I was finally able to toy around with the formatting of this blog, something I couldn't do in Nepal due to slow internet. I think I'm happy with the new format but am still undecided. Let me know what you think. I would like it to look a bit more polished but my internet skills are sadly lacking.
It's been about a week since I've been back in the States and I'm finally starting to feel normal. I've found that adjusting back to a completely different time zone has been rough and for whatever reason more difficult than it was for me to acclimate in Nepal. I've been able to sleep at normal hours but my sleep patterns are erratic; I'll go through phases in the night where I sleep HEAVY and wake up almost unable to move and I also have been randomly waking up completely alert at all hours in the night. It's been better the past couple of evenings and I hope that it balances itself out soon. My dreams have all been Nepal oriented, so springing awake to be in America has left me confused on more than one occasion.
The only aspect of American life that I have found particularly challenging to readjust to is the food. Let's just say that American food is...different (I'm trying to be as diplomatic as possible). I've been out to eat a couple of times at restaurants with American menus and have slowly realized how limited my options are as a vegetarian. I knew before coming back that I wouldn't have that much diversity to choose from in restaurants but I didn't think it would be THIS limiting. The only vegetarian items I've seen have been unhealthy appetizers such as mozzarella sticks, potato skins and hush puppies, salads and the ubiquitous 'veggie burger' which I've discovered is the token meat-free item prominently displayed on every menu in a little section toward the bottom. I've eaten three different veggie burgers in the last week and while I don't mind them, they certainly do pale in comparison to the cuisine I had grown accustomed to in Nepal. I don't even really like ketchup but it's essential to liven up the blandness of these veggie patties. My mouth has also been feeling strange since I've been back which I think is because I haven't been eating any masala. My tastebuds are raised and I feel like they're crying out for more flavor. I couldn't take it anymore yesterday and fired up some wai wai for lunch, the Nepali equivalant of Ramen noodles. The familiar smells made me salivate as the noodles cooked in the microwave and the first forkful of piping hot noodies was heavenly. I don't consider myself one of those foodie people and am surprised to be missing the food as much as I have been.
I had been jogging around 25 minutes in Nepal every day for several months and would usually stop from being unable to breathe properly toward the end of a run. I have ran every day since being back in the USA and have been amazed with the lengths and speed of my runs. My furthest jaunt this week was a 10K through my neighborhood that I ran at a 7:50 mile pace. Breathing clean air has really allowed me to push the envelope and I don't think I've reached my limit yet. The terrain of North Carolina is brutal in comparison and all areas have steep, leg burning hills but I feel like my legs are adjusting and getting stronger. When I blogged about New Year's resolutions I thought that the half marathon was the loftiest of the three but feel that it's well within reach. I was stunned to discover that I am now skinnier than my father and have also been hitting the weights at the YMCA to avoid withering away. I checked my weight for the first time in over a year and am sitting pretty at 162 pounds (about 73 kg for my metric system fans). I usually wouldn't make mention of such a thing in a public forum but decided to post it to keep myself honest and because part of me still fears that I'll grow weary of being vegetarian and revert back to eating anything. I hope to actually gain some weight in the form of muscle so let's hope the number grows (slightly).
Getting back into the sports culture has been both fun and annoying. My soccer schedule has flip flopped due to the time differences and I'm back to afternoon Champions League and early morning English Premier League matches. The coverage of soccer has become more 'Americanized' since I left with the graphics and commentating and I actually really like it. I had somewhat trained my brain to the British terminology but now can enjoy it even more because I don't have to stop and decipher any of the commentary. My sincerest apologies to anybody that took my advice and bet Barcelona -153. I usually only publish picks when I feel that they're absolute locks to avoid looking stupid and was as surprised as anybody to watch Chelsea escape with a 1-0 victory in one of the strangest matches I have ever seen. Barcelona held something 80% possession and the only real Chelsea shot I remember was the Drogba goal. Barca wins that match probaly 96 times out of 100 so I stand by the pick. It feels blasphemous to trash my own team but Barcelona is of a different breed. The current line for the second leg is Barcelona -384, not quite as sexy. Moral of the story as always, don't gamble.
The NBA hasn't been as great as lots of stars are resting or injured and the quality of play has been spotty but I have LOVED being able to watch teams other than the Knicks. Quick thoughts: Miami wins the East and the title (sorry Chicago), can't decide on the West but leaning toward OKC, Joakim Noah has amazingly gotten uglier, I'm the only remaining Carmelo defender in the world, LBJ wins MVP, Dwight Howard sucks, Chris Paul is even nastier and better than I remember him being and Russell Westbrook is my new favorite player.
