More Wonderful Views from Bandipur

Hi All!! Sorry for the delay in updating my blog, but I have updated with loads of blogs at one time, plenty for you to read over the next week. There are many reasons why, first I've been very busy sorting out new schedules for the children's activities from the computer class and second the internet café here has been having problems. But please read the blog below for more details of what I've been up to the past few weeks and please view the blog beneath it, which is dedicated to all those people who have donated money for creative bits for the kids and for those visitors to the Bandipur Old Inn who have donated the colouring books, pens, toys and clothes, the children have loved them all!

6 weeks since leaving British soil!

On one hand it feels like time has stood still, then on the other it feels like it's gone very quickly. I think because I have seen and done so much, England feels like a long way away and my mind has been absorbing so much in the past 6 weeks. But I do miss home, my friends and especially my Mum, Dad and big Sis. I'm missing you lots and lots! Xxxx

So where shall I continue?? since I last posted, much has happened. I'm now on my own in Bandipur the other 2 volunteers left over 2 weeks ago and it's just me to hold the fort. I was nervous to begin with, but as the days have passed I've felt more and more at home. My relationship with the people and the kids has grown considerably and they are making me feel part of the family even more and I'm starting to become attached. I have even been given a nickname at the Hotel where I eat, 'Bhok lageyo', which when translated means, 'I'm hungry' and for those of you who know me, you will understand that interpretation :). If there's food I'll eat it!

In terms of where I'm volunteering, things have changed, something I'm becoming part of here in Nepal. It's not good to make long term plans here, the life is just living day to day, which I'm really beginning to enjoy, although still find it hard sometimes, due to my organisational nature, but it's good for me, I'm sure of that.
I am going to stay here in Bandipur for the remainder of my volunteering. You may remember in my last blog I said I'm looking forward to be sent to the other place, Trisuli. However, 2 things have occurred, first, a volunteer who has been their for the past few months is possibly staying their till January, meaning as there is no one replacing me here, then why should I leave, and the second is personal, because since the previous volunteers have left, I've really got my head into things and have set up a completely new teaching structure for the computer class and much more, see the blogs below.

Also, my school teaching schedule has changed. I dropped the teaching in the morning at Thudikel Primary and kept the afternoon Grade 5 at Dill Primary. Though, at the beginning of this week I was on the verge of giving this school up too! I just was not having luck, a lot of the children could not understand me fully and they could not keep attention and misbehaved. I felt so low on Sunday, really down, but on Monday I had a chat with an amazing American woman who was staying in Bandipur, for the second time this year. She gave me inspiration and most of all sincerely listened to me which was what I needed, especially because I'm on my own here with no constant natural English speaking people. I can't have an intimate conversation with one of the locals, because of the cultural and language barrier.

But after that warming chat, I was convinced to give up the school and concentrate on my other bits. But I would do one more lesson and this time I was adamant to have a Nepali teacher with me in the room, so that happened and all was different, I had some extra word games planned to use and because the Nepali teacher was their they were so much better behaved and the lesson was excellent!

What a difference a day can make and today I have started doing a Class 3 (8-10year olds) English, on request of the Nepali teachers. So I have to say a MASSIVE Thank You to Jane for listening to me and being there just when I needed it, I shall come and visit you in California! Or we may even meet in the UK?!

Well, I have written a hell of a lot today plus I have more to write more below, so I hope you are still with me and I look forward to hearing from you guys. Lots of love, the Tall guy! x :)

Thank You for Your Donations & Gifts!

As mentioned at the top, this blog is first to say Thank You, to all you guys who came to my leaving dinner in Luton and the money you donated, which enabled me to buy and send a 10kg box of goodies for the kids, you can see some of the stuff in the picture above taken in my bedroom. I will be updating with more pictures in the coming weeks, when they use there craft sets.

This blog is also to say Thank You to those tourists who have been to Bandipur and donated anything from pens to pencils. And a big Thanks to the Spanish guests from The Old Inn who donated lots of colouring books, pens, crayons, toys and even some clothes, they are greatly appreciated and the kids have had so much fun with the toys and especially the colouring books, I can't keep them away from them! :)

I also want to say a last big Thank You to Andrew from Radlett, UK who not only donated 1000 rupees to our 'Keep Bandipur Clean' campaign(please see blog beneath), but got up early to join us on one of our rubbish collections as well, Thank You!
All your help and donations mean so much to the children and people of Bandipur :)

'Keep Bandipur Clean!'

With the help of Ramsaran, the amazing manager of 'The Old Inn', the hotel which looks after my dietary needs and general wellbeing including the use of the showers and the most important of all their great company and friendship, I have set up a 'Keep Bandipur Clean' campaign.

