Susan Erdmann writes from Nepal: With all the thoughts and anticipation, nothing prepared us for the reception at the eye camp in Gulmi. Behind the gates to the school where they has set up the eye camp, a crowd was waiting. Being one of the first through the gates, I was presented with one flower garland after another, most of them made out of local flowers or greens. One old woman placed a garland over my head that she had carefully made from little bits of evergreen. It was one of the most touching moments I have ever had, save the gratitude expressed by the Tibetans. The entry into the eye camp for everyone was so moving that anything that happened after after paled in comparison.  The townspeople were so happy, deeply grateful  and excited that we would even make the long journey (if they had any perception of what that meant) for what was happening for them;  the only way for them to express it was through their handmade garlands , ‘Namastes’ and smiles.  I was crying by the end of the line to the door as was Maureen and I am sure everyone else.  It was so moving and so worth the long arduous journey to get there. Just the greeting, the welcoming had such a impact that the rest of what happened couldn’t come close to the impact of  the entry.  We were shown where the people were screened , eyes tested for glasses and those checked for cataract. They would continue the eye camp until everyone was looked after, and it was projected to last for 3 days. Dr. Salma was doing all the surgery and a few of the group went in to the room designated for operating to  view her at work.  As we anticipated, going to Lumbini and we didn’t have a lot of time, not everyone who wanted to see surgery got to, but those that did were overwhelmed, not only by her deft skills but the speed at which she removed the cataracts. Outside the building where the checking and operations took place was a area where people were being checked for general eye sight with a chart at one end and a little stool at the other. One by one, people would sit down and a woman from the eye team would stand behind and hold one hand over the person’s one eye and then the other while her colleague pointed to the eye chart. Those who passed moved on, while those who did not went to have further tests and perhaps receive eye glasses. One young woman we came upon as I was walking to the camp said she had an eye that weeped all the time and was instructed to return the next day to have it checked and hopefully fixed.  I am sure that everyone in the village and surrounding area was there. What a thrill.  I said to Kandel…this is really remote and he replied that despite the difficult journey in, this was not nearly remote as some eye camps.  I can’t imagine. The following video of a Seva eye camp in Pyuthan, Nepal will give you a sense of what a Seva eye camp is like.