I got an 83 percent on both Phonology and Grammar!!! woooo! =D the pass rate was 60 percent!
lol Harimaya got a 93 on phonology hahaha she is sooooo flippin smart! and she got a 99 percent on grammar!!! thats the highest in the history of this school.....
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
oh and news update on the creeper guy...
i heard from the reception guy at the hotel that he came in three days in a row looking for me! and each time he went to a new person so he could catch them in the act of lying. what a creep!
they all had said that i checked out of the hotel =D i love them!
they all had said that i checked out of the hotel =D i love them!
I got my packages!!! =D
YAY!!! they were all christmasy and everything!! =D thank you familyyyy i love you!!!
oh and Harimaya said that the hemp bracelet Kaegan made her is actually a symbol of the brother and sister bond in India! so she was very very happy with it =]
so thats the awesome news and i shared all my goodies with my friends at the school and some with my friends here at the hotel!
the bad news is that the process of getting the packages cost me 400 rupees... almost six dollars but thats hella expensive in nepali terms.
they sent me to this person to sign this and then that person to sign thaat and so on which took like ten to fifteen mins.
after i got all the things signed, one lady tells me that i need to not only have my passport, but a photocopied print of it as well. awesome so i have to find a photocopy center near the post office, while there is a power cut. so alll the copiers were off. I finally found one that had something called an inverter? not too sure what it was but it was like ten rupees more expensive than a regular copy.
annnd now photocopy successful, back to the post office.
when i get there they make me go to the head mans office to get the passport copy signed. what a surprise.... hes not there.
i asked the lady where to find him and she tells me he is in the back SUNBATHING. they had completely moved everything of his outside just so he could catch his rays. at this point i am soooo frustrated it hurts lol.
i bring the signed papers back to the package room and they finally bring out my package right? so im ready to leave when this guy comes in wearing fancy sunglasses, finely trimmed handle-bar facial hair and Goatee, with gold and diamond rings on every finger. he is fully equipped with a giant calculator, and an excessively large knife. He takes my packages from me and literally hacks them open! i had to stop him and ask him what the heck he was doing!
he said to me that they have to 'make sure there is nothing illegal in them' so he sorts through all my stuff and then sticks it all sloppily back in the box. as he takes them out he looks at each thing and types numbers on his calculator. basically he was RE-SELLING me all my items from the box.
when he was finished and told me the price was 350rupees i asked him:
'where exactly is this money going? to your fancy glasses and brass knuckles or to the POST OFFICE?'
hahah which i regretted shortly after because he said nothing and then typed in more numbers and told me my new price was 400....
lesson learned: hold my temper and watch my mouth no matter how much they deserve it lol.
but my mood was better after i got to relax and enjoy my yummies with my friends!!
thank you so much!!
oh and Harimaya said that the hemp bracelet Kaegan made her is actually a symbol of the brother and sister bond in India! so she was very very happy with it =]
so thats the awesome news and i shared all my goodies with my friends at the school and some with my friends here at the hotel!
the bad news is that the process of getting the packages cost me 400 rupees... almost six dollars but thats hella expensive in nepali terms.
they sent me to this person to sign this and then that person to sign thaat and so on which took like ten to fifteen mins.
after i got all the things signed, one lady tells me that i need to not only have my passport, but a photocopied print of it as well. awesome so i have to find a photocopy center near the post office, while there is a power cut. so alll the copiers were off. I finally found one that had something called an inverter? not too sure what it was but it was like ten rupees more expensive than a regular copy.
annnd now photocopy successful, back to the post office.
when i get there they make me go to the head mans office to get the passport copy signed. what a surprise.... hes not there.
i asked the lady where to find him and she tells me he is in the back SUNBATHING. they had completely moved everything of his outside just so he could catch his rays. at this point i am soooo frustrated it hurts lol.
i bring the signed papers back to the package room and they finally bring out my package right? so im ready to leave when this guy comes in wearing fancy sunglasses, finely trimmed handle-bar facial hair and Goatee, with gold and diamond rings on every finger. he is fully equipped with a giant calculator, and an excessively large knife. He takes my packages from me and literally hacks them open! i had to stop him and ask him what the heck he was doing!
he said to me that they have to 'make sure there is nothing illegal in them' so he sorts through all my stuff and then sticks it all sloppily back in the box. as he takes them out he looks at each thing and types numbers on his calculator. basically he was RE-SELLING me all my items from the box.
when he was finished and told me the price was 350rupees i asked him:
'where exactly is this money going? to your fancy glasses and brass knuckles or to the POST OFFICE?'
hahah which i regretted shortly after because he said nothing and then typed in more numbers and told me my new price was 400....
lesson learned: hold my temper and watch my mouth no matter how much they deserve it lol.
but my mood was better after i got to relax and enjoy my yummies with my friends!!
thank you so much!!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
35 bucks a day or get my buddha on? what to do!!! ahhhh
I was just offered a position by my teacher Sir Hemuntha Raj Dahal (his name is soooo awesome haha) to teach Nepali adult teachers how to speak proper English and how to teach using new methods (the ones i have been learning here at class).
I would start on the 14th of January and go till the 23rd teaching them how to speak English. That will be one section of the offer. Then I come back as a follow up from the English language learning, to teach them how to use the methods i literally just learned myself in a classroom. that would start on the 30th of Jan and go till the 8th of Feb.
each day i would be getting 2,500 Nepali Rupees. thats like 34 bucks a day. and for a month i would make around 50,000 Rupees total.. that is a FORTUNE here. like that is some serious cash for a Nepali person... i could buy my own house on the mountains with that probs. and this will almost guarantee me some hella good jobs in the future because it will be a great amount of experience...
BUT heres the thing. if i was to do this i will have to cancel on my monastery thing and ask them if i can extend the trip to april. if i was to do that, i would have to cancel my flight ticket home, and pay for a visa extension. on top of that, i would have to buy another return ticket, which will cost me about 70,000 rupees or so. so i wont really be making anything....
and if the monastery wouldnt let me do the extension i will have lost all the money i spent to just get into the program.
so it seems like it would be a good idea if i were planning on staying in Nepal for a really big chunk of my life... but im not sure if im ready for that yet.
plus i might never get the chance to LIVE in a real buddhist temple ever again.
idk.
and just the other day Harimaya was looking at my hands and saw those little white spots on my nail, and she said that it means i will get something new. lol and she also read that some time i will have two children in my life... awesome. i hope that part is wrong haha.
Test Complete.... hopefully i did ok!
Oh boy i just finished my test.. we were given like three hours to do it haha and i finished in like an hour and a half... so we will see.
but yeah so last night i went to eat for christmas dinner with my friend Johanna (aka Jyoti as Mikesh and the guys call her) and then we went to hang out with Mikesh, and Vikeas and the boss man that i dont like at the Funhouse.
The Funhouse is the guys' four story cloth shop a few mins from our hotel. each level has a different theme, and you practically have to crawl around cuz the ceilings are so short. but its so cozy in there because the amount of fabric they have makes the building soundproof! we hang out in the main shop area on the ground floor. its my favorite room because there are scarves all over the walls and cool shawls and shirts and tapestries everywhere! you cant see the walls at all lol. and we sit on little chairs made of wicker or something and they play super chill indian music.
any time were not sure what to do with our nght we always go over there and just relax. i love it.
the boss man speaks in weird indian riddles ALL the time not even joking. he is can be pretty funny sometimes and other times he can be a super jerk to the other guys.
He thinks that he is mister all powerful business man and makes the others do his every bidding =/ Mikesh is my favorite because he is the nicest! He hardly says anything and when he does its some witty phrase in english lol and he always laughs at his own jokes even if no one even understood what the heck he said!
one time the boss man made Mikesh go make him some food and when he came back and sat down i leaned over and asked him why he does everything the boss man says
he said to me;
'My karma is very important. some times he tells me i cant eat so i dont. if i am to give up my jacket and be cold for someone else, i will do it. Karma is important.'
then i asked him if he would jump off a bridge just because the boss man told him to and he honestly said that he would do it.... its a hard concept for me to grasp.
it made me sad and yet impressed at the same time that he is so devoted and selfless that he would do anything for anyone at any time. and it pissed me off that the boss man knows this and uses it to his advantage =/
so we like to go there when they start closing the shop because that way the boss man will leave and we can hang out with the fun people haha.
oh yeah and at dinner we got free presents with our meal! lol it was just a super cute hand made owl incense burner! i ruvv it =D
sorry this message is put together so poorly lol i feel like my brain is on meltdown from so much grammar studying...
but yeah so last night i went to eat for christmas dinner with my friend Johanna (aka Jyoti as Mikesh and the guys call her) and then we went to hang out with Mikesh, and Vikeas and the boss man that i dont like at the Funhouse.
The Funhouse is the guys' four story cloth shop a few mins from our hotel. each level has a different theme, and you practically have to crawl around cuz the ceilings are so short. but its so cozy in there because the amount of fabric they have makes the building soundproof! we hang out in the main shop area on the ground floor. its my favorite room because there are scarves all over the walls and cool shawls and shirts and tapestries everywhere! you cant see the walls at all lol. and we sit on little chairs made of wicker or something and they play super chill indian music.
any time were not sure what to do with our nght we always go over there and just relax. i love it.
the boss man speaks in weird indian riddles ALL the time not even joking. he is can be pretty funny sometimes and other times he can be a super jerk to the other guys.
He thinks that he is mister all powerful business man and makes the others do his every bidding =/ Mikesh is my favorite because he is the nicest! He hardly says anything and when he does its some witty phrase in english lol and he always laughs at his own jokes even if no one even understood what the heck he said!
one time the boss man made Mikesh go make him some food and when he came back and sat down i leaned over and asked him why he does everything the boss man says
he said to me;
'My karma is very important. some times he tells me i cant eat so i dont. if i am to give up my jacket and be cold for someone else, i will do it. Karma is important.'
then i asked him if he would jump off a bridge just because the boss man told him to and he honestly said that he would do it.... its a hard concept for me to grasp.
it made me sad and yet impressed at the same time that he is so devoted and selfless that he would do anything for anyone at any time. and it pissed me off that the boss man knows this and uses it to his advantage =/
so we like to go there when they start closing the shop because that way the boss man will leave and we can hang out with the fun people haha.
oh yeah and at dinner we got free presents with our meal! lol it was just a super cute hand made owl incense burner! i ruvv it =D
sorry this message is put together so poorly lol i feel like my brain is on meltdown from so much grammar studying...
Friday, December 24, 2010
New friend again... this time its a girl!!
