New teaching and Himalayan vistas

Hi everyone, here's another update for you. 

After a very busy week I'm back in a rather damp Kathmandu once agin! So what's been happening?

This week has seen some big changes to our teaching schedules. For a start, Rebecca and I are now teaching 3 classes solo a day! As we've now been teaching for almost 3 weeks we felt it was time to give as many classes as possible our time. I now take class 5 twice a day alongside class 7 just after lunch. Rebecca now takes class 6 twice a day along with class 4 mid-morning. Alongside this we're both taking an extra after school session on Tuesdays and Thursdays to help class 7 and 8 with their writing skills. I'm happy to say our first session on Thursday was fully attended and a big success! 

Lesson planning in the sun, one of the perks of having a balcony outside the staff-room! 

Rebecca with some of class 4 acting out their "class story" creative writing task 

We also taught for the first time at Basuki on Wednesday. The level of English here is much lower than at Singerey (as English is the students' third language! - alongside Nepali and the local dialect) so we're hoping to just increase their vocabulary alongside some basic writing and speaking. The walk to and from school offered some particularly special views this week, always a bonus considering the rather tricky route up and down the hill! 

Mid morning view over the Kathmandu Valley en route to Basuki 

Walking home from Basuki, I don't think many walks home in the world offer ciews like this! 

We arrived back in Kathmandu yesterday to meet Up with Sophie and Laura, who have just completed their first week of their placement in Godawari (around 10km west of us). We had a catch up and showed them around Thamel before heading to the Roadhouse cafe for Pizza. Much desired after Sophie and Laura's first week of Dhal Bhatt twice a day!

Not your average Valentines day meal! Me, Rebecca, Sophie and Laura enjoying a pizza at the Road House cafe. 

I missed home this morning but was soon having fun again :). After taking Sophie and Laura out to get some cash we grabbed some snacks and chilled in the hotel playing cards and enjoying some much needed down-time. Dinner tonight was at a small and lively Indian restaurant, discovered and thoroughly enjoyed last weekend by me and Rebecca following a recommendation by Lizzie. We tucked in to delicious Paneer masala (a soft Indian cheese in Masala sauce) along with some fresh garlic naan and some very welcome Masala tea (it peed down with rain for most of the evening!). 

For me, this week was a little challenging. Whilst I'm enjoying the teaching and spending time with my host family I sometimes find myself at a loose end in the evenings. Time does drag in the village when you've got nothing to do. On the upside, I'm truly appreciating the little things I take for granted at home; things like hot showers, 24 hour electricity and a well insulated house chief among them. All things considered though, I've enjoyed the challenge and am learning a lot about myself. I've gained a lot from my first month in Nepal (I arrived exactly a month today!) and can't wait to see what the next month has in store :). 

Tomorrow we part ways with Sophie and Laura to go back to our villages for another week. After the bustle of Kathmandu I'm looking forward to some peace and quiet in the village! That's all for this post everyone, hopefully see you next week :). 

Making Momos and a reunion!

Hi everybody, just a quick post for you this weekend. 

Week three has flown by and me and Rebecca have been very busy. Tuesday was yet another school holiday so we got some washing done and also got the chance to make Nepal's unofficial national dish, Momos! These simple and delicious steamed dumplings are to die for, especially when you get the chance to make them yourself. We spent the afternoon cutting up the vegetables before stuffing and folding the mix into homemade pastry parcels (this is a skill let me tell you!). After that they were steamed for between 5-10 minutes and eaten straight from the pan with a tomato curry sauce. We ate a lot of Momos that afternoon! 

Rebecca and Madhav making Momos :) Rebecca is rolling the dough whilst Madhav fills and constructs the Momos. I was helping Rebecca. 

Enjoying the results, yum! :) 

This week also presented our first chance to visit Basuki school, the government school where we will now be visiting on Wednesdays. The hour and a half walk up the pine covered path to the school was a challenge, especially in a shirt and tie in the mid-morning sun! Rajan is the headmaster here and the school itself is far more basic than Singerey, along with the student's levels of English. We spent the day observing a few classes and putting together a few lesson ideas. We also met another British volunteer (from a separate organisation), Lizzie, who will be at Basuki for a month. Sadly on the way down I was hit with stomach cramps which meant I missed out on the chance to go to a birthday party with Rajan, Susma and Rebecca. From the stories I heard the next day, it was a great party! 

Yesterday we caused a little bit of madness at Singerey when our outside game of charades with Class 4 led to all of the surrounding classes joining in from their classrooms! The kids are enjoying our classes and next week Rebecca and I hope to begin teaching on our own. We're both looking forward to the challenge. 