Well actually Ramsaran and I discussed it a few weeks ago and it's only just starting to develop, but I'm hoping for it to grow and have an impact, I'll at least try my best. The idea came when I mentioned to Ramsaran that Bandipur has one of the cleanest High Streets in Nepal(See picture above during the recent Tihar festival), but as soon as you leave the High Street towards many of the different scenic routes, rubbish litters the paths everywhere. So I said can we get the kids involved, and he said yes. And when I looked at their computer class schedule and saw they were in their 6 days a week, I thought it would be a great idea to break up the week. So Wednesday, being the middle of the week, has become the 'Keep Bandipur Clean' day.

Actually, we start at around 7am armed with big empty rice sacks and go and find a route to clean. I am amazed with the turnout, some of the children are very enthusiastic. Today was the 3rd time of trying and so far we gone from 12 children on the first, 15 last week and 21 today out of 29 children I teach daily, which is great. As a thank you, they are served Nepali tea, some bread, a banana and a chocolate éclair afterwards :)

You can see a photo of today's gang above, just finished cleaning a beautiful hill spot called Thani Mai, it has a small Hindu temple on top and has panoramic views, where most of my view pictures have been taken.

Finally, I'm hopefully going to make a website for the campaign and start trying to raise money to buy more bins, create signs, buy gear and keep the children happy :) I will give you more details sometime in the future and hopefully you guys can contribute :)

Getting and keeping the children fit!!

I have yet added more things for the children I work with to do, this time it involves something I really enjoy, not that I don't enjoy teaching the kids and picking up litter :), and that is, Exercise!!

There is no school or computer classes on Saturday, so I took advantage of this free time and asked if any of the children would like to do some circuit training on Saturdays mornings and the response was pretty good, especially from the teenage boys and we all know why, and is one reason why I decided to start this with them. They don't really get to do any exercise at school, there just aren't the facilities, that is in the local schools. It's a totally different matter for the private schools.

So I've started this activity morning and their eager, those who want to do it, we start at 7:00am. We have only started it last Saturday, but it went very well. We did it on one of the most beautiful spots around Bandipur, with 360 degree views of the Himalayas and surrounding valleys, beats a smelly gym :) You can see 2 pictures above, one with us doing press ups, the other with the boys doing a Tug-of-war, which was great fun.

As Saturday went so well and there are now no computer classes on Wednesday afternoon, I thought I should fill the gap with more activity, which the boys happily agreed with. So we are now training twice a week, no complaints their!

Finally volunteering :)

Well I have finally arrived in my first destination the beautiful village of Bandipur situated on a hilltop with a view of the Himalayas(the Annapurnas). I arrived here last Sunday after a great weekend of rafting, which was so much fun. Our guide Dill, the one in the picture above was so much fun and he kept pushing everyone in and in the end we were diving off the raft in between rapids.

My first week has been a great one, luckily there are 2 volunteers already here, so they have showed me what's going on here. The daily schedule is generally as follows. Get up about 6.30am have a cup of tea then opposite where I'm staying is a small room in an old building where there are 2 computers for teaching computing skills with English to some of the local children. It is here at 7.00am I have my first class, young age mixed boys and girls. Then at 8.00am another class of about 6 students mixed but older, in teens. Then between 9-10am I have breakfast and at 10.00am I go to one of the local schools to teach English, one class level 5, 10.15-10.45am, the other level 6, 11-11.45am then break for lunch and at 2.00pm I do an hour teaching at another school. Then 2 hour break and between 5.00-7.00pm 2 more computer classes. Dinner at 7.30pm and bed at 9.00pm.

It's so funny here everything is all shut up by 9pm, they are all in bed, well most that is. On the other hand most people are up between 5-6am.

The kids have a lot of energy and are a mixed bunch but are affectionate, which I think is part of the culture here. I'm starting to bond with a few already, but some of the children I'm working with are not as under privilged as I was expecting. Though it looks like I'm only here for a few weeks and they are sending me to a place where I'm more needed, which sounds good!

The people in the Hotel where I live next to and eat are fantastic and I get on really well with them already. Again all the men are really touchy feely with the men and same with the girls with the girls, but not the girls with the boys. But again I have no problem with that and have fitted in really quickly, so I'm hugging all the guys and stuff, a very friendly ambience.

Well I must go for now, will hopefully be uploading next weekend. Oh before I go, I have to rub it in, but the view is amazing and since I've been here I've not seen the mountains until this morning. The mountains have been hiding behind the clouds for the past 3 weeks, but there was a stoem last night and it rained and the locals said when that happens you get to see the mountains. And this morning at 6am, what a sight, the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I walked up a hill at 6 this morning and took the photo of myself, the one you see at the top. So if any of you decide to come to Nepal some time in the future then please visit Bandipur, it's very beautiful, as the locals say...

...Ramro Sunda!!!