So yea im just sitting here using the pooter and a girl from scotland came and started talking to me. her name is Joanna or Jo and she is really cool! she has done yoga teaching and she told me about some cool places to go and do group meditations and some place that does really cheap yoga sessions and she invited me to go with her to celebrate Christmas eve tonight!! she is a bit older than me like in her 20s or something but she is cool and said age is nothing its whats inside thats important =D so i guess that means im not too shabby haha
but yeah right now i wouldnt have thought there would be anything going on but the streets are ALIVE right now. earlier its the same but now you can hear all the noise of the clubs and bars and hotels are playing music and lights are up in shops lol its great! and now i have someone to share it with =D that makes me feel good.
so at 9 tonight were gonna go out and just take a walk and go to this restaurant she knows of that has really good curry.
we just had a chat about meditation and some of our funny stories we have had so far since being here and she showed me a cool band called Deep Forest. pretty cool you should check them out!
oh and she is here working as a volunteer too! she is doing something with a place called i think Helping Hands or something? not sure if thats right i forgot haha. but yeah she is the only volunteer lol and she was feeling lonely so she was happy to have met me! i hope that im not the only volunteer at the monastery... but if i am thats fine too cuz then ill get to have more time with the monks and focusing on my inner self =] either way ill be happy.
so yeah hope everyone is having a nice xmas eve =] love you all and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
woooo today is a success!
Harimaya and i went and did all of our homework on the roof garden today! before that we had an amazing conversation about her life growing up. it was so great i have asked her to re tell it and i will tape her in the process. then i am going to use that to write a story about her!! really its that good.
so we finished our work with the sun gently stroking our cheeks, then went and checked on the card situation....
The first bank we went to just gave us the run-around and told us to go see him, go see her bla bla blaaa
so we gave up and went to check on the Hotel Ambassador to see if my package from the Gramps had arrived yet.
they said that their PO box man is on leave and he is the only one with the key to their box.. figures lol. so we have to wait until monday to see if its there. hopefully it is!!
Across the street we went to another bank and used their ATM machines and they worked!!! yaya!!! so now i can pay back my friend and all is well =D
AND the best part, we found a tattoo parlor and its really nice, really good artists, and they said they could get me in next week!! on the 31st of Decemberrrr! soo now im getting this on my forearm:
(ps, its only 42 bucks... even better)
so we finished our work with the sun gently stroking our cheeks, then went and checked on the card situation....
The first bank we went to just gave us the run-around and told us to go see him, go see her bla bla blaaa
so we gave up and went to check on the Hotel Ambassador to see if my package from the Gramps had arrived yet.
they said that their PO box man is on leave and he is the only one with the key to their box.. figures lol. so we have to wait until monday to see if its there. hopefully it is!!
Across the street we went to another bank and used their ATM machines and they worked!!! yaya!!! so now i can pay back my friend and all is well =D
AND the best part, we found a tattoo parlor and its really nice, really good artists, and they said they could get me in next week!! on the 31st of Decemberrrr! soo now im getting this on my forearm:
(ps, its only 42 bucks... even better)
HOW SWEEET IS THAT?!
i have seen it everywhere so far and it is the eyes of Buddha and the Hindu god Swayambhu (means self creation)
it is the eyes for justice and truth.
soo Harimaya told me that it would be a great way to remember her and Nepal if I got that as a tattoo! forever i will remember her!! WOOO
oh yeah and that creepo guy, he has not come around at all =D oh happy days
Thursday, December 23, 2010
harimaya is a goddess. i absolutely love the woman.
Today i had breakfast with that guy because i had no way of contacting him in order to cancel, so i just stuck it out..... ( and i think i need to work on being mean sometimes)
needless to say he really ruined my day.
before he came i told my friends at the hotel that they should bring his food out fast and that way he will eat really fast. they are all so nice here =] the guy who brings my food out to me every day is awesome. he has been teaching me nepali phrases; a different one every time he brings out my meal =] and i told him of my predicament with the guy and he said this:
"this is your house, and we are all your brothers. So no worries Bahini (little sister) " and he smiled and walked away =D
while the creepo and i were eating i was just being nice and offered him some toast with honey and he said "i would lick that honey off you in a second." i honestly have never felt so violated in my life. by someone i didnt know at all and so publicly. i just stared at my porridge after that and ate with out another word. when i was done i just got up and went to my room. i stayed there hoping that he would go away after he was done eating, but yeah he didnt....
i planned out that i would pretend like i was going to class and hurriedly walk away from the hotel and then come back after a while.
as i was packing, i heard some foot steps coming up the stairs and then a knock at my door. i swear to you at this point i was ready to seek and destroy hahaha. i slowly opened the door...
AND IT WAS HARIMAYA!!!! OMGG i was sooo relieved. and the fact that she came an entire hour early was weird. i asked her before telling her anything why she came so early, and she said:
"i showered and got freshened up, ate my foods, and then had a weird urge to come over, so i did!"
lmao and then when i told her what was going on, she got so mad and almost went downstairs to throw her shoe at the guy!!! (this is a huge insult here lmao) but yeah she said ok fine lets just leave this place for now and go to the school early.
so we packed up and walked downstairs...
and low and behold he was still there and he GOT A CARRIAGE. what a sicko. seriously. as if i would get in that thing with him. douche.
my waiter friend winked at me and kept the man busy while we snuck out haha. but when he saw us leaving he stood up fast and looked like he was about to follow us so we took off running!
lol when we stopped running we realized how funny the scene must have looked... us running away from a crippled man on crutches LMAO! she always knows how to make the situations brighter.
as the day went on i kept hearing him saying that nasty statement to me... and the attention i usually get from the natives was bothering me so much today because i kept thinking that they were all saying that same statement in their heads as they looked at me. i wanted to hide. There are times i wish that i could just be butt ugly so i could just avoid situations and people all together.
by mid day it had just gotten to me and i was so relieved to be back in the classroom (we had to walk to observe a new teaching method) that i started to tear up. stupid ik but i was honestly feeling like a pile of trash.
when Harimaya noticed me crying, she stood up with out a word and walked out of the room. she returned after a couple of mins with some sweet tea and set it down in front of me, put her hands firmly on my shoulders and turned me to face her.
she said this in a stern mother voice:
"look at me. stop your tears right now. if we crumble at our enemy's hand, we have become cowards. YOU are anything but this. so take it from your thoughts."
this made me cry a little more haha so she continued...
"I see you as i see my daughter. you are my daughter. and i mean this from my heart. every day you are smiling and your face is bright and beautiful, but you have let him cast a shadow over your forehead. take this and become stronger. let your light shine again."
this woman has made such an impact on me its incredible. i would give my life for her.
after we did our work, she walked me to my hotel and talked to the guy at the reception desk. he said that any time he comes around he will call my room to let me know so i can avoid him and he also said that any time he asks about me he will have everyone say that i am out and never give any information.
all is good in the hood =]
needless to say he really ruined my day.
before he came i told my friends at the hotel that they should bring his food out fast and that way he will eat really fast. they are all so nice here =] the guy who brings my food out to me every day is awesome. he has been teaching me nepali phrases; a different one every time he brings out my meal =] and i told him of my predicament with the guy and he said this:
"this is your house, and we are all your brothers. So no worries Bahini (little sister) " and he smiled and walked away =D
while the creepo and i were eating i was just being nice and offered him some toast with honey and he said "i would lick that honey off you in a second." i honestly have never felt so violated in my life. by someone i didnt know at all and so publicly. i just stared at my porridge after that and ate with out another word. when i was done i just got up and went to my room. i stayed there hoping that he would go away after he was done eating, but yeah he didnt....
i planned out that i would pretend like i was going to class and hurriedly walk away from the hotel and then come back after a while.
as i was packing, i heard some foot steps coming up the stairs and then a knock at my door. i swear to you at this point i was ready to seek and destroy hahaha. i slowly opened the door...
AND IT WAS HARIMAYA!!!! OMGG i was sooo relieved. and the fact that she came an entire hour early was weird. i asked her before telling her anything why she came so early, and she said:
"i showered and got freshened up, ate my foods, and then had a weird urge to come over, so i did!"
lmao and then when i told her what was going on, she got so mad and almost went downstairs to throw her shoe at the guy!!! (this is a huge insult here lmao) but yeah she said ok fine lets just leave this place for now and go to the school early.
so we packed up and walked downstairs...
and low and behold he was still there and he GOT A CARRIAGE. what a sicko. seriously. as if i would get in that thing with him. douche.
my waiter friend winked at me and kept the man busy while we snuck out haha. but when he saw us leaving he stood up fast and looked like he was about to follow us so we took off running!
lol when we stopped running we realized how funny the scene must have looked... us running away from a crippled man on crutches LMAO! she always knows how to make the situations brighter.
as the day went on i kept hearing him saying that nasty statement to me... and the attention i usually get from the natives was bothering me so much today because i kept thinking that they were all saying that same statement in their heads as they looked at me. i wanted to hide. There are times i wish that i could just be butt ugly so i could just avoid situations and people all together.
by mid day it had just gotten to me and i was so relieved to be back in the classroom (we had to walk to observe a new teaching method) that i started to tear up. stupid ik but i was honestly feeling like a pile of trash.
when Harimaya noticed me crying, she stood up with out a word and walked out of the room. she returned after a couple of mins with some sweet tea and set it down in front of me, put her hands firmly on my shoulders and turned me to face her.
she said this in a stern mother voice:
"look at me. stop your tears right now. if we crumble at our enemy's hand, we have become cowards. YOU are anything but this. so take it from your thoughts."
this made me cry a little more haha so she continued...
"I see you as i see my daughter. you are my daughter. and i mean this from my heart. every day you are smiling and your face is bright and beautiful, but you have let him cast a shadow over your forehead. take this and become stronger. let your light shine again."
this woman has made such an impact on me its incredible. i would give my life for her.
after we did our work, she walked me to my hotel and talked to the guy at the reception desk. he said that any time he comes around he will call my room to let me know so i can avoid him and he also said that any time he asks about me he will have everyone say that i am out and never give any information.
all is good in the hood =]
GROSSSSS WHAT THE HECK DO I DO NOW?!
you guys i need help really bad hahahaha i hate awkward situations!!! so last night i had a cool convo with the guy i thought would be cool to be friends with. so we ate and he has basically been all over the world and gave me some tips on how to be a good traveller and whatever. fine that was fun.
OMG what happens after its time for him to go?
i go to give him a hand shake right? and he gives me a hug instead and then kisses me on the cheek. i wanted to slap him silly. SO NASTY! he is a greasy london asian and i just am so appalled.... idk what the heck to do. before the end of the convo we planned to have breakfast the next day. like am i being totaly naive here and thinking that eating with someone you met and having a conversation is someithng more than just friends? I THINK NOT. like i want to eat alone now and i think im gonna bring up charlie right away and just talk about him and then say i gotta leave to get ready for class lol
OMGG WHAT A CREEP!
=[ =[ =[ =[ someone save me.
