2011 was probably the most interesting year of my life, immersing myself into a completely foreign environment and adapting to a different type of lifestyle. Among the things I have learned...
Street Savviness: Spending my adolescence below the Mason-Dixon line instilled
the basic tenets of southern hospitality; I took cotillion classes, learned to foxtrot and waltz, started saying 'sir' and 'ma'am' to my elders and became generally polite to everyone to the point of being passive. Acting this way in Nepal will get you chewed up, spat out and broke faster than one can say 'namaste'. I've learned to be assertive and headstrong and don't accept rudeness from people anymore. I will cross the street without waiting for cars to slow down (playing lots of Frogger as a youth has paid off), aggressively haggle with cab drivers and merchants and have learned how to handle rude people. I used to allow the bank and immigration people to speak in their brusque, vulgar manner but have learned that almost everybody will become timid and withdrawn if you fire back at them. I previously blogged about some teenagers 'siccing' a pit bull on me as I ran past; the next day, I walked up to the leader of the pack and silently stared into his face without emotion until he apologized. There's a small chance that my newfound courage will lead to me being mugged and shanked but I've learned that it's the only way to be.
Eating with Hands: Lots of Nepali people eat their meals sans cutlery, preferring to eat foods such as rice with their hand. Having large fingers made this a difficult skill to master, but I am now fairly adept with eating meals by hand. The trick is the scooping motion from hand to mouth. I still prefer to eat with forks and knives though, as curries will stain your fingernails.
Multi-Tasking: Women often complain that men are incapable of doing multiple things simultaneously and I used to easily fall into this stereotype, but teaching a room full of 7-8 years for the past several months has empowered me with multi-tasking skills that I used to think were impossible. I can handle a disagreement, teach a new subject, prepare a lesson plan and check papers all at once without blinking an eye.
How to Stay Warm: Long Johns, a new scarf and hot-water bags have proven to be essential commodities to wintertime survival. I recently have been spending more time outside in the blazing winter sun, thinking that absorbing some rays and getting some pinkness would keep me warmer at night, but found that getting sunburnt only led to shivering chilliness. Spicy food offers temporary reprieve but not as much as you would think. I always weigh the pros and cons of showering at night, as the five minutes of intense warmth are heavenly but not worth the limb-chattering coldness that sets in as soon as the water turns off. Getting into bed and clutching my fancy hot-water bag has become one of the highlights of my day.
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After a fairly complex ordeal at the Indian embassy with an extremely rude secretary who refused to answer my questions, I now possess the coveted Indian visa and am flying to Delhi with Shehrish on the 14th of January. Americans and Russians have to pay twice as much as any other countries to go to India but whatever. Planned excursions include everything worthwhile in Delhi, visiting Rajasthan and possibly Agra, site of the Taj Mahal. The latter is out of the way and will be costly, but I'm leaning toward making it happen as it's the bloody Taj Mahal and I'll likely never get a chance to see it again. I am really looking forward to the food, as I trend toward more Indian dishes than Nepali and I have been told that the biryani in Delhi is fantastic. Contact me if you have any suggestions as to what to do in and around Delhi.
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New Year's Goals:
I prefer to make goals as opposed to resolutions as they're more attainable. For example, I could resolve to be more organized and less slobbish but I'd likely fail, as altering behavior can be difficult. So my goals for 2012 include (going from easiest to hardest):
Reading at least 50 books: I estimate that I read about 35-40 books last year but still waste a lot of time at night during the week feeling my brain atrophy by watching shows like Housewives of NJ and Kardashians when I could be reading instead. Setting the bar at 50 would be an improvement and is attainable with minimal effort. I made an organized list last June of things I wanted to read, and the next 10 up are..:
Ajax, the Dutch & the War by Simon Kuper
Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Persig
In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
The Evolution of God by Robert Wright
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Shaq Uncut by Shaquille O'Neal
The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
...all of which I would recommend from having read previous stuff by most of the authors.
Running a Half Marathon: A preemptive effort to mitigate the inevitable weight gain upon returning to the land of obesity and cheap, unhealthy food. Setting a running goal is daunting as I usually just jog for around a half hour but I have recently been extending my lengths and made it a good 50 minutes this morning before calling it a day. It's only 21 km; I prefer thinking of distance in metric terms as I grew up dreading having to 'run the mile' in PE class. I don't care about speed, I just want to finish it. This goal is less likely to happen than reading 50 books, but more likely than...
Learning to Cook (some stuff): From living alone in an apartment, I tried some things out but my cooking prowess is pretty much limited to boiling pasta for the proper length and microwaving the accompanying sauce, perhaps chopping up some onions and garlic to give it some panache. Every other cooking endeavor I underwent was mediocre to disastrous in quality. I don't think I'll go back to eating meat and really enjoy the foods I eat in Nepal, which means that I'll have to learn to cook them. Rice is easy enough with a rice cooker and I'm going to set the bar low by making it a goal to cook dal (lentils), tofu, vegetables and paneer the way l like it. It will be trial and error and I'll likely have to stomach some horrible results but am looking forward to trying. Real men can cook.
