Life in Kathmandu Valley

July 26 2006

So, I have not really filled you in on my situation here in Kathmandu. There is always so much to talk about – I never know where to begin! I am living in a house owned by Volunteer Abroad. It is four stories with two patios on each floor and an upper patio on the fifth level. I was in total amazement the very first time I laid eyes on it! I really had no idea what to expect. To me, it looks like some sort of palace but they have a totally different style of building homes here. A brick wall and an iron gate close it off. It looks quite extravagant from the outside in comparison to home. I like living here – it is very cozy and I feel at very home. The kitchen and dining area is on the fourth floor. We have those small tables with cushions on the floor. We all sit around to eat breakfast and supper together. It is fun – we are like a little family! Aha. I love the whole short table and cushion idea! I want to adapt it someday when I have a house of my own!

There were three volunteers already here for a while when I arrived – Laura, Lauren, and Harrison. They have been here since May and will all be leaving by next weekend to go traveling and or head back to there homes in Canada. Three other volunteers arrived the same week that I did – Gasing, Kayane, and Jeannine. So all together there are 7 of us Canadian volunteers here. DC, our cook also stays with us as well as Neer most of the time. We all get along really well – everyone is awesome.

Jeannine and I both volunteer at Bal Mandir. She works with the kindergarden children – they speak more English then the toddlers that I take care of. Gasing and Kayane both teach at a local school and Kayane also volunteers at a hospital. It is really interesting to come home in the evening and hear about how everyone’s day went at each placement. There are always so many stories. It is completely captivating! I love it here so much. I daydream of how I wish I were graduated so that I could extend my stay. I have to make it back here again some day!

Jeannine and I walk to Bal Mandir most days. We taxi if it is raining but it usually does not rain until the afternoon. It takes about 45 minutes to get there walking quite fast. We walk through Thamel on our way, which is the tourist district. It is full of really cool shops and boutiques. A lot of the stores remind me of South of the Border except everything is way cheaper!! We walk past the same shops everyday on our route to work, so we see the same shopkeepers. A lot of them know who we are – people here are unbelievably friendly and are always up for a chat. They are totally amazed at how fast we walk, which cracks me up. Sometimes people have followed up trying to keep up talking to us! It is entertaining, for sure! They ask us how we walk so fast! And they want to know why we are so busy. Some shop owners have told me that they see me everyday but I look so busy and they want to know why. They seem to be quite interested in what tourists and foreigners are up to. Life is so different here in Nepal with regards to time. It seems that nobody is ever in any kind of rush! It must be nice, however, to not have to worry about time. At home, I am constantly rushing around frantically trying to get things done and get places on time.

It took me a few days to get my head around how to find my way around here. Neer showed us around for the first week, which was a full 7 days of orientation. I didn’t sleep a wink on the over night flight from Doha to Kathmandu and I arrived 7am in the morning. Our orientation started that very morning at 10am! I was way too excited to go to sleep but I was totally exhausted! So, the lack of sleep didn’t help me any – I couldn’t remember how to get anywhere! I am perfect now though. I can get to all the places that I need to get with confidence. I am not nervous being out and about on my own – which is a great achievement for me!! Haha. I explore most days on my free time.

We live in Nayaa Bazar, which seems to be a place where only locals live. People seem surprised when they hear that it is where I live. It seems that most people expect me to say that I am living in Thamel. Our house is very close to Thamel though – less than ten minutes away by foot.

In the first few weeks that I was here the roads in Thamel were getting paved but there are still a lot of places where there are only gravel roads. In Nayaa Bazar there are no paved roads. So, I find it very hard to keep my clothes clean – the roads are often muddy and wet because of the rain. The mud flicks all over the back of my skirt daily from my sandals! Some days if I really want to stay clean, I try and skate/ slide along the road. In other words, I try to walk without lifting my feet! I must look pretty funny from the local’s perspective! I was washing my clothes by hand the first week when I arrived but my hands have such a bad infection now that I get my laundry done in Thamel.