OMG what happens after its time for him to go?
i go to give him a hand shake right? and he gives me a hug instead and then kisses me on the cheek. i wanted to slap him silly. SO NASTY! he is a greasy london asian and i just am so appalled.... idk what the heck to do. before the end of the convo we planned to have breakfast the next day. like am i being totaly naive here and thinking that eating with someone you met and having a conversation is someithng more than just friends? I THINK NOT. like i want to eat alone now and i think im gonna bring up charlie right away and just talk about him and then say i gotta leave to get ready for class lol
OMGG WHAT A CREEP!
=[ =[ =[ =[ someone save me.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
I made a new friend!!!
He is from London and i forgot his name already haha but he went trekking a few days ago and twisted his knee and i guess he sprained his acl or something? he has only been here for like 5 days and has spent almost all his time in the hospital or in his bed lol. poor guy.
he is staying at the hotel just down the way from mine and he asked if maybe we could get some dinner because he has no friends here and wants to get out more haha. so we might go get some food at one of these restaurants i know of not too far from his hotel. its really good and has all vegetarian food. safe water to drink and all its food is safe pretty much. its fairly cheap too! so i figured we could go there since he is on crutches and a brace and will not be able to make it anywhere else hahaha.
i feel so bad for him! that would suck to spend all that money to get here and then have to waste it on basically a four day hospital visit.... and then not being able to do anything cuz you are on crutches haha.
and he also took a TEFL course with some CELTA program. he said he wished he would have taken the one im doing now cuz he knows some ppl who have gotten jobs like the moment they apply after completing the course!! woo good news for me!
but yeah just wanted to share that =]
oh and im teaching again today at one!!! ahhh im nervous... the last class went horrid with the teaching style we learned... and we have to do the same one again today! crapppppp
wish me luck lol...
he is staying at the hotel just down the way from mine and he asked if maybe we could get some dinner because he has no friends here and wants to get out more haha. so we might go get some food at one of these restaurants i know of not too far from his hotel. its really good and has all vegetarian food. safe water to drink and all its food is safe pretty much. its fairly cheap too! so i figured we could go there since he is on crutches and a brace and will not be able to make it anywhere else hahaha.
i feel so bad for him! that would suck to spend all that money to get here and then have to waste it on basically a four day hospital visit.... and then not being able to do anything cuz you are on crutches haha.
and he also took a TEFL course with some CELTA program. he said he wished he would have taken the one im doing now cuz he knows some ppl who have gotten jobs like the moment they apply after completing the course!! woo good news for me!
but yeah just wanted to share that =]
oh and im teaching again today at one!!! ahhh im nervous... the last class went horrid with the teaching style we learned... and we have to do the same one again today! crapppppp
wish me luck lol...
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
And Just a Heads Up
I will be posting less and less these next few weeks and even less maybe two or three times a month cuz the monastery will not have internet and its like a 45 min walk to the nearest internet cafe... i may not post much at all! I want to get as much out of this experience as possible so dont be worried if i dont post for long periods of time lol
love you all.
hope you are enjoying the snow hahaha
although its getting colder and colder here lately. and tmro were having the first rain in like months! so its probably gonna be disgusting lol...
miss you all and love you very much.
love you all.
hope you are enjoying the snow hahaha
although its getting colder and colder here lately. and tmro were having the first rain in like months! so its probably gonna be disgusting lol...
miss you all and love you very much.
Still No Word On The Package....
I have been to check almost every day since i moved to this hotel in Thamel... so idk what to tell ya gramps im hoping that there is just something wrong with it getting here and its not just here and they are not telling me! i wouldnt doubt it haha...
and then on top of that, none of the stupid ATM machines are letting me take money out. It worked yesterday so not sure what the issue is. some of them would say ' Thank you come again.' but then not give me any money or receipt... im so fed up with the way things are run in this city lol. their government needs an enema or something! fresh start... and the pollution is so bad i saw a lady leaning out her window on the fouth story literally dumping urine and toilet waste onto the street where ppl are walking. i am soooo ready for the country side haha.
not that the city cant be beautiful sometimes... because it can its just REALLY hard to catch it at the right time when it is haha. thats really why i have been getting up at 6 am... no one is awake and the streets are silent. the sky is fresh (er) and you can actually see the mountains... its my favorite part of the day. and at night around seven some days when the power goes out all over the city hahaha. they have no choice but to wait till 9 for it to come back on again!!! and i get to sit and meditate by candle light... soo peaceful after a nice cup of hot jasmine tea =]
I have my Final Exam on sunday!!! OMG im nervous. =/
and then only one more week left till i go to the monestary!!
this class has been awesome tho for sure. very practical and i have gotten some really great experience with teaching. SO glad i did it!! =D
and then on top of that, none of the stupid ATM machines are letting me take money out. It worked yesterday so not sure what the issue is. some of them would say ' Thank you come again.' but then not give me any money or receipt... im so fed up with the way things are run in this city lol. their government needs an enema or something! fresh start... and the pollution is so bad i saw a lady leaning out her window on the fouth story literally dumping urine and toilet waste onto the street where ppl are walking. i am soooo ready for the country side haha.
not that the city cant be beautiful sometimes... because it can its just REALLY hard to catch it at the right time when it is haha. thats really why i have been getting up at 6 am... no one is awake and the streets are silent. the sky is fresh (er) and you can actually see the mountains... its my favorite part of the day. and at night around seven some days when the power goes out all over the city hahaha. they have no choice but to wait till 9 for it to come back on again!!! and i get to sit and meditate by candle light... soo peaceful after a nice cup of hot jasmine tea =]
I have my Final Exam on sunday!!! OMG im nervous. =/
and then only one more week left till i go to the monestary!!
this class has been awesome tho for sure. very practical and i have gotten some really great experience with teaching. SO glad i did it!! =D
Saturday, December 18, 2010
I like... i like to... EAT! raaaggghhhh Nepali foooddddd mmmmm
oh man this new hotel is heavenly.
i have two lil beds and two walls in an L shape that are all windows! so that means i get full sunlight from about 7 am to about 4. and when i open all the windows i have the best breeze....
in the mornings i wake up at like six thirty, shower, get out to some nice warm morning sunshine, and head downstairs for the best toast i have ever had. (and Rarles, thats not an exaggeration! lol) im telling you this is weird lookin toast. and its super fluffy but crunchy at the same time. it has a kind of yellowy eggy brown color to it and then they give you some honey to put on top of it. ohhh man i love it. and i also get to have fresh brewed jasmine tea every morning =]
so thats mah new life for now =]
oh yeah and i got on to the roof today, (not sure its legal or if im allowed to....) and there is a HUGE garden with all these crazy looking plants on it. i did some yoga and then just sat there. the view is awesome from there. you can see the Monkey Temple all the way in Kitirpur! oh and they also have a lil cage of super cute colorful birdies =] i think they are some kind of parakeet maybe?
so. last night. like two houses to the right of my window, there was a rave party. i sooo wanted to go over there so i got all ready and dressed ( i was in bed by like ten haha and then right when i heard the music i jumped up!) and went downstairs.... and then i realized that i had no idea where the stupid exit was. i was trapped in my hotel lmao. idk how to explain it, but like they close all the windows and doors at night, so it looks sooo different from being all open windows you know? lol so i had to go up on the 4th floor balcony (which again not sure if i can do..) and just danced by myself =D hahah what a life i have. maybe ill go there tonight and this time tell the guy so he can leave a door open for me!!
yeah so idk what else to share.
i have two lil beds and two walls in an L shape that are all windows! so that means i get full sunlight from about 7 am to about 4. and when i open all the windows i have the best breeze....
in the mornings i wake up at like six thirty, shower, get out to some nice warm morning sunshine, and head downstairs for the best toast i have ever had. (and Rarles, thats not an exaggeration! lol) im telling you this is weird lookin toast. and its super fluffy but crunchy at the same time. it has a kind of yellowy eggy brown color to it and then they give you some honey to put on top of it. ohhh man i love it. and i also get to have fresh brewed jasmine tea every morning =]
so thats mah new life for now =]
oh yeah and i got on to the roof today, (not sure its legal or if im allowed to....) and there is a HUGE garden with all these crazy looking plants on it. i did some yoga and then just sat there. the view is awesome from there. you can see the Monkey Temple all the way in Kitirpur! oh and they also have a lil cage of super cute colorful birdies =] i think they are some kind of parakeet maybe?
so. last night. like two houses to the right of my window, there was a rave party. i sooo wanted to go over there so i got all ready and dressed ( i was in bed by like ten haha and then right when i heard the music i jumped up!) and went downstairs.... and then i realized that i had no idea where the stupid exit was. i was trapped in my hotel lmao. idk how to explain it, but like they close all the windows and doors at night, so it looks sooo different from being all open windows you know? lol so i had to go up on the 4th floor balcony (which again not sure if i can do..) and just danced by myself =D hahah what a life i have. maybe ill go there tonight and this time tell the guy so he can leave a door open for me!!
yeah so idk what else to share.
Friday, December 17, 2010
ponder.
should it even be an option to think about how the future will look? or should we just worry about the now and just let life take you where it wants? are we allowed to take the wheel sometimes or are we just along for the ride?
at the moment im feeling a little bit like im just along for the ride....
please, everyone share their thoughts i would love to hear them.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
OMG!!! I GOT OFFERED A JOB AT A PRIVATE SCHOOL
ALREADY! you guys, this is INCREDIBLE. the school we went to was a higher secondary private school. so its like a high end school... like im telling you i laughed when he told me because i thought he was just being funny.
and then Kamal, my teacher, pulled me to the side and said that he was being dead serious and that i should not laugh.
hahaha... oops..
but yeah so i told him that i had to decline for now because i am going to need more training i think and that i was going to go home after the four months to go to college. he basically said that he didnt care. whenever i am ready i have a job here!
he offers free room and board and free meals!!! OMGGGGGGG thats awesome
and Harimaya also said that if i didnt want to live in the city to teach, i could go out to her home town of Gorkha and she would get me a job there! (she is a really well renowned lady in her town apparently which i am not surprised!) and she said that it would not be hard for her to get me a well paying job where i could live nestled in the mountains =]
you guys my future is basically being placed in my hands. i can not believe this.
and then Kamal, my teacher, pulled me to the side and said that he was being dead serious and that i should not laugh.
hahaha... oops..
but yeah so i told him that i had to decline for now because i am going to need more training i think and that i was going to go home after the four months to go to college. he basically said that he didnt care. whenever i am ready i have a job here!
he offers free room and board and free meals!!! OMGGGGGGG thats awesome
and Harimaya also said that if i didnt want to live in the city to teach, i could go out to her home town of Gorkha and she would get me a job there! (she is a really well renowned lady in her town apparently which i am not surprised!) and she said that it would not be hard for her to get me a well paying job where i could live nestled in the mountains =]
you guys my future is basically being placed in my hands. i can not believe this.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
First day as a teacher!!
