A Day in the Life of... me

I thought you might like to know what an average day is like for me. My first weeks in Nepal were really difficult because I had so much free time. I had to adjust to a slower pace, giving myself time to rest and relax. I think I am pretty well acclimatized now! Here is an average day: 6:00am awaken to the barking of dogs, honking of horns and bicycles and children walking to school. I usually curse the dogs and horns. Thankfully I don’t live on a BUSY street! 7:00am I actually get out of bed, shower (if we have water) eat (if I have food/time) and get ready for class. 8:00am leave for my Nepali lesson. I walk for about a half hour to get to class. I typically dodge cars, people, bikes and motorcycles… or the puddles they plow through. 8:30am Nepali Class. I have one-on-one tuition with Umesh, who is also a dear friend. Much of our class time is spent talking, but I also learn some too! 9:30am Class is finished, but I usually hang out at the center talking with the other tutors and practicing my Nepali. 10:00-1:45pm FREE TIME. Everyday is different, but most often I either sleep, clean, grocery shop or check my email. 1:45pm I leave to go meet a friend and start work. I walk about 5 minutes to the main road that circles the city. I get on the first Bus/Public Minivan/tuk tuk I see. It costs me about 7 rupees ($0.10) to go to SatDobato, a 10 minute ride. 2:00-5:00pm I meet Jyoti and we get in another bus and go a little further up Ring Road. We go to every restaurant we see, to do research on the girls who work there (more to follow on this soon). 5:00pm A couple days a week I go to a bouldering gym and climb. The other days are spent hanging with friends, shopping or watching movies. Spending some time on my Nepali homework usually happens as well. 10:00pm I usually am close to home/bed at this hour. I try to go to bed by 11:00 but it doesn’t always happen.