Fake Elton and Thamel...

Thamel, the touristy area of Kathmandu, is a crazy place. A place filled with tourists and shops and restaurants and trekking places and anything else anyone could possibly ever need in a lifetime. The streets are chaotic, a horrible mess of people and rickshaws and taxis and motorbikes all competing for space on streets no wider than small allies. It is loud all night, music coming from all corners and people out at all hours.

It is crazy, but I can't help but love it. It is annoying, but I can't help but grin at the irony of it all, a place where you only have to walk two feet to find a hotel, or a restaurant, or a bookstore. There are white tourists everywhere, but mixed in with it all are the locals, and the beggars, and the street hawkers, and although it's all pretty exhausting, the energy sinks into your skin whether you want it to or not.

I arrived yesterday, after leaving the orphanage at around 5pm. My last day there was filled with packing and saying goodbye to the children that I have come to love over the last month. The older ones wrote me cards and some drew me pictures (things like: My dear sister, how are you? You like flower? I am happy all day today but I am sad). None of the cards made much sense, but it was super sweet, and I know they were sad to see me go. They kept asking me to stay longer, and although the goodbye was hard, I know it was the right time to leave. I got a ton of pictures of the kids yesterday, and even a couple good group shots. I will miss them horribly, and I am so grateful for the experience of living with them and joining in on their daily life, even if it did get tedious and annoying at times.

I checked into a hotel last night that I found from some recommendations online, but I ended up moving to another one down the street this morning. The first one was a bit overpriced for what it included (about $5/night), and the one I'm in now is much better and costs $4. Haha....traveling and living in Asia for 8 months has made my idea of cheap and expensive drastically different than what it used to be. It is going to be hard when I get back to America (especially NYC!), because everything is going to be so expensive to me. The "reverse culture shock" is going to hit me hard...I can feel it already.

Last night was spent with an awesome American guy I met in a bookstore (the bookstores here are great!), and after getting a wonderful dinner, we wandered into a reggae bar with live music. The place was really fun, and the music was pretty good, and at about 10pm a man who looked a lot like Elton John walked into the bar.He had a security man with him, and it was a very odd encounter. He was wearing weird clothes and a piano key tie and suspenders. Somebody told us that he was a "fake" Elton John, whatever that means. He stayed for about an hour, and even now, I have no idea why a fake Elton John with a fake security man would be wandering the streets of Kathmandu at night, faking out unknowing tourists. So, if anyone hears in the news that Elton John was recently spotted on vacation in Nepal, let me know!!

Today I have been wandering around by myself, checking out the surrounding areas of Thamel. I was intent on taking a bus trip to another city called Pokhara, but now that the time has come to make a decision, I don't feel like it. It costs more money than I care to spend, and the 6 hour one way bus ride on the horrible streets of Nepal doesn't sound very appealing right now. I am just going to relax and eat good food for the next 5 days in Thamel, and then on September 1st I will be heading to the airport for my flight to India!

My month in Nepal has been wonderful, and although I have not been a very good tourist (I always suck at being a tourist, I always miss the temples and museums, they just don't appeal to me as much as the local culture), I am going to miss this wonderfully crazy city and the people who live here.

I will try to upload some pictures of my last week in Nepal soon, but I am on a terribly slow wireless internet connection right now, and will do it as soon as I can. I hope everyone is doing well back home, and I miss you all! Much love.

Self Control

I have had absolutely no self control this past week. I have been eating a minimum of two kit kat bars a day, and devouring handfuls of a spicy snack similar to cheetos with the name "masala munch." I have been eating more grilled cheese sandwiches than is humanly possible, and have been sneaking away every hour or so to read another chapter from some awesome travel books that I bought in town the other day.

To make it all worse, I just recently returned from the store, my backpack filled with junk food and goodies, to supplement the meals I have been eating (or avoiding, I should say), at the orphanage. I can't seem to make my body consume the rice, curry, and dahl baht that the kids eat for breakfast, which is why I am eating an obscenely large amount of grilled cheese sandwiches, and lunch is usually crackers of some kind and black tea. Dinner is the same as breakfast, just with different vegetables (except on Saturday, when we have unidentifiable meat -- last week was the organs of some unknown animal, which I did actually try).

