Is better to visit for the weekend, as opposed to the day trip that we were forced to do a couple of weeks ago. All of us from the Lattitude group are meeting up for a special Lattitude dinner this evening. We (Rosalie & I) arrived yesterday, along with everyone else, and it has been really nice to catch up and compare (horror) stories. Things are going well at Blue Diamond, but we were both VERY ready for a break!!!!
This is (as usual) just a quick post because (as usual), I'm somewhat pressed for time. I tried to upload photos today, but couldn't get it to work, so I might try again next time I'm in Kurseong.
Anyway, we're really enjoying our time in Darjeeling. Last night we had hot showers, and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Pure bliss. Our room is absolutely massive as well, so having lots of space is really nice. And we're really enjoying the chance to have a change from the routine in terms of food. We eat potatoes at every meal, and rice at least 2 meals a day. While the food is tasty, it's a bit repetitive, and so the chance to have things like meusli for breakfast is an incredible treat. It's also been nice to do a little bit of pleasure shopping for the first time in ages. Whenever we go into Kurseong we're usually just buying supplies for our classes.
Today we went to the zoo, which was actually really nice. There are trees everywhere, and the animals looked quite healthy and happy.
Things are quite busy at the school as we're gearing up for a big celebration when Eva Taylor (one of the Lattitude staff) comes to visit. We've taught the children a few songs, and then we'll be wearing saris (which we bought yesterday), which I'm really excited for. I don't really like the salwars I bought in Kolkata, but I LOVE my sari. It's gorgeous. I'll definitely try to get pictures up of that.
Last week was a bit interrupted as there was a strike on Monday (which was awesome as it meant no school!!! We're as bad as the children), and then Tuesday they had no school because it was Holi. Our Holi was rather tame, which I have to admit I was slightly disappointed by, as I'd really been looking forward to it. We played around in the morning with the boarders, and then in the afternoon we went to Kurseong and met Sauru's (who is the girl who cooks all of our delicious food) family, which was lovely. She was excited as it was the first time she'd seen her mother in 3 weeks, and I think she also wanted to show us off a bit to everyone in her village (this thing of us being mini-celebrities in our village is something that I'm still not exactly comfortable with). Then it's been teaching/prepping for Eva's visit until we came here.
Running out of time again, so I'll have to stop. Hope everyone's doing well. I'm still dealing with a cough that's gone on for 2 weeks now. The other day Mr & Mrs Thapa came into our room and fed us spoonfuls of local raw honey to try to soothe our throats. It was so delicious we've decided we need to try to stay sick for as long as possible!
Showing posts with label why do I never have enough time?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label why do I never have enough time?. Show all posts
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Two Weeks!
Still settling in a bit, but things are continuing to go well. I can’t decide whether two weeks feels like a long time or if it has gone by really quickly. No pictures again, I’m afraid, as I forgot to bring the appropriate equipment. Sorry! Instead I’ll try to describe to you what everything looks like through text.
- quick sidenote before I get started! Two things have just happened in the internet caff that have been really disorienting:
1: Somebody’s cellphone went off and they have the exact same tone as my phone does at home and for a moment I thought it was mine
2: Today they’re blasting more contemporary pop songs, including Love in This Club(!?!?!?!?) – I don’t think I can quite describe the feeling I had sitting here on the top of a mountain in India listening to that song! It actually made me feel a bit homesick (first time too)
Anyway, my life in Ghayabari so far:
Teaching:
Thanks so much for words of support. I had a few good classes this week, so I am feeling a bit better about it. Those classes are always going to be difficult, because you’re battling communication problems as well as wildness (so even if they wanted to co-operate they can’t understand what you’re saying). I don’t know that I’ll ever particularly enjoy teaching the little ones, but I know I can cope, and after this week I know that it is possible to do SOMETHING with them. And then I think the more we do, the more likely they’ll come on to my side a bit.
