This blog goes out to a certain 23 year-old in Chicago, Illinois. She's a devoted Cubs fan and has the patience for a classroom full of first graders every day. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, it's my best friend STINA LLOYD. And this is the Nepal JVI rendition of "Happy Birthday S-T-I-N-A." We all took birthdays pretty seriously at IU, and I thought this year should be no exception. A year ago this time, we were scrambling around decorating the apartment for a tripple party to celebrate Stina's 22nd, Stina's last day of student teaching (goodbye, Bedford!), and my Nepal placement. (This I find particularly ironic since my teaching starts on Monday, yikes.) Right about now we would have been trying to squeeze the keg into a bottomless trashcan in the kitchen, eating footlong Subway subs (a serious tradition,) and trying to find room for the enormous balloon displays so graciously sent by Mrs. Lloyd... how I miss those impossibly low ceilings.
This year, Stina's birthday had the lucky distinction of falling on the Nepali New Year... Happy 2064!!! Thanks to the Nepali calendar, I can cross "time travel" off my list of things to do before I die. I'd like to share some really exotic and interesting birthday traditions celebrated here, but so far all I've been witness to is the fact that on your birthday, it's your job to bring treats to the workplace. So Stina, your fellow teachers might have made you an enormous cake to eat at recess, but in Nepal, you'd have been up all night baking brownies in a makeshift oven :) To celebrate your birthday, we all went to the wedding of a former volunteer, which was held at a hotel in Godavari. There were so many people out celebrating the New Year that the Maoists were collecting a road tax from everyone travelling to and from the village. It's always fun trying to convince officials that we really do live here. Then we settled down for some tea, ate some raw cookie dough, and took this picture.
I wish I could be there for the big 2-3, but there are ways to still feel close by, and I'm slowly figuring out what they are... I think this obnoxious picture is a start, and I'll be thinking of all of you as you help Stina celebrate. But Stina, know that your dorky roommate is thinking about you on the other side of the world, that her four community-mates got more excited for this picture than you would think, and that we now have a giant birthday poster and nowhere to put it :) I miss you, have a great day. Everyone else, thanks for reading, and stay tuned next month for another exciting installment from your favorite Ne-pal. All for now --Sar
