It's now 3rd December. The last two weeks have been busy and the next two weeks will be the last two weeks.
Back on the 18th November, (Mangsir 2 in the Nepali calendar) it was time for the monthly RPs' and supervisors' meeting. I was really pleased to hear the RPs making their reports and even more pleased when one of the women RPs told me 'we (I think she meant the two women) asked for more sharing' - at last! At the end of the meeting Mahendraji asked if I would like to say anything and I shocked him by saying 'yes' - well I wasn't going to pass on my last opportunity. Having thanked them and wished them well I told them I was going to take their photos to give to the new volunteer, so that she didn't spend two years trying to match names,faces and resource centres. I haven't attached the rogues' gallery.
When I read the newspaper the next day, I learnt that Maoists had reclaimed land near Bhutandevi school belonging to 'an Indian citizen'. It was only when I went down the road to buy vegetables that I noticed the red flag flying in the field next to my house (it's between the two trees in the photo) - I'm not sure what they plan to do with it, but it was a sign of things to come. Later in the week the newspaper reported that land attached to two properties belonging to former Home Minister and my old neighbour Kamal Thapa, had been seized - I take it VSO aren't going to tell me to move again!
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The next day I finally went to Shree Devi School - despite being told the schools would be open the previous Wednesday, they had all stayed closed until after the Chaatt festival. I had a long talk with the head madam about what she saw as the value in having grade teaching and discovered that she could understand that teachers could get to know their pupils better, that time could be managed more effectively without breaks and that reference could be made to learning from other subject lessons because teachers would know what had been taught. When I asked if she found it difficult knowing all the curriculum subjects (the complaint of the grade teacher at another school a few months ago)I discovered that in fact two teachers shared each class, so they only had to learn about three subjects - oh well. I did observe her deliver a model lesson to class 1, though. It was full of warmth, encouragement and short breaks for a number song and a bit of 'Brain Gym' and the steps to addition of tens and units (without carrying figures!)were very clear.
When I said I would return the next day I was told the school would be closed - yes, another local festival - when people celebrate and worship the tulsi (basil)plants they have in their gardens by decorating them.
However parsi (the day after next)I returned and spent a whole day observing and taking photos. The school is very fortunate to have whiteboards in the classrooms and although there were no materials in the ECD room there was a teacher who knew how to teach using games.
This is a picture of a poster I used in many training sessions until one school took a real liking to it and it disappeared. Obviously someone else has been training here as the poster was displayed on a classroom wall. The scene causes great hilarity and the participants can always talk about the issues which need improvement. Unfortunately, in some schools many of these issues are all too real - but definitely not at Shree Devi.
The next day I was off to another school, this time out in Hatiya, where Richard (having cycled up from Birgunj the previous day)wanted to take photos of children using the natural materials on display in the ECD class. Although we were given a display rather than a normal morning (at least we hoped it was), we did see a range of activities. Here children are being given grains of salt and sugar(eyes closed) before having to describe the taste - salty and sweet!
I took this photo simply for the bag - will this little girl ever enjoy the new Nepal?
That evening Pradipta treated us to a genuine Indian fish curry. He'd promised no bones 'or only the big one' and it was in a very tasty sauce, but we left the head to him!
On the Friday of this week I'd been in the office less than half an hour when the Hetauda RP came in and asked me to go to a higher secondary school out to the west, where there was going to be an interaction of the school's stakeholders, which had been called by the PTA. I was asked to give a short talk about how parents, teachers and the SMC (governing body) work together in the UK and how the local authority and government are involved. The headmaster was under considerable attack about standards of behaviour, uniform and teaching (particularly of English) and after collecting everyone's comments and complaints he began a long series of excuses. He was interrupted at one point by a management committee member who said he thought the programme had been advertised as an 'interaction' but it didn't seem to be interactive. I don't know what the outcome will be for this particular school which has 'namuna' in its name - a 'model' school - but if there is so much interest (50+ people at the meeting)I hope the pupils eventually get the quality of education they deserve.
At the weekend I joined the Birgunj boys (Richard and Kors) for a trip up to Daman to see the view (Himalayas east to west)and a walk down through the jungle to the valley, as described to me by Sandy when she was living up there. After a 7am start and a three hour bus journey with amazingly clear views down to the Rapti valley, Hetauda and the hills to the south, and glimpses of white mountains to the north, we were ready for tarkari, chick peas, sel roti and beaten rice (and chiyaa of course) before heading up the viewing tower for a better view of 500 miles of the Himalayan range. (Trivia: Himalaya means 'abode of the snow' from the Sanskrit hima - snow and alaya - abode) My previous views had been from a bus and a jeep, so it was good to be able to take time to try to realise what exactly I could see - 9 of the 14 highest mountains in the world, with an average height of 15000ft. The nearest mountains are about 50 miles away and we were already at a height of nearly 7500ft - I still can't comprehend the scale.
