Before coming to Kathmandu, I had never lived in a big city. The college I attend, Muhlenberg College, is two hours away from your home, New York City. Don’t get me wrong, I love my visits to your beautiful, lively city, but I start to feel overwhelmed walking around so much activity. I felt the same way when I first arrived in Kathmandu. The cars never stop making noise outside my window. The dogs constantly bark in the middle of the night. My first three weeks here, there was a music parade every day at five in the morning! As a girl who avoids crowds and loves the silence of the outdoors, I felt very out of place. To cope, first I found the quieter side roads, but eventually I learned also to appreciate the chaos.
Another thing that really affected me in the beginning was getting used to the lower air quality in Kathmandu. The city is in a valley, which results in terrible pollution from car emissions and other activities. These gases are trapped by the surrounding mountains and hills, and clean air cannot come in. If I am not wearing my mask, I feel like I cannot breathe. Even when I am inside my house, the air never feels fresh or clean because I live on a very busy road.
At first, I was always waking up with a sore throat and getting colds as my body was acclimating to this new air.
