Jan 12

I live on the 3rd floor and spend a lot of my time in the living room there (across from my room) or on the roof (the 6th floor) where I can see the top of some of the mountains on clear days.

The students all ask for science experiments so I am thinking of small things that I can buy for the school that allows them to do science experiements. Even a beaker or graduated cylinder would be great. Any ideas? So far I have measuring water flow, playing with magnets...and some math games with flashcards and dice. I need help :)

So two important things I forgot to mention because I am already getting used to them. The first is electricity. A comic was in the paper the other day that depicted two travelers getting shown to their room. The caption below read "this is your room. don't worry about turning off the lights, the government does that for us." The government turns out the electricity for 8 hours a day (2 - 4-hr segments). It usually is in the morning while I am at school and then when it gets dark from around 6 to 10. Most nights we eat, cook, talk, and read by candlelight. I actually like the simplicity. When the lights turn on there is a quick cheer and then everyone continues with whatever they were doing (or turns on the TV). It is a fun little surprise and makes a person appreciate the little things in life :)

The other is the traffic. I have to cross the road to get to school and every day I feel like I should be so elated that I made it. Nima told me to "just walk, they won't hit you." So far that has worked! There are no traffic lanes and there are no traffic rules. when going around a corner they honk to see if someone is coming on the other side and they honk if they are coming. That way they know to try and stay on their own side. Very very few people drive something other than a motorcycle. They are the best because they can sneak thru stalled traffic. Lots of fun :) I don't almost scream when in a taxi anymore because with this kind of traffic they never really get above 25 mph. It is just a little scary at times.

Well, best get home and take a shower...I mean a "bucket bath." There is no hot water so we heat up water in buckets and use a cup to rinse off. It is difficult to wash long hair in a bucket...but nothing that different from camping. It is better than a cold shower!

Life in Kathmandu

Nameste!
Sorry that I haven't written more lately. I have had easy access to phones and not so easy access to e-mail. Steven posts for me when I get a chance to talk to them without getting to a computer. I know where to go now. I was going to come to the internet cafe yesterday but there was a strike so none of the businesses were open. I guess they happen every once and awhile so there was no school so Pemba took me on a walk to a buddhist monestary. It was a great day for that because on strike days the vehicles are not allowed and so there is MUCH MUCH less pollution in the air. Anyway, I could actually see the mountains which was a big treat. The pollution here is bad and many people wear face masks to breathe better. I think I will get one here shortly as I have already noticed coughing more often.
The school is a short 5 or 7 minute walk from my home. People look at me because I stand out a bit, but they usually smile and say "hello" or "nameste." The children especially get excited about saying hello in english. The school (Samata School) is made of bamboo and has probably almost 15 classrooms. There are only chalkboards in the classroom and the chalkboards are concrete covered in a black material that works only reasonably well. Some classrooms don't have erasers so the students give me a crumpled piece of paper to basically scratch off the chalk. Today I tried to do more lessons with the 8th grade students (there are two 8th grade classes with 30 students each) and they also seriously lack algebra and geometry skills. They have a hard time focusing and I think it will take awhile before they think of time with me as a class rather than free time with the American.
The food is fantastic. Momo (dumplings or potstickers) are great. I think my favorite so far is cheese momo that had cabbage and yak cheese. I also had buffalo momo but that is very tough and strong-flavored meat...I wasn't too sure about it. I will come back looking a little different because the customs require you to finish every meal and they always serve up my plates for me. I eat until I physically can't eat anymore without getting sick almost every meal. This family actually eats 3 times a day, once when I wake up (which is about 7:00) once during my school lunch break (12:15) and then again when the dad gets home (around 8:00 or 9:00). Then I go to sleep around 10:00 and wake up to do it again. Anyway, women are supposed to carry a little "extra" because it shows that you eat well and are healthy. So I am supposed to be waiting for the day when I am called "fat" because it is a wonderful compliment to my lifestyle.
This will sound bad, but I don't really know all the names of the family yet. Pemba is my age and he and his younger brother speak english well. His older sister lives with her family in the lowest level of the house (which is 6 stories high) and also speaks english. The parents do not. I mostly sit and listen to their conversations even though I have no idea what is going on or watch the TV and make up whatever story I want. I like it because it allows me to be an observer without being antisocial. My words to the mom are mostly "shimbudu" which means delicious and "dangsi" which means enough. We mostly just smile at each other as I sit in the sun. Yes, it is winter in Nepal and sometimes I wish I coiuld be in a T-shirt and shorts. People here are wearing coats and pants and it is nearly 70 degrees outside. I have not bought any Nepali clothes yet, but that is on my list for the week.
New years starts this Saturday and is a 15 day celebration. We started this past weekend by spending an entire day (8:00-3:00) making a type of pastry that is special to new years. It is basically a deep fried flour dough. Shimbudu :) Also, there are three different "new years" because there are three different calendars. Traditionally, it is 2066 here I think right now. They do recognize the western calendar, though.
Thank you, everyone, for posting to me! It is a very nice treat to hear from you all. I will try to post more often now. It only costs 25 rupees (not even 50 cents) for an hour on the computer - which is good because the internet is painfully slow.
Have a great day everyone. I miss you all!
Carrie

