Central Zoo

Today I visited the Central Zoo. It is only a 5 minute walk from the office, so I stopped in and grabbed some of my co-workers and we all went together. Even though it is not a very large zoo, they have an impressive assortment of animals. I should clarify when I say it is "not very large," I mean it is about the size of the Tautphaus Park Zoo in Idaho Falls...or smaller. It cost me 500 rupees to enter (about $5 USD), but it cost my friends only 100 rupees to enter. It cost me more because I am a foreigner. That is normal here. I also had to pay more than Bikash to tour the palace. That's just the way things are, there is a price for Nepali people and another price for foreigners. 

It was interesting to see the difference in what animals they chose to keep at the zoo compared to zoos in the U.S. Now that I think about it...I don't think they had a single animal that was native to Americas. They had a few birds from South America, but I think that was it. No eagles. No buffalo, well, they had water buffalo, but you know what I mean. The rest of the animals, like the one-horned rhino, bengal tigers, leopards, and birds were all native to this continent. There were a few species from Australia too. 

Some animals that I found particular amusement at were white lab mice, chipmunks, and guinea pigs. Especially the guinea pigs because they had so many and were clearly just allowing them to breed at will. I'm no guinea pig expert or population statistician, but I feel confident saying that the zoo is going to have a major guinea pig problem within the next few years. They also had lots of the little macaque monkeys that I saw at Swayambhunath. I've heard that many of the monkeys that are now in captivity are rescue animals or were previously injured and brought here for treatment. It just felt silly to see these animals in enclosures after seeing them roaming all over the temple grounds. 

We arrived later in the afternoon, after the elephant rides were closed. However, I was not disappointed to have missed out once I saw the elephant and Niraj explained to me the controversy around her. According to him, there is a petition to release the elephant because she is 75 years old and still being made to offer rides every day. The elephant is also the only elephant at the zoo, which is stressful for them as they are very intelligent, social animals. 

This started a train of thought that I haven't fully resolved yet. The question this brought to my mind is: are zoos good or bad? I acknowledge this is a complicated question, and I would be interested to hear what you have to say. I wanted to visit this zoo to see how it compared to zoos in the U.S. Not just in the species they chose to house, but in the enclosures and condition the animals were kept. What did I find? The enclosures were comparable to many zoos in the U.S. That doesn't mean they were adequate however. There were gaps in security, which following the tragedy at the Cincinnati Zoo, was on the forefront of my mind. There was also lack in "enrichment," or in ways to stimulate the animals and mimic their natural environment. Enclosures were small, some were barren of all vegetation. However, this is nothing that is unique to this zoo. I see the same things at the Tautphaus Park Zoo back home. Which brought me around to asking myself, do I support this? I can say, most resolutely, no. I do not think animals should be removed from their natural habitat to live in captivity in zoos. 

BUT

Zoos are not filled exclusively with wild animals that have been captured and relocated. Zoos also house rescue animals that would otherwise have to be euthanized, exotic animals that people have tried and failed to keep as domestic pets. Zoos also play an important role in education. Then there are the captive breeding programs to try and rescue a species from extinction. If done responsibly, I don't object to this. Is it interfering with the natural order of things? Well, technically yes, but what if humans are the cause of the animals' extinction, then aren't we trying to restore the natural order? This argument goes round and round. 

Are zoos good or bad, right or wrong, ethical or unethical? I'm not convinced an answer exists. I have expressed my opinions and reasoning behind those opinions. You are welcome to disagree with me. I would love to hear what you think about this topic, as long as it is fair and respectful.

I chose not to crop this photo so you can see an example of the security gaps I mentioned. Look to the left of this picture. Also, notice, you are not looking through a fence at this elephant. There is a single bar, about knee height, separating humans and elephant. The elephant is also chained, however, if she were to really want to get out, she could. Granted this elephant has been around people and been trained to offer rides for years, it is still a wild animal. Cool? Yes. Safe? No.

Quakes and tremors, oh my!

