COUNTRY: Nepal
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching
WRITTEN BY: Jess, Susie and Tarnya
Hello everybody!
We have officially been in Nepal for a month now and are celebrating with a weekend in Kathmandu - filling up on chocolate creeps from Himalayan Java and pizzas at OR2K, our new favourite vegetarian restaurant.
Two weeks ago we travelled to beautiful Pokhara, an eight-hour bus ride from Kathmandu. Pokhara is a beautiful, clean city, the main tourist strip surrounding Phewa Lake. We spent the weekend visiting temples, Devis Falls and the mountain museum. We also took a boat ride around Phewa Lake, and best of all, we went paragliding! It was such an exciting experience, and the city and surrounding countryside was even more incredible experienced from above.
We also travelled to Kathmandu for last weeks' long weekend. We began plans for a visit to Chitwan National Park, as well as white water rafting and a trek at the end of our placement! We are settling well into life in the village. Our mornings start at 7am with a cup of sweet Nepali tea, and then it's off to our daily Nepali lessons. We are slowly starting to get a grasp of the language, though usually find that our attempts at conversation are met with laughter by the confused locals - perhaps our accents need work!
Breakfast at 9.30am is usually dal bhat - rice with lentil soup and curried vegetables - but sometimes our lovely host mum Leela makes us pancakes. School starts at 10.20am and we take it in turns teaching our classes until 2.40pm. Teaching is a lot of fun and we love getting to know the kids! They can be loud and rowdy- especially the younger ones- but the noise is more than made up for by their cheeky grins and enthusiasm. But you can't underestimate the power of stickers! They have turned out to be the best thing we could have possibly brought; it's amazing to see the pure joy on their faces when they get a sticker for good work. And of course they are perfect for bribery! The kids love the Australian games we've taught them, and we are begged every lesson for a game of octopus (stuck in the mud) or heads down thumbs up.
After school we spend time in the garden making lesson plans, reading, playing cards, and doing our washing. Washing a week's worth of dirty clothes in a bucket is a daunting chore, and we will definitely appreciate our washing machines when we arrive back home.
When it gets dark we head inside and help our host brother, Sirjan, with his homework, and sit with Leela in the kitchen, trying to learn all the secrets to dal bhat. Leela has made us pasta for dinner a few times, which has made us feel very spoiled and at home with our beautiful family. By the end of the day we are exhausted and fall into bed, ready for the next days adventures!
Our next two weeks will be spent in Nursery celebrating the women's festival Teej, which we are very excited for!
Until next time,
Jess, Susie and Tarnya
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