My friend from Delhi had arrived back home some time ago and I was in charge of taking her around; showing off the new Bhatbhateni complex at Krishna Galli, bragging about the numbers of multiplexes, and make her realize what she is missing. I should have realized one thing though: she was coming from Delhi and I should have kept my mouth shut. (Please do notice all the sarcasm in all the right places.)

So, the next time around she told me “let’s roam around the Kathmandu streets”, we made our way through a short cut to reach the micro stop and climbed into a fairly packed one. We managed to grab bench-like seat that is right behind the driver’s seat. She was excited about this particular ‘roaming’ because it was going to be the last day of her visit to Nepal. A guy sitting in the front seat climbed off a stop and I took over the seat next to the driver’s. Me and my friend kept continuing our distracted conversations; varying from the price hikes to the recipe to foods that we love. It is one of those girl to girl talks that I do not have a frequent privilege of; so I was relishing all the vain details of our talk.

After a while, I noticed that she had to twist her neck sideways to talk to me so I asked her if she was feeling uncomfortable. Although we were using both Nepali and English to converse; we were liberal with our use of English words. Suddenly, the driver turns sideways to face me and says, “If you are feeling uncomfortable, you can come in the front.” In English! Every one inside the micro brought their chit-chat-chatter to a halt and looked at him. My friend looked at me and I gave her a smile. The driver then looks at me and I do not know where I am supposed to look now. You must think I am making this up but no, seriously, the driver started to speak in English with us. Me and my friend were not trying to boast about our language fluency in English and I feel neither was the driver trying to do so. There was something very naïve, simple and friendly about this gesture.

Somehow we make a lot of assumptions and one, to put it bluntly, is about drivers and conductors; or generally the profession that involves driving. But these moments when I come face to face with my assumptions, I feel happy about how they are proved wrong. Finally, I had something to show off to my friend from Delhi: a world of micros, micro drivers and conversations.

 

Microphile loves to travel however, since her fantasies of travels into the Egyptian pyramids and Saharian deserts are, well, mere fantasies; she makes do with the hazardous amount of traveling she has to do in micro-buses, aka, micros. She loves to read while traveling in micros. All that traveling has most probably caused some spinal/brain injuries that she is unaware of; while she continues to travel by micros every morning; observing the mundane and writing about them in this blog.

image source: zade.wordpress.com

http://www.parakhi.com/blogs/2012/01/18/micro-delights

I don't like people who have to speak english in Nepal. It's not like they don't know how to speak in english but they want to give an impression that they are from high class or superior to other Nepalis so they speak in english.

 Bullshit bad boy. have you considered that there may be people who are [GASP!] more comfortable speaking English than Nepali? That does not make them any less of a Nepali citizen. 

Cacophonix. There may be few people like you said. But most Nepalis who speak english among each other are just trying to make a statement, trying to show their class.

It doesn't make them less Nepali. Even murderers don't lose their citizenship so why would anyone be less Nepali by speaking in english.

I am only talking about the motive behind speaking english not their citizenship.

 "But most Nepalis who speak english among each other are just trying to make a statement, trying to show their class." is an opinion and not a fact. 

It is however a possible situation and doing that makes them a dick! :) I know someone who updates their facebook status with the most popular quotes from www.thinkexist.com in order to appear intelligent.

Sorry about the miscommunication about the whole citizenship deal.