What a fascinating trip Jay experienced.  He presented a slide show of his work done in a region of Nepal situated in the shadow of Machapuchare or Fishtail (a 22,943ft.elevation peak that resembles a fish tail) and shared with us the culture, religious practices and people of the area.  The International Habitat for Humanity traveled there to construct forty homes in an area where squatters had been living on the land.  Cement pads were poured just prior to Jay’s arrival.  Jay mentioned the cement was basically a combination of sand and spit or simply put a poor quality.   Bamboo would be the material used to construct the houses.  The habitat workers were welcomed with open arms and honored with flowers given to them by locals.  The President of Nepal even visited the site of this international project to meet and greet the Habitat for Humanity visitors.  But it seems the most interesting part of Jay’s trip turned out to be the people.  Jay was so moved, he took 5700 photos during his stay there, many of them showed the colorful dress and rugged faces of those who live in this under developed country.  The young children would stop by the project site on their way to and from school, all dressed in school uniforms, mostly curious to see what Jay and his Habitat friends were up to.  They quickly became friends with Habitat knowing the work there would better their world.  Jay also pointed out the predominately Buddhist and Hindu influence of the area and how spinning of the prayer wheel (picture a series of tall coffee can size cylinders with small prayers inscribed) was an ancient form of spiritual nirvana.  Interestingly, if you were to walk counter clockwise around the prayer wheels, bad luck would follow you the rest of your life. Jay made sure to always walk clockwise (good job buddy).  As a form of respect and honor Jay and others accepted a red mark painted on their foreheads which were made from natural plant/flower materials.  This was a great project, which shows what dedication and commitment Jay, and the Habitat for Humanity have to help make this a better world.  Many thanks Jay!