Another end to another blog

Namaste everyone!

This is going to be my last post, because, unfortunately, I'm back home in the States. So let's recap my last few days in Nepal, and my 24-hour layover excursion in Turkey, shall we?

To be honest, not too much exciting happened during the last few days. There was a bit of scrambling to buy souvenirs, get my fill of momo, and pack before I had to ship off. Saying good-bye to the monks wasn't too heart-wrenching. They seem pretty used to the fact that people come and go frequently. I did get a really cool gold scarf as a thank you/goodbye gift. It was sweet. The last time I went to the orphanage was a bit more difficult though. The kids didn't quite understand that another girl and I were leaving until just before we were planning on leaving. Then it was challenge to stop all the hugging and crying that had commenced. One of the little girls wrote me a note that made me tear up a bit, so that was just plain old adorable.

The next day, I was up even earlier than usual to catch my flight, which was pretty non-eventful. Then, I was in Istanbul! I had originally planned to take a taxi into the city, but found out from the desk at the hotel that it was a bit more than I had expected, so I took the metro. Let me tell you one thing. A packed train full on a hot day does not help the fact that Turks do not smell good. It was a bit unpleasant, but I managed to get to the Hagia Sofia and my bus tour. The bus tour was pretty good. You can only see so much when you're stuck in a vehicle, but it was a nice overview of the city. I can't even tell you how many times I crossed between Europe and Asia.

After the tour, I went into the Hagia Sofia. It was incredible. Even though half of it was under construction, it was still stunning. It was so interesting to see all the different styles of architecture, art, and religion in one place. If I had had the time (and the money), hiring a guide would've been an awesome thing to do. There's just so much in there that wasn't explained, and I feel like I'd be able to appreciate it so much more if I had more of the background. Still, I'm glad I went.

Next, I went across the park to the Blue Mosque. Again, stunning. Since it's still an operating mosque, all women were required to be covered and wear a head scarf (which were so generously provided). Inside was amazing. Looking at my pictures, I'm a little disappointed they didn't turn out very well, but I hope you can still see a bit of all the intricacy that was inside. I couldn't spend too much time there, since a prayer session was about to start, so I headed out to wander the streets.

I walked around a bit, exploring the lesser walked streets of the city. Then for dinner, I knew I wanted to get a kebab, because yum. So I started looking for a cute little place where I wouldn't feel too awkward sitting by myself. I eventually found a little shop with tables outside, and enjoyed the deliciousness that is kebab, and cherry juice. While I was eating, I spotted a bakery across the street, so naturally, I had to get some Turkish baklava covered in chocolate, I mean, how could I not? After my little feast, I was exhausted so I hopped on the metro back to the hotel where I slept like a baby.

The next morning, I woke up a little earlier than I would have liked, but I just spent a few hours enjoying the peace and quite of the hotel room. When it was time, I headed to the airport for my flight. This flight felt particularly long. I had already watched most of the movies that were available, so it was a bit of a struggle to keep myself entertained the whole way. Once we landed, I zipped through customs, waited forever for my bag, and was so kindly driven home by my sister.

And now I'm home-- happy I went, slightly sad that I'm back. I really did have a fantastic time. Learned about the Nepali culture, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Now enjoy the last pictures I have to share.

The Monastery

The Orphanage

Bus Tour

Hagia Sofia

 

 

Blue Mosque

What are men compared to rocks and mountains?

Namaste! 

As I'm sure many of you know by now, I went on a little bit of an adrenalin binge this weekend. Bungee jumping, the world's largest canyon swing, and white water rafting. So what about all of these things? Well, gather round and let me tell you a story.

The other volunteers and I had been discussing the possibility of going to The Last Resort for a few days to do all of the previously mentioned activities, and one day we just decided that it was going to happen. We booked a few days before we left, and there was a wide range of emotions across the board. One of the other girls was petrified for days before we left, while I was just super pumped that it was going to happen. 

Saturday morning we got to get up nice an early to be on the bus by 6am. After a few hours on the bumpy, twisty roads around the mountains, we reached the resort, and were quickly ushered to the safety briefing. This is where I started to get a little freaked out. I'm pretty sure my face got a little paler while the bungee master was describing the process they call "walk like a penguin; fly like a bird." But I was still determined to jump. Everyone got weighed and then we were separated into 4 groups by weight. Thankfully, one of the other volunteers I went with was in my group. We'd be able to freak out on the bridge together-- it's the little things that give you comfort in those moments. We then went down to the viewing area to watch the first group jump, and let me tell you, my heart stopped the first few jumps that we saw. But fortunately, I was able to keep calm and stay a bit excited.

When it was finally our turn to head out on the bridge, I wish I could say I was totally cool, but that'd be a lie. I wasn't completely freaked out either though. Just the healthy amount of fear before you're about to jump off a bridge spanning a river with large boulders below. I still had to wait a while on the bridge before it was my turn to jump. Once I was put into the harness, there wasn't a lot of time to rethink my decision. I was basically double-checked for safety, retold the instructions, and the next thing I know, I just hear, "One, Two, Three, JUMP!" So I did. And I was plummeting down, head first, straight for the river 160 meters below. 

Then my body is jerked back up by the cord and I realize that I'm not actually going to die. After a few smaller bounces, I was lowered down to the ground, where I was taken out of the harness. I couldn't stop smiling. I was in utter disbelief that I had actually, finally bungee jumped. It was an incredible rush, and my heart was pounding for several minutes afterwards. Then, I waited for the other girl who was a few jumps behind me, and we hiked up the mountain together, both elated from the adrenalin rush.

The rest of the day was pretty chill. We lounged around, and at dinner we met some cool new people from around the world. But the next day would still bring some crazy decisions.

