[ A Love of Kathmandu ]

Good evening ladies, gentlemen, and everything in between. This is it, the last post. I'll be sharing some of my thoughts and reflections on my time in Kathmandu -- it is pretty personal. You've been warned.

While trying to calculate how I might structure this blog post, it became very important to me that I had to keep my audience in mind. Specifically, an audience that only scrolls through pictures: I advise you to leave now. There won't be any pictures, only words and thoughts. It also occurred to me that anyone can read this, strangers and close friends alike. Anyone new to the blog will be starting with this post -- the last one -- and I beg you to please start at the beginning before you indulge yourself in the end. Most importantly, I needed to keep in mind why I was doing this blog. Yes, it was to let my family at home know what I was doing, to let the intern next year have a glimpse at what they might experience, but, and I think this is the most important part, I did this blog for myself.

“You get a strange feeling when you're about to leave a place, I told him, like you'll not only miss the people you love but you'll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because you'll never be this way ever again.” - Azar Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Tehran

When it comes to remembering my own life, I've usually been too busy to keep stock of what has happened. Even going back through the blog while I was in Nepal, I was shocked at how much a few weeks can make you forget. It was also important to me to see how I changed throughout my time there. I can't say that this experience was earth-shattering. I can't say that I came back a completely different person. But this internship did have an effect, and, in this post, I want to explore that.

Going into this internship, I was ready. I was ready for the adventure. I was ready for a life-changing experience. I was ready for a new paradigm. But once I got there, I experienced heaps of doubt. It was crippling, at times. For awhile, I didn't believe in myself or my abilities. I had been thrown into a world of working adults -- all of whom had their Master's or Doctoral degrees -- and I whole-heartedly believed that I would not succeed by their standards. I felt my own education had seriously unprepared me. Not knowing what a literature review was, and with little help, I had to figure out what I was doing and how I was going to do it. It was a scary time, as at that point, I had not made many friends either. When the power was off at night, I had a lot of alone time to mull over my situation. Even more discouraging was the outlook of my two months, as no interviews were set up or mentioned in my first weeks there. I thought I would be stuck behind a desk for the duration of my time in Nepal, and that was wholly frustrating as well. To sum it up, there were a lot of intense emotions left out of the blog (up to this point haha). It was not all rainbows and sparkles...it was pretty bleak for awhile.

The internship was nothing like what I had expected. But that is not entirely bad. You see, because I was out there alone, because I was feeling completely inadequate, I had a chance to grow. It is not in my nature to give up easily, and so I resolved to prove myself and my imagined-doubts-of-others wrong. This is one of the biggest lessons that I will take away from the internship -- it wasn't something I had logically concluded as much as something I felt -- and that was confidence. After the painstaking attention to detail, the hours reading decades old literature, and the late night cramming at the end, I had produced a report that made my adviser and myself proud. I had given a presentation that met the standards of my significantly more intelligent peers.

When I came home, I repeatedly heard the fears about being freshmen in college from my friends. Yet I found it hard to empathize. It was this self-doubt that had plagued us for so many years, but that I had to directly face while I was in Kathmandu. Even as I type this, I have a sense of almost fearlessness in me about beginning my next big adventure, because I know I have what it takes to do well. It is a sentiment that so many adults have expressed over the years...that I would be successful, that I will do great things. Whatever their definition was, they thought I could do it. It wasn't until this summer that I began to see myself through their eyes. Even when I didn't know what I was doing, I taught myself what to do. Even when I was in a completely new environment, without any social relations, I found meaningful friendships. I learned to believe in myself, and that was an entirely empowering experience.

