It's so hot in Kathmandu today! It's almost 30 degrees Celsius - that's the norm here: between high 20's and low 30's. At least it's not 40 degrees like in the Middle East. This also means two things: first, the monsoon season is coming soon (June 10), which will bring down the heat; two, Sarlahi will be even hotter.
I am going to Sarlahi today for 2 nights. Sarlahi is the field site where all the data is collected for Nepal Nutrition Intervention Project Sarlahi (NNIPS), which I'm interning with for my Global Health grant. It's south of Kathmandu in the lowlands. Apparently it's very hot there, so I brought lots of cotton clothing. Hopefully I'm able to cope with the heat >.<
Sarlahi is a 6 hour drive from Kathmandu. There's a vehicle that goes there every weekend with supplies - and also transport people. Sarlahi is a great place, I heard. It's slow and the nightlife is, well, long. Hence the graduate students conducting research there come up to Kathmandu for the weekends every now and then. Kathmandu is a very happening city - it's the capital, after all. Honestly, minus the traffic and polluted air especially near the Bagmati river (yes I'm not done complaining), it's a great place to live.
I am slowly getting better. I honestly think my cough is from the polluted air in the city... I shall wear face masks and drink more water from now on. Hopefully rural Sarlahi will make clear up my respiratory system. I'm starting to look out of my room and into Nepal, finally kicking into this cultural country.
I met three of the graduate students yesterday - Sut ("soot"), Aimee ("amy"), and Alison (I like how all of their names have cool spellings) at Steve's amazing mountain house for dinner. Steve is an amazing and kind person. He is American by birth, but is certainly more Nepali than American. People who don't remember his name call him "that guy who speaks fluent Nepali". I can say he takes care of me like he would a daughter. His younger daughter is my age, who I can't wait to meet in two weeks.
Nepali people are nice. Sometimes they are so nice that I'm not sure how I should react. Back in America, it is customary to pay tips - regardless of how the service is. I often feel unjustified to leave tips for undeserving services. I live in Dev Guest House in Lalitpur, which I think I will for the next two months. The family is very welcoming and inclusive, yet I get my own private space. When I was terribly sick the past few days and could not get up, they brought me hot and simple meals. They cook me hot breakfast every morning, and invited me to join the family for Nepali-style dinner once a week. I am really not used to being served - I rather be independent and fend for myself, but I guess it's nice to have a place I call "home" and "family" in this foreign country.
It's pretty hot out there. We're leaving in 15 minutes so I think I should go. I'll definitely update with some selected pictures once I return from Sarlahi. Really praying and hoping that I recover by Tuesday, so I can *wink wink* look over some SQL code ;)
Yes, I think I'm glad I came.
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