After 16 years living in the US, I spent a year in Nepal last year. I was no longer driving my own car, forget about my car, I couldn't even look straight while in a cab..the cows, the dogs, the people, the bikes, cabs, cars, suvs all in one small road was crazyy..so most of the time I was getting rides from people in their bikes..some youth bike riders often told me that they are driving me the long way cuz they dont have their licenses yet lol...and I had to fear with them for getting caught by these bribe seeking cops..once we got caught..but savvy me, somehow got the kid outta trouble..i had to vouch that please let us go, he really has his license at home and we need to reach the hospital like NOW......LOL..there is still humanity in Nepal, he did let us go..in US that would not be the case!!
Anyway, interms of attire, I was not wearing my shorts no matter  how hot it was--I was wearing sarees and kurtas, always afraid of getting caught in the bike wheels..or tripping on it while walking..and have I mentioned the ever changing fashion designs of these traditionals clothes..the boutiques..the designs..the competition in female fashion was outrageous...I could hardly keep up with it but then I was reminded that being from the US, I should not be soo greedy not to wear the expensive clothes neither bargain so much at these expensive boutiques..I had somehow  offended my relatives by bargaining so much? Nevertheless, I did bargain where I felt it was needed and I did not bargain where I felt the price was right..

Now bargaining with the cab drivers is something to avoid... it is a common practice for the cab driver 2 make his meter go fast..but through numerous cab rides, I had memorized exactly how much my routine commute costs and only gave that much...I also every now and then i tipped the honest drivers...because you really feel like the city has lost all its honest drivers at times..Not just do these cab drivers rip you off--some times they drive you nuts..example, once my cousin and I were taken through muddy roads when clearly we were going to a wedding party--he had windows that would not shut and made sure the mud would splash on us.. the driver was a MORON, who was also DRUNK..we pleaded the moron to please drop us off as we feared for the safety of our lives..he was laughing hysterically and did abondon us in the middle of no-where and he stinked like a rotten rat when he asked us for money...we gave him some money and he splashed us once more before taking off and again laughing hysterically.......NOT a pleasant experience..but my cousin and I still laugh about that particular wedding journey..

So, YES people will try to rip you off..life is crazy there..you don't get to shower every day..def not with more than a bucket of water anyway..you realize how much water a bucket of water actually is...and getting 8 glasses of water to drink every day can be difficult due to availability issues..hot water is a luxury just as much as electricity..Overall, the year went by nicely for me...I did get sick but so did a lot of people even though I never ate street food,  you just have to be careful on what you eat no matter where you eat!! so No Its not the most healthy place on earth, BUT it was my home..I was not a stranger there..by brown skin a lot of sudden looked so white there, and the shopkeepers never ever doubted my ability to buy something when I walked in their store.I knew a lot of people and a lot of people knew me..I knew those roads, those temples and they knew me right back.. I guess the best way to have the best of Nepal is to live a low-key life..keep your mission in your heart..work hard..be nice, be positive, love what you have in your country..nobody doubts your existence there as they do here abroad..
I truly loved my year long stay in Nepal and will definitely go back there permanently when the right time comes for me and so will my life time of earnings.. I do plan on getting that hard earned money-every penny of it back to support my country in whatever form that I can...I love Nepal and Nepal needs our love!! I have experienced too much racism, sexism, and every possible ism in the US to not appreciate the diverse and culturally rich Nepal...our country truly is rich in so many ways and has potentials to become so much better than the US that I would hate to term it "unliveable" though it is harder to live there than most ppl can ever imagine.........