Laura, you do realize that if you don't announce your period, nobody's gonna know, correct? There are hardcore conservatives in Nepal who would definitely not come near you if they knew about your period. Not even a moderate conservative would wanna touch you. But, the people with whom you're going to live n *have* to be pretty open-minded. You know why? Because you're a White woman. Realize that there are many highly ignorant people in Nepal(most Brahmins and upper-castes), who wouldn't even come close to a White person. The caste system puts Whites just above untouchables. I'm not trying to scare you or anything, but just trying to give you a heads up. You'll face tons and tons of ignorant people. Mainly speaking, it's not your gender that's the problem, it's your skin color itself. Just be wary of these so-called upper-castes; they might treat you like crap. For some people though, not touching a woman on her period is just a custom with no other implifications. My mom was brought up in the United States, and when she was in Nepal, she respected this tradition. You, however, don't have to. It's up to you anyways. Just drop me an email if you have any other questions.