Getting to know the locals....

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Hey again! I'm back... This week has been quite eventful- so much to talk about! I guess I will just do everything chronologically.....

On Monday, I was supposed to go to my host family's house, but ended up not going, as they needed to do something or the other, and weren't prepared. Instead, I went to Darbur Square with a few other volunteers, which was great. It is soooo nice, and I really recommend it to anyone who is interested in Hinduism (yes that means you mother!). It is basically quite a small area packed with about 50 temples, many of which are about 2000 years old! It was very interesting to see the temples for all the different gods, and to see where the Kumari lives (the Kumari is a young girl who the Nepalese believe to be the reincarnation of the demon goddess Kali). So all in all, very interesting. In saying that though, I also have to mention the poverty of the place. Whilst you may be looking up at a lovely wooden temple with intricate carvings, it is very likely that when you look down again there will be a street child looking up at you. It is very hard sometimes, because you have to just ignore them. The area is also very dirty. I spent about three hours in Darbur Square, and by the time I got back to my room, my nails had gone black! When I blew my nose, my snot was also black! Not very pleasant..... The dust is making my nose turn red (!) so I will have to buy a face mask.

The following day, I went to my host family's house and to Snowland Ranag, the school/orphanage where I will be working. The house itself is very nice. It is in a fairly rural area in a place called Bishal Nagar. The lovely thing about it is that there is a balcony with a swing, which you can see the mountains from. Very nice! I live on the ground floor of the house, and share a bathroom with two other volunteers. Luckily, I have hot water!! Yayyy! My host family are also lovely, and are making an effort to teach me Nepalese! Hopefully, I will be able to speak it fairly well by the time I get back home!

Lastly, I will write about the school where I am working. It is about a ten minute walk from where I am living, so very convenient. Right now, the children have a two week holiday because of Losar- the Tibetan New Year. On Thursday, they hosted a dance, which was lovely- I took a few photos so will show you all later! Even though there is officially no school, I have been going to school just to get to know the children and stuff. What really surprised me about seeing them is how self-dependent they are. Even though the conditions in which they live are not good at all, they all wash their own clothes, clean themselves, clean their rooms and classrooms etc. Some of them are only about 5 or 6 years old- the way they live is just so different to the way children in England live. I suppose you only really realise this when you actually see it for yourself!They are all lovely children though and are always smiling and saying 'Good morning Miss'! very sweet! So far I have mainly just played with them. Yesterday, we played basketball, and they made me captain of one team- even though I'm rubbish at sports! Inevitably, we lost!! I also made Losar cards with them today which was really fun. A couple of the students gave me their cards- I will bring them back home and probably stick them on my bedroom wall. I also taught a few of the girls about the solar system- dunno why- it's all very random here! I also just wanted to mention that so many of the children here, although poor, are really hard working, and want to do very worthwhile things like become doctors or teachers or receptionists. Will definitely do my best to help them!

Thats all I'm writing for today- will write again soooon! xxxx

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