Publishing unedited due to lack of power, please excuse poor grammar this time. Happy 2012!
Friday, December 30, 2011
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Christmas in Nepal
*I'm completely free until January 2nd when I start working at a winter camp, so expect a lot of lengthy posts. I'm getting some of my older blogs published in a Nepali newspaper starting in January and will link them when they get published*
Merry Christmas to one and all. John Dewey (my school) had a staff picnic in Dolalghat on December 23rd. The plan was to leave by 7:00 am so I had to get to school before then. Of course, the bus needed petrol and the pumps don't open until 8:00 so we ended up leaving around 8:40, hooray for Nepali time. After a two hour bus ride we arrived and set up our picnic area on the bank of a river. Breakfast consisted of aloo dum and buttered bread and afterwards we moved onto playing cards. My winning streak in marriage unfortunately came to an end but I only lost around Rs. 200. Lunch consisted of rice, roasted pork for the carnivores, paneer and the hottest mushroom chilly I have ever had. I can handle spiciness really well nowadays, but this level of heat nearly caused me to vomit. Our presence brought an array of scavengers looking for scraps of food, including children, dogs, cows and pigs. I threw a scrap of pork to a pig to see if it would it eat it and it did. Who knew that pigs could be cannibals? The day was a lot of fun despite my getting really sunburnt and was a nice way to unwind after a heavy couple of weeks of teaching.
Shehrish's family threw a birthday party for Uzir on December 24th which became my makeshift Christmas celebration. Shehrish's mom even made gammon (a rich ham) with cranberry sauce, similar to the pork tenderloin that my mother makes annually during Christmas. I even tried a small piece of it, having meat for the first time since this summer when I ate lungs to show my parents that it wouldn't make them gag. The meat tasted the same to me and gave me no digestive problems. I'm considering going back to eating meat as in America being a vegetarian will be extremely difficult and not nearly as flavorful compared to the veg options in Nepal. At one point in the evening somebody's iPhone was synced to a British radio station and I got to hear all of the Christmas music that I had been missing out on. December 25th was a bit lacking in terms of a traditional Christmas day. It was nice and sunny and I was active this year, going running and doing p90X yoga, the complete opposite of my usual Christmas day which consists of sitting on the couch eating cookies and alternating between Bailey's and wine. We did go out to dinner with friends and had a big feast of momos, biryani and paneer chilly. It was certainly a different Christmas being away from family and festivities but fun nonetheless. I was even treated to live NBA action for the first time since being here, watching the Knicks-Celtics game which started around 11:00 pm here.
My gift haul this year was purely utilitarian. I requested and received a fancy 'hot water bag' through our secret Santa exchange at school, tripling the warmth of my sleeping conditions and enabling me to fall asleep cuddling a felt-sheathed bag of boiling water for the rest of the winter. One of my students got me a new backpack, as she thought my old one was "not so nice". Another student got me a new coffee mug with my pictures on it, including the photo where I am with tikka on my forehead and looking completely awkward (on Facebook). Nisha got me my first scarf since I was a child so I no longer have to borrow one of my student's pink princess ones. The only things I missed out on this year was my annual re-up of toiletries that Santa leaves me in my stocking, including razor blades, aftershave, dental floss, deodorant and cologne. I guess Santa doesn't visit the valley and I'll have to make a trip to Bhat Bhateni.
I hope that everyone enjoys the rest of their holidays and makes the most out of 2012!
Merry Christmas to one and all. John Dewey (my school) had a staff picnic in Dolalghat on December 23rd. The plan was to leave by 7:00 am so I had to get to school before then. Of course, the bus needed petrol and the pumps don't open until 8:00 so we ended up leaving around 8:40, hooray for Nepali time. After a two hour bus ride we arrived and set up our picnic area on the bank of a river. Breakfast consisted of aloo dum and buttered bread and afterwards we moved onto playing cards. My winning streak in marriage unfortunately came to an end but I only lost around Rs. 200. Lunch consisted of rice, roasted pork for the carnivores, paneer and the hottest mushroom chilly I have ever had. I can handle spiciness really well nowadays, but this level of heat nearly caused me to vomit. Our presence brought an array of scavengers looking for scraps of food, including children, dogs, cows and pigs. I threw a scrap of pork to a pig to see if it would it eat it and it did. Who knew that pigs could be cannibals? The day was a lot of fun despite my getting really sunburnt and was a nice way to unwind after a heavy couple of weeks of teaching.
