III

Himalayas

Local woman experiences the Sherpa culture firsthand.

Suzi Colman
Special to the Jewish News

T

ake every precaution and aban-
don all fear:'
It's a simple motto, but one I
fully embraced when I embarked on my
lifelong goal of visiting eastern Nepal,
the land of Mount Everest and its famous
Sherpa people.
Yes, I wanted to see the tallest moun-
tain in the world, but I was even more
interested in getting to know the Sherpa
people and immersing myself in their
culture.
This was not my first trip to foreign
lands. My husband, Jon, encourages me
to pursue this passion.
After reading Eat Pray Love by
Elizabeth Gilbert, I went to Bali to meet
the characters of the book. I became
good friends with the healer and spent

30 July 18 • 2013

an entire week with her. I went to Papua,
"Katmandu" stuck in my head. I stayed a
New Guinea, and followed various tribes
week to acclimate and to get money and
that used to be headhunters and can-
staples I would need in the mountains.
nibals. And I went to Guatemala as a
From there, I took a short, scary and
volunteer on a medical
incredibly beautiful flight
mission and, in four days,
to Lukla Airport. I was
Left: Sherpa students
we treated at least 4,000
very
lucky I even got on my
taught by S uzi Colman
people.
scheduled
flights because
in Nepal.
I believe the only way to
the weather often forces
get to know another cul-
cancellations and travelers
Top Right: The wizened
ture is by living amongst
must
add buffer days to
face of a Sherpa
allow
for this.
them and not as a tourist.
woman.
Through the organiza-
Still, the journey wasn't
finished. Beyond Lukla
tion RCDP Nepal, I was
Bottom Right: Ang
assigned to teach English
Airport, at 9,500 feet, there
Dali and Suzi Colman
in a primary school. That
are no roads, and the final
in traditional Sherpa
was the easy part. Getting
leg
of the voyage was a
dress.
three-hour hike with ridic-
to the Khumbu (Mount
Everest) region was a dif-
ulously uneven boulders.
ferent story.
Not one step was easy or flat.
In early April, I flew to Dubai and then
Finally, I reached my destination in
to Kathmandu with Bob Seger's song
the town of Ghat: the home of a Sherpa

named Dawa Jangbu Sherpa. He lives
with his wife, Ang Dali, and his 15-year-
old son Nawang, who happened to be
home for vacation from his school in
Kathmandu. They became my family
for the next two weeks and welcomed
me into their lives and home as I joined
them for every meal, helped them with
household chores and learned as much
as I could about their strong culture and
Buddhist faith.
Dawa Jangbu Sherpa is a real leader in
the community. He was once a monk, but
after 10 years in nearby Pema Choling
monastery, he decided to get married.
He is still very involved in running this
500-year-old monastery with its 45
monks. Besides the monastery, he has
rescued children from either very poor
or abusive homes. He has co-sponsored
a few children to get them in boarding
schools in Kathmandu as well as raising