Siddhyo!

"Finished!"

Soon after Juni, Amita, and myself returned from our epic ABC trekking adventure, it was time to head back to good ‘ol (smelly, crowded, polluted) Kathmandu. We spent one last morning with our saaThi (friend) at our absolutely favorite breakfast spot in Pokhara (tea, toast, eggs, potatoes, spinach, and delicious museli with fruit and curd for an impressive 100 rps. Yeah, that’s about $1.70) and jumped back on the bus for another long ride.

Making it back to the city, we each decided to head to our respective homestays to spend a couple final days with our families. I had mixed feelings about the matter (its pretty incredible to realize just how much freedom you have being out on your own, ie. On ISP), but I was definitely so excited to see Vinu (my didi) and my dearest Aama. I trudged up all the flights of stairs up to our flat of the building where my house is, and was instantaneously greeted with excited Namaste’s. Before long I was sitting in front of a hearty plate of homemade daalbhaat – clearly back “home” at last.

But after unpacking/repacking all of my stuff and spending a couple of great days with the family, it was time to head out to a very different part of Kathmandu (so close, yet so far) – Thamel. Thamel is the tourist district of the city. Crowded and loud, it’s a huge change but it also has some convenient amenities not available in other parts of the city for us Westerners – and that combined with some impressive food options make the situation difficult to complain about.

So, weighed down by two backpacks and a camera bag, I headed downstairs to the kitchen to say my goodbyes. Vinu was so incredibly sweet – she taught me to make her version of dudh chiyaa (milk tea) just earlier that morning and, after saying good bye, turned up again – holding a shiny necklace for me. I couldn’t get over the thoughtfulness, really. And as I turned to my Aama and received the biggest hug I’ve received from a Nepali (hugging is certainly not a big part of Nepali culture), I was sent off with one huge bag full of apples and bananas. (Previously, I hadn’t been entirely sure that my love of fruit accurately translated, but it seems that was clearly wrong.) The last thing Aama and Vinu both kept asking me was “Kahile pheri aunuhunchha?” When will you come again? And all I could tell them was “Malaai tahaa chhaina, tara ma auchhu. Pheribhetaula.” I don’t know, but I will come back. I will see you again.

Of course, saying goodbye is never very enjoyable, but saying goodbye to my Nepali pariwaar also meant being reunited with the rest of the students who’d been gone on ISP for far too long. It was so, so great to see everyone again. It keeps coming up in conversation amongst us – it’s really difficult to get over how lucky we all are. Having only eleven people in a study abroad group (and unfortunately after Kaleigh and Nikki have had to leave, that’s down to a mere nine people!) certainly could be the perfect set up for not being able to get along or relate to people. But in our case, it’s quite the opposite. I mean, don’t get me wrong, we’re all very different – from all across the States with completely different backgrounds. But the people I’ve met here are some of the most incredible people I’ve had the opportunity to meet in my life, and I feel so lucky to be able to say that.

We all got rooms in the Prince hotel in Thamel, and set into a routine of getting up for breakfast, working on/writing our ISP’s until lunch, hitting up the delicious 150 rupee falafel wrap stand, and working a bit longer until there was absolutely no motivation left for the day. Evenings were much more enjoyable – like I said, there’s actually some good food available in Thamel, and we even hit up some good Mexican for Cinco de Mayo! Then, suddenly, it was time to head back to the program house in Naxal before being relocated to another hotel outside of Thamel. One night there (and a delicious meal of momos at a holeinthewall place on the side of the road – some of the better ones I’ve had in Nepal) and we hopped on a bus to Dhulikhel, an hour or two outside of Kathmandu.

It’s always great to get out of the valley and away from the heart of the city, and Dhulikhel is certainly no exception. We’re currently staying at the Dhulikhel Mountain Resort, and all I can say is that it feels a bit like we’ve left Nepal altogether. The buffet meals are delicious, the rooms have pillows that are actually soft, there are multiple rolls of toilet paper available, shower curtains in the bathroom (wow!), and even little flashlights for our convenience when loadshedding strikes.

It just feels so far from everything/anything we’ve experienced thus far in Nepal – and it really feels like an actual resort. (Make sense, since it is one.) But its someplace I could actually see people vacationing. At the same time, its amazing to think of people vacationing here and not having a clue how much of Nepal they’re really missing. It’s similar to the situation with trekkers. Before talking to people we ran into on our own trek, I really hadn’t realized just how many people come to Nepal to trek, stay in Kathmandu for a day, maybe two, then head on their way. On one hand, there really isn’t much to see in Kathmandu, so it makes sense. But at the same time, trekking in Nepal is really a completely different side of the country. So different from city life, and even far from true Nepali life in the villages that many people pass right through as they’re hiking.

Our first day here, (yesterday) we settled into our rooms and enjoyed a huge lunch before beginning our ISP presentations. It was a long day. Though interesting to hear about the research everyone has been working on, it was also exhausting to sit through it all (let alone give your own presentation). Then, suddenly, it was over.

We’re officially done with school in Nepal. Language lessons are long over, ISP’s are written, final presentations have been given – Siddhiyo! (Finished!)

So suddenly, we’re down to a few final days in Nepal. A few are staying longer to go trekking, and some of us are leaving right away (I’m personally beyond excited to head out to Thailand with Jack for ten days of adventure!) Then, for me, it’s off to Bangladesh for six weeks. I’ll be doing an internship for Hand & Cloth – a nonprofit cooperative for women in the area, meant to employ them and get them out of brothels. I’m stoked for the opportunity, though I really don’t know what is in store at the same time. Yet, that’s how things have been for the majority of the last three and a half months. The future is a mystery, but I’m so excited.