Nepal 2023 in 11 photos: Engagement, Marriage and More

I had been considering how I could possibly document this Nepal trip in a blog post format (without it being ridiculously long and time-consuming for us both, me the author and you the reader), and the idea came to me today: choose 11 of the most memorable moments, one photo each, and tell their stories.  This sounds pretty straightforward, except for the fact that I took over 1,000 photos on this two month trip (excessive, I know, but these memories are precious to me so I have no regrets).  I hope you enjoy the 1%, the highlights that made this year’s Nepal trip truly unforgettable.

Reading time: 15 minutes

Life Updates

Hello my friend, how are you?  It’s been awhile.  I have some life updates to share with you, in the form of this YouTube playlist.  Explaining about my most recent Nepal trip would take limitless words.  As they say that a picture is worth a thousand words, I figured videos must be worth… well, certainly more than a thousand!  So, here are a set of videos that paint the picture of my two, truly life-changing months in Nepal this year.

Life Updates Video Playlist

Open post or video playlist for other 3 videos.

I made a MUSIC VIDEO!

 So... I made a music video!  This was an absolutely unintended feature of my most recent trip to Nepal, a side-effect of going viral and recording a song.  Life is certainly an adventure.  Watch the video here!

Link to video

Culture Shock: What I Wish I'd Been Told About Nepali Culture

Living in a culture completely different from your own can truly rewrite your preconceived notions about people, the world, and even yourself.  When I lived in Thailand about 3 years ago, I shared a blog post about the culture shock I experienced living in Thailand, and it remains one of my most highly read blog posts to date.  Now, after nearly 2 years spent in Nepal, I want to share some aspects of Nepali culture that have shocked me, inspired me, and truly re-shaped my worldview.  

(Please note: I absolutely love Nepal; Nepali people are some of the most genuine, loving people I’ve ever known.  This post is for informational purposes and I don’t intend to come off seeming critical of the culture.  Every culture, including my own, has traits that are challenging and wonderful.  Be sure to read this post to the end to understand that there are more features of Nepali culture that I adore than those that are sometimes challenging for me.)

Reading time: 12 minutes

Going Viral: Becoming a Celebrity Abroad

My second trip to Nepal included a very unforeseen event: my partner and I became celebrities.  Truly overnight, we went from being an anonymous (albeit unique) couple in our village town to being dubbed the "viral couple" who couldn't go anywhere without being recognized and stopped for a photo.  Read on to learn how we became famous, how I ended up recording an original song/music video, and more!

Reading time: 10 minutes

Back to Nepal: Wild Reunion

13 months after departing Nepal, leaving my love, my Nepali family, and much of my heart behind, a dream came true: I got to come back.

Read on to learn how my first two weeks back in Nepal have been after spending a year growing re-accustomed to life in my U.S. home.

Reading time: 15 minutes

Life in Nepal: Q & A #2

Here comes the long-awaited "Life in Nepal: Q & A" Part 2!!  Read on to learn updates on life after Nepal, my history with Buddhism, birthplace of Buddha and more...

(Missed Part 1?  Read it here.)

Reading time: 5 minutes

Video: Birthplace of Buddha!

 A life dream of mine came true when I had the opportunity to visit the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha.  To share the joy of this experience, I have created this video to bring you with me!  Want to go to Buddha's birthplace together?  Let's go!

Link to video

If you have any questions about this trip or ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT MY TIME IN NEPAL, send me an email at roxanngiuliano@gmail.com and I will answer your question in an upcoming post!

Nepali Village Life: Q & A #1

Last week, I shared a video about life in the Nepali village where I lived for 6 out of my 18 months in Nepal.  I received many questions regarding life in the village, so I decided to do a Question & Answer post!  I will happily do another if you have more questions (instructions for how to submit your Q's at the end of this post).

Read on to learn about life in the village!

Reading time: 5 minutes

Video: Life in a Nepali Village

 In December of 2020, I set out to capture what life is really like in a traditional Nepali village.  This video provides a peek into daily life here.  See a tour of a traditional home, how we cook, how we wash clothes, and how we exist as a family!