Don't fret. I am totally fine. We had another good tremor yesterday at 3:24pm local time. This is the third one that I have felt, but apparently it is the fourth one we've since I have been here. These are all categorized as aftershocks of the massive earthquake in April of last year. What categorizes something as an earthquake versus an aftershock, I'm not sure. 

This one yesterday was different from the previous ones because it was in the middle of the afternoon instead of the middle of the night. Everyone started screaming and running out into the street. I was reading in my room, and I just stayed there. I talked with my mentor Sarah about what I should do. She advised that I just stay put, because the guest house I am staying in is well-constructed. However, most Nepali people will run out of their houses. I think it may be because many structures are not sturdy and there were thousands crushed and buried alive in the Gorkha earthquake. 

Aftershocks of Gorkha Earthquake 

"Article about aftershock: Adhikari L. B. et. al., 2015 The aftershock sequence of the 2015 April 25 Gorkha–Nepal earthquake. Geophys. J. Int., 203(3), 2119-2124"

Date (YYYYMMDD)	Local time	Latitude	Longitude	Magnitude(ML) (≥4 only )	Remarks	Epicentre	Form
2016/05/28	15:24	27.94	85.50	4.6	NSC/RSC	Sindhupalchok
2016/05/24	00:54	27.73	85.16	4.2	NSC/RSC	Dhading
2016/05/15	4:30	27.93	85.50	4.4	NSC/RSC	Sindhupalchowk
2016/05/14	05:05	27.97	85.55	4.3	NSC	Sindhupalchowk
2016/05/13	01:09	27.69	86.24	4.1	NSC	Dolakha

I got this table and my information about the tremors from this website: http://www.seismonepal.gov.np/

I jokingly told my mother before I left that I hoped to experience an earthquake while I was here. It's an adrenaline rush to be sure, but I have had enough now. They can stop. I understand why these people start screaming, after experiencing such a devastating earthquake, every little tremor is terrifying due to its potential. I've already "felt" tremors that were nothing but my imagination. I can only imagine the psychological effects this has on survivors of the Gorkha earthquake. 

I have been here 15 days and experienced 3 tremors. If this pattern keeps up I could potentially experience another 15 earthquakes...that's about 15 too many for my taste. I knew this trip would be challenging, I just didn't anticipate it on a psychological level!

Like a snail...

Work here is progressing...like a snail...swimming in molasses...in December...in Idaho. The project is massive and has so many parts, there is a lot to organize, but then we are also working in Nepal. Now, I am going to be as fair as possible, and I acknowledge every system has its pros and cons, but I have found working in Nepal to be one of the most frustrating processes of my life. The government is still in its infancy, the cultural differences, the language barrier, there are so many obstacles! I am incredibly lucky that my project is under HSI and that they are dealing with all the bureaucracy. It does affect my project though and I am not doing what I had hoped to be at this point. I need to remind myself that it has only been 2 weeks and eventually snails make it to the finish line. Has it really only been 2 weeks?!? Wow, I feel like I've been here longer than that. I've made quite a dent in my peanut butter jar in just 2 weeks...should probably slow down...or buy another jar when I go shopping today. 

Swayambhunath

It was a slow day at the office, so Bikrash and I spent the day as tourists, visiting the iconic Monkey Temple and the palace of the late Nepali royal family. Bikrash also works for HSI and is a Nepali veterinarian. He was my tour guide for the day, taking me all over the city on his motorcycle and giving me the inside scoop and perspective of a local, and taking me to his favorite mo mo restaurant, as you saw in the previous post. After being sick last week, it was a much needed adventure. First stop, Swayambhunath. 

First site at the gates to the temple. From here you can either take a very grueling hike with 365 steps to the temple, or you can drive up the hill and still be out of breath after hiking up to the main stupa. 

 Shrines, everywhere.

Used yak butter candles. When full, they are lit and carried to the main stupa by pilgrims as a religious offering.

A HUGE prayer wheel. These can be found everywhere in Nepal, and I am not exaggerating. They are inscribed with prayers on the outside, and always rotated clockwise. Each rotation symbolizing the repetition of a prayer. Biskrash explained prayer wheels to me as similar to church bells. With every revolution this wheel made, a bell rang. They stand upright, but I couldn't figure out how to rotate the video, turn your head 90 degrees and watch it.

