Celebrity Sightings! Part 4--The Best Job Interview Ever Leads to a Celebrity Sighting!

Well, "Hello!"
Finally I have time to finish this series of posts.

Anyway, I haven't posted recently and it's not just that we've been busy...
We've been really busy and our internet has been iffy--really iffy some days.
Ramon's been so busy that sometimes when he comes home, finally, even for a few minutes, he says, "Hi.  Who are you?"  (smile)

Look at him with this adorable patient, who by the way, was about 30 minutes old in this picture!

What a darling!  What a smile!  What a charmer already at age 30 minutes!

Here are some of the cuties I am blessed to see at school every day:

Also adorable!

Well now, let me finish this series of posts I decided to do about celebrity sightings.

Did you miss the first three parts of this series?
Click to find Part 1:  http://himalayanhappenings.blogspot.com/2016/01/celebrity-sightings-part-1.html  (Many of the celebs we've missed in Nepal...which made me think of doing this series.)
Part 2:  http://himalayanhappenings.blogspot.com/2016/02/celebrity-sightings-part-2.html
(The celebs we DID see in Paraguay!)
Part 3:  http://himalayanhappenings.blogspot.com/2016/08/celebrity-sightings-part-3-back-story.html  (The backstory--so today's Part 4 wouldn't be so long...
as well as some heroes of mine here in Nepal who work day and night with little recognition
who really should be celebrities!)

By the way, we missed another famous person recently:

Read this photo credit article http://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/visiting-princess-beatrice-of-york-visits-tilganga-eye-hospital/ to see who was here.  I'm glad she was able to come
and bring awareness to some of the issues facing patients here.
The hospital she visited is doing a great job.

OK, to continue...in Part 3, the post ended with me having quit my job in the library where I was going to school, and running to the radio station where I heard there was an opening for a
receptionist.  I ran because I didn't want to miss out on this job!
(Really, if you missed it, click above for Part 3.)

I arrived at the radio station.

(photo credit:  PrayerWorks!)

Yes, the radio station is still there and is as popular as ever!
http://www.wgts.org/

Sure enough, the reception desk was empty.

(photo credit:  ebay.com)

It was very quiet.  "Hello!" I said.  Nothing.  "Hello!" ...a little louder.

I started down the hallway calling out, "Hello!" every few steps.

Finally a voice called out, "In here."

I followed the voice and walked into an office.

"Yes?" the gentleman behind the desk asked.  "I'm a little busy here."

"Well, I heard you're looking for a receptionist.  Are you still taking applications?  I'd like to apply."

"No time for applications.  Can you type?"

"Yes."

"How would you answer the phone?"

"Good afternoon.  WGTS.  How may I help you?"

"You're hired.  Can you start tomorrow?"

YES, THERE YOU HAVE IT!  THE BEST JOB INTERVIEW EVER!!!

(photo credit:  wikipedia.com)

I started working the next day!  I answered the phone and typed!

(photo credit:  22.agency)

NO, the typewriter wasn't THAT old (smile), but the one I learned on was just about that old!!!

The one in my new office was more like this:

(photo credit:  03.ibm.com)

Yes, after learning on the first one, the "modern" electric typewriter was a dream!!!

My other duty was to time the songs on the records (yes, that's what we had then!)

(photo credit:  pixabay.com)

so the times could be put into the new and very modern (for then!) computer system!

This gave me time to study while the songs were playing.  It was great!

One day when I was sitting at my desk and working, this lady just walked into the office--

out of the blue!

(photo credit:  wikipedia.com)

YES, IT WAS ROSALYNN CARTER!!!

Oh my!  What a surprise!  

She held her hand out, shook mine, and said, "Hi!  I'm Mrs. Jimmy Carter.

I'm here to talk on the radio since I'm campaigning for my husband."

She looked at me expectantly.  Behind her were about 3-4 of her "people"

and they looked at me expectantly too.

"Our station manager isn't here right now," I managed to say.  "I'll go ask the DJ.  Please wait here just a minute."  We had a little waiting room, something like this, and they sat down.

(photo credit:  pinterest.com)

I walked quickly to the DJ booth. which looked something like this:

(photo credit:  scncz.com)

I had to wait for him to give me the signal that it was safe to talk.

