The Women At Subway

“Kathmandu,” I asked? That’s the extent of my Nepalese knowledge.

They’ve opened a new Subway a block from work here in Hartford! All the freestanding buildings must be gone because this one is shoehorned into the convenience store that’s already shoehorned into the Mobil station. Judging by the inventory there are a lot of stoners nearby.

The women behind the counter looked West Asian to me. They have an interesting accent–difficult to pin.

“Where are you from,” I asked?

Are you supposed to do that? I’m just inherently curious.

The answer was Nepal.

“Kathmandu,” I asked? That’s the extent of my Nepalese knowledge.

Turns out they’re from Dhulikhel. I hadn’t heard of it either. One of the women spelled it, then when I couldn’t quite understand her pronunciation of the individual letters, wrote it out.

That was enough for a Google search on my phone and the photo you see on the right. There are fewer than 20,000 people in Dhulikhel, but it’s got a Wikipedia entry!

They gave me a few more towns to search. I did when I got back to my desk.

I love this about America. We are from everywhere.

Imagine what cultural shock you must go through making the transition from Dhulikhel to Hartford. Could two places be more different?

“Why did you come to Hartford,” I asked?

Neither seemed to know.

Weather News I Missed

At least 55 people have died and 2.5 million have been displaced as the river changed its course. Thousands more people are being evacuated to higher ground to escape the rising floodwaters.

kosi-river-nepal.jpg

I was just scouting around the web looking for as much on Hurricane Gustav as I could find. From the official Cuban government weather site I was directed to the World Meteorological Organization’s site. Usually there’s little of interest from the WMO–a top-heavy international bureaucracy with nearly no operational responsibility.

“On 18 August, after heavy monsoon rains, a dam on the Saptakoshi (Kosi) river in Nepal burst, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless and triggering flooding in the neighbouring Indian state of Bihar, where at least 55 people have died and 2.5 million have been displaced as the river changed its course. Thousands more people are being evacuated to higher ground to escape the rising floodwaters. Roads and railway tracks have been washed away and water and electricity supplies have been affected in many areas.”

That’s staggering. 2.5 million people displaced. I can’t imagine what it must be like there.

Why haven’t I heard or read about this? Are American’s really that isolated from the rest of the world? Am I that isolated?