If the dress fits...

I got one of my dresses back and here is a picture of it. I am the worst self-portraiteer ever and I didn't have a strapless, so live with it.

I only have two days left of work but they are dozzies. I have an absolute mountain of data to type up for Writtu. Blah, I hate typing up data, but it's busy work for the next 2 days. I've finished everything for school.

It's been raining here non-stop for ten days. There are floods in the low lands of Nepal. I decided to go to Durbar Square on Sunday anyway. I was wet; I got lost, but I finally found the place. I then stayed 30 minutes and took a few pictures while simultaneously dodging guides and torrential downpour. Check it out, even one of the statues has an umbrella (ella ella ella a a a) yes, I will continue to type that until the song stops playing on the radio.

Home is where the Heart is

No matter how much of an adventure this has been, I miss all of you a lot, so here's to being in the US at 1pm on Saturday.

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done

by only me is your doing,my darling)

                                    i fear

no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

 i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
                
                              --e e cummings

Why I hate clothes

Well I Fiiinnnallly got my dresses back, and they need a lot of work.  Like most other pieces of clothing I have ever tried on, it is too tight in the chest area.  It also happens to be too loose in the hips and waist area.  Also, I had one dress that was supposed to be polka dot with black around the middle and one dress that was supposed to be all green, and the green was has the black around the middle.  They say they are going to fix it, but I'm worried.  It took them forever to make them and I'm leaving in 5 days.  I think it is ironic that I had these clothes specifically made for me and yet they still don't fit.  Boo

I have also become afraid to check my email b/c it seems like my mom always has bad news.  Please be thinking of my Grandpa Alex.  He fell yesterday and his little puppy was with him.  The puppy passed away yesterday.   Alex is sore, but he will be okay. I love you, Alex.  You are the nicest person I know.  I am truly sorry for your loss.

 I also don't think I posted it, but over a month ago my Aunt Polly went 
missing.    It's been a rough summer for my family.  I feel like I really need to be home, and I'm glad I'm going there soon.  I hope you had a good weekend.

This American Life

My favorite NPR program is This American Life. You can download or listen to a free episode every week here: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/


This is the episode this week. It's been really good so far. My internet is too slow to download the whole episode, but what I've heard is wonderful


207: Special Ed

Stories about people who were told that they're different. Some of them were comfortable with it. Some didn't understand it. And some understood, but didn't like it.

Prologue.

Host Ira Glass talks with a bunch of special ed students. By and large, they thought of themselves as regular kids—until each experienced a shocking moment of revelation when they discovered that they were not the same as other kids, and that the other kids already knew that...and had known for a long time. (5 minutes)

Act One. Get on the Mic.

Ira interviews three of the people involved in making the documentary How's Your News?, about a team of developmentally disabled people who travel across the country doing man-on-the-street interviews. He talks to two of the developmentally disabled reporters, Susan Harrington and Joe Simon, and to the film's non-disabled director, Arthur Bradford. (19 minutes)

Song: "The Grand Canyon," Susan Harrington


Act Two. Black Hole Son.

We hear from a mother and her son. By age seven, he'd had heart failure and been diagnosed as bipolar. And then—after a period as the world's youngest Stephen Hawking fan—he got better. (15 minutes)

Song: "Keep on the Sunny Side," The Whites


Act Three. Walkout.

Veronica Chater tells the story of her developmentally disabled brother Vincent, who one day quit his job and then quit everything else, mystifying everyone in his life. (13 minutes)

Song: "9 to 5," The Hammond State School Performer's Group

Goodbye Betty, Hello Veronica

I've finished all my work for CWISH. Now they are trying to find me something else to do for the last few days next week. Milan says I should just go for a trek or something, but I think Writtu has other plans. Besides, we all know how I feel about trekking. I'm really tired today. I have no idea why, but tomorrow is Saturday so I can stay at the house. No one is updating their blogs. It makes me happy when you update your blogs. This is officially the lamest post in the history of the blogosphere. Please forgive my mediocrity.

I broke down and bought hair dye yesterday. It was darker than what my hair usually is (which is easy, b/c it is gray) but it looks okay. I am now a brunette (Elizabeth is happy). I must say it was almost impossible to wash it out with the cold water.

So lets talk about bad hair. The worst haircut I ever had was in the third grade. My mom had the hairdresser cut my hair into a mullet and only perm the top part. Also, the sun had bleached out the long straight part so on top it was brown, curly and short and on the bottom it was blonde, straight and long. It was horrible. I will never be as brave as Kat and post a picture of me from anytime before 2000.

The worst thing I ever did to my hair, was when I asked Elizabeth to highlight it with this home kit brush thing. (I think it was Beth, it might have been V) Anyway, I ended up having a peachy colored streak all across the part of my hair. It was horrible. We had to go out immediately and buy hair dye.

