Dashain Party 2010

Dashain Party 2009 was my intro to the Nepali culture. Dashain Party 2010? I was excited to be in the presence of & celebrating a year spent with some astounding Nepalese persons. My dear bahini (little sister), Grishma, got me a ticket to the event & her doing so, made me feel quite honored. My Nepali friends (both old & new) have been so good to me over the last year - welcoming me, treating me as one of their own. Odd as it may seem, I have a family-like atmosphere with many of them. From the moment I first learned about this years party, I had high hopes that I would be fortunate enough to go. Last year, I felt a little like a duck out of water. I was in an unfamiliar setting amidst a roomful of strangers from a completely different walk of life than my own. This go around, I felt "at home" if you will. While I certainly did not know everyone in attendance, I knew a a fare percentage of those that were present. Just as they have done time & time again over the last 12 months, they greeted me with kindness & a friendly spirit. This year, I bought a ticket for a friend of mine - an American friend. Zach had been in my home when one of the Nepali's cooked, he'd been around some of the Nepali's...only seemed appropriate to invite him along. I was sure to let him know that he would probably not understand a word spoken through the evening as most of the program would be in Nepali. I failed to mention, however, that he could just disregard whatever "time schedule" may have appeared on his ticket. If there is one thing I have learned over the last year, it is that the Nepalese do not run on American time. I am not saying that harshly nor is such a statement true of every person from Nepal. However, I think that many of my Nepali friends could agree with me on this though. I have grown accustomed to how things are done & I'm OK with it now that I have an understanding of things. That being said, our tickets stated that we would begin eating dinner at 8:00 p.m. As the clock kept on ticking & our stomach's continued to growl with hunger, Zach questioned when we would be eating. I then remembered from the year prior that I had asked the same thing when sitting at the table with Suman. As I thought back to the year before, I began to laugh. I broke the bad news to Zach--it was probably going to be a while. If my memory was correct, we did not eat until nearly 9:00 the year before. On another note, when we finally did eat, the food was delectable! I think Zach would admit that though the wait was long, the food was worth the wait. He, like me, loved the Goat's Meat. Only disappointment of the evening was that Zach left before the after-hour dance party started. I was really looking forward to watching him show off his moves on the dance floor. I had already insisted that I would NOT be dancing. In fact, I said I would "NEVER" dance. Lesson learned yet again in life..."NEVER say NEVER!" Though I'm not sure one could call it dancing, I was on the dance floor & moved slightly. All in all, I would total my minutes of "moving" to maybe 5. 7 minutes top.

(Pankaj was, no doubt, the dancing machine. He tried his best to try to get me to moving. He was successful for a minute or two.)

Instead, I was much more at ease taking my pictures. At one point, some guy I did not know came & grabbed me by the hand & attempted to drag me out there to dance with him. I told him I was busy. His words were, "You've taken enough pictures, it's time to dance." He got me out there--it was short-lived though. Every fiber of my being wishes that I had rhythm & knew how to move without looking like a complete fool. I heard the music, liked the music, could sing along to the songs & was dying to get out there. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I wonder....are there Dance Lessons for Dummies?

(My sweet friend, Pawana. She let me know that there are just a few "basic moves" that I need to learn in order to "hold my own out on the dance floor." She'll have to be the teacher-not an easy task!)

Despite the fact that I did not dance the night away with my friends, I had a fantastic time with my many friends. The party ended shortly after midnight & after driving here & there to return friends to their "homes", I finally tucked myself in my own bed at 3:30 the next morning. I had just as good of a time (if not better) as expected. I am so jubilant that I was able to go share such a special time with people that are so close to my heart. A year away but I'm ready....Dashain 2011!

Rolling On The River

11:00 a.m. : Check-out time at the hotel in Cape. I made it out just minutes before 11 & then pondered what to do & where to go next. Remembering Keshav's pictures from his stay in Cape, I wanted to make sure that I explored the riverfront. Darpan was unable to go with me & Samikshya was fast asleep unaware that her phone was ringing. I've never really been one to allow being alone to stop me from doing something. While many won't go to a restaurant by themselves, I will. Certainly, I was not going to pass on the opportunity to see some more sights. The murals painted all along the wall at the riverfront were a nice addition to the area....great concept depicting different historical aspects as well as famous persons born in the state of Missouri. I enjoyed sitting & watching the river roll along. Though the town was ghostly due to SEMO being on Fall Break & students being away, there were no shortage of couples. Not even a clue as to how many couples I saw that were walking around posing for engagement photos. I hate to say it but that got to me. Had I have had someone, ANYONE with me, things would have been fine. Instead, I had no one to take my mind off of all that I saw which only brought to the forefront that yes, I'm single. Though this is a reality daily for me, most days it does not bother me. Unfortunately, it did on this day. Since my camera was out of commission (accident-it was dropped), I had to use my cell phone camera to try to capture the scenery. If I would have had someone with me, we could have taken some cool pics down there. After walking around, hunger set in. As I walked, I saw a place selling ice cream, shakes & malts. Seeing as how I'm quite passionate about ice cream, I knew I should stop there. I walked in & as soon as I stepped foot in the door, the aroma of BBQ hit me. I don't get to enjoy BBQ too frequently as some in my family do not like it. I decided to enjoy lunch there & cap things off with a shake to go. I was the only customer in the place when I arrived, only one there when I left. Which, that might lead many to believe that the place was not worth eating at. However, I'd go back there in a flash as it was quite tasty. Before exiting Cape, I made 2 stops-1 at Darpan's dorm & 1 at Samikshya's house. I thanked them & said my farewell. Moving along.....

