I should be packing...

Welcome to my blog for the next 9 months or so.  I fly out on the 29th from Seattle to Houston to Qatar to Kathmandu, Nepal.  I'm quite bummed that my layover in Qatar is short enough I can't leave the airport and it will be dark so I won't even be able to see.  Oh well, my mom is probably grateful for the short layover :)
Because I haven't already enjoyed enough rain this spring, I will arrive in Nepal during the monsoon season.  Actually I'm quite looking forward to it, just because it'll be different (they don't have monsoon seasons in either Yakima or southern California, which are the only two places I've lived).  I'll be living at Scheer Memorial Hospital in the town of Banepa.  I'm not entirely sure what I'll be doing, although I do know that for the first month I'll be working in physical therapy.  After that, the physical therapist, Yvonne, is leaving, and I'm not entirely sure what my job description will entail.  I'm not too worried about it.  In addition to PT, I'll probably help out with Pathfinders, children's Sabbath school, and maybe some substitute teaching at the Adventist school next to the hospital.  I've been told the Pathfinders really want me to teach the mountain biking honor, hmmm.  I'm excited for the possibilities.  As of a couple days ago, they did decide where I'll be living, but I'm not sure if it's temporary or permanent, so I may be moving shortly after I get there, who knows.
This week I delinquently decided maybe I should get my immunizations, which turned out just fine because I had most of them already.  The only one I haven't the time to get is the pre-exposure rabies shot...so I guess I'll need to watch out for monkeys, dogs, and leopards.  My uncle, who currently works at Scheer, told me the dogs haven't taken up the habit of running after cars or bikes and rarely bite people.  Rather, he more frequently sees leopard bites. But he did clarify that they rarely attack, and when they do it is usually small children who have run out in the forest after dark, and he doesn't think I'll qualify on either of those counts!
Anyhow, I'm quite excited to live in Nepal - I've wanted to for such a long time!  I may need to start packing soon, but mostly I have spent my time climbing mountains and other structures and generally goofing off.  My mom really wishes I was less spontaneous and more organized, but alas, it hasn't rubbed off much yet.  (Actually, as much as it sounds like I'm not, I feel I'm really quite prepared, I just haven't put it all in suitcases yet.)

Well, that's all.

Oh, and this is the school and hospital.