So today went really really realy well =]
i got to sit in on Harimayas grade 8 class that she had to teach and i gave my feed back and so on. then it came to my turn.
I was teaching grade seven.
I chose the topic of animals!
to start off the class i decided to do a little game.
i brought a funny blue-ish ball with little bumps all over it.
I gave the instructions:
"listen carefully everyone. i am going to say what my favorite animal is in this way : 'my favorite animal is a cat. what is yours?' then i will toss the ball to one of you. the person who catches the ball will then say what their favorite animal is in the same way, and then give the ball to one of their fellow students. "
the kids loved this lol.
i gave myself about three minutes for this warmer type thing, and then moved on to setting the context of the class.
i gave the following instructions:
"I am going to draw on the board some pictures. while i am drawing, you all will try to guess what the pictures are of. "
I then drew pictures of a lion, a gorilla, and a tiger. for each animal i wrote everything the students said about each one around the picture; i did not tell them whether their answers were correct or not i was just trying to gain some knowledge of what they knew.
I gave myself about 7 to 8 mins for this.
I moved on to some extensive reading things, just to get them reading and talking with their friends.
i gave the following instructions:
"ok now i would like the two of you in the back to move up here and fill in this empty bench. you will be paired with the person you are sitting next to. I will be handing out some pictures i drew, and some text. in the bottom right hand corner the pictures have letters on them from A-E, and the text is numbered 1-5. along with these, i will be giving you an answer sheet. in one column it says 'picture letter' and in the next it says 'text number.' on the top of these sheets you will notice your team animal. what i want you all to do within your groups, is to read the text and match it with the pictures. you will write your answers on the answer sheet i just explained to you, then when you are finished i will collect the answer sheets. when they have all been collected, i will give the correct answers."
while they were doing their things, i was making a chart on the board. it said their team name on the left side and on the top was the picture letter. (after doing this i also went around and talked with them and gave them some hints if they needed any. i also re explained the directions for them. just wanted to give myself some time with each group to show them that i was interested in what they had to say.) i made a grid and when they gave me their answer sheets i put in the text number that they had given for each picture. after that i gave the correct answers and then gave the teams points for each answer they got right. (this was just so that they got more competitive and had a drive to actually do the lesson!) I gave myself about 8-9 mins for this.
Next i wanted to do some more intensive reading, so that they would get the chance to read aloud to the class.
i gave the following instructions:
"What we are going to do now is read the text i gave to you. I will read a line first, and then i will choose one of you to continue where i left off. are we ready? lets begin. Lions are carnivores...."
lol they loved this one too. which is weird because i remember my spanish class and i hated doing stuff like this haha. they appreciate learning language more tho which i love. makes my job easier =]
when we had finished reading the text, i gave them a set of true or false questions, some complete the sentence questions, and just some other Q and A type questions. I told them to remain in their same groups and raise their hands if they think they had the answer.
hahaha ohhhhh man! this one was hilarious. they were very quiet at first and when they realized i was putting points by the team names, lmao they reaaally got into it! some would jump up and shout the answer! oh i loved it. i ended up just giving every team points because they were all saying the same answer after one person said it, making it seem like they knew hahah.
that was ok for the complete the sentence and Q and A but i had them tell me where they found the answer for the T/F questions and if the answer was false tell me what the correct answer was. just so that they would actually learn something. I gave myself about 12-14 mins for this.
finally i wanted to end the class on a more free topic, only slightly related to our main topic of animals.
i wrote this on the board:
"Write a small paragraph on what your favorite animal is and what you know about it."
then underneath i gave some hints or starters to get them writing faster like what color is it? what does it eat? and so on.
i gave abut 7 mins for this. three to write and four for them to read out loud what they wrote.
i ended up finsihing the class with about three extra mins =] yeeee!
and my teacher was observing and said that i did an excellent job and only had a few things to point out =]
and now i have to teach another class at a totally different school with a totally new topic and lesson plan.... starting class at 8am... ohh man this is some tough work!
i got to sit in on Harimayas grade 8 class that she had to teach and i gave my feed back and so on. then it came to my turn.
I was teaching grade seven.
I chose the topic of animals!
to start off the class i decided to do a little game.
i brought a funny blue-ish ball with little bumps all over it.
I gave the instructions:
"listen carefully everyone. i am going to say what my favorite animal is in this way : 'my favorite animal is a cat. what is yours?' then i will toss the ball to one of you. the person who catches the ball will then say what their favorite animal is in the same way, and then give the ball to one of their fellow students. "
the kids loved this lol.
i gave myself about three minutes for this warmer type thing, and then moved on to setting the context of the class.
i gave the following instructions:
"I am going to draw on the board some pictures. while i am drawing, you all will try to guess what the pictures are of. "
I then drew pictures of a lion, a gorilla, and a tiger. for each animal i wrote everything the students said about each one around the picture; i did not tell them whether their answers were correct or not i was just trying to gain some knowledge of what they knew.
I gave myself about 7 to 8 mins for this.
I moved on to some extensive reading things, just to get them reading and talking with their friends.
i gave the following instructions:
"ok now i would like the two of you in the back to move up here and fill in this empty bench. you will be paired with the person you are sitting next to. I will be handing out some pictures i drew, and some text. in the bottom right hand corner the pictures have letters on them from A-E, and the text is numbered 1-5. along with these, i will be giving you an answer sheet. in one column it says 'picture letter' and in the next it says 'text number.' on the top of these sheets you will notice your team animal. what i want you all to do within your groups, is to read the text and match it with the pictures. you will write your answers on the answer sheet i just explained to you, then when you are finished i will collect the answer sheets. when they have all been collected, i will give the correct answers."
while they were doing their things, i was making a chart on the board. it said their team name on the left side and on the top was the picture letter. (after doing this i also went around and talked with them and gave them some hints if they needed any. i also re explained the directions for them. just wanted to give myself some time with each group to show them that i was interested in what they had to say.) i made a grid and when they gave me their answer sheets i put in the text number that they had given for each picture. after that i gave the correct answers and then gave the teams points for each answer they got right. (this was just so that they got more competitive and had a drive to actually do the lesson!) I gave myself about 8-9 mins for this.
Next i wanted to do some more intensive reading, so that they would get the chance to read aloud to the class.
i gave the following instructions:
"What we are going to do now is read the text i gave to you. I will read a line first, and then i will choose one of you to continue where i left off. are we ready? lets begin. Lions are carnivores...."
lol they loved this one too. which is weird because i remember my spanish class and i hated doing stuff like this haha. they appreciate learning language more tho which i love. makes my job easier =]
when we had finished reading the text, i gave them a set of true or false questions, some complete the sentence questions, and just some other Q and A type questions. I told them to remain in their same groups and raise their hands if they think they had the answer.
hahaha ohhhhh man! this one was hilarious. they were very quiet at first and when they realized i was putting points by the team names, lmao they reaaally got into it! some would jump up and shout the answer! oh i loved it. i ended up just giving every team points because they were all saying the same answer after one person said it, making it seem like they knew hahah.
that was ok for the complete the sentence and Q and A but i had them tell me where they found the answer for the T/F questions and if the answer was false tell me what the correct answer was. just so that they would actually learn something. I gave myself about 12-14 mins for this.
finally i wanted to end the class on a more free topic, only slightly related to our main topic of animals.
i wrote this on the board:
"Write a small paragraph on what your favorite animal is and what you know about it."
then underneath i gave some hints or starters to get them writing faster like what color is it? what does it eat? and so on.
i gave abut 7 mins for this. three to write and four for them to read out loud what they wrote.
i ended up finsihing the class with about three extra mins =] yeeee!
and my teacher was observing and said that i did an excellent job and only had a few things to point out =]
and now i have to teach another class at a totally different school with a totally new topic and lesson plan.... starting class at 8am... ohh man this is some tough work!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
MARIAH!! and other things =]
soo yeah, Mar-dog. i was meditating before class today and i was listening to that music.... sooo awesome
i was envisioning myself like a ball of colored paint and every time i breathed out i would stretch wavy jelly limbs in every single direction. each one was a different color... and when i breathed in they would retract; each time going farther and farther both inward and out ward. lol i sat there doing that for an hour an a half!!! my reception lady at the desk had to call my room cuz i forgot to go down and meet Harimaya so we could leave for class hahah.. oops
oh and on top of that, (mom dont freak out..) i lost my room key... so i cant lock my door lol. awesome.
BUT the good thing is i leave for a new hotel the day after tmro!
its wayy cheaper like 500 rupees (7 bucks) a night!! compared to the 25 bucks a night i pay here at this crazy place.... i forget the name of the new hotel but its like right in the heart of Thamel. this is where all the life is!!! way more people my age and lots more to do at night. tens of thousands of shops and all kind of internet cafes soo basically its gonna be sweet. oh and there is a garden out in the front too that is smaler but wayyy nicer. its covered by trees almost completely! i love it. cant wait to pack up and bounce haha.
yeah and i teach my first class tmro.... ohh nelly. im pretty prepared tho so ill sent their brains home jam packed with info! lol about animals... since thats my topic... but my teaching method will make them have fun. im pumped. EEEEE!! wish me luck!!
i was envisioning myself like a ball of colored paint and every time i breathed out i would stretch wavy jelly limbs in every single direction. each one was a different color... and when i breathed in they would retract; each time going farther and farther both inward and out ward. lol i sat there doing that for an hour an a half!!! my reception lady at the desk had to call my room cuz i forgot to go down and meet Harimaya so we could leave for class hahah.. oops
oh and on top of that, (mom dont freak out..) i lost my room key... so i cant lock my door lol. awesome.
BUT the good thing is i leave for a new hotel the day after tmro!
its wayy cheaper like 500 rupees (7 bucks) a night!! compared to the 25 bucks a night i pay here at this crazy place.... i forget the name of the new hotel but its like right in the heart of Thamel. this is where all the life is!!! way more people my age and lots more to do at night. tens of thousands of shops and all kind of internet cafes soo basically its gonna be sweet. oh and there is a garden out in the front too that is smaler but wayyy nicer. its covered by trees almost completely! i love it. cant wait to pack up and bounce haha.
yeah and i teach my first class tmro.... ohh nelly. im pretty prepared tho so ill sent their brains home jam packed with info! lol about animals... since thats my topic... but my teaching method will make them have fun. im pumped. EEEEE!! wish me luck!!