Hope everybody back in Nepal is doing well, I miss you all but I miss your food more!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Flight Back & Observations About America
I returned to America yesterday and finally feel equipped to write more than a sentence. I attempted to write last night but gave up after about three words due to jet lag. I couldn't even watch basketball last night, the speed of the game made me nauseous. The thirteen hour stretch of my journey almost killed me I'm still really feeling the effects of a different time zone and probably only have brain function at about 70% so please excuse me if my writing is shoddier than usual.
I said my goodbyes to Shehrish and friends at the Kathmandu airport around 4:30 and waited for my flight to Dubai to board. My itinerary indicated that I would be fed on this stretch but it didn't tell me that I would have to pay for it in rupees or dihrams, the UAE currency. I had exchanged all of my rupees and obviously didn't have UAE dihrams so I went hungry. I landed in Dubai five hours later where it was about 10:00 at night. Dubai is part of the UAE and has a robust economy grounded in oil monies. The skyline looks like it was constructed to look as cool and futuristic as possible, having the largest tower in the world (worth a look) amid other architectural spectacles. My new goal in life is to make enough money so that I can live in the magical playland of Dubai. The airport itself was an aesthetic marvel and I seriously would have delayed my flight to explore it further if given the option. I successfully navigated its complex system that reminded me of the scene in Revenge of the Sith where Yoda fights Darth Sidious in the senate hall and checked in with my airline, Emirates. Every part of the airport felt filthy rich including the moving walkways, bathrooms and water fountains. The terminal had a champagne and caviar restaurant that looked as ritzy as any place I have ever been to in the USA. Even the duty free shops were dripping with extravagance, boasting bottles of cognac and liquor with price tags between $15000-25000 USD. Around 2:30, my Emirates flight to New York boarded and I was dismayed to discover I was stuck in the middle seat right next to one of the bathrooms, never a good place to be on a long flight where you get three meals. My seat was 20J and I stupidly assumed the rows of seating were 3-3-3-3, which would have had me in the aisle. The actual formation was 3-5-3 and I was sandwiched between a woman with a jersey accent and a rotund man who reeked of booze and never stirred for the entire thirteen hours. I've never flown such a distance and will never do it again. Thirteen hours is way too long to be flying and I still feel jet lagged to the core. The flight trajectory was a slingshot over the northern hemisphere but I never could see anything. I was unable to get much sleep and made my return to American soil in New York as a walking zombie. I don't really remember any of the customs/immigration hassle except that it was long and I got lost in the airport. After a final layover, I boarded my final flight to Charlotte, got picked up and drove back to Winston.
Commentary On American Stuff That I Never Realized Or Thought About:
Size: Everything is bigger: cars, roads, fruits, people, beers, portions, toilets etc. I ordered a salad at some place on the way back and it was as large as a salad serving bowl. We went out to eat last night and I was shocked as to how big the portions were; no wonder people are huge and America battles obesity. I went running yesterday and felt like I was running through a vibrant green meadow; Americans have big lawns! My toilet feels like a throne. The size of everything is magnified after being in a country where most things are small.
HDTV/TV in General: I watched Bayern Munich and Real Madrid play this afternoon and could see three times more of the pitch than what I had gotten used to. Also got used to standard definition; returning to HD picture is amazing. Should just be in the previous paragraph, oops. Told you my brain is still recovering.
Internet Speed: Nepal internet was like dial-up speed, so bloody fast here.
Beds: My bed is so much bigger and softer than what I remember it being. I struggled sleeping last night because it was so comfortable, a bizarre thing to say but completely true. I miss the hardness of my Nepali bed.
Air: So clean, even though it's springtime and spring season is brutal in North Carolina with my allergies. I can take a pill to neutralize allergens; I couldn't take pills to avoid smoggy, dusty air. I could have run for hours today if not for the heat, already mid to high 80's (30-32 C).
Frivolous Stuff: Perhaps I was just exhausted but I found the SkyMall catalog thoroughly amusing after a year in a much more pragmatic culture. Life size lawn yetis for $1500, how fun! Bedbug-thwarting sleeping cocoon to prevent bedbug bites while at hotels, only $80! A Koozy Kaddy, raised drink holder for $35 so you don't have to bend down and reach into your cooler! And my favorite, an inflatable 120" movie screen complete with gas powered blowers, stakes and tethers for $250! A bit unfair to present the SkyMall catalog as the norm but us Americans do have a fondness for useless crap.
