hooray for the new president

This morning I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed after hitting snooze several times, then rushed around getting ready for work. As I walked to work, I met a man from Church who said that he had today off, since the government had finally sworn in the president. A holiday, I thought, I wonder if I get a holiday. Well, by the time I'd met two staff on their way back from the hospital, I confirmed that I had a holiday, and turned around and went home. I went back to bed and slept the morning away. Hopefully that will mean an end to the cold that has been plaguing me for several days.

Admittedly, aside from the unexpected holiday, I don't feel very strongly about our new president. It's good that Nepal now has a head of state again - almost 3 months since the monarchy was abolished. However, the president is the figure head leader - the leader of the government will be the prime minister, who has yet to be selected. In fact, a government hasn't really been formed - coalitions have been made, but mostly it has been around the ratification of the interim constitution, and the election of the president. Now someone coalition has to be formed so there can actually be a government. And because the Maoist candidate didn't make it in as president, they are now proposing to let the other parties form a coalition and they will be opposition. I'm not sure how it will all work out in the end...the process of becoming a democracy is more convoluted than I realized.

This afternoon Sita and I tried to go swimming again, but the pool had just had chlorine added, and needed cleaning, so we passed. Instead we went to Damside - a touristy area at the bottom of Fewa Lake (the main lake in Pokhara) that I had not yet managed to visit. It was lovely, particularly now when everything is so green and there are flowers everywhere. There are up sides to the monsoon!