AV allows their volunteers a mid-term break. This is three days about the middle of the teaching period that we don't have to go to school, so essentially a half-term. We decided to take the mid-term with one of the many long weekends that the Nepali's have. Therefore we had five days free, which we used to visit Pokhara.
This is one of the more touristy areas of Nepal, with Lakeside (where we stayed) being the central tourist area. It was strange going from Gokrha, which is mostly untouched by tourism to an area that is aimed almost completely at tourists. What was strangest was seeing so many white people. We've spent the last month and a half being the only white people for miles and to suddenly have so manyof them was strange. Ironically, most of us didn't like it!
We left Gorkha on the 6 o'clock bus, which is early but doesn't seem to early because normally I am up by 7 anyway. A four hour bus journey later we were in Pokhara. We were meeting all the volunteers from AV in Pokhara as we hadn't seen most of them since early January. It was interesting to hear the different experiences the houses have had and the differences between the schools. A surprising number are English medium schools and I'm sure the Nepali government is encouraging all schools to follow suit.
We did lots of shopping in Pokhara. There is a much wider variety of choice and more things aimed at tourists. We all ended up buying similar things, which I suppose is to be expected. Some people also brought books. As there is no TV or internet I have found that I am reading more than I have for years. It also meant that there were a lot of conversations about books, as it replaces the conversations about TV. It was very relaxing to sit in a cafe with tea and a book and it is definetly something I will miss when I go home.
On Saturday morning (our second day) we went on the Phewa Tal, which is the lake by Pokhara. We hired boats for an hour and were rowed around the lake.There is a temple in the middle which you could get off to see, we chose not to and actually got better pictures as we got to go around the island that the temple was on.
Sunday morning was a bike trip to Old Pokhara. Originally 14 of us set off with 14 (relatively) working bikes. Not all 14 bikes quite made the journey. It was a mission to get back when you have a bike that breaks almost as soon as you have arrived at your destination, and so the furthest point from where you started off. Therefore we did try to fix one of the bikes. We had split down into smaller groups and so there were 3 of us with 2 working bikes. The third bike had handle bars that no longer turned the front wheel and a front wheel that therefore couldn't be controlled. We did fix this with multiple pieces of string so that it could be ridden down a very very gentle slope to make the journey back quicker. Turns out the string really wasn't strong enough and broke 50m down the road. it was still quite a nice walk/slow cycle back and, technically, we did fix the bike. The string was just rubbish, which isn't entirely surpirinsg as we got it free off a random shokeeper. I'm sure she considered it worth her while as we were a 30 minute source of amusement for all Nepali's within sight.
Monday was a trip to the Peace Pagoda. This is on top of one of the hills on the opposite side of Phewa Tal and was constructed by Bhuddhist moks to promote world peace. It was a nice 40 minute walk up and definetly worth it. Unfortunately, it was hazy most of the time we were at Pokhara so the views were obscured. However, it was mostly very peaceful up there. It is a dome-shaped, bright-white building and if I ever visit a white building again then I am taking sunglasses. As it is Bhuddist you walk clockwise around it to get the seven qualities of happiness. By now I think I am happy about 35 times over. We then headed back down as in the afternoon we had paragliding.
Some of the group had paraglided the day before but apparently we got the better day for it. The guy I was with had also won the 11th paragliding competition in Pokhara the day before. When you first take off you find a thermal. You then spiral upwards until you reach the edge of a cloud by which point I think I was above 2000m. It's also a little cold and there was a massive advantage to wearing long sleeves. We then glided around for a while and it goes very quickly. As it was hazy you couldn't see too much of the mountains but as we have spectacular views at school it didn't bother me as much as if I was just visiting Nepal for a few weeks. I didn't realise how big Pokhara was and apparently it is still expanding . It was great floating and just looking at the ground. I even got a chance to steer, which is relatively simple, and also got a chance of thermalling (essentially going round and round the thermal). The best part was the acrobatics. It's like a rollercoaster except better and, unfortunately, shorter. It was brilliant.
Tuesday was just the bus journey home which, because we're in Gorkha, was just one four hour bus. It was fun seeing a touristy part of Nepal but it was also nice getting back to Gorkha. You don't realise how much you've settled in a place until you go away and come back again. It's going to be very strange leaving Gorkha for the final time at the end of March.
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Manakamana
Just a short post. On Saturday we went to Manakamana which is a temple on top of a hill. They have a cable car up to the top but you can walk in 4 or 5 hours if you so wish. We took the cable car. We queued for 1hour and a half which is pretty good as the AVs who are in Laxmi
Bazaar queued for 3 and a half hours.