I guess I'm being a tad dramatic, but after over three weeks of these meals, I am ready for a change. I am tired of eating white rice and curry, and I know all this junk food is horrible for me (but I can't stop myself, literally!)

I am also ready to move on from the orphanage. I love it here, and I love the kids, but I'm ready to be on my own again. I am used to being on my own time, eating when (and what) I want, leaving when I want, and staying in bed all day if I feel like it. Here I feel like I am always supposed to be doing something, but I never know quite what it is. Everyone else has their own little roles, the lady who takes care of the kids and cleans, the cook who makes the WONDERFUL meals, and the other guys who pretty much run this place and can do whatever the hell they want. But then there's me, the American volunteer. The weird tattooed girl who doesn't like to eat rice for breakfast and can't speak a word of Nepali. Luckily I have gotten close to everyone because I don't care if they think I'm weird and I enjoy awkward, uncomfortable situations. The kids love me because I let them jump all over me and I run around with them like a crazy person. I will miss this place after I leave, but I am also excited to see what new adventures lie ahead.

I am supposed to be picking up my passport with my Indian visa in it tomorrow (fingers crossed that everything goes as planned and there are no problems with the visa process), and in less than 6 days I will be packing up all my stuff and leaving the orphanage. And on September 1st I am flying to India. Hard to believe that I've come this far, and have already been through China and Nepal.

As I've said before, I'm very excited to be coming home in November. Now that my good friend Mollie is back in China (I miss you Mollie and I hope you're settling in well!), I'm not sure if I am going to be spending any time in Portland on the way back home. I was originally going to spend three or four days, but now I'm considering catching a flight the same day I get in and going right home. I know I'm going to be pretty anxious to get there. It will be a long day, as I will be flying from Bangkok to Tokyo to San Francisco to Portland, and then the flight I will probably book is from Portland to Newark to Baltimore. Talk about a long day and a lot of flights! The end result will be worth it though!

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well back home, and I miss you all. I'll be home soon. Much love.

Decisions...decisions...

A couple months ago I made a decision to move back to China in January to continue teaching in Shenyang for one year.

Last night I made a decision to forget that decision.

In early November I will return to America after being gone for about ten and a half months. After months of being an outsider in countries where I never truly understand the language (if at all), and never really know the culture, I will return to my own country. My own friends, my own family, and the comfort of knowing exactly what is going on around me at any given moment. This is a luxury we take for granted when in familiar surroundings, but after being on the road for a while, you begin to realize just how hard it can be to be away from everything you have ever known. It is also freeing, and amazing, and I know, after the initial shock and enjoyment of being back in Maryland wears off, it will be something I miss dearly. This "reverse culture shock," as it has come to be known, will probably hit me hard once I get back to the quietness of Pylesville and the extremely orderly life of America.

Being able to cross a road without the constant fear of getting hit by something, or driving to a fully stocked grocery store where I can actually read all the labels and recognize all the items will be a treat at first, but after a while, I know I'll miss the craziness and chaos of the Asia that I have come to know and love.

But, I have also come to realize just how important my family is to me, and just how hard being away from them for such an extended period of time can be. I know that I will not be ready to leave America after just two months of being back. I also know that after a month or so in Pylesville I will start to go crazy. I will feel stuck in a rut and bored with life. So, I have made a very important and exciting decision. I am going to move to New York City and live with my wonderful sister and her awesome roommates in Harlem. I figure it's the closest chaotic city near Maryland where I know I won't get bored. I know if I walk far enough into Chinatown, I can pretend to be in China for a moment, however fleeting it may be. I love Little Italy, and Central Park, and the shopping in New York. It is not an unfamiliar place to me, as I have spent a good bit of time there, but I know that there is much more to be explored, and the idea of living there sends a chill of excitement up my spine. I won't need a car, and I will be close to home, while still far enough away to enjoy the independence I need in my life.

In other news, I have decided that after my days at the orphanage are over (which is on August 26), I am going to go to the city of Pokhara, which is a couple hours bus ride from Kathmandu. It's supposed to be a beautiful city a little smaller and more green than Kathmandu. I've heard it's a nice getaway for a couple days, and I think it will be a relaxing trip right before I fly to Varanasi, India on September 1st.

