Pictures from Kathmandu

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Some things I've learned so far while in Kathmandu:

1. It's the year 2066 here in Nepal. I have somehow jumped forward in time. Cool! At least officially. There are 2 other versions of calendars (and what year it is here), however. New year starts in mid April.

2. 67% (ish) of the people who live in Nepal are Hindu - but most Hindus also practice some Buddhism, as well. I went to three beautiful Buddhist monasteries yesterday. Pictures to come later. Absolutely beautiful - and varied.

3. If you want to cross the road in the middle of heavy traffic you just wait for a group to gather, enter the road, pray you make it to the other side, and gesture wildly if it tries too aggressively to hit you. I have not seen one traffic signal or stop sign yet. And I've survived a lot of walking and bus trips so far. There are men who direct traffic at the hugest intersections, however. A most perilous job, I am sure.

4. Everyone is on loadshedding schedules here, which means they only have a few hours a day of electricity. Starting soon 8, to be exact. Our restaurant last night lost all electricity right after we sat down. That didn't deter them from somehow cooking 6 different dishes and serving us, however. We just ate by candlelight.

5. Internet access is extremely hard to find here. Well - I should say that functional internet access is hard to find. Plenty of internet cafes. But the computers don't always work. And when they do, sometimes the internet is so slow that I can't get websites to load at all. So, I will be slower with emails and and blogs posts than I had thought. At least for a while - and especially while I'm in my 7 weeks of language and culture training.

6. Mero naam Tiffany ho. Mero gahr America ho. My name is Tiffany, and I am from America. This is what I learned in language class today. :-)

7. Everyone told me I would find the people in Nepal friendly, warm, and kind. So far, I have found this to be true. Thing like the crazy traffic really just doesn't matter so much when people take the time to greet you and connect with you ina real - and so often joyful - way. They take time here, take stock of who is around them, notice, and are patient. Oh, so patient.

8. People drink lots of tea here for real. I'm set!! I have tea for breakfast. Then we get a mid morning tea break at our language school. Then I get to have tea again with dinner. Masala chai tea is my current favorite - spices, milk, and a small bit of sugar. I am going to like it here, I can tell already.....