Sunday, January 18, 2009
going a little crazy
Update on the power…or lack of power that is.
(me and my roomie)
We are still technically at 8 hours of power a day. The 2 four hour blocks of time we have been promised can happen at the most inconvienient times of the day such as 12am to 4am and we do not always get the four full hours. Usually the power will go out for at least 30 minutes in those 4 hours.
It turns out that I am having a harder time with the lack of power than I thought. You don’t realize how much you use electricity until you DON’T have it. It’s the little things that bother you like not being able to make toast in the morning or the fact that it seems like my phone battery always dies when the power is out.
When the power does come on my roommate and I have a couple of things that we do
• throw in a load of laundry
• fill up bottles with purified water
• charge computer, phone, iPod, etc
• check and respond to e-mails
At times I think the situation as a whole makes us feel a little crazy. I did not realize the extent of the craziness until my friend Andrea pointed it out a day later.
Here is a facebook conversation that took place recently. Note that Amanda is my roommate and we were sitting across from each other when this all took place.
Amanda can't believe Jessica is playing old school Amy Grant...stop!!
Amanda Breault at 5:04am January 16
Oh El-shaddia....can we please listen to Sandy Patti next!!
Jessica Van Wyk at 5:04am January 16
now I'm really starting to question your salvation...how can you hate on old school Amy...better yet how can we still be friends
Amanda Breault at 5:06am January 16
this will be a hard couple of months....unless I pull out your favorite...Brian Dunken!!!
Jessica Van Wyk at 5:09am January 16
in the words of Amy "I have decided I'm gonna live like a believer, turn my back on the deceiver, I'm gonna live what I believe."
Amanda Breault at 5:13am January 16
Jenn Hand...we are in need of a counselor!!
Jennifer Hand at 5:18am January 16
you are.. i'm coming over quick.. but remember.. i am in that one thing.. hey that's probably the name of an old school amy grant song ..
Jennifer Hand at 5:20am January 16
yall do remember these are "contemporary christian " artists.. we talked about last night what kind of sin that can lead to
Leah Weldon at 5:32am January 16
What! Christian "Rock"!?! You guys might as well just be listening to Snoop Dog.
Jessica Van Wyk at 6:04am January 16
Snoop who? Is he a new Christian contemporary artist
Amanda Breault at 6:09am January 16
I think we heard him one time on our youth group bus..
Leah Weldon at 6:12am January 16
Oh Jessica, where you homeschooled? (hee hee) Amanda, sadly I did hear him on our youth group bus sometimes.
Andrea Burnett at 7:03am January 16
wow....this power outage is really starting to make you gals go crazy!
(Leah, Jenn, and myself)
It turns out that I am having a harder time with the lack of power than I thought. You don’t realize how much you use electricity until you DON’T have it. It’s the little things that bother you like not being able to make toast in the morning or the fact that it seems like my phone battery always dies when the power is out.
When the power does come on my roommate and I have a couple of things that we do
• throw in a load of laundry
• fill up bottles with purified water
• charge computer, phone, iPod, etc
• check and respond to e-mails
At times I think the situation as a whole makes us feel a little crazy. I did not realize the extent of the craziness until my friend Andrea pointed it out a day later.
Here is a facebook conversation that took place recently. Note that Amanda is my roommate and we were sitting across from each other when this all took place.
Amanda can't believe Jessica is playing old school Amy Grant...stop!!
Amanda Breault at 5:04am January 16
Oh El-shaddia....can we please listen to Sandy Patti next!!
Jessica Van Wyk at 5:04am January 16
now I'm really starting to question your salvation...how can you hate on old school Amy...better yet how can we still be friends
Amanda Breault at 5:06am January 16
this will be a hard couple of months....unless I pull out your favorite...Brian Dunken!!!
Jessica Van Wyk at 5:09am January 16
in the words of Amy "I have decided I'm gonna live like a believer, turn my back on the deceiver, I'm gonna live what I believe."
Amanda Breault at 5:13am January 16
Jenn Hand...we are in need of a counselor!!
Jennifer Hand at 5:18am January 16
you are.. i'm coming over quick.. but remember.. i am in that one thing.. hey that's probably the name of an old school amy grant song ..
Jennifer Hand at 5:20am January 16
yall do remember these are "contemporary christian " artists.. we talked about last night what kind of sin that can lead to
Leah Weldon at 5:32am January 16
What! Christian "Rock"!?! You guys might as well just be listening to Snoop Dog.
Jessica Van Wyk at 6:04am January 16
Snoop who? Is he a new Christian contemporary artist
Amanda Breault at 6:09am January 16
I think we heard him one time on our youth group bus..
Leah Weldon at 6:12am January 16
Oh Jessica, where you homeschooled? (hee hee) Amanda, sadly I did hear him on our youth group bus sometimes.
Andrea Burnett at 7:03am January 16
wow....this power outage is really starting to make you gals go crazy!