Class 4 during the charades game :) 

That evening Rebecca and I headed back to Kathmandu to meet up with Sophie and Laura, our fellow Oyster volunteers who arrived on Wednesday. We had dinner at the Utse and caught up along with answering any questions they had. They left for their village this morning and we'll see them in 2 weeks time after they've settled in. 

So next week represents a significant milestone, next Saturday I'll have been in Nepal for a month! Time has passed really quickly and it's only another month until our action packed March adventure (more on that nearer the time)! I'm loving my time here and can't wait to see what the future holds :). 

Thanks everybody, see you next time! 

My first two weeks in the village!

Hello again everyone, this post finds me back in Kathmandu after my first 2 weeks of teaching in the little hill-side village of Lubu, south-east of Kathmandu. Firstly, apologies for the lack of photos on this post, the app doesn't like a lot of photos for some reason. Anyway, Rebecca and I arrived at the village  late on the morning of Sat 19th. We were both given a very warm welcome by our host families, for Rebecca it was Madhav Chand (who is also the headmaster at our school) and his wife and for me it was the lovely Radjan Chand and his wife Susma. 

Me and Rebecca with my host family; Radjan and Susma. The red patches on our head are Tikka blessings.

We had an afternoon to settle in and unpack before we started at the school the next day. My house is very traditional compared to Rebecca's. It's constructed almost entirely of mud and wood, complete with some very low doorways (especially for me)! My room is small and comfortable but the view isn't bad in the mornings. The village itself is very quiet compared to Kathmandu but this isn't a bad thing. Sadly though I was confined to my room for most of that afternoon on account of the FREEZING cold and a fair bit of rain. Although the rain clouds parted around 6pm offering me an amazing sunset view over Kathmandu and the distant Langtang mountains. After dinner (my first of the local staple; Dhal Bhatt. Which is very tasty!) I was soon of to bed. 

Morning view of the Langtang mountains from my room 

So then, our first day at Singerey School. I woke up at 7:30 to an amazing view of a mist covered Kathmandu valley. A morning shower in the FREEZING outdoor shower room soon woke me up though. After breakfast (dhal Bhatt of course!) I put on a shirt and tie for the first time in almost a year and met Rebecca and Madhav for the walk to school. We arrived just in time for morning assembly, where all the children lined up and said the school prayer followed by the national anthem. After a quick tour of the staff room we began our first classroom observation, this would take up our first two days so we could get to know the kids and their abilities. Our final observation of day one was a bit more hands on as the teacher suddenly left, leaving us with 18 enthusiastic kids! As this was the final period of the day we improvised with some "Simon says" and a drawn out question and answer session where I tried to explain how to make chocolate! Back home at the end of the day I helped Susma prepare dinner. Rajan's sister and niece joined us and stayed the night en route to a doctors appointment in Kathmandu. 

The next day was our final day of observation so we looked in on class five as they practiced there English speaking. After that we were left to crack on with some lesson planning. We sat outside and soaked up the sun on the balcony opposite the headmaster's office. After lunch we got hold of some school text books for some lesson inspiration. That night Rajan invited me out for a walk to show me around the village. Not wanting to be cooped up inside I accepted. He showed me around and explained the community farming and forest scheme whilst I or tried out some Nepali with him. He also showed me around his as yet half finished new house opposite the school. He even asked me to choose my room for my next visit! The roof had some great views of the valley though. 

And then came the day we had been waiting for; our first day of teaching! Our timetable has us teaching 1, 40 minute period a day to classes 4,5 and 6. Our day started with class five and I lead a "describing family" lesson. After a break Rebecca read "Where the Wild things are" to class 4 and asked them questions about the story. 

Class 6 finished our day and we lead together (as this class is particularly large and noisy!). We went over adjectives before getting them to create and describe their own storybook character. So at the end of day one we went home with some great ideas and the discovery that all the kids loved my "good work" stamps. We taught up until Thursday; focusing on adjectives and nouns with class 5, creative writing (which is almost non-existent in the curriculum!) with class 6 and some follow up lessons on "Where the Wild things are" with class 4. Friday was teacher's and parents day so we got the day off. Rebecca came over to plan some lessons and play Uno in the morning which left us the afternoon to explore the mountain road at the back of the village. 

Saturday was the warmest and clearest day of the trip so far, the whole village seemed to be in a good mood! We sat on the roof of Rebecca's house chatting and playing cards. In the afternoon Rebecca headed into the nearby town with Madhav's son, Prasant, on the back of his motorbike. So I headed home to read and have a kick-about with Susma's son Sissir and some of his friends. 