We’re teaching at 2 schools. On Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays I teach at Blue Diamond, and then Tuesdays and Wednesdays I’m in another village called Tindharia, where I teach at a Nursery called Regal Academy (all the schools have really posh names). Rosalie teaches at Tindharia on the days that I’m at Blue Diamon & Blue Diamond when I’m in Tindharia. Every other Saturday we teach in the mornings, so we’ll still be able to go off and do weekend trips.
Funny story about teaching: quite often the boarders are the worst of the lot!!! I was quite miffed in my first Class 2 class, when it was Rahul (one of the boarders) who was the ringleader in climbing up the walls! One of the boarding girls in Class 1 (which is #1 of my Terror Classes full of Terror Children) is one of the worst ones for whacking other children. Typical. I so thought that in seeing them all the time they’d automatically be more cooperative with me, but this is not the case!!
Sights:
Perilously steep cliffs and mountain ridges, covered by trees and tea plantations. Even though they’re in the dry season (it’s funny to think that their winter is their dry season, coming from Vancouver), everything is very green.
Houses are tiny, usually made of tin and/or brick, and painted bright colours. Almost everyone keeps potted flowers outside their houses, it’s lovely (geraniums, daisies, pansies, and several more that I don’t recognize).
Vast majority of people are of Nepali descent. There are flags, posters, slogans, and signs everywhere, calling for Ghorkaland. Some people paint “Ghorkaland” over “West Bengal” on signs with their addresses. I’m hoping Mr Thapa will tell me more about that, as I really feel that I know nothing about it.
There is litter everywhere. People drop their garbage on the ground without the slightest thought. It’s automatic for them. This has probably been the biggest culture shock thing for me so far. It’s really weird for me, because the idea of picking up after yourself is something that has been instilled in me right from when I was tiny. It’s such a shame, because the scenery here is incredible, and yet continuing to be spoilt by piles of litter everywhere. Even the tiny ones at Regal Academy drop all their food on the ground, & it’s not seen as something bad. It’s a bit depressing, because I really don’t know that there’s anything that you could do to change it, when it’s literally everyone who litters. And there certainly aren’t garbage/recycling facilities up here, so what can one do?
Sounds:
In the mornings: children (they wake up before 6am to study for an hour & a half before school! Try getting any Vancouver children to do that), chickens (they roam around the yard, everyone keeps them it seems), and quite often this really nice, relaxed Indian pop music that someone nearby plays.
AAnnnnnd I need to stop. Sorry about the quick conclusion. Will continue, hopefully next week.
- quick sidenote before I get started! Two things have just happened in the internet caff that have been really disorienting:
1: Somebody’s cellphone went off and they have the exact same tone as my phone does at home and for a moment I thought it was mine
2: Today they’re blasting more contemporary pop songs, including Love in This Club(!?!?!?!?) – I don’t think I can quite describe the feeling I had sitting here on the top of a mountain in India listening to that song! It actually made me feel a bit homesick (first time too)
Anyway, my life in Ghayabari so far:
Teaching:
Thanks so much for words of support. I had a few good classes this week, so I am feeling a bit better about it. Those classes are always going to be difficult, because you’re battling communication problems as well as wildness (so even if they wanted to co-operate they can’t understand what you’re saying). I don’t know that I’ll ever particularly enjoy teaching the little ones, but I know I can cope, and after this week I know that it is possible to do SOMETHING with them. And then I think the more we do, the more likely they’ll come on to my side a bit.
We’re teaching at 2 schools. On Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays I teach at Blue Diamond, and then Tuesdays and Wednesdays I’m in another village called Tindharia, where I teach at a Nursery called Regal Academy (all the schools have really posh names). Rosalie teaches at Tindharia on the days that I’m at Blue Diamon & Blue Diamond when I’m in Tindharia. Every other Saturday we teach in the mornings, so we’ll still be able to go off and do weekend trips.
