Another Quick Blog Post

Just trying to make the most of internet at the school while the connection appears to be working, but in the usual spirit of things, I’m completely pressed for time! I don’t know how it seems to be getting worse, but it is. My list of things I need to do on the internet grows longer and longer, and things get checked off it less and less frequently. But enough complaining from me, and more news instead.
Last weekend I left the internet café more frustrated than usual (slow internet connection can sometimes make my blood boil), but Mr Thapa is full of surprises and has an uncanny way of making the day turn around. After having a quick cup of tea and samosa in Kurseong, we headed back (“we have to be back for lunch”, he said) to the school. On the way, however, we made a quick stop at a tea estate that’s about halfway between Kurseong and Ghayabari. The quick stop for Mr Thapa to drop off a few letters turned into a 2 hour visit with some of his friends. They were so incredibly sweet. Being in the middle of a tea estate, we had a cup of some of the best tea I’ve ever tasted (I may have said I’ve had incredible tea before, but this really was the best), and they kept serving us more and more snacks. They then took us all out for a walk through the estate, which is absolutely gorgeous, with amazing views. It had rained in Kurseong, so the air was really clear, and we could see for miles (absolutely kicking ourselves for not bringing a camera). We walked for about an hour, through the village, the tea, a bit of jungly bits, and past a few waterfalls. It was so beautiful. It seems to happen a lot here, that we’ll spend a bit of time in an area that we may have passed through many times before (many times have we passed that bit of road on the way to/from Kurseong, but had we ever given it a second glance?), and find that there’s a whole world that we had never seen before.
Anyway, we missed lunch obviously, coming back just in time for another cup of tea (I never say no to tea, so I was happy), before going back to visit Shanta Bawan (the Mother Theresa home), which is always wonderful. The second nun in charge is Nepali, and she is actually one of the nicest people ever. There are some people who just leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling, and she’s one them.
This week has gone quite well. It’s been very much a “just plugging along” sort of week, but that’s ok. I appreciate how normal it feels, really. Today we had a poetry recitation competition. In the usual way around here, even though it’s scheduled in the diary, the students were only told about it on Tuesday, so only had 3-4 days in which to prepare for it. I’m surprised anyone managed to memorize anything, but they all did really well, especially given that they were reciting a poem in their second language!
Tomorrow we’re going to visit the family home of the family who run the café up the road, which should be quite fun. It was another very last minute invitation, but I’m getting used to how everything around here is last-minute!
I feel like this is really badly written, but I can’t really be bothered to make it better I’m afraid!