The Class

The students are very well behaved. They ask to leave the room, ask to come in the room and always stand when a teacher enters or leaves the room. Before class they stand up and say "Good Morning Teacher!" and some classes say "Thank you for teaching us teacher" as I leave.

I did a geometry lesson today to see what their level was. 7th grade struggles with geometry a lot (expected) and 9th grade did just fine. I had them find the volume of a sphere using only a string and ruler. They had to find the perimeter to find the radius to find the volume. 9th grade had no problem but 7th couldnt figure out how to find the radius when given the perimeter in the equation P=2(PI)(radius). Now I know where to start from.

I'm here!

I made it here and have a cell phone the entire time so I can always been in contact (but not often). I tried to text steven but I don't know if it made it. I will try again soon. I am going to my host family today and get to go to the school tomorrow. I am loving Kathmandu - it is very very similar to Mombasa. I will live with one of the coordinators moms which is a 10 minute walk to the school. I get to use the internet here at the main office when I need to so I will try to get back as often as I can. I am doing very well, am eating well and am looking forward to this. I guess they only eat twice a day so i have jet lag and eating patterns to get used to.

I'll be in contact soon. We are getting read to go on a city tour. Oh, and I get to go on a five day treking adventure to get to my village in Feb. We will leave from Kathmandu and hike around 5 days to get there. Binita is doing it for the first time with me. I will be the first United Planet volunteer in this village. Lots more to say, but it will have to wait :)

In Abu Dhabi

I thought I had posted before, but I don`t see it now. So, anyway, I am sitting and waiting in the Abu Dhabi airport. The airport is very American so nothing too exciting or exotic yet. They do have special prayer rooms near almost all of the bathrooms here. I have 9 more hours before my flight. I ate dinner but felt kinda strange after. I think it a combination of nerves and bad timing (I had chicken kabobs, rice and ice cream for dinner when it was breakfast time at home so my body wasn`t ready). Anyway, the people in the airport are amazingly friendly and helpful. I haven't had to exchange money yet but did get my change from dinner in United Arab Emerites currency. I will probably just keep that. I have no idea how much it is worth but it is pretty cool.

I am now going to go find a nice spot (they have really nice lounge chairs here to rest in) and read the first Twilight book. I have 9 hours to finish it!

In Abu Dhabi

So far the trips are going well. There is free internet in the airport so I will blog once more before I leave. I have only been sleeping and eating since I left Seattle. Nothing exciting or exotic yet. This airport is as American as Chicagos was. More soon!

I'm Off!

Thank you for all of your supportive thoughts and words. I am heading out this morning for my trip. I hope the airlines aren't as bad as they are predicting! I will write soon (if I can find a computer)!