First week in KTM

I think the jet lag is finally starting to subside. A twelve hour time difference certainly challenges the internal clock. I arrived late Tuesday night, so I wasn’t able to see much of the landscape as the plane touched down, nor was I able to see the city as I drove to my new home. Margie and Chuck welcomed me upon my arrival, offering food and water. She showed me around the house a bit and after an hour, we were all too tired to stay up and chat. My first night’s sleep was bliss, as I was finally able to lay down after 24 hours of sitting in airplanes and airports. On my first full day, I slept in until 9am and then ventured to the office after some chiya(tea) and toast.

The office is literally around the block from my house. If there weren’t a house between the two, you would be able to see my house from the office. So, even though I was accompanied by one of Margie’s staff, and as close as the office is, the first time I went to the CEDPA office, we ended up passing by the office and walking around the tiny block for about ten minutes before we called for directions. I felt like an idiot, but was too jet lagged to realize it. When I finally got there, I met Dale, the country director and head honcho at the office, and the empire of interns. I had no idea that the Kathmandu office competes with the DC headquarters office for most CEDPA interns at one time. Piush, the M&E Manager, has been to DC, so I met him for the second time. The office is a lively place with people coming and going regularly. It is in an old house, with offices set up on the second and third floors for the staff. Downstairs there is a cook who prepares tea, coffee and lunch regularly. At noon we all sit and eat together. So far the power has been consistent and I haven’t had trouble using the internet and connecting with my colleagues in DC.

Kiely is the other American intern. She has been in Kathmandu since July and will be leaving in November. She was kind enough to take me with her to run some errands my first day in the office so I was able to see some other parts of the city. She introduced me to her language tutor, Gita, whom I have yet to contact to arrange my own lessons… Then we went through a bustling neighborhood called Indra Chowk, which was lined with shops and vendors and many people doing their afternoon shopping. It was crowded, and a little overwhelming, but a good introduction to Kathmandu.

Friday evening I left work with Kiely and Puja, a Nepali intern, to get dinner and drinks in the infamous tourist neighborhood called Thamel. Everyone warned me about this area; it’s plastered with souvenir shops, second-hand and fake North Face trekking gear, restaurants, bars and hotels. Apparently it’s very crowded, the food is overpriced and shopkeepers hassle the tourists. However, in low season, and on days when it’s raining, the streets aren’t so bad. October – November is trekking season, and then the streets in Thamel do not look like Nepali streets… Puja knew a little restaurant that was cheap, tucked away on a little side street. I had my first serving of true Nepali mo mos. Delicious! Part way through our meal the lights went out (another reason why it wasn’t too crowded). The back up power kicked in right away, so we were not eating by candle light, but I hear it’s common. We stopped at a second restaurant for some drinks, and they were using candle light at every table.

Today is my first day off in Kathmandu, and after sleeping in and lounging about, I took a walk around the neighborhood to explore the infamous Bhatbhateni super market. Before coming to Nepal, everybody I talked to told me not to worry – if I needed something, Bhatbhateni would have it. They were right! I didn’t buy anything, but looked around at the aisles and aisles of food, clothing, toys, dishes and anything else you could ever need. Now I am confident that when my toothpaste runs out, I will not be hard pressed to find more Colgate.