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.