It's time.

The last few days have been pretty busy. My last day at work was on Friday and it was a surprisingly sad goodbye. But, time to move on. Here's how the moving on has been going:

Starting packing on Friday:


Had a goodbye party on Saturday:




There are more pics of the adios party. Click HERE.

Unfortunately, two of my favorite people (Shoshi and Ayla) were missing that evening. However, I got to see Shoshi on Wednesday night when Kyle, Meredith, and I waited in line for nearly 7 hours to see Hair (The Public/Shakespeare in the Park)

I saw Ayla tonight as I completed my packing. She made me FOUR awesome CD mixes. Want to judge her musical tastes? Email me: white.lauren@gmail.com

And we're off tomorrow at 7:45pm!! That's 19:45pm world time. We're on WORLD TIME NOW!!!!

Holy shit.

you'll have a roof and such

My favorite conversations about this blog so far (all conducted on my most frequently used form of communication - gchat):

MICHELLE
Michelle: blog = awesome
Me: yeah???
Michelle: i liked it
now i can check in on you in nepal...or as long as you have internet access and power
:)
Me: yay!
i hsould have access to internet
there
Michelle: oh good
yeah i guess its not like your living in the mountains in a cave
you'll have a roof and such


GAELEN
Gaelen: i thought you said there was a new post
Me: there was going to be
but
i decided not to post it
because
Gaelen: geez- i'm like a blog stalker
Me: it feels really indulgent!!!
hah, yeah you are
Gaelen: the more indulgent the better i say. that is what is great about blogs


KAT
Kat: says the girl going to thailand
me: nepal, haha
Kat: same difference
(i know i know not at all;)
i'm reading your blog though
Me: yay!
is it ridiculsouly boring?
Kat: no
i really enjoyed the knife fight post
are you stoked?
Me: i'm so excited
except it really hasn't hit me yet
Kat: Also, don't break up while you're in Nepal
that could be awkward

accommodate your butch-ness

Meredith Makes a Damn Good Packing List:
(I've bolded my favorite parts)

-------------------------------------------------
PANTS/SHORTS
1 pair sweatpants (or other warm, soft pants good for traveling/keeping warm at high altitudes
1 pair jeans
1 pair cargo pants with drawstrings on the legs to become like shorts (or other non-jeans pants. You can leave it out and buy hippie pants there if you prefer)
1 pair of nice shorts (khaki or whatever)
2 pair cotton/Lycra sport shorts (one of which will dry fast if wet, you can sub your swim shorts)

SHIRTS
1 hooded sweatshirt
1 thermal long sleeved shirt
5 or 6 t-shirts, one of which is loose and bigger than normal for putting over bathing suits or going places where you especially don't want your tits on display
1 light, nice collared shirt, long or short sleeves (mine has long ones that can be rolled up)

SHOES/SOCKS
1 pair sneakers
2 pair thong sandals (one is waterproof and good for grody conditions like the beach or walking around a campsite, the other is the gold pair - nicer for the city. More appropriate would be a good pair of leather sandals that are sturdy enough to walk around in but nice enough to wear at night or with a good outfit, I'm trying to find such a thing now)
5 pairs socks, one of which is thick and warm

OTHER
1 waterproof/resistant shell jacket, like a windbreaker
1 sarong - very important item, to be used as a towel/beach towel/wrap/dress
1 bathing suit
2-3 pairs of underwear (you should take 5-6 probably)
2-4 bras, one of which is a sports bra

Additional: I am bringing one very nice sari for dress-up and two Punjabi suits that I got in India - they're a casual thing people wear around, google and you'll see what they are. Also plan on filling out my wardrobe with some dresses and other Nepal-appropriate clothing that's easy to buy there. Obviously you're not interested in dresses, but you might plan to fill out your own wardrobe with some local stuff once we get there. Make sure you bring at least one outfit that's nice enough to meet your new employers in and/or go out at night.

Optional:
1 pair of long underwear - I almost brought it but decided there probably would be no occasion to use it, so if we end up going to high altitudes will just layer up, or buy some
Warm stuff like a scarf, gloves, hat, etc - definitely don't buy any of this since if we end up needing it it's all over the place there and cheap (and nice, will be a good souvenir). But, if you've got any laying around, you could bring it along and replace it if you feel like it.

NON-CLOTHING ITEMS
tickets
passport
2 color photocopies of your passport
4-6 passport photos
immunization record (I'm actually not bringing this because I lost it, but you should)
$4 - $500 emergency cash in USD
list of emergency phone numbers (parents, US embassy in Nepal, the insurance people, etc)
photocopies of all important papers relating to any business in NY you might need to take care of long distance (lease information, pay stubs from your last job, health insurance receipts, etc)
10ish copies of your resume/copy of portfolio/letter of recommendation from previous boss (optional)
computer (get a case if you can)
external hard drive
jump drive
camera + tripod
sketchbook
pens/pencils
travel watercolor set
day bag (a small backpack, best if it can fold up small, not one with a lot of foam in it or whatever)
compact umbrella
knife
small leatherman tool
sunglasses with 100percent uva/uvb
an empty artist's tube for transporting any posters or roll-able art I pick up
first aid kit
flashlight (mine turns into a little lantern! ha!)

