"The dog ate it....."

I bet you're intrigued by that title. But I'll get to that later...

First, my host family is amazing. I'm living all the way down this road on the edge of Patan, which is just across the river from Kathmandu. I was told that it would be lonely, because it's just a husband and wife, but it's not. They always have neices and nephews and cousins and friends around, most of whom only speak Nepali... My host mom is really really nice and we've spent hours talking. I haven't met my host father yet because he's been out of town. He actually fell yesterday and is in the hospital now, so hopefully he's okay and he'll be home soon.

I'm following the "When in Rome" style of thought, so I decided to do some yoga and meditating yestday morning, which all Nepalese do. I woke up very early because of the crazy dogs and roosters. In Nepal, it is customary to take off your shoes when you go into someone's house. When I went to fetch my sandals that morning, they were all chewed up by the dog! One of the straps was totally broken off. My host mom took them to a shoemaker, but he couldn't fix them, and duct tape didn't work either. Luckily, Teva sandals are all over, and I managed to replace them for RS 1ooo which is only about $14. Much less than the $34 I paid in the US!!

I also had my first day of work yesterday. It was very crazy and overwhelming. The other Projects Abroad volunteer, Sara, wasn't there, but there were two French girls. We didn't have good control of the children and they just ran around and were crazy. We are supposed to try to teach them some english and math because they are not in school while they are at the center. They are all really adorable, but they do not speak English, which makes it hard. You wouldn't know they were sick at all, from the way they act! They seem just like normal kids. Their parents (who are also at the center) don't speak English either. We try to do things for the moms too, such as provide supplies for them to paint and teach them english and such.

Yesterday after work, I decided to go into Thamel in Kathmandu for the evening and stay overnight. My host mom, Subi, was going into the city to, so she took me with her on a Tuk Tuk. Tuk Tuk's are this ridiculous bus things that go about 20 mph MAX and Nepalis all squish into them and stand on the back, hanging on. My host mom got off before me and instructed a Nepali guy to show me the way to the microbus I was to ride into the city. As we approached it, it started to move. Seeing me, the fair take urged me to jump on, and since it was moving so slowly.... I did! I was totally fine, but it got my pulse racing. Microbusses are little more than tiny shabby vans that the drivers stuff WAY more people in than can actually fit. People end up sitting on each other's laps.

** A note about traffic in Nepal** In Nepal, traffic rules and seat belts don't exist. However, there are almost never serious accidents because traffic moves FAR too slowly. Bikers can usually move faster than the cars. Also, all the cars are old and broken. The pollution is terrible, and walking or riding in cars for long periods of time makes me naucious. I've taken to holding a bandana over my face, which is very common all over the area. People actually stare at me less with a bandana tied over my face like a bandit from the wild west... There are also no lanes, sidewalks, traffic lights, or stop signs. People generally drive on the left, but that's not always the case. I've learned that honking can mean many things, including "I'm passing," "I'm turning," "Drive faster," and sometimes "Hey! Look! A WHITE person!!!!!!" The latter explains why I hear so much honking.

Anyway, I finally made it to Ratna park in Kathmandu, and got off the microbus. From there, I kept stopping passerbys and saying "Thamel?" and point in various directions. They would point somewhere and I would follow their finger onto the winding back streets of Kathmandu. For a while, people kept pointing straight ahead, but then at some point they started pointing directly behind me. Somehow, after walking in one direction for 30 minutes, I turned around and walked in the opposite direction and ended up somewhere completely new. It ultimately to Thamel, but I really have NO idea how this happened. It confirmed my suspicians that if you walk for long enough, you will ultimately end up in Thamel. On the way though, I passed really cool shops and some shrines and cool buidings stuffed into the middle of random squares. I also bought a scarf for less than $2 and a pair of silver dangly earlings with purple gemstones for about $2.10. Sweet!

When I finally got to Maya's coctail bar, which features buy one get one free coctails, I met a bunch of projects abroad volunteers, including the girl I'll be working with. This entry has gotten really long, so I'm going to go hop a taxi back to Patan now. My host mother has offered to take me shopping for Nepali clothing.

See you later!