Me and Sissir and the bottom of the garden 

Sunday was a real treat! Earlier in the week Basant had invited us to his wife Prana's cousin's wedding! So we headed into the outskirts of Kathmandu to join in the ceremony. The wedding itself was in two parts, the engagement and then the marriage ceremony. The whole process took about five hours. In-between rituals Basant introduced us to some of his family and friends. We met 3 ex-Gurkhas, a Dean of some 100 colleges and the sister of an ex-PM to name just a few! One truly memorable part of the ceremony was when the groom had to bid for his shoes back after having them "stolen" by his sister earlier in the ceremony. He eventually paid 10,000 rupees ($100!) for them. Apparently he got a good deal but I wasn't so sure. Overall it was a great experience and we were very lucky to have been invited. Not many visitors to a Nepal get to see this. 

Me and Rebecca with Basant's wife Prana at the wedding 

Our second week at the school passed very quickly, mainly because we only taught on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday we were invited on a trip with classes 8 and 9 to a photo exhibition documenting the effects of climate change on the Himalayas. It was a very interesting trip and some of the panoramas were amazing, if a little shocking as some compared past and present snow and ice cover across the region..... 

Me reading to class 4 earlier this week 

Thursday and Friday were days off owing to a number of festivals so we read, played cards and went for another walk on Thursday. Yesterday we packed for a return trip to Kathmandu, our first since arriving at the village. After a cramped and maybe a little dangerous minibus ride we arrived safe and sound. Whilst we're here we'll be topping up on essentials, catching up on some sleep and having something other than Dhal-Bhaat to eat! 

So that brings you up to date, my first two weeks have flown by and I'm looking forward to the months ahead. I should be in Kathmandu every weekend now so I'll keep you updated as and when something happens. 

Take care everyone and thanks for reading. See you next time! 

Greetings from Kathmandu!!

Hello everyone, this latest post finds me at the start of another four month adventure in the rather chilly city of Kathmandu, Nepal. Before I start, this is my first time posting from the Blogger app so I have no idea how this will turn out!

Anyway, I'm here for four months on a teaching placement in a village school and a few other adventures in-between! I've been here for two days now having got in at 3pm on Wednesday from Muscat. The local rep from Oyster Worldwide (the company that organised my trip), Basant, met me at the airport and brought me to the hotel Utse in Kathmandu's central tourist district of Thamel. After grabbing half an hour of sleep I met Basant and my fellow volunteer Rebecca for dinner. After some great Tibetan food we were soon off to bed after a very long journey. 

Yesterday we were allowed a lie in until 9 before one of Basant's staff, Absana, took us to his office for a chat with him about our placement and how we could spend our weekends. After our chat Absana took us out to get mobile phones sorted out and get the materials and measurements for Rebecca's teaching Kurta (a local dress). After this was done we had lunch at the hotel another of Basant's staff, Ghasil, took us out for a walking tour of the city. Our first stop was the "Monkey Shrine" (as it's inhabited by a large group of local monkey's) at the top of a VERY long and steep staircase in the west of the city. From the top you could see the whole of Kathmandu valley and the shrine itself was very impressive!

    The view of Kathmandu from the top of the shrine 

    The shrine itself 

    Me at the top of the shrine, the bird in the background is an eagle. People sometimes climb the trees around the shrine to feed them!! 

    Looking towards the mountains at the bottom of the shrine 

After descending the other side we headed to Durbar square not far south from Thamel district. Whilst it was a bit busy the buildings were very nice. I didn't get any good photos there so I think I'll go back another time. As for the city itself, it's bustling! Dodging mopeds, bikes and cars aswell as people as you cross the road and walk along it soon become routine! After pretty much a full day of walking we got back in the hotel just after 5 in the evening. We cleaned up and had a rest before catching up on some emails and Skype calls back home. After another great dinner we headed up to bed just before 10. 

So then, on to today; I got up at 7:30 after a great nights sleep for breakfast at 8 with Rebecca. At 9 we had our Nepali language lesson with Rama, a local teacher. on the roof of the hotel. He gave us an overview of some key words and phrases we'll need to help us along throughout our time here. I've learnt already that speaking even a little Nepali goes a long way! After our lesson Basant took us to his office where his wife Parana talked us through life in our village and school alongside some teaching ideas (pictures). 

Me and Rebbecca on the roof of Basant's office earlier today 

Fully briefed, I got some cash out before Basant took us for lunch as a final treat before Dhal Bhatt takes over! After dropping our bags at the hotel me and Rebecca headed out into Thamel for some last minute supplies before we head out to the village tomorrow. This evening has been very relaxed as we've mainly been re-packing and chilling before we go tomorrow. I doubt I'll have access to the internet over the next two weeks (we're staying with our host families over the coming weekend to get to know them and settle in) so I'll post when I have access again. Teaching starts on Sunday so I'm sure I'll have plenty to tell you. 

