Music- Not really for what is played, which is mainly Nepali music and tolerable rock songs from cover bands, but for what isn’t played. You never hear unbearable music like Seether and Nickelback, and I have only heard one country song in three months, which was amusing. I think country music is one of the most abominable creations of the last fifty years. How can such a limited genre still be successful? The theme of almost any country song is one of the following: America, God, drinkin’ alcohol and raisin’ hell, momma, workin’ hard or lost love. Some CD store was playing the Toby Keith song where he talks about stomping out US enemies through vulgar metaphors that was an embarrassment to rational Americans nationwide. I saw Nepali guys singing along and pumping their fists. It was one of those moments where you hope that you’re in a nightmare.
T-Shirts- No fashion movement in the last ten years is as awful as Ed Hardy t-shirts, but in Nepal the trend is taken to the next level. While out, the average male is bedecked in a skin tight variant of an Ed Hardy shirt with five or more colors and fonts, pierced ears and/or eyebrows, spiky hair going in every direction and usually with blonde or orange highlights, skinny jeans complete with chain wallets and stylized patches and Converse All Star sneakers. This is the average costume of someone between 25 and 40. The trend among younger guys is either the exhausted trend of ironic statement shirts or this incredible Emo brand, which depicts individuals of the emo lifestyle engaging in emotionally charged activities, like crying, looking downtrodden and cutting one’s arms. If I can find where these shirts are sold I will buy one in a heartbeat. My button down shirts and patchless jeans are starting to make me feel like a herb.
Commercials- Most channels air the same commercials incessantly for weeks, but some of them are true gems. One of my favorites is one where a girl gets rejected from a pageant for being too dark. Her friend hands her a bottle of whitening face wash, and a demonstration shows her skin immediately losing color and she becomes white. Of course she subsequently wins the pageant and thanks the makers of the product. I would love to see the outrage of the ACLU and Huffington Post if such an item was marketed in the USA. It’s pretty nice that people take efforts to get whiter here, as I pretty much have the title of Whitest Cracker sewn up. It is strange that white folks want the exact opposite, spending lots of money sitting in tanning beds and risking skin cancer to look bronzy and orange, whereas others want to be white. My other favorite is one where an eccentric young man gets a tattoo of his girlfriend, only to reveal it and discover that he got her friend’s name tattooed instead. The girlfriend slaps him and leave. Cut to a scene where the friend and tattoo guy are eating ice cream, that’s marketed as edgy and different! I love the continuity.
Food- As previously stated, I have been vegetarian for over a month, which started because I would get ill every time I ate meat. I have stuck to this diet, and the vegetarian options are delicious and plentiful. My favorites include mixed vegetable curry, malai kofta, dal bhat masala dosa, veg chow mein, pani puri and aloo paratha. The strange thing is aside from eliminating meat, I have made no other alterations to my eating habits and have lost considerable weight in the last month, to the point where none of my pants fit and I have to tighten my belt to the point where the pants bunch up. I don’t care about going vegetarian for the PETA reasons at all, but I have much more energy and have zero desire to eat meat at all. Go veg, kids, it’s worth a shot.
Haircuts- I can get a straight razor shave, a good haircut that far exceeds the standards of chains like Fantastic Sam’s and Great Clips and a back/shoulder massage for Rs. 120 (less than $2 USD). Maybe the best bang for your buck in Nepal.
Weather- Still haven’t decided if it’s a good or bad thing, but the weather can shift from sunny and nice to rainy and awful in a matter of minutes, Lost style. The sun is up at 5am, which can be annoying waking up and feeling like it’s time for work only to learn that you have 3 more hours to sleep. It can be 85-90 degrees walking to school at 8:20 am, and my classroom can get above 90 degrees on a hot day with no electricity, but the temperature at night is usually cool and breezy. I guess it’s a love/hate relationship.
Bluntness- If you’ve gained weight, you will be told. If you look sloppy, you will be told. If you have an unsightly blemish, you will be told. If one’s makeup makes them look like a cheap trollop, they will be told. Such bluntness may turn some people off, but after adjusting, it’s great. Why waste time with fake friendliness and lying to someone about how great their new hairstyle looks, when in reality you hate it? People learn when they are told the truth, and skirting around honesty usually ends up poorly. Cut to the chase and tell it like it is.