The next couple months are going to be a very exciting time for me, and I will keep updating as often as possible. I hope everyone is doing well, and I miss you all. Much love.

Yesterday we took the kids to the park, and as usual, I ran around with them hanging all over me, and came home exhausted and covered in sweat, dirt, and grime. I was looking forward to 15 minutes of solitude and a relaxing shower, but was told that we had no water and that I couldn't take one. So, I laughed it off and went to bed dirty.

As I'm sitting here, the next morning, with dirt still caked on my feet and ankles, I am contemplating whether or not I will get to take a shower today. Although it's a tad bit frustrating that I have to ask to take a shower, I have come to accept it as a fact of life here, and know that it's just best to go with the flow and not to dwell on it. A little dirt and sweat will never hurt anybody!

In other news, preparations are being made for the next stop on my journey: INDIA! I went to a travel agency yesterday and bought my one way ticket from Kathmandu to Varanasi (it was actually cheaper than booking online!) This flight is only about 45 minutes long, and I leave on September 1st. A couple days ago I went to the Indian Embassy here to fill out some paperwork and pay some money for my Indian visa. Turns out, Americans have to pay an extra 1500 Rupees, which they call a "penalty." Pretty funny. Either way, I should have my visa and passport back in a couple days, and am very excited to be getting things ready for the start of a new adventure in a new country.

My rough plan is to spend about 3 weeks in India and visit Varanasi, Agra (for the Taj Mahal), and Delhi. After that I have definitely decided that I will hop on a flight over to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for about a week. Then, it's off to Thailand, where I am going to meet my sister in Bangkok! She is staying for two weeks, and we will probably head down to the beaches and relax together in the South of Thailand. After she leaves, I have about 2 1/2 weeks left till I head back to America, and if my money holds out, I'm thinking about trying to visit Laos and Cambodia.

But, for right now, I still have 11 days left at the orphanage, and then a couple days just relaxing in the touristy part of Kathmandu (Thamel), before my flight on the 1st. It will be sad to leave Kathmandu, as I have come to love the people and children, and the way that life goes on despite any hardships that are faced day to day, but I am pretty excited to get to India.

India: a place with a different culture, different food, new people, and a whole new way of life. I can't wait!

By the way, after my last, and somewhat unpleasant, post, I am happy to report that I have not gotten sick again (knock on wood). I am continuing to be careful about what I eat, but have been feeling great since then!

I hope everyone's doing good back home, and I miss you all like crazy, of course. Take care, much love.

The downside of it all...

Let me paint you a picture of last night.

I awoke with a start at 1:30am, a grumbling in my stomach, a feeling of uneasiness creeping up on me quickly. I reached for my toilet paper, and to my horror, saw that I only had a tiny bit left, not nearly enough for what was to come. But, I ran to the squat pot toilet and handled the situation as best I could.

Returning to my room, I felt a now familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach, and knew that I was going to throw up, eventually. Now, keep in mind that there are some people out there who handle throwing up very well. Maybe years of drunken nights are the reason for this, or maybe some people are just better at it than I am. But, as I had not puked for years before arriving in Nepal, I have been out of practice. Instinctively, I know I am going to get sick, but it takes quite a while to happen. This is exactly how last night played out.

By 2am, I was pacing the rooftop area where my room is located. In the rain. The mosquitoes were loving every minute of my exposed arms and legs, and I was silently praying for the puke to come. And then my heart started pounding, my eyes starting watering, and the upheaval started. I coughed, I gagged, I spit, and I vomited lunch and dinner onto the wet pavement outside my room.

I waited for a few seconds afterwards, my nose running and tears steaming down my cheeks from the force of it all, to see if the dull pain in my stomach had subsided. Unfortunately, it had not. I knew there was more to come.

So, I got out a book, started reading, and waited for the feeling to come again. This time, I had to make another mad dash for the toilet, but, to my horror, I was toilet paper-less. In a country like Nepal, this is no problem. I have never seen a single piece of toilet paper at the orphanage, and I know the kids don't use it. I assume they use their hands and water. Too gross for me to think about, as I hold those grubby little hands every day. But, this system, however effective it might be in this country, is not what I am accustomed to. So, I used the next best thing I could scrounge up: plain white paper. And not nice, soft notebook paper, but a hard, stiff piece of white paper that I found in my room. It was not pleasant, but that was to be the trend of the night.

