Arrival in KTM

In response to popular request, I am finally posting my second blog entry. First item on the agenda: 91. This is the number of bites that I sustained from a single (I think) but violent mosquito last night. Granted they’re small, but still it’s rather remarkable don’t you think?

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk KTM. Having read Eric’s first post, I realize that the bar for witty banter has been set fairly high. I am therefore going to warn you that what follows is a mathematical and somewhat dry description of my last few days, devoid of clever observations or amusing quips. Blame it on the heat, blame it on the jetlag (personally I think it has more to do with the fact that I’ve been trapped in academic mode for three years and so can’t write anything else). But at the moment this is all I can offer. So first of all it’s pretty hot here: 32C today and 34C tomorrow. The last few days I’ve become super sleepy around 2 in the afternoon, which I think is partially due to jetlag and partially to the heat. Today was the first day that I was out in the city by myself, which I spent wandering around Thamel (the main tourist district in Kathmandu). I went to a café called Himalaya Java, where there is wireless internet and good drinks, a beautiful place appropriately called Garden of Dreams, and then New Orleans Café for lunch and more wifi. I actually managed to get home in a taxi by myself, which was extremely encouraging. Maybe I’ll make it through the next 7 weeks after all!

While the first thoughts to spring to many people’s minds when they think of Nepal or Kathmandu are of exotic cultures and breathtaking scenery, it is worth keeping in mind that Nepal is also one of the poorest nations in the world, and continues to face political instability and an uncertain future. We have around 4 hours of electricity blackouts each day as the city tries to conserve energy and balance it through all the districts of KTM. What is most remarkable is that this is actually the best time of year in terms of electricity provision. During the dry seasons when the rains don’t come, there is only about 6 hours of electricity each day, and households have to stand in line sometimes for days for water. My host sister explained that during this period families need to carefully predict their water requirements or else there is a risk that their requests for water will be insufficient. This is problem faced by all residents in the KTM valley, both the poor and the wealthy. My understanding of KTM to this point has thus been a mix of beauty and sadness, with an ever-present contrast of poverty and rich cultural traditions evident everywhere.

Like many cities, KTM is crowded, dirty, and chaotic. For example, while technically people are supposed to drive on the left side of the road, in reality I think traffic rules are taken more as friendly suggestions. Between the cyclists, tempos, motorcycles, taxis, cows, dogs, and pedestrians (there are no sidewalks in KTM), it’s a miracle there aren’t more traffic accidents in this city. I’ve decided that this could have something to do with the fact that an over-reliance on horns seems to be an epidemic among drivers in this city- at least you always know when there’s someone behind you! There are signs and posters EVERYWHERE. Thousands of communications wires run above the streets, tied together against buildings or tall poles. I attract quite a bit of attention, particularly in my neighourhood, and people stare pretty openly at me. For the last couple of days I’ve had a bit of a cough, due mainly to the dust and congestion of downtown I think. I’m careful to drink enough water because in this heat it’s easy to get dehydrated, and my appetite is finally coming back after the stress of traveling and landing in a completely foreign place.

My host family is very welcoming and generous- my host sisters are careful to make sure I know how to get around and happily answer the million questions that I have about Nepal. We live farther away from the center of town, about 15 minutes from the airport, which means that I have to take transportation every time I need to go to work or want to go exploring. Given the fact that I speak no Nepali and probably couldn’t figure out the bus system even if I could speak a little, if I stay here I’m probably going to end up taking taxi’s everyday between the house and work. This could get expensive so I’m considering moving in a little while if commuting is too much of a hassle. Unfortunately that would mean finding another place to live, which is a pretty big deterrent.

I haven’t started work yet. Getting in touch with the office has been difficult given the poor quality of cell phone reception and the fact that I have to go to an internet café every time I want to check my email. Hopefully I will visit the office tomorrow and get to meet everyone who I’ll be working with for the next 7 weeks. I’m not feeling too nervous about starting the case study, I’m sure that I can muddle through once the ball gets rolling, but I think that adapting to life in KTM would be easier if I wasn’t alone. Having someone with you provides a sort of safety net- if you get lost at least you’re lost with someone else. If you can’t understand what someone is trying to tell you at least you don’t feel silly alone. I talked to another young woman in a café who is working for another NGO and it seemed that she had had a similar experience to mine the first time she was in KTM. Based on this, I guess that this feeling of isolation is not unique. Nonetheless, it is difficult and I can’t help thinking about how much I would love to share everything I see here with friends and family at home (both of my homes!). At least when I go traveling through Eastern Europe in the fall I will be with Eric, which means twice as many photos and a decent number of Facebook albums, as anyone who is friends with Eric already knows J.

Anyway, I hope that this satisfies your curiosity for the time being about what life is like here. I am alive and well (don’t worry Mom!), and starting to figure things out a little bit. Will post later when I have more news to share.