Cover Bands- Cover bands can be useful as entertainment if they play a diverse set and not try to take attention away from songs through improvisation. The problem with many Nepali cover bands is that they play the exact same songs. If a band is playing, you will almost certainly hear “Californication”, “Hotel California”, “Sex on Fire”, “Like a Stone” by Audioslave and “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz, which has become the most insufferable song in recent memory for me. I feel like I hear it every single day, and the chorus sticks inevitably gets stuck in my head every time:
“But I..wont…hes..i..tate…no…more..no more…it..cannot…wait ….I’M YOUUURRSS”
Just typing it was a bad decision, as it’s 11am and already stuck.
Sports- Sports fall into both the best and worst categories, as soccer is huge and the games come on during prime time, but basketball only comes on once or twice a week as replays with Hindi announcers. I know it’s football for everyone else, but I still say soccer so as not to confuse myself. I’m going to a party for tonight’s UEFA championship between Man U and and Barca, whereas in America it would probably come on at 1pm when everyone is at work or busy doing things. Everyone likes Manchesher United, but same goes for American fans of the sport. I will be cheering for Barcelona in a fake Messi kit that I got for Rs. 300. It’s spelled ‘Mesi’ and gives him #11, but whatever. By the way, after Roman Abramovich ruined Chelsea by giving Fernando Torres 80 million and sacking Carlo Ancelotti, I am considering switching EPL allegiances. Candidates include Tottenham, Fulham and maybe Arsenal.
Go Mavs.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
All Alone in KTM
So last Wednesday, Shehrish and her parents took off for Delhi to visit her uncle and niece. I was home alone with one of her maids from Wednesday to Sunday without much to do aside from going to work and coming home. At first I appreciated the down time, being able to read, download music, eat when I wanted to etc., but things were somewhat difficult in that Shehrish's dog understands more English than her maid (not an exaggeration). One time I thought she was insinuating that I needed to shower again when in reality she wanted me to lock the door. I felt like I had mastered the art of non-verbal communication with Nepali people, but apparently I need to improve.
Friday was yet another 'bandh' (political protest, where everything is shut down for the day/night), and that Friday dragged on endlessly. I read two books, Disgrace and Outliers, and both were huge failures. Outliers is a popular book by Malcolm Gladwell, but it turned out to be a nearly 300 page run on which hammered home these two facts through myriad examples: people with affluent parents and people who work hard will probably do better in life. Was it a NYT bestseller? Of course it was.
On Saturday I had my first lesson with Nisha, who agreed to give me free Nepali lessons. Free, in the sense that I didn't pay her directly, but ended up getting stuck with the entire tab for the evening. We went to Electric Pagoda and had dinner and drinks with other friends before heading back early. We shared a cab, and after she got dropped off I got stopped by policemen and had to get out of the car. I was roughly searched and interrogated by a young looking cop. Unfortunately, neither of us spoke each other's language, so the interaction was complicated and frightening. After about a minute or so of grilling me with questions in Nepali, he let me get back into the cab and head back.
I got back and was a little shaken up by this whole incident. We had only eaten nachos at Electric Pagoda, and I was still hungry, so I grabbed some leftover rice from the refrigerator and heated it up. I thought it tasted a but strange, as Sita Di had made plain rice for lunch, so I got some ketchup to stir in. Upon mixing in the ketchup, I realized there were grayish chunks of meat in the bowl, and I realized I was eating the dog's food. Missy (the dog) eats a mixture of rice and meat which is kept in the refrigerator in a pot that looks just like the one I had my lunch rice in. I nearly threw up, but was able to keep it down. It is the only meat I have ingested in over a month now, as the vegetarian diet has been going well. Always look before you eat.
Shehrish and her parents got back on Sunday, and the rest of this week has been rather routine: get up, school, come back, read, check/watch NBA, listen to music, eat dinner, shower, watch Dexter, go to bed. I can't decide if I sort of like Dexter or if it's terrible. The acting is pretty bad and the concept is weird, but its mildly entertaining. Julia Stiles was introduced as a dark heroine for season 5, which I feel is a huge mistake, but I'm admittedly picky over TV, only thinking series like The Wire, Sopranos and Mad Men are fantastic. Early seasons of Lost, The Office and House were good, but quickly burned out once the writers had exhausted interesting themes. Does anyone else agree with me that Seinfeld sucks?
The NBA playoffs have turned out about as good as I had hoped for, aside from Chris Paul and the Hornets making a completely improbable run at the title. I hope I don't jinx anything, but it could be the first time in my life that my two favorite teams in a league (Chicago and OKC, not necessarily in that order) play for the title. I think I would have to pull for the Bulls in this scenario, but Kevin Durant is my second favorite player in the league (behind CP3) and Oklahoma City has no former Dookies.