There were actually 3 statues with another one to the left. 

I couldn't fit it in the frame.

Wishing well at the temple

Swayambhunath is also known as the Monkey Temple. There were hundreds of these guys everywhere! They are adorable, but not that friendly and they will steal things right out of your hand or your bag. I was told to keep a good grip on my camera and to hide my phone.

Prayer flags everywhere! 

Great view of Kathmandu Valley from the top of the temple

 I took this pictures only about 5 or 6 feet away from them, 

so they are approachable, to a point. 

Basically, if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone. 

The main stupa with the eyes of Buddha painted on all 4 sides. Although it is considered Buddhist, both Hindus and Buddhists come to worship here. The white dome at the base represents the world. When a person "awakens" from the world, they progress through the 13 phases, represented by the 13 pinnacles on top, to reach spiritual enlightenment.

More monkeys. There were little babies everywhere!

It was a fantastic day and it felt great to be able to check a few things off my bucket list...and not get attacked by a monkey.  

Mo Mos and Thamel

I haven't posted in a while because I have been getting very well acquainted with the toilet. That's right people, I am talking traveler's diarrhea, which in my case was more of a severe food poisoning. I am going to spare you the details and just say that I was down most of last week, so little adventuring took place beyond the trek from the bedroom to the bathroom. But I have completed a course of antibiotics; I am 100% again, and have stories and pictures for you. 

Since I can eat again, I decided to get out and try some local cuisine. This is Chicken Mo Mo.  

You can get veggie mo mo, chicken mo mo, pork, etc. I have never even heard of mo mo before. I found them similar to pot stickers. It's meat, onions, spices wrapped in a flour casing and covered in a tomato based soup. They called it soup anyway, It reminded me of a spicy spaghetti sauce. Speaking of spicy, I fully acknowledge that I am a complete wimp when it comes to spicy foods, but seriously, what the Nepalese consider baseline flavor is crazy spicy to me and then they have hot sauce that, just the smell of it, made my eyes start to water. Dad and Dan, you two would probably love the food. It's not all painful spicy, I still ate almost all the mo mos because they were tasty...but my mouth was on fire. 

After lunch Bikrash and I went to Thamel. Bikrash is a Nepali veterinarian that also works for HSI. We had a slow day yesterday so he was recruited to be my tour guide, more about that in the next post. Anyway, Thamel. Tourist central. Lots of fantastic cuisine from all around the world. I caught a wiff of pizza... I'm still dreaming about it. Definitely going back there! There is also TONS of shopping. It's sort of like Chinatown in San Francisco where there are strips of shops all packed together and overflowing with local crafts and everything says "Nepal" on it. Prices are really great though, as I will share below. Bartering is a must, so I was incredibly lucky to have Bikrash. He really bargained and saved me money. Thanks Bikrash! 

Polish amber ring set in silver. I absolutely adore amber!
I paid 3,200 rupees for this ring, which is around $31.00 USD. 

A tradition Nepali knife, called a kukri, for Daniel. 

Hand-carved buddha wall-hanging
Cost me 2,200 rupees (about $22.00 USD)

Katmandu Animal Treatment Center

The few hours I spent at Kathmandu Animal Treatment (KAT) center were very inspiring, yet I also left with a sense of desperation. Do you know the feeling? Let me explain what happened. (You should know that this blog is as much for you as it is for me. To document my thoughts is very therapeutic and helps me make sense of things. So I am sorry if sometimes I ramble or it seems disjointed. Welcome to my brain.) 

KAT center, think of it like an animal shelter, but the only animal shelter in a city with 30,000 dogs. The majority of these dogs are "community" dogs, meaning they are not owned by any one person, but they are still fairly regularly fed and they stick around the same area. Then there are dogs that are owned, but they are allowed to roam, what we might consider stray dogs in the states. There is not really a concept of "stray" animals here though. People do not walk their dogs. The dogs get exercise by roaming the area. This dog below is one that I pass everyday on my way to work. She is obviously fed and the blanket was placed there by someone. However, I couldn't tell you if she is owned or if she is a community dog. I don't know that there is much difference in the level of care between the two ownership statuses anyway. Also, note that she has had at least one litter of puppies. Very rarely will people take their animals to be sterilized, hence the overpopulation problem.

