Life in Pokhara has now settled into a routine, i wake at 6.30 every morn to hurridly slurp down a cup of tea and then off to the home by 7.30 to help peel potatoes or chop cabbages for the morning dhal bhat.
Usually i get a couple of the kids wanting to help and i have to watch out that the younger ones dont cut themselves.

Theres always last minute homework or desperate revision to be done so i'm pulled in all directions, with the girls all needing their lovely long hair to be plaited too.
The kids then all squish into the dining room and gobble down their morning dhal bhat usually getting most of it on the floor,, which i then have to sweep up later.

By this stage we're usually late with only 15 minutes to get changed, brush teeth and rush to school. The children all look tremendously smart in their uniform and take great pride in looking good. After singing the national anthem we trundle onto school in a line (youngest to oldest) with me practically dragging the two youngest ones to hurry us along.





During the day i was helping a girl in class 10 with some English and Maths revision as shes having her SlC exams now. Shes been very worried, as in Nepal if you don't pass all your exams you don't get to move up the year and if she doesn't pass she can't go to college.
I also helped with sorting rice, cleaning round the house and playing with the cute little puppies of their dog - Joni.

.. However i came here to work with kids not to cook and clean,, so with Auntie we decided i should have the rest of the morning off and then after picking the children from school, stay later into the evening.





There was also another volunteer - Katerina, at the childrens home when i arrived. We became fast friends and spend lots of our spare time together, drinking lots of tea and making friends with a local band... but shes now decided its time to move on so the next couple of days are her last here :(

Once the kids are safely home and changed into more comfortable attire, they all get some tea and fruit or biscuits before being sentenced to the study room for homework time.
Here i get questions left, right and centre usually with a little one on my lap as i read them a story. They have lots of English story books but not very good English so i usually have to translate the story into Nepalese for them - thank goodness theres no language barrier here!





The kids here get a lot of random holidays as the government every now and then decide to have a 'bunda' so on one of these days Katerina and i took the kids to the park. The boys all disappeared off to play football and so with the girls we played stuck in the mud, grandmothers footsteps, duck duck goose and many more. I'd bought them all some juice and biscuits which made a nice break from all the running around.



This is Katerinas and my favorite tea place (they do very yummy tibetian bread) with Clare, another volunteer who came recently but is working in another placement.
...

Well my cameras just died which means i can't get any more photos off it.. but ones of the school picnic we went to yesterday and my first ever football match (this afternoon - yeay!) to come.



.. Ibi .. you'll be glad to know the weird sandwiches are still going on... I've discovered marmite and chocolate ice cream :D

Ramro din gurnuse - Have a nice day!