It was pretty fabulous! I hope you can go sometime. Ive already been on at him, hes just on the way home now so they should be up soon! See you in May! Lucy Hinton 4B Honours International Development Documentation Intern at ANSAB The Hitchhikers Guide to Saving the World Canada: 226 338 7782 Nepal: 9803701453 INDEVOURS WILL WORK FORCHANGE

Hi Jazzman! Indeed it has already been amusing to go back and think about what I first saw when I got here. A lot still stands, but certainly a lot has changed. Thanks for your comments! Lucy Hinton 4B Honours International Development Documentation Intern at ANSAB The Hitchhikers Guide to Saving the World Canada: 226 338 7782 Nepal: 9803701453 INDEVOURS WILL WORK FORCHANGE

Thanks for reading Rick! It's a pretty crazy experience, but I am so grateful all the time that I'm doing it. It's funny, because I'm learning so much, but not in the way that I had expected to learn at all. It's funny, because of course you miss people the most from home, but there are silly little things that you also miss because they seem to make life simpler. But then there are things here that drive you CRAZY which you know are just from your Western upbringing. For example, I can't STAND how slowly people walk here. It's insanely inconvenient trying to get around people all the time because they always walk soooo slowly. But when you think about it, it is so beautiful that Nepali people are never in a rush, that there are more important things. So even when something clashes so much with your own culture that you know you can't get over it, you still need to see the value in it.

I've gotta say, I was pretty anti-twitter until I got here, and even now I don't like the idea of updating people in real-time about every single little thing you're doing in your life. But I've actually found out some pretty interesting things about using Twitter for NGOs etc, and how valuable it can actually be. In fact, I think you may have sparked my next blog post. Stay tuned!

:) Can't wait to see you again!

Thanks Pops. I haven't really figured out the bus yet. Somehow I never see the same people, the same drivers or anything! There are buses every couple minutes but I definitely get on within the same ten minutes every day, so I think they must rotate when they start or something. The river is still crazy to me. That and the no recycling thing. And when you you suddenly start thinking about how complicated it must be to start something like that it makes you realize how different the situation is here.

Hahah yeah it's funny. It's all normal now though which is the craziest thing I think. Miss you too, see you in May!

Funny isn't it? Now that I'm getting the hang of the city it's not as hard, but it's really frustrating when you are first trying to sort out how everything works!

Actually, I think one of the coolest ways to see the country is rafting or white water kayaking! I did some of that last week and its really interesting! In terms of the tourist business, it makes up for an enormous hunk of the economy. Agriculture still employs the majority of the Nepali population, but I think tourism is next. Its pretty interesting because the geography of Nepal is so varied and remote that living in Kathmandu really makes you think its quite developed - but thats because SO MUCH of the population is remote and barely accessible. And thats really where the rural poor are living. So how to fix it? I wish I knew, but I find every time I get an opinion I get even more confused!

OH we will. Its pretty intense stuff though, glad you enjoyed it!

Hiya Matty Matt. That makes ME feel better that you listen to the soiree playlists. Hope there's some super happy fun music left on there to brighten your day. I'm a freak about those audiobooks too which is a good way for me to distract myself and hear something I can focus on. Hope you're easing your way into everything and that everything goes well for you. And that when it gets freezing cold you think of me in sunny Nepal :)

Thanks Chelsea. I meant to bring a bulk barn bag of KD sauce but totally forgot. We're lucky here because we can get pretty much anything we want.. there's even a KFC and Pizza Hut! Figuring out how to cook when you haven't got everything in your apartment ready/clean is difficult though, although we already have a stock of spaghetti and sauce. I'll let you know how that goes when we crack it open!

Hey Madiha :) I think you're right about finding an activity to do, and luckily for me there's lots of yoga offered in the city. One of my biggest hurdles though is that I like to go for walks/hikes, and in Kathmandu your only option for that is to go outside the city. Which really isn't that far... if you can figure out how to get there! I don't know if Hanoi's public transit is easier to use/more googleable, but it's hard when resources you would normally use to find a way to do the things you love just don't exist.

Floo powder sounds like an excellent solution. Got any on hand? I seem to be out. Amazingly, the difference between writing this post this morning and coming home to read all the replies is huge. While the rock hard bed and the incessant dog barking are likely not going to get better, I can definitely handle this. Although I might need an air mattress from MEC. Standby.