Take care everyone and thanks for reading. 

Experiencing Oman and a New Year with a difference

Hi guys

First of all happy new year, I hope 2014 looks set to be an adventure for all of you! Its two weeks to the day since my last post and we've been out and about all over the place!

We were fortunate enough to be invited out for an evening with a work-mate of some very close friends. However, this wouldn't be a trip to the local pub. The entertainment on offer was a popular local past-time, Bull-Fighting. About an hour away from home a pit had been scraped out of the ground opposite the beach for the evening. With no barriers to protect the crowd from any stampeding bulls it all seemed a bit unorganised. Quite the opposite, this was a serious competition with local bull owners out to prove that theirs was the one to beat. Me and dad left the others up on the high-ground for some ring-side seats. Being this close was quite intimidating but the view was great. We also got our own adrenaline rush when the bulls got particularly close, needless to say we were up and out of range in under a second (I don't think I've ever moved so fast!). Whilst a few people would see this as cruel we were assured by our host, Saif, that the bulls were looked after very well by their owners and that vets are widely available if ever there is a problem after a fight.

From the high-ground over-looking the ring, the bulls tied to the

posts are waiting their turn

Up-close and personal!

Me overlooking the ring

 

Meeting one of the bulls at the end of the evening



After the fights were over, Saif invited us all to his house for dinner and a chat. This was an amazing opportunity that most tourists never get to experience. After Mum and the other girls were led into the main house (segregation between men and women is traditional in Oman) Dad, Neil, Jack (our close friends) and I joined Saif in an adjoining room. Whilst we had dinner we were joined by other members of Saif's extended family who came in to say hello and have a chat. All in all this was a great experience, we all felt truly privileged to spend time with a local family and find out more about the local culture.

Enjoying dinner with Saif and some of his family (on the left), along with Neil, Jack

and me on the right

 

The lead up to Christmas was strangely quiet, whilst in the UK we'd have been busy with Christmas preparations this year we've been relaxing at home. On Christmas eve however we did something a bit different, even if it involved a 6am wake up! We headed down to the Muscat Fish Market opposite Mutrah Souk to see the day's catch being landed. You could find a huge variety of sea-food here, from Yellow-fin tuna all the way to Prawns and crabs plus everything in-between. The market itself is self-contained, you can purchase your fish and have it filleted by hand before your eyes. We had a good hour soaking it all in and making new friends with some of the workers.

 



 

The morning catch of Mackerel

 

The local cats love to help clean up the scraps!

 

Me and the "catch of the day", a HUGE Yellow-Fin Tuna

 

Filleting a fresh Tuna, doesn't get better than that!

Me and mum share a joke with one of the workers

 

Christmas was a very quiet day and it was nice to have Matthew home with us to enjoy it. The days leading up to New Year were fairly relaxed, but prep for our New Year camp-out soon began in full swing. With 14 people coming with us we needed a fair bit of stuff. After a day of shopping and packing up the cars it was time for a two hour drive down the coast to our chosen camp, an isolated beach with incredible views! After setting up camp and scavenging some more firewood Dad set to work on the food. The plan was to have a Shuwa. This involves laying two marinated legs of lamb wrapped on foil on top of a layer of hot coals before burying it in sand. After five hours of slow cooking it should have been perfectly cooked. Needless to say, it didn't disappoint! It tasted incredible! Matthew joined us around 8pm and the whole group waited to welcome in the New Year on our little patch of Omani paradise.

 

A quick route check, on the road down to the beach

Enjoying the view !

Dad preps the Shuwa,

Our camp, the Shuwa is buried under the shovel in the middle of the picture



New Year's eve with family and friends, what could be better!!

 

So, with 2014 now upon us its time to look forward to this year. In only 12 days time I'm off to Nepal for another adventure, this time for four months! I can't wait to get going although I will be a bit sad to leave Oman and all of our new friends after an amazing couple of months.

 

That's it for this entry, happy new year everyone!

 

Chris 



Time out with family and friends :)

Hello everyone,

I fear I've returned to my old posting habits...... a month without posting this time!! Oh well, plenty to tell you all about :). Let's start from where I left off last time.

Matthew, Dad and I headed to Dubai for the Rugby Sevens a few days after my last post. It turned into a bit of a road trip with a 6 hour drive and a 45 minute wait at the border to get through (honestly, it was easier getting into Palestine than Dubai!!!). Plenty of interesting company though, including two camels in the back of a pick-up on the Omani side of the border!