It is a Hindu temple and so people take sacrificies up. This means that there are three of the cable cars dedicated to carrying goats up. Unfortunately the sacrifices are inside the temple so we didn't get to see any, but there was a lot of blood around the temple. You could also see where they had dragged the carcass away.
As the temple is very high up i.e. the cable car is 3km long or something like that, the views at the top are amazing. We were very lucky and we were above the cloud and it was insanely clear. The mountains were great (I have absolutely no idea which ones they were but apparently they were Annapurna and Manaslu) and there was a blanket of cloud along the valley. We sat and ate lunch and admired the view and the cloud started clearing so we could see more of the valley floor.
Hope you're all well at home, here it is getting sunnier and sunnier and so am building up my tan. As we randomly had a free day on Sunday spent most of it in the sun and so it is surprisingly easy :)
Bazaar queued for 3 and a half hours.
It is a Hindu temple and so people take sacrificies up. This means that there are three of the cable cars dedicated to carrying goats up. Unfortunately the sacrifices are inside the temple so we didn't get to see any, but there was a lot of blood around the temple. You could also see where they had dragged the carcass away.
As the temple is very high up i.e. the cable car is 3km long or something like that, the views at the top are amazing. We were very lucky and we were above the cloud and it was insanely clear. The mountains were great (I have absolutely no idea which ones they were but apparently they were Annapurna and Manaslu) and there was a blanket of cloud along the valley. We sat and ate lunch and admired the view and the cloud started clearing so we could see more of the valley floor.
Hope you're all well at home, here it is getting sunnier and sunnier and so am building up my tan. As we randomly had a free day on Sunday spent most of it in the sun and so it is surprisingly easy :)
Thursday, 11 February 2010
A Nepali Wedding
On Friday we went to a Nepali wedding. This is normally a two day event but because Saturday is a holy day it was shortened to one day. We started off quite early in the day by going to the groom's house. Here the band started playing. They played all day (mostly the same song). However, the Nepali's have a sing off which is essentially banter in the form of song. It was great to listen to, but would have been a lot funnier if we could understand it!
We then rode to the bride's house on a bus. Literally on top of the bus. This isn't like riding on English buses as they are designed to have people on top and there is a rack type thing on top so that people stay there. It is slightly uncomfortable, which you don't really notice until the next day as the bottom is just metal slats. Riding on top of the bus is much more fun than in the bus and as we were going round the mountain rather than through the town you didn't really have to watch out for cables as there were none!
From where the buses stopped we walked to the bride's house. The band continued playing and this involved a lot of stopping and so the walk took a while. Good fun though, and some cool pictures. The groom was wearing a suit and so looked a bit like a Western groom except it's the first time I've seen a groom wearing sunglasses (not really that sunny) and an umbrella. He also had the traditional garland around his neck.
Once at the bride's house we got food (delicious) and then every member of the bride's family washes the bride and groom's feet. This takes a while and so we had daal bhat (traditional Nepali meal) and then wandered back when we were done. It is much more relaxed than English weddings and people were wandering around most of the time! We didn't understand much of the ceremonial stuff, but we got brilliant seats at the wedding so we could see it all. The Nepali teacher at Saraswoti is going to explain what it meant to us when we show him the pictures so it will mean a little more to us.
This is the first time that I got a good look at the bride though. She was wearing a beautiful red sari and a veil. This was very much necessary as she spent most of the time in tears. When she left her house she was completely hysterical. For her this would probably be the first time she has left her house and her village and everything she knows and she must have been terrified. The man didn't look particularly happy but he would be surrounded by people he knew the next day. She wouldn't. It's hard to condemn the culture though when you're living in it. Especially as without marriage the women's future is very uncertain here and there is much more emphasis on the family unit here as many kids had the day off school to see the wedding.
After the ceremonial stuff the bride was carried (in a metal chair) to the buses. At this point you couldn't even see her face as she had it hidden in a jumper/whatever came to hand and we all walked back to the buses. After another hour journey on top of the bus (with great views had it not been dark and getting much colder by this point) we were back at the groom's house for the party. This contains no alcohol. However, between the bride's and groom's houses there is plenty of time to drink. While we didn't the Nepali's did. Turns out it is actually possible to dance on top of a moving bus and not fall off. We didn't try this, but quite a good few of the Nepali's did as the band was also on top of the bus. Fairly entertaining and very impressive!
