Catch-up Post: Highlights, Family & Friends

Note: I have uploaded pictures. The albums include “Nepal: Kathmandu and Around,” “Belgium: 11 Hour Layover,” and “Israel: A Week with my Folks.”

Also, I am trying out a new idea. Instead of putting my day-to-day summary here, I will just post a link to a Google document instead. This will cut down on the length and detail of the posts. I am working on finding a better way than linking to a document… Let me know what you think!

Daily Diary Link: 14-24 May 2011

So, I’ve been bad and haven’t written for awhile. Perhaps you will forgive me if you realize that within the span of a week I was dealing with the physical and emotional stresses of figuring out a relationship status, leaving Nepal, spending twelve hours in the Delhi airport and eleven hours in Brussels exploring, then arriving at midnight in Israel and meeting my parents at a train station four hours later. And then doing the mad-tourist thing for a week with the folks!

See, you forgive me, don’t you?!

So, I’ll pick the highlights from the past week and a half of being incommunicado here. My apologies and I promise to do better!

Nepal and Romance

You’ll recall that for the Everest Base Camp trek, my guide’s name was Rimu. During the course of our trek, we got along all right but I didn’t pay much attention to his two or three isolated attempts to flirt with me. I shouldn’t say attempts, for they were honest and straightforward actions on his part, which (I imagine) took some guts. In any case, I ignored them purposely and made sure I didn’t respond in any way.

Well, for the most part.

You see, I have had enough of various men very forwardly expressing their interest in “getting with” the American girl. Their words, not mine. I think I’ve blogged about how irritating it got. And so at Rimu’s first effort to touch my hand, I immediately put up my “go away” vibe, which works to varying degrees in different countries. My doubts and suspicions made me dismiss even a consideration of the situation. So nothing happened on the trek beyond a compliment and an attempt at touching my hand a few times, or a friendly hug (which was not a common thing).

Back in Kathmandu following the trek, I really wanted to wander around the city outside the tourist area, but was not quite ready to do it on my own. Rimu invited me to visit him in his neighborhood when I told him what I wanted, and although I had misgivings, I decided to do it. He lives in Jorpati in a shared room, in an apartment building. Rimu and his roommate, Pasang, made me lunch and chatted with me. After lunch, Rimu took me for a walk through the area, then angled us to take a short hike up to a nearby forest. There we sat and chatted, and I suddenly realized I liked chatting with him. Moreover, when he reached out and grasped my hand for a brief moment, I squeezed his hand back.

Over the rest of that week we spent a lot of time together. He told me at one point that he hoped I wouldn’t “kiss anyone else,” and then I pulled back. I told him we shouldn’t get too serious and that when I left we should just see what happens but not make any promises. He didn’t like it, but just told me that he would wait for me to return and not get involved with any other girls. He walked to the airport to say good-bye the day I flew out, the day a country-wide strike prevented most motor vehicles from being on the streets. And at that point I realized how much I liked him. How sweet he made me feel. And I realized that I did want to come back, and I didn’t want him to be with another girl, and that against all my efforts, I had grown very close and very romantic with Rimu.

We are keeping in touch via e-mail several times a day now and discussing possible immediate futures (visits, etc). I don’t know if or how things will work out, but I can tell you this: I consider myself his girlfriend and him, my boyfriend.

 Long Layovers

On my way to Nepal I had asked in the Delhi airport whether I could get an in-transit visa  there and was assured by some assuming airline employee that I could. So when I arrived in the early afternoon to Delhi airport on my way from Nepal to Israel, I was excited to spend my twelve-hour layover touring and experiencing New Delhi. Alas, this was not to be, as an in-transit visa must be obtained prior to arrival to the airport. It was a loooong boring layover! Luckily, Belgium was much simpler and I just walked on out of the airport, easy as that. My luggage was checked through to Israel so I just had my day bag. My day consisted of wandering around the city center with a Korean girl in a similar situation. We took a city bus tour to catch the mains sights, too. Then I went off to meet some Couchsurfers, who were meeting up to check out the Pride Parade going on that day.

Now I have learned that it is, indeed, a small world. When I saw my friend James on a street corner watching the Pride Parade and cheering for the floats, though, I was  completely flabbergasted! James was a fellow military Couchsurfer, though he was stationed at Virginia Beach with the Navy. We had met at several DC couchsurfing events the year before and become friends, but besides the odd Facebook comment, had not kept in touch much. We both stared at each other, then started laughing and shouting and hugging. Small world, indeed.

I did the usual Brussels things: saw the Mannequin de Pis, tried a Belgian hot chocolate, waffle, salad and chocolates, and cheered for the well-attended, well-supported Pride Parade with it’s outrageous floats and flambouyant, happy paraders. Then I hopped on my flight to Tel Aviv.

Israel, Parents, Touring

My flight arrived in the wee hours Sunday morning and I missed the first train to Nahariya, so I caught the next one, an hour later. It was a good train ride, because Nahariya was the  last stop and so I could fall asleep, which I did. There at the turnstiles, my parents met me, wide awake (at least they seemed so to me) at 4am. Paula, a long-time friend of my mother’s, drove us the few blocks to her home, where they quickly installed me in a guest room. We chatted and caught up for about an hour and then I crashed, sleeping until ten that morning.

The following week was a fantastic collection of travel: several tours of varying types, a museum and a few national parks and a few beaches. We stayed with Paula in Nahariya and then with Deborah in Jerusalem, and both of these childhood friends of my mom’s were gracious, lively and involved hosts who invited me to stay with them any time. (In fact, I am still at Deborah’s house!) The moments I enjoyed the most included visiting the Dead Sea with my dad, who couldn’t go all the way in but enjoyed wiggling his feet in the salty waters and took a salt-encrusted stone as a souvenir; and visiting the Western Wall, twice, with my mother. Both times were not big events or dramatic, and in actuality were just brief snapshots in days full of many adventures, but these are what stood out to me.

Also, just getting to spend time with them, tell them my thoughts about my travels and about Rimu and about the future, was really nice. Skype and e-mail are wonderful, but there’s nothing like being there in person with your family.

What Next?

If you know me at all, you know what I’m going to say: I have no idea what my plan is. I’m researching ulpans (language immersion programs), kibbutz programs, volunteer opportunities and events going on in the country. My plane out of the country (to Turkey) isn’t until August and I’m trying to figure out how much more travel, and where, and all that, at the same time as figuring out my in-country plans.

For the immediate moment, I’m being lazy. Today was spent on the computer, meandering around the neighborhood, reading a book and daydreaming. With the need to unwind and relax paramount, my plan for the next week is to have more days like this one!

--Z