My view of myself had changed, but so had my view of the people around me. Through my whole internship, I did not see much poverty -- at least, I thought I hadn't. I realized towards the end that the only criteria I had for poverty was whether or not you owned a home, and the amount of homeless people I had seen was no different than what I would see in Des Moines. Based on that observation alone, I scoffed at the idea that Nepal was so poor. But this perception was entirely inadequate. As I reflected on that, I realized how incredibly ridiculous it was to use a building as the way to judge whether or not a person could provide for themselves and their families. I had gone to Kathmandu expecting to see homeless people on every corner, but this wasn't the case. I once heard that Kathmandu is much more open compared to America, because you can see into everyone's houses. You can see their furniture, their families, their livelihoods. But in America, everyone is closed off and fenced in. In Kathmandu, I could see that people had things, had each other, and had a career (whether it be fruit stands, wood carving, or tiny shops), so I thought that they didn't classify as poor. And perhaps they wouldn't have classified themselves as poor either. When I discussed poverty with others, they frequently brought up that subsistence farming has been a way of life for centuries in Nepal. Why should we consider it poverty? It's still something that I am conflicted on. In the U.S., poverty is defined by making a certain amount of money per year, but in a system where services are exchanged for other goods or services, the monetary exchange isn't counted. How, then, does one define poverty in Nepal? Is it when all of your basic needs are met? Yours and your family's? And how do you define basic needs?

So many of the people, from my point of view, were living at the same level. The only class system that was apparent to me went like this: politicians, then all of my coworkers and expats, then everyone else. It was only upon arrival back in the U.S. that I realized how many social cues I had been missing. Once in the airport in Chicago, I was overloaded by the amount of information I was perceiving. I could read all of the posters and all of the signs. I could walk by a conversation and understand what it was they were talking about. Everything was loaded with stigma once again -- what it meant if a person dressed a certain way, what it meant if a person walked a certain way, what it meant if a person spoke a certain way. In a sense, I was suffocating from how much I knew about class in America. The caste system of Nepal is intensely complicated and it seemed that, when I asked, people had a difficult time explaining its details as well. So, during my time there, I had lived in an ignorant bliss of the social constructs and social divides that may have been evident to other people. To me, the divide did not seem so great.

A third view of mine that had changed was on religion.  I wasn't in a culture where the phrase "going to church" was used or where there were debates on the fundamentals of Christianity. Seeing a Christian there, or anything referencing the Bible, seemed so out of place. Instead, religion was treated much differently. It was simply part of everyone's life. Buddhism and Hinduism blurred together, to the point where religious idols and shrines occupied the same places, and where people considered themselves both. Instead of being asked whether or not I was Christian, I was asked whether or not I was spiritual. This experience helped me understand that there are different ways of seeing religion, and there are different ways of seeing spirituality without religion as well.

Finally, and this is in stark contrast to the first lesson, but I also learned to value support. In a culture where family is valued so highly, I learned that it is okay to miss my own family. There were so many times that I relied on interactions with other friends. (I'm just going to take a moment here to hail the AAA. Ali and Allie, you two are beautiful people and your own experiences and friendship have greatly enhanced my life. Another moment shall be taken in honor of Sean Finn. You've believed in me more than anyone else, and I seriously can't thank you enough for calming my nerves countless times throughout the years and Skyping with me almost nonstop during the last week. :)). It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help; it is a means of accomplishing things, of learning, and of doing things much better the first time around! Support from friends and coworkers was crucial during my time there, and (this is for you next intern) I strongly encourage you to befriend as many people as you can. Even though I met people who I might not be friends with in the states (or perhaps because I befriended these people), I was able to learn so much more from the different ways that they viewed the world and the different values that guided their lives. While I did do a lot on my own in Kathmandu, it would be hugely misguided to say that I did it completely alone. So many things had fallen into place to even get me there, and once there, I was so lucky to have the support and guidance that I did. Thank you so much to the World Food Prize for taking youth and exposing them to other parts of the world; thank you for giving me a way to fight against food insecurity.

Aside from these lessons that were learned, there were also some cultural differences that I hadn't noticed until I was back in the U.S. First, everyone was significantly louder. They also talked a lot more. After going through the Doha airport, and being around conversations that were in a different language most of the time, it was startling to hear so much English at once. Everyone around me was unafraid to speak, or to speak to me. Even small things that I would have previously done with only hand gestures or conveyed in body language were now spoken and (what seemed at the time) absurdly casual. As I said before, it was overwhelming, understanding the nuances of everything that was being done and said, and simply understanding side conversations again.