The worst thing I ever did to anyone else's hair, was when I tried to give Cody highlights with regular blonde hair dye and he looked like a leopard. Lessons: Do not highlight hair at home with college friends, and mullets, especially involving perms are always a no no.

Old lady: take one

So, the scariest part of my trip is finally here. I am stranded in a country with no blond hair dye. I stood under a fluorescent light today and was completely shocked. I haven't seen this much of my natural hair in probably six years. It is at least 1/2 gray. I love you dad, but no thanks for the genes. David says I should rock the gray, but I feel like it just makes me look 10 years older. I also have to cover up an unsightly blemish in the middle of my forehead with bindi and someone told me I needed to lose weight yesterday. Nepal hasn't done much for my appearance. My beauty sleep was also interrupted this morning b/c someone was using a buzz saw on my roof at 6:30 in the morning.

Leah was asking about Nepali food and I decided I would tell you a little bit about it. Most Nepalese people eat rice and lentils around 10am, a snack at around 1 or 2pm and dinner at around 8 or 9pm. Most people eat rice and lentils or Dahl(soup) Bhatt (Rice) every single day. I am lucky enough to have a little variety in my life because Khrisna usually make me Roti or bread and Dhal with lots of spices in it. We always have a vegetable like potato curry or okra as well. Every once in awhile we'll have some meat in our dahl.

Nepal is made up of several different ethnic groups and Newari food is also very prevalent here. Potato Chilly is my favorite Newari food and it is made with onions, potatoes, chili peppers, and tomatoes. It's really good. I also love momos as you all know. They are like dumplings with a spicy tomato dipping sauce. If you want to learn how to make momos you can go to this website http://newafood.blog.com/2006/7/

Yum Yum. Most of Nepalese food is like a mix between Chinese, Tibetian and Indian food. All of the food is really healthy. We eat a lot of vegetables and things are rarely fried. Dessert here is weird, like balls of sticky rice so I just avoid it. I can't wait for my mom's chocolate pie and homemade banana ice cream.

Momos and Peacocks

I went out last night for a going away party for Linda, a Czechoslovakian film maker. I had a really good time and a person even put on a giant peacock costume and terrorized everyone in the restaurant. Tuesday is a power outage day in Basundhara, so it was really nice to be out. Tonight's another power outage day, but I have a flashlight and "A Tale of Two Cities". I'm in the single digits now with 9 days to go until I start flying home. Notice the picture of my favorite Nepalese food with Flat Stanley, vegetable momos. The little pot is what they put rice wine in at the restaurant. It's a lot like vodka. They just kept giving it to us for free. Horray Nepal.

It's over

I finished the Deathly Hallows and it's my new favorite HP book. J.K. Rowling is amazing. Now I just have to find something free to occupy me the next 11 days so I have enough money to pay the airport 25 dollars to get out of here.

Just for fun, list your favorite Harry Potter book and your favorite favorite book.

I'm a little embarrassed, but I think my favorite real book is Ash Wednesday by Ethan Hawke (he's a wonderful writer, okay and it's the sweetest thing David ever gave me, thanks for borrowing it, Cody, and spilling your entire water bottle on it.) or All my Friends are Going to be Strangers by Larry McMurtry, I'm all about those first person, character books. My favorite used to be the Catcher in the Rye, but I think that makes me a disturbed person or something.

Frogger, Harry, Whiskey and Hillary

I just realized this morning that I go way out of my way to avoid crossing the street. People drive on whatever side they want and there are way more vehicles than there is road. I feel like that Atari frog.

I bought the new Harry Potter book yesterday and can't put it down. I read for 7 hours yesterday, I am insane. J.K. Rowling is an artistic genius. On my walk to the bookstore I ran across this lovely billboard, advertising Harry Potter and whiskey simultaneously. Shame on you.

I also saw three banners declaring an American/Nepali Friendship. One depicted Jimmy Carter, one President Bush, and one Bill AND Hillary. I guess we all know who Nepal thinks is our next President (notice the future president in the corner of the photo). To be honest though, I am not sure who that guy is with the rainbow umbrella (ella ella a a a). It doesn't look like the prime minister or the king, so I'm just going to imagine he is the human representation of Nepal. On that note, happy Monday.

If I do this with Ash, think what I'll do when I have kids

Aunt Chandle,
Tomatoes,(we had home grown tomatoes at supper from grandpa) I have a spiderman shirt on. I took care of Isabella a little. I said poot! I went to the hospital to see Grandma Gladys. Her chin looked like it could bleed. Nana's name tag says Shari it should say Nana. Do you have macaroni and Cheese? Do you have bathrooms there? I like lasagna. We are going to have a gift for you when you come home. Rocky is a patient dog. Jed can say your name. I love you -Ashur