Shehrish's family threw a birthday party for Uzir on December 24th which became my makeshift Christmas celebration. Shehrish's mom even made gammon (a rich ham) with cranberry sauce, similar to the pork tenderloin that my mother makes annually during Christmas. I even tried a small piece of it, having meat for the first time since this summer when I ate lungs to show my parents that it wouldn't make them gag. The meat tasted the same to me and gave me no digestive problems. I'm considering going back to eating meat as in America being a vegetarian will be extremely difficult and not nearly as flavorful compared to the veg options in Nepal. At one point in the evening somebody's iPhone was synced to a British radio station and I got to hear all of the Christmas music that I had been missing out on. December 25th was a bit lacking in terms of a traditional Christmas day. It was nice and sunny and I was active this year, going running and doing p90X yoga, the complete opposite of my usual Christmas day which consists of sitting on the couch eating cookies and alternating between Bailey's and wine. We did go out to dinner with friends and had a big feast of momos, biryani and paneer chilly. It was certainly a different Christmas being away from family and festivities but fun nonetheless. I was even treated to live NBA action for the first time since being here, watching the Knicks-Celtics game which started around 11:00 pm here.
My gift haul this year was purely utilitarian. I requested and received a fancy 'hot water bag' through our secret Santa exchange at school, tripling the warmth of my sleeping conditions and enabling me to fall asleep cuddling a felt-sheathed bag of boiling water for the rest of the winter. One of my students got me a new backpack, as she thought my old one was "not so nice". Another student got me a new coffee mug with my pictures on it, including the photo where I am with tikka on my forehead and looking completely awkward (on Facebook). Nisha got me my first scarf since I was a child so I no longer have to borrow one of my student's pink princess ones. The only things I missed out on this year was my annual re-up of toiletries that Santa leaves me in my stocking, including razor blades, aftershave, dental floss, deodorant and cologne. I guess Santa doesn't visit the valley and I'll have to make a trip to Bhat Bhateni.
I hope that everyone enjoys the rest of their holidays and makes the most out of 2012!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
'Tis the Season
Bullet point blog, too early for coherent writing:
-The Christmas season is upon us but the lack of decoration and activities makes the holiday feel empty for me. I see a tree here and there at the touristy spots but nothing more. My classroom, however, has been thoroughly decorated with lights, multicolored tissue paper snowflakes, a tree, Santa and Jesus drawings and hundreds of Stars of David (inadvertent Hanukkah tribute) which creates a convoluted festive environment for me. The biggest thing missing is the absence of the music. The only Christmas song I've heard so far is an off-key version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" sung repetitively by my children as they've been learning it in music class. I am currently downloading all of my favorites as the season feels too weird without any Christmas music. I would have laughed in your face If you had told me that I would miss Christmas music when I left in March, but I do. I hereby renounce my recent Scrooge-like attitude toward the holiday; I want my candy canes, commercialism and Christmas parties back. And the NBA games.
-I'm also missing out my annual viewing of Holiday movies: Home Alone, It's a Wonderful Life, The Grinch (obviously the cartoon and not the horrific Jim Carrey one) and my favorite, Christmas Vacation. I've looked for them at the shops but there must not be a demand for the mafias to bootleg Christmas movies. I'm having to settle for Mission Impossible 4 which I'm none too pleased about.
-Explaining Christmas to my children has been difficult. Grade two has been tasked with conducting a Christmas assembly and I am in charge of putting on a holiday program that touches on both the Jesus story and Santa Claus while downplaying the religious nature of the tale. In a previous blog, I mentioned that some of the parents hounded me with questions as to my motivations for being in Nepal, as they suspected I was a covert Christian missionary with the intention of indoctrinating their children, so I've had to be cautious in what I present to the kids. I've eliminated all but one reference to 'God's son', as the story cannot really be told without it and the kids know the basics of Christian faith.
-While I've avoided the toughest question so far (Is Santa real?), Christmas has left me unable to properly answer some questions. While reading the Jesus story, I mentioned the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh given by the wise men. "What is myrrh, Kyle sir?" I told the child it was some sort of oil, which was kind of a guess. "Why did Jesus want oil?" I said back then it was used to make stuff. "But why would a baby want oil?" I said it was for Mary and Joseph and it was valuable. "Is Jesus God's son or Joseph's son?" I said God's. "But then why was Joseph there?" Because Joseph was Mary's husband. "So was Joseph mad that his wife didn't have his baby?" No, he was fine with it because it was God's wish. "How did God get Mary pregnant from heaven?" At a loss for words, I moved onto Santa.