Holding conversations with my friends is a little more difficult. At every sentence, I think of how it would be different in Kathmandu. I am constantly reminding myself that I need to talk about something other than the internship, but I become jarred when that is the only thing I can think of. As I've discussed with Allie, my time in Kathmandu just feels like a dream now. I came home to an environment where practically nothing had changed, and it felt as if I hadn't been away for two months. It alarmed me how easily I slipped back into the routine. When my hand naturally knew the height of the door knob to my room I was freaked out. When I operated the shower without even thinking about it (and then the hot onslaught of pressure), it sank in even more that I was actually home. Seeing everyone again (and then saying good-bye for college) has been so surreal. At times, it feels as if absolutely nothing has changed at all, and that scares me. Thanks to this blog, I will always have a reminder of what the city was like and what I was like.

While this post was more disconnected, I think it is necessary to record these emotions. Maybe next year, the intern will benefit from reading them, but I want to make sure that my future self can look back and remember who I used to be; that maybe in a few weeks, if or when things have returned to normal, I can look back and understand how I was experiencing life. Decades from now, I will still have this record, a legitimate story to point to of one of the (hopefully many) adventures in my life.

With that, I am laying this blog to rest. Thank you to everyone who followed me on this journey -- I am immensely grateful for your support.

Until we meet again, may peace and love guide your hearts.
Abby

[ 3...2...1...Lift Off ]

The last weekend, like much of the last few weeks in Nepal, was full throttle. This will be the last post on my activities in Nepal (and the second to last post for the blog in general!), so sit/stand/lay back and enjoy! :)

[ Saturday ]

Do you remember how I slept 13 hours Friday night? Those 13 hours took me right up to 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning. At that exact moment, I recall slowly waking in bed and admiring how lovely the sunshine was as it came through the curtains. This peaceful thought only lasted a fraction of a second as I realized I hadn't woken up to an alarm. An alarm on a Saturday? Why yes, because I had planned on going on a hike with friends from Futsal. Well, what time were we supposed to leave? 7:30 a.m. Yelling frantically I leaped out of bed, threw on what I reckoned were acceptable hiking clothes, and ran across the street to our meeting place, Cafe Soma. Luckily, everyone was still standing around, and they did not appear to be waiting on me either. In my second stroke of luck, Cafe Soma was open so I was able to get a light breakfast! And in a third stroke of luck, a friend of mine had also slept in, meaning that I wasn't late to our meeting either! I considered myself one of the luckiest people alive that morning, surrounded by friends and rather good fortune, as we took the cabs up to Nagarjun National Park.

It was a beautiful morning for a hike, and, although there were initially many stairs, the path eventually turned into a much more enjoyable trodden trail. All was going smoothly, with one horrific exception: the leeches. I wore what would have been, next to flips flops (or thongs or sandals or, as they are called in Kathmandu, slippers), the worst possible shoes. They had large openings all over the foot, creating quite easily accessible areas of flesh for the leeches to latch on to. The first bite I realized I had was something of a shock. I had tried to mentally prepare myself for it, but it got to me nonetheless. I stood, stricken and shaking, as the others helped put salt on the three leeches feeding on my feet. Nicole, who probably saved my life that day (not really but I am honestly that grateful), had brought an extra pair of socks and "leech salt," both of which she generously let me use. Along with wet wipes and band-aids. A few more times up the trail, we would stop to shake out the leeches in our shoes. Once we made it to the top, we all stripped off our shoes and socks, comparing the size of the suckers that had managed to make it that far. Bips took home the prize with what was basically a monster that must've been in his shoes since the beginning. I hadn't felt any leeches, so I hadn't partaken in this ceremony until 20 minutes later, when we were all sitting around on the benches. I wouldn't have, either, if I hadn't noticed that my shoe had a tinge of red at the toe. Reluctantly, I also emptied a huge leech from between my toes, and we watched and laughed as it drunkenly inched around in circles.

The top was really beautiful -- it was the highest up I had been my entire time there. Luckily, Ash agreed to take a few photos for me (thank you thank you thank you!).

There was a huge metal tower that overlooked everything!
That is where this picture is taken from. :)

It hadn't struck me until then just how vast the valley is!
I couldn't see the other side because it was so large (and cloudy!).

