I will soon be on the plane home to Norway for the summer, and my time in Nepal, for now, will be over. Wow, what I have experienced here in Nepal during the last three months will stay with me as a special time forever. I never dreamed that my second attempt to summit, the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, would be cancelled because of an even bigger accident than last year. It was beyond my wildest imagination.

Believe it or not, the last few months in Nepal have been good. I knew immediately when the earthquake hit, I had to stay behind in Nepal and try to find the best way for me to help my friends here. In my tent at Everest base camp, an inner peace spread inside of me, and I knew then and there that I would not be on board the first available plane home to Norway. It is as natural for me to be in Nepal as it is to be in Norway, so I just had to stay behind and get a feeling for the situation

I think that every one that has been in Nepal during this earthquake disaster feels they have lived a life at least ONE STEP, or maybe TWO STEPS, outside of their everyday life. So have I, but I feel I am where I am supposed to be… Here in Nepal together with my friends. During and after the second big earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale, I spent a lot of time together with local people in Kathmandu and in the rural areas outside of it. People here are calm on the outside, but I know that many of them feel afraid on the inside. What makes them afraid is to not know when or if there will be a new big earthquake, and the uncertainty of not knowing what tomorrow brings.

 The uncertainty of not knowing has a big impact on our lives. Not only in an uncertain time like right after an earthquake. It is present in many people’s lives in all the corners of the world. Even in Norway. For example: Why do you keep your job when you dream about doing something totally different? Why do you stay in a relationship that should have been ended a long time ago? Why do you have great dreams that stay dreams instead of reality? Because it is safe, you know what tomorrow brings until the day your boss comes and tells you that you have become superfluous, or your partner wants to break up with you. Then what do you do?

I believe it is time to start to accept that uncertainty is part of our changing lives. Everything that has happened on this journey to Nepal makes me believe that it is impossible to predict what tomorrow brings. If I had done what I came here to do three months ago, I would have summited Mount Everest by now. And, most probably, I would be back home in Norway, on my sofa, writing a blog about what a great experience it was to be on the highest mountain of the world…. Instead, I am here in Kathmandu on Martha’s sofa (Martha is a friend, who has lend me her flat while she is away), writing about the experiences I’ve had by traveling around in earthquake-damaged Nepal, interacting with local people.

Many great people I have met during my stay just accept the situation as it is in the here and now. They accept the earthquakes that damaged many small villages in the country they love so much. They also accept that an absent government will not take a lead in the relief and rebuilding work. They take the responsibility themselves for fundraising money through their network of friends in Nepal and abroad. They travel to the earthquake damaged areas and get an overview of the situation as well as what kind of help is needed in the area. They do the best they can to take responsibility for the situation and provide the area with what is needed. They care for the impoverished people and do what they can to make life better for some of the many in need.

It is not a new situation for people here to help impoverished people. They were engaged in charity work before the earthquake, and they will continue doing good deeds as long as there are poor people in Nepal. They are eager for a change, and they put themselves in the driver’s seat and work hard to achieve their goals. What is it that drives these people to care for a better life for persons they do not know? It is LOVE for their country. They are following their hearts.

What can we learn from my friends here in Nepal? We can learn the importance of making decisions that lead this world to a better place – both for themselves because they are following their hearts, but also for the many thousands of people they support through their projects. Do you want to make a difference in this world? Just do it!

I have been fortunate to know some of these entrepreneurs, who were working on social projects prior to the earthquake disasters that have struck Nepal earlier this year.  They have been involved in building schools, hospitals, hydro-power stations and much, much, more in order to raise the standard of living of Nepal. They work out of passion and obtain their income from their businesses. The money that they fundraise goes directly to their dedicated social projects. Live A Life In Motion is dedicated to partnering with these social entrepreneurs, who are vital to the betterment of Nepal’s future

See all of the ways that we are helping the people of Nepal below and help us to make a difference in Nepal.

To learn more about the situation in Nepal, I recommend checking out the blog Against All Odds, a Beacon of Hope Rises in Nepal.

Please explore the following options below to help us rebuild rural Nepal!

– Buy a Happy Heart Universe t-shirt made in Nepal. 100% of the profits on all t-shirts sold before August 1, 2015 will go to support rebuilding projects in Nepal.

– Participate in one of the non-touristic treks we are organizing. We donate 1,000 Norwegian Kroner per person to a project. (At the moment, these treks are targeted exclusively for Norwegians.) Send an e-mail to Ingvill@Liveafeinmotion.com for more information.

– Donate money to the Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund.