All the schools in the country are closed indefinitely. The District Education Office (David’s placement) in Biratanagar has been closed for 8 days. The School Management Committees (equivalent of governors) have now become SMAC (A=agitation) and have locked the schools and taken the keys to the DEO, refusing to reopen schools until all demands are met. No-one seems very clear about what the demands are, but today’s paper reports that there are 473 of them.
However, on Monday (May 21) we were delighted that at the education partners workshop, each organisation managed to send 2 representatives. There were 8 volunteers (4 male and 4 female) with 16 male Nepalis, emphasising the gender issues here! Rudra and Durga from Biratnagar ETC had come with a carefully prepared work plan for my first 5 months. Enough work for 5 years at least. The DEO seems to be expecting David to solve all his computer and data collection problems, so he feels less positive about the day. The plan for us to return with them tomorrow has not materialised, as they have ‘business’ to attend to in Kathmandu. The DEO is expected to send their jeep to Biratnagar airport, as there are no taxis. The “how will the driver know them” question resulted in much laughter, as there are apparently no other vidhyeshi in town. I will go to the office for ‘introductions’ on Friday.
Tuesday May 22. An inauspicious start to our departure day. A photograph of teachers burning an effigy of the Minister of Education in Biratnagar dominated the front page of the Kathmandu Post. Purna phoned at 8am to tell us there is a bandh in Biratnagar, so there will be no jeep to meet us at the airport, but he thinks there may be cycle rickshaws. We’ll see. Back to the newspaper, which also reports that the idol at Bhimeshwor temple has started sweating, a sure sign that some disaster is about to happen. Comforting though, to find on the back page that ‘Armed Police win Kathmandu cup’. An uneventful taxi ride to the domestic airport, where Europeans heading for the mountains mingled with Nepali business men, sherpas with trekking provisions and elderly Tibetan nuns. I woke up the young woman in Ladies’ Security to stamp my boarding card and someone shouted in Nepali when flights were about to depart. A decrepit Buddha Air bus trundled us along the runway as an incoming flight skimmed overhead, and we boarded the 19 seater plane. We were given sweets to suck and cotton wool for our ears before take off. We bounced alarmingly upwards through the clouds, to be rewarded by stunning views of the Himalayas, as we followed them eastwards while warm Mirinda was poured into plastic cups for us. As we emerged from the cloud base after an equally bouncy descent we had our first sight of the Terai. Brilliant green rice paddy, irrigation ditches, field of crops, cattle, oxen, buffalo, goats, and small thatched villages.
Welcome to Biratnagar alt 263’ (Swagatam Biratnagar)
As anticipated, there were no jeeps at the airport, but many predatory cycle rickshaws with a captive market. My bargaining skills achieve no reduction, but we did secure two reasonably sturdy machines for the 5km journey with our luggage. And what a wonderful journey! The road was lined with vermilion flame trees, shocking pink bourganvillea and creamy frangipani alive with butterflies the size of sparrows. There were mangoes and lychees dripping from the trees, fruiting bananas and coconut palms. Brightly painted bill boards advertised Mahindra tractors and Shuka Luka noodles. The only other vehicles on the road were ox carts, and we arrived hot and excited at the Ratna Hotel. The Ratna has pretensions – charming receptionists with excellent English, the ability to correct our Nepali politely and draw maps; toilet paper with proper perforations; WiFi and fuzzy satellite TV; frequent calls from room service to see if we need anything.
In our first 2 days we have walked the town (several times); opened a bank account (2 hours in the manager’s office); got SIM cards (2 visits to NTC, complex form filling in Devanagri script – name, father’s name, grandfather’s name, photograph, signature and 2 thumbprints); found the excellent fruit and vegetable market; met several Indian shopkeepers who plied us with drinks and sweets; spoken to about half the population; found the swimming pool at the Xenial hotel; and asked a variety of helpful people about accommodation. It feels like a small country town, not an industrial city of 200,000. We have seen 3 cars.
In our wanderings this afternoon we visited a Hindu temple with accommodation and a school for Dalit children. We were invited to join their festival celebrations in the evening and arrived about 6:30 to the sound of drums and singing. Within seconds of our arrival, I had several dozen excited children sitting on me asking questions in a mixture of Nepali and English. Soon afterwards the electricity went off, and the temperature rose from a bearable 39 to an unbearable 45. By this time we were dancing, but managed to escape with a promise to return later in the week. We found our way back lit by dancing fireflies, surprising several puppy-sized frogs on the way. Joseph had called while we were out, having just arrived back from Kathmandu; he is known as kaalo manche (the black man). I am sure that David will be called aglo manche as he is a foot taller than anyone else in town. I am normal size for a Nepali woman.
The good news in today’s paper is that 2 goats have been slaughtered for the Bhimeshwor idol, and the sweaty cloth used to wipe it’s forehead has been delivered to the PM instead of the king. Although there is a fairly heavy police presence (a few guns, more big sticks) here, most of them are eating watermelon and icecream in the shade to try and keep cool.
Sunday, 27 May 2007
Friday, 18 May 2007
In transition
Mangoes (aap) in shades of yellow, orange, green and red are abundant and cheap, while grapes (angur) are now hard to find, and tangerines (suntala) are becoming expensive (45p/kg). Jacaranda trees are in full flower, creating a bluish haze in the sky and a scattering of lilac petals on the ground. The unseasonal rain has made the parks and gardens green and helped with the fragile water and electricity supply for the city. It’s becoming hotter and more humid, with frequent heavy downpours.
A visit to the clinic and a hefty dose of tinidazole seems to have eliminated Giardia and Entamoeba from my system. A fact of life here I think. The doctor says he ‘debugs’ himself every six months.
The VSO conference in a smart hotel with beautiful gardens and pool in the northern suburbs, surrounded by wooded hills, was an excellent mix of presentations, work input and discussion, activity based sessions, practical information, opportunities to get to know other volunteers, and fun. We had input from Andrew Hall, the British Ambassador (British ‘interests’!), CK Lal, a leading newspaper columnist – the press here (2 English language dailies, and many Nepali ones) is remarkably free given the political situation, Krishna, the general secretary of the main teachers’ union, and the wonderfully charismatic Sanjay Acharya (a high caste Brahmin) who runs an NGO setting up schools for Dalit children in rural areas. The caste system is so deeply embedded here, in spite of being illegal for more than 40 years, and is an added dimension in disadvantage and poverty. Although the Dalits make up 25% of the population, there is only one Dalit MP and many children are still denied access to education. Wednesday night’s party was a team event with a nautical theme (the Nepali office staff needed careful explanations!), but was a great success in getting everyone ‘on board’. Our team won the dance competition wearing pirate hats fashioned from newspaper performing an elaborate routine led by Dunstan, an exuberant Ugandan while Mick played the Captain Pugwash theme on the melodeon.
We now feel more than ready to start work. Julie, who is working in the DEO in the far west, tells us that the contrast between the Terai and Kathmandu is greater than the contrast between Kathmandu and London. On Monday we hope to meet our ‘partners’ for a planning day. We are hopeful that they will arrive, in spite of the strike that has now closed all the schools and government offices in the country. The government has not been able to meet effectively for more than a week and no decisions are being made. I have some carefully prepared sentences, which I have been practising with Nepali colleagues here, but ‘conversation’ is a big challenge. Most of the VSOs outside Kathmandu are working in Nepali or a Nepali / English mix most of the time, so we look forward to improving. We have tickets for the 10:30 flight to Biratnagar on Tuesday, but have just heard that the flight is cancelled. There should be one at 12:30. We have a hotel booking, a cheque from VSO to buy things for our home, an emergency ticket to get back to Kathmandu and some Indian rupees should we need to leave the country to India. Although we are only 5km from the border in Biratnagar, that border is closed to foreigners, so we have to travel 4 hours by bus along the Mahendra Highway – closed frequently by the Maoists, so that may not be a viable option. We had an ‘eastern cluster’ meeting yesterday to discuss our contingency plans – us and Ugandan Joseph in Biratnagar, with Etienne, a young Dutch volunteer based in Dharan, 40km north of us. Staying put seems the best option.
We are making the most of our last weekend in the city, with a visit to a Nepali theatre, a concert at the British School, farewell dinner with new VSO friends and plans to eat lots of cheese. However, I have just learnt from Rima whose husband is from Biratnagar, that it has the biggest cheese factory in Nepal!
A visit to the clinic and a hefty dose of tinidazole seems to have eliminated Giardia and Entamoeba from my system. A fact of life here I think. The doctor says he ‘debugs’ himself every six months.
The VSO conference in a smart hotel with beautiful gardens and pool in the northern suburbs, surrounded by wooded hills, was an excellent mix of presentations, work input and discussion, activity based sessions, practical information, opportunities to get to know other volunteers, and fun. We had input from Andrew Hall, the British Ambassador (British ‘interests’!), CK Lal, a leading newspaper columnist – the press here (2 English language dailies, and many Nepali ones) is remarkably free given the political situation, Krishna, the general secretary of the main teachers’ union, and the wonderfully charismatic Sanjay Acharya (a high caste Brahmin) who runs an NGO setting up schools for Dalit children in rural areas. The caste system is so deeply embedded here, in spite of being illegal for more than 40 years, and is an added dimension in disadvantage and poverty. Although the Dalits make up 25% of the population, there is only one Dalit MP and many children are still denied access to education. Wednesday night’s party was a team event with a nautical theme (the Nepali office staff needed careful explanations!), but was a great success in getting everyone ‘on board’. Our team won the dance competition wearing pirate hats fashioned from newspaper performing an elaborate routine led by Dunstan, an exuberant Ugandan while Mick played the Captain Pugwash theme on the melodeon.
We now feel more than ready to start work. Julie, who is working in the DEO in the far west, tells us that the contrast between the Terai and Kathmandu is greater than the contrast between Kathmandu and London. On Monday we hope to meet our ‘partners’ for a planning day. We are hopeful that they will arrive, in spite of the strike that has now closed all the schools and government offices in the country. The government has not been able to meet effectively for more than a week and no decisions are being made. I have some carefully prepared sentences, which I have been practising with Nepali colleagues here, but ‘conversation’ is a big challenge. Most of the VSOs outside Kathmandu are working in Nepali or a Nepali / English mix most of the time, so we look forward to improving. We have tickets for the 10:30 flight to Biratnagar on Tuesday, but have just heard that the flight is cancelled. There should be one at 12:30. We have a hotel booking, a cheque from VSO to buy things for our home, an emergency ticket to get back to Kathmandu and some Indian rupees should we need to leave the country to India. Although we are only 5km from the border in Biratnagar, that border is closed to foreigners, so we have to travel 4 hours by bus along the Mahendra Highway – closed frequently by the Maoists, so that may not be a viable option. We had an ‘eastern cluster’ meeting yesterday to discuss our contingency plans – us and Ugandan Joseph in Biratnagar, with Etienne, a young Dutch volunteer based in Dharan, 40km north of us. Staying put seems the best option.
We are making the most of our last weekend in the city, with a visit to a Nepali theatre, a concert at the British School, farewell dinner with new VSO friends and plans to eat lots of cheese. However, I have just learnt from Rima whose husband is from Biratnagar, that it has the biggest cheese factory in Nepal!
Friday, 11 May 2007
End of Part One
On Saturday we managed to get to the final day of the ‘People at War’ photographic exhibition which has been touring Nepal with its haunting and frequently distressing photographs of the last ten years of conflict. When we reached the calm of the Patan Palace museum garden we had time to reflect on the selection, arrangement and captions of the photographs, which presented a powerful anti-Maoist, pro-government portrait. Hmm.
Patan Palace, in the midst of the spectacular buildings of Patan Durbar Square, has been beautifully restored and is now an excellent museum of Hindu and Buddhist religious art and artefacts. An excellent introduction to the many incarnations of the Hindu gods! The photographs of the square in1900 provided an insight into traditional Newari lifestyle, and apart from the destruction of some buildings in the 1934 earthquake and the invention of the motorbike, it looks remarkably similar to the way it is today.
Monday’s language proficiency test was a fairly free flowing conversation with a charming Nepali women who works as an international language trainer and assessor. Unfortunately my knowledge of grammatical structures, pronouns, postpositions, verb endings was lost in my enthusiasm to actually communicate on topics as diverse as teaching methodology in England and Ethiopia, a comparison of the status of women in England and Nepal, my response to the photographic exhibition (above), and David’s ‘habits’! Much relief when we were given feedback to find we were both in the ‘Intermediate – high’ category, “with some circumlocution to convey meaning, and evidence of some advanced structures”. There’s an end-of-term feeling, and our last task was a major shopping expedition to the market to buy ingredients for a Nepali feast that we cooked today. 20 cooks, many kilos of vegetables, lentils, paneer, chicken and rice, two gas rings and a rice cooker produced a spectacular meal by 2pm. We have a final evaluation on Sunday.
