Standing around our school field watching the British Gurkha marching band perform on the last day of school before holidays, Chip asked me, “So, what are you going to tell people when they ask what it’s like?” We both reminisced about all the amazing adventures and opportunities we’ve had in the past 4.5 months. We talked about our love-hate-laugh relationship with Kathmandu. We tried to sum it up so that people from small-town Nebraska to well-traveled expats would understand our lives here. The conversation continued into the evening with the greater group of friends, sitting on pillows and bolsters in a linen-draped room on stilts where we sat with blankets, a heater, and candlelight eating pizza and tandoori chicken. Sarah, our resident Brit, came prepared for the conversation with her accumulated list of “Random Notes”. Brilliant. I am going to borrow some of Sarah’s observations and add my own to try to paint a picture of “What’s it like?”
1. I can buy a week’s worth of fruit and veggies for $10. $15 if I want organic.
2. There is no government, but that doesn’t seem to bother anyone.
3. My students are the best travel agents in town.
4. It’s warmer outside than inside.
5. I step over sleeping street dogs like they are curbs on the pavement.
6. Brilliant, torch, and foot path are part of my vocabulary.
7. I don’t have a boss. I have colleagues and friends.
8. When I hang out with my Kiwi friend, I talk in a Kiwi accent in my head for the next hour.
9. Nepalis are friendly and kind.
10. The Bagmati River in Kathmandu is the stinkiest river I have ever encountered.
11. I can see the Himalayas from my classroom.
12. It’s not uncommon to see someone with rice on their forehead.
13. I regret it every time I leave home without my headlamp.
14. Brunch and a massage is common Sunday activity.
15. For the first time in my life, I’m saving money but also seizing every opportunity to have fun.
16. No outfit is complete without a scarf (which also doubles as a face mask).
17. The day the roads were paved, we skipped on the asphalt in celebration.
18. I can walk for 3 days in the pouring rain and just appreciate the company.
19. I get in fights with taxi drivers over a 50 cent difference.
20. Cows get the right of way.
21. There is a Nepali holiday nearly every week.
22. I can find my way around Kathmandu without knowing a single street name.
23. Prayer flags are incredibly photogenic.
24. My friends range in age from 2 to 65.
25. I can go out for dinner and wine for less than $10.
26. 9:00pm is Nepali midnight.
27. Amazon.com delivers comforts. Even kettle chips.
28. The power goes out twice a day, every day.
29. I can give and receive hugs through a webcam.
30. There are 600 year old buildings in my neighbourhood.
31. I start each day by boiling a pot of water.
32. “Morning price?”, “I live here.”, and “How much if I buy more than one?” are all bargaining techniques.
33. A wi-fi connection is key to my happiness.
34. “Namaste” isn’t about yoga anymore.
35. A good Buddha head is hard to find.
36. My students make me smile every day.
37. The high school play is the place to be on a Saturday night.
38. I have a place to stay in Lincoln, Nebraska and Lincoln, England.
39. Street cleaners wear sarees.
40. I’m happy!
Voyidges 