-I tied the Santa aspect of the holiday by saying he brings gifts to good children, and that gift-giving is symbolic of celebrating Jesus' birth, etc. Some of my kids do celebrate the holiday with the stocking thing, and coincidentally, all of the kids who are 'good' in class get visited by Santa, whereas the 'naughty' ones don't. I told the children that celebrating Christmas is up to their parents, but they are convinced that Santa rewards the well-behaved children with gifts, which has led to better behavior from some of my naughty ones seeking Santa presents. I feel kind of bad knowing their efforts are all for naught but at least I have a quieter classroom.
-Be careful what you tell children; one of my girls asked me if I had Santa's phone number, as she wanted to tell him what to bring her. I was busy and nonchalantly told her to look it up on the internet, not thinking that in today's world that of course there would be phone numbers listed for Santa. She came in the next day and told me that she couldn't call him because it was an international number but had emailed a list of gifts to him with the assistance of her parents (which was then, of course, sent to her parents). Fortunately the parents didn't mind.
-The weather is reminiscent of winters in Illinois/Ohio, as it's cold all the time and there's no central heating. Illinois/Ohio weather is definitely colder, but the absence of heat gives the nod to Nepal in terms of overall coldness. My classroom is located on the top level of the building facing away from the sun and we spend our mornings seeing our breath inside and shivering away. I have been doing a lot of lessons on the outdoor terrace where at least we get sunlight. I always run after school and sometimes do P90x as well, but have been doing a lot more of the P90x program as afterwards I retain the feeling of warmth from exercising for a good hour or so. Kind of strange to internally feel warm but be literally steaming after a workout. The only negative part about losing substantial weight (sick brag!) is I'm without my excess insulating blubber, meaning I'm cold all of the time. At night, I sleep with a 'hot water bag' which provides me some coziness. I actually appreciate the cold in the morning as it forces you to get up and move around to get warm.
Happy Holidays to all, enjoy yourselves and don't get annoyed at the traffic, long lines, music etc. You would miss it if it wasn't there.
-The Christmas season is upon us but the lack of decoration and activities makes the holiday feel empty for me. I see a tree here and there at the touristy spots but nothing more. My classroom, however, has been thoroughly decorated with lights, multicolored tissue paper snowflakes, a tree, Santa and Jesus drawings and hundreds of Stars of David (inadvertent Hanukkah tribute) which creates a convoluted festive environment for me. The biggest thing missing is the absence of the music. The only Christmas song I've heard so far is an off-key version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" sung repetitively by my children as they've been learning it in music class. I am currently downloading all of my favorites as the season feels too weird without any Christmas music. I would have laughed in your face If you had told me that I would miss Christmas music when I left in March, but I do. I hereby renounce my recent Scrooge-like attitude toward the holiday; I want my candy canes, commercialism and Christmas parties back. And the NBA games.
-I'm also missing out my annual viewing of Holiday movies: Home Alone, It's a Wonderful Life, The Grinch (obviously the cartoon and not the horrific Jim Carrey one) and my favorite, Christmas Vacation. I've looked for them at the shops but there must not be a demand for the mafias to bootleg Christmas movies. I'm having to settle for Mission Impossible 4 which I'm none too pleased about.
-Explaining Christmas to my children has been difficult. Grade two has been tasked with conducting a Christmas assembly and I am in charge of putting on a holiday program that touches on both the Jesus story and Santa Claus while downplaying the religious nature of the tale. In a previous blog, I mentioned that some of the parents hounded me with questions as to my motivations for being in Nepal, as they suspected I was a covert Christian missionary with the intention of indoctrinating their children, so I've had to be cautious in what I present to the kids. I've eliminated all but one reference to 'God's son', as the story cannot really be told without it and the kids know the basics of Christian faith.
-While I've avoided the toughest question so far (Is Santa real?), Christmas has left me unable to properly answer some questions. While reading the Jesus story, I mentioned the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh given by the wise men. "What is myrrh, Kyle sir?" I told the child it was some sort of oil, which was kind of a guess. "Why did Jesus want oil?" I said back then it was used to make stuff. "But why would a baby want oil?" I said it was for Mary and Joseph and it was valuable. "Is Jesus God's son or Joseph's son?" I said God's. "But then why was Joseph there?" Because Joseph was Mary's husband. "So was Joseph mad that his wife didn't have his baby?" No, he was fine with it because it was God's wish. "How did God get Mary pregnant from heaven?" At a loss for words, I moved onto Santa.
-I tied the Santa aspect of the holiday by saying he brings gifts to good children, and that gift-giving is symbolic of celebrating Jesus' birth, etc. Some of my kids do celebrate the holiday with the stocking thing, and coincidentally, all of the kids who are 'good' in class get visited by Santa, whereas the 'naughty' ones don't. I told the children that celebrating Christmas is up to their parents, but they are convinced that Santa rewards the well-behaved children with gifts, which has led to better behavior from some of my naughty ones seeking Santa presents. I feel kind of bad knowing their efforts are all for naught but at least I have a quieter classroom.