The next phase is about to begin – several of our group have already moved from the guest house into their own flats. We are ready to go and feel we have enough Nepali to find ourselves somewhere to live and meet colleagues at work. We have at last been given a departure date for Biratnagar – May 22, assuming the political situation does not change radically. Next week we will be at the annual VSO conference, and we are hoping that our new colleagues will come to Kathmandu for a briefing day on May 21. We have met several existing volunteers here this week; it’s been very useful to hear about their experiences in the more remote parts of Nepal. Our meeting with Purna (VSO Education Manager) has helped in that w have a very open brief ie to do whatever seems appropriate / possible! We look forward to the challenge! David is scrounging sturdy boxes in which to pack ‘essential items’ that he wants to buy here before we go. We’re not sure how we will get these boxes to Biratnagar, as luggage allowance is only 15kg!
Patan Palace, in the midst of the spectacular buildings of Patan Durbar Square, has been beautifully restored and is now an excellent museum of Hindu and Buddhist religious art and artefacts. An excellent introduction to the many incarnations of the Hindu gods! The photographs of the square in1900 provided an insight into traditional Newari lifestyle, and apart from the destruction of some buildings in the 1934 earthquake and the invention of the motorbike, it looks remarkably similar to the way it is today.
Monday’s language proficiency test was a fairly free flowing conversation with a charming Nepali women who works as an international language trainer and assessor. Unfortunately my knowledge of grammatical structures, pronouns, postpositions, verb endings was lost in my enthusiasm to actually communicate on topics as diverse as teaching methodology in England and Ethiopia, a comparison of the status of women in England and Nepal, my response to the photographic exhibition (above), and David’s ‘habits’! Much relief when we were given feedback to find we were both in the ‘Intermediate – high’ category, “with some circumlocution to convey meaning, and evidence of some advanced structures”. There’s an end-of-term feeling, and our last task was a major shopping expedition to the market to buy ingredients for a Nepali feast that we cooked today. 20 cooks, many kilos of vegetables, lentils, paneer, chicken and rice, two gas rings and a rice cooker produced a spectacular meal by 2pm. We have a final evaluation on Sunday.
The next phase is about to begin – several of our group have already moved from the guest house into their own flats. We are ready to go and feel we have enough Nepali to find ourselves somewhere to live and meet colleagues at work. We have at last been given a departure date for Biratnagar – May 22, assuming the political situation does not change radically. Next week we will be at the annual VSO conference, and we are hoping that our new colleagues will come to Kathmandu for a briefing day on May 21. We have met several existing volunteers here this week; it’s been very useful to hear about their experiences in the more remote parts of Nepal. Our meeting with Purna (VSO Education Manager) has helped in that w have a very open brief ie to do whatever seems appropriate / possible! We look forward to the challenge! David is scrounging sturdy boxes in which to pack ‘essential items’ that he wants to buy here before we go. We’re not sure how we will get these boxes to Biratnagar, as luggage allowance is only 15kg!
Saturday, 5 May 2007
More Nepali
Language continues – so many new grammatical structures, reams of new vocabulary, a notebook (kaapi) full of exercises, listening comprehensions, dictation in script, and most challenging of all a 20 minute 1:1 conversation with one of our teachers. I talked with Krishna (or more accurately, she asked me questions and I stumbled through some answers), but I did discover that she had lived in Biratnagar for 2 years. She was full of good advice: “keep under your mosquito net at all times” (I visualise myself riding my bicycle looking like a shrouded beekeeper), “always take a flashlight when you go to the charpi (toilet) to scare away the snakes” (we will be looking for an apartment with an inside charpi). We have (at last) learned some ‘weather’ vocabulary – I’m sure this would come earlier in an English language school. The weather in the late afternoon has been stormy this week, with some heavy rain, thunderstorms and wind strong enough to blow boxes through the air and trees down. In Pokhara, 3 people were killed by 1kg hailstones!
Walks to school have been enlivened by weddings this week – it is an auspicious time apparently – and the wedding day starts with the local band at the bride’s house. The band consists of a group of young men wearing ill-fitting red jackets with a variety of instruments that make a great deal of noise. Sometimes language lessons have to be halted until the noise stops.
