School stuff

It's been a busy week, which is why I have not had time to update. And the good news is that the weather, which has been very overcast and consequently chilly (for here) has improved and is pleasantly warm again. The clearer air enabled Margaret to get a superb Everest-viewing flight today, November 29.

I've been getting passport-size photos of the children I've been working with. To my dismay they came back cut up and all in one envelope instead of on A4 paper, so I had the great job of sorting out about 70 tiny photos into classes.

This week they are finishing off the books they have been making with these stuck on the drawings of themselves. Lots of giggling going on.

Tomorrow I must take whole-class photos which I'll have printed really big for their classrooms.

We've had British visitors at the school.

Graham spent 4 weeks at Samata in July and has come back for a 7 week stint. He is a useful source of information and very helpful at getting things done.

And Sharon and William from Scotland. Sharon was the first ever volunteer at Samata in 2003. William, who is 17, came out on a charity trek which Sharon was on last year and went home to raise money for the school. He was here now to buy and present 50 uniforms to the pupils. What a great story.

TGIF

Alina, our lovely Class 3P teacher, did her Nepali song again at my request and this time I got it on video. Also captured Margaret being dragged on to the dance floor ( a few square inches of space in the aisle of the classroom) to embarrass herself (actually she did very well). I was spared this myself, as I was seen to be the photographer.

In another class we were taken out to the playground to join in a circle game which involved circling and chanting round one person who had to spin round with their hands over their eyes and point to someone who then replaced them in the middle. Part of the chant involved a bit of Nepali-style dancing by the “piggy”. Fortunately we saw enough of it to know what to do before we were picked, but then it was quite remarkable how often Margaret and I were randomly chosen out of 50 players. (Must get the mathematicians to work out probabilities.) The only bit I remember now is “Rana, rana, rana; go si stop”. I'm sure it will come in useful again.

We volunteers have decided we would like our money to go to provide running water to the childrens' toilets (there are 2 for 2,500, so slightly over-used!), and new or refurbished blackboards. At present the children queue up at the one outside tap with a jug to use in the toilet.

We'd love to do something about the library which is kept locked except when volunteers use it, but the problem is staffing it, and incorporating sessions into the curriculum. The children are desperately keen to get at the books. Any time the door is open there will be kids hanging round wanting to come in and look at books. (Just like at home, did I hear? - or not!)

Another weekend off

We all went to Bhaktapur on Saturday and stayed in a guest house right in the centre. Because of my stinking cold, I got the single room – can't think why. Cost? £25 single/20 twin en suite per night B&B (and the breakfast was a cooked one with toast and cereal, and the curds the city is famous for) Prices here take some getting used to. 

 

One of the three ponds in Bakhtapur

Fish feeding frenzy

Cermonial carriage wheels

Potters Square

Bhaktapur is the best preserved of the three medieval city-states of the Kathmandu Valley, and developed around the old trade route from India to Tibet. The oldest part dates from the 12^th century. It has three major squares full of grand temples but is very much a living/working city. The streets are full of drying crops and rice and wheat being winnowed, or clay being prepared for use by potters. Pottery Square has rows and rows of freshly made pots drying in readiness for firing.

Next day we visited a school in the hills near Dhulikhel which is supported by Saga and various other organizations. It is a neat building whose pupils live from 5 – 30 minutes walk away. There are 130 pupils and 13 teachers and we felt very sorry for the headmaster, who was faced by a barrage of questions from us on his first day as principal of the school. He explained that he had left his last school because the board was more interested in earning fess than in the education of the children. The views of the mountains are breathtaking, the classrooms light and airy and class rolls small. What a contrast to Samata.