the pink city

jaipur was nice, but definitely a new tourist experience for me. we got picked up from our guest house in delhi, were driven the 5 hours in an air conditioned car, had an english speaking tour guide while in jaipur, were driven all around, up to sights and taken to restaurants. after a day and a half of driving through the city ...in ac, we wanted to walk ...in the heat. with that said, we did see some pretty old and amazing things: forts, palaces, astronomy sites, temples, the old city, our hotel, monkeys, camels and elephants. it had a much more rural feel to it than delhi, but very interesting none-the-less. lots of cows and goats in the streets and people would lay down big piles of greens to feed them in the morning. there were camels and elephants pulling carts on the streets and used for tourist attractions. this made me very uncomfortable, until i saw one man nuzzling with his camel. i have pics, but can't load them until i get back to kathmandu. i'll only be able to get a couple on, if i'm lucky and the internet cooperates. while in jaipur, we also went to a late night bollywood movie in a decadent theater. it was packed and it was fun to see the dynamics of it all. now we're back in delhi and will head to agra to see the taj mahal on wednesday. i'll try to update more again soon. hot and sweaty greetings to everyone. love, j

i'm in delhi...and it's really hot!

yeah, africa was hot, but this is hot aaaaand super humid. a lovely combination, but non-detouring in our endeavors and sightseeing. albeit, we may just do them a little more slowly...and still sweat immensely, ...but we still do it! the first couple days i was here with our friend, lydia, from our kathmandu digs. she said she was pleasantly surprised that what she had remembered of delhi several years ago seemed significantly different now. it used to be referred to as 'smelly', but now, it's so much better than kathmandu...partly because there's a garbage strike there now, but still, it has a lot of air pollution! so, delhi is quite clean comparatively. the streets were relatively clean, the buses and rickshaws have all been switched to compressed natural gas and have no emissions, and relative to asia, things seemed more tidy and well kept. very few times a day do i see a motorized vehicle spewing exhaust. more often do i smell the sweet scent of gardenia or jasmine, or even, the spicy aroma of indian food being cooked...not pollution. we've eaten at nice restaurants, seen 'sex in the city' (although we're sure it was 'asia editted'), had yummy home made ice cream, shopped at a mall, and all in all, had a nice time. lydia went home a few days ago, but christy and i have continued our pursuit of western niceties which have included chocolate molten cake, chai and doritos...not all together, though, cause that'd make me sick. : ) we take 3 wheeled motorized rickshaws all over town and they are cheaper than taxis in the 'du. while waiting at stop lights...which doesn't happen in the 'du, usually kids and ailing people will come up to the open side of the rickshaw begging, selling trinkets/books/magazines/calculators/light up pens/etc. well, the ailing ones just ask for some rupees. it's hard to decipher who needs it and who doesn't. christy has a rule about giving to older women, but we both agreed that the man who walked around the stopped vehicle and entered our line of vision while wearing no pants so as to make sure we saw the cantaloupe sized testicle he was baring, deserved a few rupees. geesh. some things you see here are so beautiful and majestic and even heart warming, but then you turn your head and there's something equally as disturbing or heart wrenching. i've never seen a place of such extreme, in your face contrasts before...and in such numbers. there are a lot of people in india! so, this is quick, but i wanted to post, for those of you who are checking. i will try to add some photos soon. tomorrow we are heading to jaipur, 'the pink city', for 2 nights; we'll return to delhi on sunday. take care, love, janice

read'em and weep

...ok, well, that's what i did! if the visa processes for both the indian, multiple-entry, 6 month visa on the left and my nepali work visa on the right hadn't have been so ridiculously complicated, i wouldn't feel the need to post them. but, since it was, i feel like this is my victory lap cyber-style! now the real test comes...i actually have to use them to enter india and return to nepal...wish me luck!!! : )  i'll let you know how that goes. love and never happier to have 2 friggin' stamps in my life, janice