Back to KAT. People can bring dogs into KAT to have them sterilized and treated for minor issues. More commonly though KAT goes out and picks up dogs, sterilizes and vaccinates them, and returns them to the area where they were picked up. Sound illegal? Well, it would be in the States, but it's completely acceptable here. KAT focuses its efforts on sterilizing females only, and can do about 5-7 dogs every day, depending on the capacity of the kennels, because the animals remain at the clinic for a couple days to recover from surgery. KAT also treats animals for severe skin diseases, mange is very common. This poor guy was only one of many that I came across at KAT. 

I admit that when I first saw this I was angry. Angry that more wasn't being done for these dogs. After an hour or so though, I realized that these are the lucky dogs. These dogs were on the street, but now they are here at KAT, under the supervision of a veterinarian, receiving food, water, and some treatment. Granted, better care could be provided, but there is no worldwide standard of care. That's a battle for another day. 

Also consider that KAT has sponsors, but no government funding. Surprisingly, they do have a lot of the things you will find in a typical clinic, but they lack the quantity. What they have is what other veterinarians have brought and donated to them. While I was there I bumped into a veterinarian from Australia, named Sam. She was at KAT to get a better understanding of what supplies they needed, and then she was going to bring it back with her on her next trip. She also took her first international trip solo and basically she's my role model. 

There are dogs everywhere at KAT. Some are in kennels, but even more are just wandering the premises. There was probably 50 dogs on the property, and only about 20 in kennels. I think some of the dogs decide it's a nice place to stay and just don't leave, like this little guy. He was so incredibly sweet! If you follow me on Instagram @jessie.schneider then you saw a video of me giving him a belly rub. So adorable. 

KAT is an amazing place. The need for what they do can not be sufficiently explained here. If I were in their shoes I would be so overwhelmed and crying out for help all day every day. Instead, they just keep trucking along, doing what they can with what they have. This is what I found so inspiring. They were not discouraged. They have so many excuses to say that they can't do what they do, power cuts, fuel shortage, lack of supplies, limited availability to water, etc., but that doesn't stop them. They continue working with a smile on their face. I have absolutely no room to complain, about anything. I feel like because I have been blessed with more than they, I have an even greater responsibility to the animals, to the world, however, you want to think of it. I anticipated this trip would give me new perspective. I've only been here a week and my world is forever changed. 

What I have learned in week 1

1. Front doors are always open, literally. Maybe it's the fact that there is no air-conditioning and it is summer. I would suspect it is a different story in the winter. Most people have double french doors that are open all the time. I have yet to come to Sarah's or the guesthouse and have to knock on the door. Usually when you walk in, you say "Namaste" (similar to the tone of a hello?) to see who is home. From my experience so far it seems that everyone is very welcome to come and go anywhere in the house. There aren't rooms that are "off-limits" like bedrooms and private offices seem to be in the West. I still feel strange just waltzing in and making myself at home. Maybe in three months this will disappear.

2. Days start late, like, it's almost 10am here, and I am the only one at work. Aside from the cooks, maids, and babysitters, it seems that everyone else stays in bed until about now and then gets to work around 11ish, or whenever their first meeting is to be held. Granted, I love to sleep in, but not this late, and when I do get up, it's go time. That's just not the case here.

3. Meeting shmeeting. No schedules, no appointments, no obligations to time. It is driving this type-A girl a little crazy! I know this is their culture and I could certainly stand to loosen up a bit, but I am a strugglin'. For example, yesterday a meeting was planned for 2pm, it was pushed back to 4, then 4:30 rolled around and we were still waiting on some people only to find out that they had decided to go home. What?! What about the meeting, we have been waiting all afternoon and there wasn't even a phone call. That's just the way things roll here. I am trying to roll with it...trying. 