Meditation
I was given a cd by someone i met here at the hotel after dinner last night. i over heard him talking about karma and the how the mind is a beautiful thing if we learn how to correctly use it to some other people and asked if i could join the conversation. the cd had tibetan meditation music on it, and it is beautiful... i just imported it to my computer so could i have it. he told us that he likes to use it while meditating. he also told us the correct posture to use and how to focus the mind. i never got the chance to ask his name or anything cuz he had to leave for a business meeting or something.
ps, the cd was called "Tibetan Meditation" by a guy named Phil Thornton. see if there is anything on youtube about it. my favorite songs are the ones called "Mandala: Ascent" and "Lotus Dance." soo awesome.
what he told me was this (roughly lol):
in the fivepoint posture (which he most likes to use),
The first point is that the body should be straight. no leaning forward or backwards or to any side. (he said you could sit in a straight backed chair if it was too difficult at first)
the second point was to relax the throat. (not really sure how to do it so he just told me that you should relax it so the air flows smoothly and with out force.)
The third point is that the legs should be crossed in the full lotus position (i asked about if i could not get my legs in the lotus position what should i do? he said that you can just relax them into the half lotus posture, which is just like crossing your legs.)
The fourth point is the body should be "gathered together like chains." (basically you just need to have some control and strength to hold yourself in that position.)
The fifth and final point is to keep your mind and body fairly tight, exherting a fair amount of energy. (basically so that you can remain focused and in this posture for long periods of time.)
its not easy!! i hope that made some sense lol i have been doing more research about it and stuff so im getting better =] it feels really good to just let your mind go... your not so much trying to totally relax it or stop thinking, rather you should step back from your thoughts and just view them. i was reading a blog from a guy on meditation and he said this:
'In meditation we are not looking to stop our thought processes. In fact, we are not really looking for anything in particular. We are simply looking.'
pretty cool and he described it really well... linky link link =]
you should read all his blogs they are pretty cool. i have been following it for a while now.
ps, the cd was called "Tibetan Meditation" by a guy named Phil Thornton. see if there is anything on youtube about it. my favorite songs are the ones called "Mandala: Ascent" and "Lotus Dance." soo awesome.
what he told me was this (roughly lol):
in the fivepoint posture (which he most likes to use),
The first point is that the body should be straight. no leaning forward or backwards or to any side. (he said you could sit in a straight backed chair if it was too difficult at first)
the second point was to relax the throat. (not really sure how to do it so he just told me that you should relax it so the air flows smoothly and with out force.)
The third point is that the legs should be crossed in the full lotus position (i asked about if i could not get my legs in the lotus position what should i do? he said that you can just relax them into the half lotus posture, which is just like crossing your legs.)
The fourth point is the body should be "gathered together like chains." (basically you just need to have some control and strength to hold yourself in that position.)
The fifth and final point is to keep your mind and body fairly tight, exherting a fair amount of energy. (basically so that you can remain focused and in this posture for long periods of time.)
its not easy!! i hope that made some sense lol i have been doing more research about it and stuff so im getting better =] it feels really good to just let your mind go... your not so much trying to totally relax it or stop thinking, rather you should step back from your thoughts and just view them. i was reading a blog from a guy on meditation and he said this:
'In meditation we are not looking to stop our thought processes. In fact, we are not really looking for anything in particular. We are simply looking.'
pretty cool and he described it really well... linky link link =]
you should read all his blogs they are pretty cool. i have been following it for a while now.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
i learned that my name means generous, or one who gives with out haste. spelling is the same and everything!
Today Harimaya and i went to the monkey temple and it was AMAZING!! soo awesome. it was a buddhist temple and it was like infested with crazy monkeys hhaha so cute! we climed allll the way up to the top of this giant hilly mountain thing and from the top we could see allll of kathmandu valley. there was also a group meditation thing going on but i didnt want to join because it was too touristy. mostly people from america and england or where ever. if im going to do i am going to wait and do it WITH the monks. not have one held by them. and i get to do that after this month!! i can wait to live in the Tashi Chuling monastery... i wonder what its going to be like. from the top of the temple Hari pointed out the direction of Pharping (where the monastery is) and it looks like it is nestled in the hills just below the mountains =]
this city life is too much to handle...
We finished typing out her paper and gong over the grammer and what not, went to the Tribhuvan University and turned it in. so hopefully her mini research will be approved!! =D
she was so nice today. lol not that she isnt every day! but she literally would not let me pay foranything! she even bought me some prayer beads and a multi metal bracelet and said "you have bangles from all your other friends, so now i will add to your collection. but mine is better" hahahahaha she is so funny! she also bought me a whole pound of FRESH oranges. dude these things were the best oranges i have ever eaten... small yet so juicy that they started dripping when i opened them! i kept squirting my face ahaha. she said they were from her part of town and knew that i would love them.
i took her out to dinner at the hotel and repayed her for everything she did. i got her some ice cream and a pancake for dessert too =] haha she was in heaven!
we then went up to my room and had a conversation about relationships and love, as well as marriage both personally and culturally. she is so awesome. she told me that a marriage should be shared. she was married off to a man at the age of 12!! and she said that even though it was arranged, they grew to really truly love each other. she told me that if the couple is able to work through their problems with out getting overly upset, and can 'hold their heads' then that is a healthy affair and will no doubt grow into some kind of love.
that was my day =] i will have pictures up on flickr so be looking for them!!! they are gonna be good ones lol
this city life is too much to handle...
We finished typing out her paper and gong over the grammer and what not, went to the Tribhuvan University and turned it in. so hopefully her mini research will be approved!! =D
she was so nice today. lol not that she isnt every day! but she literally would not let me pay foranything! she even bought me some prayer beads and a multi metal bracelet and said "you have bangles from all your other friends, so now i will add to your collection. but mine is better" hahahahaha she is so funny! she also bought me a whole pound of FRESH oranges. dude these things were the best oranges i have ever eaten... small yet so juicy that they started dripping when i opened them! i kept squirting my face ahaha. she said they were from her part of town and knew that i would love them.
i took her out to dinner at the hotel and repayed her for everything she did. i got her some ice cream and a pancake for dessert too =] haha she was in heaven!
we then went up to my room and had a conversation about relationships and love, as well as marriage both personally and culturally. she is so awesome. she told me that a marriage should be shared. she was married off to a man at the age of 12!! and she said that even though it was arranged, they grew to really truly love each other. she told me that if the couple is able to work through their problems with out getting overly upset, and can 'hold their heads' then that is a healthy affair and will no doubt grow into some kind of love.
that was my day =] i will have pictures up on flickr so be looking for them!!! they are gonna be good ones lol
Saturday, December 11, 2010
hahaha shopping...
so today harimaya and i typed out her 14 page paper about the role that women have in the education society. very clever woman she is.
the manager of the hotel is a straight up ass. he was there when we were typing, and when we took a break and came back he went up to harimaya and told her ' so you have been typing for a long time... is this your work or is it her work?' implying that if it is hers, he would like her to do it somewhere else because she is not a member of the hotel. i wanted to send his face right into the computer screen.
during our break from typing, we sat out in the garden and had a really intelligent conversation about the government in nepal and also government in general with a man and his family who were originally from london but are now living in Israel! he was a very happy simple living man and he said that he did not allow television in his house, but they would have music on alll the time just playing in the background. he said that he believes music is good for the soul; that is is like massaging the ears and mind haha =] both his children have gone off and are all three doctors in chemistry, and something else i cant remember lol.
we then also had a really cool chat about how language is different in other parts of the world and the history of some of them and what not. (he was a BRILLIANT man. simply brilliant.) he told me that the purest form of the real English language (grammatically) is in fact spoken by the Norther Irish folk! how strange...
this is because when the kings of old were not able to lend land to their sons they were banished to those parts of Ireland. so when they were there they influenced the Irish people. they have only learned from the real and first kings of england... thought that was really cool.
after our typing we went and did some shopping. i went and got a present for my brother that i think he will like alot!! =] and i got something for my mommy too but i cant tell you!
I went to a fabric shop called Cottage Arts Emporium just to touch the fabrics, and ended up walking out with 220 dollars worth of fabric and a dinner invitation to have indian food with the managers from Cashmere, India! (spelling?) we spent TWO hours in that shop. THE MOST AMAZING FABRIC. every single piece was hand woven and some pieces took TWO years to make by one person!!! so incredible. the two indian gentlemen were incredibly smart about fabrics and gave me a ton of insight on how to correctly shop for things in any country, and where some of the best fabrics are found.
in this shop it was very small and comfortable smelled like nag champa, and they were very eager to show me EVERYTHING in their shop, even the things they did not even think i would buy. i could tell that they truly loved what they did, which made me enjoy my time there even more!
we had like ten piles of fabric and scarves and tapestries and each one we went through and i ruled out the ones i loved the most. the man named Rouf Kolu was very kind (both of them were!) showed me some of the things his father designed. AMAZING.
i bought a tapestry with 100 percent silk hand woven in a woolen fabric with design that was so thin and intricate you can almost see right through it. the colors are gorgeous. =]
and i also got a scarf for myself that is also very beautiful and guaranteed not to unravel, even tho there are purposeful holes in it!! all made of this fabric called 'boiled wool'
the wool is literally boiled in water lol. it makes it super soft and its incredibly warm.
lol so we spent like two hours in this fabric shop. they made us nepali tea too! and then one of the guys from the shop next door came and hung out with us too =]
Rouf told me that he is in love with cooking as well as fabrics and he was in taiwan for a few years, and he made some dishes that were so good they were put in a food magazine!! he showed it to me and it looked so amazing i started getting hungry ahaha.
he invited us to have lunch at his new house next sunday which is very close to my hotel. and he said he would prepare everything himself! this is a really big thing apparently. so far i have gotten two dinner invites to peoples houses and about a million phone numbers! haha i feel honored!! =]
i think my dark heart , and has been replaced with one full of
the manager of the hotel is a straight up ass. he was there when we were typing, and when we took a break and came back he went up to harimaya and told her ' so you have been typing for a long time... is this your work or is it her work?' implying that if it is hers, he would like her to do it somewhere else because she is not a member of the hotel. i wanted to send his face right into the computer screen.
during our break from typing, we sat out in the garden and had a really intelligent conversation about the government in nepal and also government in general with a man and his family who were originally from london but are now living in Israel! he was a very happy simple living man and he said that he did not allow television in his house, but they would have music on alll the time just playing in the background. he said that he believes music is good for the soul; that is is like massaging the ears and mind haha =] both his children have gone off and are all three doctors in chemistry, and something else i cant remember lol.
we then also had a really cool chat about how language is different in other parts of the world and the history of some of them and what not. (he was a BRILLIANT man. simply brilliant.) he told me that the purest form of the real English language (grammatically) is in fact spoken by the Norther Irish folk! how strange...
this is because when the kings of old were not able to lend land to their sons they were banished to those parts of Ireland. so when they were there they influenced the Irish people. they have only learned from the real and first kings of england... thought that was really cool.
after our typing we went and did some shopping. i went and got a present for my brother that i think he will like alot!! =] and i got something for my mommy too but i cant tell you!
