Weekend: a party and more food

A party! and more food....
On Saturday we held our first get together at the flat, hosting a few of J's local colleagues and their families for a light lunch. It was a good way to get a little more organized, nothing like company to force one to clean, cook, and put on respectable clothes. Needless to say we were looking forward to seeing new faces:

We made a table spread of different dishes, including veggies & dip and devilled eggs (classics from home), thai chicken patties (a new creation), sausage rolls from the bakery (the lazy dish), and mushroom momos (the must-have Nepali addition, made by our Didi). Oh, and I should mention the plate of fresh fruit and store bought swiss rolls for dessert. My excuse for not baking is that the oven only works when the power is on....

Here's a shot of R making the momos:

...and the completed, but not yet cooked product:

Sunday we spent doing more errands and checking out central Kathmandu, an area that has its own charms but I'm glad we are not living in. The noise is almost as polluting as the air, which is thick with traffic fumes and dust. And after heavy overnight rains the roads were streams of mud and grime. We did manage to find a clean and quiet lunch spot though, a French restaurant that is quite popular with foreigners and wealthy Nepali's. U got to try her first high chair and used it to sit and stare unabashedly at everyone in the restaurant:

Una Staring from Highchair

U & I out for lunch

a first view

Even though it's monsoon/rainy season, I have not been bothered by the weather. It is hot and humid just about all the time, and cools down after a rain - which happens about once a day. The sun is rarely out for extended periods and when it is out, it is HOT. So by the time it does rain we are usually glad as it cools the air and keeps the dust down.

However.... last week after almost 2 days of rain we woke up to a beautiful sunny sky and our first glimpse of the Himalayas outside out kitchen window:

not bad to stand and watch with a cup of coffee in hand...!

I'm looking forward to September and October when the air clears and the mountains are really visible. We'll have to make use of the rooftop terrace.

baby bedroom

The flat we are living in is coming along nicely and definitely starting to feel more homey. (pictures soon I promise). One area we were keen to get completed is the baby's room. After sharing a bedroom with us for many months and sleeping in a travel cot (which was becoming too small way too quickly), U finally has her own, person-sized bedroom. I'm proud of how it is coming along.

We've incorporated some of the lovely gifts we received from people back home, including a magical paper crane mobile, the baby's name in cut out felt, and a special little elephant clock. All we need to do is hang my grandmother's painting on the wall...

family day

Since we are finally starting to get settled and our place is coming along nicely, we were able to spend Saturday enjoying some of the family friendly activities Kathmandu has to offer. In the morning, we headed to the Central Zoo. From my experiences in other countries, I did not have high hopes and was preparing myself for broken cages, depressed animals, and unhealthy conditions - an overall sad scene.

This is not exactly what we saw. Most of the animals seemed healthy and happy enough, with the exception of the sloth bears, who were pacing their cages and exhibiting disturbingly repetitive behaviours; and the monkeys, which just looked quite sad.

Despite this, the zoo was a relatively green space and full of interesting animals and birds including a variety of deer & antelope, a leaopard and other cats from the region, a hippo, three majestic black rhinos and some frightening looking vultures. There's even a beautiful elephant open for rides:

Also on the plus side, we actually got to use the stroller! We haven't had much opportunity aside from pushing it back and forth inside our flat. Roads here don't exactly lend themselves to western-style baby transport. U was happy in her ride and mom's back finally had a rest from the carrier.

U at the Zoo. smiling!

After a rather hot hour and a half at the zoo we had seen (and smelled) enough. After a short rest at home we spent the remainder of the day lounging by the poolside of a nearby hotel. The shade of the umbrellas, the green grass, and refreshing water was a welcome respite from the heat and dust of the neighbourhood. Not to mention the poolside momo and beverage service. U even went swimming. twice.

U by the pool

 Good to know this was just a short walk away. We'll be spending more afternoons here!

Didi culture: Respected Sister

We've hired a didi.
Here in Nepal, like in many other countries, having a housekeeper (domestic employee, nanny, etc) - called a 'Didi' here - is not only very common, but expected. Our didi works part time and does some cooking, cleaning and will eventually babysit a little.

Of course being from the West it has been an adjustment. My instinct is to feel uncomfortable, awkward, even offended at having help in the house. Imagine what my liberal social-justice-oriented higher education has to say about privilege, class & race in this scenario...

On the other hand, the lady (R) we've hired has put three children through school with her work, though she has minimal education herself. We pay her fairly, treat her well and today she announced to me that she found a 'very nice family" and is 'very happy'.

Once over the discomfort, we can think about the benefits of having her help us. She is already acting as a cultural translator for us, helping us learn Nepali, demonstrating how to shop (and not get ripped off), and also building a relationship with U, who seems to be really taken with her.