At the groom's house we had a party. This involved a lot of dancing, the girls and guys are mainly split but as Westerners we are counted separately. Me and Hari did dance for a very short amount of time, but the boys didn't. It's quite embarrassing when small children can dance better than you can. We got a lift home from the groom's house because the Nepali's believe in ghosts and so wouldn't allow us to walk. It was quite hard to keep a straight face at this point, but it was much appreciated. And walking back from the groom's house (by Saraswoti) in the dark would not have been much fun; we were all very tired by this point and so were very grateful for the lift.
It was amazing seeing the wedding and was a brilliant day. The Nepali's are much more family orientated and use every excuse it seems to get together. It is much more colourful and relaxed than an English wedding, with the guys making a lot of noise, but this is probably to prevent the sound of bride crying. Although she may end up being happy in a years time, it was quite sobering to see the sheer terror she felt on what is a very important day of her life.
We then rode to the bride's house on a bus. Literally on top of the bus. This isn't like riding on English buses as they are designed to have people on top and there is a rack type thing on top so that people stay there. It is slightly uncomfortable, which you don't really notice until the next day as the bottom is just metal slats. Riding on top of the bus is much more fun than in the bus and as we were going round the mountain rather than through the town you didn't really have to watch out for cables as there were none!
From where the buses stopped we walked to the bride's house. The band continued playing and this involved a lot of stopping and so the walk took a while. Good fun though, and some cool pictures. The groom was wearing a suit and so looked a bit like a Western groom except it's the first time I've seen a groom wearing sunglasses (not really that sunny) and an umbrella. He also had the traditional garland around his neck.
Once at the bride's house we got food (delicious) and then every member of the bride's family washes the bride and groom's feet. This takes a while and so we had daal bhat (traditional Nepali meal) and then wandered back when we were done. It is much more relaxed than English weddings and people were wandering around most of the time! We didn't understand much of the ceremonial stuff, but we got brilliant seats at the wedding so we could see it all. The Nepali teacher at Saraswoti is going to explain what it meant to us when we show him the pictures so it will mean a little more to us.
This is the first time that I got a good look at the bride though. She was wearing a beautiful red sari and a veil. This was very much necessary as she spent most of the time in tears. When she left her house she was completely hysterical. For her this would probably be the first time she has left her house and her village and everything she knows and she must have been terrified. The man didn't look particularly happy but he would be surrounded by people he knew the next day. She wouldn't. It's hard to condemn the culture though when you're living in it. Especially as without marriage the women's future is very uncertain here and there is much more emphasis on the family unit here as many kids had the day off school to see the wedding.
After the ceremonial stuff the bride was carried (in a metal chair) to the buses. At this point you couldn't even see her face as she had it hidden in a jumper/whatever came to hand and we all walked back to the buses. After another hour journey on top of the bus (with great views had it not been dark and getting much colder by this point) we were back at the groom's house for the party. This contains no alcohol. However, between the bride's and groom's houses there is plenty of time to drink. While we didn't the Nepali's did. Turns out it is actually possible to dance on top of a moving bus and not fall off. We didn't try this, but quite a good few of the Nepali's did as the band was also on top of the bus. Fairly entertaining and very impressive!
At the groom's house we had a party. This involved a lot of dancing, the girls and guys are mainly split but as Westerners we are counted separately. Me and Hari did dance for a very short amount of time, but the boys didn't. It's quite embarrassing when small children can dance better than you can. We got a lift home from the groom's house because the Nepali's believe in ghosts and so wouldn't allow us to walk. It was quite hard to keep a straight face at this point, but it was much appreciated. And walking back from the groom's house (by Saraswoti) in the dark would not have been much fun; we were all very tired by this point and so were very grateful for the lift.
It was amazing seeing the wedding and was a brilliant day. The Nepali's are much more family orientated and use every excuse it seems to get together. It is much more colourful and relaxed than an English wedding, with the guys making a lot of noise, but this is probably to prevent the sound of bride crying. Although she may end up being happy in a years time, it was quite sobering to see the sheer terror she felt on what is a very important day of her life.
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
One Whole Month
It doesn't really seem like a month since we've been here. One of the teachers asked us how long we've been in Gorkha today (quite randomly but appropriately) and it seems like we've been here way longer. The week is almost finished now (we have a wedding on Friday and so are not going to school) and it seems like yesterday it was Sunday!
We left school at lunchtime (or half-time) today as the last lesson for us is period 5 which is my science class and we thought we'd head to the Gurkha Inn for a warm shower.
