Black Lungs

I used to think that seasonal depression was some bullshit* excuse for people to justify going tanning and looking orange in the middle of January, but the last week in Nepal has convinced me otherwise. A thick, dense fog has settled into Kathmandu, trapping the already polluted air into a much smaller area and seemingly prompting about four times the normal amount of motorbikes to be on the roads. There is no longer day and night, only a window of about nine hours from 7:am-4:30 pm where the brightness is constant and resembles that of a fluorescent light with a black T-shirt draped over it. Post-4:30 pm, welcome to night. The present conditions make me feel like I'm living in a snow globe of pollution and despair.

While jogging through the filth today, I found myself trapped in the middle of a traffic jam in a corner of Baluwatar with nowhere to go. Some water truck was stupidly attempting what ended up being a 90-point turn and being subjected to the mixture of gasoline fumes and dust made me feel like some poor orphan kid out of a Dickens novel with grime all over my face. I normally walk a lap after finishing my route but was too short of breath and asthmatic today to continue. I hope the fogs clears up soon, or I'm going to grab some SPF 50 and try to find a tanning salon that isn't stationed next to a massage parlor or dance bar.

The absence of central heating in nearly all buildings is quickly becoming my biggest Foreigner Gripe about the country. I adjusted to no A/C without issue, but coupled with the wet, ubiquitous fog, Kathmandu is quite frigid day and night. I teach on the top level of a building, and my room stayed at a balmy 54 F throughout the day. I borrowed a student's scarf and spent the day looking moronic in a princess muffler, but at least it was warm. My warm breaks throughout the day include morning coffee, late morning tea, post-bathroom handwashing (assuming there's hot water) and crawling into bed. Unfortunately, showers cannot be included, which has led me to weigh the pros and cons before every rinse. It's amazing how superfluous a daily shower can quickly become.

On a lighter note, Kathmandu is abuzz with anticipation for the upcoming Michael Learns to Rock concert. I've gotten several weird looks from everyone when telling them "No, I'm not going. I've never even heard of them". A quick browse of their Wikipedia page and hearing the first 25 seconds of "Take me to your Heart" has convinced me to save the Rs. 5,000, as few bands on the planet can make someone like Michael Bolton or Yanni seem hip and unique. I was done at Danish pop-soft rock..

We've started to watch Weeds, which somehow passed season one of The Wire in the queue while we were midway through (Shehrish "couldn't get into it"). I can't decide if Weeds is an acceptable show to waste thirty minutes of life on or if it's completely embarassing to admit that I watch it. It kind of reminds me of The OC, the only real difference being Weeds takes advantage of the freedom of being on Showtime to throw gratuitous vulgarity at you. FIve episodes in, still can't decide whether to continue or not. The line-up at night has been pretty thin since Kardashians has concluded.

*I haven't forgotten my manners, mom; people here freely say 'shit', 'oh shit' etc. 'Crap' is worse than 'shit' in terms of crudeness. It's taken me months to stop correcting the kids; everyone still says it. When in Rome..