[ Return of the Jet Lag ]

Monday set in with a vengeance. It was as if I had just gotten off the plane the day before! I don't know what happened to the past week, but it seemed to vanish and tiredness moved in where energy had once resided.
Monday was a struggle.
Unfortunately, this drudgery carried in to Tuesday as well.
Tuesday was a struggle.
But Tuesday was a little better, and there is always reason to rejoice in that! :)

[ Tuesday ]

Tuesday was really a rather typical work day with two major exceptions:

1. There was no Aditi! My supervisor will be traveling Europe for the next 10 days, presenting and meeting up with old friends. It sounds like an incredibly busy trip, but she is definitely looking forward to parts of it. Before she let, we had a meeting to discuss my project. No worries, all is going well! Now, however, I have entered the realm of scholarly articles. With a few journals and databases up my sleeve, my task is now to hunt down the meat of my project. In two days I have managed to read and outline 12 sources (please keep in mind that these are much more intensive, technical, and longer in length). There are many others in the office who have been a huge help, and they will be my saving grace while Aditi is gone!
2. There was a brown bag presentation! This is an hour-long presentation where they serve food and drinks afterwards. I didn't know about the food until almost leaving afterwards--but the room smelled amazing (spiced and fried potatoes!). I was so thrilled because it was on aquatic biodiversity!!!!! The main point was that catch-and-realease sport fishing needs to be promoted for both economic benefits through tourism and ecological benefits through conservation. It was really neat, and I hope that catch-and-release become more popular in Asia soon (many had never heard of it!).

After work, I was in for another surprise; Sonika's aunt had a bakery--and Tuesday was the opening day! We all went over to Bake and Bite (how cute!) and enjoyed some donuts, brownies, pizza, and slushies. It was very quaint and very tasty. :)

Tuesday night I watched Homeland and Mission Impossible II with Ashok, and when Laeti came home we ordered in Indian food. My curry was a bit spicy, but I think I am growing ever so slightly accustomed to it. :)

I wish I could tell you that I peacefully and happily dozed off to sleep after that--but that is not the case.

Upon arrival in my room, everything appeared fine. Better than fine, actually, as my bedding was changed to a bright and colorful matching set of sheets and comforter. It was a very nice surprise indeed. But that's beside the point. 

My blog typing was going quite smoothly, and my pictures actually uploaded faster than usual--how nice! 

But this is where the niceties end (feel free to retire to the comfort of your own home before continuing on with this dreadful narrative).

Skype was failing me as I tried to connect with Allie in Costa Rica (check out her blog here: http://allieincostarica.blogspot.com/). We chatted for awhile on Facebook, but that is never the same, of course.

I decided to call it a night when I saw it.

                 There.

On     my     wall.

THE SPIDER

This isn't a joke folks. I won't go in to detail on the possible yelling, jumping, room-clearing, and general terror that occurred after that. No, I'll save that shred of dignity, thank you.

But I did try to attack it with an umbrella--to no avail. 

The little (yes, I admit it is not large) critter scuttled under that light fixture (pictured). I then tried attacking with bug spray! Unfortunately, that only left a slight stain on the walls, which my hosts are quite aware of now. And so the spider stayed there. I, on the other hand, decided it would be best to curl up on the opposite side of the bed. After an hour of reading, my nerves had finally calmed enough to permit a deep slumber (granted, it was 2 am at that point).

[ Wednesday ]

The sun came all too soon, filling my room at 5 am. I managed another hour or two of sleep, but it eventually came time to leave my altogether too cozy bed.

Wednesday was a struggle. 

My mind was fried after both receiving so little sleep and adapting to my new reading literature. I made sure that I attended both tea breaks that day--it was definitely needed. 

After work, I met Laeti, Sascha, and Barbara at Cafe Ghangri (a favorite place just up the street). I snarfed down my open momos and we set out for Patan Durbar Square.

In Kathmandu, there are three famous squares--this is one! It is obvious why: the architecture is so unique and intricate, and with those small open-market shops and temples throughout, it is quite impressive.

Yes, those are pigeons!

Stone spouts like these are a major source of water for Kathmanduties.
It can take hours of "queuing up" to get a meager amount of questionable-quality water.

After exploring this landmark, our group headed back to the guesthouse. I was exhausted by then, and decided to head up to my room to update the blog and get some sleep.

But low and behold, Spidey had other plans. 

There it was, perched in the same spot above the same light. After my dramatic retelling at the breakfast table, my hosts assured me that if it happened again I could get them.

And it did, so I did.

Ashok came up with a fly swatter (much more effective than an umbrella) and in one deft swing rid me of my unwanted visitor. I thanked him gratuitously for his services and settled in again, relieved that it was gone.

But low and behold, Spidey had other friends.*

An hour later I was running down the stairs again, summoning Ashok from what looked to be a comfortable position on the couch, and another attack ensued. This spider was a spritely fellow, quick as lightning, and nearly escaped Ashok's several well-intentioned-but-off-target swings. Finally, Ashok succeeded and the spider was no more (really though...I can't find the body). 

With that over, and a fly swatter next to my bed, I hope to get a little more rest tonight.

Peace and love,

Abby Snyder

* These so-called "friends" may have been colleagues, acquaintances, family members, or any manner of relation to the aforementioned insect.