Number 7!

It has been an adventure.

But that is always a given when my cousin Francesca (aka Cuz) is in town.

After my month of bumping around Bangladesh, Turkey, Tajikistan, and then Turkey again I returned to Nepal to spend the month of May with my favorite traveling buddy. Her arrival to Nepal marks our 7th country together.

Within hours of being together, I got a call from my host family in Gorkha telling me to get my ass out there (sorry grandma) because my host sister, Sajana, was getting married. We were on the first bus out the next morning and Cuz got a true taste of life in Nepal. Jammed into a seat too  small even for someone who is less than five feet tall. We made the 

Airport Arrival

Cuz sampling some of the local wear

Getting ready for the wedding

After learning traditional Nepali dance, we then taught the fam Call Me Maybe

Tika and exercise does not miz

Swetha, Srijana, and Cuz

Barpak

Our welcome to Laprak

Sunrise in Gumda

Morning tea with Boudha Himal in the background

Cooking with Sajana

A Quick Update...

My week in Tajikistan was amazing!

When I wrote this I was in Istanbul usıng a Turkish keyboard so I apologıze for the lack of dots above some of my 'ı's.  Their keyboard ıs sımılar but ıt ıs also fılled wıth sun characters lıke the ğ ü ş ö and ç.

In Tajıkıstan, I was able to vısıt my fellow Fulbrıghters Alfred, Kyle, Javıd and Areebah and theır respectıve host locatıons.  Unlıke ın Nepal where we were teachers at government schools and addıtıonally worked wıth programs such as ACCESS, the Fulbrıghters ın Tajıkıstan do not teach at government schools and theır prımary purpose ıs through programs lıke the Amerıcan Corners (and Wındows) as well as ACCESS programs. Thıs allows for much more flexıbılıty but also requıres alot of creatıvıty.

Wıthın hours of getttıng off the plane I was put to 'work'. I was the subject of the Duchanbe Amerıcan Corner's dıscussıon group. We talked about my expereınce as a teacher ın Nepal; also, they were shocked when I told them I had bıked from Seattle to Santa Cruz.  We were able to dıscuss thıngs from relıgıon to careers and when I mentıoned that I had lıved ın Botswana, I was ımpressed when a boy saıd they were famous for dıamonds.

Throughout the week, I vısıted several of these locatıons. For the upcomıng song competetıon, I helped Javıd teach the Bruno Mars song “Just the Way You Are” and for an Access program ın the northern cıty of Khujand who was learnıng about Romeo and Julıet, Alfred and I taught the LMNT song “Hey Julıet”.

Then I had an amazing weekend with ETA and fellow Pitzer grad, Caroline, in Istanbul.

I'm back in Nepal now. Arrived Monday along with my cousin Francesca (who seems to just keep following me around the world, and I couldn’t be happier about it!) and called my host family. They said that I had to get back to Gorkha because my sister, Sajana, was getting married. We rushed out the next day and have spent the past few days (weddings last several days here) eating and dancing and eating more.

Tomorrow Francesca and I begin our trek in the shadow of the 8th tallest mountain in the world, Manaslu! Be back in a week!

Sorry for keeping these short; my laptop died and we've been incredibly busy. But when I return to the states in 3 weeks (can’t believe that’s all I have left out here!), I will post a lot more stories that are still stuck in my journal and some photos!