Where In The World Is Vincent Giannotti: Rafting

In celebration of Rachel’s birthday last weekend, we went rafting on the Bhote Kosi River, Northwest of Kathmandu. It was the first time since we had orientation back in July in Kathmandu that all eight of us had been together. We were also joined by a fellow Pitzer graduate, Dean, who is spending his year after school researching Neuroscience and Art on a Watson Fellowship, and Erin who is in Nepal on a Research Fulbright based around the effects of migrant laborers on the family. She graduated last year from Pomona College. This past weekend, the three of us made up the 2^nd largest concentration of Claremont College students in all of Nepal, second only to the Pitzer in Nepal Program.

Friday night we slept at Ayumi’s host family’s house in the southern part of the Kathmandu Valley. We stayed up late into the night with her extended family teaching each other our respective cultural dances and songs. "Aint No Mountain High" and "Build Me Up Buttercup" are my two go to’s. Made me feel almost as if I was back at one of the garage dance parties in Arnold.

Early in the morning we made the winding climb north out of the valley on the Chinese-made ‘Friendship Highway’ all in the shadow of the Himals, stopping at our camp a few km south of the Tibetan boarder.

We spent the next two days rafting on the river where (thanks to some friends) I believe, I spent more time outside of the raft than in, playing beach volleyball and cards, and trading teaching stories.

We then spent a few days in Kathmandu, doing some holiday shopping for our host families, attempting to fill our fix of western food (milk from a goat is not a suitable substitute for goat cheese), and meeting with Robin and Laurie the two directors of our program.

I have spent the past few days playing a lot of Badminton and planning for our upcoming Access classes. Next up is our Halloween Carnival then our create-your- own theater program.