my new home

We had to come into Kathmandu a day late because on sunday three bombs went off simultaneously in busses in kathmandu. it was the terrai peoples army who said they didnt mean to harm anyone and the bombings were targeted at royalists. but royalists would definately NOT be riding on crowded nepali busses so the entire thing is very suspect. the government didnt even bother to issue a statement. people want the issue of the king to be dealt with. he is universally loathed and so is his son so people arent exactly thrilled for the nepali monarchy and anticipate it being pretty terrible for at least the next two generations..

my homestay family with whom ill be living for the next six weeks at least is in bishal nagar kathmandu about  minutes frmo the lovely program house. My mom (aamaa) owns a beauty parlor and speak some english but is very shy. we live in a gorgeous and three story house with lush gardens along with her grown daughter Pinkie, Pinkies husband and their two year old Anna (Anapurna). Pinkie runs a bungee jumping company and her husband is a documentary film maker. They are very chatty and cosmopolitan and on the day i arrived Pinkie was amped because her picture was in the kathmandu times society pages, showing her at some posh party. its nice to have both fluent english speakers AND my aamaa because this way i can become fluent in nepali (with my aamaa) but not feel entire isolated because i can chat with my sister whenever i crave english.

my room is lovely and entirely my own which i had not anticipated. last time i was in nepal i stayed in a VERY rural and simple farming village so this is quite an interesting change. my family loves to feed me and my mom gets quite a kick out of watching me try and eat with my hands. i also mixed up the words hungry and full for a long time so i imagine they were very perplexed when i stopped eating and kept saying i was starving 🙂

there are blackouts in ten minutes but ill try and update tomorrow!

life is lovely