Nighttime is quite an event here as well when it becomes time to sleep! If it was not for my earplugs I think I would be utterly exhausted! I would not sleep a wink! Dogs bark the entire night long! It is unreal! They are constantly barking and howling and screaming from fighting with one another. It is crazy. It is funny actually because it is 12:37am here now. Everyone is gone to bed and I am sitting here typing listening to these crazy creatures bark their heads off! I don’t know why they just can’t get along! It seems like most people in this city go to sleep reasonably early. I guess it is wise of them because the majority of locals are up and awake and starting their day by 5am! I know this because one morning we got up at 4am to watch the sun rise. It was completely dark out when we were walking and there were so many people already up! Some nights it is difficult to sleep because of thunder and lightening. I was never a fan of thunder and lightening and I didn’t really realize it was a regular occurrence here until I was rudely awakened on my fifth night in Kathmandu. I even remember the exact night! I got such a fright! My entire room was completely lighting up and the thunder was deafening. I was nervous but it has happened so many times since that I have grown quite immune to the whole ordeal now!

In the morning, roosters do their cock-a-doodle-do thing and all the crazy little animals wake up so early. It is quite entertaining actually, if you are not in the mood for sleeping! At about 8am ritually every morning this woman walks around through the streets screaming what sounds like bloody murder! She passes our house everyday. Finally, one day we asked Neer what she was blaring. It makes complete sense now! She is trying to sell the spinach that is in her huge basket that is strapped on to her head with a piece of cloth. We got quite the kick out of this but now, these days, I hardly hear her. It is funny how you can easily get used to different ways of life. One thing that I am not quite used to yet though is the sound of horns! Some days I feel like screaming my head off and I am not joking! Cars, motorcycles, and bicycles are literally all over the road and going in every which direction. Nobody takes turns and absolutely everyone is in some crazy race to get where they are going first. Imagine vehicles coming from all directions and they all want to go one way – and they literally do all go one way!! And they will lie on their horns if someone is blocking them in any form or fashion until they move. It could be for any reason. A car could be stopped because they are picking someone up, because a car in front of them is stopped, because there are actual human beings walking across the road – anything. The cars behind will blow their horns until they are able to move. It is hard to get around when the traffic is heavy. I have been half away across the street many times when I am literally sandwiched in between two passing vehicles. I am not exaggerating at all. It was truly nerve wrecking at first! I have learned to be brave and barge out into the streets because that is the only way you will get anywhere here but I have had some close calls! Nobody will stop for you on the road. It is either keep your eyes wide open and jump out of the way or close your eyes and say a prayer! It is craziness. Besides this, it is also very hard to get places sometimes because there are literally people chasing me trying to sell me things. Some days nobody bothers me but other days are the complete opposite. The kids are the most persistent ones. They beg for money and try to sell their drawings. It is really tough not to give in and pass them a few rupees - even now, after being here almost a month. They beg for biscuits are other things but if you buy it for them, they just walk right back in the stores and return it for cash. We were told not to give them anything because it only encourages them to stay on the streets. Street kids get more money by begging than some people get from working. The kids know about the shelters around town but they don’t want to go because they make more money on the street. It is really sad because they are so young. They are smart too – they truly do not give up – they are so persistent! Sometimes, when they are following for a long while I tell them to go to CPCS, which is a shelter for street kids. They will often turn away them because they know about these places and they realize that we know better. It still breaks my heart. I have told them that they can come to a restaurant with me and eat but the other volunteers say that this is just as bad as giving them money because that is less of their own money that they will spend on food. It is hard for me to wrap my head around it all some days. It is not a good feeling to turn kids away even if they are conniving and up to no good. There are a lot of woman who beg for money with their children as well. Sometimes, when I try to walk past them they try and block me. It is such an awkward situation to deal with because all I want to do is help but by giving in is worsening the situation. It is a sad part of our world. I am getting sleepy now but I think I have given you a better idea of a typical day here in Kathmandu. There is never a dull moment, that’s for sure! I will fill you in on some more interesting info in the next day or two.

