My homestay family left around noon to take my bhaai back to India. They’re going to be gone until Saturday, but Kishan will still be around. It’ll be really nice to have the company; otherwise I might be sort of lonely in this big house. He’s a really chill guy too, so it’s cool to hang out with him.
I got my phone today, which is already proving useful. Megan, the girl who had done a Passage program four years ago, wanted to go to the Fourth of July celebration with me so Yanik called and arranged it. Phora Durbar, where it was being held, was within easy walking distance so I set out to find it. I was feeling adventurous so I decided to not check the map Yanik had drawn for me and just try to find my way on my own, which went about as well as expected. I love wandering around Kathmandu, so I didn’t mind getting lost and taking a taxi to the party. I got to see some neat shrines and trees, so I would say the journey was a success.
Things here just seem to work out almost eerily well. I got out of my cab at a pretty random spot, but immediately bumped into Megan who was asking a guard for directions. We could see where the event was happening, but had to walk around for a bit before we could find the entrance. After showing our passports and having them write down the number(I now sort of suspect that the celebration was a ruse to keep track of Americans in Kathmandu) and went inside. We checked the prices of the food, which were pretty expensive(read four dollars for a sizable burger) so we decided to just get a drink and eat elsewhere. We saw Amy, the girl who works for USAID, sitting at a table and she invited us to join her. We met John, another person who works for USAID but was just visiting for a few weeks, a guy who works for the foreign service and seems to be in charge of giving visas, and Rob.
Rob has been here for seven years, and originally came to Nepal when working for the Peace Corps. After falling in love with the country he started an organization that teaches victims of rape and abuse massage therapy, and then finds them employment in spas. It works to both provide the girls with a means of supporting themselves, as they are usually shunned by their families, and as a way to council them. It’s amazing the people you meet here.
After finishing our drinks and saying goodbye, Megan and I had pizza and she showed me a really neat bookstore called Pilgrim’s Books. It’s pretty famous among the tourist community and has a café in the back. The place was surprisingly huge, and had a lot of neat stuff. I’ll probably go back there to get my postcards and some souvenirs, but for now I’m saving purchasing gifts until a bit closer to when I leave.
We checked out the Garden of Dreams before walking home. Everyone raves about how beautiful it is, but we both found it sort of small. It was gorgeous, don’t get me wrong, but not as amazing as everyone says and more expensive than what I’d want to pay for something that size. It was really nice to have someone to go exploring with, Megan is a really awesome person. Besides having a love of Nepal in common we get along really well, and I felt very comfortable being myself around her. The last time I was here I had five other people to explore with, and I hadn’t realized how much I had missed having a traveling companion, not that I don’t like exploring by myself.
After a successful walk home without getting lost we shared a cab to Upstairs Jazz for some drinks and some chicken momos. The momos were delicious, and the live jazz was pretty good. The drummer was rocking out, but I sort of missed the saxophone guy. It’s a different band that plays on Wednesdays than Saturdays, so it was nice to have a variety.
We actually ran into Ron, who lives down the street from Upstairs. He joined us, and we all had a good time chatting and hanging out. I casually mentioned I wanted to find a part time job and he said that it would be really easy for him to find one for me. How crazy is that?! I had expected to look for one but not find any, but he said he could probably find me several to choose from, “Within half a day” to quote him exactly. I think I want to get a bartending job. Learning to bartend in Nepal would be an amazing opportunity, and would probably help me practice my Nepali.
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