Funny story about teaching: quite often the boarders are the worst of the lot!!! I was quite miffed in my first Class 2 class, when it was Rahul (one of the boarders) who was the ringleader in climbing up the walls! One of the boarding girls in Class 1 (which is #1 of my Terror Classes full of Terror Children) is one of the worst ones for whacking other children. Typical. I so thought that in seeing them all the time they’d automatically be more cooperative with me, but this is not the case!!
Sights:
Perilously steep cliffs and mountain ridges, covered by trees and tea plantations. Even though they’re in the dry season (it’s funny to think that their winter is their dry season, coming from Vancouver), everything is very green.
Houses are tiny, usually made of tin and/or brick, and painted bright colours. Almost everyone keeps potted flowers outside their houses, it’s lovely (geraniums, daisies, pansies, and several more that I don’t recognize).
Vast majority of people are of Nepali descent. There are flags, posters, slogans, and signs everywhere, calling for Ghorkaland. Some people paint “Ghorkaland” over “West Bengal” on signs with their addresses. I’m hoping Mr Thapa will tell me more about that, as I really feel that I know nothing about it.
There is litter everywhere. People drop their garbage on the ground without the slightest thought. It’s automatic for them. This has probably been the biggest culture shock thing for me so far. It’s really weird for me, because the idea of picking up after yourself is something that has been instilled in me right from when I was tiny. It’s such a shame, because the scenery here is incredible, and yet continuing to be spoilt by piles of litter everywhere. Even the tiny ones at Regal Academy drop all their food on the ground, & it’s not seen as something bad. It’s a bit depressing, because I really don’t know that there’s anything that you could do to change it, when it’s literally everyone who litters. And there certainly aren’t garbage/recycling facilities up here, so what can one do?
Sounds:
In the mornings: children (they wake up before 6am to study for an hour & a half before school! Try getting any Vancouver children to do that), chickens (they roam around the yard, everyone keeps them it seems), and quite often this really nice, relaxed Indian pop music that someone nearby plays.
AAnnnnnd I need to stop. Sorry about the quick conclusion. Will continue, hopefully next week.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Another quickie!
Another quick post, I’m afraid – sorry!!! I’m still very much in the process of settling in (though in some ways it feels as if we’ve been here for ages), and subject to other people’s schedules. Today we were supposed to spend the day in Kerseuong (still don’t know how to spell or say it properly), but on the way, Mr Thapa (who’d kindly offered us a ride), invited us to go with him to the marriage ceremony of his friend. So now we have less time in K-song ( it’s pronounced “Kershoung” – I think), but we also figured that it’s not every day we get to see Nepali wedding ceremonies.
So we’ve been here for just over a week now. As I’d mentioned earlier, in many ways it feels as if we’ve been here for ages. I think it is because “home” is so far away. Vancouver seems completely foreign here, everything is just so different. But on the other hand, we’re not at all settled yet, and still getting used to the schedules and rhythms of everyday life here.
So far, everything is going really well. The Thapas are so incredibly generous. They have so little, but they give so much. I know that this is not a new idea, but it has been a bit of an eye-opener for me. I’m not sure that I have seen such a genuine willingness to share everything as I have here. Right from the very beginning, they have done all that they can to welcome us into their home, and are so lovely. We live underneath the school, in close quarters. The boy boarders have a room, and sleep in cramped bunks, as do the girls in another room (which is also sort of a transit area so they have even less privacy). Mr & Mrs Thapa have a small room in the back and then there are 2 teachers and one cook who also live here, although I haven’t figured out where. There are 3 boys and 5 girl boarders. They all share one bathroom. Then we have our own room, which is probably the largest, and our own bathroom. The Thapas run 2 other schools as well, and we alternate teaching between Blue Diamond and one they’ve just opened up this year, called Regal Academy (all of the schools in the area have really posh names). It’s a nursery, so it’s actually quite a bit easier, and it’s in a nearby town, which means that one of us gets a really hair-raising van ride there (13 people in a van meant for 7, whipping round the mountain edges), and then takes the bus back.