Well, that didn't go as planned: Episode 4
I had my first case of food poisoning yesterday. Not sure exactly what to call it, but you get the idea. I ate something yummy and my stomach disagreed. It wasn't a big deal, especially since I have such a sensitive stomach to start with. It was inevitable for me really. I am 100% again this morning, so don't fret. It's all part of the adventure.

The Guest house

View outside my bedroom window

Another view out my window

Power supply to the house. This isn't the most impressive one I've seen either.

My bed. The mattresses are only about 5 inches thick, no boxspring.
It's comfortable enough though.

Shared living space with the other guests on my floor.

A very sea foam green-ish/teal bathroom. I'm just happy to have a flush toilet!

Front courtyard.

My super retro phone, the classic Nokia brick. I had some troubles getting the SIM card to work in my iPhone, so now I am carrying two phones.

The road from the guest house to the main road.

Driveway to the Office/Sarah's house

The office where I work everyday. Sarah's family lives on the upper level.

Well, that didn't go as planned: Episode 3

Last night we had a small tremor. I probably wouldn’t have even woken up except that the dogs suddenly went berserk and were barking up a storm. I think it was about 3am, not quite sure. It wasn’t even enough to make me turn over and check my phone, but once I figured out what was going on I did get a knot in my stomach. Mom, I know I said that I wanted to feel an earthquake while I was here. I changed my mind. That small one was enough and I don’t want to experience anything bigger. I haven’t even been here a week and I can check that off my bucket list.

I just asked around if anyone else felt the quake and Bob, who is a teacher from Arizona and also staying at the guest house, said that he thought he felt something. When I got to the office I asked Sarah and she said we had a 4.4 quake last night. She was hoping I hadn't felt it. So, it wasn’t just a dream! I found this site: http://www.seismonepal.gov.np/ Apparently we had some quakes the previous 2 days as well, although I didn’t detect those at all. Crazy! 

Sunday, or Saturday, wait, what day is it?

Today is actually Saturday, but it felt like Sunday because I went to church today. Here in Nepal, the work week is Sunday-Friday and Saturday is holiday, or the weekend. So church is on Saturday because that's the day everyone has off work. Having only one day off doesn't constitute much of a weekend to me, but people here are very relaxed and laid-back all throughout the week. While it is the norm is America to get up and get going early in the day, many people here don't get to work until late morning. So a typical week may be working Sunday through Friday 11am-5pm, with Saturday off. I don't know how I feel about this yet. Would you rather work 9-5pm 5 days a week, or work 11-5pm 6 days a week?

So, my day started with a hot shower, which wasn't hot by my definition, but it was a huge improvement from yesterday's shower. Then I went down to the kitchen and met Lana, who is the cook and housekeeper at the guest house. She may be related to the family that lives here and runs the place, I'm not sure. Anyway, she had never eaten oatmeal before or seen it prepared. She stood next to me and watched, asking questions. She speaks some English, so we can communicate well enough. She was surprised when I put brown sugar in it and asked to taste some. She described it as pie sugar. It was a good bonding experience and I found it funny that someone was watching me cook (I don't enjoy cooking. nor am I very talented at it, just ask my mother). 

Church was such a comforting experience. It is amazing to me that on the other side of the world, in the most foreign setting of my life to date, there is the church. The one familiar thing, the one constant part of my life. The doctrine is the same, and spirit is the same, and it was a great relief and comfort to me to find that peace today. There is a branch of about 80-100 people and we meet in the Shambala Hotel from 10am-noon. The church house was damaged by the earthquake, and the new one isn't quite finished yet, so that's why we meet in the hotel. I met the senior couple missionaries, the Branch President, a group of BYU students studying art here for a couple weeks, and Bishnu. Does that name ring a bell for anyone? He is one of the members interviewed in the documentary Meet the Mormons. This show came out last year and explores the lives of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all over the world. You can watch it on Netflix and Youtube if you are interested. 

