Movie star

We have a movie star in the family.
At least if you believe the poster Nicholas has tampered with.

The original coming up soon at a cinema close to you.

Earthquake

Just now we had a massive earthquake. It scared me a lot!
Earthquakes are one of my worst nightmares.
I've felt a few since we moved to this side of the world, but this was something extra. The whole house moved from side to side for about 15 seconds, but I think I blacked out because it felt like one second to me.
The news says the epicenter was in China. I wonder how they are right now.
It's midnight and normala everyone, but we, are asleep right now, but the whole neighborhood went out in the street to talk about what happened.

Ghost movie

Every parent's nightmare is when your kid watches a horror movie and can't sleep because they hear ghosts clapping hands.
Yesterday this less pleasant situation happened to us.
When we went out for dinner Leya was staying with her big sisters downstairs. Apparently not everyone has the ability to understand that a 6 year old gets terrified from watching a scary movie.
For the first time in almost seven years Leya couldn't sleep even though I tried everything to make her think about something else, something fun and happy.
When it was 3 in the morning I was completely exhausted from sitting up in the bed, listening to our ghosts clapping hands in the livingroom.
This morning Leya woke up and said "Mamma, I was crazy last night. I'm so sorry! I will never watch a scary movie again."
Who can not love this young lady who now is sound asleep next to me.

Menu

Both here and in India you can find the most hilarious menus.
Nicholas and I went to Boudhanath to have a romantic dinner tonight. Less romance and more laughter and nausea is the conclusion.
Why did we insist on trying a new restaurant? Sometimes the sense of adventure takes over and it's just plain stupid.
I ordered Mecican food and they had put the beans in a mixer so it looked like a grey, soggy mass. I like to eat with my eyes and this was uneatable since it was so spicy that smoke was coming out from my ears.
So help me God, but when I end up with no teeth please make sure I can't see what I'm eating. Take the taste buds while you're still on it, God.
So that was the less romance and more nausea.
The menu was the restaurant's save. It gave us a few laughter.
How about beef rum steak or peeper fillet?

Moving on to veg snacks:
How about Ham parsley, meat balls and chicken drumstick?
You found them at the non-veg side too. Cheaper!

This is my favorite:
Fish in chips. How is that possible? Hard work to put the fish inside the chips.
Fish ball is hilarious if you are in the right mood.

And for dessert:
Banana filter and special profile rotes? Please give me a clue!

Happy birthday Krishna!

Today it's Krishna's birthday, but no party is going on in this house.
Leya started the day in her lengha choli, make up and a nice hair style.

We are ending the day with birthday cake. (We take every opportunity thrown at us to eat cake).
Found this beautiful plate at the Chinese market. (There are no Chinese there, only Chinese stuff).

Krishna's birthday

Tomorrow it's Lord Krishna's birthday, so all kids are free from school.
Apparently Krishna's devotees stay up all night praying, singing and dancing.
We'll see what will happen in our house. Our landlord starts every morning, about 5-6 o'clock, to sing Krishna songs for an hour.
It's like when we lived in Delhi, 2 meters from a Krishna temple.
Since we were in Sweden last year during this festival we have no idea what happens tomorrow.
Read more about it here.

Sports uniform

Today it was the first Tuesday in the new sports uniform. Tuesdays and Fridays they have this uniform. The ordinary uniform is still under making at the tailor.
Now she has 19 books. 19 books! That's a lot for a 6 year old.

Leya's big sister down stairs made this fancy hairstyle.

My mother told me from the start that white is no good, when it comes to clothes. I totally agree!
The kids have white fabric sneakers to the sports uniform and when Leya came home from school today she said "I'm sorry, but my shoes are dirty".
I don't want her to feel that she can't run around and play just because the school has decided that the kids must have white shoes.
So I will wash them every Tuesday and Friday.

Visa

Our visa situation is crazy!
First we contacted our old lawyer and he wanted too much money.
Then a friend knew someone who could help us, but he could only help us so far, for some money of course.
Then another friend knew a guy from the tax department who knew someone from the Departement of something and he thought it was a piece of cake to walk across the buildning to the Department of something else that have to write a letter of recommendation for us to give to the immigration.
Some hard earned money later and we'll end up with three months visa and a visit from the Department of something else to check our cargo business.
According to the documents the first lawyer made when Nicholas started the company, we have a fancy office with workers. Mamma Mia!
Never ending story...
(Do you remember that movie? It was my little sister's favorite. Listen to the song with Limahl here).