I almost ran the entire way down and only hesitantly stopped in a hastily-determined-very-safe place so as to avoid any further bites. It was 1 p.m. when we were finally finished! Even with the leeches, we all had a ton of fun. It was great talking with people while also getting to see a more natural side of Nepal.

Later that afternoon, I went to Nikesh's birthday party! Even though I arrived half an hour late, I was still the first one there by about 20 minutes! Such is life in Nepal (and thankfully the same mindset had saved me that morning!). That night, to honor Nick's Canadian roots, we played curling! You may be wondering How do you play an Olympic sport involving ice in the middle of summer in Kathmandu? -- which is a very valid query. On the cleared-off roof top of their house, a large tarp was laid down and then covered in water and soap. Buckets with rocks in them were tossed across the slick surface towards a bulls-eye drawn at the other end. There were broom used as well (although this was more for visual entertainment than anything else!). It was a brilliant remake and was pulled-off beautifully! Later that night, Nikesh received his major birthday present -- a guitar! He and Ash sang Californification; it was absolutely fantastic. At almost every live venue in Kathmandu I have heard Californication sang, making it a song that now always reminds me of the city. Nick played a few more songs on his new guitar -- all of them were so good! It was a great way to end the night. :)

[ Sunday ]

Sunday morning I went with Neha, May, and some of the other Germans working at GIZ to the Yellow House to enjoy breakfast and the guitar players. :) Afterwards, I tried to find a few more souvenirs in Kupondole before heading out with Prabesh! We went to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Pashupatinath (the most sacred Hindu shrine in Nepal, dedicated to Shiva, where they do cremations) and Boudhanath (one of the largest stupas in the world). A huge thank you to Prabesh for (again) letting me use his camera and for also taking pictures!!!

Seeing Pashupati was perhaps one of my most uncomfortable times in Kathmandu. There were many more beggars there than I had seen elsewhere, some had body defects, others mental. Bodies were being burned on one side of the river while children swam naked on the other. A crowd had gathered to see a newly dead body about to be set on fire. There were more monkeys there than at Monkey Temple! They ran around in packs, and a few times we hastily walked past so as to avoid any confrontation with the seas of fur beside us. The magnitude of this temple was astounding, though, and it had a beauty in its own way. While I wasn't allowed inside the main temple (because I am not Hindu), there was a lot to see around it!

Boudha was next! It is essentially a huge dome surrounded by shops and houses. The whole area is so peaceful! The mood and atmosphere were drastically different than the solemn stillness in the air at Pashupati.

The irony is not lost on me.

Sorry about the weird angle, someone
had started closing the door!

It all perfectly timed out so that I was back in time for my last futsal match. It was great playing with everyone again, for the last time! Afterwards, I went on a walk with Bips, and then had dinner at Cafe Ghangri with Prabesh (chicken momos became a tradition for farewells during my time there). That just left one day in Nepal...

[ Monday ]

I am just going to go through this systematically. Suffice it to say that there were many difficult goodbyes on Monday.
Monday morning, I woke up bright and early (because she was going to work (but I had the day off!)) to have breakfast with Neha at Cafe Soma (where I did order the magnificent browniccino). I packed and Skyped with my parents for a bit, then went to Moksh with Prabesh (where I ordered Nepali tea and discovered that it is immensely better with sugar!). A little more packing later, I went out to lunch with Bips (where I once again got beehun and pow!). A little more shopping and then packing later and I was finally done packing! I had a few hours to kill when I received a call from Bips, saying that he had a friend over who would be going to school in Iowa! We met up and I was introduced to Anushka, who will be going to Grinnell!!! It was great to meet her and spend my last hours in Nepal with friends.

Thanks Anushka for taking this picture of Bips and I!
Also, it captures the dog in the bottom left corner,
which had become too playful and was biting both the shirt
in my hands (thanks Mama Shakya) and my pants!

I quickly gobbled down my last chicken and apricot curry with naan as the ICIMOD driver showed up. We collected my bags and it was on the drive to the airport that it really began to sink in (especially since it is the same road Prabesh and I were on Sunday!). To be frank, it was really depressing counting all of the things that I would never see in the states as we drove along. At the airport, families waved good-bye to everyone around me. It was shocking to see all the people there, and luckily my driver guided me to where I needed to be. After that (and with a lot of questioning) I finally made it on to my flight.