Not your normal load at customs......

 The event itself definitely lived up to the hype, it was an incredible weekend with loads of great rugby. There were plenty of sing-alongs and antics in the stands with our fellow fans and comical commentary throughout from the announcers. And of course, the latest England rugby shirts were a must-buy! Sadly though England were knocked out in the semi-finals by South Africa (although it was very close!). Overall a great weekend away and can't wait until next year (its already in the calendar!).

The stadium

Beer to your seats!!

England beat Wales on day 2!!!

Matthew, Dad and me on day two. Flying the colours for England!!

A few days after coming home from Dubai our old neighbours and very good friends, Andy, Christian and "little" Theo, came out for a ten day visit. After bunking with them for most of October it felt good to repay some of the hospitality! After a few days relaxing we drove out to a beach an hour and half from home for a BBQ on the beach. The location was perfect and the water was the ideal temperature. It was also the first major outing for our new(ish) Jeep Wrangler. Needless to say, we had a blast driving that around. We spent most of the afternoon entertaining ourselves, and the locals, building a rather impressive sand castle with Theo. After an amazing BBQ of steaks, sausages and homemade burgers we toasted marshmallows before heading home.

The beach

Our finished sand castle, quite an engineering feat!

The locals loved the new edition to the beach!

Me and the Jeep :)

Dad mans the BBQ

The perfect end to the day :)

 

 A few days after, and keen to make the most of mine and Matthew's PADI qualification, the four of us (Me, Matthew, Dad and Andy) headed out for a day's diving along two of the many reefs along the coastline. It was also the first outing for Dad's new GoPro camera, and it didn't disappoint!

 

Matthew, Me and Andy on the ride out to dive site 1

 



 Our first dive took us along a reef clinging to an underwater cliff. The fish and corals were amazing and there was plenty to see. Including the somewhat freaky but kind of cool Moray eel. We saw an especially big one!!

Matthew and Andy lead the way along the reef

From left to right: Matthew, Me and Andy

The large Moray eel!

 

After a 45 minute interval we headed back down the coast to a bay for dive two. Visibility was much better on this dive and the wildlife didn't disappoint. 

Me and Andy during our break

Me and a Puffer-Fish

Matthew needs to relax a little more......

From left to right: Matthew, Me and Dad

A baby Moray eel checks out the camera

After a few days at home we headed to a beach resort down the coast for a chilled out afternoon on the beach. The beach was heaving with crabs and starfish which kept Theo occupied for hours!

having fun in the waves with Theo :)

Matthew and Dad check out a baby starfish with Theo

Smile :)

 

 Soon though it was almost time for Andy, Christian and Theo to head home. But there was just enough time for a final adventure in the mountains. After hooking up with a group from our compound we headed out west in convoy for a day of canyoning at Snake Gorge. After a bumpy drive to the start point we all headed into the canyon. After four hours of jumping into pools, crawling over rocks and swimming through caves we all emerged slightly battered and a little bit cold but with huge smiles!

View of the canyon en route to the start point

Me after the first jump

The group about mid-way down the canyon

near the end of the canyon, Andy leads the way

 

Andy, Christian and Theo headed home the day after canyoning, leaving the house strangely empty. Fortunately I was wasn't bored for long as that day I had the chance to head out on a friend's boat for a bit of snorkelling. We got more than we bargained for though, on the way out of the marina we ran into a huge pod of Dolphins! Watching them in the wild was a truly amazing sight and I got some great photos.

Some of the dolphins swimming close to the boat!

 



 Half an hour down the coast we anchored up in a sheltered bay to start snorkelling. During a break on the boat we saw the resident turtle come up to for air, so it was back in the water for a closer look. This was truly amazing, swimming this close to a wild turtle was something I never thought I'd do. I was just glad my camera is water proof!!

The bay

The turtle, he's keeping an eye on a fish in the bottom left of the photo

A close up as he comes up for air

 



After snorkelling the last few days have been very quiet. The house is feeling more empty than its ever been on account of Matthew not being here. He's managed to get a four month internship at the local diving centre so he now lives in the staff accommodation down the coast. We won't be seeing much of him over the next four months as he only gets one day off a week. Not that it matters much for me as in just over 3 weeks I'm off to Nepal!! My final joining instructions have arrived and I need to start planning some lessons.

In the meantime we've got a Christmas BBQ and a new year's beach campout to look forward to so plenty to keep us occupied over the next month.

That's it for this entry guys, thanks for reading and see you again real soon :).