Spider

This spider is living in our Christmas tree out in the garden.
Not exactly my favorite kind of animal.
Read more about it here.

Swimming

Today we went swimming. Or to be honest. Leya and Nicholas swam and I sat in the shadow reading.
The last days it has been really hot, but at night it's raining so we get some relief.

Bowling

Yesterday we went bowling. Or to be honest. Leya and Nicholas bowled and I cheered.
They have to practice since my mother-in-law is coming in two months and she is PRO (the retired peoples organisation) Södertälje's (a city close to Stockholm) bowling Master.
Leya is about the same size as the ball, so Nicholas and she have a special technique.

And the winner is..... LEYA!

Cremations

Next to the river at Pashupatinath they cremate their loved ones.
This is very different from our culture since we either bury the whole body at a graveyard or cremate it in a special building with no people except the personnel presence.
You rarely talk about death in Sweden. It's huge and scary and not a part of life as it should be.
Yesterday almost every space was occupied with a cremation and the smoke was heavy over the river.
Here is the closest cremation to the place where we stood on a bridge. The man in white is responsible for the fire and to make sure the dried grass on top covers the body at all times.

Here you can see all the fires on this side of the bridge.

There was one family saying Good Bye for the last time.

Pashupatinath

Yesterday we went to one of the most famous Hindu temples in the world. We live close to this historical place too.
We got our yearly thread around our vrists from a well known priest who blessed us in an Adidas jacket in a flat somewhere up in an alley.
A friend of ours work in a shop there and she searched high and low to find him for us. Apparently he knew how to say the blessings correct, but of course we didn't understand what he mumbled.
This thread we will keep on our wrists until Tihar (Diwali in India) in the beginning of November and then we will put the thread around a cow's tail.
Doing this ritual we'll go straight to heaven when we die. We did it last year, but apparently you have to renew the ticket every year.
Nicholas gets a tikka and his thread.

Then it was my turn. In the background you can see our friend Nimila.

And then the priest blessed Leya.

Coffee at Boudhanath

Today we started our day with a coffee at Boudhanath.
For the first time since we moved to India in 2010 a young boy tried to steal from my bag. Luckily I saw him and screamed so he took off like a rocket.

Two crazy dancing guys with big hair and a scary face mask appeared and gave us a show.

Baby hair

Actually I don't have a secret dream to have hair again, so you baby hair can stop growing.
It's not funny!

Nani

Yesterday Nani wasn't in a mood for a walk.

Puppies

It's amazing to live in a house with puppies.
Cuddling with a puppy is the best therapy in the world.

Festivals

A few festivals are coming up.
Tomorrow it's Janai Purnima and on Thursday it's Gai Jatra.
I will update you with photos from our celebrations.

Bribes and threats

Being a parent is refreshing and exciting every day.
Yesterday I bribed with a three scoop icecream and today I threatened with no TV. Both ways worked.

Tired

It's really tiresome when your 6 year old behaves like a 2 year old.
I guess that's something all parents have to go through.

New friends

Leya have met a new NepalSister in the house where we live. They live somewhere else, but come here every weekend.
The girl's name is Kumari and she is very sweet, looking after her naughty little brother.

This cute little boy with ants in his pants, is the NepalBrother Sirsh and he loves Leya's teddy bears. This particular one needs a closing heart surgery.

Dance bar

On the way home we pass a dance bar. I can imagine what a dance bar is, but I have no idea what the shower is doing there.

Our fighter

Angel is the family's fighter.
She was in a dog fight with a few of the street dogs and she got bitten so badly that her left cheek is swollen.
No worries. She will be fine in a couple of days.

Emma shows courage

The Swedish high jumper Emma shows her support to the gay by having rainbow painted nails during the Athletics WC in Russia.
Russia just accepted an anti-gay law that gives the authority the power to put people in jail if they show they are gay. Completely insane, Russia!
We are proud of you Emma! More people should show courage like you!

Alibaba

Alibaba is a marketplace on internet and I've wished to get a gold membership for years, but it has been to expensive.
Normally they charge 3000 USD (almost 20 000 SEK), but this year they offered a membership for 300 USD (almost 2000 SEK), so I convinced Nicholas that we should try it for one year.
After one week I had the money back, so even Nicholas thinks it's a good idea nowadays.
It's a Chinese marketplace for sellers and buyers, but now it has spread all over the world.
The most annoying thing are all the scam companies claming they want to order huge quantities. I can't believe they passed the verifications. For us it took weeks of documents and phone calls before they accepted our application. For the last few weeks and many weeks to come I'm gathering photos and prices of everything we sell from here. Hard, but fun work!
Check out our Alibaba website here.