R & U - new friends

Not to mention she has cooked us some outstanding Nepali food. Here's a shot of our dinner, inclusive of rice, dhal, a veggie dish, salad and chicken curry: mmmmmmmmmm (bad quality photo, the power was out, thus lighting bad)

For my part, I believe in a reciprocal relationship and including R as a member of our little family, and less like 'domestic' help or part of some degrading hierarchy, which we are bound to think of coming from Canada. Interestingly, the meaning of Didi in Nepal is "respected sister".
I've enjoyed sharing my home space and appreciate her lively energy. She has already changed our 'settling in' process for the better.

a busy week..

we've had a busy week. settling in, more settling in, J's birthday, making a few friends, and still more getting settled. plus i'm learning how to navigate the nepali kitchen and make some half decent food.

first big event and good news: our shipment of stuff from Canada arrived. it is amazing how much 'stuff' we thought we needed so badly and then forgot about once we got to Nepal. I forgot many of the belongings we had packed in our boxes. That said, having my cast iron fry pan here has drastically improved my cooking...
we spent a few hours at the customs warehouse waiting for, and then inspecting our goods that we had shipped. the baby came with us and was a big hit at the male-dominated warehouse. Men were vying for a turn to hold her and snapping photos with their mobiles:

Miss popular

U with our boxes at the customs warehouse

The next event was J's birthday. I used the cast iron pan to make a half decent omelette for breakfast and surprised him with framed photos of U for his desk at work. There are some beautiful handmade paper frames and other crafty items here, made by various socially-concious organizations and sold to raise money.

After work we headed through Kathmandu and partway up the himalayan foothills for a birthday family getaway for two nights. After a rather bumpy ride, and steep uphill walk, we came through the bush...

the adventurer

 ...and to a stunning lodge with even more spectacular views of the valley we had just come from.

view of kathmandu valley from Shivapuri Heights

Here we had a chance to put our feet up, catch up on some reading, and eat very well. We were not disappointed with this fantastic introduction to the country. We also made a few friends with the lovely staff,

J got an open-air birthday haircut and straight-blade shave,

And we still found time to relax in the bean bag chairs.

Most importantly we let the magnificent views and fresh air rejuvenate our souls, while we wondered at the reality of our new home.

Food!

It wouldn't be anything written by me if food wasn't mentioned. I'm dedicating this post to food and what we've learnt about edibles in our new home.

Our first few days were a bit tough. During breakfasts I broke the eggs and burnt the toast. Dinners were also pretty shoddy. What do you mean, the oven doesn't work when the power is out? And what can I possibly cook with only tomatoes, onions and lots of lentils? not a promising start to my new life as an expat house 'wife'. 

Then we discovered the market:

Plums, mangoes, mushrooms, beets, lettuce, cucumber, even skinny little asparagus (which were on the menu for tonight). I was able to buy all this in the picture for less than 5 bucks. not bad.

We also found a few cozy cafes serving up tasty fare. I ate half of these snacks before i remembered to take a picture. 

Fried momos and cheese pakodas

The dumplings are a fried version of Nepali "momo"s - delicious little pockets of paneer, veggies, meat, or any mix of them. The little squares are cheese "pakoda"s, fried paneer cheese. Yum. A girl doesn't need much more in life than fried cheese....

And not to leave out baby, who has been enjoying the cafe vibe with us:

J & U in the cafe around the corner

She has been on her own food adventure and tried solids for the first time today. Mashed banana + breast milk. I think she got about 60% of it actually in her mouth, and of that probably swallowed only 25%, but it's a start. 

Settling in.... sort of

It's been just over a week of living in Nepal.

Baby has heat rash, weather is humid, jet-lag is finally easing, and I am slowly discovering our new neighbourhood.

the highlights of our first week here...

We love our flat. We live on the 3rd floor of a 4 floor walk up. Three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and an open concept kitchen, dining and living area. Lots of big windows. We bought a table fan and our first houseplant today which adds some ambiance. Pictures of the flat are coming soon - as soon we get a bit more organised. In the meantime, here's Una and I walking down our driveway:

Jaddon also started work on Monday, two days after arriving in the country, jet lagged and sleep deprived. What a guy. 

For now he's acting director of Ullens Kindergarten, which, being housed in a former Palace, is probably the swankiest education facility I've ever seen. 

Ullens Kindergarten Grounds

Ullens Kindergarten Classroom

And Una is coping, despite heat rash and time change. She's also learning how to sit up:

So one week over and we still have lots of settling in to do. Looking forward to it...

Arrival

Sunday June 30th. Arrived yesterday evening after a sleepy 12 hour flight to Abu Dhabi, a restful 14 hour layover and a 4 hour last leg to Kathmandu. 

She slept most of the time, but here's Una awake on the plane:

Weather: Humid. hot. mixed haze, rain and sun. Did I say humid?

Accommodations: Moved into our new home on Shangri-La Lane. A bright spacious flat with gorgeous hardwood floors and newly constructed kitchen cupboards just for me. Una gets her own room, we have an en suite, and there's a guest room. There's even a little patch of greenery on the ground floor. Perfect.

Overall feeling: Happy the move is done and we are finally here. Excited to start adventuring and exploring our new home. 

I had a ginger cooler at a nearby cafe:

And of course, we are all jet-lagged....