  3/6/03 "It doesn't translate well…" I don't know how many times we have heard that on in the last week... But this is what makes it interesting. I have decided that this and all future e-mails will be in "Nepali Vision! " and that means for the uneducated that when you see some gibberish word in ( ) it is Nepali for the word right before it. Weather Update: The rain is coming, or has it gotten here? It has rained every day for the last three days. It POURS for half-an-hour or soo, then everything is dry again in like 30 sec. (ok 20-30min. but it seems that fast). I neglected to say where we are right now in the last letter... so we are in suburbs of Kathmandu.
If you can get your hands ("haat") on a good map of Kathmandu, we are living in Satobato at the K.C. family's house("ghar"). Every day we commute to Kopundol for two hours of Nepali classes. Both places are in Patan to the south east of central Kathmandu. Before we were at a hotel in Thamel, which is tourist central, northwest Kathmandu. Yesterday we went out with saano didi("little, big sister") took Pete and I to the market in Jawlakhel so we could buy umbrellas, and I could get a couple cool shirts (I only had 2 before and washing one a day was getting old...) and an eraser I have successfully used the one on my pencil("sisaakalam"). The market was quite fun but I think I'm too big for Nepal, I had to try 6-7 shirts before I could find one that even fit on me, and it was the largest size anyone had.
To continue with the size subject Pete and I are giants, or yeti maybe. I have not seen a single Nepali who is taller then 5'8" and most are around 5' to 5'4" (Krissy you would fit in perfect!). to follow this note, nothing is made the right size for us examples: doorways, clothes, flip-flops, chairs("mech"), tables("tebul"), beds (pete's), the ceilings of tempos, in which we have to hunch over in to fit (ok, so every now and then a tempo has a high ceiling and we can sit upright and some door ways are full size but it sure feels like it is all the time and I have gotten a good couple whacks on the noggin).
After shopping it was pretty much strait to class. mid-ride there it started to rain, are we surprised? No, and someone who will remain nameless, decided not to bring his brand new umbrella, and it wasn't me. So I had a soggy classmate as we("haami") learned the names of fruits, and more on verb conjugation, which changes depending on the status of who you are talking to. There are three different ways to say "you"("ta, timi, tapaai") each with a different status attached to them, with a different verb conjugation, at least it is the same for all except "hunu".
Mom, your gonna love this too, after all those years of bring me up, I'm learning how to play with my food by eating with my hand, and to not say "thank you" after everything, the Nepalize just don't say it, they show it with a nod or a smile.
Speaking of food! ("bhaat" which also means "rice") (Yay cullies! ) Food, has been good, the staple of dal bhaat thakari (beans, rice and veggies) twice a day is working out great, the thakari changes every meal, potato(aloo), greens(saag), radish(I forgot), Jackfruit(forgot too, bad student, "naramro bidayrti") and even bean curd too! And the didi's push food like you wouldn't believe (Pete the soft spoken one can't refuse either). So no worries here. ohhh I gotta go or I've been promised a beating from saano didi. I'll reply to you e-mails next time. Thanks for continued prayer and keeping in-touch, I enjoy reading all the e-mails (a bit of home sickness has hit) and miss you all very much. Steve (Pete is over my shoulder) 