(Leah, Jenn, and myself)
Saturday, January 10, 2009
If you are a facebook friend of mine you will see that I have recently been complaining about lack of power here in Nepal. Let me try to give you a brief explanation based on info gathered from the lcoals.
Nepal’s electricity is hydropower. During rainy season this is great and we have a plethora of electricity. During the winter when there is no rain this is a different story. Currently there is not enough power to keep the whole city of Kathmandu going so we are forced to adapt to a load shedding schedule. Starting today we will be without electricity for 16 hrs a day and most likely this will increase to 18hrs in a few weeks. We are given two 4hour blocks of electricity. For example the power came on this morning at 8am and we are expecting it to shut of around 12. It will probably be off for eight hours and then come on again for another four and so it goes for the rest of the week.
A friend recently asked when this would all be over and no one really knows. Most likely it will be towards the end of March or April…or when the rain comes.
So how does one function in Nepal, in the winter, without electricity for the majority of the day? Here are a few things that keep me going…
Smart wool socks that go up to the knees and warm fuzzy slippers.
WSU lap blanket…thank you Fiona Grant
Hot water thermos …this thing will keep water hot for days!
Two down comforters…I’m so glad I made that IKEA purchase before moving here
Candles, Flash light or head lamp…and a lighter
Inverter…three large batteries that can keep my house going for a few hours
Plenty of gas tanks to keep the shower hot, the oven going, and the heater running if there is a spare tank.
Hot water bottles…guaranteed to keep your toesies warm at night
It is amazing how one adjust to life without power. You learn to charge your phone, computer, etc whenever you have the chance. Candle light dinners no longer hold romance it is just a way of life. You constantly search out sunshine and sit in it. You tend to go to bed early when the power goes out and reading under the covers is the warmest place for you and your book.
Now you have a small glimpse into how I cope.
Nepal’s electricity is hydropower. During rainy season this is great and we have a plethora of electricity. During the winter when there is no rain this is a different story. Currently there is not enough power to keep the whole city of Kathmandu going so we are forced to adapt to a load shedding schedule. Starting today we will be without electricity for 16 hrs a day and most likely this will increase to 18hrs in a few weeks. We are given two 4hour blocks of electricity. For example the power came on this morning at 8am and we are expecting it to shut of around 12. It will probably be off for eight hours and then come on again for another four and so it goes for the rest of the week.
A friend recently asked when this would all be over and no one really knows. Most likely it will be towards the end of March or April…or when the rain comes.
So how does one function in Nepal, in the winter, without electricity for the majority of the day? Here are a few things that keep me going…
Smart wool socks that go up to the knees and warm fuzzy slippers.
WSU lap blanket…thank you Fiona Grant
Hot water thermos …this thing will keep water hot for days!
Two down comforters…I’m so glad I made that IKEA purchase before moving here
Candles, Flash light or head lamp…and a lighter
Inverter…three large batteries that can keep my house going for a few hours
Plenty of gas tanks to keep the shower hot, the oven going, and the heater running if there is a spare tank.
Hot water bottles…guaranteed to keep your toesies warm at night
It is amazing how one adjust to life without power. You learn to charge your phone, computer, etc whenever you have the chance. Candle light dinners no longer hold romance it is just a way of life. You constantly search out sunshine and sit in it. You tend to go to bed early when the power goes out and reading under the covers is the warmest place for you and your book.
Now you have a small glimpse into how I cope.
Monday, January 5, 2009
to be known
One of my favorite things about living in Nepal is the way that people here know you or at least know your name. For example when I walk into my favorite restaraunt the employees all say “Namaste Jesika” (ok, so they have some problems with the pronunciation of my name)
When I lived in Nepal four years ago my roommate and I started a habit of going to the beauty salon every other Thursday. Due to our regular appointments the ladies at the salon got to know us very well and I would say that we even became friends.
Since returning to Nepal I had yet to visit the salon. My delay was for various reasons but mainly it being that I was afraid that they would not remember me.
Once I finally worked up the courage to make an appointment I arrived to the warmest welcome. It was hugs all around and questions about family and well-being. Needless to say it was a sweet reunion…that is until they found out that I had been in Nepal five months before visiting them.
I love that the ladies who work at the store know me, that the Internet guy starts putting in my account info as I approach the door, and that the girls at the salon recognize my voice and poor Nepali accent on the phone.
I believe that when God made us he made us to crave relationship and put within us a craving to be known. Of course that craving to be known can only truly be filled by God. I also believe that God can be shown by us getting to know those around us. So next time your at the local store or favorite restaurant make a point to know the employees name. Introduce yourself and see that in time you may get to know each other.
saying goodbye to Sumitra and her family when I left Nepal 4yrs ago
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Christmas in Kathamandu
Christmas in Kathmandu...
I must admit that it has been a little difficult to get into this Christmas season. My roomie and I did our best to decorate the apartment. This meant searching the neighborhood nursery’s for the perfect tree. Once picking it out we wheeled it home and put up the Christmas decorations.
