It’s been a while since I’ve written, both because I have been ill and because I’ve been so busy. Allow me to describe the highlights of my life lately:
Wednesday, Dec. 5: After too long, I went to visit Muna’s family. Her parents had been in Chicago since April, but they returned at the end of October! Because of my trip to India, the drama with my job, and of course my illness, I had not had the opportunity to visit them. But when I received an email from Muna’s Singaporean sister-in-law saying she and her family would be in Nepal at the beginning of December, I could not procrastinate any longer! It was an absolutely delightful few hours trying to speak to Ama in Nepali, chatting with Baba in his much-improved English skills, playing with little Kali, and meeting Muna’s older brother, his wife, and their two adorable children! Unfortunately, my visit was cut short because I had to get to the opposite end of town, during traffic hour, to go to the dress rehearsal for my choir concert. The rehearsal went well, but my voice suffered afterwards and I spent the next 2 day not speaking, drinking tons of hot lemon with honey, and taking as many types of medication as I could get my hands on (which is not like me – but I was desperate!).
Thursday, Dec. 6: After the third morning in a row at the Tibetan Reception Center (which is going quite well by the way), I went to a Newari wedding with my friend Shitu. Newari people are one of many Nepali castes and the first inhabitants of Kathmandu. Their weddings, however, seemed very similar to the wedding I had been to almost a year before, on one of my first nights in Nepal! I greeted the father of the bride, congratulated the bride herself, and then ate ATE ATE! That’s the best part of weddings in Nepal – food and drinks are continuously passed around. In fact, the quality of a wedding is essentially solely judged by the quality and quantity of the food! I thus spent the next 3 hours tasting fried snack after fried snack, filling my stomach with fizzy drinks (alcohol is available, but I was on antibiotics!), and keeping myself warm by the fire (absurdly, the wedding took place OUTSIDE at night!). By the time the buffet dinner rolled around, I was no longer hungry, so I sat back and enjoyed the silly behaviour of all the drunk Nepalis around me – including Shitu and her entire family! Then, when I could no longer handle the cold, I said goodbye to the bride, who had been sitting in a corner all evening, greeting people while decked out in an elaborate (and hopefully warm) red and gold sari. Her new husband, strangely, was not present at the party.
Friday, Dec. 7: I had been invited by Muna’s sister-in-law to her husband’s birthday party, which took place Friday at noon at a beautiful hotel called Yak and Yeti. I arrived not knowing what to expect, and was pleased to see a plethora of guests, including some relatives I remember having met the previous year with Muna. It was an enjoyable afternoon, which incorporated the Nepali-wedding strategy of pleasing people through their tummies. I drank more fizzy drinks and ate more fried snacks, a buffet lunch, and TONS of dessert (2 pieces of cake, two Indian sweets, and ice cream – I have no idea what got into me!). It was also nice to talk to Muna’s brother (funny and handsome), sister-in-law (very sweet, niece (an adorable, princess-like 3 year old), and nephew (an excitable and friendly 7 year old). I played games, I talked, I laughed. Then Muna’s sister-in-law asked me to take her shopping for souvenirs and presents, so yet again I became the koire tour guide (white tour guide) – how ironic! Despite my sickness, it was a fun afternoon since it provided me an opportunity to better get to know Muna’s brother and sister, whom I did not meet last year since they live in Singapore, where Muna was actually born. That night I was supposed to sing Christmas carols with fellow choir members at a hotel party, but I chose to stay home and rest my voice for the Christmas concert the next day.
Saturday, Dec. 8: Concert day, and a long day it was! I arrived at the venue at 2:30 still feeling unwell, and did my best to refrain from talking and to warm up my voice slowly so as not to damage it. Nonetheless, halfway through the second song of the choir my throat began to tickle, and a coughing fit followed. For the next 3 songs, I had to stop singing, and even breathing (!) so as not to cough and ruin the songs for the audience! I shoved a few cough drops in my mouth and took several sips of water, and eventually the tickle went away. But after 4 months of rehearsing, it was so unfortunate to be forced to concentrate on not pushing my voice so as to avoid another cough attack, rather than getting to sing my little heart out. Not only did I have to prevent “the tickle” from returning, but I also had to make sure I didn’t lose my voice, since we were singing not one but TWO concerts! The rest of the afternoon went well, but I was so exhausted by the end of the shows (after having been there almost 6 hours) that I opted out of going to the aftershow party with the rest of the choir. Too bad.
As I write this, I am still sick, but I am trying to really take care of myself. I’m keeping myself warm all day and night, and trying to avoid the dusty streets of Kathmandu as much as possible. Hopefully this strategy will work out because I am, quite frankly, sick of being SICK! Plus, I supposedly have a jazz gig this Friday at a nice hotel, and I’d really like to be able to perform to the best of my abilities. Well, at the very least, I hope not to have a repeat of Saturday’s throat tickle!
One Heck of a Week
