Of course -- this is Nepal. . .

bad picture of the thought of mountians - I was in a moving jeep
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It has been a fun few days since I last wrote. I have three different blogs and titles that I've wanted to write but each is pretty short - so to to save everyone some time today you get three for the price of one. (FREE!)

Going along with the title of this blog. . .

Yesterday the bases of the mountains peeked out while I was driving home from one of the clinics in a packed jeep. Earlier that morning I had been telling one of the guys that I was beginning to believe that Nepal didn't actually have mountains, because I haven't seen any - it has been consistently cloudy. So, just as we reached the city he tapped my shoulder -

the gas station. (there's a gas shortage, so this is how you can avoid the wait a the pump - for a premium price.)
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Him: Look!

Me: Oh my gosh! Mountains! They do exist! This is so exciting!

Five minutes later the girl next to me grabs my elbow and points.

Me: Woah! More. This is amazing!

Five minutes later she grabs my arm again.

Me: Blah! They are everywhere!

Everyone: he he he she said 'everywhere' ha ha ha

The man behind me: Of course they are - this is Nepal.

Laughter makes the world go 'round. . .

I have officially decided I would rather have people laughing at me than just staring at me blankly. It is amazing how many barriers laughter breaks down. It gives us common experience. I am trying to learn Nepali. I have almost mastered the alphabet but the sounds are very similar (there are four ways to say Tu - thu, tha, thuh, thah...it is impossible) this has made for much giggling, because all I do is ask someone what a certain letter is and then try  -unsuccessfully to sound just like they do. It is pretty hilarious.

Coke from the bottle. . .

To be added to the list of reasons I love Nepal: Coke in the bottle. It tastes better.

Claustrophobia in a crazy clown car. . .

Nepal is not a place for claustrophobes. I realized this hip to hip in a jeep yesterday and again today in a microbus with a ridiculous number of people in it. Add rush hour traffic on top of it and there is seemingly no escape - everywhere you look there are moving vehicles. Personal space is different here, people touch one another all the time, intentionally or not. It took a little bit to get used to but now its kinda fun. Today I had two monks practically sitting in my lap - it was pretty much amazing.

It is crazy to realize I've been gone for a month - with a full six weeks ahead. . .