Language

So work's been enjoyable now that Millhouse leaves me alone to run the sales department.   Our sales have been good for August and we had a week-long training session in the middle of the month that was really helpful.  Going to school for a few hours a day makes the day really busy, as well.  The teacher is not very good, he basically lectures and we rarely speak, but I've been speaking more often at work and I have a few books.  Nepali predictably has a lot of agricultural words, but there are just so many random words.  In my "Beginning Nepali" book in the first 15 pages I have been taught the noun for "man's rival for his wife" and the verb for "getting rid of difficulty temporarily".  Not an optimistic people.  There is a noun for "stain caused by burning or beating", and not one but TWO separate adjectives for "one-eyed".  And the kicker is that one of the words for "one-eyed", DeDu, (there are letters in Devanagari script that indicate that the Ds be pronounced while touching the roof of your mouth with your tongue) is only slightly different that the word for "male monkey", DheDu, (the first D is aspirated or breathed out).  Just imagine the potential confusion.  My first tennis lesson was AWESOME but the second was canceled due to rain.  I love tennis and have submitted an application to the club, (rather than being a guest of my friend Lydia, with whom I take lessons.)   Friday night was a "welcome back from the summer BBQ" by the club pool but we just couldn't make ourselves go.  Some last (probably false) vestige of feeling too cool to go and so instead we watched Olympics on TV to really take full advantage of a rockin' Friday night.  We get a Chinese station, an Indian station and a Middle Eastern station and so as a result get really in-depth coverage of the most random sports.  We now know a lot about ping pong I mean table tennis.  And it was the biggest deal, I mean HUGE, when India won it's first Olympic medal, and a gold at that, for air rifle.  The guy is now a national hero.  It's great that Mongolia has won 3 medals.  Nepal sent 3 athletes to the Olympics but they were already home after the first week; we're wondering if they couldn't afford to stay for the closing ceremonies.  Maybe they have a verb "to leave the Olympics early because really, what's the use of staying?"  Alright, good night!  xoc

Surrender

Janice started teaching at the international school which is closely tied with the US Embassy and apparently it's dreamy. She was amazed at first that so many teachers have been there for 20 and 30 years but then realized that the job is Phat. The school is great, the teachers are great, and the perks are great. So most importantly here's the first perk that benefits me directly: you can mail packages to a consolidator in Florida and then they'll be shipped to Nepal for a fraction of the cost (thanks, American tax payer). So if you like you can send packages to:
Lincoln School
Attn: Janice Kosman
1901 60th Place E
Suite L2009
Brandenton, FL 34203
All you pay is the freight to Florida and I pay the rest and so don't go crazy with the rocks (!) Packages must arrive by the 25th of the month to be shipped that month. Actually nothing leaps to mind that we need but at least an affordable alternative is there. So the part that feels a little funny is that we have slid directly into "Expat World" and have given up all hopes of going native. On Monday evenings we are going to Kathmandu Chorale practice (150 mostly expats who get together and practice Christmas tunes for a concert on December 13th since we have to work hard to get the spirit here), tennis lessons at the American Club start Tuesday morning, and there are lots of other classes at the Club like pilates and yoga. There's no reason to go anywhere else and we've kinda given into it. But to be honest, after a long day working with Nepalis it's comforting to sit in the Club and eat Cheetos. And of course all of the World Bank and UN people are there for networking (sucking up). One never knows. And so other than that Bev Day and Karen Schreiber are coming for a trek in October which is so exciting. There are two holiday weeks in October and so we might do two separate treks in the mountains. If I can manage to miss tennis lessons. Hope you're well and let me know how it's going! xoc

Ritual

Hello.  I'm feeling bloggy again and am inspired by the two ridiculous things that happen to me every morning.  First, I get to work at 10:00 AM and leave for school at 10:50 AM every day.  Every day.  And every day Krishna the "tea boy" brings me tea at 10:45 AM and every day I can't drink it because it's too hot and I have to leave.  And every day he looks at me with sad eyes like I've rejected all that he is.  Of course we don't speak due to the language barrier and so we silently do this like clockwork.  Then I go across the street to the dirt parking lot where our company vehicles, motorcycles and drivers/errand guys hang out.  Every day I arrive at 10:50 AM and every day we then start the ritual of the motorcycle.  Bear in mind that they've been given instructions to take me to school and so none of this should be a surprise.  First, they need to notice me (again, my Nepali is not good enough to have a conversation).   Then, someone grabs a set of keys from the office and ambles 20 yards over to the motorcycles.  He tries to match the keys to one of the three identical motorcycles and if the motorcycle that matches the keys happens to be out of gas (the shortage here is critical), then he ambles back over to the office to repeat the process.  This must be done one set of keys at a time.  When keys, a motorcycle and gas in the tank all match up, the driver then has to slowly dust the motorcycle, ignoring me getting fidgety in the sun nearby, and then walk 20 yards back to the office to get his helmet.  Then we can leave for school.  The new fun part is that the drivers know that I'm taking Nepali lessons and so drive along pointing out things and saying new words for me.  There's no way I can remember a word that I've heard just once unless it's outrageously inappropriate, but it's all a bit of a bonding experience.  This is all so Nepali and what's encouraging/ discouraging/ amazing is that all of this is now normal.   So in class there are the beautiful, smug Frenchies who irritate the professor by spending the two class hours gazing into each other's eyes (while still getting all the answers correct when challenged) and the Swiss guy who's a (recent) die-hard Hare Krishna and who likes to inform the professor about Hinduism as if a 60 year-old Hindu man needed a 25 year-old Swiss guy clarifying his culture for him.  And of course there's a bunch of Japanese girls who barely speak above a whisper and giggle into their hands.  It's all fun and a nice addition to my day.  God only knows what all of these people think of me but I'm sure that their observations start with "So there's this really sweaty American woman..."  Looking forward to September.  Goodnight xoc