-Be careful what you tell children; one of my girls asked me if I had Santa's phone number, as she wanted to tell him what to bring her. I was busy and nonchalantly told her to look it up on the internet, not thinking that in today's world that of course there would be phone numbers listed for Santa. She came in the next day and told me that she couldn't call him because it was an international number but had emailed a list of gifts to him with the assistance of her parents (which was then, of course, sent to her parents). Fortunately the parents didn't mind.
-The weather is reminiscent of winters in Illinois/Ohio, as it's cold all the time and there's no central heating. Illinois/Ohio weather is definitely colder, but the absence of heat gives the nod to Nepal in terms of overall coldness. My classroom is located on the top level of the building facing away from the sun and we spend our mornings seeing our breath inside and shivering away. I have been doing a lot of lessons on the outdoor terrace where at least we get sunlight. I always run after school and sometimes do P90x as well, but have been doing a lot more of the P90x program as afterwards I retain the feeling of warmth from exercising for a good hour or so. Kind of strange to internally feel warm but be literally steaming after a workout. The only negative part about losing substantial weight (sick brag!) is I'm without my excess insulating blubber, meaning I'm cold all of the time. At night, I sleep with a 'hot water bag' which provides me some coziness. I actually appreciate the cold in the morning as it forces you to get up and move around to get warm.
Happy Holidays to all, enjoy yourselves and don't get annoyed at the traffic, long lines, music etc. You would miss it if it wasn't there.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Small World
I now have a better 'small world' encounter than you do, guaranteed.
I went out last night to Lazimpat to watch the Chelsea match and to later meet up with people in Thamel. A cab with passengers pulled up and the driver told me to get in. I have never 'shared' a cab before, but it was cold out and I had been waiting for some time already. While negotiating price, the couple in back (Americans) started asking me the routine questions until we got to where I am from. I'm not sure how to feel about the following exchange (which I swear on my dog's life happened verbatim):
Husband Guy: Where are you from?
Me: NC
HG: We used to live in Winston-Salem, but all of our family is in VA.
We then talk about Winston-Salem things for the next 5 minutes. I learn that they used to have a lake house near Roanoke.
Me: How strange, my family has a lake house near Roanoke.
HG: Smith Mountain Lake?
Me: ...yes, in Union Hall.
HG: What a small world! We vacationed there this summer! Have you eaten at Mexico Viejo (completely generic Mexican)?
Me: Yes, many times.
I ran into two Americans who used to live in Winston-Salem AND had a house on Smith Mountain Lake while in a cab in Kathmandu. I'm sure I came off weird to them because I was genuinely weirded out. While discussing Mexico Viejo, a small part of me thought I was going to be kidnapped or worse because seriously, what are odds of this scenario ever happening? I lied about living in Baluwatar, saying that I was only visiting a friend because I had no idea what was going on. They had only been in Nepal for a month but both spoke Nepali fluently. Both said they got language training before moving to Nepal for the guy's job. I joked about how utterly bizarre it was to run into them but they didn't seem at all rattled. If I go missing within the next few days, contact authorities and tell them that two white people have me, because this is either one of those bizarro 'small world' encounters or some calculated attempt to...abduct me or something? Given that I remain free, I assume that they are who they say they are, but I have been completely aware of my surroundings ever since. If they are out to get me, I'm sure they have access to my blog, so know that I'm on to your scheme!*
*The sheer impossibility of this encounter leaves me puzzled and creeped out; I'm partially writing this to protect myself, as I can't wrap my head around the strangeness of it.
I went out last night to Lazimpat to watch the Chelsea match and to later meet up with people in Thamel. A cab with passengers pulled up and the driver told me to get in. I have never 'shared' a cab before, but it was cold out and I had been waiting for some time already. While negotiating price, the couple in back (Americans) started asking me the routine questions until we got to where I am from. I'm not sure how to feel about the following exchange (which I swear on my dog's life happened verbatim):
Husband Guy: Where are you from?
Me: NC
HG: We used to live in Winston-Salem, but all of our family is in VA.
We then talk about Winston-Salem things for the next 5 minutes. I learn that they used to have a lake house near Roanoke.
Me: How strange, my family has a lake house near Roanoke.
HG: Smith Mountain Lake?
Me: ...yes, in Union Hall.
HG: What a small world! We vacationed there this summer! Have you eaten at Mexico Viejo (completely generic Mexican)?
Me: Yes, many times.
