I ate some sort of special dutch waffle today-that was nice. I'm spending the day relaxing and working in Kathmandu before I leave for village tomorrow. This morning I was able to enjoy a farmer's market held in a restaurant near my hotel (that's where I got the cool waffle). It's always a pleasure to take part, even if I can't afford much of the merchandise. The atmosphere is worth the time spent.
I so luckily got to spend a week with the newly arrived group of volunteers (N202) and co-facilitated trainings on topics such as sexual assault, unwanted attention, gender considerations, and stereotypes of Americans in Nepal. It was a joy to spend time with the Peace Corps Nepalese staff and help answer any questions the new trainees had.
An interesting paradox I find myself in Nepal: you know how you grow up being taught (at least if your a female) to never follow a stranger down a sketchy and dingy alley, or into a creepy abandoned garage, or if not taught, intuition tells you NOT to? Well I just did that. I'm sitting at a cafe using the free wifi, and after so much coffee the bathroom calls thy name. I asked where the bathroom was, then found myself following one of the boy workers out behind the shop, down a dusty driveway into a dark and abandoned looking garage, and up a creepy staircase. As I was walking up the stairs, I thought to myself, "I can either end up at the bathroom, or end up... someplace bad". But it was the bathroom :) . The bathrooms just need to look less creepy.
-Bora
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