Thank you
to Cathy and all the members of the Midwifery Society of Nepal for helping us find clinical placements
to the nurses who taught and supervised us through long, tiring shifts
to all of the beautiful and generous Nepali people who became our friends and made us feel so welcome in their country
to the inventors of Nepali momos - the best snack ever
to Matthew (Yarrow's husband) who came on the trip and gave us such good company and so many laughs
to our friends and family back home who gave us so much love and many, many messages of encouragement and support throughout our journey
to those who read our stories on this blog
to the babies who came around during resuscitations and took their first breaths when we willed them to, and who patiently allowed us to snuggle with them when we had free time
to Yarrow, who was an amazing companion, the best partner to attend births with, and who constantly wowed me with her skills as my classmate-turning-midwife. You're inspiring. Thank you for telling me I "could do it", during that shoulder dystocia.
And finally, thank you (dhanybhad) to the mothers who allowed us to attend them during their births. These women taught us more than we could have imagined about strength, bravery, perseverence, and the power of the female body. It was a thrill and a privilege to be mit wife (with women) in this country. We won't forget the sweet smiles, hand squeezes, and lovely moments these women shared with us.
We arrived home safely on June 27th to a very warm welcome in the Vancouver airport. Yarrow and I have one more clinical placement left this summer, and then we'll be starting our fourth and final year of Midwifery school. We graduate in May 2011.
We're very excited for the year ahead and feel lucky to be able to bring along all the invaluable lessons that we learned in Nepal. We have very precious memories from our trip and hope to continue learning about and practicing midwifery in other countries in the future.
Namaste and love to everyone,
Lauren
