I'm back in Kathmandu again. I've had a long two weeks at the farm since I last blogged. I cried once because that day I was especially hormonally emotional but also terribly missed my own American family. My mother had scolded me in Nepali for wanting to do my email and for wanting to go alone to the town. I needed that time alone away from the family. We eat together, work together, sleep together, wash together I needed outside stimulation and I was totally overwhelmed by the Village life of isolation. After I cried, it was the talk of the town. All the villagers knew and asked why or looked strangely at me. I'm learning how not to care, share my feelings and show my emotions and know that soon enough they won't feel awkward anymore.

Nepal's political situation right now is an absolute mess. The communist party, as a strike on the current political party in office, closes all the roads to cars and all the shops to buying and selling, so the towns are dead, the people have no money coming in and everyone's bored. Last week this lasted for six days. It made me feel even more isolated. What if something happened at home and I had to leave right away? I couldn't...

My email was hacked which really sucks when I'm so far away and want to stay in contact with my other world. I really hope that noone worried too much. It was a terrible thing for that person to do. I really hope noone sent any money either. less than three weeks before I come home. I've learned so much about family life and love. Working together on a farm creates a togetherness dynamic aside from the already forever together Nepali cultural aspect. I'm getting used to this way of being and I am beginning to like it a little more. I really do have a family here. I feel safe when I know someone is family. And they feel connected to me.

Last week I had my period. I wasn't going to tell the family, for I didn't want to abide by the insulting rules a woman must when she has her menstration. But a month had past and I knew they would be wondering, and I wanted to experience this cultural traditional personally. For three days I couldn't touch any man. The men would avoid touching me as though I were some disgusting specimen. I had to place objects on the ground before they would pick them up. It was most insulting when my brother would throw things instead of hand things to me. Aside from not touching men I couldn't go into the kitchen or touch any of the food for cooking, I couldn't eat with the family. I had to eat outside the kitchen (it's in the same room, there's just a line I couldn't cross,) I couldn't go into any man's room and I had to take a bath in the creek four times during my menstration (because I was contaminated.) Oh it got so tiring and humiliating. AND Everyone knew I was on it. I'm happy that's over. The last day my father told me to go and bathe and he said after I bathed the problem would be finished.

Tomorrow I'm going to a Tibetan refugee camp and staying with a family for a night or two. I met one man when I went hiking last time, he gave me his card and now I'm going to visit him and his family in his home. I am so excited. This was my dream from the beginning, to visit a refugee camp.