Link to video

The Return: Things I Never Knew I'd Be Grateful For

 They tell me that I should write as much as I can now while everything is still fresh in my mind.  It's a little hard when I'm also expected (by others or by myself) to adjust back in to life here, to apply for jobs, to keep my art business going, to be with my family again, to do household duties, to tend to my health... so here we are, a few weeks out from my return home, and I'm going to do my darned best to write some things down.  Here we go...

Let's dive in to things I am now grateful for that I never knew I would be without.

Reading time: 7 minutes

Leaving Nepal III: The Departure

Welcome to my journey from my second home, Nepal, to my first home, the US.

The story begins in 2 parts (The Village // Kathmandu), which left us at the airport, just after parting with my boyfriend, in the first moments of again being a solo traveller.

Reading time: 7 minutes

Leaving Nepal II: How I Left

In a span of 72 hours, I had to say an unexpected goodbye to my second home, travel across a country in health and political crisis, and do everything in my power to get out on a plane before a total flight ban.  This is part 2 of the account of my experience travelling from a Nepali village to my hometown outside Los Angeles, USA, during an acutely severe pandemic.

Read Part 1 first, here.

Reading time: 13 minutes

Leaving Nepal I: Why I Had to Go

It all happened so fast.  In 72 hours, to be exact.  Nepal was descending into a crisis, and if I wanted to leave before being stuck there indefinitely, I had to get out within 3 days.

So I did.

This is the account of my experience needing to uproot my life at a moment's notice and travel from the village in Nepal to my home in the USA, all during an acutely severe pandemic.

Reading time: 10 minutes

Connecting through Creation: Why I am an Artist

Have you ever had an "a-ha" moment when you realized, "Yes, this is why I do what I do!"?  I recently had that feeling in my journey as an artist, and I want to share it with you.  Read on to learn my newly discovered purpose as an artist and how you are essential to it.

Reading time: 8 minutes

Nepal VI: Why I Almost Left

Waiting... and waiting... and waiting.  It became far too close for comfort.  Frequent breakdowns into tears, waking up shaking with anxiety, trying to cope with the deep discomfort that is the unknown.

Read on to learn why I almost left Nepal - and how I ultimately got to stay.

Reading time: 6 minutes

Nepal V: Vipassana

 Back in January, I took the plunge into one of the most extreme "rights of passage" in the meditation world: a Goenka Vipassana course.  10 days of waking up at 4 am, meditating 11 hours per day, living in complete silence, not allowed to do anything except meditate, eat, and sleep.  No phones.  No books.  No writing/drawing.  No communication, even eye contact.  No distractions.  Just ten days with your mind.  

It was by far one of the most difficult things I have ever done.  

Read on to see what it was like to do a meditation bootcamp in the depths of winter in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Reading time: 12 minutes

Nepal IV: Solo Trek!

Nothing compares to the empowerment of accomplishing something that you had always dreamed of, especially when you do so on your own.  I am so proud to say that I completed a trek through the mountains of Nepal, solo.  Read on to learn more about my experience trekking the Panchase region of the Himalayas.

Reading time: 16 minutes

Nepal III: Quarantine Abroad

The world has gotten pretty crazy recently.  The effects of the coronavirus pandemic have stretched across the globe, and Nepal is certainly no exception.  Read on to learn how my experience has been, living in Nepal during one of the most extreme international events of our generation.

Reading time: 5 minutes

Nepal II: Trekking in the Himalayas - Poon Hill & Mardi Himal

My first trek in the Himalayas was one of the most challenging, transformative, and rewarding experiences of my life.  It included my first time seeing snow, a moonlit hike to a 4,200 m (14,000') peak culminating in a simultaneous sunrise and moonset over the mountains, being the coldest I've ever been, and walking 83 kilometers (52 miles) over 8 days.  All in the depth of winter.  In the Himalayas.  In Nepal.  It is kind of surreal to write about it - all the more reason why I am so excited to bring you along with me by sharing the adventure here!  Pack a LOT of warm layers, and let's go!!

Reading time: 18 minutes