At breakfast, the bungee master came over to tell the people that were doing a second jump that morning what time to be ready. One of the other people I was with, made a snap decision that he also wanted to do the canyon swing. I wasn't planning on it, but with someone else I knew doing it, and that fact that I knew I would regret it if I didn't go, I decided to do another jump. Now, the canyon swing is basically just a gigantic swing. You're in a harness and attached to a rope, who knows how far away from the bridge. Then you jump, free fall for 7 seconds, and reach about 93 mph. Totally normal, right??

So this is what I decided to do. Again, once I was in the harness, everything was pretty much a blur and the next thing I know I'm hurtling down, screaming bloody murder. Admittedly, after the free fall was over, the whole swinging thing was a bit boring, but the free fall bit was definitely a tad frightening. I made it down safely to the group of the jumpers that had gone before me cheering, and we all hiked back up to the resort.

But the day still wasn't done. I still had some white water rafting to do. The whole thing took us about 3 hours. We went through some rapids, played some games, swam a bit, and jumped off a giant rock. I had a really good time, and our guide was fantastic. I think only one person fell off when they weren't supposed to, but we managed to get them back on the boat swiftly, so all was well. We ended the day with lunch at the end of the rafting and a bus ride back to Kathmandu.

It was a fantastic weekend, and I'm still so glad that I went days later. Definitely a couple of days I won't be forgetting soon. Plus I have some pictures :P

The bridge

View from the bridge

Jumping platform

Bungee

Canyon Swing

Culture Clash: Nepal v America

Alright, so I've had a few questions about cultural differences between Nepal and America. Totally fair. I'm not quite sure if I'll be able to address them all, but I'll give it a shot.

Time

Like I've said in my previous posts, the Nepali start their day very early. People are out and about by 5 (at least by my best estimation). This means that they also end their days pretty early. Once it's dark out, most people stay inside since there are no street lights. Shops tend to have more or less standard Western opening times, but may stay open a bit past the traditional 5 o'clock closing. They're also a bit more relaxed about being "on time" than Americans, but that doesn't mean they'll show up hours late.

Food

Traditionally, Nepali eat dal bhat (a lentil and rice dish, sometimes accompanied by vegetables) twice a day. Doesn't sound like too much? Well, they eat a mountain of rice each time, so it keeps their stomach full. There are also a few snacks that they'll munch on in the middle of the day. My favorite is momo. Momo are like dumplings; you can get veggie, chicken, or buff (buffalo). They come with a special momo sauce for dipping, and can be found super cheap if you know where to look. A plate of 10 costs less than $1. Oh! And they typically eat everything with their right hand- no silverware. 

In the volunteer house, they serve us a "western" breakfast, which is toast with peanut butter and nutella 90% of the time. We'll also get some fruit and Nepali tea, which is similar to chai and can come with or without milk. Our dinners are made by a Nepali woman who lives in the house and the majority of the time we do have dal bhat- not the mountain of rice that the Nepali eat though. We've also had noodles, chow main style, and some pasta. 

Habits

The one thing I most definitely will not miss when I'm back in the States is the hacking. Here, it's socially acceptable to clear one's throat and spit it in the street, out the window, etc. I get that it's a cultural difference, but the sound disgusts me.

They also have a few different gestures. The one that's been the hardest to get used to is how they indicate "yes" with their heads. They don't nod or shake their heads, but they kind of tilt it side to side. It looks a bit like they're confused, but apparently they're not. The monks do it all the time, and I'm still getting used to it. Whenever I ask them if they understand, they'll tilt their heads, and my mind immediately thinks that they don't when they really do. It's been a bit of a challenge to get it right. 

I think one of the cutest things that the Nepali do is call everyone "sister" and "brother." It's precious, nothing more than that. Especially when they say it in English to us with their accent. Too adorable.

Dress

The Nepali dress conservatively. I was told before I came that I would have to have my knees and shoulders covered at all times while in public. I originally thought that was just to be a bit cautious, but no, that's what people do. Most women wear clothes that are similar to Indian style-- either a sari, or flowy pants and a tunic. Younger women (read: around my age) will sometimes wear more Western fashions, but still cover their shoulders and knees. Men will usually just wear pants and a shirt, nothing too different there. Kids are more all over the board. Every now and again, I'll see a child in more traditionally clothing, other times they're wearing a t-shirt with English words on it. 

Children

Okay, so working in an orphanage and a monastery has shown me two ends of the spectrum of how kids are treated here. At first, I was completely shocked by how often they were hitting each other at the orphanage, as well as the fact that the owner of the orphanage would smack them too. We tried to get them to stop, and it has subsided a little bit, but not completely. One of the office staff here recently told us that it is acceptable to smack a kid upside their head to get them to behave- something I'll never be able to bring myself to do. So this kind of explains why the kids are hitting each other, but it still irks me. The kids could either turn out to be completely fine, or serial killers. Either way, I don't really agree with it. Other than the hitting, the kids at the orphanage seem to behave similarly to those you'd find in America. They can be a bit loud and unruly, but even if you yell at them, they'll still hug you the next time you come back.

At the monastery, there wasn't as much hitting. Just one who's the oldest did a bit at the beginning. I think they act very different than those at the orphanage though, because it's class time not play time. Sometimes they don't pay attention or don't shut up, and other times they're perfectly fine. I just attribute not following instructions to the language barrier, and not because they don't care what I have to say. 

At each place there is definitely a pecking order, usually determined by age. A few times an orphan has tried to claim he's the leader, when clearly we're older. That's usually annoying since they'll use that when we're trying to get them to stop beating each other or quiet down. 


Alright- that's all I can think of now, but if you want to know anything else, ask or leave a comment!!