While the Dutch were invited to a smart hotel for a day to celebrate their Queen’s birthday, we were only able to observe the celebrations for ours from outside the high, heavily guarded wall of the British Embassy. There were separate entrances for superior (red) and inferior (blue) people (or in the case of VSOs no entry). When we tried to sneak a look through the gates where a military band was playing, we were moved away at gunpoint.
‘Democracy day’ (April 24) – a year after the king gave up his power was marked by a public holiday, but not for us. The roads were relatively quiet, with offices and schools closed. Families were enjoying a day out; we were nearly run down (a frequent hazard) by a group of 5 on a motor bike, with a small girl dressed in sunglasses and flounced pink net party dress at the front. Inspite of the excitement about democracy and change, in reality nothing really seems to have happened in the last year, with increasing frustration, especially in the Terai.
April 25 saw the launch of the Global Campaign for Education and some of us attended a ‘solidarity’ rally in the centre of the city before school. Lots of school children in uniforms, ragged street children, some of whom now have access to informal education in the evenings, some teachers, lots of VSOs(!), organisers of local NGOs, the director of UNICEF and the State Minister of Education. Lots of speeches in Nepali, with particularly moving ones from street children demanding their right to a decent education. Powerful stuff.
Cultural events have included sessions on child marriage – still very common in rural areas, with horrendous figures for deaths in childbirth. The discussion centred around a very moving DVD that we watched upstairs from the language school, which occupies the ground floor of a Tibetan house. When we went upstairs, the male members of the family were sprawled on cushions in vest and pants watching the TV. A huge glass display cabinet occupying one wall contained many large bottles of different brands of whisky proudly flanking pictures of the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan memorabilia.
On Saturday we caught a bus to Bhaktapur, a world heritage site and the largest temple complex in Nepal, only 15km away. The journey took 2 ½ hours, partly because a banda (strike) had been called and the main road blocked. Our enterprising driver found a way through at his third attempt, across fields and pathways. It was good to get away from the traffic of the city and we had a delightful weekend wandering through the ancient temples and the artisans’ areas with potters, wood and stone carvers and metal workers, observing an impassioned Maoist rally in one of the old squares, watching the night market and the evening puja at the temples. On Sunday morning we walked across the river and into the hills to the Ganesh temple where wedding couples came for blessings to ensure their children will be healthy.
A challenge at the beginning of this week was a specific brief to talk to ’real people’. While David got a taxi (with an English speaking driver) to the eastern bus park to check out bus times (he found an English speaking and signed counter), I was expected to talk to local girls about their education and their family. Not as easy as it sounds. As I approached a pair of little girls in smart maroon and blue uniforms, a young heifer from outside the hotel escaped and ran amok through the building site, causing everyone to scatter in an attempt to avoid both heifer and the large puddles that had collected during the morning rain. The next girl I met and spoke to, looked horrified, then laughed and ran away. With Alina, aged 11, I did rather better, after she understood that I was actually trying to speak Nepali. I then decided to try slightly older girls. The trio I homed in on turned out to be 21 (they looked about 14) and studying for degrees in hotel management. Rashima’s father has a restaurant in Bournemouth, and we were able to chat in both English and limited Nepali. Homework siddhiyo!
On Buddha’s birthday (this year on May 2, to coincide with the new moon) a group of us went out to Boudanath after school to join the celebrations. Thousands of Buddhists were walking around the stupa chanting and twirling prayer wheels: an assortment of maroon and orange clad monks, young Tibetan women in splendid new stripy ‘aprons’, tiny, shaven nuns in saffron robes, young men in jeans and football shirts, business men with brief cases, young monks prostrating themselves every 2 steps for the ritual 26 circuits (special ‘prostration boards’ were available for hire). As darkness fell, the moon rose and the stupa was illuminated by thousands of jhillimilli (coloured lights) and traditional diyo (butter lamps). We watched until late in the evening from the roof top of the Saturday café, sipping lemon sodas and eating fresh strawberry sorbet (unlikely but true!)
Tonight we are going to the Friday movie at the Lazimpat Arts Café to see ‘To kill a mockingbird’ (again). All the latest films arrive here eventually!
The challenge for this weekend is revision, as we learnt today that external assessors will come on Monday & Tuesday for our ‘SATs’. We will all be examined for 30 minutes individually and then levelled.
Walks to school have been enlivened by weddings this week – it is an auspicious time apparently – and the wedding day starts with the local band at the bride’s house. The band consists of a group of young men wearing ill-fitting red jackets with a variety of instruments that make a great deal of noise. Sometimes language lessons have to be halted until the noise stops.