Similar to life in the states, this past week has been filled with Christmas parties, gift buying, and lots of eating. Our Nepali friends have no clue as to why we truly celebrate Christmas so we decided to throw a party and share the true meaning of Christmas. I must admit that we went into this night with a little trepidation being that there would be different people groups, cast, and beliefs. The night however was great and our friends now have a much better understanding of Christmas.
The Sunday before Christmas our house church gathered to reminisce about Christmas at “home” and the ultimate gift that was given to us, that being the birth of Jesus. It was an amazing evening of singing by candlelight and sharing.
Christmas Eve started out with a facial from the salon and a friend making us special Chicken curry for lunch. That evening the “gang” got all dressed up and went to the Hyatt for a five-course dinner. The food was delicious! Santa was a little creepy but the Christmas carolers were the cherry on top for the Christmas ambiance. When the carolers asked us to sing along our response was “just try and stop us.”
We ended Christmas Eve night by stuffing 10 people into my Kia sport and drove home to have a DVD Christmas exchange.
I woke up bright and early this morning with the joy and anticipation that today is Christmas day. I talked to my family on Skype this morning as they prepared to have Christmas Eve dinner.
Soon my friends will start arriving for Christmas breakfast. After breakfast we will open gifts and start the preparations for our Christmas dinner.
This is my first Christmas away from home and at times I have found myself longing for family and traditions. God however has given me a family this day to celebrate the birthday of his Son.
Merry Christmas from Kathmandu.
I want to leave you with a little video. It was shot at Gloria Deo "the first and largest Christmas concert in Nepal"
Merry Christmas from me and Ken (the guy in the video)
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Sweet nectar of the gods?
The other day a friend and I were in the touristy part of town. As I walked by a store I saw that their back wall was full of Pringles…I immediately took this as a sign to enter.
Now, whenever I go into a store I look for a few particular things, cereal and soda. I don’t know why or how these things became important to me but they are.
As I walked to this particulars store's soda section I let out a little squeal of joy (yes friends I can squeal) for low and behold there were four cans of Diet Dr. Pepper.
Needless to say I purchased all four cans. They now currently rest in my cupboard waiting for the time to come when I will need to taste that sweet nectar.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
work, finals, papers, etc.
I noticed recently on facebook that a lot of my friends seem to be up to their….umm…knees with work, finals, papers, etc. I all to well remember cramming everything in before the holidays. I recall a few late nights spent in the GGBTS computer lab trying to master Terrabian format. Needless to say I do not miss that.
It is however ironic that while writing this blog I should be studying for my oral exam this Sunday. It is a twenty min. exam where I converse with a Nepali teacher and am then scored accordingly. My teacher is concerned over my vocabulary or lack there of.
I few words that seem to be eluding my brain are:
Leg
Tree
Medicine
Cigarette
North, South, East, and West
Some other problems I’m having are:
I am constantly mixing up the verbs “sing” and “dance”…I guess my brain assumes they go hand in hand
I cannot tell the difference between the word “water” and “also”. One is pronounced “pani” and the other is pronounced “phani”
All this to say, friends, who are smack dab in the middle of exams I feel for you and am praying that you kick some higher academic butt. For those friends and relatives who are correcting papers and giving exams…go easy on the kids…it’s Christmas time.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Three Days of Thanksgiving
When living overseas my American friends and I try our hardest to have the perfect holiday…or at least something that resembles “home”.
With that as our goal we hoard cans of cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie filling all year long. We pay 80$ for a Turkey and then pray that it turns out great. We add food coloring to the sweet potatoes to make them look orange and we call home for our mother’s recipes.
All of this effort pays off and leaves us with Thanksgiving…a day where friends get together, eats tons of food, and play games.
This year I had three days of Thanksgiving. Here is a brief description:
Thanksgiving Day just so happened to be the day that my visa expired. My roommate and I spent most of the day extending my visa. For our big meal of the day we ate at the Mexican Restaurant. I’m a firm believer that if you are not going to have turkey on Thanksgiving that only Mexican food can substitute.
2nd Thanksgiving took place at my friends Jenn and Leah’s house. The group included not only our house fellowship but also a few Nepali friends and some new Swedish and Norwegian friends. This day was spent eating waaaay to much food and ended with desert and a round of charades.
3rd Thanksgiving was with my co-workers. This day included smoked Turkey and Ham…I love ham. This Thanksgiving started out a little awkward…you know, the singles at one end and the married people at the other. Leave it to a game of football to bring us all together. I am happy to say that my team rallied from being down by two points to come back and win the game…and yes, I caught the last pass of the day to score the winning touchdown. I’m not bragging just trying to share all of the details of that day.
Although the three days of Thanksgiving was spent eating amazing food my favorite part was spending the day with friends. God is so good at providing "family" when you are away from family.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)