In preparation for Easter we planted some flowers. Plants are cheap here. Petunias, snapdragons, pansies and begonias are about 25 cents for a decent sized plant. We stocked up.
The whole family got involved. Some of us were helpful, others not so much.
Thanks, Asa. You made quite the contribution!
Today is Nepal's New Year. It is now the year 2066. Sounds so futuristic. I feel like I should be wearing silver lame and flying around in a spaceship. Honestly, I haven't a clue what happened 57 years before Christ that was worth recording. No one here has an answer and Wikipedia can barely explain. I am at a loss.
I just know that it is a National Holiday and that has warranted a day off for my didis, which wouldn't seem so bad...
if it wasn't for the fact that Axel is in Dubai for work right now...
which wouldn't be so horrible if it wasn't for the fact that I had a trip planned for Heavah and I to go to Thailand this coming weekend...
which would have been fine if there weren't people being KILLED there right now over protests...
which makes me thankful I am in calm Nepal right now even if I am didi and husbandless...
which reminds me that I live in a very foreign land where people actually believe it is the year 2066.
Beam me up!
From our family to yours...
We also had an Easter devotional with each family presenting something about the meaning of Easter. Both US Embassy families will be leaving for the US in August. We are really, really going to miss them.
Asa looking a little disappointed after he just found out that the eggs are not balls, no bouncing, just cracking. Where's the fun in that?
All the kids who participated in the hunt
Happy Easter everyone!!!
I just returned home from grocery shopping. It is a whole day affair. The travel time each way to the actual 'superstore' is about 45 minutes from my home (that is if the traffic is at a minimum). There are other options nearby, but only for the simple necessities. If I want anything fancy (as in cheese and milk), I must make the trek.
Asa at the GRAND OPENING of Bhat Bhatinis
This new superstore (named Bhat Bhatini) opened about three months ago. It is super high tech with scanners and refrigerators. It is the talk of the Nepal expat playgroup members. The conversations go like this: "They have something like ricotta cheese there but you have to look for it under Danish Cheese. It is hidden in the refrigerator next to the 10 dollar Philadelphia Cheese." Or, "I once found Balsamic Vinegar there. It may not be there now, but keep checking!" Or, "If you're super lucky, you might find a REAL lemon, not those fake kind that they sell on the streets."
Outside of going to Bhat Bhatinis, most of my shopping occurs at different shops around town. I buy meat at a special store that also has refrigerators that boast working 24 hours! They also sell beef (shhhhh...it's a secret. Not that my didi's would cook it anyways). The vegetables are bought by my didis at the fruit/veg market down the street. I don't dare go in, especially in the summer. The stench is unbearable.
So, basically Bhat Bhatinis is just for the real luxuries. I can buy special things like pasta, cereal (about 5 different kinds only), milk (boxed), and pancake syrup. The outing is always pricey. To buy such extravagant food items today just set me back $300. Even though this store is so cutting edge, it still has many hints of Nepal. Let me explain...
When I first arrived in Nepal I would buy small food items at the corner stores. Whenever I did, before I made the purchase, they would pull out a cloth and clean it off. Not just one item, ALL the items. It is nice personal touch I suppose but really could it be THAT dirty? The answer is, yes.
Because Bhat Bhatini is so big, you don't get that personal touch. Too bad for mass marketing. Instead it goes straight in the plastic bag and brought home. I just finished putting my groceries away and this is what my fingers looked like:
How does one get so dirty after placing food items on a shelf? How do food items get so dirty? I don't get it. Did it take a roll down the side of the ravine into the Bagmati River? This is the only thing that makes any sense.
My pantry and the vast selection
Axel just got home from work and found a crowd of people outside our gate. After asking a few people, he was told that a leopard was loose in the neighbourhood. He was suspicious that maybe the wrong information was given because of the language barrier, so he sent our driver to check things out. Sure enough, there is a leopard loose in our neighbourhood. Yikes!
Taken from the Internet, not from my backyard (thank goodness)
If he does happen upon our yard it will be a feast. We just hit 75 chickens and 15 bunnies this week. I suppose someone should start eating them. It is about time.
Just last week Axel turned 40. A milestone indeed. I was amazed at how well he accepted the fact that he is now officially over the hill. I think his ability to view it as 'just another day' comes from how he viewed his past accomplishments and how far he has really come.
I thought I would provide a list of some things I feel my husband has done that makes 40 not seem so bad:
- He doesn't have a gray hair on his head, much to his dismay. In fact, on holi he tried to colour his hair silver just to see what the years bring ahead. He can't wait.
