ants on my toothbrush

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There were ants in my toothbrush this morning. And a lizard on my bedroom wall last night. And a huge spider on the ceiling the night before.

I’m slowly getting over the feeling of being dirty all the time. The U.S. is so clean and hygienic and antibacterial compared to Nepal, it’s a big adjustment to live surrounded by dust and filth. But you eventually get used to things like mold on the walls, unidentifiable shit on your hands, and dust in every crevice of everything even though you just dusted 2 days ago.

Renuka took me to a local gym and spa this morning. The brochure made it look so nice, and I was looking forward to it all week. But when we got there I was so disappointed. The lobby and restaurant were nice, but the gym had 2 treadmills and a couple of weight machines. There is no way I would swim in the pool, filled with Kathmandu water. It’s hard enough to keep water out of my mouth when I shower. And the “locker room” contained one shower and a bench. The walls were chipped and the paint was peeling. I guess for $15 a month it’s a good deal, but I know if I joined, it would not be something I would look forward to attending.

So I signed up for a couple weeks of yoga classes at the place I went to last time. The owner recognized me, and said I had gotten fat being back in the U.S.

Alright! I get it! I’m fat!

So yoga tomorrow at 9am. I’ll see how the first couple of weeks go. Renuka thinks I should just do yoga on the roof with her every morning to save money. She’s funny because she’s always looking for ways for me to save money. Fine with me, but she doesn’t realize that the equivalent of $2 for a yoga class is ridiculously cheap.

Still awaiting the cable internet to be installed…4 different men showed up yesterday to set it up, but still no luck. Two more actually just came. Right now they are outside checking the pole. Hopefully this is it. Last night after the men left, Renuka said, “This is Nepal, no?”

Yep, Nepal alright. Certainly not in Connecticut anymore.

At least the food is good. Last night Hasta made a noodle dish with veggies and fried egg…sort of like a lo mein with spiral noodles. But the best part was, he made a little dish of tomato sauce to go with it—from scratch! And this morning for lunch he made me an omelet with yak cheese. Every day at lunch he’s also been giving me a glass of Pepsi, which is new. Everybody seems to be drinking Pepsi now (thanks again, globalization). I normally dislike it, but for some reason I look forward to it. Perhaps because it is the one sweet thing in my diet everyday. I’ve also not had a bite of meat since I arrived. And after seeing a goat’s head with flies buzzing around it on the counter of the little butcher shop this morning, I think maybe I’ll keep it that way.

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Comments

[Dylan]

dirty dirty dirty
Seems like the dust/dirt level is similar to Iraq. You'll get used to it. At least you have a bathroom. I gotta walk to a portajohn or trailer. It sucks in the middle of the night. That goat's head sounds scrumptious!