Ooops.

CRAP!  I am pretty sure that I may have, more than likely, possibly, probably forgot to file for my PFD this year.  Oh well, there are things in life more important than free money, although it is really nice.  Any way, I did have a question for you readers; have you ever had a craving for a plate of rice and some pickled vegetables?  And when I say craving, I mean have you said to your self, "Man, you know what I could really go for for the next five months... some rice and pickled vegetables."  I haven't either, but I tell you what, my family here puts so much spice and flavor into just those two items that you don't even care.  I went to a touristy place the other day to get a steak and it was the worst steak I have ever had.  Afterwords, all I wanted to do was go home and eat some rice and vegetables with a cup of tea, which they make very sweet here.  But onwards with the blog.  I'll tell you a few of the small things about living here and then I won't bore you anymore with such mundane details, I promise.  First of all, I do have a normal toilet and it is in a normal three bedroom apartment, (although the bathroom itself is just one giant shower) and I am only a 25 minute walk from the office.  I am still waking up at around 5-7 every morning but due to several reasons: one being that in Kathmandu, gangs of dogs roam the streets at night looking to fight other dog gangs, it's a regular West Side Story if it was in Nepal and of a more fury persuasion.  But any way, all of the gangs seem to come to one specific location known only to them and me as rumble alley, which just so happens to be outside my window.  Every morning like a clap of thunder, there is a dog fight which always ends in a whimper.  And if it isn't the dogs then it's the neighbors with their strange hours and even stranger drumming, booming across the way.  However, the mornings here are beautiful so it isn't so bad.

Moving on to the people of the streets; beggars beggars everywhere and not a dime to spare.  I like to think of myself as a person who will help those in need without thinking twice, but living here in Kathmandu has made me a little more selective as to whom I help.  Twice now I have been approached by fairly well dressed individuals who just seemed curious about my situation.  We go and have tea and in one circumstance spoke for several hours and then after you feel you have built a relationship with this person and you feel you could be there friend and stay in contact with them; they begin to tell you how hard their life is and how you can help them with your money.  I am sick of it friends, and while most of the people here are good, it is the couple of bad apples that I have met that have darkened my perspective.  I see few as genuinely nice anymore and now I am always looking for the angle and I hate myself for it.  But I have kept you long enough,  I love you all and will speak with you soon.  I am going to be doing this blog about once a week around this time so hopefully I will never have to bore you with such tiny details like this again.  Oh, and I love getting messages from all of you, thank you so much.  Speak with you soon, Seth.