farewell dinner

tonight the teachers of wenddy i house invited me to go out with them. they tried for last sunday, but a fuel strike prohibited the culmination. we met at a designated point and walked about 20 minutes to another part of town which i've passed many times, but to a restaurant i never seemed to have noticed. it was indian and chinese cuisine, we sat on pillows on the floor surrounding a square table. very thoughtfully, they had made reservations, but the time of day it was, there was hardly anyone else in there yet. unfortunately i didn't have my camera with me cause a trip to the shipping office took a lot longer than anticipated and i couldn't run home to grab it. so, others took photos which i will try and post later, but the evening was very pleasant. they are very sweet people and always ready to smile and laugh. the chinese teacher and i would smile at each other when the rest would go off on a nepali spoken tangent, but soon enough, one would realize our 'absence' and switch back to english. first we had drinks...i was the only one who got a glass of wine and they later commented how pink my cheeks had gotten! ha! then, we ordered several plates of 'momos' which are a nepali staple...stuffed dumpling/spring roll kind of steamed appetizer. we shared those and for the main course, i asked them to order their favorites. biryani and naan were on the table in no time and, again, we shared family style. after dinner, they presented me with a hand carved hanging wooden picture like thing that also is very traditional nepali. so nice. and a lovely written message, as well. we walked home and fortunately passed the new baskin robbins, so, even though it was getting dark, we stopped and had ice cream. when we reached the point where the first teacher turned off on her way, the other teachers waved good bye, but i walked up to her and gave her a hug. i never quite know what to do in these instances, but i felt it was ok and they put a lot of energy to plan and organize this gathering on my behalf so i wanted to show my gratitude. i was next to turn off and when i started to say good bye, they easily fell into a hug...and not just one of those pat on the back hugs, but a real, warm, genuine, lasting hug. they want me to get back in touch with them when i return from india. i'd love to have them over and prepare mexican food for them; it would really be a pleasure...as was the whole evening. that kind of stuff moves me far more than viewing touristy sites. the people and how they live is way more interesting and satisfying to me. hope all's well with you. don't be alarmed if i don't post for a few days...i'm headed to india tomorrow for 3 weeks. i'll have internet access, but probably won't be online as much. take care! love, j

plug ya nose cuz the 'du is stanky

my peace corps friends will immediately get the reference in the title...but, for you non-pc folk (peace corps, not politically correct...) it's suffice to say that, well, kathmandu is becoming a little...shall we say...ripe?! because of the fuel strikes and shortages, the normal, below average and inadequate garbage pick up service here is even worse. it's actually non-existent at the moment. this means that there are piles of trash lining most roads and gutters are full of rotting crap that inhibits the water drainage from the heavy rains we've been having. slushy, muddy, decaying trash, mmmm. i used to think (and still do) that what we have non-affectionately deemed the stink river...(sung to the tune of 'moon river') was really bad. you have to hold your breath while walking over any bridge or traversing a waterway in a taxi. not like some game we played as kids...remember 'bury the cow,' or not breathing over bridges? well, that was fun to see how long you could hold your breath, but this is more like self preservation. the river is gross, sludgy brown and really putrid, full of garbage narrowing its banks. but now, with the fetid stench most everywhere, it's a completely different walking home experience! today i went to wenddy i house to wrap up a couple things and on my way back i noticed on one pile, about 5 or 6 cows chewing on whatever they could find, including fruit rinds and plastic bags. another pile found local kabaris (recycle guys) rummaging through the debris pulling out anything that they could take in and get a few rupees for, at the recycler. another pile was overtaken by ravens delighting in the smorgasbord. i've heard kathmandu is notorious for garbage strikes and i can only assume that it will soon be remedied, but never have i experienced one, let alone in the summer heat and monsoon season. i guess this is what i bargained for when moving here, eh? ...new experiences!! : ) hope you're all enjoying the smell of summer in your town! lots of love, j

bats, birds and a new museum!