"What?"  he asked.  He wasn't used to being interrupted while on air.

(If this had happened today, I could have sent him a text!)

"Mrs. Jimmy Carter is here with her crew and she wants to talk on air for her husband!"

"WHAT?  OK, I can't leave the booth.  Send the crew in."

"What about her?"

"No, don't let her back here.  I have to explain to the crew that she can't talk

on air unless we have her opponent here to talk too.  We have to give equal air time."

"What should I do with her?"

"Just talk to her!"

Oh man!

I went back to the waiting room and smiled.

"You folks can go back to the booth, but please Mrs. Carter, stay here and talk to me."

They went back and I sat down beside her.  I wished I had some snacks to offer her, but I didn't!

So for about 15-20 minutes, she and I talked!  

It was just a very nice and regular conversation!

She told me she missed her daughter while on the campaign trail,

(photo credit:  alamy.com)

and we talked about her daughter's school after I told her I was studying to be a teacher.

She told me about their home and peanut farm in Georgia.

(photo credit:  pinterest.com)

(photo credit:  abcnews.com)

I told her I had an uncle from Georgia and he and my dad would banter about the sports teams

from Atlanta and Cleveland.  I mentioned that those of us in Ohio would have to plan and time our trips to Florida to make sure we would avoid Atlanta during rush hour!

(photo credit:  curbedatlanta.com)

So it went...just a nice conversation!

I remember her stretching her legs up and down and saying something like,
"It's actually really nice to sit here and chat and relax for a bit.  We've been going and going
and I haven't had time to relax.  Thank you for keeping me company and just letting me relax!"

"Of course," I said.  "Anytime!"

Before we knew it, her crew came out with the DJ, who had put a tape on, and he told her
that he wasn't allowed to let her talk unless he could give equal time to her opponent.
She said she understood and got up to leave.  She wished us all the best and then
thanked me again for such a nice visit!  She never talked about her husband
or his campaign.  Today we would have taken selfies, but back then we just waved goodbye!

As they walked down the path, the DJ said to me, "You got her autograph didn't you?"
"Uh, no."  OOPS!  I hadn't even thought about it!  Rats!
"You're crazy you know," he said.  "She's probably going to be our next First Lady."

He was right!

(photo credit:  en.wikipedia.com)

So that's how the best job interview EVER lead to a celebrity sighting--and meeting!

If you want to read more about her, click here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalynn_Carter

Have a nice day, take care, and God bless.

Thanks to all those who are praying for us!

Celebrity Sightings! (Part 2)

Hi!

Are you having a nice winter?  I'm happy to report that winter here is starting to ease up
and it's actually quite warm outside--if the sun is shining!  It's still cold inside, but I'm only wearing three sweaters today instead of five!  During these days, you put on your coat/heavy sweaters
 to go inside and take them off to go outside--really!

The fuel crisis is also starting to ease up!  What a huge blessing.  It will take some time for things to get back to normal, but at least there's now a start.
https://thehimalayantimes.com/business/fuel-distribution-to-be-regular-from-today/

Load shedding might actually start to ease up soon too!
https://thehimalayantimes.com/business/nepal-to-import-80mw-electricity-from-tomorrow/

We're thankful for the blessings we have, since many people have super struggled this winter.
https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/nepal-winter-storm-hits-quake-survivors-in-sindhupalchok-highlands/

OK, so now that you know we are fine, and just busy as usual,
 I will continue on to Celebrity Sightings! (Part 2):

In the last post, I mentioned many celebrities who have come to Nepal that we have missed seeing!  By the law of averages, we should have spotted at least one!  Oh well!

However, we have seen a few celebrities in our travels!
When we have traveled to Paraguay we have been lucky a few times!

This is the autograph of Marco de Brix.
Those from Paraguay will know his name!  He was a famous and very beloved singer.
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_de_Brix
(If that doesn't come through in English, just hit your translate button!)
Sadly, just a few months after we saw him and got that autograph, he passed away!
(The above story tells about it.)
We were in the beautiful shopping mall Mariscal Lopez

when Ramon nudged me.  "Look over there."  I looked.  "What?" I said.