I still would pull for Chicago and I love Derrick Rose even though he came out of Memphis, but would also be happy for Durant to win a title early in his career. An OKC win would be sweet for monetary reasons as well, as I put the remaining $25 in my old Bodog account on the Thunder to win the title at 18-1. I never bet sports anymore, but when I did, I would almost never bet long shots (or relative long shots). To win one and turn $25 into $450 would be pretty sweet. Go Bulls/Thunder.
Friday was yet another 'bandh' (political protest, where everything is shut down for the day/night), and that Friday dragged on endlessly. I read two books, Disgrace and Outliers, and both were huge failures. Outliers is a popular book by Malcolm Gladwell, but it turned out to be a nearly 300 page run on which hammered home these two facts through myriad examples: people with affluent parents and people who work hard will probably do better in life. Was it a NYT bestseller? Of course it was.
On Saturday I had my first lesson with Nisha, who agreed to give me free Nepali lessons. Free, in the sense that I didn't pay her directly, but ended up getting stuck with the entire tab for the evening. We went to Electric Pagoda and had dinner and drinks with other friends before heading back early. We shared a cab, and after she got dropped off I got stopped by policemen and had to get out of the car. I was roughly searched and interrogated by a young looking cop. Unfortunately, neither of us spoke each other's language, so the interaction was complicated and frightening. After about a minute or so of grilling me with questions in Nepali, he let me get back into the cab and head back.
I got back and was a little shaken up by this whole incident. We had only eaten nachos at Electric Pagoda, and I was still hungry, so I grabbed some leftover rice from the refrigerator and heated it up. I thought it tasted a but strange, as Sita Di had made plain rice for lunch, so I got some ketchup to stir in. Upon mixing in the ketchup, I realized there were grayish chunks of meat in the bowl, and I realized I was eating the dog's food. Missy (the dog) eats a mixture of rice and meat which is kept in the refrigerator in a pot that looks just like the one I had my lunch rice in. I nearly threw up, but was able to keep it down. It is the only meat I have ingested in over a month now, as the vegetarian diet has been going well. Always look before you eat.
Shehrish and her parents got back on Sunday, and the rest of this week has been rather routine: get up, school, come back, read, check/watch NBA, listen to music, eat dinner, shower, watch Dexter, go to bed. I can't decide if I sort of like Dexter or if it's terrible. The acting is pretty bad and the concept is weird, but its mildly entertaining. Julia Stiles was introduced as a dark heroine for season 5, which I feel is a huge mistake, but I'm admittedly picky over TV, only thinking series like The Wire, Sopranos and Mad Men are fantastic. Early seasons of Lost, The Office and House were good, but quickly burned out once the writers had exhausted interesting themes. Does anyone else agree with me that Seinfeld sucks?
The NBA playoffs have turned out about as good as I had hoped for, aside from Chris Paul and the Hornets making a completely improbable run at the title. I hope I don't jinx anything, but it could be the first time in my life that my two favorite teams in a league (Chicago and OKC, not necessarily in that order) play for the title. I think I would have to pull for the Bulls in this scenario, but Kevin Durant is my second favorite player in the league (behind CP3) and Oklahoma City has no former Dookies.
I still would pull for Chicago and I love Derrick Rose even though he came out of Memphis, but would also be happy for Durant to win a title early in his career. An OKC win would be sweet for monetary reasons as well, as I put the remaining $25 in my old Bodog account on the Thunder to win the title at 18-1. I never bet sports anymore, but when I did, I would almost never bet long shots (or relative long shots). To win one and turn $25 into $450 would be pretty sweet. Go Bulls/Thunder.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Things
I had curriculum night on Friday, and all of the parents came to see the classroom, hear about the curriculum and grill me with questions. My favorite exchange was this:
Parent: "Why exactly are you in Nepal?"
Me: "New adventure, opportunity arose to teach here, blah blah."
Parent: "No, but why Nepal? What is your agenda here?"
Me: "I don't really understand, I don't have an agenda."
Parent: "Allow me to be frank; are you pushing your religion on my child? Is that why you're here?"
The gentleman was relieved to hear that I have no interest in indoctrinating his child, and the rest of the night was smooth sailing. Apparently a lot of white people come to Nepal as underground missionaries these days and attempt to convert people. The only white people I see are dirty hippies eating falafel; maybe it's part of an elaborate con.