Trip to Nagarkot

July 23 2006

Three of the volunteers – Jeannine, Kayane, Gasing and I bused to Nagarkot yesterday to try and catch sight of the cloud covered Himalayas. I have not been able to see them since I arrived. Nagarkot is another village that is about an hourr bus ride up through the mountains of Kathmandu Valley. We stayed at a beautiful hotel. We each paid less than $30 CDN for our ride, stay, dinner and breakfast! It was so nice! The resort is full of patios and terraces. We had a really good view. We woke up at 4:30am to watch the sunrise from the patio off of our room. It was clear for about half an hour. I could see the tips of the snow-capped mountains through the clouds. It was so exciting. I took countless pictures! We only stayed in Nagorkot for one night but we were all so impressed that I think that there is a good possibility that we will all return! Jeannine and I hiked down this morning from the resort. It took a little over 4 hrs to get to Bhaktapur – which is a place that is famous for making pottery. They make pottery with kick wheels under little shacks outdoors and all of their pottery dries in the sun. I love it here. I could just sit and watch them all day long! I find it so fascinating. Today was my second time in Bhaktapur and I definitely want to return before I leave! Well, I sort of have to return - I bought eight cups and saucers and I have made an order for 8 drinking glasses and dinner plates! Haha. It is so funny. Jeannine is totally confused as to how I will get all this pottery home. I am not quite sure myself yet. All I know is that the cups and saucers that I bought today were about $7 CDN all together. I am not worrying about how I will get them home yet! Where there’s a will, there’s a way! I traveled home from Europe last year with a backpack full of pottery as my carry on. I have a little fetish for those of you who do not already know!

So, back to the hike! It was quite the interesting little trot down through the villages. We didn’t know exactly where to go. We had a map that was not accurately drawn to scale. We could have either followed the main road or go on a hiking trail. The hiking trail sounded more interesting to us both. We were not walking for five minutes when we ran into this young guy who was curious about which country we were from and where we were headed. He insisted that we follow him and take a so-called short cut. We did and he clearly took us on a road less traveled because we were literally walking through corn and rice fields and people’s gardens! It was evidently not the regular trail for tourists! It was certainly a fun, spontaneous little adventure though and it was all thanks to our little tour guide! Half of the trail was complete mud. At the beginning, I decided that I was going to be this brave soul and make a run for it and jump to avoid the mud. This didn’t really work out as planned. I ended up landing completely on my stomach head and hands first. The three of us were laughing hysterically! It was hilarious! Jeannine fell at least 3 times and I was flat out slipping down the rocks slash non- existent trail! It was so much fun though. And the scenery is actually unbelievable. This country is definitely the coolest place I have ever visited. I have not been here three weeks and I am already trying to figure out how I am going to get myself back here!

In The Clear

July 22 2006

My hands and feet are clearing up, finally! They are still super itchy though. I read that they may remain itchy for up to six weeks after treatment and after the eggs are dead. So , it should be interesting! Ha. I took Monday to Thursday off from the orphanage. I went back to Bal Mandir yesterday. I was so happy to be back there! I missed the kids so much. They are so cute. The children's teacher is back, so I spent the entire day with the kids in their classroom. I am worried about getting scabies for the second time. I don't want to miss anymore time. I have been taking lots of pictures of them! So, you will all get to witness for yourself how cute they truly are. And they are amazed with my camera! They get so excited when I show them the pictures right after I take them. They certainatly know how to pose for the camera! So cute! I am going to print off all the pictures before I leave so that I can leave them at the orphanage. I'd like to make some sort of scrap book for them that they can have when they are older. It is sad that they will have so few pictures of themselves when they grow up. So, I hope that the pictures that I do leave will still be around when they are teenagers!! These years are the most important. They need to know how beautiful they were!

Small World

July 20 2006

Who knew that I would be traveling to Asia for the first time with personal connections before I ever boarded the plane to begin my journey! People have always said that this is a small world we live in. But the fascinating part is, that this world only gets smaller the further you venture out in it.

Part 1 of my story: When I was studying in England, I met an awesome guy –Jeff, who I dearly love now!! He traveled to Nepal last year devoting his time to the thousands of street kids in Kathmandu. He helped me out before I made my finally decision to come to Nepal. He is one of those worldly guys who is completely fascinating to sit down and listen to. He knows the only Nepali family living in Newfoundland and he introduced me to them. I celebrated the 2063 Nepalese New Year with them back in April of this year. Since then, I have made friends with Anoop who left Nepal to live in St. John’s this past January. This is where the small world part comes in to play. Anoop still has a younger brother living in Kathmandu who I have already met! And I hope to meet the rest of his family before I return to Canada. So, the story continues. Jeff came to Kathmandu last summer, before Anoop even moved to NL. The Nepalese family who lives in NL is related to Anoop and they hooked Jeff up to meet him before he left for Nepal!!! So, Jeff knew Anoop before he ever moved to NL and he also met his entire family while in Kathmandu!! I think it is so cool. I was so surprised when I first heard it all.