I ran into two Americans who used to live in Winston-Salem AND had a house on Smith Mountain Lake while in a cab in Kathmandu. I'm sure I came off weird to them because I was genuinely weirded out. While discussing Mexico Viejo, a small part of me thought I was going to be kidnapped or worse because seriously, what are odds of this scenario ever happening? I lied about living in Baluwatar, saying that I was only visiting a friend because I had no idea what was going on. They had only been in Nepal for a month but both spoke Nepali fluently. Both said they got language training before moving to Nepal for the guy's job. I joked about how utterly bizarre it was to run into them but they didn't seem at all rattled. If I go missing within the next few days, contact authorities and tell them that two white people have me, because this is either one of those bizarro 'small world' encounters or some calculated attempt to...abduct me or something? Given that I remain free, I assume that they are who they say they are, but I have been completely aware of my surroundings ever since. If they are out to get me, I'm sure they have access to my blog, so know that I'm on to your scheme!*
*The sheer impossibility of this encounter leaves me puzzled and creeped out; I'm partially writing this to protect myself, as I can't wrap my head around the strangeness of it.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Thanksgiving > Any Other Holiday
A belated Happy Thanksgiving to everybody that reads my blog. Thanksgiving is easily my favorite holiday and I dearly missed all of the traditions of being with family, eating, watching NFL and just hanging out all day. Mike's Breakfast, an American restaurant in Nepal, was offering a Thanksgiving array for Rs. 1600 a plate but I couldn't justify paying that much (over twice the price of the nicest entrees I've had in Nepal) for food from a restaurant whose enchiladas previously incapacitated me for a good two days. We ended up going out with Akriti and Nisha and ate pizza and tiramisu at an Italian restaurant in Thamel. Not the typical Thanksgiving but it still had all of the core elements of eating, drinking and hanging out with good people. The only dishes I really missed were stuffing and pecan pie. I hope that everyone had a good time.
In the spirit of being thankful, I've compiled a list of some of the things that I have been thankful for over the past eight months, aside from the obvious things which are not fun to write about.
Food Poisoning: Despite being relatively cautious with what I ate and drank for the first few weeks of being in Kathmandu, I developed a wicked stomach virus that I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. After two weeks of digestive misery, I came out of it about twenty pounds lighter, subsequently became a vegetarian, started exercising again and am now close to being in the best shape of my life. Forget all of those infomercials, quick fix remedies or actual hard work; buy a ticket to Kathmandu, snag some street food, wash it down with some contaminated tap water and wait for the storm to hit. No pain, no gain...
Facebook: Trust me, nothing has surprised me more than how reliant I have become on Facebook for communcation and an enjoyable way to keep up with the American public sphere through the postings of friends and acquaintances. The libs supply me to all of the best Huffington articles, the neocons plaster my newsfeed with Tea Party propaganda and anti-Obama Drudge links, the smart economist people share their stuff, the hipsters love sharing their recent finds via Stereogum links and the funny people do a good job of relaying quality Youtube clips and articles. I don't have to do any work to stay culturally attuned, so thank you to everybody (even the couples who choose to flirt publically back and forth) for keeping me entertained.
Clever Children: I always have wanted to have kids but have always been pretty neutral overall toward the youth until I started teaching them. They make me think differently and amuse me more than most adults do. I recently started to chastise an incorrigible student before realizing that he was drawing a DNA sequence and doing a better job of explaining it to his nieghbor than I would have been able to. How could you stay mad about that? Another time, a little first grade girl came up to me and sheepishly asked me why I was so white. I gave some explanation about being from a different country and she asked me if America was the land of the rickshaws, as she always sees white people riding in them and maybe we are so white because we are always in the shade while travelling. Kids are awesome, and they have given me a renewed sense of hope for humanity in a world that is filled with greed and evil.
Mario Balotelli:
I love sports and have always been amused by people that set themselves apart through sheer flamboyancy. The role of Crazy American Athlete has become played out (see: Chad Ochocinco and TO) and nobody can ever really top Mike Tyson, but to me, the continuing antics of Super Mario have put him on a different plane of pure insanity. If you find soccer boring, read some of the following links. From trying to break into a women's prison to nearly blowing up his own home to cavorting with the mafia, Mr. Balotelli consistently outdoes himself and keeps me entertained in a year where my favorite team is utter shite. Do your own Google search, I probably left out better stories. He also sometimes plays crazy good football and was partially responsible for the most enjoyable football experience of my life, watching a sea of Man United fans in complete shock after getting trounced 6-1 by Mario's team, Man City.
Happy Holidays, y'all
In the spirit of being thankful, I've compiled a list of some of the things that I have been thankful for over the past eight months, aside from the obvious things which are not fun to write about.
Food Poisoning: Despite being relatively cautious with what I ate and drank for the first few weeks of being in Kathmandu, I developed a wicked stomach virus that I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. After two weeks of digestive misery, I came out of it about twenty pounds lighter, subsequently became a vegetarian, started exercising again and am now close to being in the best shape of my life. Forget all of those infomercials, quick fix remedies or actual hard work; buy a ticket to Kathmandu, snag some street food, wash it down with some contaminated tap water and wait for the storm to hit. No pain, no gain...
