The first few days

Traffic in Nepal

                The  past few days have been a whirlwind. We, the Fulbright English Teachers (ETAs), have been pinballed around the city doing everything from getting safety talks at the embassy with our Regional Security Officer, creating a local bank account, buying clothes and toiletries which we were lacking, all while learning Nepali and taking ELL (English Language Learner) classes. But don’t worry though, although we have been busy with official work, we have found time to relax some and enjoy a variety of restaurants and sample the local brews. I even was able to meet up with my good friend Keiko from Pitzer who had just finished her study abroad and was trekking around the country with her parents. She introduced me to two Nepali beers, Everest and Gorkha. Speaking of Gorkha, starting Monday, we are headed there for a week.  It is where half of our teaching placements will be. It is a hill village/town outside of the Kathmandu Valley to the west. While there we will continue to take our ELL and Nepali classes as well as meet and interact with our potential students and fellow teachers. If we are not placed in Gorkha we will be placed south of Kathmandu, still in the valley, but in a rural region outside of the city.

                4^th of July was less festive than what people in the states experienced as many of our systems were coping with the new environment and food.  But thanks to the Dollar Store, I was able to wave my American Flag around a little and give a few good “USA!” chants.