The first lesson of the day is period 1 which I teach English to grade fours. They are a relatively quiet class. They are just starting to get used to putting their hands up for questions and are starting to want to answser questions a lot more. Which is great. Except generally it involves them jumping up and down squealing "I, miss, I!". It's good they're enthusiastic, but it definetely needs controlling. And so today when I put up my hand they sat in silence with their arms crossed. It looked very British and took a little bit of practice. They seemed to think it was quite fun though!
The grade 5s who I teach English to second period are slightly louder. There is one kid who I think is ADHD who does not like sitting down. He is very enthusiastic but really struggles to sit still for the whole lesson, and gets bored very easily. When he is sitting at the back then it is acceptable for him to stand for some of the lesson, as long as he is quiet. This doesn't work when he sits at the front. However, when there is something to do he generally does work hard, so it's just a question of making it interesting enough for him to listen. They were also introduced to sitting down with their arms crossed today and so we got through the work. I also used register numbers to choose who answered questions. It's very useful that they answer the register by number instead of name and so do know their numbers.
Although taking the register in grade four there are always some that don't seem to be listening, same ones each time as well...
My grade 7s are the only science class that I teach, the loudest class and also the one I enjoy teaching most. To start with it was a battle to get them to be quiet long enough to say my name. They have now settled and listen well. I still have to move some of them sometimes, but they now listen without talking and seem interested. There is also only the occasional few that come late to lessons now, soon to be reduced to none. While the teachers are allowed to come at whatever time, or not turn up, the students are expected to be there when the teacher is. They are no longer late because if they are they are required to answer a question before they walk through the door, must to the amusement of those who were already in the class the first time I introduced this.
I hope to pick up another science class as I enjoy teaching it a lot more. I think I am also better at teaching it as well and I have more enthusiasm for teaching science than English and I'm sure this effects the children's enjoyment as well.
In between classes, in the 'leisure' periods, we generally sit with the teachers and often go for tea. There is a tea shop about a minutes walk from the school and you get a cup of milky chia for Rs7, about 6p. We also plan lessons and are beginning to learn the braille contractions (ie the words that there are shorthand for in braille). This turned out to be very useful as the blind girl in my grade 7 gave me a note that I was able to read. It took a while, but at least I know the alphabet now!
Hope you're all well.
We left school at lunchtime (or half-time) today as the last lesson for us is period 5 which is my science class and we thought we'd head to the Gurkha Inn for a warm shower.
The first lesson of the day is period 1 which I teach English to grade fours. They are a relatively quiet class. They are just starting to get used to putting their hands up for questions and are starting to want to answser questions a lot more. Which is great. Except generally it involves them jumping up and down squealing "I, miss, I!". It's good they're enthusiastic, but it definetely needs controlling. And so today when I put up my hand they sat in silence with their arms crossed. It looked very British and took a little bit of practice. They seemed to think it was quite fun though!
The grade 5s who I teach English to second period are slightly louder. There is one kid who I think is ADHD who does not like sitting down. He is very enthusiastic but really struggles to sit still for the whole lesson, and gets bored very easily. When he is sitting at the back then it is acceptable for him to stand for some of the lesson, as long as he is quiet. This doesn't work when he sits at the front. However, when there is something to do he generally does work hard, so it's just a question of making it interesting enough for him to listen. They were also introduced to sitting down with their arms crossed today and so we got through the work. I also used register numbers to choose who answered questions. It's very useful that they answer the register by number instead of name and so do know their numbers.
Although taking the register in grade four there are always some that don't seem to be listening, same ones each time as well...
My grade 7s are the only science class that I teach, the loudest class and also the one I enjoy teaching most. To start with it was a battle to get them to be quiet long enough to say my name. They have now settled and listen well. I still have to move some of them sometimes, but they now listen without talking and seem interested. There is also only the occasional few that come late to lessons now, soon to be reduced to none. While the teachers are allowed to come at whatever time, or not turn up, the students are expected to be there when the teacher is. They are no longer late because if they are they are required to answer a question before they walk through the door, must to the amusement of those who were already in the class the first time I introduced this.
I hope to pick up another science class as I enjoy teaching it a lot more. I think I am also better at teaching it as well and I have more enthusiasm for teaching science than English and I'm sure this effects the children's enjoyment as well.
In between classes, in the 'leisure' periods, we generally sit with the teachers and often go for tea. There is a tea shop about a minutes walk from the school and you get a cup of milky chia for Rs7, about 6p. We also plan lessons and are beginning to learn the braille contractions (ie the words that there are shorthand for in braille). This turned out to be very useful as the blind girl in my grade 7 gave me a note that I was able to read. It took a while, but at least I know the alphabet now!
Hope you're all well.
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