With that, my friends, we reach the end of my time in Nepal. Without getting too sentimental, I will remember my time there fondly and grew from the experiences. But sentiments are what the next post is for -- this one was simply to recollect what all I had done. Look forward to one final one, where I will reflect more in depth on what this internship meant to me.


Until next time,
Abby

[ Due by Friday ]

It's the stuff of nightmares.

You look up to see a teacher hovering over you. Staring. The words that tumble out next determine your life.

The due date.

The interim becomes wartime. Frantically struggling to accomplish this task consumes your everyday actions. The due date becomes a goal, a time that divides the now and with which the after begins. 

The struggle is real.


In all reality, it wasn't that bad. Monday morning, Aditi asked for my paper by Friday. I wasn't ready for that. The date wasn't something we hadn't previously discussed, and thus I was going by the World Food Prize's deadline: October. I had a week's notice, which, to be fair, could have been much, much worse. But in that week I was plunged back into my high school schedule. I diligently worked, skipping tea breaks, coming back from lunch early, staying up recklessly late. Yet it was my last week to see friends, to get together with people whom I might not see again. In all, it was one crazy juggling act.
It was one crazy week.

Disclaimer #1: I do not have many pictures for this post as my (well, Mom's) camera has mysteriously and inexplicably ceased to work. My apologies, but do look forward to the next post about the weekend, there will be plenty there! :)

Monday was average and awesome! Mondays are always productive for me, and I was in my usual bubble when Aditi had approached me. Of course, when she asked, I told her I could have the final for her Monday. Something about being around my supervisor makes me incredibly ambitious and enthusiastic. But as I sat back down at my desk an overwhelming feeling of "what have I just done?" washed over me. I was determined not to let her or myself down, and so the craziness started. I did make it to futsal that night, though. I decided I would not let work impede on my social activities, even if that did have greater consequences later in the week.

Previously, Olivia had asked if I would continue with interviews for her. Alone! She repeated several times in the email that she had full confidence in me -- a confidence that was not matched by my own. I had checked with both Aditi and Lisa; they approved a solo excursion with the translator. I called Gyan, arranged for us to go out Tuesday morning, and met him at Banglamuti Temple to interview users of the Nag Bahal and Washa Hitis! While I wasn't able to work on my own project, I was not about to let Olivia down either! And interviewing had been one of my favorite parts of working. :)

Although we only got to interview two people, they were both an hour and a half, taking up the entirety of the morning. The first woman used Nag Bahal Hiti occasionally for washing carpets and rugs. During the dry season, it is heavily polluted from the sewage pipes, but in the wet season it is diluted enough to use sparingly. The second woman used Amrit Hiti and gave us a great insight into how poorly tenants there are treated. Gyan and I even got to see Amrit Hiti and the temple for Ganesh! The system set up there is one mimicked by many other hitis due to its success.

Tuesday afternoon was much more work, but after 5 pm, I went to futsal with the ICIMODers! They play at a different pitch (field) near the road; we had quite an audience from people who would stop as they walked up the street. :) Confusingly enough, team members here would swap out and nobody wore colored jerseys to identify their teams. Since I didn't know about half the people, this led to a few mistaken passes, but in the end it was all fun (and just a game! :)). Tuesday evening I went with Prabesh to a place called Bricks Cafe. It was really quaint and had a similar setup to Ghangri Cafe -- but with a twist! There was an ongoing performance where every ten minutes a couple would come out and perform a traditional dance! They wore authentic clothing and had speakers set up to play the music, and the dance style varied from different castes to different regions! It was really neat to get to see this bit of culture before I left. That night, I paid for being out with sleep deprivation -- at 2 am I called it a night (morning?) and got some shut-eye.

Wednesday I got in a full work day!This week had also consisted of many Skype calls to Sean Finn, one of my closest friends from home. Without his encouragement and editing, my paper would be nowhere close to what it currently is! For dinner I met up with May and then we went to Futsal after! Wednesday was my latest night, with a final bedtime of 4 am. That is 3 hours of sleep, friends.

