This weekend Riju and I went with some of her cousins to Seto Gumba, a beautiful monastery atop a giant hill. The walk up was a lot more strenuous than we anticipated and ended up walking through small dirt paths used by locals for porting goods through their scattered homes, and we all were wearing sandals! 

Pictures weren't allowed inside the actual monastery, but we did walk through the rooms where many monks were all reading and chanting (?). We also offered $ and were given snacks as gifts in return.

 Is it strange that I can't help but think of hokies?

 

And finally the end of the day means momos!!

4 kittens and 1 temple roof... so kute.

Last night I stayed at Prabha Auntie's house. She's been very kind and welcoming, making sure I get settled in and experience Nepal. We shared nice conversations, and this morning I went with her and Uncle to a temple in Thamel, where she goes to give pujas.

 

This isn't her home, but I WANT THIS TO BE MY FUTURE HOUSE! mint green! flowers! etc.!

khaalo biraalo

ATTENTION! VERY IMPORTANT NEWS! The first cat of KTM has been sighted! A beautiful black cat, with sleek khaalo fur and bright hariyo eyes was first spotted running away atop our rooftop terrace, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Later, the cat was again spotted around 12 midnight when the cat ran away from me as I went to the bathroom ON THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE HOUSE omg. When I returned, the cat was over near my room (!) and ran past me like a shadow in the night.

Goal: befriend this cat, and whisper sweet nothings to him.

ChangeFusion Nepal

“Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.”
― Bill Drayton

"What business entrepreneurs are to the economy, social entrepreneurs are to social change. They are the driven, creative individuals who question the status quo, exploit new opportunities, refuse to give up, and remake the world for the better."
-- David Bornstein

“A little bit of good can turn into a whole lot of good when fueled by the commitment of a social entrepreneur.”
-- Jeffrey Skoll

Yesterday I started working with ChangeFusion Nepal, a NGO that supports and offers financial assistance to different social entrepreneurs and their groups. ChangeFusion is an intimate group of about six people, four who are around my age. Today was my second day at the office, and I'm helping to organize a social entrepreneurship awards ceremony to recognize different groups from all over Nepal. 

Right now my work has been collecting quotes to be hung around the courtyard at the awards ceremony. The work is completely voluntary, but they do provide lunch fo' free :)

These birds, along with pigeons and sparrow-type birds are always flying around the house.

 I was in a cyber because the internet at home was out, when the electricity was cut. Nepal runs on a grid-based system where different districts have electricity at different times of day. Even though there's a schedule, it's still a surprise when the lights suddenly go out.

The mountains were peeking through low clouds today.  So beautiful!

 Disclaimer: We stopped to take this photo. didi is not driving.

 

Total flight time: 18 hrs, with a 7 hr layover in Doha, Qatar. One hour of my layover was spent starting this cool Coloring Zoology book. The instructions tell you when to fill in certain parts of the diagrams and teach you as you go. I’m really excited to be able to take my time and learn at my own pace.

 Riju, my cousin/sister on her new motorbike. Driving through Kathmandu is always an exhilarating way to see the sights, people, and of course the feel of the slight rush of adrenaline from driving through crazy traffic. Don’t worry, Dad: I was wearing a helmet.  

Interesting: while driving, I saw a billboard for a Vaseline skin lightening cream, with the phrase  “turn your body as light as your face.” It’s literally the opposite of that product in the states that tans over time. Interesting differences in body image. Riju says it's targeted especially for Indians living in Nepal.

 View from our house in Patan, Nepal

The bill from a café near the U.S. embassy.

Part I of my travels, complete

How can I describe this summer?

beautiful
long
hot
buggy
educational
outdoorsy
pinchey
relaxing
ultimate
delicious
adventurous
silly
mysterious
star-filled
constellations
challenging
surprising
wonderful
incredible
summer.

The final week of rusty crayfish work was a whirlwind of activities, from conducting my own experiment (with the much needed and appreciated help from Lindsey, Dr. Lodge, Ricky, and Jennifer) to creating a poster in preparation for the undergraduate research symposium on campus in South Bend. Very intense. But the summer came to a happy close (well, started out a bit stressful when our trailer broke) with a beautiful final Lodge Lab camping trip at Ottawa. We enjoyed Ashley's cooking, were champions of finding firewood after a rain, and all utilized our Navy Seal skills when we went swimming in the lake after hours. What an incredible night.

And what a cyclic summer! On May 30, when Bradley and I had first arrived, we had gone out to a beautiful small island on Big Lake for our first rusty crayfish collecting experience. I was clumsy, unaware of how crayfish swim (backwards) and naively afraid of their chelae pincers. But my final day out in the field with Lindsey, we went for one last collection of rusties for her parasite-project. I still can't catch all of them, but now I tend to think like a rusty while snorkeling. Oh, there's a big log here? Better see who's hiding! Oh, you think you're a big crayfish on campus and are walking over the rocks? Better scoot my net right on behind you.

Ok, now I sound crazy. But I'm not crazy! It's just been a really lovely summer snorkeling and hanging out in nature. I've said it multiple times, but I really couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my summer. Lounging in the company of good people, learning about birds and amphibians and fish (and bacon), while exploring science? Incredible.

So here's to the end of summer! Raising a glass (or a 1928 sugar cone) to everyone at UNDERC and all of the times we shared this summer. Pls keep in touch! My email is heyyjune@gmail.com :> :> :>>