Well, that didn't go as planned: Episode 2

On my walk home after church there was a group of dogs that started to get rowdy and it was clear they were going to fight. Unfortunately a young girl, probably 5 years old, and I were caught in the cross-hairs of the two dog gangs. The dogs started running at each other (consequently at us) barking and growling. Looking back I should have been more scared, but then again, I have experience with unruly dogs, and I knew they weren't coming for me. The little girl however was quite upset. She ran over to me and threw her arms around me. She said something in Nepalese, which I can only imagine was some expression of her obvious fear. I leaned down and put my arms around her at which point the dogs ran around us. I stood up, we made eye contact and she smiled at me, then ran off down the road. 

It was a sweet moment, and one that made me realize the human factor of why I am here. These dogs are more than an annoyance, they are a danger to human health in many ways, not just rabies. Although my project is focusing on rabies, I am working within HSI's larger project of changing the culture of dog care and ownership. One goal is to increase responsible ownership and thus decrease adverse interactions with dogs. Another goal is to decrease the stray dog population by implementing spay and neuter programs. We are also doing mass dog vaccination against rabies and public education campaigns. The work is still in the planning phases, but we will be underway soon. I am grateful for the opportunity to spend my summer here, to help improve the lives of humans and animals alike. I believe that being a veterinarian is my calling and I am so grateful for the opportunity to receive an education and pursue my dreams. 

Alright, enough mushy-gushy stuff, I promise to post some pictures tomorrow. 

Abbreviations:

HSI = Humane Society International 

Nepal - day 1

But first, some pictures!

I am smiling, but don't be fooled. I absolutely LOATHE packing!

All set for flight #1 of 3. Here we go!

Flying into Seattle

Flight #1: SLC to Seattle
Flight #2: Seattle to Dubai
Flight #3: Dubai to Kathmandu

I finally made it to Nepal! I arrived to my guest house about 11:30pm last night. I did little more than change into pajamas, send a quick message home, and then crash into bed. Today was my first day actually experiencing the city and it was amazing! 

I woke up about 5:15am, because my body thought it was a good idea? I tried to go back to sleep, but was very unsuccessful, even with an eye mask and ear plugs. It is so noisy here! For starters, somewhere, there was a rooster crowing, which should have made me feel at home, except that this sounded like a normal rooster. The rooster at my parents house has some issues with his cock-a-doodle-doo. Imagine a strong start that fizzles out to sound like the bird is being strangled.  It is special, at least it makes me laugh. There were dogs barking and fighting outside, which instantly got my mind jump-started, since, ya know, dogs are the whole reason I am here. Also, everyone here drives with their horns. In the words of Niraj, one of my associates here, "We have rules, but nobody follows them." People drive on the left side of the road, but it is completely normal to drive wherever you can in order to get to your destination. There are no cross-walks, well, I think I saw one, but no one yields for pedestrians. Sidewalks are crowded, so it is normal to walk on the side of the street. Which is why everyone drives with their horn, to warn pedestrians that they are coming and you need to get out of the way. It's dangerous. My mind will be blown if I leave here without seeing an accident. I just hope it doesn't involve me getting hit. Sorry Mom, didn't mean to scare you. Niraj taught me how to cross the street and I am very cautious. Try not to fret. 

Anyway, so, it's early and I am now wide awake. I read for a bit, check e-mails, struggle to figure out how to get a hot shower, eventually give up and just wash my hair in the cold shower, and a little while later Niraj arrives. I should take a minute to introduce him. Niraj works as an accountant for HSI. He is a local and speaks both English and Nepali. I think he has been unofficially assigned as my babysitter. We are the same age, and he is very caring, so it works quite well. Together we walk around the city, he's pointing out good restaurants (one of them he said is a good Italian place--hallelujah!), teaching me how to cross the street, and helping me purchase a local SIM card. We make our way to Sarah's house, which is also the office, think of it as base camp. I FINALLY meet Sarah! We've only been e-mailing for months and months, so it is great to finally meet her. She is tall and beautiful and has a wonderful British accent. She is from the UK, although she has lived in Nepal for about 4 years now, is married to a Nepali, and has 2 kiddos. They are adorable, pictures will no doubt be coming soon. 