Part 2: I met a friend, Lesleigh, first year MUN who I still run into on campus quite frequently. When I was first thinking of coming to Nepal I ran into her and told her all about my plan. She was psyched for me because she had already spent years in Asia in which she lived for several months in Kathmandu. We lost touch during final exams and our last conversation left her thinking that I was not coming to Nepal. I was back and forth for a while deciding whether or not I should come due to the political situation over here. I have been in contact with Lesleigh since I have been here. She has suggested that I go to this great little restaurant she always went to, New Orleans, and meet her good friend, Sudesh. Coincidently, Sudesh knows my in country coordinator and all of the volunteers that were already here with Volunteer Abroad. They go to New Orleans every Sunday night to listen to live music. So, previous to Lesleigh’s recommendations, I already knew Sudesh! Small world? I cannot disagree!

I have to say, talking to people who already traveled throughout Nepal had a huge impact on my decision to finally come here. I thank all three of you for the encouragement! I wouldn’t change this opportunity for the world.

P.S. Congratulations to Anoop, Jeff and Lesleigh to making it to my blogspot! Haha.

Nepali Cuisine

July 18 2006

I have learned one thing for sure since I have come to Kathmandu. It is almost impossible to avoid carbohydrates. So those of you who are serious about avoiding carbs in your diet – do not come to Nepal! No, I am kidding. Trust me. This country is amazing. Even if it does mean you must overdose on carbs on a daily basis! I have never eaten so much rice, bread and potatoes in all my life!! We have our own cook, DC. He lives here with us and prepares breakfast and dinner for us each day. We consider ourselves quite lucky to have him here with us. He has been doing a great job introducing us to traditional Nepali food. Everything is spicy – sometimes even breakfast! However, most days he makes us toast or porridge and fruit for breakfast. That is fairly normal in comparison to home. They even have peanut butter for the toast! I was impressed. It was quite hard to come by in England. DC makes us ginger tea every morning. It is made with milk, pepper, lemon, ginger, and sugar. First, I was not so fond of it. It is very sweet and I never add sugar to my tea normally. Now, I can't get enough of it! I figure, DC and Nepal has ruined Tetley tea for me forever!! It will never be the same again! For dinner we usually eat daal bhat. You ask what is daal bhat? Well, it is rice, lentils and curried vegetables. Over 90% of Nepali people eat daal bhat twice a day! I really love it. But I can not imagine eating twice a day everyday though. Nepali people do not use utensils – they eat with their right hand. It is messy because the lentils are similar to soup and is poured all over the rice with the vegetables and mixed together. DC has tried to get me to try it once. Clearly, he was not persistent enough because to date I have not eaten daal bhat with my hands! And I am quite easily talked into things. I am sure before I return to Canada I will have experienced this crazy method of filling my belly!!

Not the Doctor

July17 2006

Well, I have some good news and some bad news. The good is that I am taking the bad news surprisingly well. The bad news is that I have developed scabies from the toddlers that I work with. It sounds terrible and I tears fell from my eyes when the doctor told me on Saturday but it is just a skin irritation. My hands and feet have hundreds of tiny blister like sores on them. The gross part is that these are from tiny mites that have burrowed their way into the top layer of my skin and laid eggs. I am appalled at how I am taking the whole ordeal but I guess you deal with whatever comes your way. It is common to catch scabies when working with young children at an orphanage. Most of these poor little people suffer from more health conditions then just scabies.

I have treated it as informed by the doctor. It is very uncomfortable – my hands and feet are unbelievably itchy. But I can deal. I have been doing fine. The shoe fits – so I am wearing it!! I am taking a couple days off from Bal Mandir for this skin infection to clear up. I am hoping that it will not reoccur. Last week was unusual circumstances anyways. I was taking care of the children in their bedroom from 12-3pm. In the morning they have school, which is a room directly below their bedroom and looks like a typical child’s classroom. The kids only had a half a day at school last week because the regular teacher was sick. Normally, my entire workday would be spent in the classroom. There, I play with them – there are a lot of toys, photographs, school supplies to keep them occupied. The children’s bedroom isn’t very sanitary. I’m sure you can just imagine how dirty little kids can be. Well, imagine about 20 of them in one room with no toys, nothing colorful on the wall, and not a thing stimulating for a child and at least half running around with no diapers! They pee all over the place! It is difficult to stay germ-free. Soap and warm water is not so readily available like it is home. Actually, I have yet to see a child getting washed in any form or fashion. They all have buzzed heads – the girls and the boys. This makes head lice less likely for them. So, the fact that they run around diaper-less helped me in the beginning to decipher which kid was a boy or girl!