Awakened and jazzed for the day, Thursday resulted in another productive workday, but also a time to admit that I wasn't able to do everything. I made sure it was okay with Aditi, that the best I could turn in at that time was a rough draft, not a final copy. I had also had major technical issues the whole week, and I wanted to finally get my hands on Microsoft Office in order to format it better than Google Docs could. It all worked out, though, and I set back to work, finishing up my suggestions and conclusions.

There were also two parties during the day Thursday! One was a farewell lunch for me, in which everyone brought something to share and I didn't have to buy a lunch! The other was a farewell party for the Water and Air Theme because four of us were ending that week. It was so sweet what people had to say about each other. I will really miss them!

Thursday night was a blast! Rato Mato was hosting an open mic night, and I had talked Neha into doing it! A few other friends had come, too; I was especially excited that Sonika, Tanuja, and Bikul had decided to join! ICIMOD has some fantastic singers -- among them, Bikul, Neha, and Tanuja are the stars! :) They were each phenomenal, and it was such a pleasure to hear them perform live! There was also a group rendition of Call Me Maybe in there, but we don't need to talk about that. ;) Thursday night, after two very busy days and late nights, I was only able to hold out until 1 am before calling it quits. I had managed to put together most of my presentation for the next day and had finished the paper. I was exhausted but proud of how much I had accomplished in those few short days.

Friday was my last day at ICIMOD. To sum it up, it was incredible. That morning, I printed off the entirety of my 30 page report and handed it to Aditi. As I walked back to my desk, I caught a glimpse of her leafing through it. It was terrifying, submitting my work from the past two months and waiting for the final judgement. A little while later she came up to my desk....I was ready for it, ready for the criticism, ready for the rebuff.
But instead, she said, "Abby, this report is really great."
Part of me died and went to heaven in that instant. I couldn't think of anything else to say; I had been dreaming of that moment for so long.
Incredulously, I asked, "Are you serious?!"
She had smiled at my disbelief, and reassured me that is was actually a good report. She had even said, "With a little work, we might be able to publish it..."
It was truly a euphoric moment. I couldn't believe it. I heard her at her desk a little bit later, telling an intern that she had just received a report which showed research was needed in a certain area, and she asked them to structure their paper around that. What I had done had an immediate impact on the research they are doing at ICIMOD. I don't know how to describe the feelings that morning -- it was exuberant, elation, joy, relief, astonishment, yet there was a tinge of nostalgia at it being my last day.

I had lunch with Rashmi, my first friend at ICIMOD, the one who had shown me where to get coffee, how the canteen worked, the one who had invited me into her home and introduced me to her family. Our final farewell would come later, though.

After lunch was my final test: the presentation. The presentation had been my true deadline, the marker that separated work time from the peace that came after. I was honestly frightened. My voice doesn't always stay under my own control when public speaking, and I hadn't spoken to a crowd in so long.
What I had expected to be a 10 or 15 minute presentation doubled in length. It was a presentation on what I had done in the past two months, and facts came flooding back to me. I even got to present on some of the interviews we had done up to that point! The presentation was followed by a long questioning period, which I survived! haha. Aditi was smiling through the entire thing, and afterwards each of my friends had come up to tell me that it went well. :)

There was a final tea break, and a few gifts along with sad farewells were exchanged in my last hour at ICIMOD. It is still hard to believe that it is all over. But wait, what about Friday night? I have one answer for you: overcome with relief and exhaustion, I slept. And I wouldn't wake up for another 13 hours.


I want to take a moment to reflect on my time at ICIMOD. Just like the last day, it was incredible. From my first day there, people accepted and warmly welcomed me. In a place where people are constantly coming and leaving, other ICIMODers still opened up and were unafraid to make connections -- even knowing that I would be leaving so soon. In my first few weeks especially, I struggled with staying focused on what I was doing. I hadn't heard of a literature review before this internship, and I seriously doubted my ability to create one. It was through the compassion and help of others that I managed to do as much as I did. Working a desk job in Kathmandu was incredibly frustrating. I wanted to be out doing and seeing things, but I came to understand that there was a small importance to what I was doing. I came to like the routine. Even now, I miss the schedule, I miss seeing everyone at ICIMOD. I am so grateful to everyone there for making my experience such a memorable one, for helping me understand the culture of Nepal, and for laughing and learning with me. :)


I am going to cut off here; for the next blog post I have loads of pictures!