while walking around the huge grounds that were the palace (i say 'were' because as soon as the king moved out the new government put up a sign saying "palace museum"), the first few times i didn't really notice much. a few times ago i noticed these white, short legged heron looking birds flying all around. interesting. well, the last couple times i've strolled around the palace, doh, museum, i really looked into the trees. holy cow! no, wait, not cows, but huge nests of these birds alllll over the trees. and, upon further inspection, what i originally thought were big black seed pods, are bats! totally cool! they completely dominate the trees, yet seamlessly cohabit. i guess it helps that the birds are diurnal and the bats, nocturnal, but still...you'd think they'd have trouble sleeping while the other's out partying. i didn't see any baby bats, but the fledgling herons were more than anxious to take their first flight. they still have their baby fuzz, but are quite big. i thought this whole display was fascinating and i walked up and down the sidewalk under the trees taking photos for about an hour. just watching and observing their behavior. of course, i had to watch my step and the passers-by on the street thought i was nuts, but what else is new here?! i kept seeing them look up in the direction i was gazing as if to say, 'what the heck could possibly be up there of any interest? just some bats and birds...'. i sometimes think it'd be nice to be a bat or a bird...completely oblivious to the tibetan protests, garbage piling up, street children and handicap people begging and well, the palace being turned into a museum. love, j

bats, birds and a new museum! in pics

last day at wenddy i house

so friday was my final day working full time at the elementary school. i decided to stop now so i could be freer to a) go to india and hang with christy, b) have time to prep for my fall class. plus, i just think my internal teacherly clock kicked in and when june rolls around, well... i haven't had a vacation since last summer! : ) i went into school and taught my final classes, prepped the take-over teacher, exchanged email addresses, phone numbers and travel suggestions and tips for delhi and india. it was a nice day, actually. the kids made cards for me, the teachers were kind and i could see it all from a very external perspective. this place has given me a lot of joy and cultural integration i would not have had and for this i'm very grateful. the owner and i have different management styles, which could cause some discomfort, but even we will remain friends. the teachers had planned a going away gathering for select staff this past sunday, but because of a local strike (due to fuel prices being raised) it was called off and will be rescheduled. i'd like to get together with them again; i really like them and enjoy their company. they, also, have accepted me into their group rather seamlessly. if it doesn't work out before this friday, when i leave for delhi and india for 3 weeks, then it will happen after i return. we went to see 'indiana jones and the crystal skull' last week and have plans to see 'kung fu panda' as well! based on when my work visa is finished, i will leave for delhi. it's supposed to be ready mid week, but i can't be guaranteed. i have a flight reserved and am thinking positive. i have to run over to lincoln (the international high school that's processing my work visa) to pick it up. that post begins in august with me teaching 10th grade integrated english and history. topics to be covered will be imperialism, world war 1 and the russian revolution both through historical and literary context. sounds fun, but i have a lot of brushing up to do! : ) so, below are some photos i snapped the last day at wenddy i house. i really enjoyed the kids and am happy to have spent time with them. hope you're all well. i'd love to hear from some people if you have a chance. xo, j

last day at wenddy i house

monsoon season

so the last few days we've had some heavy rains. strong and steady with not much warning. well, the sky gets dark in one area, but when it starts to spontaneously pour, the sun's still out and remains out well into the deluge. it's the kind of rain that even if you had an umbrella, you'd still get soaked to the bone. even if you had a rain poncho, your pants would get drenched. so, this afternoon, my friend lydia and i were out running some errands and shopping. we stopped for a late lunch and noticed the sky was darkening. it started to rain so suddenly, though and the sun was still so bright that it was a bit eerie. luckily we were seated under an awning, but even then, the spatter crashing down off it was still so strong that we were getting splashed and opted to move inside. afterwards, the temperature was very pleasant compared to the pre-rain heat and humidity; we decided to walk home in the dark. the streets were flooded, sidewalks puddled, dogs dripping and the best part, the air pollution literally had been rained down. as we were strolling back to our abode, we marveled at how life continues and how normal living here feels to us. people were sweeping the water off their stoops, but the same dogs and people were outside of the same houses and shops and things just rolled along. i am told this is life during the monsoon season in kathmandu...only with lottts more water. huh. lottts of love, j