The rest of the day consists of sitting in on a meeting with the HSI team and understanding where their project is at and figuring out how mine fits in to their work. Sarah takes me grocery shopping, which, I have to get picture of the place. You can find just about anything, and most things are labeled in English, but it's just different. I was having a minor culture shock moment. However, people again were very friendly and wanted to know if my hair was naturally curly. I can't escape that question even on the other side of the world! That's fine, it started some conversation, so that was nice. 

I came back to the guesthouse and desperately needed a nap. I know, you are supposed to just power through jet lag, but I love my sleep. Seriously, it's a favorite past-time, or a hobby. Can sleeping be a hobby? I took a long nap and it was glorious! 

Momma cow and her calf I saw while running errands today.

Dubai

Guess where I am right now...Dubai! I am sitting at the gate, waiting for my last flight which will take me to Kathmandu. I have been travelling for about 19 hours now, and I still have a couple hours layover here followed by a 6 hour flight. 

This is my first time travelling internationally and thus my first time crossing major time zones and it is trippy! I left Salt Lake City at 7:45am. Then I arrived 2 hours later in Seattle, but local time was 8:45am. Then I left Seattle an hour later, so about 10:00am, and arrived in Dubai at 10:30am the next day. On the plane they served lunch and then breakfast. No dinner, because the way we were flying, we just skipped dinner and it was now breakfast time. Granted, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, so no complaints from me. Currently, it is 1:55pm on May 12th in Dubai, but my body thinks it is 2:58am May 12th, because that's what time it is in Idaho Falls. Are you confused yet? Me too!

Last night Mom and I were talking about this blog and came up with the idea to do a segment about things that are unexpected, or that go awry. I think this would be hilarious, at least to me. You can laugh at my naivete, and struggles, and maybe learn something along the way. So, this is the first installment of Well, that didn't go as planned. 

Well, that didn't go as planned: Episode 1

Allow me to set the stage, I just got off an airplane that was my home for the past 14 hours. I am stiff and tired, and in a foreign airport for the first time. I go through security and enter the airport. All I can see are A gates...I need gate F4. I follow the signs and end up on the other end of the airport where I take an elevator down to where I am supposed to get a train that'll take me to the F gates. No one is there. Not a soul. Then I see the sign says the train comes every 45 minutes, alright, so maybe the staff is on break. I take a seat. Ten minutes later a custodian comes by and tells me that I am in the wrong spot, this train isn't running and I need to go to gate A19. Back up the elevator, talk with an employee, now I walk to the complete other end of the airport, down an elevator to another train station that'll take me to F gates. This time there is an employee, he says the train just left and I can either wait an hour, or I can take a combination of buses and trains to get to the F gates, I just need to meet the metro on floor 2. Okay, back up the elevator, walking around the main airport again. Find an escalator and take it down only to discover I can't access floor 2 for some reason, go back up the escalator and talk with another employee who says I need to walk to the middle of the airport and take another elevator down to meet the metro. Walk through the airport again, silly American girl. Find another elevator that takes me down to the metro. Meet Grant, another American who is having a heck of a time getting to F gates. Turns out he is from Tri-cities and we are on the same flight. Huge blessing! We do the rest of this adventure together. We get on the metro and arrive at B gates. Now get off the metro and walk to meet the bus. Get on the bus and drive for, no joke, probably 15 minutes to a completely different terminal. This airport is unbelievably huge! Now I get off the bus, and go through security again. After security I finally see F gates, eventually I find F4, where I am currently sitting. How did I even get here? I don't think I could do it again, and man am I grateful for a 6 hour layover! Take a breath with me- inhale...exhale. 

So, why Nepal?

In almost exactly 24 hours I will be boarding my first of 3 flights to get to Nepal! Am I excited? What do you think, c'mon. Am I nervous, yep. This is my first time travelling internationally and I am doing it solo. Not to mention, my housing plans fell through and I don't have a place to rest my head Thursday evening. It's all part of the adventure ...right? 

