Strength

 I am currently reading two books, a fiction, Booker Prize short list "The Seven Moons Maali Almeida" by Shehan Karunatilaka. I do recommend this one, but it can be difficult to locate as the author is Sri Lankan. The other is "The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching - Transforming Suffering into Peace" by Thich Nhat Han, a Vietnamese monk, poet and author. This is the third book of his that I have read and I feel it is the best of the three. It is already impacting how I think about so many things in my life. The teachings are in line with what I believe, and how I want to live my life. I feel that this direction will also help me mentally prepare to volunteer and trek in Nepal. 

One of the things that experienced trekkers will tell you that they learned doing the EBC trail is you can prepare physically, but you also need to prepare mentally. By preparing mentally you will be able to better cope with the harsh conditions that you may be faced with. I know many people are not used to the primitive (by USA standards) in many of the tea houses. You have to be prepared to deal with illness whether it be intestinal or altitude, a lack of heat in extremely cold conditions, shared toilet facilities often with squat toilets. Most trekkers will go over a week without a shower due to the lack of heat in the tea houses or lack of hot water. 

I have been in areas where modern conveniences are lacking or are primitive. It really did not bother me. It is just a matter of being educated and informed to knowing the hygiene procedures to protect yourself. Water purification is a must. Hand sanitizer , wet wipes, and a stash of antibiotics, anti-diarrhea meds, and pain-killers are must pack items. There are a few altitude sickness preventatives on the market but I cannot take any but the natural ones.  The recommended vaccine list is a bit longer than I'd like. They even recommend getting a Rabies vaccine, I will have to seriously consider that depending on where I volunteer.   It is a lot to think about . Mental strength as well as physical strength are the ingredients for success.