Facebook: Trust me, nothing has surprised me more than how reliant I have become on Facebook for communcation and an enjoyable way to keep up with the American public sphere through the postings of friends and acquaintances. The libs supply me to all of the best Huffington articles, the neocons plaster my newsfeed with Tea Party propaganda and anti-Obama Drudge links, the smart economist people share their stuff, the hipsters love sharing their recent finds via Stereogum links and the funny people do a good job of relaying quality Youtube clips and articles. I don't have to do any work to stay culturally attuned, so thank you to everybody (even the couples who choose to flirt publically back and forth) for keeping me entertained.
Clever Children: I always have wanted to have kids but have always been pretty neutral overall toward the youth until I started teaching them. They make me think differently and amuse me more than most adults do. I recently started to chastise an incorrigible student before realizing that he was drawing a DNA sequence and doing a better job of explaining it to his nieghbor than I would have been able to. How could you stay mad about that? Another time, a little first grade girl came up to me and sheepishly asked me why I was so white. I gave some explanation about being from a different country and she asked me if America was the land of the rickshaws, as she always sees white people riding in them and maybe we are so white because we are always in the shade while travelling. Kids are awesome, and they have given me a renewed sense of hope for humanity in a world that is filled with greed and evil.
Mario Balotelli:
I love sports and have always been amused by people that set themselves apart through sheer flamboyancy. The role of Crazy American Athlete has become played out (see: Chad Ochocinco and TO) and nobody can ever really top Mike Tyson, but to me, the continuing antics of Super Mario have put him on a different plane of pure insanity. If you find soccer boring, read some of the following links. From trying to break into a women's prison to nearly blowing up his own home to cavorting with the mafia, Mr. Balotelli consistently outdoes himself and keeps me entertained in a year where my favorite team is utter shite. Do your own Google search, I probably left out better stories. He also sometimes plays crazy good football and was partially responsible for the most enjoyable football experience of my life, watching a sea of Man United fans in complete shock after getting trounced 6-1 by Mario's team, Man City.
Happy Holidays, y'all
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Hooligans, Solar System, Culture and Sweater Jackets
I had a Saturday training yesterday that gave me time to jot down some things to blog about...
-I retract my previous remarks about the overall misery of Nepali winters. The fog has passed and today is bright and sunny. I went for an extended run and walked for about thirty minutes afterwards to soak up the sunlight. I'm told that the fog will be backsoon though..
-The drop in temperature seems to have brought out the amateur badmintoners from hibernation, as I now have to dodge several pairs of players haphazardly swinging rackets to whack a shuttlecock back and forth in the streets. Along with the badminton, my current list of daily obstacles includes stray dogs, cows, feces, pot holes with and without water, trash, fires, old people, cars, motorbikes and hooligans. Aside from nearly being creamed by a truck who failed to give the obligatory 'approaching honk', all of the other obstacles have been manageable, save the hooligans.
-A group of kids probably around 16-20 like to hang out near one of the shops that I run past. For awhile, they would just point, say things etc. Then it was sending guys out in the road to get in my way. Annoying, but whatever, Recently, I saw the presumed leader holding a pit bull mixed dog that I often run past. As I reached the group, the kid 'sicced' the beast at me and it came within inches of tearing off my ankle. This gave the bunch quite the laugh and nearly gave me a heart attack. I was only halfway through the run and would have to pass the group two more times in order to finish. The next time around, there were more people in the road, so they only had the dog bare his teeth at me. I was enraged but unwilling to stop running the route, so I had to think of a plan of action for the final pass. To feign toughness, I walked up to the group and simply stood in front of them, expressionless, while internally praying that they weren't going to jump me or worse. I stared at the leader for 20-30 seconds until he had wiped the stupid grin off of his face and walked away. I haven't had problems since but always make it a point to stare at the group as I jog by, hopefully to remind them of my 'toughness' and to thwart any shenanigans that they may be planning.
-In science, the class is learning about the solar system, and while prepapring a Powerpoint I was reminded of Pluto's demotion to a lowly dwarf planet a few years back. I remember being anti-Pluto when it was initally reclassified, but found an eight planet solar system to be missing something. I propose that some other object be promoted to planet status in order to fill the gap, ideally something that starts with a 'P' to go along with the childhood acronym. I threw in a slide mentioning Pluto as a former planet with a picture of the Disney dog on it because it bothered me so much to only have eight planets.
-Aside from my enjoyment of anything Kardashian, being away from American pop culture news has been so liberating. I am completely out of touch with anything E! news related, aside from extensive coverage of Amy Winehouse's death and Justin Beiber allegedly knocking up a fan. The lack of news is replaced with heavy Bollywood coverage which I can just ignore because I don't know anything about it. A quick browse of TMZ has informed me that Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore split and Paris Hilton's brother smashed into parked cars; oh no, I'm getting sucked in again!!...
