Hey everyone (above title means how are you in Nepalese) I'm back in Lakeside for a few hours because we've had a 2 and half day weekend (normally only 1 and half) and decided to bring Bikram and one of his friends through for a trip. This week seems to have gone pretty quickly i guess I'm in more of a routine. I'm pretty lucky as only teaching 4 lessons a day feels quite straightforward. Although having said that I was trialling out some discussions for conversation practise with the older classes (14-16yrs) but they just get totally embarrassed! I mentioned earlier perhaps that class 2 i have were a bit tricky but this week they've bee pretty lush (due I think to the persuasion of stickers) I normally get home from school at 4 ish so have time to explore, read or write almost forced reflective time which is great. The weather has changed and got much warmer sun shines all day but still pretty cool in the evenings and not inviting in the morning to have a cold water bucket shower!
Bikram went away for a couple of days this week so it was just me and ama (mother), I hadto try and speak some more nepalese and we managed! Will be interesting how much I can speak by the end of 5 months...
Yesterday was a glorious day, I set off to explore further into the local hills, such beautiful scenery. About 2hours in I heard a voice shouting 'Melina!" and realised it was one of my pupils. She invited me in for a cup of tea and I couldnt believe what her daily walk into school must be like (at least 1 and half hours walking she said!). This open hospitality is very typical of the Nepalese I've met so far.
Not much else to report right now and time as always is ticking...I think a volunteer from America (Izzy) Is coming this week with her brother so look forward to more company. Keep me posted how you're all doing and will try and get an address as soon as poss for sending letters!
Much love x
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Friday, 21 January 2011
Moments and memories
Hey everyone! Finally a chance to update, I'm back in Lakeside in an internet cafe and it's freezing here! Last time I updates I was still living here so will update on some stuff we did...There's a famous viewing point at Sarangot near to here so at 5:40 last friday we left to watch the sunrise. It was super cold but absolutely stunning. As the sun was rising it cast a pinkish glow over the towering Himalayas, they looked sooo majestic, I was in total awe of our creator. Later that day we (Jess & Brighton two volunteers from California and Jackie and traveler from Oz) went up to the Palace Peace Pagoda (famous temple) which again had amazing views and was great to share the experience with others. Other highlights of Lakeside so far... drinking masala tea, watching paragliders in a cafe whilst being serenaded by some beautiful guitar sounds...lush. I managed a quick visit to the orphanage too and was great to meet the 5 children staying there -Suki (the 'mam') is amazing and all the people involved have such a heart for the children. Hopefully I'll be spending my last month at the orphanage.
Ok so rewind to last Sunday, I moved to a place called Tumke with a family there's the Mum (still don't know her name just call her ama - mother), gran and 13 year old Bikram. This was a big shock at first and although very basic living (hole in ground toilet, bucket shower etc) it was being far away from Lakeside and the other volunteers that I found the hardest. This has definitely got easer as the week has passed but I look forward to catching up with other volunteers. School was off for a couple of days so Bikram became my tour guide and showed me the local area. I really enjoyed meeting more of his family for a cousins birthday (celebrated much like in England with a big creamy cake!) and I met his uncle Shivash. He is involved in research into HIV/Aids children in the country and how money can best be spent in order to advise the government. He is a great contact as he lives in Kathmandu and has offered to show me the sights and sounds which hopefully I'll get the chance to do before I leave.
It's been mega cold here the past few days but apparently that is a sign that it's soon going to get very warm! I'm suprised to say that I'm still really enjoying Dahl Bhat twice a day(even in the morning!) also loving Buffalo milk and rice and as mentioned above masala spicy tea!
I had my first few days of school this week and everyday I teach English 4 out of 7 lessons. It's fairly straightforward no mega planning like in England. The most challenging class for me are the 7 year olds as they still have very little English and there's about 42 pupils altogether! I'll be at this school for 2 months until their academic year finishes so watch this space how it goes...
That's it for now I guess, this week has had many ups and downs, I'm still getting used to many new things but ever thankful for the opportunity to be in such a beautiful country. Love to you all (email me your updates please - melarnymel@hotmail.com)
Namaste x
Ok so rewind to last Sunday, I moved to a place called Tumke with a family there's the Mum (still don't know her name just call her ama - mother), gran and 13 year old Bikram. This was a big shock at first and although very basic living (hole in ground toilet, bucket shower etc) it was being far away from Lakeside and the other volunteers that I found the hardest. This has definitely got easer as the week has passed but I look forward to catching up with other volunteers. School was off for a couple of days so Bikram became my tour guide and showed me the local area. I really enjoyed meeting more of his family for a cousins birthday (celebrated much like in England with a big creamy cake!) and I met his uncle Shivash. He is involved in research into HIV/Aids children in the country and how money can best be spent in order to advise the government. He is a great contact as he lives in Kathmandu and has offered to show me the sights and sounds which hopefully I'll get the chance to do before I leave.
It's been mega cold here the past few days but apparently that is a sign that it's soon going to get very warm! I'm suprised to say that I'm still really enjoying Dahl Bhat twice a day(even in the morning!) also loving Buffalo milk and rice and as mentioned above masala spicy tea!
I had my first few days of school this week and everyday I teach English 4 out of 7 lessons. It's fairly straightforward no mega planning like in England. The most challenging class for me are the 7 year olds as they still have very little English and there's about 42 pupils altogether! I'll be at this school for 2 months until their academic year finishes so watch this space how it goes...
That's it for now I guess, this week has had many ups and downs, I'm still getting used to many new things but ever thankful for the opportunity to be in such a beautiful country. Love to you all (email me your updates please - melarnymel@hotmail.com)
Namaste x
Thursday, 13 January 2011
Arrived!
Hey everyone :) So I have finally arrived in Pokhara phew! Journey to Kathmandu was long but very peaceful so praise God for that. I was collected from the airport by Raj who owns the guest house I stayed at, he gave me a speedy commentary of Kathmandu as we travelled to the guest house. The streets in Kathmandu are buzzing, there was just sooooo much to take in at first. I had a little time to explore the area around where I was staying so ended up meeting a guy called Subash in one of the side shops who invited me for some milky tea (very sweet but lush), we chatted for a long time about our different cultures and lives. Subash is a prime example of many Nepali people I have met so far, very welcoming and friendly.
I had a 6hour bus journey today to Pokhara which was fun, very interesting to see people about their everyday lives and we travelled through some amazing scenery. As we approached Kathmandu you could see more clearly the Annapurna range - amazing! Pokhara seems less manic than Kathmandu it feels a bit cleaner and more spacious I think. I've got 2days ahead of language training and exploring with Krishna so I'm looking forward to getting to know Pokhara more. Oh the background picture of my blog is of Pokhara - it really does look that beautiful.
Once my training is finished I'm off to stay with a family about 6km away from Pokhara centre and don't have internet access so will only be updates when I can travel back to Pokhara. I hope you're all well, remember to keep me posted how you all are and what's happening back home.
Much love x
I had a 6hour bus journey today to Pokhara which was fun, very interesting to see people about their everyday lives and we travelled through some amazing scenery. As we approached Kathmandu you could see more clearly the Annapurna range - amazing! Pokhara seems less manic than Kathmandu it feels a bit cleaner and more spacious I think. I've got 2days ahead of language training and exploring with Krishna so I'm looking forward to getting to know Pokhara more. Oh the background picture of my blog is of Pokhara - it really does look that beautiful.
Once my training is finished I'm off to stay with a family about 6km away from Pokhara centre and don't have internet access so will only be updates when I can travel back to Pokhara. I hope you're all well, remember to keep me posted how you all are and what's happening back home.
Much love x
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