My love affair

Every time I come back to Kathmandu, I feel great. Despite the dirt, the dust, the terribly managed traffic, the honking cars, the undisciplined  microvan drivers, the zooming motorcyclists, and so many other vices that engulfs our city, I fall in love with it all over again with every return. May be I feel this way coz it is home after all. Despite the leaking tap, and the cockroaches, home is home.

If this city was huggable (if there is a term like that), I would certainly hug it and let it know that I missed it, although I really dont have anyone here who misses me, or who waits for my arrival home, or who cooks a meal to welcome me, or who hugs me to let me know that I was missed.

Although I end up eating Maggie for dinner on my first night back home, I can't feel any less happy to be back, because Maggie would not taste the same in any place other than this (other than my first home, that is) ! :)

Earthquake

I didn't feel it. I was just out of the parking lot, waiting for the lift. Men and women (I didnt recognize most of them) were running out of the six-storey building. It all looked so crazy. And then I saw one girl I recognized from office. She stopped me from getting into the lift. She asked me to run with her. I was perplexed but I complied. Only after reaching out of the building did I learn that people felt a quake here. As I google it now, the tremors were a result of 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia.

After 15 minutes of chaos, everyone came inside the office, and everyone settled down as if nothing happened. Everybody is scared, but nothing can be done. Mothers want to go back home and check on their kids, children want to be with their parents, wives with husbands, husbands with wives, boyfriends with girlfriends and girlfriends with boyfriends. But they can't. Because it is just 3:15 PM. They have to be at the office till 5:00 PM. It doesn't really matter if their heart is no more in their work. It doesn't matter that they will spend rest of the one hour and 45 minutes hopping from one website to another to find news of what is happening. It doesn't matter that they will use the remaining time to call all their loved ones to know if they are doing fine.

But, what matters is that they are all employees and they have to be here till 5:00 PM to fill their eight-hour duty at work. So, now, I will get back to  my work and be a good employee and shut up. Thank you.

The day's shopping

Potatoes-1/2 kg
Onions-1/2 kg
Carrot-1/2 kg
Cauliflower-1 kg
Carrot-0.25 kg
Tomatoes-0.25 kg
Green peas-0.25 kg
Coriander-worth rupees 5
Oranges-1/2 kg (remember today is Thursday!)

This is my shopping for the day. The last time I shopped for vegetables was like three weeks back. I had got lesser vegetables than I got today, and they lasted for more than two weeks. So, I think I will not need to go vegetable shopping for another three weeks this time. I have been too lazy to cook and have been feeding myself with soups and noodles and pasta for dinner. The last time I cooked a proper meal for myself was last to last Saturday.

On the bright side of things (which is not at all bright), gas cylinder is scarce, vegetables expensive, and water a luxury. Cooking less is not that bad an option after all!

Hamro traffic prahari

Traffic Police: Baini, kaagaj patra boknu bhako cha?
Me: Cha dai, dekham?
Traffic Police: Thikai cha. Pardaina. Tapaile drink ta garnu bhako chaina?
Me: Kaha drink garnu dai. Jhan kaam bata farkidai chu.
Traffic Police: Eh, ani kaile garnu hunna ho?
Me: Gardina dai.
Traffic Police: Ekdum ramro kura. Garnu hundaina pani.

This conversation with the traffic police made me laugh after a whole day of serious meetings. I am a big fan of our traffic police. Kathmandu has one of the worst traffic in the world. There are a lot of reasons behind this. The main reason is lack of discipline among the Nepalese. I feel that our traffic police are tirelessly working to feed we Nepalese with some kind of discipline. I strongly believe that they are one of the most hardworking group in the whole of government system. I dedicate this post to all of them who are relentlessly trying to make commuting a little less pain in the neck.