toothbrush (NOT your electronic one, a normal one)
toothpaste
mouthwash (I got a big bottle for us both)
enough tampons to last 5 months
sunscreen
bug spray
deodorant (I like my brand so I'm bringing enough for 5 months, but they've got all this stuff in the local variety)
floss
razors
tweezers, nail file other Grooming Tools
generally any toiletries you like to use and cant live without. The best are things that you will use up and not have to bring back, that way the space you allotted for that stuff can be used for souvenirs on the way home! :)
a medium-sized Tupperware (its waterproof, u can pack stuff in it)

THINGS I HAVE THAT YOU DO NT HAVE TO BRING:
tent
sleeping pad (got an extra for you)
sleeping bag (buy it in Kathmandu if you need it)
bungee cords (got you some)
nylon water-resistant bag for laundry/all purpose (got you one)
safety pins
sewing kit
ziploc bags

MEDICINE
Advil/painkiller
anti-diarrhea
anti-nausea
anything else you think you might need for your various ailments

all of the things I'm bringing I'm ok with losing, replacing, or ruining....don't bring anything you really care about. Some of the stuff I'm deliberately planning on replacing with new stuff I buy in Kathmandu - good to buy there will be hippie pants and shirts, dresses, all types of hats/scarves/gloves/accessories, any camping gear, etc.

and note, a lot of the flashier stuff would be left out if we were actually going to be backpacking - but it's ok to bring some extra stuff since were going to be more or less in one spot for the next 5 months. I would be a lot tougher on you otherwise!!!!

obviously, you will have to adjust this list a little to accommodate your butch-ness - but anything you don't have that your thinking of buying check with me first, bc they probably have it there.

OK. love you!!!!
--------------------

SO ADORABLE IT KILLS ME

i don't want malaria

I've never gone somewhere you have to get so many immunizations and shots to make sure you don't die. I remember when my dad went to Africa he had to get a zillion shots, too. So a few weeks ago I had to get these shots (or make sure I already had them):

Hepatitus A
Hepatitus B
Meningitus
Polio
Tetanus
Typhoid
Malaria

Below is a picture of my doctor getting all the medicines ready to stick them in my body:



He's a nice man, but anyone who comes at you with a needle that many times becomes something less than a friend. When he went to put the shots in my arm with the horse tattoo he said: "One in the butt and one in the head." Ha-ha, funny for you and not for me:

I'll Cut You

I had a brilliant idea to learn how to knife fight. In retrospect, this was definitely a good idea, but maybe not in the way that I had originally thought. It all began because I'm nervous about going to another country that has this kind of warning attached to it. I decided I would carry a knife with me, both for safety and practical purposes. However, I knew that with my luck and (lack of) dexterity, I should probably be trained in knife fighting. I was psyched. I looked up "knife fighting" on Craigs List. I found this posting (condensed):

Learn at Home:

Sports Fighting – Boxing, Muay Thai, MMA
Kali – Staff, Stick Fighting, Knife Fighting, Empty Hand
Jeet Kune Do – Self Defense (client specific – Kids, Women, Men)
Fitness - Get Fit at Home or in a nearby park (with weights or using
environment)

Contact Info: Bonafide Warhawk

Yeah, so that was the deal. Bonafide will teach you to cut someone. Ayla said that it "sounds psychooooo" and she didn't mean in the "I can protect myself from death" way. Nonetheless, Meredith was down, it was $20 cheaper than I thought, and we could learn in a public park. Below is Meredith learning how to kick. She's so happy when she kicks.

The man in all black who could kill me with his pinky is Bonafide. He definitely was stabbed in the eye at some point and had the softest touch for a man who could BREAK ME. At one point it started raining so hard the whole park was deserted except for us learning how to knife fight. Bonafide said we were hardcore and that it was like "military training."

Meredith and I ended up hurting each other in the most pathetic way possible. I gave her a minor bruise that she complained about for WEEEEKS (haha, this is my blog). See below:

Besides some knife fighting techniques that I still don't completely understand, I learned how to do some really easy knife-less self-defense moves. Those ended up being the most useful. Bonafide said we should continue practicing the self-defense moves on each other and the knife moves with spatulas.

My mom made a good point the other day about how it is super dangerous and stupid to introduce a knife to what could've been a non-lethal attack.

Pepper-spray it is.

Nepal vs. Spain

Guess what? If you choose where you want to go based on how easy it is to get a Visa and your only choices are Nepal and Spain, you should go to Nepal. My friends (wait, who am I writing this for that wouldn't know Rickard and Sarah...? I don't know), Rickard and Sarah are going to Spain and they had to do all this stuff to get their Visas. I went to the empty Nepalese consulate and gave them like the two documents they asked for. Here I am at the window:

Then, I waited for ten minutes:

And then I got my (albeit ugly and boring) Visa:

It took Meredith and I a combined two hours to get our Visa. So, there you go. Question answered. Therefore:

Nepal: 1

Spain: 0

And, now I'm off to a place with unsafe drinking water and sewage everywhere. DAMN.

Nepal: 1

Spain: 1,000,000

I decided to go...???

So, I'm setting off to Nepal. This is what happened:

1. My girlfriend Meredith went to Nepal a while ago

2. She went to an "Eco Resort"

a. No, I don't know what an "Eco Resort" is

b. Maybe something like this: Eco Resort?

3. She met an "Eco Architect" named Albert

4. Albert told her she could work for him, but maybe he wouldn't pay her....

5. Albert came to town about a month ago and talked to Meredith about coming to Nepal to work for him and maybe he would pay her....

6. Meredith was very very excited.

7. Meredith invited me to come and I said "Yes, please."

So, that's basically what happened. There's more, but I'll stick to the basics so I can use up your time with more interesting aspects of this decision.