Wow i made it through my first few classes teaching english! Im working in this small town called Patihani, which is just across the river from the Chitwan National Park, and only 30km from the Indian border (in a straight line). Ive been in the village for not quite a week so far, but everyone seems to know who i am. I guess being the only westerner does make me stand out a bit!
The kids im teaching are from about 7 years old up to 16. Theyve all been real keen to learn too, so thats helping alot :) And they already know some English, which is just as well! Otherwise it'd be damn hard to teach i think!! Its still taking quite alot of time to think about what i should try to teach too. Hopefully that'l get easier soon?? ;)
My ability to communicate in Nepali is still almost non-existent, but im slowly improving, thanks to help from my host family, the volunteer program organisers and my Nepali teacher :)
The trip into the neighbouring 'city' of Narayanghat today to find this net cafe was an experience in itself! I was riding on the roof of the bus with 20 other guys, and a few pieces of furniture. We had to keep an eye out for rogue low branches of trees, and the power lines and banners crossing the road too. One guy had a close call and almost lost his hat, but other than that we survived the trip :) The teenage boys also provided some entertainment with calling out to all of the teenage girls that we passed, proving that boys will be boys wherever you are in the world!
The host family that im staying with has also hosted other western volunteers, so I think im pretty lucky really. I get my own room, with a nice thin mattress and thankfully a mosquito net & ceiling fan (when the power is on). Im having to adapt to the Nepali custom of 2 meals per day, which will take a little while i think. Just have to really stuff myself at each one ;) The 'shower' is a bit different from home too - just a pipe about 2ft above the ground, out in the open. The water is pumped straight out of the well, so its nice & clean & not cold either :) Of course the toilet is the standard squat over the hole in the ground type. But thats one of the easiest things to get used to i think :)
The view from the house is beautiful too - plenty of lush green rice paddies with a few bent over figues in contrasting reds & whites. The northern skyline is dominated by the mighty Himalayan mountains, when its not too cloudy at least. Even tho its the monsoon season, its been pretty dry, which unfortunately also means very hot - beating 40deg some days!! Guess that works as part of my endless summer scheme, but its not so nice when u just walk down the road sweating like you're running a marathon.
Ive also taken to doing some yoga on the roof of the house at dusk, when the air has cooled down a bit and the concrete is still warm on the soles of my feet. And now the moon's waxing too, so yoga in the moonlite (thanks Janalyn).
