. Exhausted from no sleep but happy, Rémi, Roxy and myself went outside to get some fresh air, and wait the 6 hours before our next check in.

We got on Air Qatar flight just fine, and I was surprised by the quality of the planes and the service - impeccable. We landed in Doha International Airport where we had to wait yet another 8 hours. Tiny airport, with a family room that has no toys but only chairs, and I was tired. We eventually landed in Kathmandu, and boy was I relieved to find Roxy. One of our bags had opened or been opened, and food was missing. But at that moment, exhaustion made it hard to care too much. We had arrived, and that was all that counted.