While the Dutch were invited to a smart hotel for a day to celebrate their Queen’s birthday, we were only able to observe the celebrations for ours from outside the high, heavily guarded wall of the British Embassy. There were separate entrances for superior (red) and inferior (blue) people (or in the case of VSOs no entry). When we tried to sneak a look through the gates where a military band was playing, we were moved away at gunpoint.
‘Democracy day’ (April 24) – a year after the king gave up his power was marked by a public holiday, but not for us. The roads were relatively quiet, with offices and schools closed. Families were enjoying a day out; we were nearly run down (a frequent hazard) by a group of 5 on a motor bike, with a small girl dressed in sunglasses and flounced pink net party dress at the front. Inspite of the excitement about democracy and change, in reality nothing really seems to have happened in the last year, with increasing frustration, especially in the Terai.
April 25 saw the launch of the Global Campaign for Education and some of us attended a ‘solidarity’ rally in the centre of the city before school. Lots of school children in uniforms, ragged street children, some of whom now have access to informal education in the evenings, some teachers, lots of VSOs(!), organisers of local NGOs, the director of UNICEF and the State Minister of Education. Lots of speeches in Nepali, with particularly moving ones from street children demanding their right to a decent education. Powerful stuff.
Cultural events have included sessions on child marriage – still very common in rural areas, with horrendous figures for deaths in childbirth. The discussion centred around a very moving DVD that we watched upstairs from the language school, which occupies the ground floor of a Tibetan house. When we went upstairs, the male members of the family were sprawled on cushions in vest and pants watching the TV. A huge glass display cabinet occupying one wall contained many large bottles of different brands of whisky proudly flanking pictures of the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan memorabilia.
On Saturday we caught a bus to Bhaktapur, a world heritage site and the largest temple complex in Nepal, only 15km away. The journey took 2 ½ hours, partly because a banda (strike) had been called and the main road blocked. Our enterprising driver found a way through at his third attempt, across fields and pathways. It was good to get away from the traffic of the city and we had a delightful weekend wandering through the ancient temples and the artisans’ areas with potters, wood and stone carvers and metal workers, observing an impassioned Maoist rally in one of the old squares, watching the night market and the evening puja at the temples. On Sunday morning we walked across the river and into the hills to the Ganesh temple where wedding couples came for blessings to ensure their children will be healthy.
A challenge at the beginning of this week was a specific brief to talk to ’real people’. While David got a taxi (with an English speaking driver) to the eastern bus park to check out bus times (he found an English speaking and signed counter), I was expected to talk to local girls about their education and their family. Not as easy as it sounds. As I approached a pair of little girls in smart maroon and blue uniforms, a young heifer from outside the hotel escaped and ran amok through the building site, causing everyone to scatter in an attempt to avoid both heifer and the large puddles that had collected during the morning rain. The next girl I met and spoke to, looked horrified, then laughed and ran away. With Alina, aged 11, I did rather better, after she understood that I was actually trying to speak Nepali. I then decided to try slightly older girls. The trio I homed in on turned out to be 21 (they looked about 14) and studying for degrees in hotel management. Rashima’s father has a restaurant in Bournemouth, and we were able to chat in both English and limited Nepali. Homework siddhiyo!
On Buddha’s birthday (this year on May 2, to coincide with the new moon) a group of us went out to Boudanath after school to join the celebrations. Thousands of Buddhists were walking around the stupa chanting and twirling prayer wheels: an assortment of maroon and orange clad monks, young Tibetan women in splendid new stripy ‘aprons’, tiny, shaven nuns in saffron robes, young men in jeans and football shirts, business men with brief cases, young monks prostrating themselves every 2 steps for the ritual 26 circuits (special ‘prostration boards’ were available for hire). As darkness fell, the moon rose and the stupa was illuminated by thousands of jhillimilli (coloured lights) and traditional diyo (butter lamps). We watched until late in the evening from the roof top of the Saturday café, sipping lemon sodas and eating fresh strawberry sorbet (unlikely but true!)
Tonight we are going to the Friday movie at the Lazimpat Arts Café to see ‘To kill a mockingbird’ (again). All the latest films arrive here eventually!
The challenge for this weekend is revision, as we learnt today that external assessors will come on Monday & Tuesday for our ‘SATs’. We will all be examined for 30 minutes individually and then levelled.
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