I haven't really done anything outside the house besides going out to dinner last night and jogging this morning but will write more if I'm struck by anything else. I already miss Shehrish and Nepal but am enjoying being back home and seeing the differences that I never noticed or thought about. Contact me if you want to meet up, I'll be in Winston for a bit.
I said my goodbyes to Shehrish and friends at the Kathmandu airport around 4:30 and waited for my flight to Dubai to board. My itinerary indicated that I would be fed on this stretch but it didn't tell me that I would have to pay for it in rupees or dihrams, the UAE currency. I had exchanged all of my rupees and obviously didn't have UAE dihrams so I went hungry. I landed in Dubai five hours later where it was about 10:00 at night. Dubai is part of the UAE and has a robust economy grounded in oil monies. The skyline looks like it was constructed to look as cool and futuristic as possible, having the largest tower in the world (worth a look) amid other architectural spectacles. My new goal in life is to make enough money so that I can live in the magical playland of Dubai. The airport itself was an aesthetic marvel and I seriously would have delayed my flight to explore it further if given the option. I successfully navigated its complex system that reminded me of the scene in Revenge of the Sith where Yoda fights Darth Sidious in the senate hall and checked in with my airline, Emirates. Every part of the airport felt filthy rich including the moving walkways, bathrooms and water fountains. The terminal had a champagne and caviar restaurant that looked as ritzy as any place I have ever been to in the USA. Even the duty free shops were dripping with extravagance, boasting bottles of cognac and liquor with price tags between $15000-25000 USD. Around 2:30, my Emirates flight to New York boarded and I was dismayed to discover I was stuck in the middle seat right next to one of the bathrooms, never a good place to be on a long flight where you get three meals. My seat was 20J and I stupidly assumed the rows of seating were 3-3-3-3, which would have had me in the aisle. The actual formation was 3-5-3 and I was sandwiched between a woman with a jersey accent and a rotund man who reeked of booze and never stirred for the entire thirteen hours. I've never flown such a distance and will never do it again. Thirteen hours is way too long to be flying and I still feel jet lagged to the core. The flight trajectory was a slingshot over the northern hemisphere but I never could see anything. I was unable to get much sleep and made my return to American soil in New York as a walking zombie. I don't really remember any of the customs/immigration hassle except that it was long and I got lost in the airport. After a final layover, I boarded my final flight to Charlotte, got picked up and drove back to Winston.
Commentary On American Stuff That I Never Realized Or Thought About:
Size: Everything is bigger: cars, roads, fruits, people, beers, portions, toilets etc. I ordered a salad at some place on the way back and it was as large as a salad serving bowl. We went out to eat last night and I was shocked as to how big the portions were; no wonder people are huge and America battles obesity. I went running yesterday and felt like I was running through a vibrant green meadow; Americans have big lawns! My toilet feels like a throne. The size of everything is magnified after being in a country where most things are small.
HDTV/TV in General: I watched Bayern Munich and Real Madrid play this afternoon and could see three times more of the pitch than what I had gotten used to. Also got used to standard definition; returning to HD picture is amazing. Should just be in the previous paragraph, oops. Told you my brain is still recovering.
Internet Speed: Nepal internet was like dial-up speed, so bloody fast here.
Beds: My bed is so much bigger and softer than what I remember it being. I struggled sleeping last night because it was so comfortable, a bizarre thing to say but completely true. I miss the hardness of my Nepali bed.
Air: So clean, even though it's springtime and spring season is brutal in North Carolina with my allergies. I can take a pill to neutralize allergens; I couldn't take pills to avoid smoggy, dusty air. I could have run for hours today if not for the heat, already mid to high 80's (30-32 C).
Frivolous Stuff: Perhaps I was just exhausted but I found the SkyMall catalog thoroughly amusing after a year in a much more pragmatic culture. Life size lawn yetis for $1500, how fun! Bedbug-thwarting sleeping cocoon to prevent bedbug bites while at hotels, only $80! A Koozy Kaddy, raised drink holder for $35 so you don't have to bend down and reach into your cooler! And my favorite, an inflatable 120" movie screen complete with gas powered blowers, stakes and tethers for $250! A bit unfair to present the SkyMall catalog as the norm but us Americans do have a fondness for useless crap.
I haven't really done anything outside the house besides going out to dinner last night and jogging this morning but will write more if I'm struck by anything else. I already miss Shehrish and Nepal but am enjoying being back home and seeing the differences that I never noticed or thought about. Contact me if you want to meet up, I'll be in Winston for a bit.
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