Blogs from Hadigaon, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia - page 3

Well, we might have solved some of my stomach problems. Turns out Sita was putting MSG in a lot of my food for flavor. Since the packaging is in Nepali and the stuff looks like salt, I thought that’s what it was. But every time I eat Chinese fast food at home with MSG I suffer the next day, so maybe that’s what’s been going on recently. I did have bacteria, according to the doctor, but perhaps the reason why I never feel completely normal is the damn MSG! So we fixed that problem. Right now Sita is busy making me vegetable momos—I can’t wait! She went out this afternoon with 200 Rs and bought a ton of veggies, flour, and eggs to feed me until I go home. Earlier today she made me tofu and ... read more

It’s so nice to have electricity all day! Tuesday is the one day it does not go off in my district. I finally figured out the schedule (although, that doesn’t always mean anything). I found out yesterday from a Nepali friend that some officials in the government are selling power to India and padding their own wallets, which is why there’s not enough power to fuel all of Nepal at all hours. What the fuck?? Talk about greed and corruption! Businesses are suffering tremendously, not to mention the severe inconvenience for people’s everyday lives. I keep asking why people are not more outraged and rioting—Mary says if people make too much noise, they disappear… Yesterday was very productive research-wise. I went back to the Family Planning Association to meet with Beena, who is a joy to ... read more

No electricity…again. I feel like I go more without it than when I have it. And of course this morning it went out as Ken was telling me about his father’s bypass surgery this weekend. Aargh! Luckily Ken is used to it by now…me cutting out in mid-sentence and disappearing for hours. But just when you need it most… We got back from Pokhara late yesterday afternoon, after another bus ride that made me feel like I was beat up. The scenery was beautiful—driving through all of the little villages, over rivers and through the foothills, but it was so tiring on my body just to keep myself from being thrown out of the seat that I felt exhausted afterwards. I’m going to yoga for the first time in a couple weeks to try to loosen ... read more

My new strategy is dancing. This morning I turned up the itunes and danced by myself to Public Enemy and Shakira. It warmed me up, and it’s hard to feel depressed when dancing. I am really having trouble snapping out of this. I am not a person prone to depression—I usually have a couple of bad days and snap out of it, but I can’t seem to dig myself out of this. Yesterday was the first day I actually started thinking about coming home early. I don’t even know what’s causing it anymore, because no matter what I do, it doesn’t go away for more than a few hours at a time. Like Ken said this morning, you can’t expect to throw yourself into a world of poverty and to have all the skills to deal ... read more