Scabies is usually spread from the infected person to another usually through being intimate. When I was working in their bedroom, I was much closer to the kids because they were often crying and wanted to be in my arms. Downstairs, I do not have such close contact. So, I am hoping that once my bug clears up, I can continue working with these cute little kids without becoming infected again.

They Call It Monsoon

July 13 2006

I knew when I came to Nepal that I was coming during Monsoon season. BUT, I kind of tried to be optimistic about it and pretend that it wouldn’t be so bad. I thought that maybe it wouldn’t rain so much. I know that when I lived in England, the city would shut down when a blade of snow covered the ground. So, I was kind of hoping for a repeat except with rain and that the people of Kathmandu were of the same mindset - a lot of rain to the Nepali’s was only a little bit to me. So basically, I was hoping their idea of a lot of rain was really not so much to Newfoundlanders! Well, it might have been good thinking on my part I guess… but let me tell you – was I wrong! Yesterday on my way home from Bal Mandir the rain started – then it got heavier and heavier until it was literally coming down in buckets! Jeannine and I decided we must get a taxi. My skirt was beginning to fall off with the weight of the water while I walked and my umbrella was only doing a mediocre job only keeping my head dry! The water on the ground was up over my feet and hitting the bottom of my skirt in some areas. Water was streaming down the streets. Motorcycles, bikes and cars were in water half way up their tires. People were still all over the streets as always with umbrellas and trying to stand under eaves of buildings laughing trying to keep dry. Once we were in the cab and driving I was looking at people outside as we passed. They seem to think it is funny when it rains that hard. I can’t recall that anyone finds rain funny home!? I love it here. Ha. Most people looked back at me smiling or laughing. I find it hilarious. People here are always so friendly and they seem genuinely happy all of the time. It is so good to see. But back to the taxi ride - I don’t know what exactly our taxi driver was doing. It sounded like he was stalling out every time he stopped. I do know for sure that he was having a difficult time trying to drive in the rain. The high water was a definite factor but I don’t think the fact that he was turning off his engine every time we stopped helped any. Taxi drivers here turn off their engine when they stop in the road to save gas. This cracks me up – I think someone should let them know that they are probably burning way more gas! If my Nepali skills begin to shape up a bit better I will have to share that tidbit of information with them!

Nepali Skills

July 12 2006

Well we have just finished 5 days of language training in spoken Nepali. It really does not seem like a very difficult language to master but it is hard because besides our classes we normally speak English. That is one of the downfalls of not living with a Nepali family. I figure I would have to learn more if I lived with all Nepali’s! But, I’m doing ok so far. I know how to ask the kids what their name is, and their age and to tell them my name! Ha. Not too too bad! When I am shopping and out and about I know a few phrases as well – like that is too expensive/ cheap and I am a volunteer and from Canada. I can truly say more in Nepalese than I can in French and I studied French for quite a few years. But it’s different being immersed in it. It’s a fun way to learn a language. I will give you free updates if and when I progress further! Namaste! (Bye!) haha

The Heat is On

July 11 2006

I didn't really know what I was getting myself into coming to Nepal during Monsoon season. I didn't think it was going to be overly hot and sunny. It is cloudy and their are short rain falls most days but the heat is almost unbearable. The fact that I wear long skirts and shirts are certainly not helping! The temperature is well over 30 degrees every day. The sun is beaming hot at 7am in the morning! It is crazy. Whether I am inside or out makes absolutely no difference. I go to bed sweating and wake up sweating. I had to go buy a fan for 750 rupees which works out to about $10 CAD. It was definitely a smart purchase. So far so good. It makes sleeping a little more manageable.

Temple for Children

July 10 2006

Today I began my volunteer placement at Bal Mandir. I really like it so far and I think I will really enjoy my time there. It is unbelievable to actually see hundreds of children who do not have a home to go to or parents to care for them. It’s heart-breaking. I knew exactly my intentions on my way to Nepal but the impact that just one day at Bal Mandir has had on me is incredible. It makes me want to stay here in Nepal and devote much more of my time to these children. I’m already wondering how I am possibly going to be able to leave them all at the end of August.

