Laura Bernert

On the last day of the final exam period, May 20, 2023, I left for JFK on an Ourbus from the Starbucks in the Ithaca commons. Nearly 36 hours later, I found myself in a Himalayan Java House (the so-called Starbucks of Nepal,) in the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Though there’s a certain symmetry in my voyage from chain coffee shop to chain coffee shop, nearly nothing was the same as home once I left the airport’s commercialized confines.

Outside the airport, we met up with our driver for the next three days, who greeted us smiling in a Cornell ballcap. His hat looked out of place amidst the backdrop of a colorful square buildings conglomerated in the valley below. (I can only imagine how out of place I must have looked, eyes big and blinking, hand glued to my camera).

While I took in the Kathmandu valley, our driver kindly loaded our luggage into his compact Jeep and we took to the city. The first thing I noticed about Nepal was the traffic. It was rush-hour when we arrived, and thousands of commuters were piling abord motorbikes, cars, and three-wheeled “microbuses” to start their day.  Here, I soon learned, traffic laws were more like traffic suggestions. Motorbikes whizzed past our vehicle, honking through narrow streets and darting around turns without warning. Luckily, our driver navigated this challenge with grace. Though somewhat overwhelming at first, I came to recognize the bustle of the streets as part of the vibrance and character of Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital city. Feeding off the energy of the crowds, I quickly shook off my jetlag.

I soon learned that the vibrancy of Kathmandu is matched by its rich religious and cultural history. After we settled into the hotel, the other interns and I took to Durbar Square, a centuries-old Royal palace with temples deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nepal is a majority Hindu and Buddhist country, but the Nepal constitution preaches secularism and religious tolerance is emphasized throughout the country. This is evident from the diversity of visitors and natives I witnessed exploring Durbar Square in polite harmony. Thousands of people comingled under the watchful eye of Buddha, whose all-seeing face was painted on four sides of the towering temples above. A Nepali “one” made up Buddha’s nose to complete his likeness.

Amidst the courtyard of temples, a highlight of Durbar Square was seeing the Kumari. The Kumari is a young girl who is believed to encompass divine feminine energy and be possessed by the goddess Taleju. I got a good glimpse of the Kumari, peering down from a window above a courtyard in Durbar square. This is considered good fortune, and I deemed it a promising sign of the trip to come. Fortified by the blessing of the Kumari and reinvigorated by the cultural sights in Kathmandu, I felt prepared for the rest of my travels abroad. As I left Kathmandu for the lowlands of Chitwan, I felt ready to explore Nepal, armed with my good fortunes and the start of a new cultural understanding.