#baluvablog

[baluva]

Today’s Memories: Olympic Peninsula Fun

Today, I’m remembering beaches and rainforests and starfish... behold memories of the Olympic Peninsula!

One of my other favorite vacations I took was during spring break when I was in grad school at the University of Washington in Seattle. My friend and I headed over to the Olympic Penninsula to have some fun.

We took the ferry over to Kingston. We kept pulling over for pictures because the scenery was so beautiful. In some parts, the trees were blanketed in fog and the contrast of green moss with white clouds was breathtaking. 

Then we stopped because the trees we were passing seemed to reach on forever, their branches covered in moss so thick that there was barely any room for the brown bark to show through.

And then we stopped because this was 2009 and my friend’s digital camera ran out of space. We had to buy her a new memory card.

One of the biggest surprises for me was the beaches. I grew up with sand dunes and wide open stretches only broken up by a jetty. I was surprised to see driftwood logs on the beaches. It just wasn’t something I’d expected, but they were great to lean against when I was dumping water out of my boots!

I really loved looking into the tide pools. I’d never seen starfish or sea urchins other than ones in aquariums, so when I some all clustered together, I was enchanted.

We also drove to the Hoh Rainforest to check out the Hall of Mosses.

All I remember was silence. My friend and I were too stunned to speak, so the only sound we could hear was our footsteps and the stream of the babbling brook. There were so many shades of green that it was overwhelming. My photos show olive and evergreen and hunter and jade and artichoke and even some chartreuse.

That break was so fun! It was amazing exploring the stunning scenery, poking around the beach, and gazing at starfish. I went back a few more times to explore other areas. I’d love to go back someday. Until then, I’ll smile at the pictures!

[baluva]

Camp Dartmouth-Hitchcock

The other thing I look forward to in the summer is visiting Camp Dartmouth-Hitchcock!

I just wrote about volunteering at Camp Erin. My other favorite place to visit and volunteer is Camp Dartmouth-Hitchcock, a camp for arthritic kids.

This is a camp near-and-dear to my heart because I grew up with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) and attended Camp D-H! Growing up, I didn’t know anyone with JRA (except for one of my second cousins).

I really appreciated camp because it gave me a place to be “normal” - I could talk with my camp friends about things my home friends wouldn’t necessarily understand, like how embarrassing it was to sit out gym class, the side effects of our medication, or missing school to go to doctor appointments and get our blood drawn.

But most of all, we established bonds and friendships. I’m still friends with many of the people I attended Camp D-H with. And some of them have come back to be camp counselors!

I love going back to camp because it meant so much to me back when I was growing up. It still serves the same purpose and gives campers a chance to feel less alone.

Pictured below: A comparison shot! Me at camp in 1998 and in 2017.

[baluva]

Ama-la ❤️

My host mom is leaving for Nepal today. And although I can’t see her off, I want her to know a few things:

Read more after the cut:

I was very eager to have a host family when I went to Nepal in 2007. It wasn’t easy at first - everyone was very shy. And my host mom, Ama-la, and I had the added challenge of a language barrier.

But slowly, we started to get to know each other, despite not being able to speak the same language. There are some things that can’t be translated - like someone’s inherent goodness, their passion, compassion, and .love.

It came through in her actions. How excited she would get when I brought home Fire and Ice pizza (all the way from Thamel to Boudha!). Her lectures - translated by her son - telling me to eat more because I was too skinny. Her remedies for my various maladies. Our struggles to communicate in any way possible because we both wanted to know each other’s histories, stories, interests, lives. The beautiful prayer beads she sent along one year upon request.

And of course, in the Tibetan chupa (dress) she commissioned for me - she selected the colors and material and it was gifted to me upon my return to Nepal. I was incredibly surprised and touched. The beautiful purple color was spot-on and I loved the material (that dress is in the first picture!).

During my last visit to Nepal, I had an undiagnosed chronic disease and the symptoms kept me close to home most of the time. Ama-la and I spent our mornings with her open English book and steaming cups of butter tea, talking and laughing in our contrived mix of English, Tibetan, Nepali, and sign language.

She managed to tell me her life story one morning. It’s not mine to tell and I would love to put it on the blog someday under her terms. But I deeply admire her for her perseverance, her spirit, and her ability to rise above circumstances.

She is a beautiful person inside and out. I am so lucky I won the host family lottery 11 years ago. It’s been a privilege to be her host daughter.