We weren't the only ones heading for the tower - these sacks of wood and leaves were heading in that direction too!
We headed back up the hill and into the jungle along a paved path to a temple site for Buddhists and Hindus. My information was that the path then continued down to the valley.We couldn't see anything until a barefoot man carrying a sack of wood appeared through the trees. We followed him down a steep, slippy,narrow, winding path (where was the trusty Rotary walking pole?)until we came to a stream which flowed and fell over and between large boulders and needed jumping and crossing on stepping stones. There were many pools with flowers and the occasional fish - a real secret valley.
We were occasionally overtaken by friendly groups of men and women carrying large sacks of wood but otherwise had the place to ourselves. After 3 hours or so we reached ploughed fields and then the road and headed for a chiyaa pasal at the bottom of the hill in Shikarkot. Having found the lodge where I stayed when I visited Sandy, we set off to find a route the guys could run the following morning (they are now in serious training for the Delhi (half)marathon). As we headed back up the hill into the sunset, the full moon rose behind one of the surrounding hills - a lovely end to a very enjoyable day.
After a good daal bhaat we were playing cards when Sandy's colleague Pemba from Global Action came in for his evening meal. There's something about being greeted as a friend by a Nepali that still makes me feel good (and it impressed the locals). The fresh air had its effect and I was asleep before 8.30.
The next day saw us take the 9.30 bus back. This time the journey took 4 hours, including a food break at Daman and a roadside toilet stop durng which Kors was asked all the usual questions about his origins, what he was doing in Nepal, where he lived etc and when he said 'Birgunj' he was told there was a bandh - which after his story of tyre-burning as he came up on Friday could have been true, but fortunately wasn't.
Having passed the planned election date (22nd November) there was always a fear that demonstrations may escalate. In fact the country is at a standstill - the new parliamentary session was postponed while the parties 'continued their homework' and then when it did meet on Thursday there was hardly anyone there. It's now been put off until Wednesday.
Prachanda contradicts himself every time he opens his mouth - he wants to find a way to support the government but he wants his members to demonstrate for his parties new demands and says they'll fight for forty years if necessary. They are still causing misery by demanding contributions and carrying out abductions. The Prime Minister is ill again, many ministers are talking about each other and we are going nowhere. And to think we could have been a republic by now if only they had held the elections. Letters in the paper today were saying how everyone,even in rural areas is just tired of the ineffectual government
The good news is that the country has risen in the UN's Human Development list by two places (still 142 out of 177). The enrolment rate across all levels of education has gone up 2% to 58% and life expectancy is now 62.6 years (up 4 years for women in the last two years and due to the decrease in infant mortality).
The rest of last week I spent writing and sorting and preparing a display for the office for World AIDS Day. On Friday afternoon I waited for the phone call that would tell me Purna and Doreen had arrived. It didn't come until after 6pm - there had been brake problems in the hills and they had a 2 hour delay. Better late than never I met my replacement at the Avocado and heard about the new intake, language training and Doreen's life in international schools in Singapore and Africa, her search for a home in Portugal and her 21/2 years researching for a master's degree in Nepal.
Saturday morning was spent at a meeting at Uma madam's resource centre where Purna gave a spirited description of VSO's work and talked to the heads about Doreen working in their schools. They had to decide the criteria for choosing which schools would benefit from a volunteer. Also at the meeting (for gender balance) were the women from the SMC training course. I really hadn't thought they would come on Saturday morning, but I was so pleased when some of them answered questions and made comments. At least they know someone respects them.
We repeated the exercise with another group of heads on Sunday morning, before having daal bhaat and the VSO jeep set off back to Kathmandu. Purna has agreed a price with my landlord for storing the furniture in one room until Doreen returns and needs it - that saves me a lot of hassle, but I am dreading taking down my pictures and taking off the cushion covers.
I've just got an e-mail to say Pradipta is back from another visit to India and has invited himself round here tomorrow - with Indian snacks. Jo is back from a field visit on Wednesday and I want to see Jose before I leave, so hopefully the week will be busy (I understand we're having a ceremony at the DEO on Friday).
What shall I miss? The weather - most of the year and just now in particular. The colours - the blue and white of the mountains, the brown and green of the hills and the paddies, the multi coloured bustle of the bazaars. The pace of life - I enjoy walking everywhere. The fresh vegetables and fruit and the way they are cooked. Music on the buses. The local Imam - my personal alarm clock. Festivals almost every month. The friendliness and generosity of many people. And what won't I miss? Spitting. Cheeky schoolboys (and girls sometimes). Load -shedding - particularly when the fans are off in the heat of summer. Cold water showers in the winter. Roads in need of repair. The habit of serving or speaking to each person who comes into a shop or office without finishing the business you are involved in. Mobile phone ring tones (Auld Lang Syne has a new meaning!)- I think they are used more sensitively in England. Strikes and road blocks. And what am I looking forward to? Hot baths and fish and chips.
