Blogs from Bishal Nagar, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

Snowlands School... read more

A mushy entry. Because I haven’t done this much, and dammit, I am in the mood for one! I’m sitting here listening to an acoustic version of Crush by the Dave Matthews Band. I made a CD for Ken before I left—the My Baby Left Me Mix (how cheesy am I?)—and this song was on it. And for some reason it’s bringing me to tears now. Maybe it’s because I miss Ken so much. And I am so incredibly excited to spend time with him again. I’ve spent all morning online looking for stuff for us to do together this summer. Or maybe it’s because I feel so lucky to have him home waiting for me (even though he makes up stories about torturing my cat). How many people have that in a relationship? Better yet, ... read more

Hello again! Wasn't planning on writing today, but have a little extra time on this ridiculously slow computer! life here is generally very good. There is a shortage of everything, but I'm getting used to it!! School is also going well, although the exams are coming up, so everyone is always studying hard. This weekend I went to the cinema to watch a Nepali horror film called Kagbeni- the sound was so loud (they have make it loud to cover up all the phone calls people get during the movie) so it was quite scary! On Sunday, I also went to Bouddha; there is a Buddhist stupa there. The great thing was that there are not vehicles there, so no hooting! It was lovely- definitely my favourie place in Kathmandu so far. Anyway, that's all for ... read more

The drama has ceased...for now. I told Renuka and Dinesh yesterday that I am moving out after I received a call from Beejay at Fulbright that he will come with the van on Monday afternoon to help me move my few suitcases. Dinesh asked me to stay at least until I go back to the U.S. in January, but I told them I have to take the place now or I lose it. Renuka didn’t look at me for a while and moped around most of the day. Last night she came and sat with me in my room by candlelight (load shedding for 2 hours). The whole time I thought she was going to burst into tears. She again apologized, said that she has been praying to Sai Baba to repent, and begged me to ... read more

I feel like I’m living a Hindi soap opera. The past couple have days have been filled with major drama—yelling, crying, and pleading. I ended up emailing Peter, the director of Nepal Fulbright, to get an idea of what an appropriate amount would be for me to pay as a “paying guest” including rent, electricity, and food. After consulting with several Nepalis, he said 10,000 Rs per month would be generous. Renuka was pissed. Over lunch yesterday she started yelling (okay, maybe just raised her voice), saying, “Peter is very clever man, no? Show me where you can get house and food for 10,000! That is $5 per day! Can you eat in U.S. for $5 per day?!” Umm, no, but the standard of living is completely different. I kept my calm and tried to explain ... read more