I went to a fabric shop called Cottage Arts Emporium just to touch the fabrics, and ended up walking out with 220 dollars worth of fabric and a dinner invitation to have indian food with the managers from Cashmere, India! (spelling?) we spent TWO hours in that shop. THE MOST AMAZING FABRIC. every single piece was hand woven and some pieces took TWO years to make by one person!!! so incredible. the two indian gentlemen were incredibly smart about fabrics and gave me a ton of insight on how to correctly shop for things in any country, and where some of the best fabrics are found.
in this shop it was very small and comfortable smelled like nag champa, and they were very eager to show me EVERYTHING in their shop, even the things they did not even think i would buy. i could tell that they truly loved what they did, which made me enjoy my time there even more!
we had like ten piles of fabric and scarves and tapestries and each one we went through and i ruled out the ones i loved the most. the man named Rouf Kolu was very kind (both of them were!) showed me some of the things his father designed. AMAZING.
i bought a tapestry with 100 percent silk hand woven in a woolen fabric with design that was so thin and intricate you can almost see right through it. the colors are gorgeous. =]
and i also got a scarf for myself that is also very beautiful and guaranteed not to unravel, even tho there are purposeful holes in it!! all made of this fabric called 'boiled wool'
the wool is literally boiled in water lol. it makes it super soft and its incredibly warm.
lol so we spent like two hours in this fabric shop. they made us nepali tea too! and then one of the guys from the shop next door came and hung out with us too =]
Rouf told me that he is in love with cooking as well as fabrics and he was in taiwan for a few years, and he made some dishes that were so good they were put in a food magazine!! he showed it to me and it looked so amazing i started getting hungry ahaha.
he invited us to have lunch at his new house next sunday which is very close to my hotel. and he said he would prepare everything himself! this is a really big thing apparently. so far i have gotten two dinner invites to peoples houses and about a million phone numbers! haha i feel honored!! =]
i think my dark heart , and has been replaced with one full of
म
य
म
(maya=love) =]
Friday, December 10, 2010
man ima negative nancy today....
It seems that i will have to move to a new hotel now because the one im at now is run by a greedy indian jerk. He is charging me a crap load of money just for my stay and on top of it i have to pay for my dinner separately. so my friends at the school are going crazy trying to find me a new place to stay. i am grateful for them =]
we had to teach a child today for 45 minutes one on one... i was so nervous. i think i did terrible lol. i had the lesson plan and did everything i wrote down and whatever but i dont think the girl understood a thing. i am beginning to wonder if this is something i am ready for or not.... maybe i need more practice. or maybe i am just negative today lol... =/
And on top of that, we had to learn grammar and the rules for the english language, and OMFG its so hard.... how is it that i can speak the language so perfectly and not be able to explain WHY?! gahhh.
i think i just need to let all this crazy negative steam blow off and think of the positives i get to do...
Tmro i am helping Harimaya type out a paper for her. she has to submit it to get another job at a university! this is very important to her and she asked me to help her =] that i am very proud of. Im glad i have her as a friend. when we were walking back tonight, we were in silence for a while and i was just letting my mind dwelll on things, and after a while she said 'what is it you let your mind be tormented by?' it took a lot for me not to cry lol. but i didnt and just told her all my fears and she thought for a moment and said tmro, we will go to Thamel and look for a hotel for you. and when we find one, i will help you to pack up your things and move in. after that we will go shopping and get you some beautiful clothes.'
so grateful for my new friend. she also said that she will take me to the monkey temple lol where supposedly there are monkeys everywhere! that i am very excited about.
we saw lots of wedding ceremonies today because i guess today was a good day to get married according to the horoscopes? so i got to see many beautiful women and men all dressed in their best saris and suits. soo gorgeous. the colors in this place make me want to paint myself with them lol i want to own every piece of clothing i see!! even the fabric is amazing its all so soft and flow-y... haha i love it.
haha on the walk to class this morning, a man was so obviously staring at me and doing some weird freaky face at me that hari and i looked at each other as he passed and had the SAME look of 'what the hell...' on our faces that we busted out laughing hahaha i was nearly in tears!
and last night before we left the classroom, i showed Kamal and Hari both Photobooth haha... you can just imagine their excitement i hope. They were both laughing so hard that Kamal (my super serious teacher) was snorting lmao!! oh soo funny. maybe i will post some photos they took soon after i ask if it is ok for me to do so lol.
i hope my dark mood passes. it was gone for a while this morning when i was sitting in the garden waiting for Hari to get me. I was sitting in the chair and the sun was on my face just the right amount that i was warm all over and my eyelids got heavy lol i meditated for about ten fifteen mins and then realized i had fallen asleep ahah!
i have much work to do and lots of studying for school.... i hope to hear from you all soon...
much love.
we had to teach a child today for 45 minutes one on one... i was so nervous. i think i did terrible lol. i had the lesson plan and did everything i wrote down and whatever but i dont think the girl understood a thing. i am beginning to wonder if this is something i am ready for or not.... maybe i need more practice. or maybe i am just negative today lol... =/
And on top of that, we had to learn grammar and the rules for the english language, and OMFG its so hard.... how is it that i can speak the language so perfectly and not be able to explain WHY?! gahhh.
i think i just need to let all this crazy negative steam blow off and think of the positives i get to do...
Tmro i am helping Harimaya type out a paper for her. she has to submit it to get another job at a university! this is very important to her and she asked me to help her =] that i am very proud of. Im glad i have her as a friend. when we were walking back tonight, we were in silence for a while and i was just letting my mind dwelll on things, and after a while she said 'what is it you let your mind be tormented by?' it took a lot for me not to cry lol. but i didnt and just told her all my fears and she thought for a moment and said tmro, we will go to Thamel and look for a hotel for you. and when we find one, i will help you to pack up your things and move in. after that we will go shopping and get you some beautiful clothes.'
so grateful for my new friend. she also said that she will take me to the monkey temple lol where supposedly there are monkeys everywhere! that i am very excited about.
we saw lots of wedding ceremonies today because i guess today was a good day to get married according to the horoscopes? so i got to see many beautiful women and men all dressed in their best saris and suits. soo gorgeous. the colors in this place make me want to paint myself with them lol i want to own every piece of clothing i see!! even the fabric is amazing its all so soft and flow-y... haha i love it.
haha on the walk to class this morning, a man was so obviously staring at me and doing some weird freaky face at me that hari and i looked at each other as he passed and had the SAME look of 'what the hell...' on our faces that we busted out laughing hahaha i was nearly in tears!
and last night before we left the classroom, i showed Kamal and Hari both Photobooth haha... you can just imagine their excitement i hope. They were both laughing so hard that Kamal (my super serious teacher) was snorting lmao!! oh soo funny. maybe i will post some photos they took soon after i ask if it is ok for me to do so lol.
i hope my dark mood passes. it was gone for a while this morning when i was sitting in the garden waiting for Hari to get me. I was sitting in the chair and the sun was on my face just the right amount that i was warm all over and my eyelids got heavy lol i meditated for about ten fifteen mins and then realized i had fallen asleep ahah!
i have much work to do and lots of studying for school.... i hope to hear from you all soon...
much love.
ohh my gossshh
im feelin pretty rough this morning... cant wait for class so i can have some close friends around. this culture shock is pretty tough, mostly because i knew almost nothing about the place before i left...
And when im walking on the street EVERY SINGLE PERSON stares as they pass me. i have been wearing my scarf around my face more often now to try and avoid that... but its almost like that makes it worse. im trying to get used to it but its hard going from not being so interesting looking to being almost an alien. Ik they dont mean anything by it because Harimaya told me that the native people find foreigners to be fascinating and to talk to one is a huge honor... i just need to adjust to the so called fame i guess... =/ i just wish i could blend in lol. i was very introverted before coming here, so maybe i am supposed to come out of my shell now...
ps, after the blind convention i met a guy from texas!!! that made me really happy because it was suuper easy to communicate and it was really nice refresher and it was cool that he was from my home state haha! =] He is with another teaching program called NELTA and is staying for TEN MONTHS! it has already been three for him... ohh thats such a long time... so that made me a little more comfortable about my situation i can only imagine how he has felt!
And when im walking on the street EVERY SINGLE PERSON stares as they pass me. i have been wearing my scarf around my face more often now to try and avoid that... but its almost like that makes it worse. im trying to get used to it but its hard going from not being so interesting looking to being almost an alien. Ik they dont mean anything by it because Harimaya told me that the native people find foreigners to be fascinating and to talk to one is a huge honor... i just need to adjust to the so called fame i guess... =/ i just wish i could blend in lol. i was very introverted before coming here, so maybe i am supposed to come out of my shell now...
ps, after the blind convention i met a guy from texas!!! that made me really happy because it was suuper easy to communicate and it was really nice refresher and it was cool that he was from my home state haha! =] He is with another teaching program called NELTA and is staying for TEN MONTHS! it has already been three for him... ohh thats such a long time... so that made me a little more comfortable about my situation i can only imagine how he has felt!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
First strange encounter... not sure how to feel....
I will post a separate blog about the blind convention later.
We had to go to class by ten this morning because there was a private convention that we were again invited to! this one was super interesting.
Before the convention, me, Hari, and another man (i forgot his name!) had a super awesome conversation about how we feel the internet and cellular devices are affecting the youth and the social face to face communications, as well as the development of language and how it fluctuates and changes. super awesome. the guy was really cool and asked for my email and gave me his business card. i have gotten a million of those already lmao.
As we were heading in, the main man to speak was greeting everyone by the door with a 'namaste' and whatever, and he said 'hello' to me haha. I was glad he could speak English because i didn't want to have to worry about asking Harimaya to translate!
~
The title of this workshop convention thing was called 'Promotion of Human Rights Through Spiritual Value'
(Everything is all crazy right now because Human Rights Day is tmro!)
And to my dismay, he spoke in only Nepali, and i only had the scribbled english translated notes Harimaya took for me. =[ Which is better than nothing!
The speaker was a Raja Yogi Master from Brahma Kumari's Rajyog Center, and even tho it was all in Nepali, i could tell he was a brilliant and very knowledgeable man. small and wrinkly haha, but a big voice!
after about a half hour of just listening to the language and trying to follow off of Hari's notes, The Raja looked right at me and said something. First time the guy had even made eye contact or spoken to me (other than the meeting we had at the door) the whole entire time i have been in the building. even weirder, he said it in ENGLISH. (i knew he could speak it!!)
and naturally all 18 people turn and stare..
