Our Experience with Covid-19

As I write this blog, I am thinking about the song "10,000 reasons" by Matt Redman. A song about gratefulness and I can say with full confidence that having covid increased my capacity to be grateful by at least 10,000 percent and I am grateful to God for this increased gratefulness. 

When I first began showing symptoms that lined up with Covid, I went straight into denial. I did not want to believe that this awful virus had come to me. I knew there was a possibility since at thist point everyone down our little dirt road had already started showing symptoms of covid. As I started to feel worse, I reached out and asked for prayer with this request: "I am not feeling well. I don't think it is Covid but please pray.” Even though deep down in my heart I knew. But my denial only grew even as I read about a lot of other peoples' first symptom experiences with covid and it lined up perfectly with how I was feeling. I finally gave in one evening as I knew it was covid and it was time to stop denying and start trusting God. I think the main reason I struggled with this deep denial was because I was scared. This virus is so unpredictable and I was frightened. 

 I know everyone seems to have their own unique experience with Covid, but here was mine:

My first symptom was actually my tooth/ jaw/ neck started throbbing. It felt like someone had taken a sludge hammer to the left side of my face. The pounding was nearly unbearable. The went on for a few days until I got a new symptom added on. This one was my eyes started hurting so bad. I couldn't move/ roll them around. If I tried to look at something without moving my head it felt like someone was stabbing the side of my eye with a pen. It actually hurt to even have them open as they were also insanely dry. Thank God I had brough Visine from the US. I had to reapply every couple hours. This symptom persisted for about a week. But in the meantime, every day it seemed a new symptom would surface. I started getting insomnia. When I tried too sleep my heart would beat so hard and so fast that it was useless to even try. I was so tired all the time. Partly because I couldn’t sleep at night and partly as a symptom of fatigue. Just walking from my bed to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee took so much out of me it felt like I ran into a brick wall (of tiredness) and I had to rest for a few hours before recuperating enough to do anything. This happened when school was still in session (online due to the strict lockdowns) but nonetheless, I was still teaching and I really did not want my students to know I was feeling bad. There was a lot of sick people in Nepal and the last thing I wanted to do was scare them. So I slapped a smile on my face and taught from my bed. It was not so simple when the next symptom came, the brain fog. I heard people talking about this symptom but I had no idea what it would be like. Imagine with me, if you will, a literal stormy cloud inside your head. Everything felt stuffy and confusing. It was so hard to comprehend or process even the simplest requests. Another symptom that came right around when the brain fog came was this feeling like there was water stuck in my ears and my nose (yes I am referring to that stingy feeling.) Also, my taste and smell faded away slowly (starting around day 6.) I always thought that would be the first symptom of Covid but for me it happened later and it was very gradual. Every day I could smell and taste less and less until one day I couldn’t smell anything. I could taste certain strong flavors though (the whole time.) For example, if there was a dish full of flavors I might taste slight bitterness but that was about it. Of all the taste to keep, I kept bitter. Hah! Other symptoms that came and went throughout the 3.5 weeks of being sick were sore throat, ridiculous coughing that makes you feel like you are choking, low grade fever, shortness of breath, and on a few occasions I had to really monitor my oxgyen level. I honestly can see how people can die from this virus. It was awful and honestly scary. 

I was on the mend in this picture but still felt pretty awful.

So these were things that helped me get through it:

I prayed Psalm 91 over and over again. If I wasn’t saying the Psalm then I was listening to it on my app as I attempted sleep. Honestly, I prayed a lot. A LOT. If I didn’t know what to pray I would go back to scripture. I rested as much as I could. I Increased my vitamin intake (zinc, vitamin d, vitamin c, etc and I took Ivermectin.) One thing that was helpful when I was experiencing shortness of breath was to walk slowly outside. Some days it was difficult to even do that but when I could, it was super helpful. 

Overall...

Thanks to Covid, I learned that there really are way more than 10,000 reasons to be grateful to God. I am so grateful for my breath and each day I like to take a big breath in remembering that each breath is a gift from God. I am thankful to each beat my heart gives me as it means God has given me life. I am thankful for each question I answer as it means my brain is working, which is a gift from God. I am thankful to have enough energy to interact with my children as I know this life and this energy is a gift from God. I am thankful to breathe from nose without feeling that stingy feeling because that is a constant reminder that I am healed. 

God is so good. 

Trust Him. He is above all things.

I pray that anyone who is experiencing or has experienced any of the negative effects of covid, that this experience will give you an opportunity to grow in God’s grace. If you would like to chat with me more about any of this please feel free to send me a message (or comment) I am happy to talk with anyone about this.

Beautiful Confinement

If you are just now tuning in, Nepal is undergoing a horrendous wave of Covid-19 cases. Upon the quickly inclining numbers of cases and deaths within the country, the government placed the country on a very strict lockdown. Now before I continue, please know that I was in Texas for a "lockdown" where all the grocery stores were still open and most restaurants for takeout. We could still leave the house anytime we wanted and have visitors, it was just strongly encouraged to stay home/ keep a distance. That is not what is happening here. Kathmandu is very congested and so keeping a loose rule about keeping a distance just does not work here. 

*Disclaimer: I am not writing to say if I agree or disagree with the decision the government made. They made it and we live here so we are honoring their decision. 

But I do want to write what it is like to live here and give some first hand experiences versus just sharing news articles. 

It was a bit eerie as I walked down the empty streets that would normally be filled with cars, busses, and motorcycles.

 All of the business' shutters down tight to prove to any patrol officers that they are in fact following the orders of lockdown.

