I don't really have anything to say that is exciting enough to warrant an entire blog post, but I do have a few random things to share...
Random thing #1 - I am proud to report that by the end of this week I'll be able to count up to 100 in Nepali. This is no easy thing to learn, because there is very little pattern to the numbers, and so it's not like once you count to 10 you can count to 100. You pretty much have to learn every number individually. There is SOME pattern, but as soon as you think you've got it figured out it's different for the next grouping. So getting to 100 is very exciting for me!
Random thing #2 - I finally, after 3 weeks of waiting, got a cylinder of gas delivered to my apartment. I had paid to get the spare one filled up, but there is a fuel shortage across the country, so it took 3 weeks for me to get it. I'm glad it was just the spare and that the other 2 didn't run out in the meantime! It's a big problem. You should see the vehicle line-ups at the gas stations. I stopped counting at 75 motorbikes the other day, and that was just the motorbike line. There was an equally long line-up for cars. The bus/truck fuel station is somewhere else. Apparently for bus-drivers, they spend an entire day in line for fuel, and then only get maybe half a tank's worth, which is enough for one day of bus-driving, and then the next day they're back in the fuel line again, likely ALL day. It's becoming a big traffic flow issue, too, because the line-up extends well onto the main road. Nepal gets its fuel from India, and apparently they've not been paying what they owe, so India has stopped sending fuel. I'm told that Nepal owes India something in the realm of 21 billion rupees (about $250 million Canadian) for fuel, and they're not doing such a good job paying for it. Hence the fuel shortage! Apparently it happens every year...Nepal stops paying India for fuel, and then is surprised when there is a shortage :)
Random thing #3 - It's COLD! I know I've said before that it's cold, but I'd been warned about the after-Christmas rains, and they're here. It's not actually raining that much, but even when it's not raining it's grey outside. We're not seeing much of the sun, and when we do see it, it's not very warm. So I'm bundling up even more.
Random thing #4 - A few weeks ago, I saw an entire lineup of people (many more than in the photo...but this was the best I could do with my phone camera) standing looking over the side of the bridge. I, of course, stopped to try to figure out what they were looking at. But I couldn't see anything. I had a few theories. Were they playing "Pooh-sticks"? (For those of you not familiar with that amazing game, it's a game invented by Winnie-the-Pooh where you stand on a bridge, throw sticks in the water, and see whose stick gets to the other side first). That was (I'm not kidding!) my first thought. But they were standing on the wrong side of the bridge for that. Were they looking for floating body parts? I know that sounds morbid, but it's actually possible...the main cremation site is upstream from that bridge and sometimes cremations are...um...incomplete. So maybe that was it. Or perhaps some people just decided to play a game where they stared over the edge pretending to look at something, just to see how many people would follow them. If so, I fell for it! I guess I'll never know the answer to my question, because after a day or two, the bridge line-up was gone.
Random thing #5 - Other things you see on the streets: Well, as in any predominantly Hindu country, you see cows. Again, apologies for the not-so-good photo(s). My phone camera isn't the best. There are often many more cows than that, and often much more traffic than that, too. This is a back road. But here are some cows. And then that other photo may just look like a guy walking his bike, but he's actually up to something. I haven't quite figured out what yet, but he has these empty sacs hanging from the back of his bike, and is saying/chanting something very loudly and repeatedly as he walks up and down the streets. I have no idea what he's saying, and I haven't seen anyone actually stop him. I'm guessing he's collecting empty sacs for some purpose or other, but I'm not entirely sure. There are other guys out with their bikes selling things - often oranges, bananas, or tomatoes at this time of year. But this guy seems to be collecting something. I asked one of the language teachers about it today, and she said that yes, some people sell things, and others collect things. But even the Nepalis don't always know what they're saying or what's going on, she said. That made me feel better :)
Random thing #6 - There is another nationwide bandh (strike) that has been called for tomorrow. This one was called by the "Central Struggle Committee of the disqualified combatants of the Maoist party" in the hopes that the government will meet its demands (not quite sure what those are). If the bandh materializes, some of my language classes may be cancelled if the teachers can't get there, and my didi (house-helper) may not come in. We'll see what happens...
I think that's about it for randomness today. Signing off from chilly Kathmandu...