Peace and love to all of my ICIMOD coworkers,
Abby

[ Kathmandu Durbar Square ]

Hello all! :)

I am safely back in Iowa! However, I have a little bit of catching up on this blog to do before we get into what it is like to be home. Unfortunately, the last week of work was insanely busy for me (as you will soon read about) and thus I did not have sufficient time and energy to dedicate to blogging. I am going to try to recall as much as I can in my currently jet lagged state (happy 3 am, to everyone who is awake here!).

I left off on Thursday, July 24th, and it is now August 8th. Let me see how much I can remember. :)

[ Last Friday Night ]

On Friday, July 25th, some friends from the guesthouse, other ICIMODers, and I went to Thamel! We went to see the Rock Heads,  a Nepali rock band, perform and cover many popular songs. It was thrilling, with people cheering and screaming at the opening guitar riffs then hearing all of the voices rise in a glorious chorus. The noise was overwhelming, but I couldn't stop smiling at the sight of everyone else being so happy. :)

Please don't mind the sparkles! My camera was accidentally turned to "Magic" setting.
I have no clue why that setting even exists...

From left to right: Solene, Vinod, Me, Borris, May, Neha! Bikul came later!

[ Saturday ]

On Saturday, Sonika and I went to Kathmandu Durbar Square! This was last on the list of the three royal palaces, and let me tell you it was no let down! :) The "square," as I understand it, is really many temples along an isolated section of road. Sonika and I walked in and began to make our way towards the museum when a guard rushed after us. He herded us back to the ticket booth, where I paid for a ticket while Sonika was able to enter for free (note to future interns -- always take at least 2000 Rps with you to make sure you can cover entrance fees haha. Natives, no worries, usually 100 Rps covers it if you have to pay at all!).

Once cleared for take-off, we explored the inside of the museum! Unfortunately, photography wasn't allowed in most areas, but here are some choice shots that we were able to capture! :)

The entrance to the Durbar Museum

A video panoramic of the main square!

On our ascent of the 9 story temple!

The views from the top were absolutely incredible. :)

A huge thank you to Sonika for letting me use her camera!
Mine died at the top...and I haven't been able to turn it on since.
Sorry Mom.

You can see the mound which Swayambhu sits atop just
right of the center!

This was back outside the museum!

This temple is where Kathmandu, meaning Made of Wood,
gets its name from! It is entirely
carved out of one tree as legend holds it!

Thank you Sonika for such a great day! :)

That night I went over to Neha's again for another delicious meal! There was a Nepali couple there who had recently had an arranged marriage; they were able to tell us a lot about the culture and their perceptions of their own country! A lot of their ideas were strikingly new to me -- the first being that arranged marriages are still so common! Also, some of the traditions associated with marriage, like the family washing the man's feet and the giving away of the bride, had caused a lot of stress for them as it clashed so much with modern culture. They had claimed that NGOs were the curse of Nepal and that poverty didn't exist in Nepal before the word did. Both were addressing how Westerners perceive poverty and how the monetary system works differently in Nepal, with services being exchanged for other items or services and not always cash. I was really grateful that I had gotten to hear such an opposite side to the views I had held to that point -- it is always better to hear another side to each story!

[ Sunday ] 

Sunday morning I went out with Borris and May to a miniature market that sets up at the Yellow House every Sunday morning. It is absolutely adorable. The market is geared towards the expats, as is the restaurant (the Yellow House), and offers fine wine, cheese, sausage, dried fruits, pastas, and fish among other things! They also have these two guitarists playing through the lunch hour; Borris told me they were playing Gypsy Improv, which apparently is really difficult! Their playing was mesmerizing, though, and we listened for awhile after shopping. May and I then headed out for the rest of the afternoon to check out the shops on Kupondole! If I may say, we got quite a few great finds. :) We also made it back just in time for Futsal! 

On to the next post! :)

Peace and love,

Abby