"That's Marco de Brix.  He's a very famous singer!"  

(photo credit:  mp3tunes.tk)

"Really?!"  "Of course!  I'm not making this up!"  

"Do you think we can go and ask for his autograph?"

I had just purchased a daily calendar and so had something for him to sign!

"Let's try."  We went over.

"Excuse me, Mr. de Brix.  I'm a big fan and we wondered if we could have your autograph."

"Of course!"

He was very gracious and we actually talked to him for about fifteen minutes!

Then he hugged us, right there in the busy mall, and we prayed with him.

We mourned his passing with all of Paraguay just a few months later.

Here is his Facebook page, with lots of pics:

https://www.facebook.com/Marco-de-Brix-101274790987/photos/

On that same trip, in the airport, Ramon pointed out a young man.

"That's Lidio Benitez, a soccer player."

https://translate.google.com.np/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lidio_Ben%25C3%25ADtez&prev=search

(photo credit:  eluniversal.com.co)

At the time, he was playing in Venezuela, but now is back in Paraguay.

How fun if we see him in Mariscal Lopez next time we're there!

Anyway, Ramon had a nice conversation with him and we got his autograph too!

Another time we were at Mariscal Lopez we saw another soccer player.

However, we didn't ask him for his autograph because he was with his wife and son.

It was Paulo da Silva.  He's quite famous.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_da_Silva

(photo credit:  dailymail.co.uk.)

It was so nice to see him walking around the mall holding the hand of his son!

Once at an airport, while waiting to board a plane, 

Ramon pointed out a passenger in the first class line.

"That's Aldo Bobadilla.  He's a goal keeper."  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldo_Bobadilla

(photo credit:  terra.com)

As we passed him on our way to coach, (yes, we sit with the masses in coach!), we shook his hand.
Ramon talked to him for a couple of minutes.  He was very gracious.
The plane wasn't full and a lot of people stopped to say hello to him.
He has since retired from soccer.

Now, just for fun:
The first team he ever played professionally with is Cerro Porteno.
My mother-in-law is a huge fan of one of its rival teams, Club Olimpia.
Yes, she loves to watch her football team!
When Ramon wants to tease her, he sings a song about Cerro Porteno that he made up.
He sings in an old man's voice and says silly things about how wonderful Cerro Proteno is.
Of course she gets mad and tells him, "Basta!  Basta!"  This is "Stop it!  Enough!"

Anyway, thinking about him starting out at Cerro Porteno made me think of that!

Another time when we flew to Paraguay, Ramon told me that almost the whole
section of first class was filled with politicians.  We didn't talk to them!

So, yes, there is going to be a Part 3 to this post because I did meet and
spend a little bit of time with another famous person, but you'll have to wait to find out who!


(photo credit:  savagechickens.com)

No, it wasn't Stephen Baldwin!  I just thought this was cute!

Have a nice day, take care, and God bless!
Thanks to all of you who are praying for Nepal!

Celebrity Sightings! (Part 1)

Hi.

OK, by the law of averages, sometime soon we should run into a celebrity here in Nepal!

(Each picture here is from the newspaper article linked to above it.)

Maybe it will be Prince Harry!

http://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/prince-harry-visiting-nepal-late-march/

We already missed:  

...the Danish crown prince, but we were on vacation then!

http://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/danish-crown-prince-in-lamjung/

However, Benedict Cumberbatch was here right after we came back!

http://thehimalayantimes.com/entertainment/benedict-cumberbatch-in-nepal/

This picture from the article is from Prayush Khadka, Twitter @technicalyright.

He was shooting a Dr. Strange movie. We would have been in Kathmandu that day
if there wasn't a fuel crisis!  Now we have to limit our "Town Days." 

We have seen a Nepali movie being made at the spot in the photo some time ago, but of course I can't find the pics!  I know we saw Nepali celebrities, but we don't know who they were!
There was a traffic jam so I was able to get some nice photos.
Well, maybe I'll run across them sometime.

Anyway, this link shows Benedict in places where we often walk.  I usually don't pay attention to the people walking by, unless they are really noticeable--and some are (!),
but now I'm going to pay attention!

http://www.monkeysfightingrobots.com/first-look-benedict-cumberbatch-as-doctor-strange/

This picture, from this above article, 

was taken very close to here:

Of course, I have pictures of that exact spot, but I'll never find them!