Leya is very happy!

I just want to calm down all worried grandmas back home in Sweden.
Leya came home after school, smiling like the sun.
She has 22 new friends in her class and she had a fantastic day.
I've taken the photo from Leya's room. You can see that the school is very close to our house.

Here she comes running with the neighbor dog Bullet.

And now she is coming through our gate.

First day at the new school

Leya looked this happy when she left home this morning for her first day in the new school.

But when Nicholas came closer to the school, that is located only 50 meters from our house, Leya refused to go inside.
So, as usual, the mean mom had to take her in my arms and carry her kicking and screaming inside the gate and leave her there.
The second day in a row the mean mom had to show her ugly face.
Leya is in a very delicate age at the moment. She is afraid of everything from spiders and barking dogs in the street to injections and kids her own age.
I hope this is a phase. We give her so much love an courage we can, but in the end she has to come through this on her own, as a stronger person.
Read about her new school Riviera International Academy here.

Rabies injection

Today Leya took her third and last rabies injection since she got badly scratched by the neighbor's cat a few weeks ago.
She was so afraid that she totally paniced. Finally I had to force her to sit in my lap and I hold her arms really hard.
I told the pharmasist to do it even though she screamed like a stabbed pig, like we say in Sweden.
Now you may think I'm a really bad mother and that Leya is traumatized for life, but she actually thanked me after and made me promise I would always hold her like that when she gets an injection.
I asked if she wants me to hold her even when she is grown up and she said it wasn't necessary since adults are more careful than children and rarely needs injections.
The good thing is that she is protected from rabies now and if she takes one more injection next summer, she will be boosted for a few years.

Boudha

I can't tell you how lucky I feel that we live only a ten minutes walk from the world inheritage stupa Boudhanath.
Yesterday they had put lights all around it, so it looked this beautiful in the sunset.

Read more about Boudhanath here.

Charlie

Today a different dog followed me all the way to Boudhanath.
The shop owner that I also visited yesterday with the little Tjabo, couldn't believe his eyes when I came with another dog today.
Since I have followers I could call me a guru. It's sad they don't have any money to give me. Haha!
This dog was big and sometimes difficult to fight of my leg. If I gave him a glance he would whimper like a girl for 10 minutes.
It's embarrassing having a dog putting his nose up your private parts and following you around like a tail. Especially if it's not your dog.
I pray to god Angel's period is over soon. We can't go outside. As soon as we open the gate up to ten male dogs are fighting and trying to get in. It's like a war zone.
Our landlords have put buckets of water inside the gate, so we can through water on them when we have to go outside.

Crazy lady

The other day it hit me that people must think I am crazy when I walk down the street.
I've realised I speak to all street dogs I pass. It doesn't matter if they are sleeping and can't hear me or if they are barking at my bells I have around my ankles.
The thing is that I speak with a clear voice. In Swedish.
I say things like "Ligger du här och sover, stumpan." (Are you sleeping, sweetheart) or "Nu ska du väl inte skälla på mig. Vi kan ju bli kompisar du och jag." (If you stop barking we might be friends).
This is my normal walking-talking mode, so if they think I'm crazy I don't care.
I most eyes I look like a Marsian anyway. Tall, bald with white skin. One of a kind, just like everyone else.

New friend

Today when I went to Boudhanath, the famous Buddhist stupa (see the photo above), I got company with a dog I don't even know.
I think he lives in a neighbor street and I was surprised he followed me all the way, stayed in the shop while I took lots of photos of prayer malas and walked me home.
I know he isn't trying to be my friend for real, I'm his only way to be close to Angel. Since he is small and not very aggressive like the big boys he isn't even getting close to her.
Whenever I gave him a second of attention he jumped my leg, but in between he just lay on the floor waiting for me.
I named him Tjabo, since I believe we are all entitled to a name.
Here in Nepal it's even common not to name the children until they start school and have to register. Then the kids are about 2 years old.
Very strange for us that named Leya already when she was in my stomach.

Angel is hurt

Yesterday I saw from the kitchen window how our neighbor across the street used a big, wooden bat (slagträ i kricket) and hit Angel.
Angel was fighting with his dog, but he used too much force to separate them, so I ran out and said my hearts meaning to this man.
He wasn't understanding for one bit and Angel ended up with a bruised paw that bleed and got swollen.
She jumped on three legs, but now she is much better.
I don't understand some people.

Happy birthday daddy!