'We are all searching for peace, but we are ignoring ourselves, as this should start from ourselves.'
uh..... why did he have to single me out to tell me that? and why couldn't he speak in english the whole time?! everyone there obviously understands it... i was so embarrassed i wanted to hide under the table. shortly after, Kamal (one of my teachers) came and got us for class, so i didn't get the chance to talk to him personally and ask him what is problem was!
so now i cant stop thinking about why he did it that way and why on earth he did it at all.... maybe he is just a dramatic person. or maybe i really should try and think about what he said and not why...
=/ gahh...
i feel homesick.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
LILY!!!
i am so glad you are reading =] and i appreciate the questions!
what i can tell you now about Harimaya is that firstly she found it odd that we americans and westerners are so open to the thought of divorce, and how it happens so often. also the fact that family life is not as strong as it is here. let me explain:
When a couple get married, it is always the woman who goes and lives with the husbands family. they are required to take care of HIS family more so than her own. Also, the family is always together and are required to care for the mother figure unless, the children go to university or the woman gets married and has to leave. the woman leaving, the brothers are always the ones to remain with the mothers to take care of them (Mothers are held in VERY high esteem as i have stated from past blogs). Sometimes, there will only be daughters in the family, and in this case the husband will move to the wife's house, claiming the property. The daughters were not allowed to receive the properties of her own family by a will of the parents, until more recent laws stated that it be allowed for them to do so.
from what i read off of a website called everyculture.com 'Women often describe themselves as "the lower caste" in relation to men and generally occupy a subordinate social position.'
Read more: Culture of Nepal - traditional, history, people, clothing, traditions, women, beliefs, food, customs, family, social, dress, marriage, men, life, wedding, tribe, population, religion http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Nepal.html#ixzz17TyXVpwm
This is mostly in rural areas, yet i have noticed that here in the city it is a little less common and women are becoming more able to attend school and apply for jobs. Even then some of the women like Harimaya from rural comunitites are not held in as low esteem. so i think it just varies by ethnic group now and is slowly diminishing. However i do not think they are yet able to be in positions of power.
i hope this answers most of your qusetions!!! =D i am learning so much here just by walking to/from class. i will ask more about what Harimaya's life is like back home when we are toghether this weekend.
So now im off to the convention, ill be sure to take LOADS of notes and fill you all in when i return from class tonight =]
(ps, sorry i am starting to speak/write with the more formal british style english haha its how i have to do it for class! hope its not too textbook-y for you all)
what i can tell you now about Harimaya is that firstly she found it odd that we americans and westerners are so open to the thought of divorce, and how it happens so often. also the fact that family life is not as strong as it is here. let me explain:
When a couple get married, it is always the woman who goes and lives with the husbands family. they are required to take care of HIS family more so than her own. Also, the family is always together and are required to care for the mother figure unless, the children go to university or the woman gets married and has to leave. the woman leaving, the brothers are always the ones to remain with the mothers to take care of them (Mothers are held in VERY high esteem as i have stated from past blogs). Sometimes, there will only be daughters in the family, and in this case the husband will move to the wife's house, claiming the property. The daughters were not allowed to receive the properties of her own family by a will of the parents, until more recent laws stated that it be allowed for them to do so.
from what i read off of a website called everyculture.com 'Women often describe themselves as "the lower caste" in relation to men and generally occupy a subordinate social position.'
Read more: Culture of Nepal - traditional, history, people, clothing, traditions, women, beliefs, food, customs, family, social, dress, marriage, men, life, wedding, tribe, population, religion http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Nepal.html#ixzz17TyXVpwm
This is mostly in rural areas, yet i have noticed that here in the city it is a little less common and women are becoming more able to attend school and apply for jobs. Even then some of the women like Harimaya from rural comunitites are not held in as low esteem. so i think it just varies by ethnic group now and is slowly diminishing. However i do not think they are yet able to be in positions of power.
i hope this answers most of your qusetions!!! =D i am learning so much here just by walking to/from class. i will ask more about what Harimaya's life is like back home when we are toghether this weekend.
So now im off to the convention, ill be sure to take LOADS of notes and fill you all in when i return from class tonight =]
(ps, sorry i am starting to speak/write with the more formal british style english haha its how i have to do it for class! hope its not too textbook-y for you all)
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
TODAY!! GREAT SUCCESS! =D
AHH today was so great!! very relaxed and just enjoyable. This morning i went and had a cup of tea and some porridge, while studying my books for class. after which i went upstairs and got my things ready to leave and sat in the garden for a while. Harimaya came and surprised me a half hour before class and we sat for a while in the garden having short conversation, and in between we had that very comfortable silence that good friends sometimes have.
=]
There was about ten or fifteen minutes left before class started so i got on my laptop and showed Harimaya pictures on facebook of friends and family haha! she said that my mother was very beautiful and my brother was very handsome haha which both are too true! =D lol and when i showed her a picture of charlie, she said 'ooooohhhh he is very handsome man! you have done well!' haha and she laughed and patted me on the back. LMAO!
we had to go out and do another 'foreign language walk' where this time we had to come up with a six sentence dialogue and then go out in the street and find an informant to tell us how to say it in nepali. basically we had to have a conversation with these people!! its hard to explain lol for me anyways!
when i did it i went to the same place i did the one from yesterday, only this time i consulted some college students haha... they were Very funny! every one of them (there was about 5) wanted to help me and at the same time they were asking different questions all in Nepali and in choppy english! ahaha i was soo confused for a long time but we ended up becoming friends and i gave one of the girls my email so we can keep in touch =]
During class one of our teachers told us that we have the option of attending this convention at the British Council right down the street from my house. there are limited seating and teachers from all over the world are going to be there! even some who trained at oxford and harvard! and i get to go! ahh so excited. The convention is going to be about how to teach children who are blind in the classroom, and how best to incorporate that into our lesson plan without singling them out and so on.
on our walk home tonight harimaya and i were teaching each other how to pronounce different words in eachothers languages and i was telling her about my family what my house was like and what things were like back at home pretty much and we were so int o our conversation that we had no idea we had become lost hahaha! it took us a few mins to gain our bearings again lol =D
OH i almost forgot. i found this new website calld www.freerice.com
it is a website that helps to aid hunger. you answer some questions and every one you get right, you instantly donate ten grains of rice to a country! it costs no money and the questions are in different categories and even in difficulty! its fun and easy and helps out a country! you should check it out for serzzz =D
"Friendship needs no words..."
-- Dag Hammarskjold.
=]
There was about ten or fifteen minutes left before class started so i got on my laptop and showed Harimaya pictures on facebook of friends and family haha! she said that my mother was very beautiful and my brother was very handsome haha which both are too true! =D lol and when i showed her a picture of charlie, she said 'ooooohhhh he is very handsome man! you have done well!' haha and she laughed and patted me on the back. LMAO!
we had to go out and do another 'foreign language walk' where this time we had to come up with a six sentence dialogue and then go out in the street and find an informant to tell us how to say it in nepali. basically we had to have a conversation with these people!! its hard to explain lol for me anyways!
when i did it i went to the same place i did the one from yesterday, only this time i consulted some college students haha... they were Very funny! every one of them (there was about 5) wanted to help me and at the same time they were asking different questions all in Nepali and in choppy english! ahaha i was soo confused for a long time but we ended up becoming friends and i gave one of the girls my email so we can keep in touch =]
During class one of our teachers told us that we have the option of attending this convention at the British Council right down the street from my house. there are limited seating and teachers from all over the world are going to be there! even some who trained at oxford and harvard! and i get to go! ahh so excited. The convention is going to be about how to teach children who are blind in the classroom, and how best to incorporate that into our lesson plan without singling them out and so on.
on our walk home tonight harimaya and i were teaching each other how to pronounce different words in eachothers languages and i was telling her about my family what my house was like and what things were like back at home pretty much and we were so int o our conversation that we had no idea we had become lost hahaha! it took us a few mins to gain our bearings again lol =D
OH i almost forgot. i found this new website calld www.freerice.com
it is a website that helps to aid hunger. you answer some questions and every one you get right, you instantly donate ten grains of rice to a country! it costs no money and the questions are in different categories and even in difficulty! its fun and easy and helps out a country! you should check it out for serzzz =D
omg...
this lady wants to clean my room like EVERY DAY! she just cleaned it yesterday.... and its again time for cleaning tmro apparently... ahaha
First day of school (and whetever else i want to share)
first day of class was AMAZING! there are only two of us tho which is ok because we get more one on one teaching! my classmates name is Harimaya and she is from an outside town in the rural area about 5 hours from Kathmandu. her daughter is my age too and likes soccer! she also told me that i have perfect pronunciation of the Nepali words =] she is also teaching me a lot about the culture. we plan on going shopping this weekend and just taking a walk and talking about life and our personal views as well as cultural views.
For our first assignment i had to go out and make a list of 80-100 english words and find one random person who speaks Nepali tell me those words in their language and i had to write it out myself! i learned so much =]
Harimaya had to do the same for her assignment but a different language called Gurung.
Fun Fact: There are around 100 different languages in Nepal alone and none of them understand each other. Nepali is used as the lingua franca or linking language to help communicate with the other languages.
So now imagine this scenario: A man from the Gurung mother tongue marries a woman of the Newari mother tongue, they use Nepali to communicate. so gradually as a result of this it just becomes Nepali throughout. this means that slowly the other mother tongues are dying out. i thought that was kinda cool.
we have three or four tea/coffee breaks a day and the tea is green tea in which they add milk and two spoons of cane sugar. my favorite beverage here besides the fresh mango juice! the coffee is also surprisingly good at the school... that means a lot coming from me aha! they take the coffee grounds first and then pour the hot water on top, at the same time adding milk and cane sugar. it comes out to have a cinnamon-y mint flavor? very strange but delicious haha =]
=]
i also found out that i have to teach my first class on the 13th already!! ahh i am very nervous about that...
keep checkin the photos every day!! and leave me comments! i miss everyone =]
much love.
For our first assignment i had to go out and make a list of 80-100 english words and find one random person who speaks Nepali tell me those words in their language and i had to write it out myself! i learned so much =]
Harimaya had to do the same for her assignment but a different language called Gurung.
Fun Fact: There are around 100 different languages in Nepal alone and none of them understand each other. Nepali is used as the lingua franca or linking language to help communicate with the other languages.
So now imagine this scenario: A man from the Gurung mother tongue marries a woman of the Newari mother tongue, they use Nepali to communicate. so gradually as a result of this it just becomes Nepali throughout. this means that slowly the other mother tongues are dying out. i thought that was kinda cool.
we have three or four tea/coffee breaks a day and the tea is green tea in which they add milk and two spoons of cane sugar. my favorite beverage here besides the fresh mango juice! the coffee is also surprisingly good at the school... that means a lot coming from me aha! they take the coffee grounds first and then pour the hot water on top, at the same time adding milk and cane sugar. it comes out to have a cinnamon-y mint flavor? very strange but delicious haha =]
=]
i also found out that i have to teach my first class on the 13th already!! ahh i am very nervous about that...
keep checkin the photos every day!! and leave me comments! i miss everyone =]
much love.
