I was sitting in the courtyard, listening to the horns, drums and chants of the afternoon Puja when he approached me and asked if I could give him lessons. It seemed pretty urgent as he wanted a lesson that evening, 7:00 while 8:00. I agreed so we shall see.....
The afternoon was spent preparing for lessons tomorrow. Having read through some of the text book and the exercise books I thought it would be a good idea to put some text together and then some questions on the text to test comprehension. I still have my doubts as to how successful it will be but if it works it will open up avenues for more comprehensive lessons. I will only do this for class two and three and the first class is nit at that level and I can see it ending up in organised chaos. Besides, I had promised this morning that we would make a video of them singing Do Re Me;-)
And hey, for only the third time in two weeks the water is working. Unfortunately I spotted this only after I had filled by massive bottle. That said, I did take the opportunity to fill all the containers I could lay my hands on...
As my favourite cafe was closed on Sunday I wandered down to the main road in an effort to get something to eat. Last Sunday I had stumbled on a restaurant, typical roadside but had a decent menu. I wouldn't risk meat but a veg curry and some chapatti seems safe enough. It was actually quite nice. Not a patch on the usual and the command of English will always present the potential of a surprise when the meal eventually does arrive. In this case it was a pleasant surprise when it arrived. Don't think I will swap it for my usual haunt. I really must try and persuade them to open on a Sunday!
I found out today that the other volunteers actually get Sunday off. Bummer. Not sure why I am working Sundays. I'll need to look into this. I am hoping to do a few trips in the coming weeks, so I'll need to look into the chance of having a couple of long weekends anyway.
Just as I finished my late lunch the heavens opened as usual for this time of year. I'm sure I'll regret saying this but I will be glad when the monsoon season is well and truly over. I moved inside the restaurant which is actually quite nice. Complete with a bar! The is no action at the moment, I wonder if it gets busier in the evening.
I do wonder how some of these places make a living. The price of food outside Thamel must barely cover the cost and there never seems to be anyone in the places. Like I say, maybe it will be different on an evening.
Up to now I'm keeping myself reasonable busy with the lesson plans and reading but I'm really not sure I can keep it up for another six weeks which is how long I have left on the placement. I am quite keen to sit through one of the Puja sessions. Apparently they are quite spiritual although you do need to sit cross legged for a whole hour. Maybe I will use the opportunity this evening to ask the question.
Because of the transport strike the roads are noticeably quieter in terms of traffic and people. There do appear to be a number of taxis and some of the busses are also running. I'm really not sure how it works. I understand that most of the ubiquitous "micros" are run by the government. This is the third strike in three weeks, it appears to be a common occurrence. The general advice is to stay holed up in your hotel. Noticeably there is a much increased army presence on the streets and I understand that occasionally it can turn nasty. Given that the army are armed it makes no sense risking a trip into town today, despite the fact ha I have my laundry to collect. Once the rain has abated I will go back to my room and make some worksheets for tomorrow.
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Location:Ring Rd,Kathmandu,Nepal
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