Last weeks at Tashijong

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After the month of hectic traveling, getting back to Tashijong was the perfect remedy; cooler temperatures (slightly), mountain views, relaxing days and just generally being back with Tibetans (who in general are much calmer and give less hassle) - especially our monks!

Our work's decreased a lot since before the Holidays, I'm only doing 3 hours a day now and Bhaarat has none at all! All the tuition lessons we gave to monks from the institute have stopped now that their holidays are finished (they're not allowed to study English in term time, the focus is solely on philosophy - they get fined for speaking English or Hindi or playing football!) and Bhaarat's big lamas class at the school are on holiday now (they had to stay behind to do pujas while everyone else was on holiday). This all gives us a lot of free time which is nice if a bit boring at times, though I spend more time socialising with the monastery monks now. Basically an average day is like this:

6am: wake up, go for a run (if it's not raining), have a shower and grab some breakfast
9am: a few lamas come to visit us and play with ipods/phones/etc whilst skipping class pretending to see the nurse
9.30am: go for sweet tea with the monks, chill with them or maybe use internet till...
10.30-11.30am: Little Lamas English class
12pm: Lunch at the monastery
12.30-2pm: free time usually spent relaxing with monks, reading, doing some washing etc
1-2pm: same as 9am
2-3pm: Middle Lamas English class
3-4pm: Detchen's English tuition (involves tea, biscuits and Alice in Wonderland)
5-6pm: Monks break time, good hour of football to be played
7pm: Dinner at the monastery

All in all pretty relaxing, after dinner we sometimes go to the restaurant for T.V., a chat with some monks or just read. Oh and as a result of all the monks who keep skipping school pretending to be seeing the nurses the schoolmaster now locks the sick people in the upstairs classroom so they can't have fun! This doesn't include Rinzin, however, who has broken his right arm for third time since I've been here, on asking him what happened this time I just got a big grin and a shrug - legend!

My birthday was amazing too - thanks to everyone who sent me cards and contributed to the mountain of sweets in my room, or to those who facebooked me, shame on you who didn't!). Bhaarat had gone to Mcleod Ganj with his family who were visiting having recovered from his malaria (the local doctor was useless, forgetting to tell him what medicine to take and also that he actually had malaria!) so I was on my own, and oh the presents flowed. Everyone I taught and others all gave my presents (mostly sweets but also a few bracelets, rings and pens as well as a wall hanging!), Detchen attempted a pancake for the first time and it was all pretty overwhelming! The affection the monks showed me made me realise just how soon I was leaving Tashijong and how much I was going to miss everyone that was part of my 'mini-life' here! I spent the rest of the weekend in Mcleod with the other GAP teachers, we went for a nice meal, had a drink or two (thanks to Ed for the bday Smirnoff)and generally had a nice time.

My other weekends I've spent at Tashijong; Sundays are the only days we can see our friends from the Institute and it's nice just to spend my time playing football or swimming with the younger ones.

So I've left Tashijong now (yesterday) and the goodbyes are all done, it was wonderful the amount of affection they showed, I really will miss all of them. Every lama I teach and lots I don't came to my room at Wednesday lunch to say goodbye and present me with a kata (silk scarf showing respect), they put them round my neck and were up to my ears before long! My last lessons went treally well, we ate my stash of sweets, played games and I read Mr Men to the younger ones, chatted to the older ones and generally messed about with the camera. I'm so glad I'm going back in just under a month when Mum comes out.

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