Apartment Pictures!

Hi all!

Thanks to everyone who wrote, commented and checked in here. It's so wonderful to hear from all of you!

So I don't have much more exciting to say from yesterday's post, but after a couple hours worth of testing, internet disconnections, and weird computer hiccups, I did manage to upload the photos of my new apartment. They are in the slideshow on the side bar. I'll be taking pictures of the neighborhood in the next couple days, and I'll get those up as soon as Roomie is kind enough to let me use her office again (awesome wifi here) I'm sure you'll all find the neighborhood to be more exciting, but I'm so excited about the apartment. It's amazingly beautiful.



Ok, a couple of words about the pictures. There's one picture of our floor, just because I thought it was pretty. There are two pictures of our two bathrooms, which are located right next to each other. The one bathroom is western and the other is a fancy nepali style bathroom. Luckily we seem to have water pretty much all the time, so we're even able to flush both toilets. It's super cool. There's also a picture of a huge spider...just because he was so big. I put the tealight next to him so you could see how big he really is. Fortunately, I'm already getting used to the bugs and other than a spider or two the apartment is pretty bug free.

Alright, I'll write again soon when I have more pics and stories. Love you all!
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In Kathmandu!!

Hi all,

Guess what!?! I'm finally here. I'm writing from an internet cafe right around the corner from my apartment in Lazimpat. (Yes, you can probably find that on google maps if you try really hard!)

So far everything is just amazing. I haven't been up to too much beyond a few visits to the office, dinner with my dearest Dhai and Didi, a little bit of shopping and a ton of wandering. And by wandering, I mean, being completely lost. But I think wandering sounds so much more poetic. I've finally learned how to get to my house from the main street, which is really a huge accomplishment considering how far set off from the road it is. I can also get to the internet cafe, and the big fancy grocery store...which is a lot like a gas station store back home, but here it's pretty snazzy. But anywhere else is still bound to be an adventure. The people...err, women (I'm still avoiding talking with men at all costs until I'm more sure of the rules) are very sweet and helpful. Earlier today an older woman took me by the arm, pulled me on to a microbus, somehow managed to secure me a seat despite the fact the bus (think 8 seater van) already had between 10 & 12 people on it, and then made sure I got off right in front of the shopping center.

In other exciting news, my nepali is way better than I thought it was. I'd still describe it as pretty terrible, but it's getting me everywhere I need to be and the answers to most of the questions I have. I was suprised that no one seemed terribly shocked when I started to speak nepali, but I suppose that's because of the area I'm living in. It's not a tourist area, but I've seen a couple of other "pale folk" around and one UN vehicle. Still, my light hair is attracting attention. Some of the younger boys have tried to say hello, but I'm too shy to acknowledge them. And one of the school girls stopped me on the street to say "You are looking so cute.(in english)" I was, of course, tickled pink.

Alright, one more bit of excitement and then I'm off to take a nap before dinner. I was able to get my Nepali cell phone today. It cost approx. 80 USD which means it will be my biggest expense for awhile, but it was one of the cheaper ones in the store. (side note: they are playing Seether in the Internet cafe as I type this :P ) Anyway, about the cell phone. It looks like one of the more basic phones back at home, but I was pleasantly suprised to find that it came with a microphone/headset and fm radio. I'm really excited about the radio because I've always found song lyrics to be a great way to learn a language. It's also really comforting to have a phone..and mine's already full of numbers I can call if I need anything at all.

I have to say that it's so comforting to have such a great support system already in place here. It makes me feel confident that everything is going to be just wonderful.

Alright, I'll write again when I can...something about monkeys I think.. Love you all!


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In Bangkok

Hi all,

Just wanted to leave you all a quick note to let you know that I've made it as far as Bangkok and am now enjoying everything their super awesome airport has to offer. I landed here last night after a couple uneventful, though really long flights. Luckily, they were showing Kung Fu Panda on the flight from Detroit to Tokyo, which turned out to be an incredibly awesome movie. The flight to Bangkok was even better because it was only 6 hours and I was sound asleep before take off. I only woke up a couple of times and even slept straight through dinner.

When I landed here in Bangkok, I went straight to the day rooms and got another 4 hours of sleep. So I'm feeling really well rested and ready for the last stretch.

The airport here is also really nice, and though internet is a little expensive, I don't think it's any worse than anywhere else I've used it and it's a million times faster. Hooray for high speed. But it looks like it's about time for me to go check in. I'll write again from Nepal just as soon as I can.


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Tibetan Earthquake

Well, according to the Indian News papers, a rather large earthquake hit Tibet this morning. The area is reportedly pretty sparsely populated and there were no reports of victims. But the quake was strong enough (6.4) to shake homes throughout Nepal and even as far south as New Delhi. However, it seems as though damage was minimal, and I'm unconcerned for my friends and family in Nepal. In fact, I'm more concerned that American and British papers won't report this until next week and my family in the states will worry for me. So hopefully this little blurb will help to minimize that. But I'll let you know what I hear about the quake as soon as I can. So until, I know more...
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2 weeks to take off!

It's been awhile since I last posted, so I just wanted to put something fresh up here so that my blog doesn't start to get dusty. As of this moment, I'm officially 2 weeks away from flight day (in fact I'd would be about half way to Tokyo right now) and I'm so excited. Unfortunately, I'm also busier than any human being ought to be. Between trying to finish packing, studying for the GRE (barely), a long list of lasts (from dancing to cigars), and dentist appointments, every minute is just over flowing. The good news is that, at least from my perspective, the most vital things have been taken care of already and everything else will either fall in to place or it will wait. So my stress level is still pretty manageable.

That said, the goodbyes are getting tougher and tougher.
It feels like there's at least one goodbye every day and while there is so much to look forward to in my home away from home, I'd be silly not to be aware of everything that I'm leaving behind. Ironically, I'm really grateful for the opportunity to really appreciate everything (and more importantly, everyone) that I have in my life without having to lose them in a more permanent sense. It's become kind of surreal looking at everything around me and wondering when I would really be back here. I know that I've promised everyone that I would be back in the states next summer and I have every intention of fulfilling that promise, but part of me also knows this is only the beginning of what may be a very long period of wandering and exploring. And I find that thought to be both wonderful and terrifying. Sometimes I can't help but wondering if I'm biting off more than I chew by fussing over future trips before I've begun this one, but I've learned from experience that big plans take a long time to develop, so I need to start cultivating those seeds now. Still it does make every goodbye even more daunting. Hopefully, some of you will be kind enough to write and I'm sure that will make a world of difference.

If you didn't catch that: WRITE ME! I'd love to hear from all of you, no matter what you have to say or how often or seldom you write. Even if you don't write me until next June, drop me a note and let me know what you're up to! And with that in mind, I better go check my email!
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