Chillin' in Cape

Over the last year, I have developed friendships with many students from Nepal. As I have gotten to know them, I've received friend requests on Facebook from many of their friends/family members back home in Nepal or in other places around the world. I've accepted some of those requests & have conversed with a great number of these individuals. 2 of the Nepali's I'd been in contact with live here in Missouri in the town of Cape Girardeau & are attending Southeast Missouri State University. Wishing to meet them, I figured while time allowed, I would do so. I first met Darpan. I learned about Darpan over the summer when my little brother, Narayan, called & asked me to pick up his friend from the airport. Ready & eager to do so, I learned that Darpan was not in St. Louis as Narayan thought. Instead, he was in Kansas City (for those unfamiliar with this place, Kansas City is about 3.5-4.0 hours west of St. Louis). He was also not attending college in St. Louis as Narayan had misunderstood him to say. Needless to say, I did not meet Darpan at that time. Our moment to meet had finally arrived & he was just as I envisioned that he would be - quiet & shy. He suggested that we go to a nature conservatory & I was enthused by his effort in trying to develop a "plan." We made it to the center & he quickly caught on to one thing--I love to take pictures. I told him from the beginning that he was going to have to deal with that. I had to smile when after a few shots, he would finally hand the camera back to me & want me to take his picture. Though awkward meeting at first, he began to warm up to me as the minutes passed by. As soon as we sat down to eat some Indian food at the Global Cafe', Samikshya called. In the spring, my other little brother, Keshav, flew to Cape. He spent several days with Samikshya. I was eager to meet her as Keshav so enjoyed his time with her. She hurried to the cafe to join Darpan & myself. She was not timid at all-maybe due in part to the fact that she has been living here in the U.S. for a few years & it is a bit more accustomed to life in America? After eating, we went to Samikshya's home where I met several of her friends. I met yet another Manish & another Sameer (I say another because I already have 2 friends with the same name). I had a great time getting to know all of them. Samikshya was adamant that I try on her saree (sari). I'd been longing to try one on for quite sometime as I think they are stunning (just like the Nepalese people). While it looked "OK", I think it would have looked much better had I have had the proper attire for underneath it. Whatever the case, many of my Nepalese friends have paid me compliments on it & for that, I'm quite appreciative. Their positive feedback might be the confidence I need to attempt to wear such again sometime. Maybe I can move beyond a house & out into public while doing so as well. We'll see...no guarantees. Of course, I did tell a couple of my Nepali brothers that they could buy me one & mail it to me. I suppose if they do so, I'll have no choice but to wear it out of my respect for them. Though my stay was brief, I am so very glad that I had the opportunity to go beyond simply chatting with these 2 Nepali's & actually spend some time with them. Much thanks to Darpan & Samikshya for welcoming me & treating me as one of their own.

Autumn Splendor with Rico Suave'