-Along with no American pop culture to deal with, I've also thoroughly enjoyed being out of the political loop and have decided that anybody who wastes their free time following the back and forth politcal banter is completely out of touch and needs to pursue a diffrerent hobby. Knowing issues and having opinions is one thing; watching/follwing ANY source of 'he said, she said gotcha' news is unhealthy and fruitless. Some of it is unavoidable and the Rick Perry gaffe was good, but nothing can ever top Howard Dean
-Ever since coming to Nepal and visiting Thamel, I have been transfixed by the endless array of what I call Icelandic yak wool sweater jackets. I held off on buying one in the summer months, but when the temperature dropped I went to Thamel to get one; much to my dismay, wearing yak wool feels like shoving both of your arms into massive ant hills. I can get it lined, but the lining would cost more than the jacket itself. They're so goregous that I think I'm still going to buy one and represent myself as a Euro to see if I get stared at any differently.
SImilar to this, but better.
-I retract my previous remarks about the overall misery of Nepali winters. The fog has passed and today is bright and sunny. I went for an extended run and walked for about thirty minutes afterwards to soak up the sunlight. I'm told that the fog will be backsoon though..
-The drop in temperature seems to have brought out the amateur badmintoners from hibernation, as I now have to dodge several pairs of players haphazardly swinging rackets to whack a shuttlecock back and forth in the streets. Along with the badminton, my current list of daily obstacles includes stray dogs, cows, feces, pot holes with and without water, trash, fires, old people, cars, motorbikes and hooligans. Aside from nearly being creamed by a truck who failed to give the obligatory 'approaching honk', all of the other obstacles have been manageable, save the hooligans.
-A group of kids probably around 16-20 like to hang out near one of the shops that I run past. For awhile, they would just point, say things etc. Then it was sending guys out in the road to get in my way. Annoying, but whatever, Recently, I saw the presumed leader holding a pit bull mixed dog that I often run past. As I reached the group, the kid 'sicced' the beast at me and it came within inches of tearing off my ankle. This gave the bunch quite the laugh and nearly gave me a heart attack. I was only halfway through the run and would have to pass the group two more times in order to finish. The next time around, there were more people in the road, so they only had the dog bare his teeth at me. I was enraged but unwilling to stop running the route, so I had to think of a plan of action for the final pass. To feign toughness, I walked up to the group and simply stood in front of them, expressionless, while internally praying that they weren't going to jump me or worse. I stared at the leader for 20-30 seconds until he had wiped the stupid grin off of his face and walked away. I haven't had problems since but always make it a point to stare at the group as I jog by, hopefully to remind them of my 'toughness' and to thwart any shenanigans that they may be planning.
-In science, the class is learning about the solar system, and while prepapring a Powerpoint I was reminded of Pluto's demotion to a lowly dwarf planet a few years back. I remember being anti-Pluto when it was initally reclassified, but found an eight planet solar system to be missing something. I propose that some other object be promoted to planet status in order to fill the gap, ideally something that starts with a 'P' to go along with the childhood acronym. I threw in a slide mentioning Pluto as a former planet with a picture of the Disney dog on it because it bothered me so much to only have eight planets.
-Aside from my enjoyment of anything Kardashian, being away from American pop culture news has been so liberating. I am completely out of touch with anything E! news related, aside from extensive coverage of Amy Winehouse's death and Justin Beiber allegedly knocking up a fan. The lack of news is replaced with heavy Bollywood coverage which I can just ignore because I don't know anything about it. A quick browse of TMZ has informed me that Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore split and Paris Hilton's brother smashed into parked cars; oh no, I'm getting sucked in again!!...
-Along with no American pop culture to deal with, I've also thoroughly enjoyed being out of the political loop and have decided that anybody who wastes their free time following the back and forth politcal banter is completely out of touch and needs to pursue a diffrerent hobby. Knowing issues and having opinions is one thing; watching/follwing ANY source of 'he said, she said gotcha' news is unhealthy and fruitless. Some of it is unavoidable and the Rick Perry gaffe was good, but nothing can ever top Howard Dean
-Ever since coming to Nepal and visiting Thamel, I have been transfixed by the endless array of what I call Icelandic yak wool sweater jackets. I held off on buying one in the summer months, but when the temperature dropped I went to Thamel to get one; much to my dismay, wearing yak wool feels like shoving both of your arms into massive ant hills. I can get it lined, but the lining would cost more than the jacket itself. They're so goregous that I think I'm still going to buy one and represent myself as a Euro to see if I get stared at any differently.
SImilar to this, but better.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
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..
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..
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