To make a long, drawn out, and disgusting, story short, I stayed up puking and running to the toilet until about 5am, when the pain finally went away and I could lay down without feeling like a ton of bricks were crushing my insides.

I have been in Nepal for two weeks now and this was the third night that I have gotten sick. This one was the worst and most drawn out night, but I can't seem to figure out the root of the problem. The guys who work here at the orphanage have offered to take me to the doctor, but I am giving it one more night. Tonight is an important night. If I get sick, I give in and go to the doctors, and if I sleep through the night, than I chalk it up to bad food.

I had an easy relaxing day today, as I was rightfully excused from doing anything with the kids, and stayed in bed most of the day. I caught up on sleep, finished the book I started last night, and silently begged my body to stop treating me like shit.

I have eaten carefully today, measuring everything I put in my mouth and wondering if it will come pouring out over the next couple of hours. I am hesitant to go to sleep, for a slight fear of waking up with that dreadful feeling once again. But, only time will tell.

For now, as dramatic as my night was, and as much of a hassle as being sick can be, everything else is still going great in Kathmandu. I am making arrangements to get my visa and flight for India, and am excited for the next of couple weeks to come.

Don't worry about me -- sickness is a part of traveling (especially in this part of the world). And sorry for the details of this blog, just thought I'd share my experience with you as vividly as possible! Hope everyone is doing well back home. Miss you all. As always, much love.

...Nepal...

Some mornings I wake up and forget that I am in Kathmandu, Nepal. Then I walk outside, take one look at the cows fighting for space on the "main" roads, the stray dogs wandering aimlessly about in search of food, and the bustling mess of humanity and everything else you can think of crowded into one big valley, and then it hits me just how far away from home I am. And just how different life out here really is.

I have been here now for exactly 2 weeks. And, as usual, the time has flown by.

The first 12 days were spent with the fifteen children who reside at Sonrisa Orphanage, the organization I have been volunteering with since I arrived. They had a small break from school, so our days were spent playing endless games that only children find entertaining (luckily I can be childish sometimes and quite enjoyed the coloring and puzzles that were their favorite choices to while away the days). The last couple days they have been back in school, so I have much more free time to myself. And more time to help around the orphanage, cleaning and doing whatever else needs to be done. I suck at domesticated chores, but I try as best I can, and it seems to be enough for the most part. Because I've been in countries where English is not the first language spoken, I have found my own English getting worse and worse as the months go on. I am continually saying things like, "I no eat. I do. We go? This okay?" I sound like a small child most of the time, but at least I fit in around the other kids!

So, I have two more weeks here, and I already know that it is going to be hard to leave these kids. As mischievous and annoying as they can be sometimes, they are also so clever and kind-hearted, and despite whatever their life was like before coming to the orphanage, they seem unbelievably happy. This place is awesome, and I'm so glad that I'm able to be a part of it, to help out in any small way possible.

I've been thinking a lot lately about traveling, and have realized that it has changed the person I once thought I was. And, it has made me truly realize who I really am, and what this life can be like if one has the willpower to actually experience it for all it's worth. It's not all easy and pleasant, and can be terribly lonely at times, but traveling alone and relying on only yourself is the most rewarding thing I have ever experienced. Along with all of the things I have seen and the places I have been, I also have a new deep appreciation of my home and the people who are there waiting for my return. It's not until you leave everything and everyone behind that you realize just how important they are in your life, and how much you can't wait to see them again.

The road may be hard sometimes, and it's bound to get harder in a couple weeks when I leave Nepal and head for India, but I know the hardships will lead to happiness. Happiness for the fulfillment of my dreams, and following them no matter how hard it has been, or how many tears have been shed, or how many people I've had to leave behind.

But, I'll be back soon. Every journey has to end eventually, and although I'll be extremely sad when this one is over, I know I will also be overly excited to get back to the loving arms of my family, to our comfortable home in Maryland. I don't know yet how long I'll stay, or where my next journey will take me, but for now, home sounds like a great place to be after being gone for so long.

So, until then, I'll keep updating my blog (now that it's no longer blocked!), and I'll keep everyone updated on my latest adventures.

I miss you all like crazy, and I can't wait to see you again. Be safe and take care. Much love.