The Journey Upwards

"Eight hours??" we said, a bit dissolusioned by the thought another long bus journey after having finished the roughest one of our lives.
The travel agent confirmed: eight hours, but we knew it would be about nine or ten. The whole system was based on commision so half the words spoken were lies.
Southern Nepal was not a nice place. It was a lot like small town India but even more corrupt. We were being pestered at the bus station by men with amazing agression. But then we left that behind and started climbing into the hills and things started to get a little bit incredible.
We climbed our way up a track carved into the side of the hill. Amazing sheer hills covered in jungle, with palm trees and aloe vera plants on the side of the road. Roads like that are the inspiration for all the car chases you see in films. It went right up the side of the valley with frighteningly big mountains up ahead and a turqouise stream crashing through the middle of it. We went on. Little huts were dotted about all the way up. Real mountain people, and their rice fields spilled down the mountain sides all over the place. Then we stopped for a break on the side of the road, and for the first time, as if they were floating in the air, we could see the snowy himalayas, just visible in the distance.

Well now I'm surrounded by them, and Nepal is an incredible country. I really really never thought I'd ever be in the Himalaya, but now I'm quite amazingly on the verge of the roof of the world.

Nepal

I'm in Nepal now. I'm fairly sure I used to dream about going to Nepal when I was a child, and now I'm here. I'm staying next to the birth place of the Buddha, in Lumbini, where the monks are have in prayer session for a while, during which I'm pretty much just let lose in Nepal. It's looking good, probably worth the 48 hour journey through U.P. (the worst state in India. no clean drinking water for two days.) It's quite exciting though. I'm sleeping in the monks tent tonight. There are good vibes in the campsite with lots of colourful tents and general monk good feeling.

Opportunist Umberella Salesman

Indian Man in tracksuit: Hello sir
Tom: Hello
Indian Man: What country from?
Tom: Great Britain
Indian Man: Oh. Great Britain, very nice country.
Tom: Yes, I think so too.
Indian Man: Princess Diana, car accident.
Tom: Yes
Indian Man: Prince Charles
Tom: ...yes
Indian Man: Queen Elizabeth- queen
Tom: ...yes
(short pause)
Indian man: You need umberella purchase?
Tom: Sorry?
Indian Man: You need umberella purchase?
(produces filthy broken umberella from under his jacket)
Tom: Em... no thank you.
Indian Man: Ok
(Goes away)
(Comes back)
Indian Man: 1 rupee?
Tom: (looking in wallet) no, sorry, no change
Indian Man: 5 rupees? I need for cigarettes.
Tom: I don't have 5 rupees
Indian Man: 10 rupees.
Tom: Ok here you are, enjoy your cigarettes
(Indian man buys cigarettes using his hard earned money and returns 8 rupees change)

Rooftop Sensei

We decided to go outside the other day onto the temple roof. So I was teaching this bunch of Bhuddist monks on the roof of a temple, which felt like something from a film.
I've been hearing more and more about the previous GAP teachers and I'm glad to know that I've entered into the legion of the "Good Teachers"
It sounds like there have been some real shockers. One guy with a short temper started with 15 students and ended up with two. Apparently the "Khenbo" (abbot) says I am a good teacher, which is nice given that I've never taught him. Like I said from the start, he has abilities of telekinesis, so that's how he seems to know.
The temple roof has a balcony on it, so in a few weeks the Advanced Class will be performing a scene from Romeo and Juliet. They don't know this yet but it will happen.

The monks arrived suddenly on Saturday, so I'm happy. I've decided that monks are the best students in the world. Not as shy as the Indians but without the childminding aspect of the school kids. So my lessons are pretty awesome after the practice I've had with the other places.

We set off yesterday, a bus full of monks and the English teacher to go and watch an opening ceremony of a new monastery. (The monk's, being nutters chanted Indian pop songs all the way there) The new centre was of the sect that specialises in ceremonies so this ceremony was fittingly amazing. It had the silly hats and the sea shell trumpets and everything. We had to sit through a lot of chanting but every so often we got to throw flowers at eac other which was fun.

The Tibetan community in this part of the world (which I am obviously part of) is so small that you meet everyone at these kinds of things, all the teachers from the school were there, and the teachers from the nunnery.

Schools out

The monks are safely home now and I've finished at the school. To be honest I'm quite happy. Primary school teaching is an impossible job. And it wasn't helped by the fact that I didn't speak their language. But I've had a really good time there and I'm glad I did it. I also never lost my temper once. I shouted quite loud a couple of times but The kids never really got the better of me. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe I should have cared a bit more. They all got really attached on the day I left which was quite sweet. It could have been because I just played games all day though.
A spin off is that they all come and visit me at the monastery. Imagine a swarm of human sized midges with voices like sirens. I'm surprised my phone and camera are still intact since all they seem to do is fight over them.
A little boy tried to steal my camera tripod the other day. After paying him to get out of my room the first time, he found his way back in picked it up and said
"Sir??"
"That's a tripod." I said hoping he'd lose interest.
"Sir I?"
"No you can't have it."
"What happen?"
"What do you mean what happen?"
"What happen?"
"I don't know get out of my room."
"What happen?"
I picked him up and lifted him out. Later on they both said goodbye. I searched his pockets and found my tripod up his sleeve.
"Sir, what happen?" He said.
"No. Not what happen." And sent him on his way after getting a refund of the rupee I had paid him to behave.

But I'm sure I'll give the school a visit from time to time.

Diwali

I spent in Diwali Indian style.
I was invited to "Raj's" house. The evening started off decorating the steps of the computer centre with rows of little candles. It looked nice once we were finished. Then we brought out the fireworks. The next hour or two were spent playing with fireworks. I won't go into it for the sake of my parents but I was quite proud that the biggest explosions were from mine. Anyhow, the evening resulted in Raj getting his hand blown up by cunningly holding onto a firework and lighting it. He had to go to hospital.
The walk back to his house was like a mine field. There were bombs exploding everywhere. Little boys were aiming fireworks a at people and into sheds with people inside.
Raj got back home, smothered his hand in potato and went to hospital, so I was left alone in the local egg shop by myself. I watched the family light the candles and let them feed me. (Literally feed me). Then there was surprisingly little else to do so I watched a Hindi serial about the God Krishna which was a masterpiece.

Living in the Village

Working every day outside the walls of the monastery has meant that I've met a whole load of new Indian people. Now just about the whole village is familiar with me. It has also meant that I am now giving English lessons in the local computer centre.

Indians go mad for English lessons. I think it's because they see it as a sort of ticket into a bright future. They associate it with education and development. It's a shame because it sums up the lack of hope that they have in their country. I speak perfect English and it doesn't make anything any easier, but they're still desperate to learn it.

The offshoot of this is that a load of Indian men now have my phone number. Every night I get a text saying
"GOOD NIGHT
TOM"
I don't know who it's from but I appreciate the thought. I also get walked home by a bunch of guys who like to practice their English, so I have t0 go the long way home, so I'm always late for dinner.
It seems I've been inducted into one of the social circles of the villagers.

The school hasn't calmed down either. In fact as I run out of steam day by day, the lessons get worse. (it's hard to make them work when you don't really mind if they do or not.)
Yesterday I made a big mobile with lots of drawings of birds that the class 1,2 and 3 kids had done. I also painted a picture of Minnie mouse in Tibetan dress on the wall. So my legacy will stay on in the school for years. Not just in the minds of the children. Minnie mouse might perhaps last longer than what I've been teaching them. The other day I ran out of ideas so I just did a whole lesson on soup.