- He speaks at least 8 languages and can pull them out of his pocket at any given time. There is nothing better than to see a 6'2 white man break out in Vietnamese. Hilarious.
- He took #1 in high powered rifle shooting at the young age of 18 . He also got 11th in the nation in fencing. He's got fighting skillz.
- He can create anything. He is a master craftsman in art and building. He would much rather spend hours with chisels and paint than watching any testosterone filled sport.
- He lived through a killer brain tumour, which was the largest his neurosurgeon had ever removed. And surprisingly, he is still a candidate for MENSA.
- He has travelled to over 48 countries and has conducted meetings in a couple languages.
- He has two masters - Master in International Management and Master in Business Administration. Both of which he received high honours. This is for a man who used to think business and money was evil.
- There isn't an animal in the animal kingdom that he doesn't know. Not only will he tell you the creature's name, he will provide specific details about what it eats and it's favourite colour. I swear.
- He doesn't mind taking chances. He spearfishes, scuba dives, sky dived, bow hunts, rides a motorcycle in Nepal and is climbing to base camp of Everest this year. He also plans on hunting in Africa, Australia and Asia.
- He loves his religion. His relationship with God is a personal one that is more like a friendship. He talks to Him often, and obeys what He says. However, he has NO desire for church leadership but always does well when he is called.
- He has a HUGE butt. It is a point of pride for him.
- He loved working with refugees and helping the down trodden, but also loves being a Country Manager of one of the best insurance companies in the world. He is one of the youngest and fastest GMs in his company to attain this position.
- He is the best husband and father ever. Not many other men can compare and I feel so blessed to have my best friend as my eternal companion.
My present to him was taking him to see the Watchmen (edited version) on the big screen in NEPAL! It was his dream come true. They never have American movies here but for a brief time, for Axel's birthday, JaiNepal movies played Watchmen. It was the best birthday present for him EVER. We even ate popcorn during the intermission!
You are an amazing man and here's to another 40 years!
Love you!
As you saw in our last post, Brad came to visit. I wanted his time here to be memorable and fun. To lure him in I listed a bunch of fun things we could do, one was bungee jumping. I am not sure why and I am not too sure how serious I was about doing it.
It was a two hour ride to the 'Last Resort' which sits just 10 miles away from the Tibetan border. The drive up there was dangerous with huge rock slides all along the road and a cliff on the other side. When we arrived we saw the bridge. My heart was in my throat. Should I do it????
You can barely see the bridge between the huge gorge. It is blue and to the right of this photo.
We sat and watched people one by one jump from the bridge and all three of us said, 'Um, I don't know if I really want to do this.' But, the minute they opened up the bridge for us, we got the kids and walked across. That alone about killed me! You could see everything and the winds were strong. Almost 600 feet straight down!!! Irresponsible parenting indeed.
Once we got to the main office there was no turning back. We signed all the documents that basically said, "If your dumb enough to do this and you die, we don't care." They weighed each one of us and Axel was very close to the limit which made the experience that much more risky. We stood on the bridge and waited for them to call us by weight.
This picture was taken just before we jumped. Don't let it fool you, we were all crapping a brick!
Axel went first.
He was lucky, he didn't have a whole lot of time to think. Within minutes he was down. He didn't get a video and I regret this greatly. It would have been awesome to show.
Next was Brad...
It was horrible and relieving to see them both grounded. For one, I knew I still had the experience ahead of me and even standing on the bridge alone freaked me out. For two, I saw them grounded, which meant they lived through the whole ordeal. The odds were in my favour.
Then, it was my turn...
For those of you, like me, who don't have video capabilities or the proper speed on your computer to view videos.
I won't lie, it was the scariest thing I have ever experienced in my life. When I made it down to the bottom, I immediately told Brad and Axel that I would have rather given birth to 4 kids at the same time!!! I think the dangling at the end was the worst part because I knew if the rope let out on me I would be toast. All three of us had a pounding headache at the end and we had a 30 minute climb--straight up--to get back to the kids. Oh, and did I mention I had a loss of sight for two days???
Despite the fear and terror of the whole ordeal, it was AWESOME. First, that I actually did it. Second, that I did it at the second highest bungee jump in the world. Third, I did it in NEPAL. It is not an ordinary experience when you see that your spectators look like this:
I can't say I would run and do it again any day too soon, but the experience was exhilarating and exciting. Ironically, I never felt more alive than I did when I stood on the edge of that platform.
Life is full of risks. Simply driving to the jump was a risk enough. In fact, on our third date Axel took me to go skydiving. I suppose that set a precedence for the rest of our lives. I feel that if you don't take these risks, life isn't worth living. And thank goodness, I am living.