We’ve completed our first few days of teaching now. The children are… something else. With all the classes with children under the age of 12, I have not really taught a thing. I haven’t yet been able to find a way to control them. It’s been complete chaos with the younger ones. The little ones are totally wild. They yell, scream, fight, whack each other, and in some cases, literally climb up the walls. It’s kind of ridiculous. The really little ones are lovely; we just sing songs with them. But the ones between the ages of 5 and 11 are complete terrors. They push and push and push against you, because they know that you won’t hit them. The funny thing is that the older ones are completely different. They are a dream to teach, because they know and appreciate why they are in school. It’s the opposite to Western schools.
I’m afraid I’m going to wrap up now – I’m actually finding this quite frustrating not being able have a good internet session. I still need to do some research for the week (it’s quite difficult thinking of activities that don’t require much explanation), and we need to buy a few things in Kershong. I’m not even going to try to spell it properly now. There are so many things that I want to talk about, but I suppose there will be time if I’m here for 4 months. Pictures will come soonish (ie in a week or 2). I’m desperate to talk more actually, and apologies to the fam for not replying but thank you so much for the emails. Emma: check style.com if you haven’t already. I'll try to think of more sites
So we’ve been here for just over a week now. As I’d mentioned earlier, in many ways it feels as if we’ve been here for ages. I think it is because “home” is so far away. Vancouver seems completely foreign here, everything is just so different. But on the other hand, we’re not at all settled yet, and still getting used to the schedules and rhythms of everyday life here.
So far, everything is going really well. The Thapas are so incredibly generous. They have so little, but they give so much. I know that this is not a new idea, but it has been a bit of an eye-opener for me. I’m not sure that I have seen such a genuine willingness to share everything as I have here. Right from the very beginning, they have done all that they can to welcome us into their home, and are so lovely. We live underneath the school, in close quarters. The boy boarders have a room, and sleep in cramped bunks, as do the girls in another room (which is also sort of a transit area so they have even less privacy). Mr & Mrs Thapa have a small room in the back and then there are 2 teachers and one cook who also live here, although I haven’t figured out where. There are 3 boys and 5 girl boarders. They all share one bathroom. Then we have our own room, which is probably the largest, and our own bathroom. The Thapas run 2 other schools as well, and we alternate teaching between Blue Diamond and one they’ve just opened up this year, called Regal Academy (all of the schools in the area have really posh names). It’s a nursery, so it’s actually quite a bit easier, and it’s in a nearby town, which means that one of us gets a really hair-raising van ride there (13 people in a van meant for 7, whipping round the mountain edges), and then takes the bus back.
We’ve completed our first few days of teaching now. The children are… something else. With all the classes with children under the age of 12, I have not really taught a thing. I haven’t yet been able to find a way to control them. It’s been complete chaos with the younger ones. The little ones are totally wild. They yell, scream, fight, whack each other, and in some cases, literally climb up the walls. It’s kind of ridiculous. The really little ones are lovely; we just sing songs with them. But the ones between the ages of 5 and 11 are complete terrors. They push and push and push against you, because they know that you won’t hit them. The funny thing is that the older ones are completely different. They are a dream to teach, because they know and appreciate why they are in school. It’s the opposite to Western schools.
I’m afraid I’m going to wrap up now – I’m actually finding this quite frustrating not being able have a good internet session. I still need to do some research for the week (it’s quite difficult thinking of activities that don’t require much explanation), and we need to buy a few things in Kershong. I’m not even going to try to spell it properly now. There are so many things that I want to talk about, but I suppose there will be time if I’m here for 4 months. Pictures will come soonish (ie in a week or 2). I’m desperate to talk more actually, and apologies to the fam for not replying but thank you so much for the emails. Emma: check style.com if you haven’t already. I'll try to think of more sites
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