Vacation, Day # 3: My third day of my vacation was meant to be spent amidst the Amish in a town a few hours from St. Charles. As with all things, plans oftentimes change. This particular day was no different. A day prior, my traveling companion contacted me to let me know she would not be able to go after-all. Knowing that I was not just going to sit around wishing that I had something to do, I took action. I remembered that a friend of mine had said he was free for the day. After verifying with him that he was still available, I began to consider options of what he & I could do for the day. Seems quite common for my international friends to say "Heather, you are the one from St. Louis. You know what there is to do. You decide something." When I questioned my buddy Roshan (he enjoys going by "Rico") as to what he wanted to do, he did not let me down. He too, said the same thing that most others have said. I pondered what we could do that he had probably not already done. Having been here a few years, he's seen the Arch, been to the Zoo & for whatever reason, was uninterested in frolicking through the flowers with me at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. A'las, a light-bulb went on inside my ole' noggin & I decided we'd make our way to the Elephant Rocks State Park. From beginning to end, the day was picture perfect in every way. I first saw Roshan about a year ago at the Dashain Party (a Nepali Festival). Our stories differ on our first meeting but whatever the case, we met. For the last year, we'd seen each other a few times on different occasions but had never spent any time together. We talked about hanging out numerous times but our talk was just that-talk. Finally, we took some action. I assigned Rico the duty of picking a place to eat for lunch & I was delighted that not only did he do so, he did quite well with his choosing. The place he picked just so happens to be one of my favorites! Before eating, we bumped into a friend of mine from church. Along with him was his friend, Olya, visiting from the Ukraine. I had hoped to meet Olya but due to other commitments, I was unable to do so at the time that was set to celebrate her time here in St. Louis. No coincidence that she & Doug were found in the Delmar Loop hours before her departure back to her country! Though short, our brief introduction & visit was nice. Olya, happy to have met you! After enjoying some Mexican (thank you again Rico for my meal), Rico & I got back in my car & I began the drive down I-55. I had to laugh when we had not been gone for very long & Rico asked if we could stop to get a drink. Of course, I was more than willing to stop & I did. I just had to chuckle. Seems I cannot manage to arrive anywhere without first getting lost. Same was true yesterday despite having not only directions from off the internet but a GPS as well. I think I took us about 15 miles out of the way before finally determining that I thought I should turn around. Thankfully, Rico did not mind the detour. Eventually, we made it to our destination. We parked & hit the trails.Though there were cars in the lot, we did not see any other people until we had completed the first trail. After a quick bathroom break (which, Rico was REAL pleased with the restroom facilities), we took off onto the other trail. Well, I'm not sure that there actually was a trail. We more or less just climbed all over the place & went our own way. We spent a while there & once we had seen everything, I attempted to take Rico to another state park. Unfortunately, when we arrived at 5:57, the gates were already closed as the park was closing at 6:00 p.m. On our return, Rico & I had great conversation & I'm happy to report, found our way back without any missteps. As we were heading back, we discussed plans for dinner. Rico mentioned German food. However, since it was getting late, we opted to play it safe & go somewhere that did not involve the risk of possibly not liking the food. Rico again did the choosing--Vietnamese food. I had never had Vietnamese--I quite liked it. The restaurant closed at 9:00 & Rico & I shut the place down as we were heading out the door minutes after closing time. I said farewell to Rico & then moved down the road to visit some friends of mine (one in particular...a different Roshan). I did not stay for long but even for the short time span, it was good to see the guys. I am glad that over the summer, I met such wonderful individuals. Enjoyed visiting with Roshan, Pankaj & Ujjwal. I had hoped to return back to St. Charles no later than 6:30 in order to attend a function at the college. However, when Rico & I didn't even make it to the park until nearly 3:00 p.m., I knew that there was no chance that I'd be back when I had desired. In the end, I'm more than content with the happenings of the day. I could not have asked for a more gorgeous day, breathtaking scenery or better company. I wish I would have been able to just stay down there at the park & camped out for the night...out in the country with nothing but open sky. I'm sure the stars would have been incredible. Though it is a bit of a drive, I am more than anxious to go back there within the next few days if anyone is up for it. Day 3, you took the cake!

Riding Solo

First day of vacationing & I, like Jason Derulo's song states, found myself "riding solo." For various reasons (some of which were mentioned in my previous post), I am having somewhat of a "stay-cation" as some would call it. Not my ideal way of spending my time off but in the end, if it saves me a few dollars & gets me one step closer to Nepal, I'll be OK with it. Thanks to my dad's love of traveling, my sister & I are quite accustomed to "going & doing" things. That being said, I can't just sit here. Pondering what to do with my time, I began to research things & found places relatively close that I have never been to. Yesterday, I set out on the open road..just me, myself & I. Well, kind of...Jack Johnson was with me on the ride there & Taylor Swift rode back with me. When I was younger, it was tradition for all of the girls in the family to do a ladies trip every once in a great while. The weekend was a time for me, my sister, my mom, aunts, cousins & my grandma to get away. On one of the trips, someone thought it would be great fun to take us younger kids to see a covered bridge that some relative built (shows how much I enjoyed it--I've no idea which family member built the thing). I would guess that I was probably around 14 at the time. Looking back, I don't know if we could have done anything more boring. 17 years later or so & guess what I've an interest in? Covered bridges. Yep! I would LOVE to go to the Northeast & tour the many covered bridges in the autumn & see the striking fall foliage & beautiful hues of red, yellow & orange towering overhead. My trip yesterday was no such thing. However, I did admire the transition of summer to fall that has taken place as I drove down the road. I've included a few pictures. While I did enjoy myself, I must confess that I would much rather have had someone with me...someone to sing with, laugh with, see the sights with. Looking forward to having a friend join me tomorrow....will be good to have company for the day.