 They all know they can open between the now increased hours of 5-9 am. Out of tomatoes in the evening as you prepare dinner? Too bad! Time to get creative in the kitchen! It sure has been an interesting experience. 

The little shops have ropes to encourage people to keep a distance.

Something beautiful did come out of it as our neighbor started making us food and then we countered her gesture with more food. Now it is an ongoing show of love where we are exchanging different and unique dishes on the daily. We know we cannot have them over and they cannot have us over, but we can still enjoy each others' food and company!

Other than doing a lot of cooking to accept the challenge from our sweet neighbor, we spend our lockdown time with Karina teaching online classes/ prepping for those classes. Simon touching base with the kids as often as possible. Their homes are too far to walk to and in an effort to make sure they stay safe, we have asked the home parents to not allow outside visitors at this time. 

Jyoti and Prasansa are inventing new ways to play. They are "teachers," "doctors," "chefs," etc. Their playtime is continually an enriching and enlightening experience. Simon and I enjoy watching them turn an old peanut butter lid into a "plate full of pretend spaghetti!" 

One day when the rain stopped, we decided to explore. Since we are so blessed to live outside the main city, there is a lot of open area without patrol officers to walk around and explore. Jyoti loves these 'adventures' and Prasansa likes to follow her sister. 

We managed to find a hidden gem at the top of a hill! There were these huge grassy fields filled with local people playing soccer and other sports. We plan to go back to the gem often, maybe with snacks and other picnic items.

Our little adventure walks keep us healthy and able to interact with our world even in the midst of strict lockdown policies.

Once on one of these walks we met these adorable three little girls who were very keen to see someone who looks so different to them; yet so similar (Jyoti).  We spoke to them briefly and of course Jyoti was ready to become their best friend with her gigantic and kind heart. 

So much beauty in the midst of confinement.

Recently we have had so many amazing people reach out to us.

 Yes, the virus is awful here. Our neighbor behind us, a 26 years young man passed away from complications from the virus. I am not undermining the devastating aspect of what is happening here. But I do want you to know that by the grace of God, we are doing good. Please continue to pray for Nepal and India as the virus hits hard. 

We are so grateful for each you. 

Thank you for so much for your support, your love, your encouragement, your listening your kindness, and most of all for your prayers.

The most beautiful of all within this confinement is that He already overcame this world. 

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33 

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Faith and Hope in Literal Darkness

Writing a blog about how I really feel about this last week's events has not been easy. This is mostly due to the fact that I am not entirely sure how I feel about everything. There were times this week that I felt peace knowing that God is bigger than the pollution. Simon and I sat one evening and gave thanks to the Lord for getting us through an earthquake, a pandemic, and now toxic pollution. But I did not always feel that this last week. Sometimes, I felt anxious and scared or frustrated and angry on behalf of the Nepali people. 

But it feels good to get all of this out. It feels good to write down all the mixed emotions that got me through this last week. 

There is no use in denying that sometimes it is a struggle to live here in Nepal. This last week was one of those weeks. Last Friday was the first day of our "spring break." We had previously considered doing some outdoor hiking to give the girls some much needed "fresh air." But little did we know there would be a wildfire breakout in the hills surrounding our home and the entire Kathmandu valley would be bottled up in smog/ smoke/ pollution leaving it difficult to be outside and even breathe. 

The red represents wildfires. Nepal is circled.

                                               

The government of Nepal called it a health crisis and closed all the schools (most Nepali schools are about to end the school year right now and so they do not have a spring break) and thus, I had to keep my kids indoors next to an air filter to protect them from the hazardous thick smog that lingered right outside our doors. I did venture outside a couple times only to find a ghost town. Fear being the only company alongside the pollution. The local Nepali families had locked themselves indoors trusting that this would be over soon enough.

The pollution was bad enough that it was deemed toxic or hazardous.

I would like to pause and give thanks to God that for the first 2 days we had electricity all the time (this is not normal in Nepal.) It was on the third day that Nepal's electrical wires had had enough. From everyone staying indoors, the power could no longer handle it and the power would come and go until it went ahead and threw in the towel. For the last 26 hours, the power was completely gone. 

Now I must admit, it was at this moment that I began to feel restless. I was frustrated that Nepal doesn't have enough electricity while everyone is already scared from this pollution. I know in my innermost being that we, the KC family always have a way out. We could go back to America. But that is not the case for everyone around us. They have nowhere to go but here and nothing to do but keep the faith and hope alive in the midst of literal darkness. 

While all this was happening, Prasansa got a stomach bug. 

In hope and in faith we pray. Praying for rain and praying that the faith and hope remains as we all sit through a very trying time. 

Last night as Simon and I sat in our darkened room, the thunder began to roar. Simon and I looked at each other and smiled. God's timing is always perfect and beyond our understanding. Praise God! The rain came in the night and then the sun came up for the very first time in the morning.

The first time seeing the sun for a whole week. Isn't it beautiful?

Playing outside for the first time in a week. 

This week is finished but the pollution is still here. Kathmandu remains to be the most polluted city in the whole world so please do keep praying for this city and country.

Even after the rain, we are still living the world's most polluted city. But at least it is no longer deemed "toxic" or "hazardous." 

If you would like to buy an air filter for a Nepali family, please click here and indicate that your donation is for an air filter/ filter replacement. 

One air filter cost $200 each and the filter replacements are $70 each.

Even if buying an air filter is not in your budget, please please please continue to lift Nepal up in your prayers. Thank you!