This Ace Holidays post has a nice article with pics of celebs who have been here,
some of whom have been here since we've been here:
http://www.ace-holidays.com/hollywood-celebrities-who-visited-nepal/

Susan Sarandon came after the earthquake:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3095193/Susan-Sarandon-68-volunteers-earthquake-hit-Nepal-following-painful-split-boyfriend-five-years.html


How fun to have run into one of them while walking around!
Would we have asked for their autographs?  Hmmm...would you?
Stay tuned for Part 2, when I'll tell you more...!

Have you seen any celebrities in person?

Please continue to pray for Nepal and all the troubles here.  Thanks.
We're praying for all of you!

At the hospital, Ramon has worked with ADRA Japan's Cleft Palate Repair Team

and Hong Kong Adventist Hospital's ENT Team.

We thank them for coming and helping those in need.

Have a nice day!

Ihi and Bahra

Ihi and Bahra!

Hmmm?  Do you know what those are?

(If this is too long, feel free to read it in two parts!)

Don't worry if you're not from here and you don't know.  

I didn't know what they were before I moved here.

They are types of marriages.  Yes!

I have never been to an Ihi ceremony, but I have been to (parts of) two Bahra ceremonies.

Here's how I learned about the Ihi ceremony.

One of my little female students was absent for a few days.  When she returned to school,

I asked her if she had been sick.  "Oh no," she said, "I had my marriage to my fruit."

Hmmm?  

Of course, I had to look it up.  Click the Wikipedia article to read about it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ihi

(photo credit:  http://www.stuff.co.nz/oddstuff/6347066/Nepali-girls-wed-god-in-ancient-ritual)

(Click this link to learn more.  Thank you for the great article Gopal Sharma.)

You can see that this custom is practiced among many of the Newari people,

who are indigenous to the Kathmandu Valley.  Since we are in the Kathmandu Valley,

many of the people who live here are Newari.

To read about their culture, I recommend Wikipedia again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newar_people

OK, now, what is Bahra?  (It's referred to in Gopal Sharma's article.)

Here's Wikipedia's article:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahra_ceremony

As mentioned, I have been to the reception of two Bahra ceremonies.

There were not exactly alike.

The first one was the Bahra reception of two cousins, both of whom were my English students.
It was in the Chandeswori Temple, which is down the street, where I attended

the wedding reception mentioned in this recent post (if you missed it):

 http://himalayanhappenings.blogspot.com/2015/03/another-wedding.html.

We walked to the temple, which only takes about five minutes.

I was with some of the teachers from the school, some school friends of the girls, and my niece,
who was volunteering here at the time.  We walked through the courtyard,

where the other wedding reception was and into the building, where I had never been before,

and into this hallway where the girls sitting with their family members.

Guests were seated on the opposite wall.
(Yes, that's my beautiful niece!  Can't wait to see her and the rest
of the family when we go on vacation, which won't actually be for awhile!)

Here are the sweet little friends of the girls.  They have since "graduated" from
our school and moved onward and upward.  Occasionally I bump into one or two
of them in Banepa and it's so nice to see how they are growing up into lovely young ladies!

Our principal was invited to participate in the festivities.

The cooks did a great job!

Now, I'll show you a few pics of the second (and more recent) Bahra reception I went to.
Again, this was for an English student of mine.
Her cousins were also participating at the same time.  It was a family affair,
as their little brothers were also having a ceremony of their own.

This time the reception was at an uncle's home up on a hillside just outside of Banepa.
It's a beautiful walk.

Lots of friends and family were attending.  See the girls sitting there on the right?

We waited in line to greet them.

People were giving them gifts, including rice, which was touched to their heads.

  This is one of our teachers giving our student our gift,

and her cousins a smaller gift

and a tika.

Not to be outdone, the little brothers also received gifts and tikas.
I confess that I never found out exactly what their ceremony was.
(If you know, please let me know!)

Look how adorable they are!

Well, now you know what I saw when I went to Bahra wedding reception ceremonies!

Have a nice day, a blessed week, and thanks for your continued prayers!