Today it's my father's very special 65:th birthday. In Sweden this birthday means you can get pension from the government, but I know my father and he will keep on working for the rest of his life.
Leya and Eva made a congratulation video you can see if you click here.
My dad and his quarter horse Royal moving cows.

Lawyers

Why are lawyers such a money hungry dishonest people? (Of course I don't mean all lawyers in the world. Or do I?)
The lawyer who helped us getting the business visa five months ago is a big shot in this town and a family lawyer. We gave him 2 lakh Nepalese rupees (about 2,500 USD) and to renew it he demands about the same.
Last time he helped us starting the Niklas International Cargo Pvt Ltd, so there were some work involved. But now! He only want money the gready man.
Luckily Leya and I ran in to a women a few months ago and she recognised Leya. She told me her father is the Director General of the passport department here in Kathmandu and he loves Leya from Youtube, so we have called him and hopefully he can make the process easier.
I've promise Leya a three scoop icecream if she is polite and answer all the questions in Nepali. That should do the trick.
In love, war and the effort to stay in the country you love, everything is possible.

In heat

Our dog Angel is in heat and I wonder if our neighbors think we are irresponsible owners who let her canoodle in the streets with any male she wants.
Well, for your info she is sterilized and she's grown up, so she is queen over her own sexlife.

No computers in heaven

Leya is wondering a lot about death and today she told me that we will meet again in heaven and that there are no computers in heaven.
Just to be clear. If there are no computers in heaven, I don't want to go there.

A recap

Here comes a short recap from the last weeks:
1. I went to see a beagle puppy and we ended up moving to the sellers huge vacant flat instead.
So now we have three big rooms, a huge bathroom, a huge, proper kitchen and power almost all day since the neighbor belongs to another power group, so the houses have switched cables. (Maybe it's difficult to understand, but if you live in Nepal, you know what I'm rambling about).
Love it! It's only one thing: I miss the mountain view!
2. A brother to our sister's next door from where we lived before came home from USA to marry his college sweetheart. We were invited to the wedding dinner the day after the marriage and to our surprise only the groom was there. The bride was admitted to hospital because of weakness. Probably it had been stressful, but it was kind of sad that she wasn't there.
They had the most delicious buff meat, but I'm amazed, as always, that they care so little about decorating the wedding dinner place. Plastic chairs, no tables and concret floor and walls.
3. Kalee, the dog that lived in the old house before we moved in there when we came from Delhi, got poisoned. Even though the vet tried to do everything he could, Kalee died in my arms the following day. It was horrible to see him suffer the whole night and if I ever have a dog that gets poisoned like that again I will put it down right away. Once the symptoms show it's too late. My heart broke a little bit when Kalee died.
It was the fifth dog that was poisoned in our neighborhood in a short period of time, so I was glad we moved just a few days after. It didn't feel safe to keep Angel and Nani in our street.
4. We celebrated my birthday and our 10:th wedding aniversery the 25:th of July. First we had planned for a big party with all our friends and then Nicholas and I would go to Pokhara alone for a couple days. Then we decided for a small party with just a few friends, but since we moved just a few days before we had no energy at all to celebrate. Nicholas and Leya had fever that particular day, so we went to Boudhanath and ate dinner at the first place we could find, since the rain poured down and we had forgotten our umbrellas. (A mistake you should learn from the first 10 times it happens. During monsun season it will rain every day, even though the sky is blue and the sun is happily shining).
5. I got a terrible flu. Nicholas and Leya recovered quickly from their fever, but I was sleeping my fever off for almost five days.
6. I finally got my Gold membership at the marketplace Alibaba.
7. Suddenly I was into doing business with rudraksha and bodhi seeds. For Chinese people they are more worth than gold and I have to run from one supplier to another to gather information and prices. Very interesting with new things! So much to learn. These seeds are famous thanks to Buddha and are used in prayer malas. The current trend says: big rudrakshas and small bodhi seeds.
Crazy, but fun!
8. I actually enjoy washing dishes at a kitchen bench after almost 1,5 year sitting on the floor with a bucket.
9. Today we invested in a vaccum cleaner. Wow!
Over and out for today!

Decision

I've made a huge decision. At least it's huge for me.
For some years now I've kept up with two blogs, one Swedish and this one in English, beside all Facebook pages and Youtube channels, and for a few weeks I haven't felt any inspiration to write, even though many exciting things have happened in our lives.
So I've decided to take a break with my Swedish blogg and concentrate my energy on this instead.
I don't want to loose my Swedish readers, but the fact is that the English language is the language nowadays.
So I hope you will continue reading about us and our life here in Nepal.