Transition

After a harrowing day getting my things here to Kathmandu that I prefer to never relive (not even in writing), I am happily settling into life in the city again.

I have come off of my initial city high - overwhelmed for 4 full days with things like access to other foreigners to talk with, live music in the evenings, European bread, coffee, real chocolate, and the ability to stay out later than 8:30 in the evening if I choose.

While it's great to have this much choice, I am acutely aware in the moment of the pressure and decisions that this much choice also presents.

While living in Hetauda, I distinctly felt on so many occasions that the simple things I had were more than enough. I remember feeling no desire at all to accumulate anything, to spend any money that I didn't have, or to look for something better than what I had right in front of me. What I had was completely sufficient. And it was an amazingly freeing feeling to sense on a daily basis that - this is enough. I have everything that I need.

Kathmandu offers endless opportunities to meet with people and for creative learning and expression that I couldn't find in Hetauda, however. Excitement galore for me. So much so that I had to force myself to stay home the other night, because I didn't trust myself to be anything but totally weird in the company of others. I find myself so excited to talk to someone who knows what my experience is like that I just can't shut up. Embarassing. I need to adjust to all of this opportunity and choice a bit slowly.

Nepal is struggling with it's own transition now as strikes are called and enforced, strikes are called and then counter strikes enforced, strikes are called and then called off...

There is not much hope that the government will create a constitution by the May 28th deadline after having two years to do so. I have heard some starting to say they are nostalgic for the past when they had a king and were part of a Hindu kingdom instead of this current set up that is, if nothing else, completely unclear exactly what it is. And it is hard to know what will happen when the deadline is not met. Unrest is certain. Which kind, is not.

In the meantime I have recovered from my coffee and chocolate craze and have gone back to making my own roti (local flatbread) and vegetables.

And I am creating my new work plan for Kathmandu. I plan to be productive here- that much I know. The rest, we will see...