School has been going well. The bad kids have become slightly less disruptive and we have started covering new material. I enjoy the teaching aspect but am not fond of all of the peripheral work. Designing bulletin boards and cutting out tiny shapes gets really monotonous, as I cannot cut things out to save my life. I still get tired at the end of the day but no longer come back and collapse for an hour. We are doing a bird unit in science and will be going to the zoo on Wednesday to observe exotic birds. I hope that things go well.
My second attempt at vegetarianism may come to a screeching halt soon. On Friday night Shehrish and I went to K-Too, a steakhouse in Thamel. I hadn't even thought of eating any meat until going there. All of the steaks that came out looked fantastic, and Shehrish ordered a chicken sizzler dish that was equally impressive. I was nearly salivating until my food came out. I ordered veggie fajitas, and my food looked and tasted like it was flown in from a Golden Corral buffet. The next day while out I had eggplant lasagna, which had no flavor and hit my system like liquid Drano. I am going to tough it for now, as I have noticed a slight increase in energy and stamina, but will revert back to eating meat if I continue to crave for it.
On Saturday night while heading back home, a little kid jumped out from behind a pile of rubbish and grabbed my arm, yelling something in Nepali. I later found out that he was calling me a 'sister f***er'. I still don't know whether to be amused or offended by it, but at least it's better than having to chase down a runaway cab or getting hassled by aggressive drug dealers.
Nothing much else is new, except that I have been listening to a lot of rap music lately. I last went through a rap phase in 8th-9th grade (DMX, 50 cent, Master P etc.) and haven't really listened to it since. I only enjoy listening to it while walking to school in the morning. I always get stared at on my way to school and usually avoid eye contact, but I find myself glaring back at people if I have rap music playing in my headphones. Hopefully this doesn't end up with me getting jumped or worse, but it's fun to have a ridiculous Lil' Wayne song in my head all day. Peace
Parent: "Why exactly are you in Nepal?"
Me: "New adventure, opportunity arose to teach here, blah blah."
Parent: "No, but why Nepal? What is your agenda here?"
Me: "I don't really understand, I don't have an agenda."
Parent: "Allow me to be frank; are you pushing your religion on my child? Is that why you're here?"
The gentleman was relieved to hear that I have no interest in indoctrinating his child, and the rest of the night was smooth sailing. Apparently a lot of white people come to Nepal as underground missionaries these days and attempt to convert people. The only white people I see are dirty hippies eating falafel; maybe it's part of an elaborate con.
School has been going well. The bad kids have become slightly less disruptive and we have started covering new material. I enjoy the teaching aspect but am not fond of all of the peripheral work. Designing bulletin boards and cutting out tiny shapes gets really monotonous, as I cannot cut things out to save my life. I still get tired at the end of the day but no longer come back and collapse for an hour. We are doing a bird unit in science and will be going to the zoo on Wednesday to observe exotic birds. I hope that things go well.
My second attempt at vegetarianism may come to a screeching halt soon. On Friday night Shehrish and I went to K-Too, a steakhouse in Thamel. I hadn't even thought of eating any meat until going there. All of the steaks that came out looked fantastic, and Shehrish ordered a chicken sizzler dish that was equally impressive. I was nearly salivating until my food came out. I ordered veggie fajitas, and my food looked and tasted like it was flown in from a Golden Corral buffet. The next day while out I had eggplant lasagna, which had no flavor and hit my system like liquid Drano. I am going to tough it for now, as I have noticed a slight increase in energy and stamina, but will revert back to eating meat if I continue to crave for it.
On Saturday night while heading back home, a little kid jumped out from behind a pile of rubbish and grabbed my arm, yelling something in Nepali. I later found out that he was calling me a 'sister f***er'. I still don't know whether to be amused or offended by it, but at least it's better than having to chase down a runaway cab or getting hassled by aggressive drug dealers.
Nothing much else is new, except that I have been listening to a lot of rap music lately. I last went through a rap phase in 8th-9th grade (DMX, 50 cent, Master P etc.) and haven't really listened to it since. I only enjoy listening to it while walking to school in the morning. I always get stared at on my way to school and usually avoid eye contact, but I find myself glaring back at people if I have rap music playing in my headphones. Hopefully this doesn't end up with me getting jumped or worse, but it's fun to have a ridiculous Lil' Wayne song in my head all day. Peace
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)