Bal Mandir is the largest orphanage in Nepal where 250-300 children live at any given time. Bal Mandir means ‘Temple for Children’ and it used to be a palace about 70 years ago. It is much more spacious than I ever would have thought. However, I really had no idea what to expect. This is the first orphanage I have ever visited. All of the female children are sent to this specific orphanage. There are also boys but all the girls are sent there. They are children of parents who have been killed, put in prison, children who are unwanted by their parents and who have been abandoned or who are disabled. During my orientation last Thursday, I visited all the different groups of children. They range from new borns to 17 years old. It seems to me that the children are well taken care of at this orphanage.

Today, during their nap time one little boy, Suman woke up crying. I wasn’t really sure what to because nobody told me how to care for the children. You’re just shown where to go and that’s it. I wasn’t sure how to deal with them – if you had to keep distant at all with regards to getting attached or adding to their already confused emotions. Finally, I reached my arms out to pick Suman up and without any hesitation and only knowing me for about 20 minutes he clung on to me with all of his strength. I don’t think I can really describe how sad it made me feel. The children do not get a lot of one on one attention. That is the saddest part. A lot of them are very subdued and just stare off in space. Sometimes, it is hard to get thier attention. It is definitely not how a typical child would react but they are neglected so frequently when they cry and when they want attention. They know that crying won’t get them what they want. There is only one or two caregivers in the room where I volunteer and there is over twenty children between 18 months and 4 years old. It is a sin for them. I found the hardest part was to see the children like this. I tried really hard to make some of the children laugh but some of them still just stared off like they were depressed. So sad. I just hope that I can bring some joy to some of their days.

St. John's to Kathmandu Solo

July 6 2006

Well hello! I have made it to Kathmandu! I’m alive. I’m safe. And most importantly I am still in one piece. Ask me 5 days ago how I was doing and I would give you a totally different answer. I was out of my mind. I had a quite a few bumps along the way. First off my flight was cancelled Thursday, June 29 due to high winds in Toronto. The earliest flight out from NL was Saturday, July 1. So, my Nepalese journey began 2 days late on Saturday at 5:40pm. I was rushing to the airport with no time to spare as per usual, said my farewells to my mom and walked through departures trying to keep a brave face. I was feeling pretty good about everything and was excited about finally getting to Nepal. I was originally supposed to be there Saturday, July 1. So I was anxious to get on the go. I landed in London Heathrow early Sunday morning. My ticket was only guaranteed to London. I knew before I left NL that I was going to have to make my way to Qatar Airways and try to get on the 10:55am flight to Doha that day and then try to catch the connecting flight to Kathmandu 11:35pm that night. I knew there was a possibility that this would not work out but I was not thinking about that. I was too nervous to think about that possibility. So to make a long story short I had to over night in London. To anyone reading this blog – this is more than likely a minor problem. However, to me, it was traumatic. I had a pain in my stomach and in my chest and I was walking through Heathrow Airport fighting back tears wondering - where am I? What am I doing? Where am I going? Dramatic you think? Sure… I get that a lot. But I was honestly really scared. Traveling alone to another country was never something that I thought I would enjoy. Anticipating my trip to Nepal, my only worries were that something might go wrong with the flights and or my in-country coordinator, Neer, might not be in the Kathmandu airport to meet me. So anyways, I was I nervous wreck. The only calling card I could find to buy was 50USD. I felt totally scammed which added to the situation.

So I had 30 hrs to burn in London. In almost any other circumstance I would be out of my mind excited. I ended up getting the tube to Warwick where Astra is living. She was so good to me and with only an hour notice of me arriving. She came back to Heathrow Airport with me the next morning at 6:30am and saw me off to Asia. I was worse by this point. I was only getting more nervous with every passing hour. It all started in London and I couldn’t knock the feeling. It’s weird because in NL I was counting my days down to leave.

I slept the 7 hrs to Doha. I arrived there at about 8pm and it was 36 degrees! I couldn’t quite grasp the fact that I was sitting in an airport in the Middle East. It was nothing like I had expected. I figured I would be the only person there who was not Asian. I was totally wrong. Every face imaginable was in that airport, a lot foreigners and tourists. At 11:35pm I boarded the plane to Kathmandu. This was an overnight flight. Everyone slept except for me. I was too nervous to sleep. I was agonizing about my last and final worry – Neer would not be at the airport to get me. I kept my mind from wandering by reading the entire duration of the flight. The sun was rising as we flying into Kathmandu. I could see the Himalayas – glimpses of the snow capped mountains through the cloudy sky. It was amazing. It made my nervous stomach almost completely disappear. I took my first picture through the plane window. My journey had begun.