Japanese competitions
I started taking Japanese lessons again. Originally the plan was every Monday and Thursday, 2 hours per evening, but very quickly the real world set in and it dropped to once a week, when my schedule allows. I am enjoying the lessons; they consist of newspaper reading, kanji practicing and conversation. My teacher is good; he is a grad student here studying Rural Development, originally from the Tokyo area. I have not forgotten as much as I thought I had, though my characters memory is still weak. My sister, Michelle, and I are competing to see who can get the best score in the Level 1 exam in 2006. She passed Level 2 last year. Passing Level 2 in 1996 and not using it much since then means she has a distinct advantage in the competition, but maybe the effort of classes will get me back in the groove.
Touchy feely New Years
Nepali New Year, celebrated in mid-April this year, was fun. Several of us did an impromptu night out to a hotel where there was dancing, drinking and eating, all poolside. As the night went on, the Nepalis got a bit “touchy feely” with one of my friends who went in a sari. She had the “pleasure” of getting both her breasts and butt grabbed. Some things are the same, no matter what side of the world one lives on. (See photos at
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=16nw59zt.9x866wkl&x=0&y=-2euigp).
Calcutta's cabana boy
April continued with a week long business trip in Calcutta. My boss (Vinnie) and I went there to meet with officials and freight forwarders at the ports that handle our shipments. With the construction of our new embassy, 500-700 containers of materials will be arriving there for us and we wanted to ensure we had a clear understanding of the process and paperwork required to make it all flow smoothly. The operations were very well-organized and developed. When we were not in meetings, we explored the city and lounged by the hotel pool. Another friend (Jenny) also works in Calcutta, so she and I were able to meet up a few times for some fun too. A non-business part of the trip was "Cabana Boy." He was a very cute Nepali boy who was at my beck and call at the pool with great drinks and yummy crackers. Vinnie and Jenny made fun of me, because I would just wave my hand and he would come running. What a great business trip. (See photos at
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=16nw59zt.6zxn43al&x=0&y=85r5ad).
April "Fools" Day...full of parties
The social wind blew into April, especially on the first day of the month. On the morning of April 1, I had three social invites for the evening. By 12.00, there were 5. Most of them were business mixed with pleasure, which meant I had to go. Thus, at 2 pm my social calendar commenced. 2.00-5.00: retirement party for one of my Nepali staff members who had worked for the embassy for 40 years. We put up a tent, bought all kinds of food and drink, supplied a BAD sound system and only 1 tape with not so great music, but all had a very good time. 5.15-6.30: One of the military guys here got promoted, so there was the traditional “drink his first month’s additional salary” party at the Marine House. 7.00-9.00: the Ambassador hosted a garden concert for about 500 people with an amazing Nepali band. The music was haunting and beautiful under the stars with just simple butter candles to light the backyard. 9:15-10:30: Ianu, a friend’s husband, hosted a West African feast as a going away party for one of the USAID families. And then finally, 10:45-12:45: A group of friends met at Subterranean, a local dance club, for some dancing and fun. It took an entire day to recover from the fun of the evening. (See photos at
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=16nw59zt.amf98dfx&x=0&y=ubudzs).