Yesterday my little brother Daniel asked me, "Jess, soooo...why are you going to Nepal?" I thought I had made that clear, but apparently not. So for Daniel, and anyone else who I haven't yet told, I am going to Nepal to do rabies research. If I have already talked your ear off about this, just skip ahead to the next post. 

So, why rabies and why Nepal? 

I personally find rabies to be a fascinating disease. Horrible, neglected, and fascinating. (In an effort to keep these posts from being long dissertations, I will write another post about the disease in the future) Rabies is a worldwide problem with direct animal-human transmission. Thanks to science, we have an affordable and effective vaccine that can offer protection and halt transmission of the disease. However, rabies still claims thousands of human lives every year, with the vast majority of those deaths resulting from rabid dog bites.  

Rabies is, 

by no stretch of the imagination, 

a disease of the past. 

In America, it is well controlled and we only hear of the rare occasional case. But in developing countries, particularly Africa and Asia, it is a very real threat to human life. This fear and death is unnecessary and I feel compelled to do something about it. As a veterinarian, I see a niche where I can really make a difference. By working with the animals, I can help save human lives. Which brings me to answer the question of why Nepal. 

Nepal, particularly Kathmandu, has a huge stray dog population, with the latest estimates around 30,000 stray dogs*. There are no vaccination laws and essentially no animal control programs in place. As a result, rabies is endemic in the dog population of Nepal. The disease can easily and rapidly spread among dogs and when these dogs bite humans, humans can be infected with rabies. My research is focused on determining the risk factors for dog bites. I aim to answer questions like, is it the stray dog population that is inflicting more bites or are more people being bitten by their own dogs? Is there a certain breed, health condition, or sex of dog that is more likely to bite? What are the general attitudes of the local people towards dogs? What do they know and believe about rabies? 

I am working with Humane Society International while I am over there. They are implementing a self-sustaining rabies vaccination protocol and population control program in Kathmandu. My research will be utilized by them to determine where to target their efforts and also to campaign for more vaccine compliance and government involvement. I will also be a part of their other efforts, such as vaccination clinics, spay and neuter clinics, and education campaigns. 

So, why rabies, why Nepal, why my entire summer? Because I can. Because it needs to be done.

References:  

*Thapa, G. (2016). A dogged drive against stray dogs of capital.

  

Geography Lesson

It's been a while since high school geography, at least for me, and just in case some of you haven't yet turned to Google Maps and Wikipedia, I thought I might take a minute to tell you about Nepal. 

Nepal is situated between China and India. At just over 147 square kilometers or 56,800 square miles, Nepal is slightly larger than Arkansas. The last population estimates (2014) were at 31 million. The 2014 estimate for the population of Arkansas? 3 million. 

(Image from http://www.visitnepal.com/travelers_guide/where_is_nepal.php) 

The prominent belief system is Hinduism (81%), followed by Buddism (9%), and Muslim (4%). That being said, I have been told that Nepal is a very tolerant nation and many Nepalese people practice a combination of religions. I'll have to get back to you on the accuracy of this statement, but I have already found a small gathering of members of my church in Kathmandu and plan to attend church with them every week. 

Nepal is most famous to westerners because...that's right, Mt. Everest! The Himalayan mountain range makes up the Northern border of Nepal. How far is Mount Everest from where I will be spending most of my time? I will be in Kathmandu for the majority of my time, with side trips to Bhaktapur, Pokhara, and Chitwan. Remembering Nepal is only the size of Arkansas-ish, it really isn't too far away. 

(Image from: http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/lgcolor/npcolor.htm) 

However, I have no intentions of going to Everest Base Camp. Aside from the extreme cold, it is quite expensive. Another bummer, I will be in Nepal during Monsoon season, so my chances of even seeing Mt. Everest aren't good. I am not too terribly disappointed by this, as I seriously hate the cold and fail to see the appeal of dying of the mountain, but for you Dad, I will try to get a picture at least. I'll be there all summer, there's gotta be at least one good day, right?

Alright people, I need to study for my Radiology final tomorrow. ...I should come up with some sort of smart little sign-off phrase...any suggestions?