P.S. Ama-la - come to NH next time!! I LOVE YOU.

[baluva]

So honored and excited to be featured as a success story on the Center for Women & Enterprise website!

They do amazing work in assisting women to meet their professional goals and were instrumental in Baluva’s creation. Check out more information about the CWE here: https://www.cweonline.org

And read their Inspiring Grains of Sand profile about Baluva here: https://www.cweonline.org/In-Business/Success-Stories/Story-Detail/ArticleId/645/Cara-Nicholl-Baluva

[baluva]

Why I Still Go to Summer Camp

I volunteer at two camps during the summer, leading bead-making activities, and I’d like to shine a spotlight on both of them.

The Moyer Foundation’s Camp Erin program is the largest national bereavement program for kids and teens grieving the death of someone close to them. This is a cause incredibly close to my heart because I lost my father when I was a child. I wish I could have had the support network Camp Erin provides. It’s such an amazing feeling to know you are not alone in your grief.

Camp Dartmouth-Hitchcock is a one-week summer camp experience for children with rheumatic diseases. I grew up with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and went to this camp for a few years. This was the first place I went where I could meet other kids with Juvenile Arthritis and know I was not alone.

When I left Camp Dartmouth-Hitchcock every summer, all I really had were memories, a few trinkets from friends, and the t-shirts they would supply us with. I had nothing substantial to hold onto and I wanted to give campers an opportunity to leave with a piece of camp that they could use when they need a reminder that they are not alone.

I love both these communities and I think the work they do in uniting campers is incredibly powerful. The first time I went to “arthritis camp” was the first time I learned I was not alone and that I had people I could call on who would know exactly what I was going through.

[baluva]

Niagara Visit

My friend and I took a short visit to Niagara Falls. I was eager to visit a place that many have seen as a sacred place that holds a special spot in their hearts and associations of America itself.

My first impression of the Falls was when we drove in. Looking at the city of Niagara ahead of us, all I could see was mist. It looked like something out of a dream. I was awestruck.

I saw many tourists and was struck by how deeply they reacted to the beauty before us. So many people stopped and just stared.

Once we got there, we took a tour of the Cave of the Winds. I also enjoyed hanging out with Nikola Tesla.

We ended the night watching the glow of the light display at Horseshoe Falls. Everyone around was awestruck by the beauty and power of the rushing water and there were many people standing silently to watch as the night came to a close.

[baluva]

I recently took a trip to Australia with my aunt that involved a three-day layover in Hong Kong. Here’s some more information about our trip - with pictures!

Unfortunately, my body isn’t always great with travel and I had a pretty bad reaction to the long flight. Luckily, the SkyCity Marriott is a great place to be sick - the staff was incredibly accommodating and when I was finally able to eat again, they catered to my special diet (and gave me a spoon because I could barely operate the chopsticks with my bad wrist!) .

On our last day, I decided I could not just sit in the hotel room and be sick anymore. So I told my aunt that I would rather faint than not see the Tian Tan Buddha (or Big Buddha, as everyone referred to him as!). So we took an awesome cable car ride to see it.

Honestly, when this picture was taken, I felt thisclose to fainting. So walking up the stairs to see the Big Buddha wasn’t an option, but that didn’t stop us from taking pictures at the base!

Later, we went out for dinner at Victoria Harbour with some of my aunt’s students. It was wonderful to see it at night - it was so beautiful!

I want to visit Hong Kong again! The city looks like it is so much fun to explore and I would love to visit a few places that I missed, including the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery. Maybe next trip?

[baluva]

Tibet

I can't believe that this was ten years ago to this day when we were in Tibet touring Ganden Monastery. It doesn't feel like it was that long ago. 

I still remember doing kora around Ganden and hitching onto a tour with a lama (translated by our group leader Mike-la!)

And I still remember the scenery. It was absolutely breathtaking (literally - #altitudesickness). I remember several times during that trip just needing to stop and take in the view because it was just so incredible.

When I think of that day, the image that sticks out in my mind, though, is that of windhorse flags being scattered into the wind.

We got back to Kathmandu about a week later and I sat down with my host father to show him all of my pictures. I didn’t speak Tibetan and he didn’t speak English, but these pictures and experiences didn’t necessarily need that translation. It was one of my favorite times with him, flipping through photos while sipping yak butter tea.

And yes, we did see yaks in Tibet. Briefly.