Monday, December 6, 2010
gahhh
I am incredibly exhausted right now so i think i am gonna go to bed and then write more in the morning about how my day at school went
namaste =]
namaste =]
this morning...
I witnessed something that ruffled my feathers a bit. i was downstairs eating breakfast, and this dutch woman came in and starting bossing the waiters around telling them to get her this and move this and such... then when it came time to order, one of the newer waiters came to take her order and she shooed him away and asked for the better of the two.... i felt so bad for him! =[ and while ordering she had said 'i would like my toast cooked well this time please' and had this very tough personalized order.. when he hands us the menu there is option one with a list of its contents and option two with a list of its contents. now why would you come to a country and not eat their food the way they prepare it? AND be incredibly rude to our hosts? the way i see it is if you are not willing to experience the entirety of your travels, why go? she just acted like she owned the place and not like a guest. maybe i am just weird.
'Be content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.'
Chapter 44 in the Tao Te Ching
'Be content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.'
Chapter 44 in the Tao Te Ching
Good Morning!!
i am up and about already.. this is insane. new record for me! i was up at 527 this morning lol...
anywho i am going to eat breakfast today and then head off to my first day of school!
we have orientation at 1230 pm and then we start our first day of class right after that =] im excited to meet my classmates!
oh and i love being up this early because you can hear the city wake up. somehow i find it comforting....
last night i went on another walk around 4 or so and stopped at a little side shop and bought myself a homemade donut. they fill a tub with hot oil and then hook fresh made dough onto a long pole and dip it into the hot oil. result= a sugary, crispy outside and incedibly soft inside. it tastes like there is powdered sugar on it but theres not!! soo good.
after i ate that lovely treat i decided to get lost again (which i did easily lol) and ended up on the far side of town in the residential areas and children's schools. the people are so friendly its amazing. they will smile and wave and the kids run up and ask a million questions that i cant understand.
Every hour that passes i am falling more and more in love with this country.
i returned to my hotel at about six, took a short nap and went down to have dinner.
the meals they serve here are delicious! i had a bowl of chicken noodle soup that was one of the best i had ever had i think. the noodles were very long and skinny and the broth was salty in just the right amount. there were all kinds of veggies in it, and the chicken... it was so tender it fell apart in my mouth.
after i devoured that bowl i ordered a Nepalese favorite called Mo Mo. they are dumplings filled with a curry chicken and served with four different sauces : garlic, soy, a red curry, and a green sauce i cant remember lol. but it was soo good! you can eat them as a snack or as a meal depending on your appetite. i ate four of the nine because that chicken noodle soup filled me up lol! my server asked if he could have the rest =]
as for the pictures, they will be posted on flicker because the internet is so slow here it takes too long to do it straight to the blog. keep looking out for them i will add some each day =]
lots of love,
i miss you all!
anywho i am going to eat breakfast today and then head off to my first day of school!
we have orientation at 1230 pm and then we start our first day of class right after that =] im excited to meet my classmates!
oh and i love being up this early because you can hear the city wake up. somehow i find it comforting....
last night i went on another walk around 4 or so and stopped at a little side shop and bought myself a homemade donut. they fill a tub with hot oil and then hook fresh made dough onto a long pole and dip it into the hot oil. result= a sugary, crispy outside and incedibly soft inside. it tastes like there is powdered sugar on it but theres not!! soo good.
after i ate that lovely treat i decided to get lost again (which i did easily lol) and ended up on the far side of town in the residential areas and children's schools. the people are so friendly its amazing. they will smile and wave and the kids run up and ask a million questions that i cant understand.
Every hour that passes i am falling more and more in love with this country.
i returned to my hotel at about six, took a short nap and went down to have dinner.
the meals they serve here are delicious! i had a bowl of chicken noodle soup that was one of the best i had ever had i think. the noodles were very long and skinny and the broth was salty in just the right amount. there were all kinds of veggies in it, and the chicken... it was so tender it fell apart in my mouth.
after i devoured that bowl i ordered a Nepalese favorite called Mo Mo. they are dumplings filled with a curry chicken and served with four different sauces : garlic, soy, a red curry, and a green sauce i cant remember lol. but it was soo good! you can eat them as a snack or as a meal depending on your appetite. i ate four of the nine because that chicken noodle soup filled me up lol! my server asked if he could have the rest =]
as for the pictures, they will be posted on flicker because the internet is so slow here it takes too long to do it straight to the blog. keep looking out for them i will add some each day =]
lots of love,
i miss you all!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
click here for da photos =]
Today i got up very early, had a delicious breakfast in the garden that consisted of porridge, fresh mango juice, scrambled eggs, two sausages, and for you Kaegan, i tried a cup of their fresh brewed coffee and it was VERY VERY nasty haha i just don't think coffee is for me! lol... after that i went upstairs and got ready to take my walk to the Ghantaghar (clock tower)! i got soo lost for like an hour lol and had to end up taking a taxi there. but after that i found my school building, and did some shopping! I met some college students about my age on the street too. they were all getting out of class and noticed me walking so we talked together a bit and they walked with me for a few blocks and showed me some good shops!
I also met a boy who walked up to me and told me I was ‘very pretty girl’ lol he was cute! He said that he always wanted to visit the states and go to california. I have found out that the people are very hospitable and are willing to talk to any tourist (or person for that matter lol) very very friendly and I love it. Sometimes I would just be walking and looking around or stop for a break and sit on some steps, and people will smile at you and trow out the occasional ‘namaste’ lol I love it!
after i found my school building, i decided to make myself get lost =] which i did and ended up finding an awesome temple/children's school. it was very quiet around the temple but inside i could hear children repeating the english calendar! the way they do it is all in unison repeating the words back to the teacher. i kinda creeped on them thru the class room window haha =]
the pollution is quite bad here so one of the students recommended that i get a scarf shawl thing to wrap around my face and to also be courteous in some situations that require a woman's head to be covered (i forget what she called them lol). Typically this is not as common anymore but you do see it occasionally.
on my way back to the hotel, i spotted another temple and this one was of Vishnu. beautiful!! it had two ponds and a small green temple shrine thing of the deity. there was a man meditating on the side by himself and he looked so at peace! i wanted to join but i didn't want to disturb him lol. just outside the gate of this temple a man had a fresh fruit stand and he was cutting up mangoes, cucumber, and coconut. i got myself a whole bowl and ate it inside the gates of the temple. while eating, a man named Sudaahn (spelling?), an officer in the army came over and joined me. we sat for about an hour chatting and eating our bowl of mangoes! he was a very nice guy.
I started walking at about ten this morning, and finally got back by two! It was very eventful I think =] soo proud of myself for being able to keep my cool when getting lost and even more so for being able to get myself back to the hotel with out a map, asking directions or taking a cabby!
Oh and its super sunny out and feels like 75 degrees lol I would have been comfortable in shorts and a tank if it were allowed for women to do so! Instead I had to wear a long sleeve, jeans, and a scarf to keep my lungs protected haha soo sweaty.
I think that the women here are very beautiful too and I think that maybe I will get one of those outfits that they wear. They sell them in ‘completes’ they call it when it is the long top, trousers, and scarf all together. They also size you and get them sewn to fit you perfectly! All for fairly cheap too.
Now i will probably go meditate in the garden or do some yoga! maybe i will take a nap. idk lol or I may even go find myself a local restaurant and get some grub! Options are endless =D
‘Ordinary men hate solitude.
The Master makes use of it,
embracing his aloneness, realizing
he is one with the whole universe.’
Lao Tzu, chapter 42 in the Tao
so....
k chaa! (whats up)
my videos are having a hard time loading with the small internet... sooo i think i may have to resort to text and photos! hope thats ok. and that way, it will be more of a surprise when i come home with my shaved head! =D hahah jk... but seriously.
so im waiting for a vid to upload now, and im just organizing things and putting clothes into their proper areas =] then its off for some breakfast! and then gonna do some exploring... that is gonna be the most exciting part.
the only issue, i have no map! lol so here i will hopefully brush up on my directionally challenged mind....
but then again when you get lost, that is usually when you find the best places/things!
my videos are having a hard time loading with the small internet... sooo i think i may have to resort to text and photos! hope thats ok. and that way, it will be more of a surprise when i come home with my shaved head! =D hahah jk... but seriously.
so im waiting for a vid to upload now, and im just organizing things and putting clothes into their proper areas =] then its off for some breakfast! and then gonna do some exploring... that is gonna be the most exciting part.
the only issue, i have no map! lol so here i will hopefully brush up on my directionally challenged mind....
but then again when you get lost, that is usually when you find the best places/things!
Friday, December 3, 2010
ha oh yeah....
and i just noticed i have like 32 mins of battery life left, annd i went to charge my computer with my converter thingy, and my charger cord has three prongs and the converter only has two. STUPID TARGET! GAH.
just bought one for sixty 5 dollars. im gonna kill someone.
at least that is the worst that has happened so far!! halfway there lol just gotta make it these last two flights....
just bought one for sixty 5 dollars. im gonna kill someone.
at least that is the worst that has happened so far!! halfway there lol just gotta make it these last two flights....
LONDONNN
heeey im in London now!!! and standing in front of me are two police with machine guns..... ohh lawd...
I have like 8 hours to kill her at the airport so ill just type away
i met a woman from india who lectured me about not drinking the water while we were just chillin on the trammy. she had some really crazy stories like about how one of her brothers caught typhoid just from drinking fruit juice! so she just said it will be fine if i am just smart about where and who i get water from.... perty simple and i am gonna try and just boil my own water whenever i get the chance =]
on the plane i got to watch movies!! but ill tell more about the plane ride in my video cuuz that will just be better for us all
ill have video up when i get to nepal and all settled into my room and whatever. then i will give alll the details!! here are some picas from earlier today and when i was dropped off =D i miss yall already! keep in touch.
I have like 8 hours to kill her at the airport so ill just type away
i met a woman from india who lectured me about not drinking the water while we were just chillin on the trammy. she had some really crazy stories like about how one of her brothers caught typhoid just from drinking fruit juice! so she just said it will be fine if i am just smart about where and who i get water from.... perty simple and i am gonna try and just boil my own water whenever i get the chance =]
on the plane i got to watch movies!! but ill tell more about the plane ride in my video cuuz that will just be better for us all
 |
| mah peeps! i LUB YEWW AHLL |
ill have video up when i get to nepal and all settled into my room and whatever. then i will give alll the details!! here are some picas from earlier today and when i was dropped off =D i miss yall already! keep in touch.
 |
| just messin at the airport |
 |
| and again.... |
 |
| again just messin |
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| some creeps.... =D |
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