And the excitement begins...

I have somehow managed to pick up a wireless signal at the house tonight; hopefully I’m not breaking any laws or something!

Ever since being here in Pokhara, I admit, as many of my classmates have after being in their internships for a few days, I have fallen in love with the city and people here. The very first 2 hours I was here at Sabita’s house with her, she made me a meal, and then apologized for only taking part of the day off of work, instead of the whole day; I was just thrilled to have an ‘instant friend’ here! In hearing that she was going in to work to attend a meeting with a Peace and Justice Studies alum, Shobha, from the organization SAP-Nepal in Kathmandu, I (possibly presumptuously) asked if I could join her at the meeting. She had said it was a meeting about a watchgroup doing work on women in politics, so I was obviously instantly interested and excited. She said it would be okay for me to join her, so I did. Sabita, and my good friend Upendra from my cohort, work for MSBK-Nepal; the translation of the Nepali words in the title are Human Resource Development Center. I am excited to work with this organization when I am not working with CWES. Interestingly, the meeting was conducted completely in Nepali (so I didn’t understand much), but all of the handouts and notes on the whiteboard were in English; thus, I have some great notes about women in politics!

After the meeting, I had a lovely conversation with Shobha and Sabita in Sabita’s office over tea, and then we took Shobha to the airport to fly back to Kathmandu. Then Sabita and took me to the market to get some water bottles and snacks to keep with me when I am not able to eat meals at home. We ride everywhere on her little moped/scooter, which is so great! Traffic in Pokhara is nothing like in Delhi or Mumbai, so I feel safe riding with her. She also took me to a little area called Lakeside (near Fewa Lake), which is the big ‘tourist spot’ here in Pokhara. It reminds me of downtown Lahaina, Maui; it’s just one straight street with hotels, restaurants, small dance clubs, internet cafes, and shops lining both sides. This is apparently where the best rate is for exchanging money, surprisingly I think, so I did that while we were there. Sabita took me to the edge of the lake (breathtaking!) where people can rent boats to paddle out to a small island where there is a Hindu temple in honor of a goddess...although I am here as an intern, and attempting to ‘fit in’ as best I can, there are definitely certain ‘tourist’ attractions that I would love to do, and this is one of them! There is also a Buddhist temple near Lakeside, but it requires a hike up a mountainside to get there - again, something I will definitely be doing, even though it means I am deemed an “American tourist.” Aside from seeing the lake and exchanging money, we didn’t spend much more time in Lakeside this particular night, but I will report out when I go back :)

I also spent part of yesterday and today with Sabita at MSBK. Yesterday there were a lot of their field staff members coming in and out of the office, so I met all of them and wrote down their names so I can try to remember. Yesterday was also when I stole away for a bit to answer emails and post my first blog entry. Last night we came home early, and I also fell asleep early. I thought I had perhaps escaped the worse of my ‘jet lag’ because of the length of my journey, but exhaustion really set in last night. I was writing in my journal one minute, and the next, I woke up sweating profusely 2 hours later (the temperature stays in the 80s-90s at night, and unfortunately, the fan in my room doesn’t work even when the electricity is on).

Today has been the most exciting yet, though! I have been going on walks every morning, since that’s the only time it’s bearable outside to do so, and today I found a sleepy little community called Damside, also by Fewa Lake (there is Lakeside and Damside). I found a place there where I can rent a bike for a day if I want to go riding around Pokhara and a quaint little cafe that sells “6-grain trekking bread,” which is good, because although white bread has been okay so far, that combined with white rice multiple times per day is making me feel a bit ‘starchy.’ I again spent part of the morning/afternoon in Sabita’s office, this time, essentially taking Nepali language lessons from Sabita and MSBK’s financial officer, Sussma, for several hours (which was super fun...lots of laughing at me and the way I pronounce things). Then, finally, I got to go to CWES. They had requested that I be there at 2:00 pm today, so Sabita took me, and when I got there, I felt so welcomed! They had called a meeting, to which many of their staff and board members attended, in my honor. Everyone did introductions, and then the Director of the organization, Bishnu, gave a brief overview of CWES’s projects and programs. After this, it was so sweet, they presented me with flowers and some ceremonial neck scarves to wear, as they thanked me for coming to Nepal to work with them. The volunteer board chair, Sarala, also came to the meeting (which means she took time off of her ‘real job’ to come). Again, I felt so welcomed by them, and so grateful for this opportunity. I will be working with CWES Sunday-Friday (Saturday is their only day off), 10am-5pm (except they said if I want to leave early sometimes to go sightseeing, I can). I will be in the office tomorrow, but already on Sunday, will be my first visit into the ‘community.’ I will be traveling with several CWES staff members to a village nearby, to observe a program they run where community members evaluate the organization’s programs and services. Although it will be in Nepali, Bishnu told me I would be able to observe many things in the village, since life there is very different than in Pokhara. I am so excited to go!

I think I will sign off now, since Sabita and I are going to cook spaghetti together; it was her idea, so that I can eat something other than Nepali food every once in awhile. She said she has only had it in restaurants, but never cooked it herself, so I said I would assist :) Just before I started typing, we had a long conversation about Hinduism, and I probably overwhelmed her with questions. It’s so fascinating to hear about it from someone firsthand, rather than reading about it in a book! She said she would take me to worship at a Hindu temple, a Buddhist temple, and a Christian church here in Pokhara before I leave, so that will be so exciting, and right up my alley! We are definitely starting to bond and become good friends.

Thanks for reading all :) Miss you and love you.