Hello everyone and welcome!

This is Grant Gallaher, and, together with Cameron Conner, I will be updating this blog from the field whenever possible throughout our three months of research and volunteer work for the Conscious Connections Foundation in Nepal. Our posts will contain updates on our research and learning, lots of pictures, and accounts of our own personal experiences and thoughts. We are absolutely thrilled to have this opportunity and to be able to share it with others all around the world. Thank you for joining us for this journey!

After a touching send-off from our families and close friends, we (the nerds) embarked on the first leg of this expedition on September 30th!

I normally like plane rides anyway, but our second flight was a little more special for me than usual because it was the longest flight I’ve ever been on (11 hours) and it was my first time flying over the ocean. The immensity and vastness of the Pacific is truly a powerful sight. All the traveling has gone rather smoothly so far (knock on wood), with the exception of when I was accidentally given the wrong boarding pass because my name is apparently Thomas Higgenbotham.

We are currently in Seoul, South Korea, where we have an overnight layover before departing early in the morning for Kathmandu. Time zones are seriously messing with my brain as I’m trying to keep track of the time in Spokane, Seoul, and Kathmandu all at once. Ay caramba…

Dinner was an adventure tonight in Korea! Among several other unfamiliar dishes, we tried octopus kebabs, quail eggs, and some form of lemon cream dessert that we couldn’t even figure out how to get it out of it’s container. These strange foods were just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to experiencing cultures and customs different from our own on this trip!

Well, many months of preparation have been leading up to this moment, and I am so excited to arrive in Nepal for my very first time tomorrow!!! We’ll be posting more updates and pictures from Kathmandu once we get there! Thank you again for reading and letting us share these amazing experiences with you!

-Grant